Cold All the Way Through, But Warming

An Unlikely Friend

Three days, three days was all I had before Will shipped out again and I was left behind. Mother had been at the house to greet us and get us settled back in, and the Fields had come over for dinner. Although if Ezekiel had been telling the truth it was solely to return Rigel before he ate them out of house and home. My reunion with Rigel wound up delaying dinner for a solid half an hour, as he refused to let me off the floor and growled at anyone who approached. By the end, my hair was a mess and I was covered in spit. Will had not escaped unscathed, although his was limited to a massive amount of hair as Rigel had rubbed himself along his legs.

I had thanked God that Morgan had to stay home with the girls, one of whom had a stomach ache.

But now, now I was alone in this house and I knew what was coming. Visitors, coming to call and get as much gossip as they could. Part of me didn't want to open the house, to just stay in my rooms and pout about William being gone, but I knew I would tire of that in a few days so I simply sent some footmen around to the Vanderbilts and the Astors with thanks for their wedding gifts and announcements that Mrs. Murdoch is opening her house for receiving hours.

My first guests were Oscar and Liz who hardly waited an hour since I had sent the footman over. Liz, in a flutter of yellow chiffon, immediately enveloped me in a hug. "Oh, Anastasia, we missed you so!"

"And I missed the two of you as well." I hugged her back, and stepped to Oscar, who lifted my hand to kiss. "No hug?"

"I thought married women wanted to remain respectable." Oscar said, but he was grinning as he did and quickly embraced me. "You really have no idea how much weawaited your return, everything has been feeling distinctly German lately."

"Oh dear," I sat down, reaching out to pour glasses of lemonade for everyone. "It appears that I have been woefully behind on the gossip."

Oscar sniffed, affecting a snobbish air by thrusting his nose in the air. "You're failing in your wifely duties then, I thought every New York bride had all the gossip wired over to them during their honeymoon."

"Oh stop it," Liz lightly swatted at him. "But seriously Ana, it's been nothing but Her Highness around the clock. Every day, I swear, the papers have some new piece about their wedding, and we're still almost a month away!"

"Well, my apologies for being on my honeymoon." I chuckled, sipping my lemonade. "Have the guests begun arriving?"

"Her family is already here, and Zachary let it slip that we're to expect an Imperial presence in our fair city soon." Oscar rolled his eyes, "I've heard some placing bets that it's going to be the Kaiser himself. My money is on one of his brothers, he's probably tired of weddings after the Crown Princess's in May."

Liz cocked an eyebrow. "I didn't realize you were keeping so abreast of matrimonial politics."

"Professor Featherstone told me that even a simple dinner could lead to war or peace, so attention should be paid to all matters." Oscar leaned back in his chair, grinning. "Plus, you ladies all love it when a man can join you in your gossip."

"Now, that is true." I nodded, "I assume Otto has been strutting around in his uniform again?"

"He takes any excuse to wear it, as does Frederich. Johann is much more relaxed, he joined us at the club one night. He's actually a decent man." Oscar raised his hand at that. "I know, I know, but I don't say it lightly. He cares deeply for his wife and his family, although at the moment he's more concerned with getting Sophie prepared for her wedding."

Liz rolled her eyes, "It won't hold a candle to your's, so you needn't worry there." But she sat up a little straighter, "But how was your honeymoon? Where all did you two visit?" So I regaled them with tales of Paris and Scotland, Liz thought Will wearing a kilt was a sight that she would dearly love to see, if only to tease him. They both enjoyed hearing about Roger and Trevor, thinking the boys delightful.