Chapter 10 #2
It was dinnertime, so she stepped out of the room.
She still felt like an intruder in this house, but she reminded herself that she had every right to be here.
She tapped on the door to Mishka’s room, and with no response, opened it.
The play clothes and wet towel on the floor said that Mishka had been here and done as he’d been told, but apparently he’d already gone down.
Good boy! Feeling like a counterintelligence agent, Meredith crossed the hallway to Kat’s room, where she knew she wouldn’t be welcomed.
When Kat didn’t answer, she cracked open the door to spy Kat flopped across her bed, shoes and socks on the floor, but she still had on her athletic clothes.
“Kat,” Meredith kept her voice gentle. “Are you joining us for dinner?”
“Huh?” Kat looked up with a blank expression.
“You don’t look ready for dinner. Are you coming? Aren’t you hungry?”
“I guess.” Kat stood, pushing some unruly red hair from her face.
“Can you freshen up a little?” She waved to her own attire. “I’m trying to comply to royalty standards, but I’m not the one who will be queen someday.”
Kat rolled her eyes.
Meredith controlled herself from mentioning eye-rolling and ruling a kingdom might not be compatible. Instead, she went over to a wardrobe similar to the one in her room. A lot of nice clothes hung inside. She pulled out a flowered blouse. “This is pretty.”
“Ugh.” Kat made a gag expression.
“Okay.” Meredith went back, finally finding a pale-yellow oxford shirt. “How about this?” Now she removed a denim skirt. “This is cute.” She held them up together to show Kat, and the girl’s brow creased with interest.
“I’m guessing it wouldn’t be acceptable for a princess dining with the queen, but I’m okay with it here.
If you are.” She reached over to lay a hand on Kat’s shoulder.
“I mean, you’re the expert here. You know far more about all this royal protocol than I do.
But Mrs. Warner did tell me that we’re expected to dress for dinner in the dining room. ”
“All right.” Kat snatched the shirt and skirt. “I’ll be down in a few.”
Meredith wasn’t sure if this was a win or loss, but she didn’t know that there was much more she could do, and she wasn’t about to strong-arm that girl.
For one thing, Kat probably had more muscle on her, and for the other thing, other than athletics, Meredith was by nature a peacemaker. She always had been.
But Mishka and Meredith had barely sat down when Kat came and sat with a humph. At least she had changed.
“I really like that color on you,” Meredith said.
Kat scowled.
“It brings out the color of your hair, which I think is lovely.”
“Really?” Kat glared at her.
“Definitely. It’s unique. I’ve always hated that I had such boring hair. Not really brown. Not really blonde. And I had a friend who told me it was dishwater blonde.” She frowned.
“And that was a friend?” Kat looked interested.
“Yeah. That hurt.”
“I think your hair is pretty,” Mishka said with glowing eyes.
“And I think Kat’s hair is pretty. I saw it in the sunlight today, and it glowed like copper. So rich and warm. And all those waves. It’s beautiful. One of my favorite actresses when I was growing up had hair just like yours.”
“Who’s that?” Kat looked sincerely interested.
“Nicole Kidman.”
Kat frowned. “She’s a blonde. I’ve seen some of her movies.”
“I’m pretty sure she’s a natural redhead. But you can research it if you want.”
Kat didn’t respond to that, and since Mrs. Warner was serving, Meredith thought it wise to let the subject rest. Seed planting, that’s what she was doing.
Would it make a difference or do any good?
Only time would tell. But at least Mishka looked amused and was keeping his opinions about it to himself.
After dinner, Meredith asked both children what they normally did in the evenings. But neither of them could think of anything.
“Well, what about when your father is here with you?” she persisted. “Do you still do nothing?”
“Papa hardly ever comes here with us. He’s too busy.”
“We watch movies sometimes,” Mishka offered.
“Do you have television here?” Meredith hadn’t seen any sign of it.
“In the big room,” Mishka explained. “In that big cabinet across from the fireplace. We have lots and lots of movies, especially Disney ones that Grandmama got for Mama when she was a little girl.”
“Oh?” Meredith was interested. “Did your grandmother bring your mother here when she was young?”
“Yes. Many times,” Mishka offered.
