CHAPTER EIGHT

The following morning dawned sunny and warm, mirroring exactly the joyous atmosphere at 987 Fifth Avenue. The maids, butlers, and gardeners cleaning up the house and grounds after the previous night's party hummed as they went about their early morning chores, and Mrs. Pugh had even been overheard singing off-key to herself as she laid out the morning breakfast spread.

Walking arm in arm and both smiling exuberantly, Oliver and Grace had barely set foot into the dining room before two small bodies crashed into them, whooping and cheering with excitement.

"Mornin', Daddy!" Annie chirped happily. "Mornin', Grace! Or—" Her eyes widened. "Oh, gee, should we start callin' you Mom?"

Grace laughed. "I would be honored if you did, sweethearts, but it's up to you."

"Mom," Molly said decidedly. "I like the sound of that!"

"I do too," Oliver said, kissing Grace's temple as he ruffled Molly's hair affectionately.

"Ah, finally—he's here. Warbucks!"

Unfortunately, their arrival hadn't gone unnoticed. The large dining room was occupied in different pockets by the Warbucks and Thompson teams who were helping themselves to coffee and tea before the morning's negotiations were slated to kick off shortly, and Henry Bush and a handful of other Warbucks Steel executives begin to stride over toward them.

"Awfully sweet that you take meals with the children, Warbucks," one of the men commented. "I can probably count on two hands the number of times I've breakfasted with my own children, and they certainly don't eat in the dining room."

"Where do they eat?" Molly asked, puzzled.

The man looked surprised. "In their rooms, of course."

"All alone?" Annie asked. "That's terrible."

Grace coughed lightly and rested a hand on Annie's shoulder. "What she means, Mr. Frack, is that family mealtime is a tradition we want to begin and keep whenever possible."

"We'll see if you can hold the old man to that after the wedding, eh, Miss Farrell?" one of the other men piped up with a laugh.

"Gentlemen, please," Henry said in exasperation. "Give them a moment to revel in the good news, will you?" He shook Oliver's hand vigorously again and kissed Grace on the cheek. "Good morning, and congratulations again to you both. Margaret and I couldn't be more thrilled to have you joining the family, Grace."

"Thank you, Henry," Grace said with a grateful smile.

"I hate to pull you away," Henry said regretfully to Oliver, "but we do need to run the latest numbers by you from the Rhode Island operation before the presentations this morning."

And so, with an apologetic shrug and squeeze of her hand, Oliver was being dragged away toward the corner of the room where additional men in suits were standing over a pile of newspapers and a ticker tape machine. Grace's eyes followed him sadly.

"Guess you probably gotta go with him, huh?" Annie said, sounding dejected.

"Yes, my dears," she said with a sigh. "This is the first full day of negotiations, so we'll be busy until the evening. But I'll try to find some time in the next couple of days for the four of us to spend together as a family, what do you say? Maybe we could go see a show one evening, or go to the art museum and look at the suits of armor."

"Neat!" Molly exclaimed.

Grace glanced around the room. "Where's Emmeline?"

As if on cue, the girl in question appeared in the doorway of the dining room.

"Hoo-boy, here I am! Sorry, I slept in. The glass of champagne I had at the party went right to my head!" Innocently ignoring Grace's shocked expression, she added, "Oh, and Miss Grace—or, gosh, I suppose I should start calling you Aunt Grace!—there's a man with a young boy in the entrance hall. They're asking for Mrs. Pugh. Shall I go get her?"

"A young boy?" Annie asked in surprise. "Golly, is Daddy finally getting that orphan boy he always wanted?"

Grace chuckled. "Not quite, my dear. Yes, Emmeline—please run and fetch Mrs. Pugh from the kitchen and bring her up here as quickly as you can. I'll go speak with our visitors. Come along with me, girls."

The three of them stepped back out into the entrance hall, which was swarming with people, as Emmeline rushed off in the direction of the kitchen. The Thompsons themselves and several of their top executives were staying in the guest suites at the Warbucks mansion, but cars bearing the rest of their staff were pulling through the circular driveway and depositing a steady stream of additional staffers at the mansion's door.

