Author's Note: Thanks so much to all for continuing to read this story! It means so much to me. A few notes to kick off: in this chapter, I'll be introducing a character named Emmeline Bush, who is mentioned very briefly in Leonore Fleischer's novel adaptation of the 1982 Annie movie. (I know, I'm digging quite deeply into the fandom here!) There aren't a lot of details about her in the book other than that she is a student at Smith College, she and her mother are somehow related to Oliver Warbucks (he signs off a letter to her as "Uncle Oliver"), and he was angry with her for spending money he gave her for college tuition to buy a show horse instead. I found this little snippet quite intriguing because I haven't seen a stage or film version of Annie that depicts Oliver as having much of any family, so I've taken the opportunity to expand on her character and Oliver's extended family a bit. Enjoy!
CHAPTER SIX
When Annie and Molly descended the marble staircase the following morning, their reddened cheeks still burning from the warmth of the ocean sun, they both stopped about halfway down to stare in surprise at the flurry of activity before them.
To be sure, the Warbucks mansion was always a dynamic place, filled with a lively energy befitting the world headquarters of dozens of major corporations. But this was something else! The mansion was positively buzzing like a beehive. Staff were careening up and down the stairs carrying loads of freshly laundered linens, pots of coffee and tea, and clean-pressed carpets and curtains. Men in fancy suits and secretaries hunched over typewriters were packed like sardines into the offices lining the main entrance hall. Poor Sandy had completely lost his head amid so much activity and was racing in circles around the entire hall, howling wildly. Hank the gardener was working fast arranging fresh flowers in the vases lining the walls, Mrs. Greer and a bevy of maids were racing around with feather dusters and crazed looks in their eyes, and Drake was barking orders to a delivery crew rushing in a dolly piled high with wooden crates.
"Take those around the back!" he roared. "The kitchens are on the other side of the house! What are we supposed to do with fifty dozen eggs in the entrance hall? And someone get that dog out of here!"
"Gee," Annie said, her eyes wide. "I guess Daddy and Grace were right when they said it'd be busy around here."
She grabbed Molly's hand, and the two of them carefully made their way toward the dining room between a teetering pile of pillows blindly rushing up the stairs in Cecille's arms and past pushcarts full of leather-bound record books driven by frantic secretaries. They found Oliver and Grace in the dining room, already finished with their breakfasts and deep in conversation at one end of the long table.
"Leapin' lizards, Daddy," Annie said, rushing over to give her father a hug. "It's like a circus out there. We barely made it here from the stairs!"
"I almost got run over by a crate of eggs!" Molly announced.
Oliver frowned. "Yes, it's a bit chaotic out there, isn't it."
"Girls, the Thompsons and their staff will be here very soon," Grace explained, sipping the last of her coffee. "Your father and I won't be around much today because we'll be helping them get settled."
Drake appeared over her shoulder and cleared his throat. "Sir, the crew at the airfield just called. The Thompsons have landed and are making their way toward the city."
"Thank you, Drake," Oliver said gruffly.
"Drake, there's egg yolk on your shoe," Annie said with a giggle. The beleaguered butler uttered a noise somewhere between a groan and a yell and stalked off. Annie looked back at her father. "What should we do all day while you're workin'?"
"I'm glad you asked that question, Annie," Oliver said, pushing his chair back from the table and standing up. "You see, we've got a jam-packed day in front of us. There'll be a big press conference this afternoon, and then—" He groaned. "As much as I despise the idea, a rather large party this evening to welcome the Thompsons to New York. And we thought you two might have more fun if you didn't have to spend the whole day bored and trailing after us."
As if on cue, two butlers popped into the dining room and each deposited a large suitcase on the carpet before scurrying away again. Annie stared at the suitcases in horror, the color draining from her face.
"You're sendin' us away?" she wailed. "Oh, Daddy, please don't! We won't get in the way, we promise! We'll be quiet as church mice, won't we, Molly?" Molly nodded vigorously. "You won't even know we're here! And Sandy—well, we'll think of somethin' for Sandy! Maybe we can keep him in the kitchen pantry? All those dog biscuits will keep him real busy!"
