ROMANOV AUTUMN
Chapter Forty-Six
After breakfast the following
morning, Mr. Rockefeller encouraged Jack to take his daughter around the city.
"Just make sure to be back before dinner!" Margarita called, and Jack
chuckled, leading Mac through the front door. He led her by the hand and
watched as her eyes grew large staring at the tall buildings and nearly endless
crowds of people. They went to Central Park first and Jack allowed her to feed
the ducks floating lazily on the pond. She broke small pieces of stale bread
and shrieked with delight when one of the birds would swim over and attack it.
"I want a duck," Mac
stated, and Jack laughed heartily.
"Oh, you do, huh?" He
ruffled her hair. "Honey, I'm afraid I have to tell you some bad
news."
Mac looked at him curiously and
he leaned against the trunk of a great oak tree.
"I know you would like to
have a pet, but unfortunately, animals make me sneeze." He tried to think
of a simple way to put the explanation, having to remind himself that she was
only four years old.
"Why?" She pouted a
little, and he pulled her into a hug.
"Their fur tickles my
nose." He kissed the top of her head and Mac pointed at the pond.
"But ducks don’t have
fur!" she argued. "They have feathers."
Jack grinned at her correction
and squeezed her shoulder gently. "Right you are," he replied, and
she looked very pleased with herself. "And I'm afraid we can't afford a
pet, either. At least, not right now."
Mac nodded in understanding and
held out her arms as a request to be carried. He picked her up easily and they
spent a little longer wandering through the park.
Around noon, he took her to a
small restaurant for lunch, smiling when she practically shoved an entire half
of a sandwich into her mouth. It was wonderful to see Mac eating normally
again, though Jack had to remind her not to eat too fast or it would upset her
stomach.
She was ready to run almost
immediately afterwards and he took her to as many places as he could.
They managed to finish the tour
of the city by teatime and Jack could tell Mac was ready for a nap by the time
they returned to the Rockefellers.
"Oh, dear, she's worn
out." Mr. Rockefeller chortled, noticing how the child used her father's
shoulder as a pillow. "Bring her straight upstairs for a rest before
supper."
Jack carried Mac up the stairs,
having to pause in step when he felt his chest tightening a little. He'd been
so preoccupied with keeping Mac as comfortable as possible that he hadn't
thought of his own health.
Mac stirred but didn't open her
eyes when he shifted her to open the bedroom door, and he gently removed her
shoes before coughing roughly into his shoulder.
Once he tucked Mac in, Jack made
his way downstairs and had to pause in step when another coughing fit racked
his body. Mr. Rockefeller heard this and led him over to the couch.
"Take it easy, son,"
the old man encouraged, and Jack finally managed to calm down enough so he
could take a good breath of air.
"I'm all right," Jack
promised, just as Margarita brought a tray with tea and biscuits into the
parlor. He immediately accepted his tea and took a large gulp after making sure
it wasn't too hot.
"Jack, are you sure you're
well enough to bring a young child overseas?" Mr. Rockefeller asked, and
Jack set the cup down on the coffee table.
"Oh, yes," Jack
promised. "I just won't be able to carry her for long periods of time. And
with how she demands to run, I don't think that will be an issue."
Margarita clicked her tongue as
she swept back into the kitchen with the intention of preparing the meal for
that night.
"Jack, I do trust your
judgment," Mr. Rockefeller continued. "But I worry about your health
all the same. Please try to remember not to push yourself too hard."
Jack agreed to do so, taking
another sip of tea.
Mac slept until dinnertime, and
she was extra cranky after Jack woke her. "I know you're tired, honey, but
you have to eat," he said, and Mac stuck out her lower lip. "Come on,
baby." He led her by the hand downstairs and watched as she took one step
at a time, appearing more aggravated by the second.
"I'm not hungry," she
whined, and he brought her into the dining room, where Margarita had begun
bringing each dish out from the kitchen.
"Well, good evening,
lass!" Mr. Rockefeller greeted from where he sat at the head of the table,
and Mac looked at him. "Oh, dear, I'm afraid you woke up on the wrong side
of the bed."
"What's that mean?" Mac
asked when she sat in her own chair next to her father's, and Jack smiled.
"It means you woke up with a
sour puss on your face." Mr. Rockefeller demonstrated, and Mac couldn't
help herself...she began to giggle. Margarita returned with the main course, roast
duck with a rich gravy surrounded by carrots.
"This looks delicious,"
Jack complimented, and Margarita smiled as she joined the group in her own
seat. Unlike most servants, Margarita had the privilege of eating at the high
table, which showed just how much Mr. Rockefeller appreciated her help and
company.
