The Ring (29 page)

The secretary outside Sam Liebman's private office on Wall Street guarded his presence there like an avenging angel with a sword. No one, not even his wife or children, was allowed to enter unless he had sent for them. When he was at home, he was all theirs, but when he was at work, he considered it a sacred world. Everyone in the family knew that, especially Ruth, who seldom came to his office except on matters of ultimate importance, which was why she sat there now.

But he may be tied up for hours, Rebecca Green-span looked across at her employer's wife with faint exasperation. Ruth Liebman had already been sitting there for almost two hours. And Mr. Liebman had left strict orders that he was not to be disturbed.

If he didn't go to lunch today, Rebecca, he'll have to come out sooner or later to eat. And while he's eating, I can catch a word with him.

Couldn't it wait until tonight?

If it could, I wouldn't be here. Would I? She smiled pleasantly but firmly at the girl who was close to half her age and also close to half her height. Ruth Liebman was an imposing-looking woman, tall, broad-shouldered, but not manly. She had a warm smile and kind eyes. She herself was dwarfed by her husband's overwhelming height. Samuel Julius Liebman stood six feet five in his stocking feet; he was broad-shouldered, had bushy eyebrows and a leonine mane about which his children teased him his hair was almost the color of flame. It had dulled now that he was older and had settled down to a kind of coppery bronze, fading ever more as the red hair was dimmed by an increase of gray. Like him, his oldest son, Simon, had been a redhead, but the rest of his children were dark-haired like his wife.

He was a man of wisdom, charity, and kindness, and in the world of merchant banking, he was a man of great importance. The house of Langendorf & Liebman had withstood even the crash of twenty-nine, and over the twenty years that he'd built it, it had become an investment house respected by all. And one day Paul would replace his father. That was Sam's dream. He had, of course, always assumed it would be Simon and Paul. Now the entire mantel would fall on his youngest son's shoulders as soon as he was back on his feet.

At last, at three o'clock the door to the inner sanctum opened and the giant with the lion's mane emerged in a dark pin-striped suit and Homburg, his brows knit and his briefcase in his hand.

Rebecca, I'm going to a meeting. And then, in astonishment, he saw Ruth waiting patiently in a chair across the room. For an instant terror seized him.

What now?

She smiled mischievously at her husband and his worry faded. He returned the smile and kissed her gently as she stood beside him in the anteroom and the secretary discreetly disappeared.

This isn't the way respectable old people should be behaving, Ruth. And certainly not at three o'clock in the afternoon.

She kissed him softly and slipped her arms around his neck. What if we pretend its later?

Then I miss the meeting I was already late for. He laughed softly. All right, Mrs. Liebman, what did you have on your mind? He sat down and lit a cigar expectantly. I'll give you exactly ten minutes, so let's try to get whatever it is settled quickly. Think we can do that? His eyes danced over the cigar and she smiled. They were notorious for their long-drawn-out battles of will. She had her own ideas on some subjects, and Sam had his, and when the two were not in perfect harmony, the battles could rage on for weeks. How about making this a quick one? The smile broadened to a grin. During the twenty-nine years they had been married, they had learned that in the end it was a compromise that drew on the best from each.

I'd like to. It's up to you, Sam.

Oh, God, Ruth ' not another one of those. The last time you told me something was up to me,' you almost drove me crazy about that car for Paul before he went into the army. Up to me,' my eye, you had already promised him that before you ever asked me. Up to me.' He chuckled. All right, what is it?

Her face sobered and she decided to come right to the point. I want to sponsor a girl we brought into this country a few days ago, Sam. The Women's Relief brought her over on a ship. She's been at Beth David since she got here and the family that sponsored her doesn't want her. Her eyes showed bitterness and anger. They wanted someone French. What, a French maid from a Hollywood movie maybe, or a French whore?

Ruth! He glared at her disapprovingly. It was rare that she ever spoke so sharply. What is she, then?

German. Ruth said it quietly and Sam nodded silently.

Why is she in the hospital? Is she very sick?