Oliver's eyes widened, and he couldn't help but roar with laughter. "Good heavens, Annie! Of course we aren't sending you away! Whatever could have made you jump to that conclusion?"
Annie's brow furrowed in confusion. "If you're not sendin' us away, then whose suitcases are those?"
Mrs. Greer's harried voice announced the visitor's arrival in the dining room only seconds before she appeared in person. "Right this way, Miss Emmeline, I believe they're all in here."
"Thank you, Mrs. Greer!" a bright voice rang out.
"Emmy!" Annie and Molly burst out joyfully, running into the older girl's open arms. She wrapped them both in a big hug, her face splitting into a broad ear-to-ear grin.
"Why, hello, girls!" she exclaimed. "Say, there's quite a ring-a-ding-ding out there, isn't it? Is something important going on today?"
"It's all kindsa crazy!" Molly exclaimed. "It's 'cause there's a bunch of Thompsons coming, whoever they are."
Grace and Oliver both laughed, and Oliver stepped forward to hug his niece. "Thank you for coming, Emmeline."
"Hi, Uncle Oliver," she said happily, hugging him back. "It's no trouble at all. When Mom told me you needed a bit of help looking after the children, the timing was perfect. I don't have to go back to Smith for the fall term until the end of August, and Dad is going to be here all the time anyway working with you on the steel merger. And I had been thinking that I want to get to know these two girls better. After all, we're cousins now!"
"Cousins?" Molly gasped. "Gee! I've never had one of those before!"
"Well, girls, if it's all right with you, we thought that Emmeline could stay here with us for the next few weeks to help keep an eye on you while your father and I are working on the merger," Grace said with a smile.
"That's perfect!" Annie exclaimed.
"Come on, let's go watch the hullaballoo outside!" Emmeline said. "I saw one of the butlers bringing in a crate full of ice cream!"
Annie and Molly squealed with excitement, and they each grabbed one of Emmeline's hands and dragged her laughing back into the entrance hall.
Grace smiled. "She's such a delight, Oliver. I'm glad to see you've gotten over the horse incident."
He harumphed. "I wouldn't say that I've 'gotten over it.' It was perfectly ridiculous of her to think I wouldn't notice that she used the money I gave her for her college tuition to buy a horse instead. But …" He grinned. "She has taken quickly to the girls, and they to her. So I'll have to look past my consternation this one time."
"Well, having her around for the next few weeks will certainly help keep Annie and Molly occupied," Grace said. Then she raised an eyebrow. "Although Emmeline may end up adding to, rather than lessening, the amount of chaos in the house."
The house sirens sounding shortly later heralded the arrival of the Thompsons' entourage from the airfield, and Oliver and Grace stepped out into the morning sunshine with a dozen executives from Warbucks Steel to await their cars under the arched entryway. Emmeline, Annie, and Molly, their faces glowing with laughter, sped out the doors just in time to see a line of shining black cars pull through the mansion's front gates.
"Gee, how many of them are there?" Annie asked in surprise.
Grace chuckled. "Well, only three of them are actually the Thompsons themselves, my dear. But they travel with quite the entourage, don't they?"
As the lead car pulled up to the marble stairs and the driver stepped out to open the doors for the passengers, Annie and Molly craned their necks to see inside the car. The children had heard so much about these visitors that their curiosity was certainly piqued.
The first person who stepped out of the car was an older man, his hair thinning and peppered liberally with gray. He was dressed to the nines in a well-tailored suit, and there was a sharp glint in his eye that was impossible to miss. He looked every inch the business mogul, cut from the same cloth as Oliver Warbucks himself.
"Edward!" Oliver called, stepping toward him to grasp his hand in a tight handshake. "Good to see you again. It's a delight to have you here."
"It's a delight to be here, Oliver," Edward Thompson said. "That is to say, back on solid ground. I can't say I've ever enjoyed flying. Even the quick jaunt from Chicago was plenty of time in the air for me. Cornelia, Michael?"