Mac ate slowly once everyone had
food on their plates and listened to the general chatter between her father and
his previous employer.
"So, what are your plans for
work over in Europe?" Mr. Rockefeller asked, and Jack looked at him.
"Oh, dear, I take it you haven't thought that far?"
Jack shook his head. "To be
honest, sir, I'm afraid not," he replied. "I figured I'd wait and see
what was available."
"You do realize the economy
is terrible in Russia," Mr. Rockefeller continued. "More than likely
it will be difficult to find secure employment there. There have been numerous
strikes since the new Tsar came to power in 1895. He does not seem to have a
grasp on what his people need."
Mac looked at her father with
curious eyes, and to Margarita, who continued to eat in silence.
"Alyiah made me promise I
would take Mac to Russia someday to meet her family. I can't go back on my
word," Jack explained, and Mr. Rockefeller smiled kindly.
"I understand," he
replied, though Jack looked at him doubtfully. "Jack, I know you would do
anything for your daughter, but it would be no good for her father to be in
poor health due to overwork."
"Oh, honestly, Señ or...let
the poor boy be, will you?" Margarita begged. "Jack knows what is
best for himself and for little Macena."
"Don't think I'm being
insulting," Mr. Rockefeller spoke at last. "I look upon you as my own
family, Jack. I wish you would let me assist you financially for this journey.
At least to give you enough to begin your life there."
Jack fought back a groan of
frustration, and Mac tugged on his sleeve. "Please, Papa?" she asked,
and he raised an eyebrow before turning to Margarita for advice.
"I'll tell you what,"
Mr. Rockefeller continued. "If it will make you feel better, I'll pay for
the ship tickets and for one month's American salary. That should give you time
to secure a roof over your heads and to find ample employment. I am quite
certain your wife's family will be able to help as well."
"Sir, I..." Jack started
to argue again, but he knew there was no chance of getting Mr. Rockefeller to
budge, so he had to agree. "Thank you. It is completely unnecessary, but I
appreciate your kindness."
"Good," Mr. Rockefeller
replied, and Mac sighed with relief.
After supper, Margarita provided
ice cream for dessert, and insisted that Mac eat as much as she could.
"I don't want her to become
sick to her stomach." Jack laughed, noticing how large the white mustache
had become around his daughter's mouth.
"She's a growing child,"
Margarita replied. "She should truly eat."
Jack had to agree, though Mac was
already plump and glowing with health. "And she won't be eating quite like
this once you leave here." Mr. Rockefeller chuckled and Mac looked at him.
Mac went to spend time with
Margarita in the kitchen, and the little girl did what she could to help with
the dishes. "Is it true animals make my daddy sneeze?" she asked, and
Margarita stared.
"Who told you that,
love?" She finished drying the dinner plates and then began to wash the
cooking pots.
"He did," Mac replied.
"I want a pet, but he won't let me have one."
"Your father's health is not
very good," Margarita explained. "But I'm afraid we've never had a
pet in this house to tell one way or the other."
"Oh." Mac chewed on her
lip, and Margarita smiled at the little girl.
"And even if he were not
bothered by animals, I'm afraid it would be impossible for you to take care of
one now."
"Why?" Mac sat down on
the kitchen table stool, which took a bit of effort to climb up on.
"Because, little one, both
of you are going on a big journey across the ocean. It would not be safe for an
animal to be on board a ship."
"I forgot," Mac
admitted, and Margarita chuckled just as Jack peeked through the door to see
how things were coming along.
"Just fine, dear,"
Margarita promised. "I do recommend both of you get a good night's rest
before your trip."
"That's a good idea,"
Jack replied, and Mac looked at him.
"Must I go to bed,
Papa?" she asked, and he came over to smooth her hair.
"Soon, honey. We have to be
to the docks by ten o'clock tomorrow morning."
She nodded and allowed him to
bring her back into the parlor.
Once it was time for bed, Mac
allowed her father to tuck her in again and opened her arms for another hug. He
did just that, and she accepted a kiss on the forehead.
"I was thinking about Mama
today," she said just before he started to stand, and Jack looked at her
with surprise.
"Oh?" He rubbed a hand
over his face, exhaustion starting to settle in rather quickly.
"Margarita says I look like
her. Do I?"
Jack smiled and squeezed his
daughter's hand. "You look very much like her, sweetheart," he
agreed. "She had your eyes and nose."
Mac touched her nose with the tip
of her finger, and went a bit cross-eyed as a result. "I love you,
Papa," she whispered, and Jack kissed her forehead again.
"I love you, too," he
replied. "Everything's going to be all right. You'll see."
He watched as she closed her eyes
before turning in for the night himself.