He laughed. ‘ ’Twas easy to guess, but you shall have your kiss and more like it as soon as we have finished this dish of creamed rowanberries. Tell me, what are your feelings now towards the Count?’
‘I have none,’ she shrugged. ‘You know as well as I that you have made me love you to distraction. There is no place in my heart for other lovers, old or new. Should it be your wish I will aid you to settle your score with him. But you must have a care how you set about it, for as a semi-official Ambassador he will be under the special protection of the Empress.’
Knowing Natalia to be an habitual liar, Roger took most of her statements with a grain of salt, but for once he thought she was giving true expression to her feelings. He knew that since he had adopted Russian methods with her he now represented in her eyes the best combined qualities of east and west, which it would have been difficult for her to find in another lover; and he was as certain as any man could be that she was faithful to him. Moreover, any project of revenge was calculated to appeal to the vicious streak in her nature.
‘You are an enchantress,’ he said, after a moment. ‘And since you could offer me no better proof of your love, I accept it. ’Tis certain that you will see the Count, so I would have you renew your old friendship with him. Mark you, ’tis far from my mind that you should once more become his mistress, and did I catch you out as having pleasured him I would beat you till you are black and blue. But make it appear that you have pleasant memories of your former intercourse, and lead him on to hope that you will give him an assignation.’
Her green eyes brightened with amusement. ‘I take your thought; and when I eventually grant it to him ’twill be you that he will find tucked up in bed, instead of myself. So be it then; I make only one stipulation. I must be there hid behind a curtain to see the fun.’
Roger readily agreed and they both laughed heartily at the thought of the Count’s discomfiture.
In the ten days that followed Natalia kept him informed both of the progress of this intrigue and the Empress’s negotiations with the Finns. It seemed that a deadlock had been reached, as the deputation was divided into two factions. Both were prepared to turn their arms against Gustavus if Catherine would give them her support by prosecuting the war more vigorously; but one group demanded complete independence for Finland as the price of their treachery, while the other, led by Count Yagerhorn, was willing to see their country a Russian province provided only that she would assist them to expel the Swedes. Meanwhile Natalia had found it easy to enmesh Yager-horn in her toils again, and he was pressing her ardently for a private meeting.
On the afternoon of Monday, the 27th of August, while he was visiting Roger at his lodgings, she said to him: ‘The plum is ripe for the picking when you have a mind to it. No sooner did I show him that I was not averse to his attentions than he naturally assumed that I would be willing to, resume our old relations. He has taken my excuses in good part so far, but it will soon become difficult for me to find adequate ones with which to fob him off much longer.’
Roger grinned. ‘I should have realised how swiftly your charms would madden any man who had once known you, and have prepared a plan already. As it is I pray you keep him dangling for a day or two yet, while I work out the details.’
‘So be it then, Rojé Christorovitch, but delay not too long, for the affair of the Finns will shortly reach a crisis; and once a decision is taken they may hasten back to their own country.’
He looked up quickly. ‘How so? What new development has taken place to precipitate their reaching an agreement?’
‘ ’Tis the Danes,’ she said softly. ‘But I beg you speak of it to no one, for ’tis still a State secret of the highest order. I learned it only because the Empress must have forgotten that she had left me in a closet adjacent to her room last night, while she received Bezborodko. She had set me to read through some papers concerning the hospital she established a few years back to which women of all classes can go in secret for the treatment of certain diseases. I was to report to her upon them, but I heard every word that was said. It seems that when she ceded her deceased husband’s patrimony of Holstein to the Danes in exchange for the little duchies of Oldenberg and Delmenhorst, in ’73, there was a secret clause in the treaty by which Denmark bound herself to come to Russia’s assistance should she be attacked by Sweden.’
Roger’s mind flashed back to his talks with Mr. Hugh Elliot the previous April in Copenhagen. This was the very thing that shrewd diplomat had suspected; but for something of the sort, Catherine appeared to have made such a poor bargain.