Not really. Ruth sighed and walked slowly around the room. I don't know, Sam, I think she's broken. The doctors can't find any trace of a specific disease, and certainly nothing communicable. Ruth hesitated for a long moment. Oh, Sam, she's so ' so hopeless. She's twenty years old and she's lost her whole family. It's heartbreaking. She looked at him, pleading.

But they're all like that, Ruth. He sighed softly. For a month now they had been learning daily more of the horrors of the camps. You can't bring them all home. The truth was that with all her work for the Women's Relief Organization, she had never wanted to bring any of them home before.

Sam, please' .

What about Julia and Debbie?

What about them?

How will they feel to have a total stranger brought into the house?

How would they feel if they lost their whole family, Sam? If they can't at least feel for other people's problems, then I think we've failed as parents. There's been a war, Sam. They have to understand that. We all must share the consequences.

They've suffered the consequences.

Sam Liebman's thoughts turned instantly to his eldest son. We all have. You're asking a lot of the family, Ruth. What about Paul when he comes home? It may be hard for him to have a total stranger there while he's coping with whatever problems he may have with his leg, and ' Sam paused, unable to go on, but Ruth instantly understood. He's going to have a number of shocks when he gets home, Ruth, you know that. It won't make it any easier for him to have a strange girl in the house.

The tall, dark-haired woman smiled at her husband. It may have just the opposite effect. In fact, I think it may do him a lot of good. They both understood only too well what Paul had to face when he got home. But that isn't the point. The point is this girl. We have the room in our home for her. What I want to know from you is if you'll let me bring her home to live with us, for a while.

How long a while?

I don't know, Sam. Realistically, six months, a year. She has no family, no assets, nothing, but she seems to be well-educated, she speaks English quite well. In time, when she's recovered from the shock of all that's happened, I assume she'll be able to get a job and take care of herself.

And if she isn't able to, what do we do with her? Keep her forever?

Of course not. Maybe we could discuss that with her. We could offer to take her for six months, and perhaps to extend it for another six months after that; but we could make it clear to her from the beginning that after a year she'd have to go out on her own.

Sam knew she had won. In her own way, she always won. Even when he thought he'd been winning, somehow she always got her point across. Mrs. Liebman, I find you disturbingly persuasive. I'm glad you don't work for any rival firms down here.

Does that mean yes?

It means I'll think it over. And then after a moment, Where is she?

Beth David Hospital. When will you see her? Ruth Liebman grinned and her husband sighed and put down his cigar.

I'll try to see her on my way home tonight. Will she recognize the name if I tell her who I am?

She should. I was with her all morning. Just tell her you're the husband of the volunteer named Ruth. And then she saw he was worrying over something. What's the matter?

Is she disfigured?

Ruth went to him and touched his cheek gently. Of course not. She loved the weakness and fears that she sometimes saw in him; it made her even more aware of his strengths and reduced him to a scale that seemed more human to her. Catching those glimpses always made her love him more. She looked at him with a small smile and a twinkle. In fact, she's very pretty. But she's so ' so desperately alone now ' you'll understand when you see her. It's as though she's lost all hope.

She probably has after what she's been through. Why should she believe in anyone now? After what they did to those people ' There was suddenly fire again in Sam Liebman's eyes. It made him crazy to think of what those sons of bitches had done. When he had read the first reports of Auschwitz, he had sat alone in his study, reading and thinking and praying, and finally crying all night. And then he looked at Ruth again as he reached for his Homburg. Does she trust you?

Ruth thought for a minute. I think so. As much as she trusts anyone now.

All right, then. He picked up his briefcase. I'll go meet her.

He looked at her for a long moment, then they walked to the elevator. I love you, Ruth Liebmamn. You're a wonderful woman, and I love you.

She kissed him gently in answer, and then just before the doors opened for them, I love you, too, Sam. So when will you tell me?

He rolled his eyes as the doors opened and they stepped into the elevator. I'll tell you tonight when I get home. Will that do? But he was smiling at her, and she nodded happily, and then she kissed him quickly on the cheek as he went off to his meeting and she climbed into her new Chevrolet and drove home.

