Dream Lover Page 6

  Edwina looked at the time display at the bottom of her computer monitor’s screen. She sighed as the alarm clock went off. With the shop opening today, she didn’t have time to go back to bed.

  Chapter Three

  Still in her robe, she recorded the growth on the plants in her greenhouse. This was going better than she had anticipated. But only maintaining the strain and improving it over several generations of plants would tell her if this genetic modification would be otherwise harmless and if the modification would stay true. The seeds for this generation, and for all the generations before it, were stored out at the landscape nursery in her office space, just in case anything happened to this experiment.

  After she tended the plants, she dressed and walked down to the Church. Having some time before mass began she ducked into the traditional side of the confessional. She really needed to talk to someone. One of the priests was always there for an hour before each Mass. But she didn’t think she could look any priest in the face and tell him about her reaction to Klaus without becoming too flustered for words.

  “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. It is has been six days since my last confession. In that time, I have willfully spoken a lie. I told a man I wasn’t afraid of him, and yet I was—and am still—afraid. I have entertained impure thoughts and desires about this man. I have allowed those thoughts to become actions. It has gone no further than rather heavy petting, Father. That is due more to his self-control than mine. He’s the one who had the strength to bring an end to the intimacy when I did not. For these sins and all those I may have forgotten, I beg forgiveness of God, and penance and absolution of you, Father.”

  From behind the screen, the priest said, “God gave us the gift of sexual desires for our good. The proper use of those desires is a good and wondrous thing, allowing people to share in the self-giving love of God, a love that is so real that the product of that love must be named and nurtured. Is there some reason existing to make the desire you feel for this man shameful? Is there any impediment to this relationship becoming a Christian marriage?”

  “To the best of my knowledge, we are both free of impediments. I find it uncomfortable to think just how non-existent my self-control is around him.”

  From behind the screen, the priest said, “You’re human. Cut yourself some slack. I absolve you in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost. For your penance, you are to read the Song of Songs, thoughtfully, prayerfully. God gave us sexual desires for his own purposes—for the mutual joy of man and woman as well as for the procreation of children to be brought up in the love of God.”

  He continued, “Keep the purposes of God in mind, try always to be a means of grace for the man in your life, and be open to letting him be a means of grace for you. In the best of marriages, each partner will seek the other’s good before their own. Now go in peace.”

  Returning from church after Mass, she made herself some breakfast and changed into the “uniform” for the shop—a long dark skirt, white cotton blouse, and cameo. The idea was to reinforce the Victorian theme. Then she opened her old Vulgate Bible and did her penance. It had been a long time since she had read this particular book of poetry. It had been quite a while since she had read Latin at all, but it came back to her rapidly.

  When she got to chapter eight, she stopped and reread verses six and seven. She translated it as:

  “Wear me as a seal upon your heart, wear me as a seal upon your arm, for love is as cruel as death, and passion hard as the grave, the lamps thereof are fire and flame. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it—if a man should give all the substance of his house for love, he shall despise the cost as nothing.”

  Would she despise it as nothing, to give everything that she had for Klaus’ love? She smiled at that thought and knew that she would count whatever the cost of having him in her life as something minimal.

  Finishing the book of poetry, she closed the Bible.

  * * * * *

  Edwina opened up the shop at eleven that morning, right on schedule. The garden shop was open for business a grand total of ten minutes when the fax machine spit out an order. Edwina looked at it. Herr Doctor von Bruner decided that he had to have that set of patio furniture that he had looked at last evening as well as a pair of granite bird baths. He wanted them delivered by six in the evening.

  It was a substantial order. She figured it up, deducted his credit, then she processed his charge card for the difference. She couldn’t afford to turn down business, even if the order was a transparent ploy for him to ingratiate himself with her. However, if Herr Doctor von Bruner thought that she would deliver this to him herself, he was doomed to deep and profound disappointment. First, the pieces were far too heavy for Edwina to manage without assistance. Second, she wasn’t about to be ordered about by that man. She called the delivery service.

  Beginning around noon, the traffic through the shop was relatively heavy. Mostly that was due to the Grand Opening drawings. People will come out in droves to get something for nothing. The slips that were placed in the hopper would give the shop a good start at a mass mailing list of those interested in garden products. The people who came through the shop weren’t all looking exclusively for freebies. She managed to move quite a bit of merchandise. Edwina also booked a number of appointments for consultations on garden design. Things were beginning to work out. She might actually be able to make a go of this, as something besides a hobby. Only time would tell.

  The store was scheduled to close at nine that evening. It was eight forty-five when he walked in.

  Tonight he wasn’t wearing evening clothes, but an obviously hand-tailored dark blue worsted wool business suit, a fine white linen shirt with a tasteful silk tie and tie pin set with a very nice diamond, along with handmade Italian leather shoes. The shirt had French cuffs—the old fashioned kind that closed with links instead of buttons. His cuff links were also gold set with diamonds. From the top of his five hundred dollar hair cut to the soles of his five thousand dollar handmade Italian shoes, his appearance proclaimed him to be profoundly old money.

