Chapter Eight

Kate was about to slip through the front door when Mom called her back in.

“Would you set the table, please? They’ll be here any minute.”

Arggh. Kate closed the door in frustration. It was because the Kolodenkos were on their way over that Kate was trying to sneak out. She had to intercept them in the hallway so she could tell them what she’d learned.

Her initial excitement about tracking down the shoes had worn off, and her practical side had risen up to tell her all the reasons why it was too hard to do and how she would fail. She decided to get all the facts before bringing up the trip with her mom.

“Regular plates?” she asked.

“I don’t think the Kolodenkos eat off of regular plates. Get out my good china.”

Mom had been busy in the kitchen all day, which was so unlike her. Apparently, she wanted to make sure the Kolodenkos felt welcome, and to thank them for all the time they had been spending with Aunt Elsie. Kate set the table in record time and dashed out the door to find Uncle Adalbert coming down the hall.

“Good. Close the door, child. I must speak with you alone,” he said. He dug in his pocket and pulled out a little cloth bag. “Here is your diamond. Elsie would only give it back to me after I promised her you would go to—”

“Poland?”

He nodded, his face grim. “And you are willing?”

It was inevitable. “I’m nervous, but yes. Did Johnny tell you?”

“There is more. I sense the princess is being cautious with us. She knows more than she is saying. Johnny told me what you found out from one of the Burgosovs. This Malwinka cannot be trusted.”

Kate’s arms erupted in goose bumps. “You know her?”

“I know of her. She is quietly dangerous. Don’t let her kindness fool you. Be careful what you share with her. And with Princess Kolodenko.”

“Do you think this particular diamond could have come from the shoes, but Princess Kolodenko doesn’t want us to know?”

“I do not know the significance of the diamond, but it has meaning.”

The door opened behind them, and Kate’s mom looked out, exasperated, at Kate. “Come on in.” She tugged Kate inside. “Good evening,” she said to Adalbert. “I’ve got the paper ready for you while we wait for the others.”

He shrugged, indicating he had more to say, but followed Mom inside.

When the others arrived, Kate hovered in the kitchen, hoping Princess Kolodenko would step in and they could speak semiprivately about Malwinka.

“Join us, Kate,” Nessa called out.

“Oh, I’m just tidying up in here. I’ll be out in a bit,” Kate said. She puttered around, waiting long past a respectable time for keeping guests waiting.

Mom eventually came in. “It’s time to serve the food. Why are you hiding out in here? Take in the veggies for me, please.”

Kate was fidgety all during the meal. She tried to catch Princess Kolodenko’s attention, but she was busy talking to Adalbert. It seemed like the Kolodenkos had something on their minds, too. Nessa kept smiling at Kate. A big, bright smile that she couldn’t keep down. And Kate was positive she saw Fyodora wink back at Nessa’s big grin.

“What are your summer plans?” Mom asked Nessa. “Are you going to stay here and get settled for school?”

“No. Our trip out here was so unexpected, I didn’t have time to take care of things back home, so I need to go back. I don’t mind the Atlantic crossing. The waves don’t seem to bother me.”

“I mind,” Princess Kolodenko said. “This is my one and only trip to America. I will be happy to settle back home.”

Mother kept the conversation rolling, oblivious to the looks being passed around with the mashed potatoes. “We got a letter from Floyd today,” she said.

“Did you read it?” Kate asked. She could feel Adalbert and Nessa both lean in.

Her mother gave her a sideways glance. “Of course I read it.”

“And? What did he say?”

“Just the usual. Hints about the girls he’s met. Places he’s seen. He’s been transferred to the collection facility in Wiesbaden. He says he was warned that the job can be tedious, cataloging all the artwork, photographing it, and researching the owners. But there can be lots of excitement still for uncovering a great work or finally tracking down who it belongs to.”

“Did he say anything about me?” Or about a diamond?

“You can read it later. I’ve told you the important parts.”

“I’ve a few art pieces missing from our home in Poland,” Princess Kolodenko said. “I should send him a list. Once they were taken, I never expected to get them back. People have a way of holding on to things and believing they are the rightful owner.”

The conversation continued on about art until Nessa, clearly unable to hold back, burst out. “Can I tell them?” she asked.

