ROMANOV AUTUMN
Chapter Forty-Three
"Macena Marie Dawson, where
have you gotten to?"
Olivia searched every room for
the three-year-old child, who took delight in scaring her caretakers half to
death on a regular basis.
"Did you search under all of
the beds, dear?" Esther called from the kitchen doorway, leaning heavily
on her cane and shaking her head.
"All of the beds and the
closets," Olivia groaned. "She is going to be responsible for my
demise, I am telling you now. Macena, come out this instant!"
Both women heard a giggle in the
distance, and Esther glanced over her shoulder. "The kitchen," they
announced at once, and Olivia flung open the pantry door. Sure enough, the
three-year-old girl sat there with a huge smile on her face.
"What on earth are you doing
in here?" Olivia exclaimed. "Mac, sweetheart, please don't do this
again!" She pulled the toddler out at once and clicked her tongue at the
child's filthy hands and feet. "Looks like you need a bath, I'm
afraid."
"No!" Macena, often
called Mac for short, shrieked with disdain. "No bath!"
"If you would not crawl into
such hideous places, you would not need so many baths!" Esther chuckled
and sat with the child on her lap while Olivia took care of the tub in the
kitchen.
"Please sit still,"
Olivia muttered once they used the gentle bar of soap and a washcloth to clean
Mac's little hands, feet, and ears.
"It's cold," Mac
whined, continuing to struggle against her aunt's grip, but to no avail.
"I think she'll be all
right," Esther promised after inspection, and handed over the towel.
Shortly after her bath, it was
time for bed. The sky had begun to darken two hours ago, and candlelight cast
strange shadows on the walls of the house.
The front door opened and in
walked Henry Woodruff, whistling a pleasant tune. He was a handsome man in his
late thirties with light brown hair, hazel eyes, and rosy cheeks.
"Hello," he greeted
Esther after removing his hat and hanging it on the stand in the front hall.
She nodded politely, hobbling towards her bedroom on the lower floor.
"It's been quite a long day. I take it Olivia is putting Mac down to
sleep?"
"Yes," Esther replied.
"Did anything arrive through the post, Henry?"
He shook his head. "I'm
afraid not," he admitted, and Esther clicked her tongue. Olivia had sent
the letter to Jack over a week ago, and he usually responded in a timely
manner.
Henry owned the general store and
stayed late to do the bookkeeping on certain nights, when he would give his
employees a bit of time off.
"Hello, darling,"
Olivia greeted once she shut the door to Mac's room, and embraced her fiancé
tenderly. "You look exhausted!"
Henry kissed her on the lips and
forehead, leading her downstairs for a cup of hot tea.
"The crowds never seemed to
slow," he admitted once she encouraged him to sit and rest his feet for a
while. "But I have our wedding to look forward to, so it helps move things
along."
She blushed once the teapot hung
over the fire, and sat with him. "I find it hard to believe it is only a
week away!" She sighed happily and allowed Henry to take her hand,
squeezing it gently. "How happy I will be to marry you. I just wish I knew
if my brother would be coming or not...he's been gone for so long."
Henry smiled sadly. "It's
been three years?" he asked, and she nodded. "I'm sure our little
Macena will be quite surprised if he does appear."
"She's been asking for him
quite often," Olivia admitted, glancing down at the table. "Thank
goodness he had the sense to write regularly and keep a spot in her life. I
honestly thought he would never return after his wife passed."
Henry chuckled. "It is
almost impossible to abandon your own child," he pointed out, and Olivia
smiled back.
"Yes, but it has happened,
sadly enough, in the past." She stood when the water was hot and poured
her fiancé a cup of tea. As Olivia sat watching her future husband relax at the
table, she thought about how her luck had changed over the years. It was
awkward living with Esther at first following the death of her parents, and
even moreso after Jack decided to leave. She thought she would die without her
brother, but discovered she had her own personality.
When she turned thirteen, the
local physician took her in as an apprentice, and now she was the small town's
primary midwife. Everyone Olivia came in contact with took a great liking to
her; she made her patients feel at ease. It was only appropriate that she would
attract the quiet yet serious Henry Woodruff, who, according to some of the
women in town, was an unobtainable bachelor.
"Let us practice our first
wedding waltz," she breathed once Henry finished his cup of tea, and he
chuckled at his young fiancée’s enthusiasm.
"Darling, I do believe we
know the steps inside out and upside down. But gladly. Any excuse to dance with
you is a good one." He stood and bowed low, taking Olivia's small figure
into his large arms. They waltzed around the kitchen, being mindful of the
chairs and fire pokers, before moving into the parlor before the fireplace.
