She tried to think bigger. She’d thought with the close of WWII that the world was at peace again, but having seen what she had and seen how it had affected Lidka, she wasn’t so sure. People seemed to have a leaning toward strife. Despite the terrible acts that had taken place, the aftershocks of the war continued. While some chose to forgive and move on, others insisted on seeking revenge. Her thoughts turned to the Kolodenkos and Burgosovs. If families couldn’t even get along, how could anyone expect nations to?
She looked at Nessa. The young princess was wrestling with her own wants.
“I cannot make sweeping changes,” Esmerelda said, as if reading their thoughts. “But I can give tools to help. I gave Kopciuszek these tools: a ball gown to wear so she could be seen worthy by those who judge outwardly, and the magic shoes so she could have the diamonds to help those around her.” The babuszka grinned. “I tossed in a few extras—the special qualities of the dress and shoes. For the dress, Kopciuszek would be able to tell the intentions of those around her, their emotions magnified. And the shoes, as you discovered, will reunite loved ones who have been separated. She did not ask for any of these things. Sometimes we don’t know ourselves enough to know what we need, only what we want.”
As she was speaking, she motioned for them to follow her into the forest. They walked until they couldn’t see the cottage anymore. The sun was higher now, and in the distance, the rays caught a glimmer. Something sparkly was draped on a tree, right where the bend was.
It was Cinderella’s dress.
Nessa ran first. She had scooped up the dress before Kate even reached the tree. “And here are the shoes,” Nessa said. She tucked the dress in the crook of her arm while she retrieved the shoes at the base of the next tree.
“Where are the other dresses?” Kate asked, searching the forest for a pile of white silk. “The servant outfit and the wedding dress?”
“Life isn’t without consequences. Those are gone. This is what remains.”
Kate felt the loss deep down, and it surprised her. When she’d first seen the glimmer of the dress through the trees, she’d assumed Esmerelda would return everything to the way it was.
“Does this mean we can keep it?” Nessa asked.
“If that is what you want,” Esmerelda said. She looked expectantly at both girls.
Kate let out a breath. She wished she had more time to think. No one ever plans to meet a fairy godmother.
“Please, Kate?” Nessa said. “I have the feeling we are meant to decide together about this.”
Esmerelda tilted her head, examining Kate. “The role of a servant is what you make of it. The world would be a better place if we all served each other more. It is a quiet responsibility and one that should be chosen, not forced, to make the greatest impact.”
Here was a chance to break the legacy. To separate her family from being a Keeper of the Wardrobe to the Kolodenko royal line. It was what her babcia wanted once. It was what Lidka tried to do.
Or should she request a share in the dress? She dismissed the thought before it was even fully formed. She was not a direct descendant. It wasn’t fair to even bring it up. Nessa was looking at her with a pleading face. Again, Kate felt the weight of centuries of history on her shoulders. She thought of the efforts of her dad, and now her brother, with not only preserving the world’s artistic treasures but also of ensuring they remained with the families who owned them.
What would be better? To see these treasures destroyed and the fighting end? Or to protect them and see what good could come of their existence?
Her face must have given the answer before she could say it, because Nessa broke into a grin and attacked her with a big hug.
Esmerelda, looking younger still, said to Kate, “Your instincts are good. You must work with Nessa. Help each other, girls.” She reached out her hands, and they formed a circle. Sparkles started falling like snow, making the air shimmer with magic. Kate and Nessa grinned at each other. This is the best part.
“I bound your families together all those years ago, with the hope they would make a difference. You have benefited from their history. You know the challenges. You know the rewards. These gifts are meant to be used. Nessa, look for opportunities as they arise. Kate, don’t feel like you are accepting a lesser role. It is equally important, merely different. Nessa cannot do her job without you. This is what you have chosen.”
Esmerelda placed the ball gown and shoes in a homespun bag before handing them to Kate. But when Esmerelda reached behind her neck to unclasp the amber necklace, Kate held up her hand to stop her. “Are you sure? Don’t you need the necklace?” Esmerelda looked so young now. So different from the odd babuszka at the piazza.