Amid the hubbub, one solitary man, carrying a worn leather suitcase in one hand and clutching the hand of a young boy in his other, was standing uncomfortably by the staircase. The boy was petting Sandy, who was happily panting next to him.

"Mr. Pugh?" Grace called, extending her hand as Annie and Molly trailed behind her with interest. The man, looking relieved to be noticed, set the suitcase down at his feet and shook her hand warmly. "I don't know if you remember me. I'm Grace Farrell."

"Of course I do, Miss Farrell," he said with a smile. "It's nice to see you again."

"You as well," she said kindly. "And Jack, it's wonderful to see you again! We're so glad to have you here with us."

The boy said nothing, merely looking up at her and nodding his head politely.

"Mr. Pugh and Jack, these are Mr. Warbucks' daughters, Annie and Molly," she went on, motioning to the confused girls beside her. "Annie, Molly, this is Mrs. Pugh's son Danny and her grandson Jack."

"Leapin' lizards," Annie said, her eyes wide. "I didn't know Mrs. Pugh had a kid and a grandkid!"

Grace nodded. "Yes, and Jack is going to be staying here at the house with us for a little while his father gets settled in a new job. Isn't that exciting?"

"He is?" Annie exclaimed. She smiled broadly. "Gosh, how swell! We've never had a boy to play with before! I can see you like dogs. Do you like to play hide and seek? Do you like badminton? Do you know how to swim? What about—"

"Danny! Jack!"

Mrs. Pugh's considerable frame was running toward them across the entrance hall, her eyes wide and looking quite frazzled, followed closely by Emmeline.

"I didn't think you were coming until two days from now!" she gasped, panting as she came to a halt in front of them. "What are you doing here so soon? Hi, Jack, my love." She pulled her grandson into a tight hug, practically smothering him in the folds of her apron.

"I'm sorry, Mother," Danny said, looking pained. "I tried to telephone this morning, but there were so many calls coming in that I couldn't get through to the house. The rail company called last night and asked if I could start a few days early. Would you mind?"

"Well, it's not really up to me," she said hesitantly. "Miss Farrell, I—would you—?"

"It's no trouble at all, Mrs. Pugh," Grace assured her. "Jack is more than welcome. I'm only sorry that things are a bit hectic around here today, so we won't be able to offer him much of a real welcome."

"Grace!" Oliver's voice boomed across the entrance hall. "Where did you go?"

"Coming, dear," she called back. She cast an apologetic look at Mr. Pugh and Jack. "I'm so sorry, I really need to get to work. Mrs. Pugh, please don't worry about a thing. Just focus on making Jack feel at home." She turned her gaze to Emmeline, who stood up straighter at attention. "Emmeline, do you mind adding another charge to your watch?"

"Not at all!" she said brightly. "Jack, we'll have the grandest time with you! Any friend of Mrs. Pugh's is a friend of mine!"

With quick hugs for Annie and Molly, Grace apologetically hurried away up the staircase at Oliver's side, followed closely by Edward, Cornelia, and Michael Thompson and a long line of serious-looking men in suits and primly dressed secretaries.

Mrs. Pugh sighed with relief. "Well, now that that crowd's occupied for the next few hours until lunch, come on, Jack, let's get you settled."

The boy retreated back to his father's side, clutching his hand tightly and refusing to meet her eyes.

Emmeline cleared her throat. "Annie, Molly, let's take Jack's suitcase over to Mrs. Pugh's room and give them some time alone."

By the time the three of them returned from the staff residential wing, Mrs. Pugh's son had gone, and she was standing with her arm around the boy as—Annie thought she saw—he wiped a few tears away from his eyes.

"Jack?" Emmeline asked kindly. "Would you like us to give you a tour of the house?"

"Emmy is a good tour guide!" Molly said helpfully. "She knows all the hidden rooms and secret passageways around here!"

"Why don't we start with the kitchen?" Mrs. Pugh suggested, squeezing Jack's shoulders. "I think all of you could use a spot of breakfast. I'll show you all how we keep the meals at a house like this running, and then the four of you can continue on without me!"

