‘The Russian people will never stand for it.’
‘The Russian people hated the Romanovs, especially that German woman.’
Alexei pointed an accusing finger at Bogoleev. ‘And you want me to join your gang of murderous criminals?’
‘I’m warning you, Comrade Serov.’
‘If this is your bargain with me, than you should have let them shoot me.’
Bogoleev studied his fingernails. ‘There were very few commanders in the imperial army whose opinion I respected.’ Looking up, he met Alexei’s eyes. ‘I saved your life that day because I knew you’d be an asset to the Red Army.’
‘I will never join.’
‘I’m going to ignore your comments for the last time.’ Bogoleev picked up his hat and coat. ‘Remember what I said about your family. I will return in two days for your answer.’
The sentry stood to attention when the commissar stepped into the hallway.
‘At ease, comrade.’ Bogoleev stood staring at the closed door, weighing a thought in his head. ‘Have you been the sentry during these past weeks?’
‘Yes, Comrade Commissar.’
‘And during this time has Serov had many visitors?’
The sentry blinked. ‘I was told he is not allowed visitors. His aide came by a few times but I refused him entry.’
‘Very good.’ Bogoleev eyed the sentry, taking the man’s measure. There was something familiar about him. ‘What is your name, comrade?’
‘Ivanov, sir.’
‘I know you. Did you fight at the front?’
‘Yes, Comrade Commisar. I had escaped a POW camp and you were the captain of the battalion that rescued me.’
Bogoleev smiled in recognition. ‘Of course, I remember you now.’ Leaning forward, he placed a hand on the Cossack’s shoulder. ‘If the aide returns, allow him to visit but keep the door open and listen closely. I will return in two days. When I do, I want to know everything that was said in that room. Do I make myself clear?’
‘Yes, Comrade Commissar.’
After months of almost no news from his family, Alexei was surprised when, the next day, the guard opened the door and stepped aside to let Grigory in. When Grigory tried to close the door behind him, the guard held out his hand.
‘The door stays open.’
‘I don’t know how much time they are going to allow us,’ Grigory whispered as soon as the guard turned away. ‘I tried several times to visit you in jail and again here in hospital but I was refused each time.’ He handed Alexei a parcel. ‘It is from your family, but the sentry outside said he would have to go through the contents before you can have them.’
Alexei gestured for Grigory to sit down. ‘I had a visit from Sergei Bogoleev. You’ve met him. He was the captain I was speaking to on the morning I found the Luger gun. He is now a political commissar and wants me to join the Red Army.’
Grigory fell silent as he slowly absorbed this surprising piece of information. ‘What will you do?’
‘Bogoleev is leaving me little choice. He is coming back tomorrow for his answer.’
‘There must be something you can do. Maybe you could escape and go into hiding?’
Alexei shook his head. ‘He knows Emily and the girls are staying at our estate in Uglich. He has threatened to go after them – but there still may be a way.’ Alexei’s eyes flickered to the sentry. ‘I would need your help.’
Grigory leant forward. ‘I’ll do whatever you ask.’
It seemed only a few minutes had passed when the sentry announced that visiting time was over. Grigory left, promising to send a telegram to Emily on Alexei’s behalf. After he was gone, the sentry motioned for Alexei to move to one side and wait as he checked his parcel. Alexei stood with barely restrained anger as the Cossack rummaged through the contents and opened his letters.
‘Those are personal letters from my family,’ he protested.
‘I have my orders,’ came the reply, but his tone suggested he was taking no pleasure in his task. Returning the letters to their envelopes, he placed them neatly back in the parcel. ‘I will leave you to read your letters in private.’
Alexei was surprised by the unexpected show of respect. ‘Thank you,’ he said.
Taking his parcel, he carried it to the garden and sat under a large birch tree. A faint breeze, subtle and welcoming, moved through its branches. Among the letters and gifts his family had sent, the girls had packed his copy of The Lady with the Little Dog. Marie had held this very copy and read aloud from it. He noticed a bookmark. Opening the volume to the marked page, he read the first line.
