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Back The Woman on the Stairs Save as PDF
Chapters (83)
  1. Cover
  2. Also by Bernhard Schlink
  3. Title Page
  4. Copyright
  5. Part One
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 18
  24. 19
  25. 20
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. Part Two
  33. 1
  34. 2
  35. 3
  36. 4
  37. 5
  38. 6
  39. 7
  40. 8
  41. 9
  42. 10
  43. 11
  44. 12
  45. 13
  46. 14
  47. 15
  48. 16
  49. 17
  50. 18
  51. 19
  52. 20
  53. 21
  54. 22
  55. 23
  56. 24
  57. 25
  58. Part Three
  59. 1
  60. 2
  61. 3
  62. 4
  63. 5
  64. 6
  65. 7
  66. 8
  67. 9
  68. 10
  69. 11
  70. 12
  71. 13
  72. 14
  73. 15
  74. 16
  75. 17
  76. 18
  77. 19
  78. 20
  79. 21
  80. 22
  81. Author’s Note
  82. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  83. What’s next onyour reading list?

She nodded. “So on Sunday…No, my husband doesn’t have a yacht or a jet, or an island. But he does have a country house. Is he capable of drugging and abducting me? I don’t know.”

“Your husband? Aren’t you divorced?”

“He has his lawyers delaying the proceedings.” She sounded irritated, and I did not know if the cause was my curiosity or Gundlach’s resistance.

“I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to constantly apologize.”

I wanted to say that I did not constantly apologize. But then I let it be. I sat there and did not know how I should say what I wanted to say: that I wanted to help her, that I was ready to do anything, give up anything, for her. That I loved her.

“What have I got myself into with these two men of mine! One wants to sell me, the other maybe to abduct me.” She laughed. “And you? What do you want?”

I blushed. “I…I was involved in getting you into this situation, and I’d like to do whatever I can to help you out of it. If I…if you…”

She looked at me – surprised? moved? with pity? I couldn’t read her. Then she smiled, ran her hand over my head, neck and shoulders, and held me briefly. “I got mixed up with the bad guys but I’m not lost. A brave knight has come to rescue me.”

“Are you mocking me? I don’t mean that I’m anything special. I’m…I love you.”

16

I love you – I immediately sensed that this degree of intimacy did not sound right. You should probably keep your mouth shut if “I love you” does not sound right. But out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. Now I wanted to talk my way out of my stilted declaration into a better one, by laying out the love I felt.

“It happened when you came to the firm alone. You spoke of love, of what a woman who’s really loved becomes – lover, mother, sister, daughter – of a joy so great that God would envy us. You smiled when you said it – a joyful, pained, wise smile that held a promise. You didn’t promise me anything, there’s nothing I want to hold you to, for God’s sake, the promise was a…a cosmic promise, I know you were speaking of love, and women, per se. But for me, you are woman per se, and to love and be loved by you…”

“Shhh.” She put her arm around my shoulders again and pulled me close. “Shhh.” I stopped talking, hoping the embrace would never end, and closed my eyes. “If you really want to help me…”

“What?” I opened my eyes. “What?”

“You can…” She broke off, and took her arm away, and sat up straight. I also sat up straight.