By the next morning, Kate had found her sea legs and was so happy to be well and eating, she left all grievances against Nessa back in the cabin. Johnny had joined them in the first-class dining room before having to go to a brief meeting with the movie people, so in all, the morning had been glorious. The two girls sat at the table enjoying the last of their omelets, along with a final glass of orange juice. Princess Kolodenko continued to eat in her cabin, but Kate suspected the elder Kolodenko would probably be feeling better soon, too.
“What was it like growing up for you?” Kate asked Nessa as they left the table. “No one ever told you your royal heritage?”
“Oh, it wasn’t like that. I know all the old stories.” She led Kate over to the map at the end of the room. It went from pillar to pillar and all the way up to the ceiling. Made out of inlaid wood of various shades of brown, it pictured New York on one side and Southampton, England, on the other. A hidden light behind the map lit up the setting sun and the crystal ship that slid along a groove, tracking their progress across the Atlantic. “Let’s see where we are today.” She pointed. “There’s our little ship bravely making its way across the ocean.”
“We’re mostly there,” Kate said eagerly.
The girls continued out to the Promenade Deck while Nessa picked up her story. “I was told all about how my ancestors used to be royalty over a small kingdom in what is now modern-day Poland. There was a terrible war when the neighboring kingdom invaded and my family had to go into hiding. Though they made several attempts to take back the kingdom, they never fully succeeded, and another invader came and took over both kingdoms. The two warring kingdoms lost everything because of their feud.”
The Promenade Deck was a popular place for strolling. It gave passengers a place to stretch their legs and get some fresh air. Several lounge chairs were pushed up against the wall, and the girls kept walking, looking for two empty chairs out of the wind.
“What was missing was the name Kopciuszek,” Nessa said. “Her story sounds very normal, historical even, until you attach that fairy-tale name to it. When I found out who we were descended from, I could read between the lines on all those old stories.”
“Cinderella changes everything,” Kate said.
“Is that the way it was for you, too? Did your family history finally make sense once you knew? Everything taking on a new meaning?”
“We had a small family feud of our own, and so when I found out, the problems between my grandmother and her family finally made sense. She left everything behind when she emigrated to America, and there was always a mystery about the family. She kept me interested in my Polish heritage, though she herself let most of it go. I guess she was preparing me, in case.”
They found two deck chairs set apart from the others and claimed them. Nessa lay back and let the sun shine full on her face. “Look at us. We’ve spent our whole lives thinking we were just regular girls and here we are, the descendants of a famous story.” She squinted an eye as she looked at Kate. “And we can’t tell anyone. Which reminds me, Babcia wants you to call her by her married name in Italy. She doesn’t like to be called princess in public. She lets Elsie do it because of their relationship, and we were in America, but it is easier for her not to have to explain to others. At home she goes by her husband’s name, De Luca.”
“Sure. I understand.”
Nessa returned to her sunbathing. “There’s one girl in particular I’d like to tell at my old school. She’s always acting like she’s so much better than me. She’s had it in for me ever since we met for no good reason at all. Wouldn’t she like to know who I really am.”
Kate stifled her incredulity. Nessa was one to talk.
She continued. “You’d probably like to tell Josie, I bet. And Johnny.”
Kate just smiled. There was a certain comfort in having Johnny in on the secret. He was on her side, keeping her best interests in mind. When he isn’t getting irritated about my concern for the dresses.
“You know what? I’d like to test the dress again. Of course, I can’t wear it tonight, since I wore it last night, but tomorrow I could.”
“Are you joking?” Kate asked hopefully.
“I hardly had a chance to test it out. I need to find out what it does before we’re home and Babcia makes you tuck it away again.”
“What is there to test?”
“See that boy over there?” she asked.
The boy in question was at the rail staring out over the water. The sun was in his eyes so he raised his hand to act like a hat brim. He might have been the one eating at the table next to them that morning, but Kate couldn’t be sure. “Yes.”
“I want to see if the dress will make him fall in love with me.”
Kate laughed. “It doesn’t do that.”
“Didn’t it make Johnny fall for you?” she asked.
