The other two women smiled indulgently and said it was.
“Well, I’ve never heard such a thing before, but let’s assume for a moment that it is so, just for a moment. How can I find him? What are the clues?”
“Ah, the clues. There’s only one clue. Only one,” said Hortensia.
Prudencia gathered her hair at the nape of her neck and drew her chair closer.
“And that is...?” she asked.
“Harmony, of course. The Ancient Greeks’?ρμουια, the Romans’harmonia. Herminia would explain it better, she knows so much about this sort of thing... Well, how to express it? I think the classical definition refers to balance in the proportions of parts of a whole. As in the sculpture of a beautiful face or body, in the manner in which you arrange flowers in a vase, combining them in ten different ways until you achieve something that satisfies your soul. As a highly qualified woman, you no doubt know that harmony comes from the Greek?ρμ?ζω, which means ‘to fit together,’ ‘to connect.’ That’s the definitive clue, dear, the one that’ll help you solve your detective story.”
Miss Prim considered this as she took a bite of apple tart.
“But wouldn’t it be boring? Wouldn’t it be monotonous to be married to harmony?”
The two friends gazed at her benevolently.
“I don’t think we’ve explained it very well, Prudencia,” said Hortensia. “It’s not the husband who has to be the source of harmony. It’s not in him that you have to seek harmony. No, it’s in the marriage, in the combination of the two of you, that you’ve got to look for it.”
“And not just that,” said her friend, “but in routine as well, especially in routine. Isn’t that so?”
“Definitely. Of course, in this, poor Balzac got it completely wrong. He really knew nothing about it,” said the florist, refilling the teapot.
“Balzac?” asked Miss Prim, a little confused.
“It’s strange that the people who spit the most caustic words over marriage are precisely the ones who know least about it. All his life pursuing it, yearning for it... and for what? To get it at the end when he was ill and without hope. A dreadful woman, that Madame Hanska. She’s always seemed like the worst of our sex. So, tell me, how could he know anything about marriage?”
“But what did Balzac say about marriage?” insisted the librarian.
“He said that marriage always has to battle against a dark monster,” said Emma with a wink.
“He was referring to routine,” added her friend.
“And doesn’t it?”
“Absolutely not. Not only is this not true but it’s the biggest lie in the world, Prudencia. The cause of much suffering, believe me.”
Emma Giovanacci cleared her throat quietly and moved her chair closer to the table before speaking.
“Have you ever seen the flowers that grow on the Russian steppe?”
Miss Prim replied that, regrettably, she had never visited the Russian steppe.
“Well, you should. The Kalmyk steppe, near Stalingrad, is a bleak place, arid and featureless. If you go there in winter, it’s devastating to the soul. But try going in spring and see what you find.”
Prudencia raised her eyebrows expectantly.
“Tulips,” whispered Emma Giovanacci.
“Tulips?”
“Tulips. Fresh, delicate, wild tulips. Tulips that come up every year and cover the steppe, without anyone planting them. And that’s exactly what it’s about, Prudencia. Routine is like the steppe: it’s not a monster, it’s nourishment. If you can get something to grow there you can be sure that it will be real and strong. It’s the little everyday things that we mentioned earlier. But poor Balzac with all his dark, romantic sentimentality couldn’t know that, could he?”
“The little everyday things,” echoed Miss Prim. “Well, let’s suppose I follow your advice. Can you help me with the investigation? Or do I have to do it all on my own?”
The other two women looked at each other, amused. Then the florist spoke.
“The investigation is up to you. We can only provide a little guidance. To start with, you could draw up a list of all the men you know who, objectively, possess the minimum qualities for a potential husband. We’ll add a few more names to the list—there are always possible candidates who go unnoticed and, in that respect, due to our age, we’ve got more experience than you. You can use it as a starting point. How does that sound?”
