An Innocent in Russia Read online

  “My sweet, adorable little English rose,” he went on, “I will teach you that nothing is important except love and love conquers everything.”

  Zelina tried to pull her hand away from his.

  “Please let me go, Your Highness. I have already told you what I feel and I must ask you as a – gentleman to – respect my feelings.”

  The Prince laughed.

  “I am not an English gentleman – cold, conventional and, of course, very honourable.”

  He spoke mockingly and then went on,

  “I am Russian and a fire burns within me that will light a fire in you. Then you will understand that love is all-consuming, omnipotent and inescapable!”

  He turned over her hand with both of his and pressed his lips passionately on her palm and, although he was only kissing her hand, Zelina felt that he was violating her whole body.

  “Let me go! Let me go!” she shouted.

  Then, still holding her captive, the Prince rose to his feet and she realised that he was about to put his arms around her.

  She gave a little scream of sheer fright and at that moment to Zelena’s utter relief the door opened and Prince Ivan came into the salon.

  “I did not know you were here, Alexis,” he exclaimed.

  His intervention made it possible for her to release herself from the Prince and without explanation she ran across the salon and out through the door.

  Prince Ivan raised his eyebrows as he saw her go and then he looked at the Prince.

  “Up to your usual tricks, Alexis?” he enquired.

  “She is lovely! Adorable!” the Prince replied. “She is completely innocent and it will be an inexpressible fascination for me to awaken her.”

  Prince Ivan thought for a moment.

  Then he said,

  “His Majesty does not want any trouble with the British at this particular moment and in consequence is making a great fuss of Lord Charnock.”

  “Surely that does not concern a girl of her age?” Prince Alexis then asked. “Moreover, Natasha will give him no time to think of any other woman except for herself.”

  “I am sure you are right,” Prince Ivan agreed. “At the same time the English support each other and, if this girl should make trouble, it would certainly annoy His Majesty.”

  Prince Alexis made a very expressive gesture with his hands.

  “I have never known any woman to make a fuss, except when I leave her.”

  Prince Ivan laughed.

  “Your conceit, Alexis, is abominable, but I do admit that you have plenty of grounds for it.”

  “Leave everything and the lovely Zelina to me,” Prince Alexis suggested.

  *

  In the security of her bedroom, Zelina thought how right Lord Charnock had been when he had warned her not to be alone with a Russian man.

  She decided that the next time the Princess was going out, she would not stay down in one of the salons but would lock herself in her own bedroom.

  At the same time, because she was frightened, she longed to see Lord Charnock and hear his calm and reassuring voice.

  Then she remembered how involved he seemed to be with the Countess Natasha and she thought with a sinking of her heart that he would have no time for her.

  But she could not help thinking about him and in a way yearning for him.

  He had been so kind to her on her journey to Russia and she found herself wishing that they had never arrived, but by some strange magic had gone on sailing into the horizon and over the edge of the world into a fairy-tale Eternity.

  *

  As it was all so unexpected, Zelina could hardly believe it when a day later she found herself in the country miles from St. Petersburg and staying in one of the most magnificent Palaces she could possibly imagine.

  The Princess had come back from her visit to the Czarina to say with delight that the Czar wished them to stay with him on his estate at Tsarskoye Selo and they were to drive there the next morning.

  The packing of the trunks and the preparations that galvanised the whole household were something that Zelina had not experienced before and which she found fascinating.

  Davey was not to go with her as there was a ship leaving for Stockholm in just two days’ time. However another lady’s maid from the Princess’s household had been found for her and she seemed extremely competent.

  She and Davey sorted out the clothes that Zelina would need for Tsarskoye Selo, leaving behind a great number of her other gowns.

  “I’ll pack them up carefully for you, mademoiselle,” Davey said, “in case you stay longer than Her Highness expects to at the moment. Then the rest of your trunks can easily follow you.”

  “Thank you for being so kind,” Zelina replied.

  She gave Davey a large tip and also a present of a warm shawl that she had admired when she was unpacking for her.

  “It’s too much! You mustn’t part with it, mademoiselle, Davey protested.

  “I am lucky to have so many lovely things,” Zelina replied. “I would like you to have it and when you wear it think of me.”

  “I will, mademoiselle,” Davey replied, “and I’ll always remember you in my prayers.”

  “Thank you,” Zelina sighed. “I feel I may need them.”

  She was thinking of Prince Alexis as she spoke and it was a joy to know that, when she was away from St. Petersburg, he would not bother her.

  However she was horrified when they assembled for dinner at Tsarskoye Selo for she found that he too had been invited by the Czar as a guest.

  The fact that he was there would have been more of a shock if Zelina had not learnt with an inexpressible feeling of joy that Lord Charnock was to arrive the following morning.

  She naturally had no idea that in fact the party had been arranged because the Czar was already impatient at the lack of information from the Countess Natasha and the other Agents who he had ordered to investigate Lord Charnock.

  The Secret Police had even, on their Master’s strict orders, managed in Lord Charnock’s absence to pick the locks of two of his despatch boxes.

