A week in the lap of luxury

by naybaybay

A story covering the missing scenes in the stage musical "Annie" between "NYC" and the next scene at the orphanage where Miss Hannigan is informed that Annie is going to be adopted. My take on all the new and exciting experiences Annie could have had during her very first week at the Warbucks mansion. Told from Annie's P.O.V.

5. Warm and content

As I woke the next morning, I felt the cool air brush across my face immediately.

Mr. Warbucks' mansion was a lot warmer than the orphanage but it seemed to be particularly cold that morning.

I raised my head off my pillow and looked out the window, gasping as I noticed the thick snowflakes falling outside it.

Despite how pretty it was, it did make me feel all the more colder. I pulled the duvet up around my chin and wriggled back down under it.

My arm darted outside of the blanket quickly to ring the bell before I pulled it back under and lay on top of it to try and warm it up again.

I shivered and covered my whole body with the covers, except my eyes so I could still look out and watch the snow.

Drake and Mrs. Pugh both came up to bring me my breakfast and my eyes widened thinking it must have been so big it needed both of them to carry it.

But it was only Drake carrying the tray. Mrs. Pugh was shuffling along behind him, a big smile on her face.

"Good morning Miss Annie. You've had a good long sleep haven't you?"

"Have I?" I asked her, completely unaware of the time.

"Oh yes dear. Why, it's after ten o'clock."

"It is?" My eyes widened in surprise. "Oh gosh, I'm sorry."

Drake and Mrs. Pugh both chuckled. "You had a very long and exciting day yesterday Miss." Drake pointed out.

"You obviously needed the rest, dear", Mrs. Pugh nodded in agreement.

"I guess I must have", I nodded too, sitting myself up in my bed. Mrs. Pugh must have seen how cold I was because she went to my wardrobe and pulled out a cardigan to wrap around me.

"Now Annie, when you've finished eating, why don't you come down to the kitchen and help me with some baking?"

"Sure, Mrs. Pugh!" I smiled. "But what about…"

"Mr. Warbucks has gone out to run some errands and Miss Farrell is busy taking phone calls this morning so they've asked me if I wouldn't mind occupying you this morning."

"Oh", I blinked up at her. I was a bit disappointed that I wasn't going to be spending another day with Miss Farrell and Mr. Warbucks, but I did understand. After all, they had taken the entire day off yesterday to entertain me, and we really had done some marvelous things together.

Besides, baking with Mrs. Pugh sounded fun!

"OK, well I've never baked anything before so I'm keen to learn how."

"Good heavens child, what do they feed you at that orphanage?" Mrs Pugh asked me with a concerned expression.

I smiled tightly at her. "Trust me, you don't want to know."

She and Drake shared a troubled look.

"Well", Mrs. Pugh turned back to me slowly. "I sure hope the food I've served you during your stay thus far has been of a more acceptable standard."

"Oh, everything you make is delicious, Mrs. Pugh", I assured her truthfully.

She looked very pleased to hear me say that. "Well good. Take your time and enjoy your breakfast and I'll see you down in the kitchen when you're done."

"Thank you Mrs. Pugh", I smiled at her and Mr. Drake as they both left my room again.

I ate my breakfast slowly. It was porridge again with cream and brown sugar and a cup of hot cocoa.

I felt much warmer as I ate. I thought about my friends at the orphanage and hoped Miss Hannigan was at least feeding them their mush warmed up today. I wished they could be here too, enjoying the same pleasures I was. A warm bed and some hot food was not too much for a kid to ask for, and it wasn't right that us orphans didn't have that.

I sighed as I took my last bite. I carefully slid my tray down onto the bed beside me and took a deep breath as I lifted the covers off myself and braced the cold. I quickly ran to my wardrobe and put on some warm clothes. I knew the house downstairs would be warm, it always was.

With that thought in mind, I cheerfully made my way down the hall and then down the marble steps. The members of Mr. Warbucks' staff greeted me as I passed them on my way to the kitchen.