“Yes, but I’ll be seeing you again,” Esmerelda said as she fixed the necklace around Kate’s neck and adjusted it so the sunburst pendant was centered.
“Thank you,” Kate whispered. When she held the amber pendant, it warmed to her touch, and she breathed in the pine scent. Her throat caught, and she blinked back tears. It felt right to have it back. For the first time, she felt like the necklace and the role of Keeper were truly hers, like she had earned them. All her doubts and regrets about the choices she had made vanished.
“A fresh start,” Esmerelda. “Just you two. No one else to know.”
Back at the cottage, Nessa continued on to the cabin to check on Princess Kolodenko. Kate and Esmerelda went inside to begin preparing breakfast. It was still dark with the curtains over the windows, but Esmerelda pushed them aside, shining morning light on Lidka. She screwed up her face and flung her arm over her eyes. Dad was still sleeping soundly in his dark corner.
“Are you ready for him to wake up?” Esmerelda asked.
Kate nodded.
The babuszka touched his forehead. “Wake,” she said.
Dad took a deep breath. Stretched. He opened his eyes and turned his head as if he was getting his bearings. Kate smiled, but there was no reaction. He still couldn’t see. She was hoping that since Esmerelda helped Lidka’s burns, she could heal his eyes.
“Hi, Dad.”
“Good. You weren’t a dream,” he said, sitting up. “That’s the best night’s sleep I’ve had in a long time. Even my headache is gone. I was so used to having it, I didn’t realize how good it feels to have a clear head.”
“I’m glad, because we are on the move again today.”
He swung his legs over the side of the bed. “I thought we were going to camp out here for a while.” He rubbed his eyes and blinked several times.
“What is it, Dad?” Kate hopefully asked.
He shook his head. “Hmm. I thought for a minute there, but no. Nothing.”
So close. Maybe the healing would take time. “While you were sleeping, the Kolodenkos came with good news. Floyd got them through the German border, and he is back at the hotel in Szczecin. It’s near. We can leave today.”
“You’re kidding?” He stood and reached for her, hugging her tightly.
A cupboard banged closed. “Out you kids go,” Esmerelda said. She twittered about her cottage like a spry young person. Her joints seemed to have loosened up, and she moved easily as she began pulling food out from hidden stores. “Get some fresh air while I make breakfast.”
Dad leaned toward Kate. “Is that the old woman? She sounds different.”
“Yes, she’s had a good night’s sleep, too. She’s even looking younger.”
Kate grabbed her camera, and she and her dad left the cottage, but Lidka took up her seat near the window and refused to move.
“My leg’s a bit stiff after that hike down the mountain. Mind if I walk around a bit?” Dad asked.
“Let me show you the trees over here. You wouldn’t believe how they are growing.” As they walked, she described them, marveling at their new, strange growth pattern.
“Let me touch them,” he said.
Kate directed his hands to the nearest tree. He felt the curve in the trunk and laughed. “You could sit on these. W
ish I could see them.”
“I’ll take a picture, so maybe one day you can.” She snapped the photo and wound the film. “Oh, there’s Nessa.” Kate waved. Nessa and Princess Kolodenko had emerged from their cabin. “Come meet them.”
After introductions were made, Esmerelda called breakfast. They ate quickly as everyone was eager to go home.
Lidka ate silently, avoiding eye contact. Kate wondered if Lidka was proud of destroying the Kopciuszek treasures, or if she was feeling guilty.
When Nessa left to gather her bags from the cabin, she put her hand on Lidka’s shoulder. “Ciao, cousin.”
Lidka looked up from her vigil at the window, surprised. She gave Nessa a small smile and nodded.
“And thank you for helping me find my dad,” Kate said.
Lidka nodded again. This new Lidka was quiet.
“I mean it. I couldn’t have done it without you.” Kate waved as she walked out the door to join Nessa. They met at the corner of the cottage.