  He had been formidable in evening clothes. He was no more approachable in business wear. Yet, Edwina knew that he would have drawn any woman’s attention, whatever he was—or wasn’t—wearing. Klaus von Bruner was, as he was all too well aware, an incredibly attractive man.

  She completed her dealings with the pair of customers she was assisting before she spoke with him. “Good evening, Herr von Bruner.”

  He smiled at her. It was a smile guaranteed to melt the heart of any woman.

  She wasn’t any more immune to his charms tonight than she had been yesterday. It frightened her just how susceptible to him she was.

  “That uniform reinforces the Victorian theme quite nicely,” he said commenting upon the long dark skirt and white cotton blouse, which was worn with an antique cameo at the throat. “Quite nicely indeed, with your lovely auburn hair upswept like that. You could have easily stepped out of the pages of any number of Victorian fashion plates.”

  “Not precisely. I categorically refuse to cinch in my waist to sixteen inches, nor will I have ribs surgically removed to facilitate such a constriction. There is a reason why fainting couches were so popular among the Victorians. Women couldn’t get a substantial enough breath to maintain any level of activity if they were at all concerned with fashion.”

  “History is also an area of study you have pursued?”

  “To a minor extent. How may I serve you this evening?”

  He smiled again. She really wished he wouldn’t do that. His smile filled her head with entirely too many thoughts of throwing herself into his arms, too many remembrances about the feel and taste of his mouth, too many thoughts of locking up and taking him upstairs and to her lonely bed. No, the man was entirely too tempting, she decided. Yet, Edwina couldn’t stop looking at him. She couldn’t stop thinking about him. She chided herself for this adolescent behavior. For heaven’s sake,
she was thirty-five, not some silly boy-crazy teenager recently allowed free from the strictures of a convent boarding school.

  He finally spoke. “I wish to be rid of the large expanse of grass in the back of my home and establish a true garden. I can think of no one whose judgment I would rely upon more than I would yours.”

  She opened her appointment book. “When would be a good time for me to come out to walk it off and take soil samples?”

  “Tonight would be lovely.”

  “Sorry. I need to see the grounds by daylight.”

  He smiled again. “A gentleman might think that you did not trust him.”

  “A gentleman would not ask a lady to his home on such short acquaintance.”

  Klaus nodded once. “In a perfect world, Edwina, what you say is true. I have a feeling that you are hiding behind outdated conventions merely because you do not trust me.”

  “I do not know you well enough to trust you.”

  He spoke in rapid German. “You are refreshing, Edwina. Seldom, people are so blunt with me.”

  “I fear I know far more about Dendrobrium Nobile, Angelica Archangelica, or even Mammiliaria Muehlenpfordtii than I do about tactfulness,” she replied in English.

  “Orchids, herbs, and cacti,” he observed thoughtfully. “Quite a spread of knowledge.”

  “And you have some background in botany.”

  “Pharmacological, not horticultural,” he dismissed. “I have, however, been reading several books on garden design of late in an effort to decide what to do with all that grass at the back of my home. The lawn is the bane of my existence. I hate it with a grand passion.”

  She chuckled and smiled. “You amuse me.”

  “On account of my hatred of grass?”

  “Of course.”

  “Why should this amuse you?”

  “You sound so much like my father. He also detested vast expanses of manicured lawn. Mostly, I suspect because he hated the work in maintaining it.”

  “Wise man, indeed, your father.”

  “He was also a perfectionist of the first order,” she stated quietly before warning, “I am very much like him.”

  Klaus nodded. “I can believe that. Now, it is well past closing time. Would you walk down the street with me to the restaurant on the corner and have dinner?”

  “Only if it is a business dinner, not a social evening. We can discuss your specifications for your garden. Of course, you must allow me to pay for the meal, as a business expense. IRS still allows business dinners as a deductible item.”

  He frowned slightly.

  She found that she far preferred his smiles.

  “Independent, aren’t you?” he asked quietly. But the tone held no rancor. It was simply a statement of reality.

  “That is one of the nicer epithets to ever be used to describe me. Generally, ‘bloody-minded’ is a more commonly used epithet. I’ve also been called ‘mule-headed’, ‘stubborn’, ‘inflexible’, and ‘immovable’. Those are some of the nicer names. If this is to be a business dinner, I will certainly be happy to sit and discuss your garden. I haven’t eaten since early this morning, and find that I am suddenly quite hungry.”

  He smiled. “Is the restaurant down the street on the corner acceptable?”

  “Bill and Beth always serve a good meal in a relaxed atmosphere. We should be able to discuss your garden there.”

  She gathered her soft-sided brief case and a coat before she locked up.

  As they walked down to the restaurant, he offered her his arm. She smiled at him as she placed her hand on his forearm. The evening was brisk, verging on downright cold.

  Suddenly, he asked, “If you could have anything in the world, anything at all, what would you wish for?”

  That question took her a bit aback. “Anything? Anything within the realm of that which exists? Or anything regardless of impossibility?”

  “Anything. Anything at all. It doesn’t at all matter how wild, impossible, or improbable it may be. What would you wish for?”

