‘All right, fine …’
‘She was dead the moment she walked in that room! She was his gift, a sacrifice! Then while he was using his pretend cock on her, he was strangling her—that’s the kind of shit they dream up.’ She shook herself, trying to lose her anger. It didn’t work. ‘It wasn’t a suicide! Christ …’
He looked down. She had been squeezing his hand, so hard he could feel the nails biting into the flesh of his thumb.
‘His friend knew it was going to happen. He was laughing the whole time. He knew the old one’s dream—some men have that fantasy, you see? That the spasms of death are … are …’ Her face twisted up and she began to cry, for real this time.
Finally she stalked off to his bathroom; he could hear the water running, Vera blowing her nose once, twice. When she returned she was red-faced, clear-eyed. Done now with all that, the whole thing put away somewhere safe.
He took a deep breath, not wanting to ask, then did it quickly. ‘If we looked at photographs, do you think you could identify any of them?’ Nothing for a long moment, just her hard look.
‘If you make me I suppose I have no choice, do I?’ So many questions, she was thinking. Names she was supposed to come up with, just a few questions he wanted her to answer. ‘And it’s dangerous, too, I suppose? Yes? It’s dangerous and if I go along and you let my name slip out, what do you think will happen to me? Nothing good, that’s the real situation, yes?’
‘I’ll try and keep you out of it, if I can.’
‘If …’
‘If I can.’
She made a little sound, partly a laugh, partly a sob. One tear escaped from her eye and she wiped it away, her mouth got hard. She’d made up her mind not to cry any more. ‘I’ve got a rehearsal to go to. Can I go? Do you think you’re finished now?’
‘For now, yes … What time is your rehearsal over?’
‘Four,’ she said quietly, without looking at him.
‘I’ll come by for you later, then.’ She looked up, angrily. ‘You and I have a date,’ he said.
‘Oh?’
‘We’re going to your friend’s place, have a look around.’
‘Wait a minute, you’re serious?’
‘Why not?’
‘All those places are members only, you can’t just walk in off the street.’
‘But you can,’ he said levelly.
‘Christ,’ she turned away. ‘Irini, she hates me now. She stole all my clothing. She’s not going to let me back there. You’re insane,’ she said, her voice alternately hissing and spitting her words.
‘She’ll let us in. I have the money, and you need to get back in her good graces. That’s the way we’ll play it.’
‘Go to hell, I’m not looking to die for some lunatic proposal. I don’t associate with … liars, with spies.’ She still had traces of her theatre make-up ringing her eyes, an angry slash of lipstick barely wiped from her mouth.
‘Just tell her you’re sorry, you were drunk, you’ll never do it again …’
‘I don’t care who you are—Get away …’ she hissed, and slapped him hard across the cheek. It stung his face but must have hurt her too, she’d hit him so hard. ‘You’re a vulture … you’re worse than that. You’re a rodent—’
‘Get all dressed up for a good time,’ he said coldly. ‘I’ll wait for you out front. If anybody asks you can tell them I’m a commercial traveller.’
‘Oh, that’s plausible. And what exactly do you sell on your travels that brings you to the Komet?’
‘Paintbrushes. I’m interested in art. The way they paint those big curtains.’
‘You mean the scenery?’
‘That’s it. The scenery. It’ll do for now,’ he said.
She slipped on her shoes and headed for the door. ‘Big policeman. Big ideas. Do you really think you can do anything about any of this?’ she asked without turning around.
‘I don’t know, I doubt it. Probably not. But I’ll try.’ ‘Yes, well …’ and then she gave a little nod and walked out of his door.
TEN
Evdaev smiled as he gazed at little Pippa, only nineteen, and as a bride she had never been more beautiful. Blessed with porcelain skin, meaning that you could see the blue blood beneath the glaze; blessed, too, with masses of chestnut hair that in the summer was suffused with red, a strong brow and clear amber-coloured eyes that gave her a dreamy, seductive look. She was a little taller than Miki, her betrothed—Michael Pavlovich Evdaev, his late brother’s youngest. Only his boots raised him to her height. Nestor, as guardian, had watched over the boy’s youth, eased his rise through the ranks with some satisfaction.
