The greenroom was packed again, but this time the language was German.
“Sie war en wunderbar, Herr Adler!”
Philip smiled. “Das ist sehr nett von Ihnen. Danke.”
“Ich bin ein grosser Anhänger von Ihnen.”
Philip smiled again. “Sie sind sehr freundlich.”
He was talking to them, but he could not take his eyes off Lara.
After the recital Lara and Philip had a late supper in the hotel. They were greeted by the maître d’.
“What an honor!” he exclaimed. “I was at the concert tonight. You were magnificent! Magnificent!”
“You’re very kind,” Philip said modestly.
The dinner was delicious, but they were both too excited by each other to eat. When the waiter asked, “Would you like some dessert?” Philip said quickly, “Yes.” And he was looking at Lara.
His instincts told him that something was wrong. She had never been gone this long without telling him where she was. Was she deliberately avoiding him? If she was, there could only be one reason. And I can’t allow that, Paul Martin thought.
A beam of pale moonlight streamed through the window, making soft shadows on the ceiling. Lara and Philip lay in bed, naked, watching their shadows move above their heads. The ripple of the curtains made the shadows dance, in a soft, swaying motion. The shadows came slowly together and separated and came together again, until the two became entwined, became one, and the movement of the dance became faster, and faster, a wild savage pounding, and suddenly it stopped, and there was only the gentle ripple of the curtains.
Early the following morning Philip said, “We have a whole day and evening here. I have a lot to show you.”
They had breakfast downstairs in the hotel dining room, then walked over to the Karntnerstrasse, where no cars were permitted. The shops there were filled with beautiful clothes and jewelry and antiques.
Philip hired a horse-drawn Fiaker, and they rode through the wide streets of the city along the Ring Road. They visited Schonbrunn Palace and looked at the colorful imperial coach collection. In the afternoon they got tickets for the Spanish Riding School and saw the Lipizzaner stallions. They rode the huge Ferris wheel at the Prater, and afterward Philip said, “Now we’re going to sin!”
“Ooh!”
“No,” Philip laughed. “I had something else in mind.”
He took Lara to Demel’s for its incomparable pastry and coffee.
Lara was fascinated by the mix of architecture in Vienna: beautiful baroque buildings centuries old that faced neomodern buildings.
Philip was interested in the composers. “Did you know that Franz Schubert started as a singer here, Lara? He was in the Imperial Chapel choir, and when his voice changed at seventeen, he was thrown out. That’s when he decided to compose music.”
They had a leisurely dinner at a small bistro, and stopped at a wine tavern in Grinzing. Afterward Philip said, “Would you like to go for a cruise on the Danube?”
“I’d love to.”
It was a perfect night, with a bright full moon and a soft summer breeze. The stars were shining down. They’re shining down on us, Lara thought, because we’re so happy. Lara and Philip boarded one of the cruise ships, and from the ship’s loudspeaker came the soft strains of “The Blue Danube.” In the distance they saw a falling star.
“Quick! Make a wish,” Philip said.
Lara closed her eyes and was silent for a moment.
“Did you make your wish?”
“Yes.”
“What did you wish for?”
Lara looked up at him and said seriously, “I can’t tell you, or it won’t come true.” I’m going to make it come true, Lara thought.
Philip leaned back and smiled at Lara. “This is perfect, isn’t it?”
“It can always be this way, Philip.”
“What do you mean?”
“We could get married.”
And there it was, out in the open. He had been thinking of nothing else for the past few days. He was deeply in love with Lara, but he knew he could not make a commitment to her.
“Lara, that’s impossible.”
“Is it? Why?”
“I’ve explained it to you, darling. I’m almost always on tour like this. You couldn’t travel with me all the time, could you?”