“Grandmama loves this house.” Kat pushed her chair from the table. “It was lost to the Nazi’s during WWII. Grandmama wasn’t born yet, but her parents told her about what happened. And she has it all written down.”
“What happened?” Meredith asked with real curiosity.
“Well, our principality, Rotslavia, had been seized by the Nazis shortly after Austria joined the Third Reich. But the Russians wanted our country too, in order to fight the Germans. So the royal family escaped and went into hiding. Grandmama says it was hard traveling, but they somehow made it to a remote island near Crete, where they purchased property and pretended to be common farmers until the war was over.”
“That’s fascinating.” Meredith set down her empty coffee cup. “I’d love to read your grandmother’s story about it.”
“There are lots of copies in the royal library,” Mishka bragged.
“Any around here?”
Mishka cocked his head to one side. “I don’t think so.”
“Well, should we explore the movie options?” Meredith suggested. “I haven’t seen a good Disney film in years.”
“Can we watch Swiss Family Robinson?” Mishka asked eagerly.
Kat groaned. “Not again. He always wants that movie.”
“It’s my favorite.”
“I like it too,” Meredith told him. “How about we compromise. Since Kat is older, she can choose tonight’s movie, and you can choose the next one. Okay?”
He reluctantly agreed.
“I don’t know about you two, but I like popcorn with a movie. Any chance we can find some around here?”
“Yes, yes.” Mishka jumped up. “I’ll ask Mrs. Warner.”
“Tell her I’m happy to make it if she’s busy.”
“She doesn’t like anyone messing with her kitchen,” Kat warned her.
“Oh, right.” Meredith remembered the laundry room warning. The housekeeper was territorial. “Well, if she’s too busy, don’t pester her, Mishka.”
“I’ll just say ‘please,’” he called out as he dashed off.
Meredith started to gather the plates, but Kat stopped her. “Mrs. Warner prefers to do this herself,” she warned.
“Right, I keep forgetting this is a royal family.”
Kat wrinkled her nose. “I guess.”
“What movie are you going to choose tonight?” Meredith asked as they left the dining room.
“I don’t know. But for sure it won’t be a princess movie. I hate those.”
Meredith laughed as they passed through the foyer. “They were never my favorites either. I grew up watching more westerns than anything. My dad loved old westerns.”
“That sounds better than princess movies.”
In the living room, Kat went over to the walnut cabinet and slid the doors open to reveal a TV framed in by shelves containing a huge selection of DVDs.
“George usually has a crying fit if he doesn’t get his choice of movie,” she said as she thumbed through the cases. “And I go to my room to escape it.”
“He was rather gentlemanly about it tonight.”
“That was for your sake.” She pulled out a case. “How about this?”
“The Journey of Natty Gann?” Meredith exclaimed. “I love that movie! I saw it once a long time ago. That was at a friend’s house when I was about your age, but I always wanted to watch it again.”
“Really? You love it?”
“It was so exciting. The girl searching for her dad. And wasn’t there a dog?”
“Yeah.” Kat had the remotes and was already putting the DVD into a machine and turning on the TV. “Kind of a wolf dog.”
The movie was just starting when Mishka joined them and announced that Mrs. Warner would be bringing them popcorn shortly. He flopped down on the big leather couch next to Meredith then groaned. “Not Natty Gann again!”
“I happen to love this film,” Meredith told him. “I haven’t seen it for years.”
His brows shot up. “You do?”
“Shhh!” Kat scolded.
“I saw it once as a child,” Meredith whispered in his ear. “Of course, I was older than you, so maybe I appreciated it more. But I would think, as an animal lover, you’d at least like the dog.”
She slipped an arm around him, giving him a sideways snuggle, and he beamed at her.
She had a feeling his opinion on Natty Gann was about to get an overhaul.
As the three of them sat in the comfortable room, eating popcorn and watching the movie, Meredith thought perhaps this summer wasn’t going to be such a disaster after all.
Sure, it wasn’t how she’d planned it to go, and she still felt strangely disconnected from everyone and everything she’d ever known, but it also felt a bit adventurous.
And if nothing else, she would have a story to tell when she finally got home.