Standing a pace behind the nervous pair were four young officer friends of Miki’s, also members of the venerable Preobrazhensky Guards. Each pair took turns holding the heavy crowns above the heads of the couple while the priest droned on. No young man wanted to show how much effort it took to hold the crowns, but it was equally gauche to display your strength until your arm began to tremble. Evdaev was pleased to see that, if only as a mark of respect for him, the young officers did not hesitate to trade the crowns smoothly, seamlessly.
They were gathered, of course, in the great Transfiguration Cathedral, a mass of candle-lit scarlet and gold, a little chilly owing to the sudden cold spell that had descended upon the city. The building had been suitably designed in the Russian style, and was the dedicated cathedral of the guards, of which Prince Evdaev was an honorary member. He had celebrated his betrothal in this same chamber, and out of respect he was dressed in the regimental colours, scarlet with all the gold trimmings.
Little Pippa had been one of those girls on the horizon, a lovely creature that any man would like to snap up. And had it not been for the strict and morally severe education that her mother, Countess Gorchakova, had forced on the girl it would be all too easy to imagine her being betrothed to a much less worthy mate than Michael, but the arrangements had been made, dowry agreed upon, and now two great houses had come together again—for both could trace their lineage to the ancient Rurik dynasty, two great families intertwined like vines as they flourished in the sunlight of history.
The blessed ones drank from the cup three times, their wrists were bound together by a silken handkerchief, they followed the priest around the altar three times to illustrate that they would be bound together for the long journey through life. Behind Pippa the pages scurried along untangling her train, causing the couple to proceed along the journey of life in fits and starts. Everyone knew what a trial it was, there were little sighs, titters of understanding. Even the priest could forgive, pausing with a benign smile while the boys crawled about.
And then, finally the union was solemnized and there was the disorganized rush to the great doors of the cathedral, a buzz of congratulations, the wiping away of tears of joy, a hundred different conversations, greetings exchanged between relations, friends, and strangers, the push, shove, and relinquishing of places by the stairs. Among the various guests who leaned through the crowd to congratulate him was the stunning figure of Anya Serepova, a relation of the Gorchakovs. The delightful Anya brushed her lips against his cheek, murmured in his ear that they were ‘cousins’ now and shouldn’t they take the opportunity to become closer friends? He squeezed her hand as she backed away. One little look, a promise? A fine-looking woman, not yet forty.
He realized that when … the Plan … was finally complete that he would have to reign with Liliana, his wife. It was an absurd picture. Lily as Tsarina?
Of course, he had confided nothing to her. They rarely talked. Lily was a dutiful, barren creature who preferred to spend her time in Soroki on their Bessarabian estate. It was warm there and she fancied herself an agriculturalist, continually pottering in her experimental greenhouses and forcing beds. And Soroki on the Driester was a healthful place, much better than the fetid air of Piter in summer. He would have to tell her sometime, he supposed, for when he was Tsar they would be required to spend a significant amount of t
ime in the city. There would be a constant round of ceremonial functions, particularly in the beginning of their reign.
He and Sergei had discussed this transitional strategy and after each session he was more impressed with the immensity of their task. It was not just a matter of bribing guards and sneaking down palace hallways. In some fundamental way they were striking a blow at the very soul of Russia, for the Romanov name was sacred, the family had ruled absolutely for three centuries. To overturn such a tradition was no simple snap of the fingers. Peasants, the merchant class, not to mention the nobility—everyone would have to be brought along slowly. There were … nuances, superstitions, traditions which in themselves mean nothing but must be respected and dealt with. Thank God that Sergei was well aware of this aspect of the Plan and had been shown to be sensitive to the deeper ramifications. Gulka didn’t see it at all. If things were left to him everything would be managed with a knife, a bullet, or a knotted handkerchief.
