“Josie?” Kate stepped up to the station and was practically tackled by her best friend.
“Your charmed life is rubbing off on me,” she said. “Mr. Day needed some costume changes, and my boss, Bonnie, liked that I was a fast worker so she let me come over.” Josie lowered her voice to a stage whisper. “Besides, she’s scared to cross the Atlantic—gets seasick.” Everyone laughed.
“It is so good to see you. How long have you been here?”
“Apparently longer than you. I had no idea you were taking a sightseeing trip to Poland. I guess that came up last-minute, huh?” She fanned her hands in front of her face. “And your dad— Holy Toledo!” She looked at the train. “Is he here?”
Kate shook her head. “He took a plane home. He should be with Mom by now and hopefully seeing a doctor about his eyesight. I hope we weren’t too late.”
“That’ll be some reunion. It’s probably best you’re not there while they get reacquainted. Good thing she didn’t start dating Neil. And can you believe they’ve got palm trees here? Mom never told me about the palm trees.”
Kate shook her head at the dizzying change of topics. It was good to see Josie again. Once all the greetings were made, they continued on to the park, where other families were also gathering.
Maria had spent all day in the kitchen from the looks of things, but she was beaming as she served a picnic lunch to everyone. She whispered something in Italian to Kate when she reached around her to place a salad on the table.
Mr. De Luca overheard and translated. “She says ‘I like the happy ending.’”
“Me, too.” Kate smiled at Maria and took in the scene around her. Good food. Good friends. When she glanced at Johnny, she saw he was looking at her. He winked.
Josie saw and wagged her finger. “No, no. You two have been together for weeks. I get her first after we eat. We’ve got lots to talk about before we have to go home.” Josie made her eyes go big, emphasizing her point.
Johnny held up his hands in defeat. “Fine. I’ve got something to take care of anyway. Mr. De Luca, can I talk to you?”
After the girls helped clean up the picnic, Kate and Josie went off to catch up.
“Are you going to spill the beans about Johnny?”
“What do you mean?” Kate stopped in the middle of the bridge and stared out into the slowly moving water.
“I mean all those looks you keep passing each other. Everyone is noticing.”
Kate blushed. “I had no idea we were passing looks.”
Josie guffawed. “I still know you better than you know yourself. Something’s changed between you two. What was it?”
What exactly had changed? Josie was right. There wasn’t a moment she could point to, but they were at a different place than they had been when the summer started. Their separation at the border had been painful, but without it, she didn’t know if she’d truly understand how strong her feelings were for him. When he came back for her at the forest, all ready to rescue her, she knew how deeply he felt for her, and that he was ready to accept her legacy.
“You’re in love. That’s it,” Josie said. “You just needed me here to tell you.”
Kate smiled. She’d already told Johnny she loved him. There was a love like her parents’ where they could be so caught up in the day-to-day they sometimes didn’t seem like they were in love. And then there was a love like Uncle Adalbert and Aunt Elsie, which was a sacrificial love. A lifelong commitment for better or for worse lived out in a working kind of love.
And what were she and Johnny? Mr. De Luca would say young love, and he’d punctuate it with a wink and a push out the door to look at the stars.
“Life is changing, isn’t it?” Josie asked. “We can’t go back to being kids again.”
Kate continued across the bridge. “No.” She slid her hand along the railing. “But we wouldn’t want to, would we?”
Josie threw herself into helping Nessa pack for New York, leaving Kate time for one last walk through an Italian garden with Johnny. He and his dad were staying on a few more days until filming wrapped up, and then Johnny was getting his promised flight home.
“Is everything okay?” Kate asked. “You seem nervous.”
“What, me? No. I’m fine,” he answered, wiping his hands on the sides of his jeans. “I told Dad about my plans for school.”
“And?”
“Surprisingly, we’ve found a compromise. He is fine with me going to the art school I’ve chosen as long as I put in some time for him in the advertising department.”
