On Sunday Erich arrived with double-runner ice skates for Tina and Beth and took them all to the rink at Rockefeller Center to skate.

That evening he took Jenny to the Park Lane for a quiet dinner. Over coffee they both became silent. Finally he said, “It’s been a very happy two days, Jenny.”

“Yes.”

But he didn’t say anything about coming back. She turned her head and looked out at Central Park, now sparkling from the combination of streetlights, headlights and the windows of the apartments that bordered it. “The park is always so pretty, isn’t it?”

“Would you miss it very much?”

“Miss it?”

“ Minnesota has a different kind of beauty.”

What was he saying? She turned to face him. In a spontaneous gesture their hands met, their fingers entwined. “Jenny, it’s fast but it’s right. If you insist I’ll come to New York every weekend for six months-for a year-and court you. But is it necessary?”

“Erich, you hardly know me!”

“I’ve always known you. You were a solemn baby; you swam when you were five; you won the general excellence medal in the fifth, sixth and seventh grades.”

“Seeing an album doesn’t mean you know me.”

“I think it does. And I know myself. I’ve always understood what I was looking for, was confident that when it came I would recognize it. You feel it too. Admit it.”

“I’ve already made one mistake. I thought I felt all the right things for Kevin.”

“Jenny, you’re not fair to yourself. You were very young. You told me he was the first date you ever cared about. And don’t forget, wonderful as your grandmother was, you have to have missed having a man in your life, a father, a brother. You were ready to fall in love with Kevin.”

She considered. “I suppose that’s true.”

“And the girls. Don’t lose their childhood, Jenny. They’re so happy when you’re with them. I think they could be happy with me. Marry me, Jenny. Soon.”

A week ago she hadn’t known him. She felt the warmth of his hand, looked into his questioning eyes, felt that her own reflected the same blaze of love.

And she knew without a doubt what her answer would be.

They sat up till dawn in the apartment and talked. “I want to adopt the girls, Jenny. I’ll have my lawyers prepare forms for MacPartland to sign.”

“I don’t think he’ll give up the children.”

“My guess is that he will. I want them to have my name. When we have a family of our own I don’t want Beth and Tina to feel like outsiders. I’ll be a good father to them. He’s worse than a bad one. He’s indifferent to them. By the way, what kind of engagement ring did you get from MacPartland?”

“I didn’t.”

“Good. I’ll have Caroline’s ring reset for you.”

Wednesday evening on the phone he told her that he’d arranged to meet Kevin on Friday afternoon. “I think it’s best if I see him alone, dear.”

All week Tina and Beth kept asking when “Mr. Kruer” would come back. When he arrived at the apartment on Friday evening they flew into his arms. Jenny felt happy tears in her eyes at their whoops of joy as he hugged them.

Over dinner at The Four Seasons he told her about his session with Kevin. “He wasn’t too friendly. I’m afraid he’s something of a spoiler, darling. He doesn’t want you or the children, but he doesn’t want anyone else to have you. But I persuaded him it was in their best interest. We’ll complete the formalities by the end of the month. Then the adoption will take about six months to finalize. Let’s get married on February third; that will be almost a month to the day we met.

“Which reminds me.” He opened his attaché case. She’d been surprised that he brought that case to the dinner table. “Let’s see how this fits.”

It was an emerald-cut solitaire. As Erich slipped it on her finger, Jenny stared down into the fiery beauty of the perfect stone.

“I decided not to have it reset,” he told her. “It really is perfect just as it is.”

“It’s beautiful, Erich.”

“And, darling-let’s get this out of the way too.” He pulled out a sheaf of papers. “When my lawyers prepared the adoption papers, they also insisted on taking care of the premarital agreement.”

“The premarital agreement?” Jenny asked absently. She was absorbed in admiring her ring. It was not all a dream. It was real. It was happening. She was going to marry Erich. She almost laughed thinking of Fran’s reaction. “Jenny, he’s too perfect. He’s handsome; he’s rich; he’s talented; he worships you. God, he can’t take his eyes off you; he’s crazy about the kids. Let me tell you there’s got to be something wrong. He’s gotta be a gambler or a drinker or a bigamist.”

She’d almost told Erich that and then decided against it. She knew Fran’s brash humor didn’t go over very well with him. What was he saying?

“It’s just that I am a rather-wealthy-man… My lawyers weren’t happy about the way things have moved so rapidly. This simply says that if we were to break up before ten years have passed the Krueger interests will remain intact.”

She was taken aback. “If we broke up, I wouldn’t want anything from you, Erich.”

“I would rather die than lose you, Jen. This is just a formality.” He laid the papers by her plate. “Of course you may want your lawyers to go over these carefully. In fact I was instructed to tell you that even if you or they are satisfied with all the clauses, you should not mail them back before you’ve held them two days.”

“Erich, I don’t have a lawyer.” She glanced at the top page, was aghast at the legal jargon and shook her head. Incongruously she remembered Nana’s habit of carefully checking the grocery tape, her occasional triumphant, “He charged me twice for the lemons.” Nana would scrutinize any document like this before she signed it.

“Erich, I don’t want to wade through all this. Where shall I sign?”

“I’ve marked the places for you, darling.”

Quickly Jenny scrawled her name. Obviously Erich’s lawyers feared that she might be marrying him for his money. She supposed she couldn’t blame them but even so it felt uncomfortable.

“And, darling, besides that one provision, this sets up a trust fund for each of the girls which they’ll inherit at twenty-one. It goes into effect as soon as the adoption is complete. It also provides that you will inherit everything I have on my death.”

“Don’t even talk about that, Erich.”

He put the papers back in his case. “What a terribly unromantic thing to have to do,” he said. “What do you want for our fiftieth anniversary, Jen?”

“Darby and Joan.”

“What?”

“They’re Royal Doulton figurines. An old man and an old woman sitting contentedly side by side. I’ve always loved them.”

The next morning when Erich came to the house he had a gift box under his arm. The two figurines were in it.

Even more than the ring, they made Jenny sure about the rest of her life.