Leaning towards him, Natalia Andreovna went on in a whisper: ‘Last month the Empress called on the Danes to honour their bond, and they have now agreed to do so. As soon as their preparations are completed they intend to declare war on Sweden.’
With a swift glance at the thin, clever face so near to his own, Roger took her up. ‘And your conclusion is, that now the Empress knows that she can count upon the Danes she can tell these Finnish rebels that she no longer requires their aid; or will accept it only on her own terms of Finland becoming a Russian province?’
Natalia nodded. ‘You have it. So they will be forced to say yea or nay within the next few days. But Her Majesty and Bezborodko agreed that not even the Finns should be told what lies behind the ultimatum; so that the Danish attack on Sweden may come as a complete surprise, and prove the more deadly. I entreat you, therefore, not even to hint it to another soul.’
‘Be easy; no one in Petersburg shall learn of it from me,’ he assured her with swift duplicity. His mind was now working fast and furiously. It was just such advance information of coming events that Mr. Pitt had sent him to Russia to get. He must send a despatch that night via Mr. Tooke and the British Embassy, although the chances were against it reaching Whitehall before the Danes had acted, or their intention of doing so was an open secret. But, far more important, King Gustavus must be warned, because he was so intimately concerned in it. These tidings could hardly be less welcome to a man already in such a difficult situation, and Roger did not see what the Swedish King could do to counter this new threat. Still, that was beside the point. Good or ill, the news must be got to him with the least possible delay.
As Roger wondered how he could get a message to Gustavus, he recalled Natalia having told him some days earlier that, in order to win the confidence of the Finnish deputation and show them how strong she was, the Empress had ordered that all its members should be given laisser-passer, which would allow them to pass all military posts at will. It then occurred to him that Count Yagerhorn would be carrying such a pass, and that if he could entrap the Count he could not only give him a good beating, but also take it off him, thus killing two birds with one stone. Armed with the pass he should find no difficulty in getting through the Russian lines, and once in Swedish-held territory, he could himself carry the vital news to Gustavus.
‘You are right about Yagerhorn,’ he murmured. ‘If we delay further he may slip through our fingers. Think you that tomorrow evening you could get leave of absence?’
Natalia smiled. ‘I am in personal attendance only every fourth night, so that should not be difficult.’
‘Then I suggest that you do so, and give the Count his assignation. Tell him that a discreet friend has lent you a lodging off the Nevski, and that you intend to pass the night there under the name of—let us say—Madame Zabof. The apartment, of course, will be my own. You can come there at any hour you wish and I will warn the landlord that a stranger will inquire for you, and that he is to say nothing of my presence but show the fellow up.’
‘I could get leave for the evening but not for the night,’ replied Natalia. ‘I have told you oft enough that the Empress insists on all her ladies-in-waiting sleeping at Peterhof.’
‘I have had frequent cause to curse the rule for depriving me of your company,’ he agreed, ‘yet hoped that for once you might get a dispensation from it.’
‘Nay, ’tis impossible. But
no matter; I can gain admission by the side door of the palace at any hour up to midnight. There will be ample time to settle Erik Yagerhorn’s business before I have to leave you.’
Roger was still thinking quickly, and said: ‘I am all the more sorry that you will be unable to spend the night with me; in that, after tomorrow evening, I shall not see you for a few days. I have accepted an invitation to go fishing on Lake Ladoga.’
‘With whom?’ she asked sharply.
‘Monsieur de Ste. Croix,’ he lied, naming an elderly Frenchman who rarely came to Court. ‘The trip is but for three days. I leave on Wednesday morning, and expect to be back by Friday night.’
‘Why did you not tell me of this before?’
‘Because the invitation was offered to me only this morning!’
Her green eyes narrowed. ‘I believe you intend to deceive me and have invented this expedition in order to be free of me for a while, so that you can amuse yourself with another woman.’
