by Dinah Dean
She was kneeling beside him and he noticed that there was a fine gold chain round her neck, disappearing inside the bodice of her petticoat. He reached out one finger and lifted the chain, pulling out a tiny icon in coloured enamel on gold.
'St Irina?' he asked.
'Yes. I wondered ... I wanted to give it to you. I haven't anything else and I would like to give you something, to remind you of me...'. Her voice tailed off as if she was afraid he might laugh or be impatient with her sentimental idea.
He caressed her cheek with gentle fingers and smiled. 'I don't need anything to remind me of you, you're too firmly in my heart,' he said. 'But I'd like to have it, just because it's yours.'
She unfastened the chain and put it round his neck, carefully securing the catch. He bent his head forward to help her to reach and kissed the place where the little icon had rested between her breasts which was just level with his face. Then he put his arms round her, pulled her across his lap and kissed her gently, stroking her hair and murmuring endearments and thanks for her gift.
After a while, she said softly, 'You mustn't get chilled. You're quite cold and shivering.' He gave her a last kiss, refrained from mentioning that he was trembling as much as shivering and released her reluctantly, suddenly realizing that this would be the last night they would spend together until they could do so properly after their marriage. But he said nothing about that either.
She insisted on tucking him up in his blankets, spreading his heavy greatcoat over him and kissing him goodnight before retiring to her own place and blowing out the candle. Orlov lay awake for a long time, his body cold and aching, and was vaguely aware as he eventually fell asleep of the sound and smell of the first few drops of rain falling on the dry dust of the road and the canopy of leaves overhead.
By morning, the rain had stopped, leaving the air fresh and chilly and the trees dripping under a dismal grey sky. While Josef shaved him, Orlov asked after Grigor Pavlovitch and Josef said in a faintly disgusted tone, 'The fellow moaned and groaned all night—most disturbing!' He clearly felt that people should suffer in silence.
Orlov dressed himself properly in full uniform, thinking that it would not do to ride into Kaluga minus his stock and helmet in the casual fashion he had fallen into during the past few days. The grey sky looked sufficiently foreboding for him to tell Josef to strap his greatcoat onto his saddle ready to put on when the rain started again.
Kolniev appeared at breakfast without his head bandage, showing the sabre-cut almost healed, a livid scar running diagonally across his brow. Orlov asked if he should have it re-bandaged, but he replied that he couldn't wear his hat properly with the bandage on. Obviously, he shared Orlov's feeling about being properly dressed to enter the town and judging from the activity among the men, he had already instructed them to smarten up for the occasion.
During the morning's travelling, they passed through another village, a larger, more prosperous one this time, and one or two idlers outside the alehouse gave them a cheer as they went by which Orlov acknowledged with a salute as it sounded genuine. There was a certain amount of other traffic on the road, mainly supply wagons going into Kaluga which drew over to the side of the road to make way for the army in a properly respectful manner.
The rain held off until the end of the morning but cut short their midday break, which was taken at the roadside near the entrance gates of a country mansion. Everyone seemed anxious to press on to the end of the journey now and when a steady drizzle began to fall, they simply packed up and moved on with a mutual accord which required no orders. Orlov put on his greatcoat and then rode alongside Countess Irina's cart for a while. She was well wrapped up in his big cloak and smiled at him as they exchanged a few words, but Orlov thought she looked a little depressed. He wanted to say something to cheer her, but four soldiers in her cart, all listening intently, it was impossible to say anything but the purely conventional.
He returned to the head of the procession as the view ahead opened out and revealed the town of Kaluga, outspread in the river valley below. With their goal in sight, the drivers almost unconsciously stirred the horses to a faster pace. By mid-afternoon, Orlov led the creaking line of carts in at the city gate and through the wet streets, deserted in the steady rain, to the hospital building.
There they were engulfed in the business of arrival, with the authorities, who seemed to be expecting them, taking over from the officers, sending the stretcher cases to the places prepared for them, and passing those who were fit on to the barracks, where they were also expected. Orlov detected the efficiency of his friend Danilov in this and was not surprised to see that the orders on the barrack commandant's desk were in Danilov's writing over General Barclay's signature.
