Or gone off somewhere with someone else? she addedsilently.
In response, Sir Reggie let out a yap. He scrambled against hershoulder, staring off at something behind her and wagging his tail.
London turned around and felt her breath quicken. Her dog hadspotted the man she was looking for.
Bryce Yeaton was sitting on the edge of the makeshift curtainedstage that had been mounted at the end of the square. His arms were crossed,and he was watching the human traffic with a look of amused pleasure.
London made her way over to him, and his smile broadened when hesaw her.
“Well, hello, there!” he said. “I was hoping you’d change yourmind.”
“I decided I just couldn’t miss it,” London said. She hoped thatthe warmth she felt in her cheeks wasn’t a visible blush.
Pointing to the curtain, she asked, “Is there going to be somekind of performance here later on?”
Bryce let out a peal of hearty laughter.
“Well, in a manner of speaking,” he said. “It’s going to be thegrand finale of the day. I’ve read about what’s supposed to happen. It’s prettycrazy.”
“What’s going to happen?” London asked.
Bryce tugged on the curtain.
“I don’t suppose anyone will object if we step back there to havea peek for ourselves,” he said.
London put Sir Reggie down on the stage and she and Bryce climbedup on it too. Bryce parted the curtain, and they stepped behind it. Londongasped at what she saw—and what she smelled.
“What on earth!” she said.
In the middle of the stage was a staggeringly huge wooden barrel,with a small flight of stairs leading up one side to the top. An odd-lookingchair was mounted over of the barrel.
“Is that smell what I think it is?” London asked.
“It sure is. That barrel is entirely full of beer.”
“But who’s going to drink it?”
“Nobody—I hope. But somebody’s going to get a good taste of it,that’s for sure.”
“I don’t understand.”
Bryce grinned as he explained.
“At the beginning of every Hoffmann Fest, all of the beer vendorsdraw lots. The winner—or maybe I should say the loser—is made to wear a catcostume, and is declared to be Katers Murr, ‘Tomcat Murr.’ The tomcat isa comical character from a novel by E.T.A. Hoffmann. Tomcat Murr is enthronedin that chair, but it’s hinged and he gets a ritual dunking in the barrel ofbeer. Tomorrow, he gets to come back in a dry royal robe and reign over all ofthe continuing festivities.”
“Wow,” London said, trying to imagine the scene. “But isn’t thatkind of a waste of good beer?”
“Don’t worry, it’s not good beer—at least not according tothe refined tastes of Bambergers. It’s just cheap commercial German lager, allkinds of brands just dumped in together. It’s sort Bamberg’s way of showingtheir scorn for lagers and any other kinds of beer that aren’t made right herein town.”
“When is this supposed to happen?” London asked.
“Later this evening. Hopefully we’ll have time to catch it beforewe set sail. Have you had dinner yet?”
“No.”
“Me neither. Let’s get a sandwich and some brew.”
“Yes,” London said with a big smile. “Let’s do that.”
It had just hit her that she was having a good time. The festivalwas more interesting than she had expected it to be, but her smile wasdefinitely for the man she was with.
As they got down from the stage, she took the hand he offeredher—not because she actually needed the help but because she welcomed hishumorous display of gallantry.
London and Bryce headed toward the stalls at one edge of thesquare. At a food vendor, they stopped and each ordered a Fischbrötchensandwich. They set their sandwiches down on a free table and put Sir Reggie inone of the chairs.
Bryce gave the little terrier one of his kitchen-made dog treats,then headed off to a beer stall. He soon came back with beer in two largeglasses shaped rather like tulips, wider at the top than at the base, andnarrow in the middle.
“I think you’re going to like this,” Bryce said.
London lifted the glass to take a sip.
“Hey, not so fast!” Bryce said with a laugh. “First savor thebouquet!”
The bouquet? London wondered.
That was a word she’d always heard in reference to wine, notbeer. Of course, she knew better than to be surprised that Bryce was somethingof a beer connoisseur.
She held the foamy head near her nose and breathed in theenchanting aroma.
“Oh, my,” she said. “I don’t think I’ve ever had beer that smellslike this.”
“I’m not surprised,” Bryce said. “Not unless you’re familiar withHefeweizen—served here in its own specially shaped glass. Can youdescribe the smell for me?”
“It’s very rich,” London said, sniffing the beer again. “Almostwarm, somehow.”
“You know German, right?”
“Pretty well.”
“So what does the word Hefeweizen mean?”
London was rather amused by the question.
Bryce is quizzing me, she thought.
“Well, hefe means yeast and weizen means wheat,”she said.
Then something clicked in her mind, and she was able to identifythe smell.
“Of course!” she said. “It smells yeasty—much more so than beersI’m used to.”
Bryce nodded, obviously enjoying himself as he introduced Londonto this new taste experience.
“Right. That explains why it looks white and foggy. And it’s madefrom different ingredients than you’re used to—mostly unfiltered, fermentedwheat, and also some barley. Now go ahead and try it.”
London took a taste of the foamy head. She found that the beerwas every bit as delicious as it smelled—rich and full with an interestingtexture and an ever-so-slight and pleasing touch of bitterness.
“It’s delicious,” she said.
“I’m not surprised,” Bryce said.
He took a sip himself, and his face lit up with surprise.
“Oh, my!” he said.
“Is something wrong?”
“Anything but!” Bryce said. “It’s just that …”
He took another sip and said, “We’ve got to go have a chat with thisvendor.”
London picked up Sir Reggie and followed Bryce over to the stallwhere he’d purchased the beer. The sign above the stall read SchutzkellerBrauen—“Storm Cellar Brew.” A hearty-looking man wearing lederhosenstood behind the counter.
Bryce set his beer glass on the counter spoke to the vendor inGerman.
“Sir, this is the most unusual Hefeweizen I’ve evertasted.”
The man smiled and replied, “It is to your liking, I hope.”
“Oh, yes. But you’ve really got to tell me just how you achievedthis