"You dance divinely,"
Olivia complimented as he twirled her in circles, watching as her long auburn
hair flew about her face.
"As do you," he
replied. "So, this brother, Jack. I hope he holds me in good mind...I am
afraid begging him to come home for a wedding before even announcing you've met
me is quite a shock."
Olivia grinned. "I think he
deserves the shock," she admitted, collapsing onto the couch at last,
tired from the constant movement. She slid off her shoes, wriggling her toes
with relief. Between cooking, cleaning, and looking after her young niece all
day, she slept quite well at night. "After all, he shocked both Esther and
I when he decided to run away about a decade ago."
Henry laughed. "If I hadn't
met you, my love, I would have done the same," he admitted. "This is
not the most exciting town unless you are married."
"True at that." Olivia
giggled. "But I do believe I am worn out. Shall we retire?" She
offered her hand, which Henry took without hesitation, and led her up the
stairs.
*****
The next morning dawned bright
and sunny, with just a hint of coolness in the air. Olivia prepared breakfast
as Henry went to work on the yard, bringing Mac with him. She chased
butterflies, enjoying how the grass felt under her bare feet.
"Uncle Henry, look! The
doggy!" She pointed a chubby finger towards the road, where the neighbor's
Yorkie had escaped once again.
"Mac, stay in the yard,
please," Henry ordered at once, and she turned to him with a pout. "I
do not want you to be run over by a wagon if it happens to come past."
The dog trotted along casually,
completely ignoring the curious child, and occasionally sniffed at something
along the side of the road.
Macena, tempted by the world
outside her family's lawn, stopped at once when she reached its edge. She saw a
strange man about half a mile away and glanced over her shoulder as Henry
continued weeding the garden around the house.
"Uncle Henry!" she
called, and he stood up, cringing at the ache in his back. "There's a man
coming!" She pointed again, and he shielded his eyes from the sun.
"Macena, come away from
there," he warned, and she immediately obeyed, grabbing onto her uncle's
leg when she reached him.
As the stranger grew closer,
Henry immediately recognized the young man's face from a photograph Olivia had
displayed. "Oh, my God," he breathed. "Mac, honey, stay right
here...I have to get your aunt."
Mac watched as her uncle fled
through the front door of the house, and she sat down on the stoop, watching as
the figure stepped onto the grass. He was tall and thin, with dark blond hair
and aqua-blue eyes. He dressed in clothing that showed signs of deep wear, and
carried a rucksack over one arm.
Almost at once, the stranger
stopped when he caught sight of the little girl watching him with her big, dark
eyes, and neither spoke.
"Jack?!" a female voice
cried from inside the house, and Olivia flew through the front door, nearly
tripping over her niece. She stopped at once when she saw the new arrival and
encouraged Mac to stand up and look presentable.
"Is that my daddy?" Mac
asked, coming to the realization that both her aunt and uncle knew this man,
and he did look oddly familiar.
"Yes, sweetheart,"
Olivia replied, and Henry placed a hand on her head.
"Go and say hello," he
encouraged, and Mac chewed on the tip of her finger, unsure of what to do or
say.
Jack immediately set the rucksack
on the ground and knelt so he could be at her eye level. "I'm not going to
hurt you, honey," he promised, and Mac's lips immediately broke into a
wide smile. She flew across the yard and immediately leapt into his open arms.
"Daddy," she whispered,
clinging desperately to his neck, and Jack kissed her cheeks and forehead.
"I thought you were never coming to get me."
Jack could hardly stop the tears
from falling...she looked almost exactly like her mother, with the exception of
her strawberry blonde hair.
"I'm so sorry,
sweetheart," he choked, and Olivia touched Henry's arm, urging him indoors
for a few minutes. Once Jack set Mac on the ground for a second to catch his
breath, she immediately launched into the story of the dog that escaped from
their neighbor's farm.
"I saw him today,
Daddy," Mac said with a touch of pride. "I really want my own doggy,
but Uncle Henry said it's too much responsibility."
Jack stared with amazement at the
three-year-old and encouraged her to take his hand. "He's right,"
Jack replied. "Dogs are a lot of work." He didn’t want to bring up
the fact that he was allergic as well, another reason why owning a dog would be
on the impossible side.
"When I grow up, can I have
a pet?" Mac asked when they walked into the house, and before Jack could
respond, Esther hobbled faster than Olivia had seen in months.