And only now, when his head was grey, had he really fallen in love as one ought.
A quiver passed through him. The words reflected his own heart. He had thought himself in love before, but it had never felt like this. Marie was water to his parched throat. His need for her went deeper than anything he had experienced before.
He stared at the cover. Tentatively, longingly, his fingers hovered over the surface her hands had touched. Bringing the book close to his face, he hoped to catch a scent that reminded him of her. It held the musty odour of old books, but beyond that, there was something else, a floral feminine fragrance, that took him back to the gardens of Tsarskoe Selo.
‘Marie,’ he whispered. ‘Do you think of me?’
As promised, Bogoleev returned the next day for his answer.
‘I’m pleased to hear you have accepted my offer.’
‘You have left me with little choice.’ Alexei kept his face blank. ‘However, I do have one request. I would like to return to Uglich to visit my family.’
Bogoleev considered the demand. ‘What guarantee do I have you will not flee?’
‘Where would I flee? You know very well I will not put the lives of my family at risk.’
Uglich, August
‘How long do you have?’ sitting in the library, Emily’s eyes glinted in the glow radiating from the fireplace.
‘Three days.’
‘Is that all?’ Anxiety shadowed her features. ‘That hardly leaves us any time.’
‘That’s all Bogoleev would allow me.’
‘I don’t think I can do it.’
‘You must; we have no other choice,’ Alexei said sharply.
Shrinking, she turned away, hiding her face behind her hand.
Regretting his tone, Alexei turned her towards him. ‘I know the past few months have been hard on you.’
‘You have no idea what I’ve been through.’ She wiped her eyes. ‘How much I worried. You should never have gone back to Petrograd. If only you had listened and stayed away, none of this would have happened.’
‘Calm yourself, Emily. There may still be a way. If you only listen to my plan.’
She shook her head. ‘I can’t go through with it. The woods are full of partisans. They’ll slit our throats if they get half a chance.’
‘I’ll protect you.’
‘No,’ she said decidedly. ‘I won’t risk our daughters’ lives.’
‘Whatever happens, you cannot stay here.’
‘What are you saying?’ Her face turned pale, despite the warmth of the fire. ‘You told me we’d be safe here.’
Unable to say the words, Alexei looked directly into her eyes, letting her know the truth.
Rising from her seat, she began to pace the length of the room. ‘How could you do this to us? This is all your fault, Alexei. You have put our lives in danger!’
‘That’s enough!’ Alexei barked, fearing she was growing hysterical.
Startled, Emily stopped pacing and stared at him.
‘Emily,’ he said in a gentler tone, ‘I know I have placed us in an impossible situation. I’m sorry. That was never my intention.’ He took a step towards her. ‘I have a plan but I need your help to make it work.’
Emily’s chest rose and fell with every breath. ‘I don’t think I have it in me,’ she said.
Gripping her shoulders, he brought his face close to hers. ‘Emily
, we have no other choice.’
Dressed in simple peasant clothing, they loaded a few essential belongings onto a small wagon, ready to leave under the cover of darkness. It was agreed that Grigory would remain behind, to avoid arousing suspicion. Once they reached Latvia, they would send word for him to join them.
‘Do not pack anything of value in your bags,’ Alexei warned. Emily had sewn three of Alexei’s medals and several of her jewels into the hems of the dresses she and the girls wore.
Alexei kept to the road but at first light he turned the wagon towards the woods, following a narrow, rarely used trail. Going around a tight bend, they came across a group of men carrying a log to create a roadblock. Others, carrying torches, stepped into their path. When they got closer, they saw the men were Bolshevik partisans. Emily pressed close against Alexei.
‘State your business,’ demanded one in a gravelly voice. A thickset man, his moustache covered the whole of his top lip.
‘We are travelling west to visit my wife’s sick mother.’
Using his torch, the Bolshevik looked inside the wagon and saw they were carrying very little. ‘Why do you not take the road?’
‘We thought it would be safer going through the back roads. We didn’t want to get caught in the fighting.’
Scratching the stubble on his chin, the guard turned and nodded to the others. ‘Let them pass, comrades.’