Once their arrival had been properly reported and Kolniev was busy fitting his men into the accommodation set aside for them, Orlov told Josef to take his belongings to the room allocated to him, while he found somewhere for Countess Irina to lodge.
He found her sitting on a bench under the archway by the commandant's office, the collar of the cloak pulled over her bent head to hide her face, looking lost and disconsolate. 'Come, Sparrow,' he said. 'We'll go to the Governor's house and see what he recommends as a good place for you to stay.'
He put his arm round her and took her over to his waiting horse, mounted, and swung her up in front of him in the usual way. She leaned up close against him and he rubbed his cheek affectionately against her hair with a few murmured endearments. 'We'll ask the Governor's wife to help find a maid for you as well,' he said.
'I've never had a maid,' she said.
'You'll need one if you're to stay at an inn and for when you travel to Ryazan—some respectable, sensible girl to look alter you.'
The Governor's house, an imposing stone edifice in this mainly wooden town, was in the main square. When Orlov sent in his name and rank, the Governor himself came down to receive him, a large elderly gentleman, whose uniform coat strained over his prominent stomach.
'My dear Major! Delighted to see you safe. We've been expecting you with some anxiety, you know.' He shook Orlov's hand and looked enquiringly at the Countess. Orlov explained that she was betrothed to him and that he wanted to ask the Governor's help in arranging for her safety and comfort.
The Governor kissed her hand with a flourish, exclaiming with concern at finding her so wet from the rain.. He took their dripping outdoor clothes and ushered them into his study, exclaiming still more when Orlov revealed that the Countess had actually travelled with his little convoy of wounded men. He rang for a servant to bring them tea and excused himself while he went to fetch his wife.
While he was gone, Orlov prowled restlessly round the sombre, book-lined study with its heavy dark furniture and commented, 'He seems a kindly sort of fellow.' Irina sat by the fire, her damp skirt steaming, and looked down at her folded hands in her lap, trying not to shiver.
Orlov looked at her a couple of times between peering at the titles of the Governor's books, then he knelt beside her and took her cold hands between his own and rubbed them to try to warm them. She smiled at him, but she looked very pale and strained. 'Don't be afraid, Sparrow,' he said. 'I won't abandon you. I'll not be far away.'
The door opened and the Governor ushered in a tall, angular lady with grey hair under her lace cap and sharp black eyes set in a kindly wrinkled face. Without waiting for formalities, she swept forward with a rustle of silk, ignoring Orlov who had risen hastily to his feet and seized Irina's hand, exclaiming, 'My poor dear girl! You must be exhausted! What a dreadful ordeal! You must stay with me until your betrothed can make provision for you!'
Irina stammered her thanks and seemed bewildered and a little scared. She looked up quickly at Orlov, who stepped forward and gracefully thanked the Governor's wife, exerting his very considerable charm and explaining that he meant to send the Countess to his sister in Ryazan.
'It's very difficult,' he said. 'You see, she has lost her home and her only relative and
there is no one to look after her but me. I am tied here for the present by my duties and must return to Headquarters as soon as I can. I hoped we might trespass on your kindness to help me find a good, reliable maid who would accompany the Countess to Ryazan and somewhere comfortable for her to stay and rest for a few days while I arrange for a carriage to take her to my sister.'
'Why, she must stay with us!' the Governor's wife repeated. 'Poor child, she must be quite worn out! I promise you, Major, I shall take very good care of her and make her very comfortable. I have just the girl for a maid—she was nurse to my daughter's children but they are all in the schoolroom now and don't need her. You may leave everything to me with a quiet mind, I assure you. Now, have you any baggage, my dear?'
'I have a trunk,' Irina looked up at Orlov again and he put a comforting hand on her shoulder saying, 'It's at the barracks. I'll send Josef round with it. I can't tell you, Madame, how grateful I am to you. Irina is very precious to me. I'm deeply obliged to you for your kind offer.'