Kate felt her face turn red, not from embarrassment, but from anger. “No. Elsie says the dress only magnifies what’s already there, so you can learn people’s true intentions.”
“Oh. Same thing. I want to learn his true intentions. He winked at me when I was watching the ice sculptor yesterday. I want to know if it was a good kind of wink or a bad kind.”
It was not the same thing, but Kate bit her tongue.
Nessa turned and looked at Kate full-on. “What do you hope to find in Italy? With the cottage and everything?”
“If my life were truly a fairy tale, I’d say my dad. But I’d be happy with knowing what happened to him. To find out why.”
“The why is the same for you as it was for my sister. They were protecting us. The survivors. Those who die, died for us.”
Kate was quiet. In America, she hadn’t felt the full brunt of the fear or the brutality of war. But Nessa did. Maybe she put on an act to forget, or to force herself to move on.
“I asked Babcia about Kopciuszek’s slippers,” Nessa said.
Not wanting to break the magic of Nessa’s sudden openness, Kate was silent, holding her breath.
“She told me they were lost to the family,” Nessa said.
Nodding, Kate kept her thoughts to herself. She didn’t want to tell Nessa everything yet. Maybe she hadn’t gotten over the whole dress incident yet. “Did she have any guesses as to where they might be?”
“No, but she hedged.” Nessa quirked a smile. “When Babcia doesn’t want to tell me something, she only reveals part of the story. I recognize it now.”
“The Burgosovs taunted me about the shoes when they wanted me to give them the dresses, but later admitted they didn’t have them. My gut is telling me there is so much more to the story.”
“Me, too. This can be a secret you and I share, for once. Hush now, here comes the boyfriend who was not in the least influenced by the magic in the dress.” She turned and smiled as Johnny ambled over to join them.
“Knew I’d find you here,” he said. “We are done for today. You ladies know of any place we could play some deck games?”
Before Nessa could answer, a bellboy came by with a message for her.
“Your grandmother told me I would find you here. She said to tell you she is feeling better, and would you please come and see her.”
Nessa thanked the bellboy and went on her way. Johnny slid easily into her vacant chair.
“Are we really alone?” he asked, scooting his chair closer.
Kate glanced down the crowded Promenade Deck. Couples were strolling along, happy to pass the time in each other’s company. Two women looked like they were out for exercise and were walking at a brisk clip, and another group walked by carrying racquetball rackets, either headed to or returning from a game. “Yes, we’re finally alone.” She laughed.
They watched the people and the ocean, content just to be together.
Finally, Kate broke the silence. “How are you? You’ve been so concerned with me and my stomach, I haven’t asked what you think of the Queen Mary.”
He shrugged. “I’ve been on here before, but I was just a kid then. Birdy and I played in the children’s playroom. I spent hours on the slide, while Birdy couldn’t tear her eyes away from the fish in the aquarium.”
“You still spend a lot of time together.”
He nodded. “More so than with my older brother and sister.”
“Maybe she could help you tell your dad you’re not going to business school. He probably already knows, and is only waiting for you to bring it up. Trust me, it’s better to let them know sooner rather than later.”
Johnny reached over and took Kate’s hand. “What are you going to tell your brother about the diamond?”
“I see what you are doing here.” She waggled her finger at him. “Fine, change the subject, but we’re almost in Italy, and you will have plenty of opportunity to tell him which school you are going to.” She looked out over the blue-black waves. “I’ll tell Floyd that I found it. That’s all he needs to know. I’m worried that the shoes might be in pieces. If they’re broken up and scattered, they won’t be any use in finding my dad.”
“From what you tell me, there is only one person who can answer that. Have you figured out how to find her yet?”
“It seems foolish to start randomly asking around for her.” Kate laughed. “I mentioned the name Malwinka to one of the porters and he politely made fun of me. I’m assuming she is in Poland, but from what Nessa said, people are being relocated, so she could be anywhere.”
“Who could be anywhere?” Nessa asked, rejoining them.
“You,” Johnny said, pushing up his glasses. “Are you girls ready for a rousing game of quoits on the Sport Deck?”