For a second he was on the point of conforming to the Russian code that he had adopted towards her since they left Sweden, by giving her a good slap and telling her to mind her own business; but he thought better of it. To do so would quell her complaints but leave her still suspicious, and he did not want her to start inquiring into his movements while he was away. So he brushed her accusation aside with a laugh, and said:
‘I pray you use that good brain of yours, my beautiful Natalia Andreovna. Since you must perforce always occupy your bed in the palace, I could sleep with a different woman every night and you know nothing of it. But, having you for a mistress, none but a fool would waste himself in such infidelities, and I trust that there are as yet no signs that I am wanting in my wits.’
She smiled and kissed him. ‘You are right, my handsome one. I’ve enough experience of men to tell when they have begun to cheat me, from a falling-off of their ardour. Go then to your fishing, and may you have good sport. Tomorrow I will be at your lodging by four o’clock, so order a good dinner to be sent up, and I’ll bid Eric Yagerhorn to rendezvous with me there at seven. His discomfiture will provide us with a most diverting dessert.’
Immediately Roger got back to his apartment he wrote a lengthy despatch, giving his impressions of the Russian Court and ending with the news that the Danes were preparing to intervene in the Russo-Swedish war.
The following morning he carried it round to the Reverend William Tooke, who promised to arrange for its transmission to London with the minimum of delay.
He then set about his preparations for the culmination of this plot against Count Yagerhorn and his projected journey into Finland. At the pastrycook’s he ordered an excellent meal to be sent to his lodgings that afternoon. He also bought some cold food and a couple of bottles of wine, which he carried round to the livery-stable where he kept the mare that Natalia had given him. Having assured himself that she was in good fettle to take the road, he packed the provisions into her saddlebags, and gave orders that she was to be saddled and ready for him at ten o’clock that night.
Returning to his lodgings he arranged with Ostermann to serve dinner and gave him his other instructions. Lastly he saw Zaria. First he impressed upon her that in no circumstance was she to come down from her attic that evening until he came up to fetch her; then he told her that she was to go to bed and sleep that afternoon, as he had a special task for her which would mean her staying up from ten o’clock till dawn.
Having thought the matter over with considerable care he had decided that whether he succeeded in securing Count Yagerhorn’s laisser-passer, or not, he would set out that night. Natalia would have to start back for the Peterhof soon after ten. If all went well, Yagerhorn would by then have been hors de combat for some hours; so it should not be difficult to keep him captive until the following morning, in order to prevent him from going straight to the police, reporting that he had been attacked, and raising an immediate hue and cry. By the time the Count was free Roger hoped to have put many miles between himself and any possible pursuit. Natalia, Ostermann and Zaria would believe that he had gone off on his fishing-expedition, and the Finn would be baffled by his disappearance. If Yagerhorn did then go to the police Roger thought it unlikely that, the first excitement being over, they would interest themselves much in a fight between two foreigners; and that, although he might be called on to answer their questions on his return to St. Petersburg, providing he had not done the Count any serious injury, nothing would come of the matter.
By the time he had completed his arrangements it was near midday, so he lay down on his divan and put in a few hours’ rest against the long night-journey that lay ahead of him.
At three o’clock he woke from a light doze and flexed his muscles thoughtfully, as he wondered what the outcome of his encounter with his enemy would be.
16
The Ambush
Natalia Andreovna arrived a little before four, smirking like an exceptionally pretty vixen who has just robbed the henroost, with the news that Erik Yagerhorn had swallowed the bait without a qualm, and, short of an earthquake, could be counted on to arrive at seven o’clock. Then they sat down to dine.
The excitement they were both feeling detracted somewhat from their appetites, but they drank fairly copiously; although Roger was careful not to overdo it to an extent which might put him to a disadvantage when he came face to face with his intended victim. By a quarter to seven he had had enough to make him just ripe for a fight, and he was becoming impatient for the Count’s arrival.
