My Favorite Things

Chapter 2

"It is so overwhelming, Tanya. I need to process everything", said Olga as she flopped down on the bed in their room on the second floor of the Sutherland's house.

"Careful, Olishka. It is overwhelming but in a good way. We are safe in England like we were supposed to. I can see why finding ourselves in this time would be a shock, but we will adjust", said Tatiana.

"You were always the sensible one of us girlies, Tanya. I want to learn more about this time, I want to travel all over England. And I eventually want to travel like Ian and go to India", said Olga.

Tatiana gave her older sister a knowing look. "He is quite handsome, nyet? And he seems very smart", she teased.

Olga blushed furiously. "Ian is handsome, da. But he is very smart and the music he played for us is lovely. I quite like this Dave Brubeck fellow", she said.

"It is nice music, but not quite to my taste. I find it hard to believe that ragtime evolved into this jazz", said Tatiana.

"Well, music would have changed in all this time. I know Mama and Papa, Mashka and Nastya are with the Lacroix family, but it still feels odd", said Olga.

"And Alyosha is down the corridor from us, he has his own room. I want to repay them for their help", said Tatiana.

"No need to, but you can join once we speak to Hugo", said Skye as she sat down on the bed.

"Is Hugo a god?", asked Olga.

"No, an immortal wizard. We're Christians, except for the Jarvinens who are pagans", replied Skye.

"Finns never seemed very religious", Olga commented.

"They ended up as Lutherans, not the best fit. Now, did your dad really meet our granddad?", asked Skye.

"I suppose, there were so many people at Spala, we don't remember them all. Do you speak Russian?", asked Tatiana.

"No, but I do speak Polish. I suppose they're similar enough. I know French since all smart people ought to speak it, even if the French are a bunch of wankers", Skye quipped.

"Tres bien, parlez Francais. I'm afraid we have Swiss accents", said Olga.

"I have a Belgian accent since Pierre and Jack have a Belgian dad. I have to learn to speak better, but it's not very useful as a school nurse", Skye laughed.

"What is that like?", asked Tatiana.

"In a primary school it's mostly skinned knees and tummy aches, a few kids are on medication and I have give it to them", she explained.

"It sounds boring", said Tatiana dismissively.

"I suppose it does, after working in a war hospital. You could study to be an Accident and Emergency nurse, I suppose that's the closest equivalent", Skye suggested.

"You mean, like in a hospital? I would like that", said Tatiana.

"I don't want to do any more nursing, it was too much", Olga whispered.

"You could go to uni and study something, a lot of women do", said Skye.

"Not now, Skye. I want to make sense of everything first and adjust", said Olga.

"Fair enough. But this Monday coming we're going to Blackpool, it's Ian's idea. He figured that since you lot haven't had a proper birthday celebrations in a long while, this is his way to make up for it", said Skye.

"Is that a beach place? Is it like Cowes?", asked Tatiana.

"Not quite, it's got a big funfair and lots of clubs. Juan owns a summer club there, the rest of the year it's in Manchester. He's a Torres through his dad", said Skye.

"But what about your cousin who is arriving?", asked Olga.

"Today is Monday, he arrives Wednesday. Pierre is taking the train to Heathrow, ask if you want to go", said Skye.

"No thank you, I'm tired", said Olga.

"I would like to see London, all we saw of England was Cowes", said Tatiana.

"I don't like London, too bloody huge. I'm just a Yorkshire lass, I much prefer the hills and dales", said Skye.

"I'll ask Mama and Papa", said Tatiana.

"Why do you have to ask, you're an adult", exclaimed Skye.

"But London is far", Tatiana protested.

"It's five hours on t'train. Plus we have a telephone", Skye replied.

"All right. Maybe Mashka would like to come along, Nastya and Alexei are too young", said Tatiana.

Olga giggled, the sound startling from the normally serious blond. "Ah, and I think Mashka likes Pierre, she kept looking at him all throughout breakfast", she teased.

"Da, but he is very good looking and kind. Mashka has always been a big flirt", said Tatiana.

"It's about time Pierre started dating again, he's been widowed for a long time. Marina was his wife, a lovely girl from Cyprus. She got hit by a drunk driver whilst crossing the street", said Skye quietly.

"How horrid!", Olga exclaimed.

"It would be good if he started dating again and Nicole needs a Mum. And I can see that she likes kids, a lot of women don't want to date a guy with kids", said Skye.

"What sort of books does your cousin write?", asked Tatiana, changing the subject.

"It's a series of novel about an English sailor who's shipwrecked in Japan, during Queen Elizabeth I's reign. He becomes advisor to a lord who eventually becomes the shogun, which is like the top military ruler of Japan. The first one is about him but the others are about his descendants", she explained.

"Interesting. How would a British person learn Japanese, it looks hard as Chinese", said Tatiana.

"It is, but all of the Sol Duga are good at languages. Ian knows French, Polish, Russian, Farsi, Arabic, both kinds of Greek, Latin, Hindi and Gujarati. Pierre knows the above except Farsi, Hindi and Gujarati, but he knows Turkish and Serbo-Croatian", she replied.

Both sisters looked awestruck. "All we know is Russian, English and French", said Olga.

"That's three languages, most British only know English", said Skye dryly.

