No Longer Invisible
Flicka von Hannover
I don’t know how Raphael’s plan was going,
but my plan looked like it might have legs.
The next day, Flicka had left the door to their suite standing open while she played on the floor with Alina, stacking little foam blocks in ever-more complex configurations, so she heard the front doors slam and a woman’s voice yell, “FriederikeAugusta von Hannover, get your butt downstairs right now!”
That was not Sophie’s voice. Surely the housekeepers hadn’t gotten that casual yet. But no other women were supposed to know she was there.
Flicka ran out of the suite, slamming her stomach against the railing to look over the entryway. “Yes? I’m here! I’m Friederike von Hannover and I’m here!”
A small group of women turned their facesup to where Flicka was standing. Sunlight streamed in the windows tiling the front of the house, brightening their pale, northern European skin to glowing alabaster.
One of the women in front, a slight, young woman wearing a black suit, stepped forward. Sunlight glared off her chunky glasses, making silver squares over her eyes.“Flicka!I can’t believe you’re in Geneva, staying at my aunt anduncle’s house, and you didn’t even call me! I’m working at the UN directly across the lake. You could have taken a boat from the moorings outside and sailed across the lake in five minutes to see me. But you didn’t,you slacker!”
Hanging over the railing in the glaring sunlight like that, Flicka shaded her eyes and yelled, “Anaïs Mirabaud?” as if she hadn’t texted her the day before.
“It’s onlybeen a year, Flicka. Get down here!”
“Just a minute!”
Flicka ran into the suite, scooped up Alina, and jetted for the stairs. The guest suite was not babyproofed in any real way, and Flicka knew that if she walked away for one minute, Alina would find something to stick into an electrical socket.
The two bodyguards stationed at the door shuffled their feet as they watched her run past. Onerubbed his throat and swallowed hard.
Alina giggled and grabbed Flicka’s hair while Flicka held the railing and trotted down the stairs. “Anaïs? I’m coming down! Don’t leave. I’m coming down!”
Anaïs Mirabaud was laughing at Flicka by the time she hit the bottom of the stairs. “Is living with Aunt Sophie so bad that you’re that starved for us?”
Flicka threw her other arm around Anaïs and huggedher. If anything happened to Flicka, if she were taken somewhere else, Anaïs would know she had been there. “I just missed you so much!”
“We’re all here to tell off Aunt Sophie for keeping you all to herself,” Anaïs said. “You remember my mother, Lili, and my cousins, Océane, Ambre, and Chloé, who are Aunt Sophie’s daughters.”
“Nice to see you again, Lili.” Flicka juggled Alina under her armand did the genetic tree in her head. “Océane, so good to see you. Ambre and Chloé, it’s been so long.”
Océane laughed. “I was just thinking about you the other day, and now here you are!”
“This is your niece, Alina Sophie Mirabaud.” Flicka jostled Alina, who was sitting on her hip and clinging to her shoulder.
The women all rushed at the baby, speaking French to her.
Alina sank her chubbyfingers into Flicka’s hair and howled right in her ear.
Flicka said, “Oh, too much! We’re a little shy today. Let’s try this one at a time, shall we?”
The women backed off, and Flicka wiped Alina’s face and jollied her with some bouncing. Alina cuddled closer, but she did allow herself to be introduced to her aunts one at a time, extending her hand to be shaken or high-fived, but she kept herhead pillowed on Flicka’s shoulder.
Alina’s little fingers, clutching the back of Flicka’s blouse, stirred more protectiveness and a bit of satisfaction that Alina was holding onto her for comfort.
After the introductions, they adjourned to one of the parlors for tea. Flicka was relieved to taste that it wasjust teain the teapot.
Alina stood beside Flicka’s legs, her little hand resting onFlicka’s knee, watching the new people. She was very much an extrovert with other little kids, but a gaggle of new adults aroused her suspicions.
Flicka said, “I’m so glad you guys are here. I can’t tell you how very happy I am to see you.”
Anaïs took a teacup from Flicka’s outstretched hand and said, “Yes, well, we’ll have the whole story at a later date, but it is so very good toseeyou andknowexactly where you are.”