Emmeline's version of an official tour through the Warbucks mansion was undoubtedly quite a different performance than Oliver or Grace would have given a visitor. After exploring the kitchens and watching Mrs. Pugh bark orders to the kitchen staff to start preparing the lunch menu for the day, she led the three children through every nook and cranny of the house. She pointed out sitting rooms and parlors the girls had never noticed before, multiple libraries with bookshelves piled high with beautiful leather-bound tomes, and even a hidden staircase between the first and third floors that led directly between the staff quarters and the kitchens!

"I'm sorry that your dad had to go to a job far away," Annie said as they reemerged some time later back into the entrance hall with Sandy woofing along happily behind them. He seemed quite taken with Jack already. "But at least he'll come home every now and then! And it'll be real fun to have another kid around. Me and Molly have been having a swell time since we got here!"

Jack managed a small smile. "Well, I'm glad I'm not here alone with just a bunch of grown-ups. That would be boring."

"Sure would be!" Molly chirped. "How old are you? I'm six."

"Nine."

"I'm ten," Annie said proudly. "Gonna be eleven in October! That makes me the oldest, which means I get to decide what we do next."

"Who made up that rule?" Jack said with a raised eyebrow.

"That's always how we made decisions at the orphanage," Annie said. "And I say we're gonna go for a swim!"

And the rest of the day passed quite pleasantly.

For all the residents of the Warbucks mansion, the next two weeks flew by in a dizzying blur.

Beset from sunrise to well past sundown each day by lawyers and executives, Oliver spent every minute of the day setting the daily negotiating strategy, reviewing regulations, approving this and that portfolio merger, and scrutinizing proposed corporate strategies. Edward, Cornelia, and Michael Thompson were tough negotiators, and keeping on his toes during the talks—plus keeping the rest of his business empire running smoothly in the meantime—meant that few breaks were to be taken, and precious fewer hours spent with his family.

For her part, Grace barely had time to savor the excitement of Oliver's proposal, the feeling of his ring on her finger, and the daydreams she could get lost in for hours about their future together before the pace of life in the house accelerated to breakneck speed. Of course, she managed her role as his private secretary as effortlessly as ever, even after she could begin in earnest to contemplate her future as his wife and mistress of his house.

The first quiet hint of a nascent transformation in her role began to make itself known as the days went on. It came in the middle of one interminably long presentation by Michael Thompson as he walked through the regulatory climate in each of the states in which the Thompson Corporation maintained factories, warehouses, and production sites for its regional steel empire.

Unable to help herself, Grace had torn a small sheet of paper out of the back of her stenographer's notepad, penned a few quick lines, lightly touched Oliver's elbow at the table in front of her, and passed it to him. Of course, she did this all the time: in meetings that needed to hurry along so as to not make him late for his next appointment, or to let him know a world leader was waiting on the phone, or to flag critical shifts in the stock market for his immediate attention. This time, however, her message was not administrative, but substantive: noting that Michael's presentation was avoiding any mention of how recent pro-labor laws passed by some state legislatures had drastically shifted the outcome of several major legal battles with labor unions. Cornelia had not wanted to discuss the issue at the opening press conference, and now Michael seemed to be sidestepping it entirely.

That was information Oliver could use, and he suddenly found himself wondering why no one else from his staff had raised the matter.

Slowly, as the weeks progressed, Grace found other opportunities to point out nuances and discrepancies in the other side's positions that somehow managed to elude the bevy of experienced negotiators that Oliver had surrounded himself with. Most problems she found were small, such as a factual error in a bank statement, but some were quite significant: financial reports that hinted at additional debts the Thompsons had not disclosed, or public works contracts that were framed as being well on track but in reality were on a trajectory to exceed budget allocations and completion timelines by substantial margins.

For the younger residents of the Warbucks mansion, the pace of business keeping the adults in their lives so busy felt slightly less sad because they had each other, as well as an enthusiastic temporary nanny to keep them entertained.

Emmeline took it upon herself to plan daily outings for the children, no doubt attempting to emulate the example of British governesses she had read about in novels. There were visits to Central Park, trips to museums or the zoo, and even a venture to Madison Square Garden to watch a horse judging competition! (The horse that Emmeline had bought with Oliver's college tuition gift, whom she had affectionately named Sugar Cube, placed third.) Annie and Molly, having grown up with precious few role models in their young lives, delighted in her company and eagerly looked forward to each new adventure.