In her hospital room, Ariana sat quietly on the bed all morning, looking out the window into the bright sunlight and, when that became tiresome, staring at the floor of her room. After a while, a nurse came by to urge her to go walking, and after a few feeble attempts to crawl down the corridor, holding on to railings and doorways, she finally went back to bed. But after lunch they told her she was moving, and by dinnertime she found herself in a bed in the bustling ward. The nurse had told her that it would do her good to see other people, but soon Ariana asked them to put a screen around her; and listening to the laughter and the noises, and smelling the trays of dinner all around her, Ariana lay miserably in her bed overcome by waves of nausea. She was still holding the towel to her mouth, her eyes watering pathetically after another bout of dry heaves, when there was a knock on the screen that shielded her from the others and with a look of panic she put down the towel and looked up.

Who is it? Not that it mattered-she didn't know anyone here. Her words were spoken softly and her eyes seemed to grow larger as a huge man loomed at her from around the screen. She had never felt smaller or more frightened than she did at that moment, and as Samuel Liebman looked down at her, she began to tremble visibly and had to fight not to cry out. Who was he? What did he want from her? In his Homburg and dark suit, he looked so official, she was sure he was with the police or immigration. Were they sending her back to France?

But the man looked at her gently, the eyes soft and warm despite his towering height. Miss Tripp ' ? That was the name on her papers. Saint Marne had conveniently dropped the von.

Yes? It was barely more than a whisper.

How are you? She didn't dare answer. She was shaking so badly that he wasn't even sure if he should stay. She was sick and frightened and alone and he could understand why Ruth's heart had gone out to this girl. She was a lovely child. And it was clear to him as he watched her that she was barely more than a child. Miss Tripp, I'm Ruth Liebman's husband. He wanted to hold out a hand to her, but he was afraid that if he moved toward her, she would leap, trembling, off the bed, so precarious did she seem there, so terrified and poised for flight. You know, Ruth Liebman, the lady who was here this morning? The volunteer. Sam fought to jar her memory. Slowly the light dawned in her eyes. Even in her total state of panic, the name Ruth rang a bell.

Yes ' yes ' I know ' she was here ' today. Ariana's English sounded more than adequate, even cultured, but she spoke so softly that Sam could barely hear.

She asked me to come to see you. So I thought I'd stop in on my way home.

Did she? Why? As a social visit? Did people still do things Tike that? Ariana stared at him in amazement, her eyes a blank stare, and then, remembering her manners, she nodded slowly. Thank you. And then, as though with great effort, she held out a small, wraith-like hand.

It's a pleasure Sam reassured her, though they both knew that that was not quite the word. The ward was perfectly dreadful, and the screeches and cries seemed to increase rather than lessen as they attempted to talk. She had waved him to a seat at the foot of her bed, and now he sat there, looking uncomfortable and trying not to stare. Is there anything I can get you? Anything you need? The huge eyes bored into his but all she did was shake her head, while he reproached himself for the stupid question. Her needs could not be easily met.

My wife and I want you to know that in any way we can, we'd like to help you. He sighed jaggedly and went on. It's difficult for people in this country to really understand what has happened over there ' but we care ' we care deeply ' and that you have survived it is a miracle we must rejoice in. You and the other survivors will remain something of a monument to these times, and to the others, you must live well now for yourself, and for them. He stood up and walked toward her.

It was a difficult speech for him, and Ariana watched him with round eyes. What exactly was he thinking? Did he know she had escaped from Berlin? Of what others was he speaking? Or did he just mean the Germans who had survived? But whatever he meant, and whomever he was referring to, it was clear that this was a man who cared a great deal. With his great height and wild hair, he looked so different from her father, yet she felt her heart go out to him as though to an old friend. This was a man of dignity and compassion, a man she respected, and whom her father would have honored, too. She leaned forward then and put her arms gently on his broad shoulders, and loss him carefully on the cheek.