“You don’t think the boys will be too mad we left without them, do you?” Nessa asked, referring to Floyd and Johnny. She shifted the bag on her shoulder.
“Floyd might need some sweet-talkin’ to get over it,” Kate said, adjusting her own bag.
Nessa smiled. “Leave it to me.”
“Are you sure you won’t come with us?” Princess Kolodenko asked. She was talking to Esmerelda. “Your cottage is waiting for you in Italy.”
An even younger-looking babuszka shook her head. “I haven’t felt this good in years. I am happy to be alone again in a quiet place in the forest. If I need you, I will return. For now, I can make my way here with my garden.” She glanced back at the cottage where Lidka hovered in the doorway. “And I have another orphan who needs a loving hand. Although this one might take longer to help than young Nadzia.”
Chapter Forty-Four
Quickly, they found the trail that would take them back to town. It went directly through the crooked forest. Kate made them stop for a minute so she could snap a quick photo.
“Babcia, what is that you have?” Nessa asked.
“This?” She held up a small package. “Lidka gave it to me. She said to open it when I got home.”
“What are you waiting for? Open it now.”
“I am curious. She didn’t want me opening it in front of her.” Princess Kolodenko pulled back the wrapping and stopped. “Oh.”
“She found it at the castle,” Kate said. “She said it used to be at your house in Krakow.”
“When we had to leave, we packed what we could carry, and I didn’t remember the maid figurine until I was on the train. I never thought I’d see it again. My mother gave it to me when I was a child, to remind me of our past, and to teach me that we are servants of one another. Oh, precious Lidka. Her heart is opening.” Princess Kolodenko continued walking, holding the maid to her chest.
Lidka must have known how happy her gift would make Fyodora. She should have let the princess open it in person. For all Lidka’s bravado, she didn’t have the courage to show love.
“I’m sorry about the Kopciuszek treasures,” Princess Kolodenko said. “If I had handled things differently, we would still have them. Now we must form a new identity as a family. I’m especially sorry for you, Nessa, that you never really got a chance to experience the magic.”
“Oh, but I did, Babcia. I wore the ball gown on the Queen Mary. And again at the castle at Avanti. Kate took pictures, and it did feel magical to wear it.”
Princess Kolodenko smiled sadly. “Then you will feel the loss as well.”
Kate stared straight ahead, afraid if she looked at Nessa the princess would guess their secret. Nessa would have a hard enough time not telling.
Dad leaned over. “You want to explain all that to me later?”
“Just girl talk, Dad. You know how we feel about fashion.”
Once they’d cleared the crooked trees, they came across two hikers.
Kate recognized them first. A familiar white-T-shirt-and-jeans-clad boy took her breath away. “Johnny!” She broke away from the others to run into his arms. He scooped her up and spun her around on the spot.
“I’m so sorry I left you,” she whispered, burying her face in his neck. “I’ve felt terrible ever since.” Their separation hit her full force now that she was back in his arms. She could hardly breathe, the emotion was so strong.
“Sparky, it’s okay. I’m not mad.” he whispered back, relief evident in his tone. “Well, I was, but how crazy is it for me to be jealous of a dress? I love you too much.” He set her back down and let her go. His eyes bored deep into hers. “Besides, remember at the beginning of the summer when I asked you if you trusted me?”
She nodded, searching his eyes. He loves me?
“Trust goes both ways. I need to trust you, too.”
No blushing this time as she said, “I love you, too.”
“See? I don’t need magic shoes to find you. All I had to do was follow my heart.” He grinned and put his hand on his chest.
Her stomach tingled as he slipped his hand into hers.
“Do we need to storm a castle or anything?” he asked.
“No, it’s over. We can go home.”
Meanwhile, Floyd had seen Dad and run to his side. “Dad!” He reached out and grasped Dad’s hand to pull him into a hug.
“You don’t know how long I’ve waited to do this,” Dad said, his sightless eyes tearing up.
“I’m sorry,” Floyd said, his voice catching. “I shouldn’t have given up hope. I should ha—”
“Don’t. I’m here. Nothing else matters now.”