Even Jack, who had been quiet and reserved for his first few days at the mansion, couldn't help but open up in response to the constant good humor and cheer surrounding him. He sometimes grew quiet and morose when asked about his father, but when kept occupied with games or outings beyond the mansion, he enjoyed himself and was a grand playmate to have around. Playing hide and seek was more fun with more friends, and Jack proved to have a healthy imagination that came in handy when playing pirates or jungle explorers in the garden.

In spite of all the fun they were having with Emmeline and Jack, however, the reality was that Annie and Molly missed their new parents terribly. In those busy weeks, it was rare that Grace and Oliver could spend more than a quick breakfast and perhaps half an hour before bedtime with the children. The Thompsons were keeping them busy each day as the date of the all-important shareholders vote on the merger drew closer, and nights spent working long after darkness had fallen outside sadly became par for the course in the house.

"Avast and ahoy, ye fair maidens!" Jack shouted, brandishing a toy wooden sword. "Tell us where ye've buried the treasure, or we'll have no choice but to send you to Davy Jones's locker!"

Molly, who was tied back-to-back with Emmeline and standing on one of the marble benches surrounding the fountain in the garden, wrinkled her nose in confusion. "Who's Davy Jones?"

"He means we'll make you walk the plank and you'll be eaten by sharks!" Annie threatened, poking at Molly's arm with her own toy sword. "We're the most fearsome pirates on the seven seas, and you'll do as we say! Now, tell us, where's the treasure?!"

Emmeline proudly lifted her head toward the sky, playing very well a true martyr for the cause. "You'll never find where we've buried the treasure, you dastardly pirates! We'll take the secret with us to our watery graves!"

Molly whimpered. "Can't we just tell them, Emmy? I'm tired of playing pirates. It's too hot out here."

Emmeline laughed. "You do have a point, Molly. Children, I believe it's almost time for lunch. Why don't we go inside to cool off for a bit before we eat?"

As the four of them traipsed back into the cool air of the parlor, Annie smiled cheerfully at Jack. "Don't ya wish you had brothers and sisters of your own, Jack? Then you'd always have someone to play pirates with at home."

Jack nodded ruefully. "Yeah, that'd be nice. But I was only three when my mom died, so I guess it just never happened."

Annie looked at him with interest. "If you were three when she died, do you remember much about her?"

Emmeline turned a sharp gaze toward the redhead. "Annie! That's a very personal question. Jack, you don't have to answer that if you don't want to."

"It's okay, Emmy," Jack said with a shrug. "It was a long time ago, so I don't mind talking about her. Hm, let me think. I remember she had blonde hair. It was really long, almost halfway down her back. My dad says she liked to sing while she cooked and cleaned, and sometimes if it's real quiet I think I can remember what her voice sounded like. I also remember that she was real friendly. She always fed the stray cats in our neighborhood so they'd keep coming back for visits."

"She sounds wonderful!" Annie said.

"And dare I say, Jack, she sounds a lot like you," Emmeline said with a smile. "So kind, and a friend to animals!"

Sandy woofed in agreement and nuzzled Jack with his nose.

"Emmy, you know what I just realized?" Annie asked, suddenly turning to look at the older girl in wonder. "Out of all four of us, you're the only one who still has both of your own folks! Isn't that interestin'?"

Emmeline raised her eyebrows. "Well, actually, Annie, that's not exactly true."

"What do you mean?" Molly asked in surprise. "You got Uncle Henry and Aunt Margaret."

Emmeline smiled. "Yes, Molly dear. Gosh, I suppose I never realized you girls don't know the whole story. It feels as if we've always been cousins, so sometimes I forget we've only recently met! The truth is, Henry isn't my father."

Annie gasped. "He ain't?"

Emmeline shook her head. "Nope. My mother was married to someone else many years ago, back when we lived in England. She and Uncle Oliver are cousins, as you know, and they grew up in the same neighborhood in Liverpool. Anyway, my father was my mother's first husband."