Two more figures were stepping out of the car after the older man: a young woman, her blond locks pulled back neatly and high cheekbones drawn in a smile, and a handsome man with perfectly combed dark hair. They both shook Oliver's hand politely, exchanging pleasantries and greetings with him and the other Warbucks Steel executives before Oliver turned to introduce them to the rest of the gathered party.
"You remember my secretary, Grace Farrell," he motioned. She stepped forward with a warm smile and shook their hands in hers.
"Of course," Cornelia Thompson said. She was still smiling, although Grace couldn't help but wonder if she detected a slight tone of something in her voice.
"Hi, Grace," Michael said, squeezing her hand. "Terrific to see you again."
"This is my niece, Emmeline Bush," Oliver continued, motioning Emmeline who smiled and bowed her head slightly. "And, most importantly, I'd like to introduce the newest additions to the house: my daughters, Annie and Molly."
Molly shrank back as the stares of the visitors settled upon her, but Annie clasped the younger girl's hand tightly and put on her brightest smile. "Hi, it's real nice to meet all of you."
"The esteemed Annie Warbucks!" Edward Thompson exclaimed. "Quite a bit has changed around here since we last met, hasn't it, Oliver?" He turned to Annie. "We heard about your story all the way in Chicago, Annie. You'll have to tell me the secret for how a little orphan girl like yourself wormed your way into this man's cold, dead heart. I might be able to learn something from your tactics!"
Oliver roared with laughter. "Inconceivable! She won't tell you a thing, you old coot."
"I'd say it takes one to know one, Oliver."
As Oliver and Edward turned toward the rest of the executives gathered there, Grace squeezed Annie and Molly's shoulders.
"Girls, Cornelia and Michael are Mr. Thompson's children," she said, gesturing toward them. "They work very closely with him at his company."
Michael grinned. "Already turning them against us, eh Grace?"
"Certainly not," Grace said with a smile. "At this point in the talks, Michael, it feels as though you're all practically family."
"Do you like dogs?" Molly asked bravely, looking up at Michael and Cornelia. "We have a big dog named Sandy."
"Not particularly," Cornelia said.
"A dog?!" Michael exclaimed, his startled gaze shooting back to Grace. "Don't tell me you managed to talk the old man into adopting not just children but a dog! Good heavens, a lot really has changed around here!"
As her brother spoke, Grace saw an unmistakable glint of disdain flash in Cornelia's eyes. The woman's gaze darted between Grace and Oliver, who was leading Edward Thompson into the house and already deep in conversation with him.
"Yes, quite a lot indeed," she said, her face betraying little as she turned to follow her father inside.
Grace frowned slightly. During their prior interactions, Cornelia Thompson had always been blunt and impersonal, and Grace had never seen her act particularly warmly or friendly toward anyone. But her tone seemed sharper than usual. Perhaps she too, Grace thought with a sting, had been following with disapproval the newspaper stories that had dogged the Warbucks family for the last few weeks. She sighed. Just one more reason to hope that the negotiations could be concluded as quickly as possible.
Annie, Molly, and Emmeline hung back outside as the throng of visitors and Warbucks Steel executives filed into the house, followed by a long parade of butlers and staff pulling trunks and suitcases out of the cars. Annie glanced through the mansion's front doors into the entrance hall, a glum look on her face.
"What is it, Annie?" Emmeline asked.
"Nothin'," Annie said quietly.
Emmeline patted her shoulder. "I haven't known you very long, Annie, but you can't fool me so easily. Something is wrong, I can see it written plainly across your face."
Annie sighed, watching as Oliver and Edward Thompson ascended the marble staircase and disappeared, followed closely by Cornelia and Michael. Meanwhile, Grace was directing a gaggle of Thompson Corporation secretaries and staff into the office spaces lining the entrance hall.