Princess Kolodenko waved her hand in a queenly gesture, giving permission.

Nessa practically leaped from her chair with excitement. “When Johnny was booking his cabin, he found out if we wait a few days longer, we can take the trip to Europe on the Queen Mary. Babcia won’t mind the travel so much if she can go on such a luxurious ship. They have restored it to the way it was before the war, before they used it for transporting troops. Plus it is the fastest.”

“How exciting,” Mom said. “All the celebrities go on the Queen Mary.”

“That’s not the best part. Babcia says Kate can come home with us for the summer.” Nessa turned to Kate with a wide grin.

Kate drew in a quick breath. She looked at Fyodora, who was nodding, confirming the news. Then Kate looked at her mother, whose face reflected her own shock.

“Forgive my granddaughter’s excitement,” the princess said. “She meant to ask if Kate would like to go, and to tell you that we will take care of everything. You will have none of the worries. And then Nessa will have someone to help her prepare for her move to New York.”

“Our treat,” Nessa added. “And maybe we could squeeze in a trip to Poland?” She looked to Princess Kolodenko for approval, but the princess only shook her head slightly.

“We will have to apply for Kate’s visa immediately,” Princess Kolodenko continued. “I know someone who can take care of that. Tickets are available for the ship; Johnny already found that out.”

Nessa flashed her Cheshire grin. “I made him keep quiet about it so I could tell you first.”

Do you trust me? He had asked her. He figured out a way to get her to Europe. They wouldn’t have to rely on letters all summer.

Mother interjected, “I have some money put away. My factory job paid well and—”

Princess Kolodenko put up her hand. “Kate will be our guest. It is our pleasure. Our villa is much too big for just my husband and me. With Nessa’s mother in France and Nessa coming here in the fall, it would be lovely to have the rooms filled up for the summer.”

Kate could hardly believe what she was hearing. Could it be that easy? She mouthed the word “Johnny?” to Adalbert. He briefly met her eyes and nodded before looking away.

Nessa clasped her hands together, begging. “Can she go?”

“Well, I—I—” Mom wiped the corners of her mouth with her napkin before excusing herself from the table and locking the bathroom door behind her.

“Oh, dear,” Fyodora said. “That was probably not the way to bring it up. I’m afraid we have scared her. I should have thought.”

“What do you mean, Babcia?” Nessa asked.

“Kate is all she has left. Europe has taken her husband and her son, and now her daughter.” She sighed. “I need to make this right. Excuse me.” She folded her napkin and placed it carefully beside her plate.

Kate checked herself. She hadn’t thought about her mom in all this mystery. Maybe it was time to let her in on the secret, too. Originally Aunt Elsie didn’t want Mom to know, but Mom had changed during the war years. She wasn’t focused on impressing the elite women she served at the department store anymore. She was settled now. Content. The news about their family history would have a different effect than before. Or she might think I’m crazy and not let me go anywhere with the Kolodenkos.

Princess Kolodenko knocked softly on the bathroom door. “Deborah? I am terribly sorry. I did not ask you to travel with us because I thought you would not want to go because of your work. But we would like you to go, too. In fact, I insist. We cannot take Kate from you. You must come and see our beautiful country. Even after the war it is still beautiful, and you must see it.”

The lock clicked open, and her mother came out. Her eyes were rimmed in red, and she looked away like she didn’t want anyone to notice. “I’m sorry,” she said. “Of course Kate can go. What a thrilling summer it will be for her.”

“And you, too.”

Mother shook her head. “You are generous, but I’m not ready.” She met Kate’s eyes and gave a slight smile. “Maybe soon, but not now. I’m working on it.”

Kate smiled back. Mom is okay. It didn’t feel like the right time to tell her about the family legacy. And if Kate read between the lines properly, she wasn’t going out with Neil, either. At least, not yet. But Neil would have ample opportunity while Kate was gone, and Mom could get lonely in the apartment by herself. The thought churned Kate’s stomach.

Nessa grabbed Kate’s arm. “Let me help you pack.” She went straight to the bedroom and knelt by the trunk on the floor. “They’re in here, aren’t they?” She stroked the wood. “Mind if I have a fast look?”