  Although it was done skilfully and no ordinary Courier or King’s Messenger would have been aware that the boxes had been tampered with, Lord Charnock knew it immediately.

  However he had been quite unperturbed, aware not only that the despatch boxes carried everything in code, which the Russians would find very hard to decipher, but that there was actually little of importance for them to read even if they managed to do so.

  The main purpose of his visit, known only to him, was a mission that was not in writing but was stored in his mind.

  He had been amused by the Countess Natasha s efforts to extract information from him when he had been aroused by her fiery lovemaking and later, when, as she had hoped, he was too relaxed to be on his guard.

  Lord Charnock’s answers to her questions had proved exceedingly disappointing to the Czar and, having berated the Countess and various members of the Secret Police, he decided that he would show up their inefficiency by doing the job himself.

  “I want you to see Tsarskoye Selo,” he had said to Lord Charnock. “The Empress and I are going there tomorrow and I hope very much that you will join us.”

  “I shall be delighted to do so,” Lord Charnock had replied, “but I hope Your Majesty will permit me to arrive on the following day, as the British Ambassador has already arranged a dinner party in my honour tomorrow evening.”

  The Czar agreed with bad grace and he chose the rest of his house party carefully, hoping that the inclusion of Zelina and her host and hostess would convince this Englishman that there was no reason for him to be suspicious as to why he had been invited.

  There were also several relatives of the Czar who he knew would be amusing and witty but were in no way connected with Politics.

  “I know how to manage these things,” the Czar had said to the Head of the Secret Police, “and your men are too stereotyped in their approach to someone as astute as Lord Charnoc
k.”

  “I am quite sure that Your Imperial Majesty will be successful,” Count Benckendorff had replied, thinking as he spoke that it was very unlikely.

  Tsarskoye Selo was about two hours’ drive from St. Petersburg and to Zelina it was very fascinating to see the open countryside as they drove at an almost unbelievable pace in a chariot with four horses abreast.

  The Russians she saw by the road were fine men, tall and wild-looking. But their high boots, great pelisses of sheepskin, long beards and tangled hair were all covered with a thick crust of dirt.

  Few women were to be seen, but those there were ugly in form and face.

  The Palace was enormous.

  The Princess had told her that it was to be a small and intimate party, but, even before Lord Charnock arrived, Zelina found that there were over thirty guests.

  Dinner was served at five o’clock in an immense salle with a horseshoe table.

  The servants, who were dressed in white turbans and scarlet and gold uniforms, seemed very Eastern.

  To Zelina’s surprise, her lady’s maid who, although she was Russian, could speak quite understandable French, told her that there were more than two hundred cooks in The Palace, forty travelled with the Czar and every time the Imperial Family went from St. Petersburg to the country two hundred carriages were required.

  It was the first time that Zelina had seen the Imperial children and after dinner two little Grand Dukes came in dressed in Russian costume.

  They seemed to be very happy and, when the Czar made them laugh, they rolled about on the floor in giggles.

  They had their old Scottish Nanny with them and the French Mademoiselle. When the children were dismissed and their attendants went with them, Zelina remembered that had it not been for Lord Charnock’s advice that was what would have been happening to her.

  After they had finished eating, the Empress dismissed her guests, asking them to return at eight o’clock for a Reception.

  Zelina changed her gown again, this time putting on a very elegant ball gown. The other ladies in the house party were so splendidly gowned that she thought they might have been attending a State Ball.

  The Czarina, who was tall and graceful, wore a dress of pure white with a necklace of enormous blue sapphires and even her second daughter, who was only fourteen, was wearing a necklace of perfect pearls and bracelets of diamonds and rubies.

  Although the Emperor spoke as if he was living a humble life, it was just impossible to imagine that any place could display more eloquently the immense power, wealth and huge extravagance of the Royal Court.

  After there had been a general conversation for two hours, Zelina noticed that Prince Alexis, who she had not spoken since she arrived, was edging his way towards her.

  Quickly she looked round for the Princess and saw her talking to an elderly woman who was one of the house party.

  She went to her side.

  “What is it?” the Princess asked.

  “I wonder, Your Highness, if I might retire to bed?” Zelina asked. “I have a slight headache and, although it has been a very exhilarating and intriguing day, it has also been a tiring one.”

  “I think what you are really saying,” the Princess replied with a smile, “is that you are exhausted after two balls at St. Petersburg. As we shall doubtless be late tomorrow night, I think you can slip away. I will make your apologies to Her Imperial Majesty if she notices that you are no longer here.”

  “Thank you, Your Highness,” Zelina smiled.

  She hurried towards the door and only when she reached it and looked back did she see an expression of anger on Prince Alexis’s face and she knew that she had been very wise in eluding him.

  *

  The following day she learnt that the Czar liked everything to be informal when they were in the country, which meant that, after he had decided what he would do, there was a chance that the rest of the guests would not be given any direct instructions.

  Lord Charnock arrived early and the Czar swept him at once into the garden to admire some improvements that he had made and to inspect a new fountain surrounded by Gods and Goddesses encrusted in gold that had been erected in front of the Palace.

