Waking Anastasia (22 page)

“Let’s Rock and Roll, Your Imperial Highness.”

“As you wish, my Love.” They approached the double doors and their little, impromptu entourage followed along, probably hoping for an inkling of who these beautiful people were. A liveried doorman held the door open for them. “Welcome to the Fairmont Empress Hotel. Are you joining us for the First Night Gala?” He couldn’t keep his eyes off of Ana and her tiara. Jerry suspected that the staff didn’t like being surprised by unannounced VIP visitors, and the man was trying to figure out whether the couple before him were VIPs, or simply looked the part.

“Yes, we are.” Jerry broke the spell and the man shook off his wonder, back to being a professional.

“Straight ahead, and through those doors, please. Halfway there you will see the sign for the coat check on your left. Enjoy your evening.”

“Thank you.” They started off in the direction the doorman indicated and a handful of people from the group outside followed along, a few paces behind them. Jerry whispered to Ana, “You wouldn’t by any chance be playing up the ‘mysterious woman’ thing would you?”

“Who?
Me
? I am just a Shvibzik, out with her gentleman, going to meet some friends for dinner and celebration.”

“Yeah, nice try. I believe the Shvibzik and friends parts, but you’re loving this. And so you should be. This is
your
night. If I could give you any gift within my power, it would be another night as a Grand Duchess.”

“That is very sweet of you, Jerry, but for me, the greatest gift you could give me is a night of celebrating life with you. I love all of this,” she swept her arm to indicate the grand hotel and festive decorations, “but if you were not here with me, it would mean
absolyutno nichego
—absolutely nothing. I am a Grand Duchess because I see it in your eyes, not because I was born with a title. I love you.”

“I—” They arrived at the coat check and the clerk interrupted Jerry.

“Can I check your coat and cape, Sir and Madame?”

“That’d be great. Thanks.” Jerry shrugged out of his coat and handed it over, but Ana kept her cape closed, waiting. They had discussed this moment when they were getting ready for the evening and Jerry wasn’t going to diminish one iota the effect Ana’s gown was going to have on watching eyes. He stepped up behind her, got a firm grip of the shoulders and held the cape in place while Ana released the clasp and stepped forward, out of the velvet and into the limelight. Of the dozen people waiting, men and women alike gasped. Jerry handed the cape to the clerk and accepted two claim tickets.

“Thank you, everyone. Is it not beautiful?”

A middle-aged woman stepped forward, timid in her own evening finery. “You’re beautiful. Can I take a picture, please? Who
are
you?”

“You are so sweet. Of course you can. My name is Ana.” She extended her gloved hand to the woman. “And what is your name?”

“I’m just Cathy.” She shook Ana’s hand.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Cathy. Unless the ‘just’ is truly part of your name, I would leave it out. You are beautiful, and sparkle in a way that makes you more than ‘just’ anything.”

Cathy blushed and released Ana’s hand. “Thank you, Ana.” Jerry stepped up and offered his arm to Ana once again. She took it, lifted her chin a bit, and smiled so widely that everyone else couldn’t help but be infected by the smile and return it. “We have friends waiting, but if you’d like to take some photographs of these lovely costumes from Island Costumes, you are more than welcome.”

“Island Costumes? Really?” Cameras flashed and photos were taken.

“Ask for Ginnius. Tell her Ana and Jerry sent you.”

“Jerry?”

“JERRY!”

Everyone turned at the deep-voiced beckoning from just inside the Crystal Ballroom. Jerry could see Manny waving from the grand hall, so he guided Ana that way. “Sorry folks, my boss beckons.”

They strolled off to the party, leaving Cathy and the other party guests to check their own coats and join the celebration. Two tuxedoed staff flanked the entrance of the ballroom, checking tickets, and Jerry presented theirs when asked. The numbers on the bottom of the tickets were checked against a list on an iPad and they were in.

“Welcome to the First Night Gala, folks. I would offer to have someone show you to your table, but I suspect that very tall gentleman waving at you has it all taken care of. Enjoy your evening, and Happy New Year.”

“Thank you. We will. Happy New Year.”

