Read The Dower House for Free Online

by the most extraordinary coincidence, is Willard Johnson. He was one of—’
    â€˜Willard A Johnson,’ Marianne corrected him.
    â€˜Of course. Willard A Johnson, who was our colleague in AMGOT and our host at Mauthausen on the day you were liberated. And Willard, this is Felix Breit – the Felix Breit.’
    Marianne saw her husband turn pale. ‘Oh, my God! Feelicks Bryeet?’ He pronounced it like a correction of Wilson’s studiously correct German. To Adam he added, ‘Tony didn’t say.’
    â€˜He wasn’t sure Breit would be coming.’
    Felix was sure he and Palmer had forgotten the invitation altogether.
    Johnson continued pumping his hand. ‘Man! If it wasn’t for you, I’d probably be . . . I don’t know – a Fuller Brush man.’ Seeing Adam’s bewilderment he added, ‘A door-to-door salesman.’
    â€˜Why, please?’
    â€˜ Your sculpture was my introduction to architecture. You . . . Brancusi . . . the Bauhaus . . . architecture as an art form. Eye-opening.’
    Felix realized that Americans, too, inhabited that world where Hungary and Czechoslovakia were vaguely interchangeable. ‘Well!’ he said, and smiled at the man’s wife, who smiled awkwardly back.
    What was this awkwardness? Was she German? Did they imagine he hated all Germans now? It was a German family in Vichy France who sheltered him after his second arrest; he had tried to look them up last month but was told they had died in Ravensbrück and Theresienstadt. How to let these Saxons know that Europe had become a little more complicated since their tribe had last lived there?
    â€˜Forgive me,’ Johnson apologized. ‘Herr Bryeet, allow me to . . .’
    He was obviously going to introduce his wife. Swiftly Felix took her hand and kissed the air an inch from her knuckles; it would have offended him if she had been introduced to him instead of the correct way round. ‘ Küss die Hand, gnädige Frau . Felix Breit.’
    She gave a single laugh that was surely ironic and replied, ‘Frau-Arkitekt Marianne Johnson.’
    Their eyes dwelled in each other’s and Felix experienced a rapport that was purely European.
    â€˜Actually, Marianne is Swedish,’ Wilson said. ‘Or, I suppose, American now.’
    â€˜She’s also an architect in her own right,’ Willard added.
    She saw the surprise in Felix’s eyes and realized he thought she looked too young to be qualified. ‘An apprentice,’ she added.
    â€˜It’s not a bad profession to join these days, madame,’ Felix said.
    â€˜Listen!’ Willard said. ‘I can’t take all this sir, madame, gnädige Frau , stuff. It’s Marianne, Willard . . . Felix – OK, Adam?’
    Smiles all round.
    â€˜Well!’ Adam rubbed his hands briskly. ‘I don’t think the pony can haul all four of us to the top of the hill so . . .’
    â€˜Pony?’ Willard said.
    â€˜Petrol’s rationed in case you didn’t know.’
    â€˜Gee! I should’ve thought. I could have fixed you up with some.’
    Adam threw back his head and laughed. ‘Fix! Whenever I hear that word, I think of you, Willard.’ To Felix he added, ‘Whatever you want, Willard can “fix” it.’
    Willard nodded. ‘Be proud to,’ he said as they wandered out to the station forecourt.
    â€˜I can walk,’ Felix said. ‘Let Mrs Johnson ride. Marianne.’
    â€˜I shall lead the pony,’ she said, walking straight up to him. ‘We can walk all the way and give this ol’ fella a break.’
    Adam could detect Willard’s vowels in her speech.
    â€˜Tony told me you married Sally Beaumont?’ Willard said. To Felix he explained, ‘Another goddam architect! But she’s special. She was his boss in AMGOT and the designer of the famous