Irina also thanked her, and the Governor's wife kissed her cheek, exclaiming, 'Nonsense! Now, dear-child, you shall take off those wet clothes and go to bed at once and I shall make you a posset to help you to sleep. Say goodbye to the Major— he shall come and dine with us tomorrow evening, and you'll see him then.'
Irina obediently turned towards Orlov, giving him a ghost of a mischievous smile as she held out her hand to him. He took the hand, but kissed her lips in a slightly formal manner, wishing her a good night's rest as she went away with the Governor's wife.
The Governor invited Orlov to take a glass of wine, and plied him with questions about the journey and answered Orlov's enquiries about the course of the war as far as he was able. He had little to add to the news Orlov had gleaned from the Cossack Hetman; no battle had been fought since Smolensk; the Russian army had made a fighting retreat to somewhere around Tsarevo, and was awaiting the arrival of Kutuzov, now Commander-in-chief. Barclay had reverted to command of the First Army, with Bagration still commanding the Second.
'You'll be putting in a report?' the Governor asked as Orlov made his excuses and stood up to go.
'Indeed,' Orlov replied. 'There are several points I shall have to clarify and some recommendations I would like to make. If you'll excuse me now, I'd like to return to the barracks and see that the men are well-housed. I must say, I was impressed by the way everything was ready for us. It was a great relief to be expected like that. I was dreading the thought of trying to persuade the hospital and barrack commandants to take us in but they welcomed us most handsomely.'
'You've friends at Headquarters to thank for that!' the Governor replied cheerfully. 'Very explicit instructions were sent. Now, you'll be sure to dine with us tomorrow night? We keep reasonable hours, so we'll expect you before six.'
Orlov thanked him and sent further messages of thanks to his wife for her kindness as the Governor escorted him to the door and saw him on his way back to the barracks.
The rain was still falling steadily and the grey walked along with his head drooping. Orlov felt little better himself despite his relief at finding a safe haven for Irina. He gave a melancholy sneeze as he dismounted at the barracks and a groom led his horse away. The building was bleak, stark and uncomfortable. It was cold, but at least it was clean and dry.
Orlov found his own room and sent Josef round to the Governor's house with Irina's trunk before sitting down at the table to open the pile of letters which awaited him, sent on by Danilov, presumably. As Josef bumped his way out of the door with the trunk, he remarked impersonally that it was not wise to sit about in wet clothing and Orlov obediently changed out of his rain-soaked uniform before lying down on his bed to read his letters.
There was a lengthy report from his lawyers about the affairs of his estates which he skimmed through quickly and set aside for more detailed study later once he was sure that all was well. A couple of scented missives written on coloured paper he threw straight into the fire unopened with a feeling of shame at the recollection of past amusements.
Next, he found a long letter from Tatia, full of news about the people at Ryazan and about her own summer activities. She ended with an appeal to him to return home soon, adding, 'I hope and trust that once the French are sent packing you will be ready to leave that horrid Army and come back to your proper place. It's time you were married and raising a family, an idea which has an appeal for me also.'
He wondered whom she had in mind for herself—he hoped it was someone in particular, rather than just a generalized observation. Such a waste if Tatia spent the rest of her life as a widow or married for convenience again. He wondered what Tatia would say when she received his letter about Irina—it must be well on its way to her by now.
He left until last an official-looking srreed which turned out to be his orders from Headquarters. He was instructed to remain at Kaluga to oversee the welfare of the men he had brought from Smolensk until the doctors either pronounced them fit for duty or discharged them unfit for further service. He was then to advice the military governors of Kaluga and Tula provinces on the training of their militiamen and supervise the collection of cavalry remounts in the area until further notice. There was also a request for a full report on his activities since he left Smolensk.