There was a bright circle of light on the floor, placed to visually highlight and announce new arrivals in a community where the higher echelons of Victoria’s society all knew each other by name and pedigree, Jerry was sure. He smiled at Ana. “Shall we start the room buzzing, My Dear?”

“Oh, please!” Arm still linked with Jerry’s, Ana led him into the floodlight and stopped. Jerry counted three heartbeats before the only sound in ballroom was the band, playing softly at the far end. It seemed like every single conversation came to a complete stop. Even Manny had stopped mid-stride on his way to greet them. Jerry let a half-smile creep onto his face but Ana was all teeth and dimples and nodded to him ever so slightly.

In that instant, Jerry saw the Grand Duchess, the Tsarevna, who knew the difference between walking into a room and making a truly imperial entrance. She waited two more beats, and then casually led Jerry out of the bright light, toward Manny. Conversation returned to the room, but so many eyes were directed at them that it was obvious that for the next few minutes, at least, Ana was going to be the hot topic.

“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, Jerr! You two certainly know how to make an entrance. Carmella is going to be royally pissed that she missed it.”

“Who says I missed it, Manny? Just because I wasn’t at your side doesn’t mean that I was completely unaware of what was happening in the room.” Carmella, in a lovely, chocolate brown gown that matched her eyes, held her hand out to Ana. “You, my dear, must teach me how to make an entrance like that. I haven’t seen the old codgers in this room shut up so fast since Prince Charles passed wind during a speech. I’m Carmella. Manny’s warden.” Ana shook Carmella’s hand but Jerry interrupted.

“Manny and Carmella, may I introduce you to Anastasia, the young lady who has stolen my heart in such a short time. Ana, this is my boss, Manny, and his wife, Carmella. It was Carmella who did such a great job on decorating the loft, especially the Christmas tree.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you both. Jerry speaks so very highly of you, like you are family.”

“Your accent is beautiful, my dear. British with a hint of something European, isn’t it?”

“Yes. English from my mother’s family and Russian from my father’s.”

“Russian? How lovely. Not like my Manny’s raw-bones, straight-to-the-gut Aussie drawl.”

“Hey, don’t slag Australia, lovey—after all, it’s where we met.”

“Of course not, dear. Now, let’s get these two youngsters to the table. We don’t want to wear Jerry out while the night is still young.” Without waiting for agreement, Carmella hooked her arms through Ana and Jerry’s and led them off, across the dance floor and to a corner table decorated like all the others with black and white helium-filled balloons, streamers, roses, and New Year’s party hats and noise makers.

“Manny likes to sit with his back to the wall, so we’re here in the corner.”

“It’s not that I like the wall, it’s just that I don’t want anyone having to sit behind this gargantuan head, unable to see a damned thing. Just bein’ considerate, Lovey.”

“I know. And it’s one more reason why I love you so.”

The rest of the group was seated, but with a nudge from Mika, her expensively tuxedoed, pristinely-groomed, East Indian fiancé, Danveer, stood as well. Lee-Anne’s husband, Tom, joined him, getting a raised eyebrow from his wife. Her expression was more one of pleasure than of jealousy. Jerry could tell that Tom was in a rented tuxedo because he kept tugging at the collar and pulling at the sleeves, like he himself had been doing since he’d put on his own monkey-suit earlier. The two women, on the other hand, were stunning in their individuality. Lee-Anne wore a sleeveless, short-skirted, sparkly, bright red cocktail dress that would have been a dress-code violation in half-a-dozen nations if it weren’t for the silky Chinese shawl-thing she had draped over her shoulders and across her chest. It didn’t disguise her figure at all, but it hid a bit more skin than Jerry suspected she was accustomed to at these functions. He was impressed that she seemed to have heard what he and Manny had said to her.

Mika was all smiles as she introduced Danveer to Jerry and Ana, and Jerry could see that she was being true to her West Coast roots in what looked like something a Steampunk gypsy might wear, right down to the shiny gold, dangling earrings made of tiny clock gears. She wore a loose but conservative peasant-girl top, an embroidered corset, a pleated, crinkled skirt of rich rusts and browns, and what looked like a cashmere cape with tiny fringe. He wasn’t sure of the materials it was all made of, but even he could see that the overall look was well thought-out and eye-catching. Only Ana was more striking, and the women all acknowledged it. They flocked to her for introductions and to get a closer look at her “fancy frock”, as she called it. She threw him a wink just before she was surrounded and ushered off to one side by Mika, Lee-Anne, and Carmella.