"Oh, my Jack," Esther
exclaimed, embracing him tightly, and Jack felt his body deflating with exhaustion.
He'd been walking for over an hour after spending the night at an inn.
"Daddy, come and see my
room!" Mac begged, tugging on her father's jacket, and he grinned at his
daughter's enthusiasm.
"Let me say hello to your
aunts and uncle first," he replied. "Then I promise I'll come and see
your bedroom."
Mac pouted, but immediately
dashed into the parlor to crawl onto her Uncle Henry's lap.
"It's a pleasure to meet
you, Jack," Henry greeted, holding Mac in one arm and shaking Jack's hand
with his free hand.
"Likewise," Jack
answered. "So, congratulations on the wedding!"
Olivia blushed a deep shade of
crimson, clearly pleased by her brother's response to her fiancé.
"Thank you," Henry
added.
"You've had a long
trip," Olivia continued. "Can we get you a cup of tea, Jack?"
"That would be nice,"
he replied, surveying the old house that used to belong to his parents. It
looked so different now, with a hint of Alyiah's spirit still there. "I'll
take her," he added, and Henry handed Mac over to her father before taking
his place again on the couch. "So, when did you get in, Jack? You should
have wired us and we could have picked you up at the station."
Jack shook his head, placing a
kiss on top of Mac's head. She snuggled against him, playing with his fingers
in the meantime.
"I got in late yesterday
evening," he replied, "and decided to take a room at one of the inns
near the train station. I'm used to walking," he added, and Henry smiled
with understanding.
"Your sister did tell me you
are a wanderer," he admitted, and Jack chuckled at the comment, knowing
how true it was.
"Daddy, come and see my
room!" Mac whined, and he raised an eyebrow at Henry, who nodded his
approval at the change of pace.
"All right, honey,"
Jack promised, allowing his daughter to drag him by the hand down the hallway.
Esther and Olivia came into the parlor at that moment with teacups, and Henry
jabbed his thumb in the other direction.
"It's wonderful how
comfortable she feels with him already," Olivia breathed, setting the tray
down on the small coffee table. "I was almost positive she'd be shy."
"Mac? Shy?" Esther
asked with a chuckle. "Hardly, dear. But...I think we should let them have
their time together. After all, it's not every day a young girl gets to meet
her father for the very first time."
That, Olivia had to agree with.
*****
Jack sat on his daughter's bed,
meanwhile, watching as she bustled about, showing him all of her toys. He
swelled with pride at how beautiful she had turned out, despite his lack of
attention. That is going to change, he thought, and caught sight of a
framed photograph sitting on her nightstand. Olivia had taken care to put a
photo of Mac's real parents in easy view, and he felt a chill run down his spine
when he saw his dead wife's face staring back.
"Uncle Henry made this for
my Christmas present." Mac's voice brought him back to reality, and he
turned to see a well-carved boat with a mast and little men fishing over the
side. "It's my favorite! I have dolls, but I don’t like them much."
Jack laughed, pulling her onto
his lap. "I've missed you, pumpkin," he whispered into her ear, and
Mac looked at him, her eyes wide.
"How come you left?"
she asked, and he felt his heart break in two at the sincerity of the question.
"Do you know what happened
to your mother?" he asked, and Mac nodded proudly.
"Aunt Olive said the angels
came to take her to heaven," she replied simply, and Jack wet his
lips...he wanted to keep that explanation fresh in his daughter's mind.
"Did they take you, too?"
"No," Jack replied,
"but I did have to go away for a little while. When you're older, it'll be
easier to explain why."
"Aunt Olive said you were
sad about Mommy," Mac probed, and Jack kissed her forehead.
"I still am, sweetie,"
he admitted, and Mac frowned a little.
"Why?" Mac asked.
"Uncle Henry told me all 'bout heaven...I like it there. I want to go,
too."
Jack hugged Mac tight to his
chest, and couldn’t help but think she'd narrowly escaped that fate. "Not
for a while yet." He chuckled. "So...not a fan of dolls, huh?"
"No. Dolls are stupid."
Mac stuck out her tongue in disgust. "I like pirates!"
Jack smirked, not surprised at
all.
Eventually, he brought Mac out
into the kitchen for dinner, and the group of them sat around the table
together. It felt so wonderful to be around his family again, and couldn’t
believe how quickly his younger sister had grown up. She chattered with her fiancé
and told Jack all about her work as a midwife.
"It's wonderful to have
everyone together again," Esther spoke once there was a lull in the
conversation, and Jack shared a smile with Olivia.
"Yes, it is," he
agreed.