“Hmm, sounds like someone gave you good advice a while back.”
“When did you get to be so wise?” He took her hand in his and pulled her into the flower garden. “You know it about killed me to walk away from you at the border.”
Kate groaned. “I know. You never quite trusted Lidka. I suppose I didn’t either, but I wanted to because she was the only one who seemed able to help me. You can say, ‘I told you so.’”
“No, it wasn’t that. Well, it wasn’t just that. I got a taste of what you girls had to go through when saying good-bye to your soldiers. I didn’t like it. At all.” He tilted her chin and kissed her. “I never want to watch you leave me again. Ever.”
He pulled a box out of his jeans pocket. “My opinion of Lidka has improved. She didn’t trade the blue diamond after all. She kept it and gave it to Princess Kolodenko with a note suggesting she give it to me. It took some doing, but I found a jeweler in town willing to do a rush job.” He opened a small box to reveal the square blue diamond nestled in a white-gold setting. “I had it made into a ring for you. A promise ring.”
Kate sucked in a breath. Was he for real?
“You are the one for me, Kate Allen. I don’t need to look for any other. With your dad coming home and all, my timing might not be the best, but I want you to know where my heart is. I love you. If you accept this ring, I’ll know that you feel the same and are willing to wait for me, for us.”
She could only gape at the ring, so Johnny continued. “I spoke to your dad when we were in Germany, and he admitted he still sees you as the girl you were when he left, and the idea of you marrying is hard for him. I won’t even ask you to make a decision to leave your family just yet. But I’ve been serious about you, Kate Allen, for a long time, and I want everyone to know it.”
Her thoughts raced back to their first meeting at the movie audition, then to the moment at the department store when she realized who he was . . . after she had thrown her shoe at him. And then all those sweet letters they wrote each other during the war. Finally, this trip to Europe, and how their relationship had been tested. He was still her knight in shining armor, even if Princess Kolodenko and Nessa wouldn’t let him rescue her.
Beaming, Kate held out her hand. Johnny slid the ring onto her finger, then kissed her fingertips. The tingle went all the way to her heart, and she sighed contentedly. After questioning so many things in her life, she didn’t need to question this. Johnny was her future. No matter how unpredictable life might be as a Keeper of Cinderella’s dress, Johnny would always be there.
“I love you, too. Thank you for being so understanding about my family,” she said. “The wait won’t be long.”
They continued their walk holding hands, the unfamiliar feel of the ring pressing into Kate’s skin as a reminder of what had taken place. So many thoughts raced through her mind she couldn’t stop one long enough to properly think about it.
“Why are you smiling, Sparky?”
She punched him in the arm. “You know.”
He grinned, then pulled her into his arms. They were already back at the patio. “I’ll be up to say good-bye in the morning, but everyone will be watching. See you in New York?”
“I’ll be on deck waiting.”
Kate found the girls upstairs in Nessa’s room. She stood in the door and lifted her left hand up to her cheek so her new ring was in full view. “Ahem,” she said.
Josie noticed first. “Whoa
. What is that on your finger?”
“Just a little promise Johnny made me.”
Josie leaped forward and grabbed Kate, dragging her to the light. “Let me see this closer.” She touched it gently. “It’s so pretty.”
“Peachy keen,” Nessa said, looking over Josie’s shoulder.
Kate laughed. “You need to stop taking English lessons from Josie. She’s trying to start a new saying.”
“Face it, Kate. I’m a trend spotter.” She pointed at her trousers. “For example, everyone is wearing their pants like this this summer. You just roll them up to your knees.”
Kate shook her head. Nessa’s pants were rolled up, too.
“I’m going to go brush my teeth,” Josie said. “Gotta get up early.” She tapped the doorframe on the way out.
Nessa smiled. “Your ring is beautiful.”
“Thanks. It’s the diamond we found in the fresco. I had given it to Lidka to use as a bribe, but she gave it back to Johnny. Now I can’t figure out how she managed to get us onto that train.”