"Is Russia still Bolshevik?", asked Olga.

"Yes, unfortunately. The bloody wankers forced Mum's family to feel before their advance and they stole everything. Our manor is a ruin but my gran and the women in the family hid jewels sewn into their corsets and dresses", said Skye with grim satisfaction.

"Our corsets have jewels sewn into them, should we sell them?", asked Tatiana.

"Maybe one stone at a time, otherwise jewelers get suspicious", said Skye.

"That makes sense. Do women still wear them?", asked Olga.

"No, thank goodness. Doctors say they're bad for you", replied Skye.

"I see. But I've been wearing one for so long, I wouldn't know how to go without it", said Tatiana.

Skye looked at her and realized how small her waist was. "How wide is your waist, Tanya?", she asked.

"Sixteen inches", she said proudly.

Skye huffed. "That's not good, Tanya. Take off the bloody thing, you'll constrict your organs", she ordered.

"But if I do, I wouldn't have a shape. Mama says without it, I resemble Alexei", said Tatiana.

"The thin look is in, bosoms are out. I'm the same size as you and I don't wear a corset", said Skye.

Tatiana sighed and went into the walk-in closet, emerging ten minutes later holding the corset. "See, we have a similar build. And you'll feel better", said Skye.

"It feels strange, Skye. I just hope my figure doesn't spread out and become fat", said Tatiana.

"You won't, as long as you don't eat fried things with chips. I grew up in a seaside town and I can't stand fish and chips, it's just grease and salt. I don't eat fried things, it's bad for your cholesterol", said Skye.

"But what foods are good for you, then?", asked Tatiana.

"Fruit, veg, dark breads and oats, lean meat. White flour and white sugar aren't good for you, neither is too many animal fats since they accumulate in your arteries and cause heart attacks. I only have some chicken and fish, the blini I made with whole wheat flour", replied Skye.

"They were good, but they did feel different. I want to learn more about now", said Tatiana.

"I'm tired, Tanya", Olga murmured.

"All right, Olya", said Tatiana as her and Skye left the room.

"Is Olya all right?", asked Alexei, looking up from his book.

"Yes, she's tired. And I see you like Ian's book", Skye chuckled.

"It's awesome, Alexander was awesome", said Alexei.

"He was, that's why I study Macedonia, Athens and Sparta have been done to death", said Ian.

Tatiana noticed the wooden box with the odd glass front in the parlor. "That's a television, it's like having a cinema in your house, except it's only BBC here in Britain. I bought it because the shop was having a sale, it's an older model", said Ian.

"Telly is boring, only good if there's a film or Shakespeare play. Yank telly has a lot more channels", said Skye.

"We had a cinema in our house, but a projector and a screen. I suppose this is a smaller version", said Tatiana.

"Let's go tell your parents you are going to London tomorrow", teased Skye.

"But that isn't proper", protested Tatiana.

Skye laughed, her hazel eyes amused. "Tanya, you're going to London with Pierre and Maria, think of it as being a chaperone. Besides, some women and men live together before they marry. Some of my friends at uni did that before they married", she said.

"I suppose, but I'll have to get used to it", she replied.

The two women went across the street to the Lacroix house, where Nicholas and Alexandra were riveted to a BBC production of Macbeth while Maria and Anastasia were in the kitchen looking through a large colorful book on Byzantine art, a blue plastic transistor radio playing the weekly Beatles show. The two girls got up and started dancing when the Beatles played Carol, giving the Chuck Berry classic a swinging beat missing from the original. "Ohh Tanya, you have to hear this group, the Beatles!", squealed Anastasia.

"The Beatles are the biggest group in England, all the young girls love them. They're from Liverpool", said Skye.

"I love the Beatles!", yelled Nicole as she rushed into the kitchen and started dancing.

Tatiana looked on with bemusement and thought this Beatles music was noisy. The music stopped and she winced at their thick Scouse accents, sounding like peasants and their English nearly unintelligible. "Yeah, I have trouble understanding these Scouse gits too", said Skye.

Pierre entered the kitchen and set a kettle on the stove. Skye nudged Tatiana as she took a deep breath. "Mr. Lacroix, would it be all right if I went to London with you?", she asked.

"Of course, and would you like to come along, Maria Nicholaevna?", he asked.

"Yes, of course!", exclaimed Maria as Pierre exhaled and grinned like a schoolboy.

"I want to go to London but I don't want to miss tomorrow's show. And we're going shopping", said Anastasia.

"Your Majesties, Tatiana and Maria want to go with me to London tomorrow, I'm picking up my brother and my niece at Heathrow Airport", said Pierre.

"What? People fly in airplanes as passengers?", asked Nicholas in disbelief.

"Yes, especially very long distances. I just want to let you know, I will chaperone them", said Pierre.

"What are you going to do in London?", asked Alexandra.

"See a museum, perhaps a film. Or go to my friend's theatre, he owns a theatre that puts on all sorts of shows and we've known each other since our military service", he replied.

"I see. And what of this friend?", asked Nicholas.

"He's a good lad, his father is a Baron and his mother comes from a wealthy banking family. He's the heir to the Barony of Northwood", he replied.

"All right, but I want you girlies to be on your best behavior. And please call when you arrive at the hotel", said Alexandra as her daughters hugged her.