  She sighed. “There is no question in my mind. I would want to have dinner with my parents just once more. I should like to spend a quiet winter’s evening at home with them. I would like to discuss music with my mother, to play another game of chess with my father, and to spend a couple of hours with them playing music once more. Mother taught music. Father was a talented amateur musician. He was a mathematician by profession. He always said that music was math in sound. Above all things, I’d like to have just one more winter’s evening with them.”

  “I take it that they are no longer alive?”

  “They died two years ago in a car crash.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  She shook her head slightly and sighed. “I’d called them on the morning of the crash and we’d talked for a few minutes. When they died, they were on their way to the airport to catch a plane to New York, and then to London. Mother always loved London. Father was taking her there as an anniversary present. They never even made it to the airport. They were dead at the scene of the accident. I miss them terribly.” She blinked back tears. “Pretty silly wish, huh?”

  “No,” he said gently as they approached the restaurant, “I do not think it silly in the least. Time and family are two items that all the money in the world cannot purchase. If we are truly blessed, we might be able to give the best of those things we received from our parents to the next generation.”

  She sighed. “If we are that blessed,” she agreed.

  “You like children?”

  Edwina smiled. “Yes. I used to want a big family.”

  “Then why haven’t you married?”

  She sighed. Then she smiled and said in a tone she hoped that he’d take for teasing, “I suppose that’s because you haven’t asked me.”

  Klaus smiled. “That can be easily enough remedied. What would your reply be if I were to ask?”

  “I couldn’t possibly speculate on that.”

  “Why not?”

  “I refuse to deal in hypothetical questions. If you want an answer to a question, you will have to ask me directly. I may or may not answer. Indirect questions are merely annoying.”

  “What instruments do you play?” he asked, changing the subject.

  Edwina felt a keen sense of disappointment at his change of subject. “I play several stringed instruments…violin, cello, and guitar.”

  “Guitar?”

  She smiled at the disbelief in his voice. She couldn’t contain the chuckle.

  “What do you find humorous?” he demanded.

  “Your reaction. As an undergraduate, I played in a rock band. The band provided a bit of mad money, as well as an outlet for my excess energy and as such the band kept me out of trouble.”

  “You were, of course, otherwise in grave danger of finding yourself in trouble,” he added dryly.

  “You have no idea.”

  “My, what secrets of yours I am learning,” he replied thoughtfully.

  They reached the restaurant door. Klaus held the door.

  “That’s me,” Edwina dismissed with a large measure of irony, “Woman of mystery.”

  “You think, perhaps, you are not?” he demanded softly.

  “My life is an open book, an open rather boring book at that.”

  He looked at her in blatant disbelief. “Hardly,” he dismissed. “I would hardly say that your life was either an open book, or a boring one. In fact, you fascinate me. But, I believe I have told you that before now.”

  The restaurant was mostly empty. The dinner crowd had mostly come and gone. The bar crowd, however, was in full force on this Saturday night.

  They took a table well away from the bar. One of the owners was over to the table immediately.

  “What’s good tonight, Beth?”

  Beth smiled broadly. “I thought about saving you a wonderful steak in honor of your Grand Opening celebration, Edwina. Knowing you, I saved you some terrific fresh salmon. We sold a lot of it tonight. However, I’m
certain that there are two filets left, for you and your gentleman friend.”

  “Klaus?” Edwina asked. “What would you like?”

  “Fish is fine.”

  “If you would rather have a steak, or anything else, please don’t feel confined by my selections,” Edwina offered.

  “I rather like fish, actually,” Klaus said gently.

  She smiled at Beth. “Then we’ll both have the salmon.”

  Beth nodded. “Anything else?”

  “I feel like celebrating. Tell Bill I want a bottle of his best champagne with dessert. I’ll trust him on the vintage.”

  Then Edwina turned to her companion, “Klaus, have you a preference of wine with dinner?”

  He named an excellent German wine, extremely expensive, but worth every penny. Klaus’ eyes sparkled with mischief. Oh, how she was growing fond of that man, in spite of herself.

  Beth thought for a moment. “I know that we had six bottles of that in the cellar at the beginning of the evening. I know that we sold at least four of them. I need to check to see if there is any left. I’ll be back in a few moments.”

  “Does she really stock that wine?” Klaus asked lowly.

  Edwina nodded in the affirmative. “I’ve had a tour of their wine cellar. It is truly impressive.”

  “Do you not eat red meat?” he asked. “The waitress said that she was going to save you a steak, but instead kept back the fish.”

  “I generally allow myself red meat only on Sundays. Most of the time, I eat either vegetarian fare, chicken, or fish.”

  “Out of health concerns?” he asked carefully.

  “No. It’s a personal discipline.”

  “Many people have no discipline in their lives, allowing themselves every indulgence they imagine they deserve.”

  “Self-control is not fashionable, these days,” Edwina said.

  “Self-control never has been fashionable. Somehow, I do not believe that you would ever be one to allow a little thing such as fashion dictate your actions. I strongly suspect that you will always do what you believe to be correct regardless of either what anyone else thinks or any unfavorable consequences.”