They brought their money back
here from their foreign bank accounts. They did very well abroad,
and they wanted to share the wealth. Such a rare thing, you understand –
especially for a family that fared well under all our Tsars,
Christian and Communist.”
“ I gathered as much.” So,
Nicholas' family had always been rich.
“ Their personal affairs
were finished in no time. Then they went to work on the people,
feeding and employing a whole village just outside the city. Mr.
Voroshlov upset many.”
“ Upset? Why?” I relaxed a
little, genuinely curious. I still wasn't sure where this was
going, and what it had to do with the vanished Mrs.
Voroshlov.
“ Powerful men have no
interest in charity. They pretend they do, but only for their own
devices. You think they wanted men like Mr. Voroshlov taking their
place with true generosity? The criminals killed his Masha as
punishment! The Bratva gave him sin and sorrow for his
kindness.”
Natasha rose, pointing her finger at me. I
lurched back. My chair scraped the floor loudly.
“ They blew up her car
while she was out for a drive! Thank God she was alone, and little
Grigor wasn't there! THANK GOD!”
I was with a mad woman. Or was it just the
way these people reacted after real tragedy?
I watched, cautious and wide eyed, as
Natasha spread her spindly arms up at the ceiling, facing the
heavens. Tears ran down her old face, suddenly much softer. Then
the mellowness faded when she turned those hawkish eyes on me
again.
“ Now, look at what you've
done! Upsetting all our memories, our emotions...things that
deserve to be buried in this house forever, like sweet Masha
Sergeyeva in her tomb!” She leaned over the table, planting her
hands near her plate for support, never breaking our
gaze.
“ Don't think you will have
him, girl. And if you do, you'll be another plaything. Mr.
Voroshlov lost his true love, and no one will ever replace her. I
won't let you. I'll see this house destroyed before it sins against
itself.”
I'd had enough. I threw my chair back all
the way. The servants behind us were whispering loudly among
themselves, babbling in rapid fire Russian about the spectacle
unfolding.
“ I didn't mean to upset
you, Mrs. Vladkov.” I decided to restore a little formality, hoping
it would smooth things over. “Goodnight.”
Her hard, hateful eyes trailed me like ready
guns all the way to the door. When I slipped outside the kitchen, I
sucked in a deep breath, just happy to be out of there.
I wasn't used to such deadly serious
business and bad memories. But damn, if I was going to make it
here, I told myself I better get used to it. And fast.
Still no sign of Nicholas on day ten. My
curiosity and isolation was getting the best of me.
He should've been back any day. There must
have been some unbearable delay, something that kept me from the
man who'd brought me to this madhouse.
Grigor had eaten dinner and gotten all
tucked in for the night. My stomach growled, but I wasn't going to
go to the kitchen.
It was too early. I minimized my encounters
with the other staff. Shy, mistrustful women who stared at me from
a distance, always lowering their eyes whenever I passed.
Everyone except Natasha Fedorova, of course.
I didn't dare risk a second explosion with her. I'd managed to
avoid her since the blow out in the kitchen, thankful for small
favors.
I wandered the lonely halls, unsure if
melancholy or frustration were eating at me more. I was beginning
to doubt my wealthy savior.
Where the hell is he?I'm right back where I
started – wandering the empty spaces all by myself. Not even a note
by pigeon.
I went up, taking the crimson steps one at a
time, slow and deliberate. Natasha's words, though harsh, had some
truth.
What business did I have nurturing this
silly attraction to a foreigner I barely knew? Hell, a man who was
now my boss!
Rounding the corner, I saw the statues. I
hadn't been up there since I'd been given the grand tour. Their
hard,