"Ah good, you're here", Mrs. Pugh said as she noticed me entering the room. "I've just finished preparing lunch so you're just in time to help me make Mr. Warbucks' favorite cookies for Christmas."

I raised my eyes to hers in interest. "What are they called?"

"They're called hermit cookies", Mrs. Pugh smiled brightly, pulling out flour and brown sugar and an array of spices, nuts and dried fruit.

I giggled. "That's a funny name for a cookie."

Mrs. Pugh nodded in agreement. "Will you fetch the butter from the refrigerator please?" She asked me as she opened a tin of flour.

I opened the fridge to find the butter as Mrs. Pugh had asked and my eyes widened at how chock-full it was. I'd never seen such a well-stocked refrigerator before.

My eyes raked over the shelves until I found the butter and turned around to place it on the bench, closing the fridge door carefully as I did so. I was so well aware of the fact that I was a guest in this house and I wanted to be careful and considerate with everything I did.

"Thank you. Now, we have to turn the oven on to let it warm up before we put our cookie dough in", Mrs. Pugh turned the knob on the oven to 350 degrees.

She let me pour the brown sugar into the food mixer while she cut the butter. We made sure we had the right amount of butter as per the recipe before adding that to the sugar. Mrs. Pugh turned the mixer on and I jumped at the noise it made, then laughed at myself.

Mrs. Pugh cracked one egg on the side of the bowl and then let me crack the other one. She told me to be careful not to get any shell in the mixture and to crack it carefully. I tapped it on the side a couple of times so softly it didn't even make a dent in the shell.

"Try a little harder, dear", Mrs. Pugh encouraged me and a small crack formed. I took the egg carefully in my two hands and opened it slowly. The white and yolk spilled out into the mixer and after checking to see there was no shell, Mrs. Pugh nodded her head and said, "Well done."

I breathed a sigh of relief. I know it was only my first time baking but everyone at the house was going to be eating these cookies, including Mr. Warbucks himself, and they were his favorites - I had to make them perfect. Mrs. Greer added a drop of vanilla to the mix and turned the machine back on. This time I was prepared for the noise!

We measured some nuts and dates and raisins and added some nutmeg and cinnamon and folded them in and boy, did it smell good!

That was nothing compared to the aroma they had when they started baking though - the room became filled with the divine scent of baked cookies. Mrs. Pugh made us a pot of tea and we sat together in the warm kitchen waiting for the cookies to cool while we talked and drank tea. It was so incredibly cozy and I felt so happy.

It was a different kind of happiness to what I had felt the day before at Coney Island but it was no less so. It was like it was the first time I had ever been happy and content just sitting still. I breathed in and out and felt so at peace.

"Mrs. Pugh?" I asked, after swallowing a mouthful of my tea.

"Yes Annie?"

"You've known Mr. Warbucks for a long time haven't you?"

"Oh yes dear, a very long time. I began working for him in nineteen-nineteen after my husband John sadly passed away."

"Oh, I'm sorry you lost your husband, Mrs. Pugh." I lowered my gaze to my tea cup, feeling sad for her.

"Thank you. There were a lot of people who lost loved ones in that decade. Mr. Warbucks took me in and was very kind. He and the other members of staff became like a new family to me."

"Did you have any kids?"

Her face lit up in response to my question. "I did, I have a son and a daughter, James and Isabel."

"Where are they?" I asked, genuinely interested in knowing.

"Oh they both live out of state now. One in Michigan, one in California. Both have children of their own now."

"Oh, so you're a Grandmother?"

"I am", she nodded with a proud look on her face.

"How old are your grandchildren?"

"Oh, let's see now, Maureen would be fifteen, so Geoffrey must be fourteen, Dora would be twelve, and both Johnny and Duncan would be eleven."

"The same age as me!" I told her with a wide grin.

"Indeed", she nodded happily. "They were quite a bit younger when I last saw them though. Mr. Warbucks bought me the bus fare to go and see them in nineteen-twenty-eight."