"Well, yet again, Daddy's workin' up there—" She motioned up the stairs, "and Grace is down here. I've been tryin' to convince him to propose to her for forever. I knew it was gonna be bananas around here, but what if he's so swamped with all these visitors that he doesn't have time?"
Emmeline pondered Annie's question thoughtfully.
"Hm," she said. "I do wonder …" She trailed off.
"Wonder what?" Molly asked.
"Why he hasn't proposed to her yet," Emmeline said. "Uncle Oliver and Miss Grace just seem to belong together, don't you think? I've known Uncle Oliver practically my whole life and I've never seen him as happy as he is now. And not just because of you kids, but because of her too."
"Oh, yes!" Annie gushed, nodding enthusiastically. "They're perfect for each other! And I know he loves her so much."
"Then what could possibly be holding him back?" Emmeline asked.
Annie shrugged. "I think he's nervous. He keeps sayin' he's waitin' for the right moment. But the right moment never comes because he's always too darn busy with his work!"
Emmeline grinned, a mischievous twinkle beginning to shine in her dark eyes as she led the two younger girls back through the entranceway.
"In that case, perhaps we can do something to help him along," she said. "You know, provide a bit of encouragement."
"I've already been tryin' that," Annie insisted. "I've been tellin' him for weeks he needs to get a move on. Just the other day, I told him a lady like Grace ain't gonna wait around forever!"
Emmeline leaned in conspiratorially toward Annie and Molly. "That's not exactly what I mean, Annie. What I mean is, if he's feeling nervous and waiting for the right moment, perhaps we can help create the right moment for him!" She lowered her voice. "I think we need to get them somewhere alone together. Somewhere romantic, somewhere with complete privacy."
"How are we gonna do that?" Molly asked in confusion. "There's people all over the place."
Emmeline winked. "I've got an idea," she said. "And the party tonight will provide the perfect occasion. But we'll need a bit of help from the staff."
The chaos inside the mansion had barely ebbed at all by that afternoon, even after the long-awaited guests from Chicago had arrived. If anything, even more people were milling about the house later that day when Grace next set foot out of the second floor office wing, accompanying Oliver and the Thompsons down the staircase for the afternoon's press conference.
She couldn't help but grimace when she saw the vast array of cameras and microphones that the publicity team had set up at the base of the marble staircase. Fortunately, the types of newspapers interested to report on the progress of the Warbucks-Thompson steel merger were very different publications than the gossip rags that had been publishing drivel about Annie, Oliver, and herself for weeks.
Oliver, on the other hand, seemed not to draw much of a distinction between the tabloid reporters who had been severely trying his temper for the last month and the financial correspondents gathered in front of him, and he glowered down at them with a contemptuous expression on his face.
"Can't stand these events," he grumbled. "There are far too many damn cameras in this house."
Grace chuckled. Some things would never change.
Most of the press conference went off without a hitch. Oliver and Henry Bush, his second in command at Warbucks Steel, led the press conference while Edward Thompson did most of the talking for the Thompsons. Together they tackled a series of tough questions about the companies' financial states amid the continuing depression, expressed all the confidence in the world that government antitrust regulators would approve the merger, and delicately sidestepped the question of whether Oliver or Edward Thompson would end up securing the CEO position at the final shareholders meeting. Standing off to the side of the hall, Grace found herself grinning at that question. Oliver had never lost a high-stakes negotiation in his life, and she was sure he didn't intend to start now.
Cornelia and Michael Thompson largely hung back and let their father tackle the majority of the questions that fell to the Thompsons, although each of them jumped in occasionally as well. As Cornelia responded to a Chicago-based reporter about how a series of lengthy negotiations with a prominent Midwestern labor union had affected their corporation's bottom line. Grace noticed with a raised eyebrow that the reporter's pointed questioning had made Cornelia's face flush and her voice tighten noticeably with tension. She would have to remember that.
Casting her eyes over the gathered crowds, she looked for Emmeline, Annie, and Molly, but they were nowhere to be seen. Come to think of it, she hadn't seen nor heard from them all day since Emmeline's arrival that morning. What might they be up to?
