A Feather on the Water(50)

“You like it?” Stefan grinned at Martha’s face as she took a sip of the colorless liquid.

“It’s very strong.” She coughed as she put the glass down. She could feel the vodka burning its way to her stomach. She glanced over to where Kitty and Delphine were sitting. They clinked glasses with Dr. Jankaukas, who was sitting between them. Then all three downed the vodka shots in one go.

She turned to Stefan. “I don’t think I can drink the whole thing.” She was going to offer him the rest of hers. Then she remembered what the major had said about the UNRRA man who had been sent back to Texas after going blind from drinking the hooch the DPs made.

“This is good,” Stefan said, as he took a drink. “Not like what they make under the bed. It comes from Russia.”

Martha thought she’d better not ask how a consignment of Russian vodka had found its way into Seidenmühle.

“We found it in the forest.”

She looked at him, mystified.

“In that place where we got the tiles for the roof,” he said. “There were steps going under the house. I think maybe Russian soldiers hid there.” He shrugged. “They left many bottles of vodka.”

Martha took another sip. It didn’t taste quite as bad as the first mouthful. She heard a shout from the other end of the room. An accordion struck up, accompanied by a violin. The groom led his bride to the middle of the floor. They danced a few bars, then others crowded around. Everyone was clapping in time to the music. As they joined in the dancing, whoops of delight filled the room.

The bridegroom darted across to where Kitty was sitting, grasping her hand and pulling her out of her chair. The bride was grabbed by another man, who whirled her around, making her braids come loose and fly out behind her.

“Poor girl,” Martha said. “I hope she’ll be all right. She only left the hospital two days ago.”

“All the men at the wedding must dance with her,” Stefan said.

“Another Polish tradition?”

He nodded. “I will take the baby now, yes?” The wry look on his face told her this was his strategy to avoid this part of the proceedings. “Someone wants to dance with you.”

Martha turned to see Dr. Jankaukas standing behind her chair. He smiled and raised his eyebrows in lieu of an invitation. She’d only met him a handful of times—and attempts at conversation had made her realize just how rusty her French was. But the good thing about dancing, she thought, as she took his hand, was that you didn’t need to talk.

Martha hadn’t anticipated the consequences of partnering with someone so tall. Her feet left the floor every time he spun her around. She felt giddy when the music stopped and clutched his arm, afraid of embarrassing herself by falling over. She was laughing, trying to remember how to apologize in French. He gave her a courtly bow, then passed her to another man—one of the DPs who had helped renovate the stable block. Dr. Jankaukas was swapping her for Kitty. A much better partner for him, Martha thought, as Kitty was only a couple of inches shorter than he was.

Martha’s new partner was already a little the worse for wear from the vodka, judging by the way he kept tripping over her feet. Kitty shot her a sympathetic smile as she swept past with the doctor. She looked happy, Martha thought, as if the burden of anxiety had been lifted from her shoulders. It was good to see her enjoying herself—a temporary escape from reality was what she needed, like most of the people in this room.

By the time the dance came to an end, Martha was desperate for a drink. It was water, not vodka, she wanted. As she made her way back across the floor, she saw that Delphine had moved to sit by Stefan.

“Sorry.” Delphine got up when Martha reached her. “I’ve just come to take Rodek. I promised his mother I’d give him a bottle.”

“You want me to fetch it for you?” Stefan stood up.

“No.” Delphine smiled. “I don’t mind—honestly. It’s a bit noisy for me, and I really need to get back to the hospital, so I’ll take him with me.”

Martha could understand how difficult such a celebration must be for Delphine. A wedding was bound to bring back memories—as well as reminding her of what might have been if her son had lived.

“Would you like me to come with you?” Martha asked.

Delphine shook her head. “Absolutely not. You haven’t stopped since we took over this place; it’s about time you had a chance to enjoy yourself.”

Martha watched her take the sleeping Rodek from Stefan’s arms. He looked almost reluctant to hand the baby over. Perhaps the wedding celebration was as much of an ordeal for him as it was for Delphine. Martha hoped he hadn’t come just because she’d asked him to—as a duty he felt he couldn’t avoid.

“I could do with a glass of water,” she said when Delphine had gone. “I can’t see any, can you?”

He looked along the table. “Only vodka, I think. I can get some from the kitchen.”

“I’ll come with you.” She fanned her face with her hand. “It’s getting pretty warm in here.”

She waited outside while he went into the kitchen. The sun was still high in the sky, blindingly bright. There was no one about. Those who were not at the wedding had gone indoors to escape the heat.

Stefan came out with a jug in his hand. “No glasses. All taken for the wedding.” He offered her the jug. “You mind drinking from this?”