  Knowing that Prince Alexis would be watching out for her, Zelina kept closely to the Princess’s side and she thought that she had been rather clever until he came up and said to Princess Olga,

  “Have I your permission to show our English visitor the aviary? I am sure that she will find the birds collected by Her Imperial Majesty very attractive.”

  “But of course, Alexis,” the Princess replied. “And, if you are thinking of inviting me to come with you, I can assure you that I have seen them far too many times already!”

  Her eyes were twinkling as she spoke and the Prince replied with a smile,

  “I am sorry that you will not accompany us, but it would be a pity for Miss Tiverton to miss anything that owes so much to our hostess’s artistic skill.”

  “Of course,” the Princess answered and turned to speak to someone else.

  Zelina longed to refuse to go with the Prince, but, as she was wondering how she could do so, the Prince masterfully put his hand under her elbow and drew her along the marble corridor that led to the other end of The Palace.

  It was quite a long walk and, as they passed a great number of servants, Zelina did not, despite her apprehension, feel that she was alone with the Prince.

  At length they came to the orangery that had been built on one side of The Palace and very ingeniously constructed at the end of it was the aviary.

  The first part of the building was given over to an indoor garden, which Zelina had heard was one of the sights of The Palace. It was where the ladies exercised in the winter when it was impossible to go out of doors.

  Never had she imagined anything so pretty as orange trees in bloom, creepers climbing up the walls and flower boxes on the ground containing every type of specimen from orchids to violets, all artificially grown in a way that had been evolved by the Russians through sheer necessity.

  The brilliance of the flowers and their fragrance that filled the air made Zelina clap her hands.

  “Oh, how lovely! How unbelievably lovely,” she exclaimed.

  “And so are you!” the Prince added.

  Immediately she was on her guard and looked round to find that they were alone and that there was not a sign of any servants or attendants.

  “Where are ‒ the birds?” she asked nervously.

  The Prince pointed to where in the distance between two large pillars she could see the front of the aviary.

  “I will show them to you in a moment, there is no hurry.”

  “I want to see them,” she protested.

  “I want you to listen to me.”

  “There is nothing ‒ you can say, Your Highness, that I want to hear.”

  “I will make you change your mind.”

  He came a little nearer to her as he spoke.

  “I must talk to you alone, Zelina, and somewhere where we will not be disturbed.”

  “I am sure that is ‒ impossible,” she answered him quickly.

  “I insist that you listen to what I have to say.”

  She wondered how she could convince him that she had no wish to be alone with him. But, while she was feeling for words, he went on,

  “I am sleeping not too far from your bedroom. Tonight I will come and talk to you after everybody has gone to bed.”

  “No – no! Of course not!” Zelina exclaimed.

  The Prince put his hand on her arm and she felt the strength of his fingers.

  “Now listen, you foolish child. I would not do anything you would not wish me to do. I swear I will not hurt you, but I have to talk to you. I have to tell you how much you mean to me and how you thrill me as I have never been thrilled before.”

  “Your Highness is a – married man!”

  “I will convince you that this is immaterial.”

  “You will be – wasting your
time. “You – belong to your wife and to – nobody else.”

  The Prince smiled and she sensed that he was merely amused by her resistance to his suggestions. What was more the mere fact that she was opposing him made her in his eyes even more enticing.

  She was very inexperienced. At the same time she was well aware that he desired her in a manner that was frightening.

  She could almost feel his arms reaching out towards her, dragging her to him, willing her to do what he wanted in a way that was almost hypnotic.

  “My door will be ‒ locked, Your Highness,” she said. “And, if you come near me, I shall – scream for help and that will – undoubtedly cause a – scandal.”

  “It is unlikely that anybody would hear you,” the Prince replied, “and the scandal, my beautiful little English rose, would rest on your head not on mine.”

  Zelina knew despairingly that he was speaking the truth. What she had already learnt of the Russians made her know that nobody would ever expect the Prince to be anything but passionate, ardent and adventurous and, if he was found in her bedroom, it was she who would be looked upon with suspicion and condemnation.

  As these thoughts were going through her mind, the Prince was watching her face in a manner that Zelina felt in despair was that of a man who was triumphantly aware that he would succeed in gaining what he desired.

  “Please – Your Highness,” she pleaded impulsively, “do not – upset or – frighten me.”

  Because she was no longer fighting him, the Prince’s mood changed.

  “My sweet! My darling. My lovely English rose!” he said. “I have no wish to frighten you. I want to hold you in my arms and rain kisses on your adorable face. I want to make your heart beat against mine and for us both to find that love is the only thing that matters and the rest of the world is forgotten.”

  He came very close to Zelina as he spoke and she felt, as his eyes held hers, that he was drawing her hypnotically to him and however hard she tried it would be impossible to escape.

  Then, with a cry that seemed to echo round the orangery, she broke the spell by turning abruptly and, before he could prevent her, running as swiftly as her feet could carry her back down the corridor that they had just walked down.