They separated, but Dad kept his arm around Floyd’s shoulder. “You’ll have to help me out, son. My eyes. I can’t see.”
Floyd looked to Kate in shock and she nodded.
“No problem, Pops. I’m right here.”
“Are you ladies ready to go home?” Johnny asked. He squeezed Kate’s hand. “Because I know I am. I’ve had enough of Floyd’s attempts to speak Polish for a lifetime. You wouldn’t believe what we ended up eating last night.”
The trip through Poland and into Soviet-controlled Germany, and finally to the city of Wiesbaden, was happily uneventful. Kate got to see her dad and her boyfriend meet and talk about art, and when Nessa wasn’t busy batting her eyelashes at Floyd, Kate filled her in on what happened at the castle with Malwinka. One of the first things they did was get Dad to a phone so he could call long-distance to Mom. Kate could hear her crying from ten feet away.
Before they left Germany, Floyd gave them a tour of the Wiesbaden Central Collecting Point in the Landesmuseum. Floyd, followed by Nessa at his heels, led them to a large open room with row after row of shelves filled with paintings. “There are three hundred rooms in this building,” he said. “And here’s just one of them.”
“Dad, I wish you could see this,” Kate said. “The paintings are stacked up like books at the library.”
“Many of these are masterpieces,” Floyd said. “I could walk down this row and find a sixteenth-century portrait, turn around, and pull out a Renoir.”
Dad shook his head. “Amazing. Wish I could see it, too.” Dad clapped Floyd on the shoulder. “Glad to see you finally taking an interest in art.”
Floyd shrugged. “All those years of you talking about it finally sank in, I guess. You know, I’m keeping my eye out for the amber room. It was taken from the Catherine Palace and moved to Königsberg castle here in Germany. But then that was bombed, and no one has seen the pieces since. There are rumors that some have been taken by private citizens. Wouldn’t that be something? To hold a treasure no one knows about, but everyone is looking for?”
Kate and Nessa glanced at each other before feigning interest in a table of silverware.
While everyone moved on to the next room, they lagged behind. “How long do we keep it a secret?” Nessa whispered. “I was going to wear the gown at Princess Elizabeth’s wedding in November, remember?”
�
��I don’t know. You might need to wait until the older generation passes. If Malwinka and Ludmilla believe everything was destroyed, the feud is over.”
Nessa pouted. “Figures. I’m the one who doesn’t get to enjoy Kopciuszek’s dress.”
“You still have the shoes.”
Her eyes gleamed. “That I do.”
Chapter Forty-Five
Because it was Ferragosto, the big Italian holiday, the train was packed with last-minute vacationers, and they had to split up. Kate and Johnny waited in Rome for the next train, while Princess Kolodenko and Nessa carried on ahead.
“We will wait for you at the station in Sora,” Nessa said. “Make a list of all the places you want to see before we go back to New York. I want to make sure you leave with good memories of Italy. Oh, and we have a surprise for you.” She grinned.
They did not have to wait long before the train pulled out. Johnny was in the mood to talk, but Kate’s eyelids were heavy. When he put his arm around her, she rested her head on his shoulder and felt the rumble of his voice as he spoke.
It was the train slowing down that woke her. She pushed herself up.
“Hey, Sparky.” Johnny shook out his arm and flexed his fingers.
“Oh, I’m so sorry. I tried to stay awake.”
He laughed. “I didn’t want to disturb you. What good is an arm for anyway?”
“Are we here?”
“Yes. Are you ready for your surprise?”
“You know what it is?”
He nodded.
The town of Sora was decked out for Ferragosto. Italian flags hung from every available flagpole, and bunting and ribbons in green, white, and red were strung across the road and from building to building.
When Johnny and Kate stepped off the train, Nessa called out, “They’re here!” Several people stood from the benches and waved: Princess Kolodenko, Mr. De Luca, Maria, Mr. Day, and a girl who looked awfully familiar . . . but couldn’t be.
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