The men had started to remove the roadblock when they were startled by the sound of galloping hooves.
‘Halt!’
They turned to see two riders racing towards them.
‘Don’t let them pass!’
The men carrying the log dropped it and drew their guns. As the riders came closer, Alexei recognised Bogoleev and the guard from the hospital.
‘This man is escaping the Red Army.’ Bogoleev pointed to Alexei.
‘My family is innocent. Tell these men to give them a free passage,’ Alexei demanded.
‘You are in no position to give orders here, Serov,’ Bogoleev retorted. He motioned for the men to search the wagon.
The thickset Bolshevik, clearly put out by Bogoleev’s authority, stepped forward. ‘I give the orders around here. Who are you?’
Bogoleev pulled out his papers.
‘I’m sorry, Comrade Commissar,’ the partisan said stiffly when he had inspected them. Turning to his men, he bellowed, ‘You heard the commissar – start searching the wagon.’
‘You must have thought me a fool to let you go without sending someone to spy on you,’ Bogoleev told Alexei.
‘Surely you cannot in good conscience expect me to leave my family to fend for themselves. Let me see them safely to their destination and then I promise –’
‘You will do no such thing!’ Bogoleev interrupted. ‘You will leave immediately with us.’ He gestured to two of the Bolsheviks, who jumped into the wagon while Ivanov pointed a rifle at Alexei’s chest. Grabbing Irena and Vera, the Bolsheviks held a knife to each of their throats.
‘I beg you, don’t harm them,’ Emily pleaded.
‘If you want your daughters unharmed, madam, your husband must join us and vow to fight the imperial White Army.’
In the back of the wagon, the Bolshevik soldier pressed the tip of his knife against Irena’s throat, piercing the skin. A drop of blood trickled down her pale neck.
‘Please let them go,’ Emily sobbed. ‘I beg of you.’ She unfastened a gold bracelet she had hidden under her sleeve and held it out to them. ‘Take this in exchange.’
The soldier took the bracelet, studied it in the dim light then dropped it into his pocket. He turned to Emily. ‘You cannot buy me with your gold and fancy clothing.’ Then he smiled, revealing several teeth missing. ‘All the same, the Red Army appreciates your generosity.’
‘Enough.’ Alexei turned to Bogoleev. ‘Do I have your word you will let my family go?’
Bogoleev nodded to the partisan and he eased the pressure on Irena’s neck, motioning for his comrade to do the same.
‘You have my word,’ Bogoleev said.
Alexei’s shoulders sagged. ‘Then I will do as you ask.’
‘You have made the right choice, comrade.’ The partisan returned his knife to its sheath. Irena and Vera sagged to the floor of the wagon in relief. Tonya looked up at Alexei, her eyes swimming with tears.
‘Papa …’ She placed her small hand over his. ‘What will we do without you?’
Alexei bent and kissed her forehead. ‘You must be brave and do exactly what Mama asks of you.’ He then embraced each girl in turn, pressing them against him.
‘Send word to Grigory once you are safe,’ he whispered in Emily’s ear. ‘He will look after you.’
‘You’ve done the right thing.’ Bogoleev patted Alexei’s back. Turning to one of the men, he ordered him to hand over a horse. ‘Just remember,’ he told Alexei, ‘as long as you remain loyal to the Red Army, your family will be safe.’
Mounting the horse, Alexei felt the sentry’s gaze on him. Turning his head, their eyes met and held for the briefest second, and in that moment, before Ivanov’s expression went blank, Alexei saw empathy in the other man’s face.
47
Narva, September 1918
The chickens were the first to be killed to feed the army. Marie helped Lara collect wild mushrooms, goutweed, stinging nettle, sorrel and thistle for soups for the family. But these did little to quell the ever-present pangs of hunger.
