The Stars Shine Down

"Dreamers," Philip said.

Philip played roulette and within half an hour had won two thousand dollars. He turned to Lara. "I've never won before. You're my good-luck charm."

They played until 3:00 A.M., and by that time they were hungry again.

A motorboat took them back to St. Mark's Square, and they wandered through the side streets until they came to the Cantina do Mori.

"This is one of the best bacaros in Venice," Philip said.

Lara said, "I believe you. What's a bacaro?"

"It's a wine bar where they serve cicchetti - little nibbles of local delicacies."

Bottle-glass doors led to a dark, narrow space where copper pots hung from the ceiling and dishes gleamed on a long banquette.

It was dawn before they got back to their hotel. They got undressed, and Lara said, "Speaking of nibbles "

Early the following morning Lara and Philip flew to Vienna.

"Going to Vienna is like going into another century," Philip explained. "There's a legend that airline pilots say, 'Ladies and gentlemen, we're on our final approach to Vienna Airport. Please make sure your seat backs and table trays are in the upright position, refrain from smoking until inside the terminal, and set your watches back one hundred years.'"

Lara laughed.

"My parents were born here. They used to talk about the old days, and it made me envious."

They were driving along the Ringstrasse, and Philip was filled with excitement, like a small boy eager to share his treasures with her.

"Vienna is the city of Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Brahms." He looked at Lara and grinned. "Oh, I forgot - you're an expert on classical music."

They checked into the Imperial Hotel.

"I have to go to the concert hall," Philip told Lara, "but I've decided that tomorrow we're going to take the whole day off. I'm going to show you Vienna."

"I'd like that, Philip."

He held Lara in his arms. "I wish we had more time now," he said ruefully.

"So do I."

He kissed her lightly on the forehead. "We'll make up for it tonight."

She held him close. "Promises, promises."

The concert that evening took place at the Musikverein. The recital consisted of compositions by Chopin, Schumann, and Prokofiev, and it was another triumph for Philip.

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 Anhanger 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 maitre 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.