“Oh,” Nessa said. “I know that one. She took more than the servant statue from the castle near Zakopane. She sent a note to your brother to let him know where to look for the piece she traded for your safety.”
“Of course she did.”
Nessa closed the lid on her trunk. Speaking of treasures, “Have you told Johnny our secret?”
“Your babcia already told him what happened with the explosion.”
“Yes, but did you tell him what happened after?”
“Not yet.” She looked at her ring. “But I will. He’s going to have to know. Do you mind?”
Nessa shook her head.
“I kind of want to tell Aunt Elsie first. I feel that she ought to be the first one to know.”
“I heard the babuszka tell you to let the former Keeper know that all was well so she would have peace of mind.”
“Yes. It’ll be the first thing I do when I get home.”
Chapter Forty-Six
When they got off the ship, Kate’s parents were waiting to pick them up. Mom was firmly attached to Dad’s side, helping him navigate the busy pier. His eyes were bandaged, so he must have had the surgery. She gave them both a hug at the same time. The only one missing from their happy reunion was Floyd, and he would be home soon enough. No one was worried for his safety any more. Peacetime was a time to celebrate.
“I don’t know how you did it,” Mom said, “though I suspect Adalbert and Elsie had something to do with it. The Kolodenkos must have important connections.”
“Is Uncle Adalbert with Elsie?”
“Yes. She is not doing well, Kate. You need to prepare yourself before you go.”
Kate took the bus to the hospital. The castle-like turrets didn’t seem so fancy now that she’d seen real castles. There was so much Kate wanted to tell Elsie, even if the old woman didn’t understand any of it. Esmerelda, knowing Elsie’s condition, had thought it would be a nice thing to do. “You don’t know what sinks in,” she had said. “You would be surprised what I recognized even when my brain was a bit muddled.”
“How is she?” Kate walked tentatively into the room.
Uncle Adalbert stood and embraced her. “I am so proud of you, Kate. You showed great courage and we have all been rewarded for it. I’ve met your father. He is a good man. Still trying to figure out what has happened, but he is happy to be home.”
Uncle Adalbert looked tenderly at Aunt Elsie. “You can try to reach her. I visit every day but I have not seen her in weeks.”
Aunt Elsie had never looked so frail. Not even staring at the curtains, her eyes were fixed on the plain white ceiling.
Kate took the chair Adalbert vacated. He stood watch at the foot of the bed. An ever-vigilant sentry.
“Aunt Elsie. I found them. The shoes.” Kate reached for her aunt’s hand. Elsie’s fingers remained limp in Kate’s grasp. “They are beautiful. No, more than beautiful. Made of clear white diamonds, with heart clasps made of smaller light blue diamonds. I’ve never seen such a thing. And they are safe; the Kolodenkos have them again.” There was no response from Elsie.
Kate shifted and continued her story, pouring her tale into her aunt, willing her to hear. To understand. “I met Esmerelda. You know her as the babuszka, the one who tended the Kolodenkos’ gardens. She was still alive and waiting. She was so old, but gathering together all her magical items, particularly the amber necklace, renewed her strength and she became young again. She gave us the option of changing the Keeper role. She asked Nessa and me. She saw how the world had changed, and let us change if we wanted to.”
Adalbert leaned forward. “And?”
“We agreed to continue the tradition. It may seem old-fashioned, but we decided we liked it. We liked being connected because of Cinderella’s dresses.”
“Interesting decision.”
“Would you have chosen differently?” Kate asked him.
He shrugged, palms up. “I have lived with this secret for more years than you. I’ve seen how it affected my bride. I don’t know what I would have chosen. Plus, I am an old man. I like to think a practical one. But you are a young woman, still idealistic.”
Kate frowned. After what she had been through, she was no longer as naive as she used to be.