"He paid for your trip?" I asked her in surprise.

"He did. Understandably, since the crash, he hasn't been able to do anything quite so grand, but he's still exceedingly generous to all of his staff."

"Yes, I can see that already. I've only known him for five days and he's been so generous even to me."

Mrs. Pugh tilted her head at me. "Mr. Warbucks is kindest to those who are good to him. He clearly sees a great amount of goodness in you, Annie."

A shy smile stretched across my face at her words. "Thank you Mrs. Pugh. I hope you'll get to see your children and your grandchildren again soon. They're real lucky to have you as their Grandma."

Mrs. Pugh chuckled emotionally and pressed her palm to my face. "Bless you, child." She chuckled again when she realized she'd left flour on my face and quickly brushed it off with a napkin. I laughed too and swiped a hand over my cheek.

When it was time to get the cookies out of the oven, Mrs. Pugh donned her oven mitts and asked me to stand back while she moved the tray from the oven to the counter. "Careful Annie, they'll be very hot. We must let them cool for a little while."

"They look so good, Mrs. Pugh!" I grinned delightedly.

"Yes, you've done a very fine job, Annie."

"Not without a lot of help from you", I told her.

"Still, very impressive for your first time. I'd say you could make a fine kitchen hand one day if you so wished."

"Really? How old would I have to be to start working?" The idea of starting my journey of employment was quite exhilarating.

"Well, Mr. Warbucks himself began working when he was even younger than you are now, mind you those were very different times and from what I hear, the poor lad didn't have much of a choice."

My brow furrowed. "Why not?"

"Well, he had to support himself from quite a young age. It made him very determined though, and gave him a very good head start. Probably why he's managed to become as successful as he has."

"Gee, I sure would love to become as successful as him. Maybe if I can get a job soon, I'll have as good a chance as he has!" I became very excited at the prospect.

Mrs. Pugh smiled knowingly at me. "Perhaps", she nodded. "But Annie, I want you to realize something, and for all the success Mr. Warbucks has had in his life, I don't think he ever received this piece of advice for himself, but I think you should."

I gazed up at her inquiringly as she continued. "Success is not entirely defined by how much money or how much power you have. Varying types of success can mean different things to different people, but I don't think that a person as sweet and as caring as you could ever be truly fulfilled by just being rich, and truth be told, I don't believe Mr. Warbucks is either."

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is, there are a great number of things in this world that are just as necessary as money for one to be happy. Of course, money helps people to live, and to survive, but without something to live for, like a purpose or a love for others, all that money really amounts to is peanuts. You will be safe and you will be comfortable, but money alone will never make you truly happy."

"But Mr. Warbucks does have a purpose. His work is very important, isn't it?"

"True, but it is still work."

"And he does have love for others, doesn't he? I mean, he loves all of you."

Mrs. Pugh chuckled lightly. "We work for him, and he does care about us in a professional capacity, and he's grateful to have us in his life, which is very nice, but as far as love…"

"But what about Miss Farrell?" The question slipped past my lips before I could snap my mouth shut.

"Miss Farrell?" She gave me a surprised and quizzical stare.

"I wasn't supposed to say anything", I pursed my lips, knowing that if Miss Farrell found out I was talking about her and Mr. Warbucks again, I was going to be in big trouble.

"Well you have said something and now I'm intrigued, Miss Annie. What do you mean, what about Miss Farrell?"

She was staring at me expectantly and even though I felt bad for gossiping again, I really was so curious about Miss Farrell and Mr. Warbucks and I had truly meant it when I had told Miss Farrell they both deserved to be happy.

"Well…Mrs. Greer says she thinks Mr. Warbucks and Miss Farrell might love each other and Miss Farrell told me she's very fond of Mr. Warbucks but she doesn't think it's possible that he could ever love her back, but I think he really does." I bowed my head. I hadn't intended to say quite so much

Mrs. Pugh's eyes went as wide as saucers as she stared at me. At first I thought she was going to yell at me and tell me I should mind my own business, but then she sat down at the table and I could see the hint of a smile on her face.