From the food supplied to prepare meals for the Germans, the household received little more than tea and bread. Lara pilfered what she could, hiding it in the folds of her clothes. Later, sharing the few morsels with the rest of the household, she entertained them with tales of how she had managed to get the food past the Germans. ‘Those flea-bitten German boys are too busy scratching themselves to pay proper attention.’ Her large breasts bounced with her laughter. ‘It’s like stealing food from a baby.’ One night, when she had failed to return to the servants’ quarters at her regular time, Anna and Zoya went looking for her. They found her under a tree, her face badly bruised and cut. Helping her back to their quarters, they lay her on a cot close to the fire. Dabbing gently at the cuts, Marie cleaned Lara’s face and stayed by her side, soothing her back to sleep when she woke screaming.
When Anna and Zoya went to the kitchen to work the next morning, Marie was still by Lara’s side.
Lara slept fitfully, her head thrashing against the pillow. Her hair, matted with sweat, stuck to her scalp, and her eyes burnt with feverish brightness. Marie placed cold compresses on the bruises and gently brushed back her hair. Slowly, Lara regained some of her strength and was able to tell them what had happened.
‘After I’d served their dinner, one of the soldiers followed me back to the kitchen. He managed to corner me behind the stable.’ Lara’s skin flushed at the memory. ‘He made advances. I slapped him and tried to get away.’ A single tear slid down her cheek. ‘He got angry. He was strong and threw me to the ground. Then he lifted my skirt …’ Her voice faltered.
‘It’s alright, Lara.’ Taking her hand, Marie tried to comfort her. ‘You don’t have to tell us.’
‘No.’ Lara shook her head determinedly. ‘In a funny way, God was watching over me. I managed to free myself and I ran back to the kitchen, but a piece of cheese I’d hidden in my bodice fell out. Two of them dragged me out of the kitchen and beat me.’ Tears streamed unchecked down her face. ‘I begged them to stop. I thought they would kill me.’
‘They have an armed guard in the kitchen now to watch us,’ Zoya told Lara.
‘An armed guard in my kitchen?’ Lara raised herself into a sitting position.
‘It’s too soon for you to be getting up.’ Marie tried to push her back down.
A defiant look crossed Lara’s face. ‘I’m fine, thank you, Mademoiselle. With your permission, I’d like to return to the kitchen first thing tomorrow.’
‘Your cuts and bruises have not healed yet,’ Marie argued.
; ‘I’ll tolerate another beating if I have to but I will not tolerate a German soldier in my kitchen.’
The beating had not cowed Lara, and she continued to steal food from the kitchen the moment the guard’s back was turned.
In the main house, soldiers rummaged through the Kulbases’ belongings, looking for valuables. Once the rooms and cupboards had been searched, they ripped up the parquet.
The captain ordered a search of the woods, where they found the cart and the spade but nothing else. That night, the captain summoned Herman Kulbas to join him in the parlour. Pouring them each a finger of whisky, he said, ‘Let’s be frank with each other. I know you have jewels hidden somewhere in the woods.’ The captain gave Herman Kulbas a tight smile. ‘I will eventually find them, with or without your help.’ He pointed to Monsieur Kulbas with his glass. ‘You can help your family by telling me where you’ve hidden them.’
‘You are mistaken, Captain. There are no hidden jewels.’
The captain smiled. ‘I understand there was an unfortunate incident involving your cook.’
‘There was no justification for your soldiers to beat one of my staff.’
‘We cannot have the household staff stealing food. They had to make an example of her.’
‘It was a small piece of cheese and she stole it because you allow us little more than stale bread.’
‘I can change that.’ The captain moved closer to Monsieur Kulbas. ‘I can either increase your ration or reduce it further – it all depends on how much you’re willing to cooperate.’
Herman Kulbas kept his face passive, meeting the captain’s stare. ‘There is nothing hidden in the woods.’
The captain’s smile disappeared. ‘I don’t believe you are fully appreciating the gravity of the situation. I can make it very unpleasant for you and your family.’
Herman Kulbas placed his untouched drink on the coffee table. ‘I’ve already told you everything.’
‘Very well,’ the captain said. ‘Suit yourself. Starting tomorrow, your ration will be reduced. There will be two armed soldiers stationed in the kitchen to make sure nothing goes missing.’
The Russian Tapestry Page 28