All three children were now listening intently.

"Who was he? And how did Aunt Margaret end up married to Uncle Henry if she was married to someone else first?" Annie asked curiously. Then her face reddened. "Hm, I guess you might say that's a real personal question, huh?"

"Perhaps it is," Emmeline said with a slight smile. "But since we're such good friends, I don't mind telling you. It's a long story, children, but the short of it is that my father wasn't a very nice man." She frowned. "In fact, sometimes he was quite mean to my mother, and no matter how many times he promised he would change, he never did. So, one day she decided she'd had enough."

"What did she do?" Molly breathed.

"She sent a telegram to Uncle Oliver here in New York, asking for help," Emmeline said simply. "He came as soon as he could, and he brought us back to New York with him so we could start a new life. I was little then, even younger than Molly. But I still remember it all quite well."

"Was your daddy mad that you and Aunt Margaret left?" Annie asked.

Emmeline nodded. "Oh, yes. He was furious. But there was nothing he could do about it. My mother wanted nothing to do with him, and he didn't have the money to come after us himself. It wasn't long after that that Uncle Oliver introduced her to Henry. He and Uncle Oliver are quite good friends, and they work together at Uncle Oliver's steel company. And as luck would have it, he and my mom fell in love quick as a flash!"

"It must have been wonderful to see your mother so happy again!" Annie said, her eyes shining.

Emmeline laughed. "Oh, it was wonderful indeed! Ever since then I've called Henry 'Dad' because that's what he has always been to me. He is the very kindest, gentlest man." Then her expression grew more serious, and she gazed at the children in front of her with a tender smile. "It just goes to show: your family are the people who love you the very most, no matter if they had you as a baby or if they're the family we choose for ourselves."

"Ain't that the truth!" Annie said with a grin.

"Children? Are you down there?"

Four pairs of eyes turned back toward the entrance hall, where Grace was coming down the main staircase.

"We're in here, Aunt Grace!" Emmeline called.

"Where are ya goin'?" Annie asked, taking in the briefcase in Grace's hand and the hat atop her head.

Grace hesitated for a moment. As she looked at Annie and Molly, her future daughters whom she loved so dearly, a great mix of emotion churned in her. Should she tell them where she was going? Would it upset them? Or would they be more hurt if they later learned where she had gone and realized she had hidden it from them?

Making up her mind that honesty was the best policy, she finally said, "I'm on my way to see Miss Hannigan, girls."

Annie and Molly's eyes both widened.

"Miss Hannigan?" Annie asked in confusion. "In jail? Why?"

Grace knelt down in front of Annie and Molly, looking at them from their own eye level.

"Believe me, sweethearts, I'm not keen to go. But her testimony is very important for the case your father and I are trying to build for reforming the orphanage system in New York. We haven't forgotten about that, even though we've been busy with the merger. I hope that Miss Hannigan will be willing to share some information that will be useful to us." She paused, looking inquiringly into Annie's and Molly's eyes. "Is that all right with you?"

"I guess," Annie said quietly. "If ya do see her, will you make sure she's doin' okay?"

Grace looked at her, puzzled. "What do you mean?"

Annie shrugged. "I bet bein' in jail is hard for her, that's all. She probably can't …" She trailed off, then glanced down at Molly quickly before looking back up at Grace with a meaningful expression on her face. "I mean, in jail she probably doesn't have her own bathtub anymore, right?"

Grace felt a swell of anger rise within her, and frowned. The fact that Annie, at her age, could say such a thing—and Grace knew that Annie knew full well the meaning behind her words, and had chosen them carefully to spare Molly—was shameful.

"I think not, Annie," she said quietly.

"She wasn't always so bad," Annie murmured. "I mean, she was never a nice person, but she changed a lot when the times got hard. They were puttin' way more kids into the orphanage than she could handle. That's when she really started, uh, usin' the bathtub. And she tried to stop a few times, but she could never make it stick."

Grace brushed a hand through Annie's curls gently. "I'll be sure to ask how she's doing there, Annie. You're sweet to be concerned for her."

Even though the woman never gave an ounce of care or affection to you, she thought grimly.