Honestly, Evdaev didn’t like to think about it, it was too complicated. He was a warrior, conditioned to fight, to attack, to win great victories, not to administrate. Administration was a job for beetles in tailcoats, and there was no shortage of them. The city was choked with administrators, clerks, agents, factors and petty officials. All supervised by Andrianov and other men of his ilk, men who enjoyed organizing industrial combines, managing ledgers, bookkeepers and banking houses. None of it was a fit task for a warrior Tsar. He sighed. Only God could truly decide, he thought, driving the troublesome ideas from his mind. Yes, the Hand of God would reach out and direct his steps resolutely towards the throne, therefore wouldn’t the Hand of God guide Lily too?
There was a commotion at the top of the stairs beneath the monstrous columns that fronted the cathedral; cheers and witticisms shouted out towards the pair, just now reaching the top of the stairs. A squad of Michael’s comrades raised their sabres to form a shelter for the happy couple as they descended, the glittering blades unable to block a cascade of flowers. A sudden crashing of gigantic bells filled the air of the boulevard, startling the gulls into wheeling, shrieking flight.
There was a command, a cheer from the crowd and simultaneously the sabres were lowered, presented, and sheathed. A rush of expensive silks and hysterical laughter as a horde of tearful young noblewomen rushed to surround Pippa. A chorus of jeering and handshakes, clapping on the back and then Miki, blushing, broke away from the boys and dived into the carriage door, aiming himself directly towards a cloud of lace and petticoats.
‘Well, that’s it for your young Michael, eh? Before we turn around there will be a lot of little Pippitas to trip over on the stairs, then his hair will go, he’ll get fat, eh?’ It was Ostrov, great friend of Tsar Nicholas since childhood, and his sometime chauffeur and motoring instructor. Ostrov was red-faced with laughter, sweating even in the cool air. Whatever possessed them to decide on an autumn wedding? In their scarlets he and Ostrov looked like different versions from the uniform-maker’s pattern book. One a great pole, the other a puffball.
‘Life happens this way, or so I am told. How is your boy?’ Evdaev asked.
‘Certainly fine and young. He grows, prowls around the river at our dacha, he is entering the Admiralty cadets.’
‘The navy?’
‘He wants to see the world.’
‘Yes, but what a way to see it. And most of what you see is water!’
For a moment they stared at the retreating carriage as it rushed away across the square towards the Liteiny. Inanities were traded, a few moments later Countess Gorchakova made an entrance at the top of the stairs. As the most honoured woman of the day you would have thought she would be happy, but when she did finally produce a grimace, the smile looked garish and unnatural on her face. She loathed young Michael of course, something about the House of Evdaev had never been quite good enough for her, but there was no husband and a dwindling income, old Gorchakov had been dead these many years, the boy claimed to be in love, and so on balance it was hard to say which house, Evdaev or Gorchakov, had come out best in the transaction.
The reception at the Gorchakov Palace developed into a tawdry, drunken affair. No one, it seemed, could properly celebrate the union of these two perfect young people. In the midst of the confusion young Baron Rudolph Nikolsky came up to talk. He was something in the Ministry of War, a man whose closest companions were financiers and manufacturers. One of the modern ones, all dash and short hair. On Nikolsky’s heels the huge Mikhail Rodzianko appeared, President of the Duma but a monarchist still, not at all a bad fellow to converse with, and so obese that he made Ostrov look thin. Sazonov, the Foreign Minister, also joined them and they clustered there watched over by huge oil portraits, all mythological in nature, since no Gorchakovs had ever participated in slaying dragons, or wrestling Napoleonic demons from the sky.
At first the conversation was casual, everyone talking about their plans to vacate the capital for the sunny south when the weather turned. Within weeks, everyone would be following in the wake of the youngsters, who would begin their honeymoon tonight within his private car, which he had kindly loaned to Miki.
The talk veered to the subject of Rasputin—there were none of his circle of sycophants gathered there under the gigantic paintings—and rumours of how interference by Rasputin was the cause of the probable replacement of Kokovtsov as Prime Minister. Everyone shrugged. The talk swerved again towards the recent negotiations over the war.
Sazonov was doing most of the talking. ‘They entered the first war all brothers—Greece, the Serbs, little Montenegro … the Bulgars, and they all expected to eradicate the Turkish presence, drive out the heathens, and push all the way to Constantinople. Everything was going to be flowers and smiles, divide the pie together …’
‘But it didn’t work out that way,’ Nikolsky put in. A tight little smile.