Since there could be no hiding Natalia’s part in the plot, she had decided against concealing herself; so they cleared the middle of the room and drew the table across the embrasure of the window, arranging it so that when seated behind it she was as well installed for the coming spectacle as if in a Royal box. Roger took up his position behind the door, so that he could not be seen by anyone on first entering the room; then, sinking their voices to a whisper, they began to count the moments to the springing of their ambush.
At length there came footfalls on the stairs, the door was opened and Ostermann showed Count Yagerhorn in. His glance immediately lit on Natalia Andreovna at the far side of the room, and, his florid face wreathed in smiles, he hastened forward to greet her. As Ostermann closed the door Roger stepped from behind it and exclaimed: ‘Turn, Sir! ’Tis I who will provide your entertainment this evening.’
The tall Finn spun round, his mouth gaping open, as Roger went on sternly: ‘You recall me, do you not? And the last time we met? ’Tis your turn now to take a beating.’
‘I recall you well enough, Monsieur,’ snapped the Count. Then swinging about, he cried to Natalia: ‘And so, Madame, you have led me into a trap! Are you not ashamed to sit smiling there at your own perfidy?’
‘Nay, Count,’ she laughed lightly. ‘It is but tid-for-tat. Some two months past you pressed me to afford you an opportunity for an explanation with Monsieur de Breuc, and I obliged you. Now that he has made a similar request, how could I refuse him?’
‘Yet there is a difference,’ Roger intervened. ‘You were not man enough to cross your sword with mine, so brought four bullies with cudgels to aid you. I am content to make do without such hired ruffians and grant you at least an even chance to defend yourself from chastisement.’
‘Your complaint on that score should be addressed to the Baroness Stroganof,’ sneered the Count, ‘for she it was who ordered me to make certain you should not escape the penalty of her displeasure.’
‘For shame!’ cried Roger. ‘Is it not enough that you are a coward, and a traitor to your King, without seeking to father your craven conduct on a woman?’ And, raising the riding-switch with which he had armed himself, he struck the Finn full across the face.
As Yagerhorn recoiled with a sharp cry, Natalia Andreovna gave a gasp of thrilled excitement; but the Count was quick to recover from the blow. Before Roger could get in another he had sidestepped and came charging in upon him.
Roger was equally agile an
d, springing away, slashed at the Count’s head. He winced under the cut, but, swerving, managed to grasp Roger’s arm. A second later they had clinched and stood swaying together in the centre of the room.
They were of about equal height, but the Finn was of a broader build and much the heavier of the two. His left hand was still encased in a back kid glove, but whatever unsightliness the glove was worn to cover did not incommode him in the full use of it. He got the gloved hand on Roger’s throat and his grip was as tenacious as that of a bulldog.
Locked together as they were, Roger’s whip was no longer an asset to him but an encumbrance. Dropping it, he jabbed the Count sharply in the face; but the Finn’s grip on his throat did not relax. Roger felt himself forced back; there was a sharp pain in his lungs from the lack of air and his head was singing. He knew that if he could not break the hold upon his windpipe within another minute he would be forced to the ground and ignominiously receive the beating that he had intended to give his enemy.
Desperate measures were necessary and, he considered, justified. Bringing his knee up sharply, he jabbed it into his adversary’s groin.
The sudden move had the desired effect. With a gulp Yager-horn loosened his hold. Roger jerked his head back, pushed him off and sprang away. He was not a skilled pugilist, having devoted himself by preference to fencing and pistol practice, but he had picked up enough of the noble art at Sherborne to be much more adept at it than the majority of Continental noblemen, who despised fisticuffs as the sport of churls. As the black-gloved hand darted out to renew its grip, Roger struck it up with his right and landed a heavy left on the Count’s eye.
The Finn staggered back, recovered and came in again, throwing out both hands to catch Roger in a bear-like hug. But Roger was wary now. He had experienced the great strength that lay in his opponent’s massive arms and knew that he could not match it. Darting aside he struck Yagerhorn hard, first in the ribs, then on the side of the face.
The Shadow of Tyburn Tree Page 37