"Well, Grace Farrell wears her heart on her sleeve, Annie. Oliver Warbucks not so much."

"What does that mean?"

"It means It's quite easy to see what Miss Farrell is thinking, which is why you've picked up on her feelings for Mr. Warbucks so quickly. I must confess, I myself have had suspicions for a long time and she has also confided in me, perhaps not always completely knowingly that she is indeed very fond of Mr. Warbucks. In any case, it's not difficult to see. When he's away from home on one of his business trips, the poor dear mopes around the house like a poor heart sick pup."

"She does?" I asked, feeling very sad for Miss Farrell, but glad that Mrs. Pugh had seen what I had seen too.

Mrs. Pugh nodded solemnly. "And when he's home, she dotes on him, tends to his every need without a whimper. Even when he's been in one of his insufferable moods, she seems not to care very much, simply continuing on as dutifully and loyally as ever."

"And she always seems to be by his side." I added. "Is it really just because it's her job? Or is it because she wants to spend more time with him?"

Mrs. Pugh let out a laugh. "Oh Annie, you are a sharp tack. Let's just say, Miss Farrell certainly goes above and beyond in her duties. As for Mr. Warbucks, well…as I mentioned before, he does get moody and sometimes very short, but it's always appeared to me, from the moment he first interviewed Miss Farrell for the position, that she has had some magical influence over him, a sort of calming effect."

"I think she makes him happy", I told her, trying not to sound too presumptuous, only honest, based on what I'd seen so far.

Mrs. Pugh nodded her head. "I think so too."

We smiled at each other for a moment before I asked, "But why doesn't Miss Farrell see how much she means to Mr. Warbucks?"

Mrs. Pugh looked at me sadly. "Grace lost her own Mother and Father when she was quite young and her Uncle who raised her wasn't by Miss Farrell's account, the nicest person. I think somewhere along the way, she forgot what it was like to be loved and somehow, though her Uncle's influence perhaps, began to believe she wasn't deserving of real love."

"But that's not true!" I said emphatically, feeling quite upset that Miss Farrell could ever believe that about herself.

"I know it's not true."

I shook my head. "Poor Miss Farrell. That's just so sad."

Mrs. Pugh nodded in agreement. "It is. I pray to God that one day Grace may realize how worthy she is and that Mr. Warbucks truly does think she is wonderful."

I smiled at that and Mrs. Pugh sighed before standing up from the table again. "Well, we mustn't sit here feeling gloomy all day. It's almost lunch time and I have a lot to do. Would you like to help?"

"Sure, Mrs. Pugh. I'd be happy to!"

Mrs. Pugh and I cooked the omelets she had prepared earlier. It would only be Miss Farrell and I eating lunch as Mr. Warbucks was still out of the house. Once lunch was ready, I helped Mrs. Pugh carry it to the dining room and smiled at Miss Farrell when I saw her sitting there waiting.

"Hi Miss Farrell!"

"Hello Annie", she returned my smile. "Have you had an enjoyable morning with Mrs. Pugh?"

"Yes I have. She's taught me a lot."

"That's excellent, and my, this lunch looks delectable. Did you help with this too?"

"Mhm", I nodded proudly and received another smile. Miss Farrell looked at me expectantly, glancing between me and my chair on the other side of the table, prompting me to go and sit down. Instead though, I rushed forwards toward her and wrapped my arms tightly around her shoulders to hug her.

"Annie…Annie dear, what's all this?" She chuckled, patting my arm with her hand.

"I've just missed you this morning. You're very special to me, Miss Farrell, you're very special to a lot of people."

"Oh", I heard her sigh before she brought her hand up to my back and stroked it. "Well, thank you Annie. You're…very special to me as well." Her voice sounded croaky, like she was crying.