‘Yes, too much blood, not willing to pay the price, and then when they drew up the treaty, Bulgaria—’
‘Who’d bled the most, lost the most, fought the hardest—’ Evdaev put in. The men smiled.
‘In their minds at least—’
‘Yes, well they see what Serbia gets, and they feel cheated at the negotiations and they want what they think is theirs and so, like fools …’
‘But for Bulgaria to think they can advance their interests by attacking their Slavic brothers, that’s not the way forward,’ Evdaev said.
‘No, it’s not, Nestor. I realize that,’ Sazonov sighed. ‘But the Bulgarians are learning the lesson the hard way.’ Rodzianko nodded wisely and stepped in, proclaiming his faith in Sazonov’s diplomats and their ability to conjure a united, peaceful Europe. The men laughed.
They had been joined by Prince Meshchersky, famous homosexual and publisher of a leading newspaper that catered to the ultra-conservative Black Hundreds, an entertaining character. He and Evdaev had been kammerpages together, best friends. It was only later that he realized Meshchersky’s peculiarities, but for years there had been no sign at all. Now, of course, he was dangerously flamboyant.
Meshchersky prodded Evdaev to continue with his views. ‘It is simple,’ he replied strongly. ‘Eventually we must have Constantinople. It is in the natural order of things, just as birds need air. And we shall have it, but we could have had it all by now. Think of that, eh?’ Eyebrows were raised. The opinion directly challenged Sazonov, who, it was widely reported, had consistently backed away from any confrontation with the Austrians, who were sure to react to any Russian pressure in the Balkans. ‘Go on,’ someone said, but Evdaev politely would say no more.
‘No,’ urged Nikolsky. ‘Continue, please. This is a social occasion and we are among friends,’ the young man said with a meaningful look towards Sazonov, who was smiling politely. Rodzianko gave him an almost invisible nod, and so Evdaev launched his torpedoes.
‘I say that if we had fully supported our brothers in the first of these Balkan wars, we could have kept the alliance together, and driven our armies straight throu
gh Turkey in a single thrust. And had we been in at the start, our dreadnoughts would be moored at the entrance to the Dardanelles at this very moment, and I would be giving Miki and Pippa a villa on the Aegean for a wedding present.’
Meshchersky laughed, Rodzianko applauded. ‘Continue. Nestor, please …’ Sazonov said solemnly, polite enough to hear him out. Someone clapped him on the back to start him up again.
‘And had we taken that golden opportunity, the Austrians would have backed down because we would have assured them we had no designs on their territory. That would have been the way to placate them.’
Sazonov nodded, smiled, and glanced down at his shoes. There was a chuckle of disbelief at Evdaev’s directness, and to buttress his statements Evdaev turned to Rodzianko. ‘Did you not urge such a course? Did you not say we should profit from the war fever?’ For a moment everyone held their breath. After all, Rodzianko was a politician, and his opinions on foreign policy were only the opinions of a loud-voiced civilian who represented the vague force of the ‘people’, something unknown waiting in the wings.
Before Rodzianko could speak, Sazonov stepped in, trying to cut the argument short, measuring the men’s discretion with a glance. ‘Everyone likes an opportunity, Nestor, but I can tell you the Turkish question was carefully considered and it was rejected at the highest levels,’ he said quietly, formally. The men nodded gravely. Everyone knew this meant Tsar Nicholas, there was no higher level.
Sazonov glanced at them with his sharp eyes, nodded and then turned to Evdaev. ‘But, yes, Nestor, I agree. It would have been heroic, a glorious stroke, to take Constantinople.’ He reached up and grasped Evdaev’s forearm, one Roman to another. ‘Pure heroics, pure glory, fraught with danger, of course, and only history will judge if it was not the best thing to do,’ the Foreign Minister said with a small bow, and then left the little circle.
‘He’s ill,’ Ostrov said.
‘He’s next,’ Meshchersky shot right back, and they all laughed at Sazonov’s departing figure.
Field of Mars Page 10
