When Walter walked toward the granary, she tested him, like dipping a toe into the water. “Will you not come and say hello to the Taubers? Surely they would love to see you. It’s been over half a year since you’ve been here.”
“I have to go back today.” Walter squeezed her hand lightly, his eyes shifting away. “But I wanted to see you, Magda. It’s possible that I will be promoted. Just to second lieutenant, but it’s a step up. You know, officers have privileges.” He paused and gazed up at the cedars across the road, their scent wet and heavy. “I’ll be going to the front soon. To the east.”
Her brothers. So far they were both safe, last she’d heard. She swayed, clutching his arm to her, like a rope. “When?”
“Within the week.”
“Then you must come and say goodbye to everyone. At least to Aleš. He still laments your absence to Renata and me. We could have breakfast together like we used to.”
Walter pressed his lips together. “I…” The shake of his head was almost imperceptible as he eyed the grounds beyond the gate. “I’d better not.”
Loyalty to one party would mean having to sever his loyalties to the other. Frau Tauber had said, We will send a signal that we can live together. Utter nonsense. Now she was disappointed. No, Walter had no hand in the Taubers’s mild reprieve.
Magda could not keep the bitterness out of her tone. “They will be sorry when I tell them you were here.”
“Then don’t tell them.”
Her hand went limp in his. “I won’t.”
He let go of her under the pretense of walking her back across the road, back to the villa, but he stopped outside the gate. “I have to get back, Magda. I’ll write you every day. You know”—he brushed a hand over her right cheek—“I really would like to like you. I don’t know. Maybe I do need to spend more time with you. I promise, next time.”
Like he’d promised to collect the eggs with her? But his gaze was elsewhere now, and she followed it to the veranda, where Renata, Aleš, and she had built up the canopy yesterday. They had been enjoying the warm weather this past week, and Ruth Tauber had insisted on an outdoor gathering. Aleš and Renata were supposed to carry the canopy to the rose garden later, mainly to keep the party out of sight from the main road.
“What’s that?” Walter asked.
“Nothing. Just a party for—” He doesn’t know, Magda. “A birthday party.”
Walter frowned, and his eyes darkened. “You’ll be there, I suppose.”
On an impulse, she threw her arms around his waist, surprising herself. She had to say something. She had to at least try and pull him back in. “I’ll write to you. I promise. Stay awhile. Come inside.”
He drew away, gentle but firm. “I can’t.” He gazed at her, searching for something. “You know, I could love you?”
When he leaned down to kiss her, she yielded in hopes of reaching him like this, but when she pictured them from afar—a tall and slim fellow and a short, round girl with an unchartered map imprinted on her cheek—she could not find a way.
The next morning was again glorious, and with Frau Tauber’s excitement and Dr. Tauber’s solemnity, the house staff swung between the two nervous moods. There had been an argument last night. Magda had overheard the Taubers as she put Eliška to bed, catching snippets of raised voices. Something about how the mitzvah could be too great of a risk. Frau Tauber, however, insisted, and Dr. Tauber finally gave in. A small number of guests, the closest of their remaining friends, had been invited. They were all Gentiles.
Magda dressed in her finest, a flowing white blouse and a navy-blue skirt with delicately embroidered flowers along the hem and up the middle. As she came down the stairs a half hour before the guests were to arrive, Dr. Tauber stepped outside his office and gazed approvingly at her.
“You look lovely, Magdalena. Will you step in, please?”
Magda noted his uncertain smile as he held the door open for her. Had the Taubers reconsidered? Or had they only reconsidered making her a part of the ceremony? Resolved to keep the disappointment from her face, she walked in.
“Take a seat, Magdalena.” He was grave indeed as she sank onto the plush chair. He waited for her to get comfortable before perching on the edge of his desk before her. He wore a dark suit, finely tailored to his angular figure. His hair had always been a little longer than fashionable, and today it was slicked back.
“I wanted to tell you about the custom and what to expect, explain what it is that I will be doing.”
Magda relaxed, her worry replaced by curiosity and his confidence.
“This might be a little embarrassing, Magdalena, and I want you to feel comfortable. I also want to assure you that although Samuel will feel some pain, it’s part of the mitzvah. The procedure is very safe.”
He reached for a box lying next to him on the desk. The leather hide that covered it was kept in place by silver implements and closed with a silver latch. Dr. Tauber set it on his lap and opened it so that she could examine the contents inside. She now saw that the box was made of wood. Inside were a small silver flask, two tiny silver trays, a strangely shaped instrument, a silver pointer, and another vial.
Dr. Tauber removed the strange instrument first and held it up. It was flat and shaped like a rounded A without the line in the middle. When he showed it