I let her go and pulled back to see tears in her eyes. "Are you upset?" I asked her despondently.

"No darling", she shook her head. "I'm very moved, is all." She took my hands in her own and squeezed them. "Thank you for your lovely words."

"I mean them, Miss Farrell. Truly."

She gave me a warm smile and then nodded. "Come on, let's have lunch. I don't know about you, but I'm famished."

I went and sat in my seat, hoping that what I'd said to Miss Farrell would mean something to her and might help her to believe that she really was important and deserving of love.

After we finished eating, she wiped her face with her napkin and said, "Annie, I still have a little more work to do. Why don't I ask Drake to bring you a sheet of paper and a pen so you can write a letter to your friends at the orphanage and tell them all about your time here so far?"

"Oh, that's a swell idea, Miss Farrell."

Drake brought me the things I needed to write my letter and I went upstairs to my room to write down all the wonderful things I'd done since being here. I told them about Coney Island and the Opera. About Times Square and the ice cream sundae and the castle at Battery Park, and the stock exchange! I wrote about Mrs. Pugh and Mrs. Greer and Drake and Cecile and Annette and Miss Farrell and Mr. Warbucks and how everyone had been so nice to me. I told them I missed them and hoped that one day they could all have such a nice experience as this themselves.

When I'd finished writing my letter and had signed it, "Love, Annie", I took it downstairs and gave it to Drake who told me he would personally deliver it to the orphanage.

"Annie?! Annie!" I suddenly heard Mr. Warbucks' voice booming through the house.

"I'm here, Mr. Warbucks!" I called back to him and a few seconds later he appeared. "Annie!" He grinned excitedly and took me by the hand. "Come and get your coat, quickly!"

"O-OK", I blinked in confusion but couldn't help the flutter in my chest at seeing him so enthusiastic about showing me something.

We jogged to the door together and Drake put my coat on.

"Good afternoon, Sir, is everything alright?" Miss Farrell came out of the study after hearing Mr. Warbucks calling out. She had a look of concern on her face.

"Fine Grace, here, you come too", he took her coat from Drake and put it on her himself.

Her eyes widened in surprise and she laughed uncertainly. "What? Sir, it's freezing outside, where on Earth are we going in this weather?"

"Don't worry about how cold it is, Grace, that's the whole point, now come on!" He told her cryptically and she turned to me, looking alarmed as if her boss had lost his mind. I giggled at the madness of it all and simply pulled my coat on a little tighter as we stepped out of the house.

"Mind your step, it's a little icy", Mr. Warbucks warned us. He took my hand and then Miss Farrell's as well as we stepped down the stairs and into the snow.

"Mr. Warbucks, what are we doing out here in the snow?" I asked him with my teeth chattering.

Mr. Warbucks bent over with a grin and grabbed a clump full in his gloved hands. "Taking cover would be my advice", he told me with a glint in his eye and my own eyes lit up in understanding just before he flung the snowball at me with a maniacal laugh.

Miss Farrell shrieked on my behalf as it hit me on my shoulder and broke apart. I gasped in shock and delight and bent over to assemble my own snowball to throw back at him while Miss Farrell laughed. "Go on Annie, get him!"

I threw my ball at Mr. Warbucks who laughed as it only just scraped his coat. Immediately I bent down to make another snowball while he did the same, aiming this one at Miss Farrell this time, probably in retaliation for her comment about getting him!

She shrieked as it hit her squarely on the chest. She slowly bent over and made her own very small snowball to throw back at him, which got him in the side of his leg. She took off running after that, trying to escape his returning fire and we all took chase with one another in full on attack!

My hands and face were numb, even though I had gloves on and my jacket pulled up to my ears, but I couldn't have cared less. I was having so much fun! It was so wonderful to know that Mr. Warbucks had come home and been so immediately excited to share this with me. I felt like he really did care about me and wanted to share his joy with me. I felt so happy.