While he was reading all this through again, a thump on the door heralded the arrival of Kolniev, come to fetch him to dinner in the officers’ mess. Orlov told him about the Governor’s wife adoption of Countess Irina and Kolnier expressed relief and pleasure that she should be comfortably settled for a while. ‘She’s such a dear, plucky little thing’, he said. ‘I’m glad there’s someone to make a bit of fuss over her, especially as it looks as if you’ll be busy.’
After dinner, Orlov spent a couple of hours writing a long letter to his lawyers about the affairs of Irina’s aunt and about the settlement he wanted to make on his future wife. There were also a number of matters concerning his estate which needed his attention. Then he wrote to his sister, telling her the latest developments with a great many more instructions and requests concerning Irina.
After that, he began his report but his head ached and he felt cold, so he abandoned it after the first two sentences and went to bed, where he lay awake listening to the rain and worrying about Irina – was she happy and comfortable? Was the Governor’s wife really being kind to her? At length, he admitted to himself that he was wakeful because he missed her and promptly drifted off to sleep.
He was very busy all the next day, which was again dismal and wet, and began by visiting the men in hospital where he found Kusminsky arguing with the Commandant aboul the accommodation provided for the men. They had been put together in two large wards when they first arrived butnow the Commandant wanted them redistributed among the other patients according to their rank. Kusminsky was attempting to obtain his consent to keeping them all together.
As soon as Orlov arrived, Kusminsky appealed him for support, which Orlov immediately gave, producing his orders to oversee the welfare of the men and insisting that they must be kept together if he was to be able to do so. He won his point and the men were left where they were, rather apart from the rest of the inmates.
'Thank God for that!' Kusminsky said as they left the Commandant's office. 'There are all kinds of unpleasant things in the other wards, and most of them are filthy. I've asked Kolniev to send some of the fitter men in the barracks over here to scrub out the rooms we've been given, so at least they'll be clean. I'm very grateful to you for your support, Major.'
Orlov made a dismissive gesture. ‘I’lll always support you— I think you know what you're doing.'
Kusminsky asked after Countess Irina and Orlov told him about their call at the Governor's house. The surgeon said rather hesitantly, 'You'll go and see her?'
'Of course,' replied Orlov. ‘I'm dining there tonight. Why?' he added, knowing Kusminsky well enough to realize that there was more to the question than idle curiosity.
'I just
wondered if you realize how much she depends on your kindness,' the surgeon replied. 'I should imagine that aunt of hers destroyed any confidence she might have had in her own ability to attract a man. She'll be terrified that you'll lose interest in her now we're back to our comparatively normal lives. I don't imagine you've ever known what it's like to suffer from unrequited love—you're the sort of man who attracts all the female admiration he can cope with. She knows that and she'll be comparing herself with every woman she meets and thinking them all more beautiful, more clever than herself. If you really do care for her, you'll have to give her a hell of a lot of reassurance before she'll be really sure of you.'
'But surely she'll realize that I wouldn't have asked her to marry me if I didn't care for her?'
'She'll wonder why you asked her... pity? Your overgrown sense of responsibility? The belief that you've compromised her? Passing attraction, arising from the peculiar circumstances of the past couple of weeks? Why did you ask her? Don't tell me, tell her!'
Orlov gave a faint smile and said gruffly, 'I don't mind telling you. It's because she's a part of me. I don't feel complete without her any more.'
'That's it!' Kusminsky exclaimed. 'Tell her that—it's exactly right!'
They spent most of the morning discussing the condition of the men and concocting the medical side of Orlov's report and then visited the patients in the wards. Orlov had a hurried luncheon with Kusminsky, then went to the Paymaster's office to arrange a fairly large draft of money for his own use, for the expenses of Irina's journey and something for her to spend on any clothes she might need.
The Paymaster was a garrulous soul and like everyone else in Kaluga, anxious for news of the war and interested in Orlov's own adventures, so it was some time before he could get away. When he did, he hurried into the town to buy some things he needed for himself and, on an impulse, purchased a pretty crystal flask of perfume for Irina—something light, flowery and respectable but without a trace of lavender in it.