“It is a compliment,” Adalbert interjected. “Idealism is what makes young people try for something better. Believe in something better.”
Kate pulled out the black-and-white photos she had taken in Poland and had developed in Italy. There were certain pictures she didn’t want to share with Mr. G. “I thought you might like to see a little of the home country.” She started with the castle. “Kopciuszek’s castle. Did you ever see it?” she asked Adalbert.
“I think she went one time as a child. Maybe twice.” He turned his attention to Elsie. “Look, moja ksiezniczka, the castle. Do you remember?”
Kate added another shot from inside the great hall. Her focus was off and the lighting poor, but it was good enough to remind herself what it looked like. Malwinka was in the corner of the shot, but she had turned her head, creating a sort of blur.
Something about the photo triggered a memory of the detective showing her a thief they were tracking. A jeweler. A finder. “Punia!” Kate exclaimed, putting all the niggling pieces together. She couldn’t believe she’d missed it earlier. “Lidka is the thief Agent Gillespie is looking for.”
“What are you talking about?” Uncle Adalbert asked.
Kate laughed. “They think she’s a man. Gillespie called her a go-between, which, now that I’ve met her, is an apt description.” Gillespie thought Punia was a jeweler. The amber necklace. That was probably how Lidka got involved. “Well, they’ll never catch her now. Especially if she stays with the babuszka.”
Kate continued to hold the pictures in front of Elsie’s eyes, though her aunt made no indication of seeing them. Adalbert gave a slight shrug, as if to apologize for Elsie. Undaunted, Kate showed off the rest of the pictures. “Here is the train we took across Poland. The house in Krakow. Is this where you met Princess Kolodenko? Your friend, Fyodora?” She didn’t say it was Malwinka’s house now. The pictures showing the aftermath of war, she handed directly to Adalbert. “Did you want to see these?” she asked. “Or would you rather remember things the way they were?”
“I have already seen pictures such as these,” he said. “I will always have the memories of before.” He flipped through them quickly and handed them back.
Kate gave him the picture of the crooked forest. “And this is where it all ended.” She told him how Lidka tried to destroy everything and the resulting explosion that damaged the trees. “They are still alive, but now they are bent like this.”
Adalbert laughed. “I wonder what legend will arise from this forest once people stumble across it. People always need an explanation.”
“I think Mr. G will like this one. It might inspire a new store window.”
Kate put the pictures away, th
en squeezed Aunt Elsie’s hand. “I’ll come back another day.” She let go, but her aunt’s fingers tightened and held on.
“Aunt Elsie?”
Her aunt’s gaze fell to the blue diamond on Kate’s finger.
Kate sat back down. “Uncle Adalbert, quick, she’s holding my hand.”
“Because of love,” Elsie said. “Dziekuje.” Thank you.
Adalbert rushed over and grabbed Elsie’s other hand. “I’m here, Elsie. I’m here.”
She did not speak, but her eyes locked onto his.
Kate gently removed her hand from Elsie’s grasp and left the two alone. As their story was drawing to a close, hers was only beginning.
She had much to do before Johnny flew home. She and Nessa were going to meet up with the carpenter who installed the false bottom into Kate’s hope chest. They wanted him to build her a wardrobe that included a hidden place for a special pair of shoes.
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Acknowledgments
Ever since Cinderella’s Dress was published, I’m often asked when I knew I wanted to be a writer. Back in school, several wonderful teachers put books into my hands, planting seeds, but fifth grade was a standout. Halfway through the school year, Miss Swetlikoe swept into our classroom like Mary Poppins and her umbrella, except our beloved teacher arrived with a guitar and books and changed everything. She read to us The Hobbit and Watership Down, and I thought I would burst if I didn’t try writing my own novel. So I did. Turns out I wrote fan fiction of Watership Down, but it was my first attempt at a novel. That teacher is now a high school librarian, continuing to inspire students to greatness. Thank you, Mrs. Lunde, for all you do.
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