Manny held up one of the two open bottles of wine on the table. “Now, can I pour you a glass? Red or white?”

Jerry shook his head. “Thank you, but the meds they’ve got me on don’t mix well with alcohol.”

“Smart lad.” Manny freshened his and Carmella’s glasses. “This’ll last me right through dinner, which this year is being served earlier, according to the Missus.”

SHORTLY AFTER ANA
and the other ladies returned to the table, the buffet was opened and the band leader began announcing the table numbers. As luck would have it, Manny’s corner table was in the first group and he and Carmella led the way to the food. Ana came along to keep Jerry company, but explained that she was fasting over the holidays, for health reasons. Doctor’s orders. They were halfway down the buffet when Jerry noticed that sadness had crept onto Ana’s usually smiling face.

“This is hard for you, isn’t it?” he whispered. She nodded, not daring to speak for fear that she’d cry. “Let me jump ahead to the carving station, Shvibzik, and we’ll get back to the table. I’m sorry. I should have thought this through better.”

Ana gave his arm a squeeze and lifted up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek and whisper in his ear. “I suddenly miss my family so very, very much. I am certain that when the dancing starts, I will be fine. Carmella is on her way back to the table, so I will join her. You fill your plate with delicious bits of everything and you can describe it all to me, especially the roasted carrot and mandarin salad, steamed mussels, and Yorkshire pudding. Now go. You are holding up the line.” She slapped his butt with her gloved hand to urge him forward, and she started back toward the table.

Jerry caught up to the person ahead of him and glanced over his own shoulder to watch Ana glide across the dance floor, proving that even walking could be full of grace and art.

DESSERT WAS DONE
and they were on their second coffee when the small orchestra shifted from “In the Mood” to “The Blue Danube” waltz. Jerry scowled at Ana. “Did you have anything to do with this, missy?”

“What are you accusing me of, Mr. Powell? Collusion with the bandleader? Plotting against your desire to sit all evening, and deny me the opportunity to show these fine people what an excellent student you are?”

“Yup. Pretty much.”

“Then I shall not disappoint you.” She stood and nodded politely to their tablemates. “Excuse us, please, but Mr. Powell has promised me a dance, and I would so hate to have this beautiful gown go to waste and not get a chance to show off. Taffeta is such a naughty fabric, do you not agree? It simply cannot sit still and must be up and about and dancing the night away.” She grabbed Jerry’s hand and pulled until he got up, dropped his linen napkin on his place. “May I steal him away, please?”

Manny laughed. “He’s all yours, Ana. If he can dance to this old stuff, I’ll be damned impressed.”

“I may be playing my own trumpet by saying this, but I believe I am an excellent teacher. My sisters and I learned from the best. Come, Jeremy. Tonight we dance.” She tugged but he didn’t budge.

“Do I have any say in this at all?” He knew he didn’t, but he had to at least put up a little resistance. He hadn’t told Ana, but he was actually looking forward to dancing with her all dolled up in that incredible gown.

“None whatsoever.” And she pulled him onto the hardwood dance floor, which had emptied out quite a bit with the change of tempo. Within a few beats, Jerry and Ana were turning and stepping and dipping. The steps were simple, but Jerry managed to stay poised and confident. Ana was absolutely radiant, leading him around with simple pressure and weight shifts. She led, he followed, and he felt like they were dancing on air. He even impressed himself with how well he remembered the steps and kept up with her.

Lesser dancers moved off the floor to watch the half dozen pairs who remained with Jerry and Ana, and as word spread that the marvellous young woman in green was dancing, people got up from their tables and moved to the edge of the dance floor to watch. Except for the band’s impressive rendition of the “Blue Danube”, the Crystal Ballroom was silent. As the end of the song neared, five more couples dropped out to admire Ana and Jerry and the other couple who kept pace with the fairy princess and her partner. The music came to an end and the two couples glided gracefully to a final, brief, statuesque pose. The entire ballroom—staff and guests alike—erupted in enthusiastic applause.