Sweeter Than Wine Read Online Free PDF Page B

to Tati's questions at intervals, but Siegfried
sat silently during the short journey, apparently absorbed in studying the flowers
sold in profusion on the sidewalks. His gaze jerked away from hers whenever she
caught him looking at her.
    Trying to draw him into the conversation, Tati pointed out a bank building that
she said was new since Siegfried's last visit.
    "I hate banks," he said flatly.
    So did Alice, but she didn't go around talking about it. Bill would have--
    No. He wasn't Bill. On the worst day of their married life, when they discovered
his entire fortune had been embezzled, her husband had joked that it was God's
way of telling him to join the Army.
    She wished for the gift of his laughter now.
    When the taxi had delivered them to the St. Francis Hotel, Alice followed Tati
and Siegfried into the enormous foyer of the hotel, intimidated by the huge marble
columns, polychrome floors, and enormous urns of fresh flowers. She always felt
out of place amidst such magnificence. The opulence of the Mural Room with its
carved Oriental screens and cushion-heaped divans was worse, because it was
more intimate.
    The maitre d' knew very well Tati's exact standing in San Francisco society.
He knew Alice by sight also, and professed himself overjoyed to meet Monsieur
Rodernwiller. He led them to a spot five tables from the door. It was a better place
than he would have offered to a casual customer off the street, but not as good as
one he would have offered to the cream of San Francisco society, like Miss
DeYoung or Mrs. Cameron.
    A pot of fragrant tea accompanied by plates of finger sandwiches and scones
with jam and Devonshire cream appeared on the lacquered table. Siegfried,
possibly prompted by Tati's pointed toe tapping peremptorily on his foot,
addressed Alice. " Oma Tati tells me that you are a native of the city."
    "Why--ah, yes. I was born here. But I prefer living at Montclair." She stopped
speaking, aware how flustered she sounded. " Oma Tati?"
    "It means 'grandmother' in German, dear," Tati explained. "I always loved it
when you and Ernst called me that," she said to Siegfried.
    "German? I thought you said he was Alsatian," Alice asked, suspiciously.
    "He is," Tati answered hastily, shooting Siegfried a quick glance. "But Alsace
was occupied by Germany for many years, and they prohibited the teaching of
French. Poor Siegfried doesn't even know his native tongue."
    "So should I call you Grandmére from now on? Or would you prefer
'babushka'?"
    Alice thought Siegfried's tone was a bit sharp.
    Tati hastily changed the subject. "Bill and Alice, when they married, bought
new acreage and expanded the vineyard. It's up to one hundred sixty-five acres
now. Alice, tell Siegfried about the grapes you planted."
    So it was to be school recitations, was it? "We put in Grenache and some
more Pinot Noir. Bill thought they would do well." Alice's throat constricted, so she
took a sip of tea. "We had our first crop last year."
    "How you must regret that he never got a chance to see it," Siegfried said
gently.
    "The harvest was good. We averaged two and three-quarter tons per acre."
Alice did not want to discuss Bill with him.
    "That's an excellent yield for young vines," Siegfried said, respecting her
change of topic. He wiped jam from his fingers with one of the stiffly starched linen
napkins.
    "We got a good price for the crop." The sale of the Pinot Noir grapes to
Inglenook in Napa Valley had saved Alice from ruin after the Traminer vintage
spoiled.
    She noticed that Siegfried had cleaned off his plate to the last crumb and
passed him her untouched plate of petit fours . He thanked her with a self-
conscious smile. Alice, trying to divert the conversation away from herself, asked,
"And how was your journey from Europe? Did you take the transcontinental
railroad, Mr. R-Rodernwiller?" She stumbled again over the pronunciation of his
name.
    "Please call me Siegfried. It will be much easier," Siegfried said to Alice, as he
refilled