"—bucks, what of the rumors that you are romantically involved with your personal secretary?"
With a jolt, Grace's attention snapped back to Oliver at the podium. Other reporters were now jumping in after the first, tossing in their own questions.
"Does Grace Farrell still serve as your secretary?"
"Do you feel that's quite proper, with someone who remains on your payroll and lives in your house?"
"Any comments about your behind-the-scenes romance?"
Grace groaned inwardly and felt her cheeks flush a deep red. Good heavens, how could it be that even financial news reporters were interested in their personal lives? Was it impossible to sell newspapers these days that were focused simply on the facts, without the need for any dramatics? She had slipped away from the podium a few minutes before the press conference began, and she felt immensely grateful to be standing off to the side of the press pool and partially obscured by a column. Few of the reporters were looking her way or seemed to have noticed her presence.
"We're here to answer questions about the steel merger," Oliver thundered, his temper starting to spike. "If you want to ask personal questions, make a separate appointment—which I assure you will not be granted."
His total refusal to answer those questions forced the reporters to get back on track, and the rest of the press conference passed without incident. As the reporters began to file out the mansion doors, shepherded speedily by Punjab and the Asp, Grace approached the podium in time to hear Edward Thompson, his and Oliver's backs to her, speaking quietly but firmly.
"… personal life out of this, Oliver. I've had enough trouble dragging my board along for this merger without needing to manage a social scandal."
"I'll thank you to drop the subject, Edward," Oliver's tight-lipped reply came, in the dangerously low voice that she recognized as an indicator he was close to losing his temper again. "My relationship with Grace is no one's business but our own, and I won't stand idly by while those damned reporters attempt to stick their noses into our private lives and drag her good name through the mud."
"Oh, please, Oliver," Edward scowled. "You know I don't give a damn what you and Miss Farrell do in your free time. I'm more concerned about how much of a frenzy it seems to spark in the media's eyes. I think you got a sense of this when you were in Chicago, Oliver, but there are powerful stakeholders in my company who prefer to back out of this merger entirely. I chose to proceed with it because I thought, together, we'd be a force to be reckoned with. Don't prove me wrong."
Oliver's response made it clear the conversation was over. "I'll see you at the party tonight, Edward."
Edward curtly stepped away and swept up the staircase. Oliver turned and cast his gaze over the stragglers milling in the entrance hall until his eyes landed on Grace just behind him.
He frowned. "How much of that did you hear?"
"Enough." She sighed. "I'm sorry, Oliver. I really am. I never dreamed we would still be dealing with this after a whole month's time."
"Don't you dare apologize," he demanded, taking both of her hands in his. "Grace, I've said it before and I'll say it again: I don't give a damn whatsoever for my own sake what those reporters write in their columns. It's you I'm fighting for when I shut down their blasted questions."
"I didn't know that Mr. Thompson was already dealing with such reticence among his own board members," she said quietly. "I'd hate for this—us—to create more problems for you."
"It won't," Oliver stated, in a tone that made clear he didn't wish to discuss the matter any further.
He was quiet a moment longer, merely gazing into her eyes, before he smiled.
"On a more pleasant note," he said, his hands caressing hers, "I don't normally look forward to parties of any kind, as you well know, but I am eager to see the dress you plan to wear tonight. Annie was very complimentary when she described just how beautiful you look in it."
Grace felt a shiver run through her and couldn't help the smile that blossomed on her face.
"I never knew you could be so flirtatious, Oliver."
He laughed heartily. "Of all the things I've been called in my life, that may be a new one!"
Depositing a chaste kiss on her lips, he took her hand to lead her back up the stairs. They encountered Emmeline, Annie, and Molly walking hurriedly down the second floor hall from the direction of the library, looking rather pleased with themselves.
"What have you three been up to today?" Oliver asked.
"Oh, a little bit of everything!" Emmeline said brightly. Annie and Molly giggled, and the three of them rushed away toward the residential wing as Grace and Oliver's gazes followed them in bemusement.