Kate closed the door and shrugged like it was no big deal. The dresses did belong to the Kolodenkos, after all. There was no reason at all that Kate should feel so possessive about them. She’d known about the dresses longer than Nessa, she’d had them in her possession longer, and she always would have them as long as she kept them for Nessa. As she sat on the bed, she pushed the creeping tendrils of jealousy down deep. Elsie never told her about these kinds of feelings. She thought the Keeper was supposed to be immune from the pull of the dresses. From the greed they created.

But when Nessa started poking and probing the wooden chest, Kate jumped up to intervene. Now, the dresses may not be hers, but the chest was. “I’ll do it.” Deftly, Kate triggered the release, pulled out the three packages, and laid them on her quilt.

Nessa bounded over to the bed, clearly unaware that Kate was a bit miffed at her. She ripped open the middle package and shook out the ball gown. Holding it up to her shoulders, she danced around the room, letting the fabric drag on the ground. Kate rushed over and lifted the skirt, following Nessa as she danced.

“Be careful,” Kate said, trying to use a playful voice.

“Oh, it’ll be fine. Your room isn’t even the least dusty. The first Cinderella probably walked through the mud in this thing.” Nessa thumped down on the bed. “The first Cinderella.” She looked up at Kate with wide eyes. “Can you imagine being her?”

Kate shook her head. She had already tried. And she’d tried walking in the shoes of her own great-grandmothers. Touching the physical objects they had touched helped, but it was still mind-blowing to think of the fairy-tale legacy.

“What do you think I can do with this dress?” Nessa asked slyly.

“Excuse me?” Kate said. Wear it carefully was what she was thinking, but likely not what Nessa was getting at.

“You know. Magic?”

“What did your grandmother tell you?” Kate didn’t know what the dress was truly capable of, either. Elsie said it magnified people’s emotions, and Kate had witnessed that already.

Nessa frowned. “Not much. She talks like it is just a pretty dress, but we all know about what happened the night the Burgosovs tried to steal it.”

Did she ever. Kate wasn’t supposed to let the dresses be so publicly displayed, and then to have the Burgosovs come along and seemingly set the dress on fire . . . Her career as a Keeper had almost ended before it had started.

“About that night.” Kate wrestled with how much to tell Nessa. She didn’t like how the older girl was sounding about the dress. “I have a theory.”

Nessa pushed the bundles away, clearing a spot for Kate to sit with her. Kate shook her head. She needed to pace for this one, just like Elsie used to do when she talked of the dresses.

“Elsie warned me the dress has personality. It didn’t make much sense to me at first, but now that I’ve had time to think about it, it does.”

“What do you mean?” Nessa prettily lifted her right eyebrow. Her delicate features made her look a bit like a fairy herself.

“It’s hard to explain. It’s almost as if the dress can take care of itself.”

Nessa stretched out on her side, resting her head on her hand. “Interesting. What else?”

Happy to have Nessa’s attention, Kate continued. “And I feel something, too, when I’m near the dress.” She held out her necklace. “For instance, hold this.”

“It’s warm,” Nessa said in wonderment.

“Even when Adalbert and Elsie first arrived, it happened, but I didn’t understand why. The necklace and the gown are connected.” Kate took a shaky breath, even now thinking about the dress catching fire. “And then, when we were setting up the window displays, the dress gave out a shock when one of the men touched it. It protects itself.”

Nessa picked up the ball gown and examined it.

Kate was trying to instill a sense of awe and reverence in the young princess in the hopes that she would help make Kate’s job as easy as possible.

The princess got up on her knees. “That’s what I mean. What else can this dress do? Can it make someone fall in love with me like it did for Cinderella?”

“Oh, I think the prince was already in lo—”

“And will it bring me fortune like the Burgosovs think it will?” She shot a furtive look at the door. “My grandmother won’t admit it, but the war not only devastated our family, it has also taken its toll on our finances. We could use a little magic there.”

Kate bit back what she was about to say regarding the glass slippers. She didn’t like the direction Nessa was headed. Kate had a feeling she would have to keep a sharp eye on this particular Kolodenko. Kate was Keeper of the Wardrobe to Kopciuszek’s legacy, to the whole family, not Nessa. She was to protect them from the greed.

She gave Nessa a tentative smile as she watched the princess tear into the package with the wedding dress and examine the jewels on the bodice. This wasn’t going to be as easy as she thought.