“I want to see how it works,” Hap said.
“You’ve given me some ideas,” Kalev said to Dmitri. “Since Hap wants a demonstration, let’s try a few things. Lottie, Miles, tell Celeste we’ll be along shortly.”
I knew that “shortly” could mean an hour or more. At least it would give me time to talk to Celeste. I had to get rid of that piece of paper, and once I’d heard from Celeste that the baron’s accusations against them were all nonsense, we could figure out how to keep interest away from them, and from me.
The dvornik, Hugo, let us into the apartment building, greeting us like we were long-lost relatives. He was an elderly man who looked so much like Papa they could have been brothers, though their lives hadn’t been anything alike. Hugo had been an actor until the infirmities of old age caught up with him and Kalev got him the job. Since dvorniks oversaw who came and went in the apartment building, Hugo got to live in a small room of his own right off the front door.
I pulled out the bag of tobacco I’d purchased earlier in the day and handed it to him. “They only had Mahorka left. I’m sorry. I know it’s not the best brand.”
He took it and held it up to his nose. “Ah … any tobacco is greatly appreciated. You are a good child, Charlotte Danielovna,” he said.
“It’s nothing,” I said. “I hope you enjoy it.”
The voices and music from the apartment above were so loud, they spilled down the stairs. My spirits lifted a little, even with the knowledge that I had the paper in my bag. I loved visiting the Tamms. They made their home feel like it was ours, too. We went up and Miles opened the door, not bothering to knock. The Tamms’ parties were too loud for anyone to hear the knocking. A wave of noise and smoke and heat hit us along with the smell of sausages grilling on the stove.
The room was lit with only one electric bulb dangling from the ceiling, encased in a painted glass shade. It was so crowded people could barely move. We edged our way through. Miles found Peet, who was playing the piano, surrounded by a group of friends. I made my excuses to people as I passed them to get to the kitchen, which was almost as crowded. Celeste stood at the stove, turning the sausages, but when she saw me, she put down the tongs she held and took my hands, kissing me on both cheeks. I immediately felt warm inside and out.
“I’m so glad you came!” she cried. “We haven’t seen enough of you.”
“I’ve been so busy at the hospital.” I told her about the problem at the theater and then handed her the bag of sugar.
“Sugar! A whole bag! It’s a treasure. But you don’t have to bring something every time you come to see us. We wouldn’t even have a theater without your mother’s help.”
“I know my brothers eat everything in sight wherever they go. This is just to help feed them.” The price of sugar had gone way up over the last few months, and I knew Celeste never turned anyone away who needed a meal.
“Are Hap and Miles here? Peet was afraid they wouldn’t be able to come. He saved them some of his birthday pie.”
“They’re here, though Hap is still over at the theater with Kalev. They didn’t tell me they were planning on coming. I caught them sneaking out of the house.”
She laughed. “But at least they were sneaking here! Much better than many places they could go. How is Miles?”
“The same. Dr. Rushailo is trying some new treatment she’s read that has helped other tuberculosis patients, so we just have to hope he won’t catch a bad cold this winter.” Since my stepfather never asked the name of Miles’s doctor, I never mentioned I’d arranged for Miles to see a woman.
“I say a prayer for him every day.” I felt a little pang at how worn down Celeste looked. Her graying hair was coming loose, frizzing from the heat of the kitchen. The years of hard work had taken a toll on her. Even though she looked happy, I found it hard to believe she and my mother would have been the same age had my mother lived. My mother had told me Celeste had been considered the most beautiful young actress in Paris the year they met. Wealthy men pursued her, promising jewels and apartments. She turned them all down, walking away without a look back to marry Kalev, a young Estonian who was just a stagehand determined to have his own theater one day.
The sausages on the stove began to smoke. Celeste pulled them off the burner.
“I need to talk to you,” I said.
“Can it wait a few minutes? So many people here tonight!”
I didn’t want to wait, but I couldn’t just drag her out in the hall to talk. “What can I do to help?”
She put the sausages on a platter. “You can carry these out. I need to bring some more water for the samovar.”
I edged my way back through the crowd, hoping I wouldn’t spill the sausages. They made it safely to the zakuski table that held the rest of the food, though they were gone almost immediately as the people who had followed my progress snagged them.
“Who is that?” I heard Celeste’s voice behind me.
I looked over to see Kalev, Hap, and Dmitri at the door. Kalev was introducing Dmitri to two young actresses from the theater troupe. Even at a distance I could tell that one of the women was practically cooing over him. She touched the epaulet on his tunic like she’d never seen one before.
I explained to Celeste about the tutoring.
“Very interesting and very handsome! Horse Guard? We don’t usually have one of those at our parties. They are a little too high and mighty for us. He looks like an intriguing young man. Rather brooding and mysterious.”
I didn’t have time to think about Dmitri. “I really need to talk to you,” I said. “Can we go out into the hall where it’s quiet?”
“Charlotte, over here!” Peet called.
A man took hold of Celeste’s waist. “You should stop cooking,” he said. “Dance with me.”
Celeste laughed and removed the man’s hands. “Where? On the ceiling? There’s no room anywhere else.”
“Charlotte!” Peet called again. I saw that Hap had taken his harmonica out and Miles was tightening a string on a borrowed balalaika.
“Let me cook the rest of the sausages,” Celeste said to me. “You might as well humor Peet while I’m busy. He won’t stop badgering you until you do. Then we can talk.” She smiled and then twisted around so she could move between two different groups of people.
I went over to the piano. “Happy birthday, Peet,” I said when I got close enough that I didn’t have to shout.
Peet got up from the bench. “Thank you! You can take over at the piano. Hap says the three of you have some new songs he arranged. I’d like to hear the Mason family serenade me for my birthday. Don’t say no.” He smiled, looking so much like a miniature Kalev I could understand how his father had charmed his mother so many years ago.
“I’ll play, but I don’t think anyone will hear us over the noise!” I sat down. “What are we starting with?” I asked Hap.
“‘Kalinka,’ then ‘As My Mother Wanted Me to Marry,’ and then ‘Oh, Dear Snow.’” Hap loved Russian folk songs and was determined to transcribe as many as he could.
We launched into the first song, and several partygoers began to sing. I sang too. I couldn’t often push away the worries and the to-do lists that always filled my head, but when we played, they took up less space.