I watched as he advanced on Miss Farrell and instead of throwing the snowball at her, he grabbed her around the waist and plonked it on top of her head. She gasped dramatically in response and turned around in his arms to tell him off but seemed to freeze when she looked into his eyes, and not because of the low temperatures, but because he was so close to her. He took the opportunity of her being so stunned to pick her up in his arms. She squealed, gripping his shoulder tightly for fear he might drop her, little did she know that was his very intention. He came towards me and grabbed me with his other arm and tackled me, sending the two of us and himself hurtling into the snow. I landed with a gentle thud, the snow a lot softer than I thought it would be. It was not unlike diving into the Hudson river. The three of us laughed as we lay there in the snow, frozen but full of happiness.

"Oh my goodness. I think we ought to get inside before we all catch our deaths", Miss Farrell suggested, struggling to push herself up into a seated position.

"Yes, you're right. Come on", Mr. Warbucks too got up with some difficulty and then reached for mine and Miss Farrell's hands to pull us to our feet.

When we got inside, Drake was there shaking his head at us. "What is the meaning of this?" He asked Mr. Warbucks reproachfully.

"I'm sorry Drake. I just saw the snow outside and I…well I felt like a young boy again", he chuckled, shivering at the same time. "Please ask Mrs. Greer to run each of us a hot bath will you?"

"I already have, Sir", he told him with a shake of his head but a fond smile. "Go on upstairs Miss Annie. Your bath should be drawn by now."

"OK, thank you Drake." I turned back to Mr. Warbucks to grin at him and he and Miss Farrell gave me matching smiles in return. As I climbed the stairs, I looked back to see Miss Farrell give Mr. Warbucks a playful shove as they both laughed. I couldn't help but let out a little chuckle of amusement too as I envisioned her telling him off for pushing us into the snow.

The bath was lovely and warm and I felt much better very quickly and the numbness went away. I lay there for some time just soaking and warming up.

Miss Farrell must have had a much quicker bath than I did because she came to fetch me a little while later to tell me it was time for dinner.

Mrs. Pugh had made us a delicious stew with fluffy mashed potatoes. It was a perfect meal to eat after our escapade in Mr. Warbucks' snowy front yard.

"How was your day Mr. Warbucks? Did you manage to get all of your errands done?" I asked him after swallowing a mouthful of my dinner.

Mr. Warbucks and Miss Farrell shared a quick glance before he answered me. "I did, thank you Annie. What did you get up to today?"

"I helped Mrs. Pugh bake some cookies and then I had lunch with Miss Farrell and then I wrote a letter to the kids at the orphanage."

"Well that sounds very productive. How did the cookies turn out?"

"Good I think. I haven't tried one yet, I want you to be the first to taste them."

Mr. Warbucks chuckled. "Well, I look forward to that. I'm sure they'll be superb."

After our adventure in the snow, the warm bath afterwards and then the nice hot dinner, we were all feeling rather sleepy afterwards.

The three of us retreated to the sitting room to listen to some music and relax with a cup of cocoa (a brandy for Mr. Warbucks). The fire was going and while Beethoven's 3rd symphony played, we all sat curled up, Miss Farrell and me on each of the two couches and Mr. Warbucks in his armchair. The first movement of the symphony was very rousing and exciting and yet I struggled to keep my eyes open throughout it.

As the second movement began, I looked over and noticed that Mr. Warbucks had fallen asleep in his chair. Through half-lidded eyes, I watched as Miss Farrell took a quilt off the back off the couch and covered him with it. I smiled internally but when she glanced my way, I pretended to be asleep.

I had to try very hard not to make a sound while I peeked as she bent down and pressed her lips softly to Mr. Warbucks' forehead. Not wanting her to know I was spying on them, I closed my eyes completely as she came over and did the same to me, covering me with a blanket as well.

I smiled giddily to myself as she turned out the light and left us there to sleep. The warmth of the fire and the warmth in my heart ensuring I would sleep peacefully through the night.