Pegasus: A Novel by Danielle Steel Read Free Book Online Page A

brave and survive it,” he said matter-of-factly, trying to
     convince her that they’d be okay, but he didn’t believe that himself, not by a long
     shot. He thought Nick and the boys should leave Germany as soon as they could, but
     for now they still had nowhere to go.
    He and Marianne talked about it all through dinner, and Marianne thought she could
     detect a small smirk of disapproval on Marta’s face when she heard that Nick and the
     boys were part Jewish, and then she left the room to tend to her duties in the kitchen.
    Marianne thought about them all night, and finally slept fitfully, and in his room,
     Alex was still awake when he heard the birds begin singing the next morning, while
     it was still dark. But he sat bolt uprightin bed then. He had an idea. He got up, dressed quickly, and hurried downstairs to
     grab a coat and his car keys, then rushed to the garage, to drive his Hispano-Suiza
     over to the von Bingens. He used the big brass knocker to pound on the door, and their
     head housekeeper appeared a moment later. Alex asked to see Nick immediately and was
     told he wasn’t up yet, and then she reluctantly agreed to check. Nick appeared a few
     minutes later, wearing a silk dressing gown open over his pajamas and slippers. He
     was surprised to see Alex pacing in his front hall, as though he had come to make
     some kind of announcement, which was the case.
    “I have an idea, and I think it will work,” Alex said excitedly. He didn’t want Nick
     to leave, but under the circumstances, it was their only hope. And with the risk of
     being sent to a labor camp, he didn’t want them to stay either.
    “Why are you here so early?” Nick asked with a pained look, as he tied the belt of
     the dressing gown. He had been up until two, but no great ideas had come to him.
    “I’ll give you two of my Lipizzaners, and some Arabians. All we have to do is contact
     a circus, and ask them to give you a job and sponsor you. And with eight horses, two
     of them Lipizzaners, I’m sure they would.” Nick looked at him in disbelief and burst
     out laughing. He laughed so hard he nearly cried, and then he had to sit down. He
     rang for coffee for both of them, and looked at his friend.
    “You’re crazy, but I love you, Alex. I can’t join a circus, for God’s sake, no matter
     how fabulous your horses are. I can’t do a circus act. You’re the horse trainer, not
     I. And I can’t take your horses. And not the Lipizzaners surely. No circus would hire
     me. I’d have no idea what I was doing.”
    “I can teach you. And the Lipizzaners know their job. All you have to do is guide
     them through it, by voice command. Leave the hardpart to them. You can ride one of the Arabians and gallop around the ring. Nick, you’re
     one of the best horsemen I know. And you can do it, if it will save you and the boys.”
     Alex saw it as their only way out.
    “I can’t join a circus,” Nick said. “What would I do there?” He looked horrified,
     but Alex was determined.
    “You’d be saving your sons, and yourself, from disaster here. The situation for Jews
     is getting worse not better, and your father’s friend said they have a file on you.
     What choice do you have?” Nick didn’t answer for a long moment as he thought about
     it, and then he nodded, and looked at Alex. Everything his friend had said was true.
    “I can’t take your horses. Eight of them, and two of them Lipizzaners. If I do it,
     I’ll pay you before I go.”
    “I won’t take your money. You’re like a brother. If the circus will take you, they’re
     a gift from me.”
    “I can’t do that,” Nick said firmly, and then he grew pensive again. “How would I
     find a circus from here?”
    “There is one called Ringling Brothers. I’ve read about it. I think they merged with
     another circus, and they’re based in Florida. We can call the embassy in Berlin and
     ask.”
    “They’ll think we’re crazy,” Nick said, smiling. He was