"This is no longer Russian territory, Dmitri. Your title means little here."
"I am acutely aware of what country I inhabit now. Do you wish to fight as well? If so, I will take my leave. I have had enough of quarrels for a while."
"Poor Dmitri!" Vanessa laughed. "Has your little bride been difficult?"
His left hand cupped Vanessa's chin; Dmitri gave her head a slight shake. "Do not bait me. I am in no mood for it."
Her blue eyes assessed him for a moment. Dmitri saw curiosity in her gaze. However, she did not question him further. "As you wish, Dmitri." She patted his arm as she made a slight moue' at him.
"Excellent. Let us see what can be found to eat in this shanty town." He settled his hat on his head, took Vanessa’s arm and the couple left the saloon.
***
Alexis sat in the cabin of the schooner and twirled his mustache in a nervous gesture. It was not right for Dmitri to be seeing the woman. Camille was Dmitri's wife. He owed her fidelity. True, Dmitri was a count and royalty always lived by other rules.
Alexis realized he didn’t often think of Dmitri as The Count Bressoff. To most who knew Dmitri Bressoff, the title was almost like a given name. He and Dmitri were boyhood friends. Familiarity broke through the barriers as did living in a wilderness which required cooperation for survival.
What he witnessed was not like his friend. He would never have been unfaithful to Anya. She would have cut Dmitri's heart out and served it to him on a platter if she caught him dallying with another woman.
Not once had Alexis seen Dmitri look with lustful eyes at another woman once he and Anya claimed each other. They were little more than children in Sitka when Anya chose Dmitri for her own. Alexis was not sure when the couple first mated, but he knew it was early in their teen years.
For all the years, both before and after Anya's death, Dmitri was faithful to his wife. After her death, Alexis knew the Count eased his passion with other women, but he took several years before he allowed himself to bed another.
None of them were more than a cure-all for Dmitri's needs. Camille was the first woman Dmitri brought to the island. He married the girl, but it took the man ten long years to find a suitable wife.
Dmitri loved Anya with a devotion which often made Alexis wonder if Anya had cast a spell on him. But, it was good for the both of them. They had rubbed their rough edges off on each other, and the world had been peaceful for their loved ones.
After the bear had maimed Dmitri, Anya cared for him day and night. She did not leave his side for longer than a few moments. From that day until her death, Anya was his almost constant companion when he was home.
The only similarity between this woman and Anya was the color of their hair. This woman was of a dangerous sort. It was evident. He must warn Dmitri.
And what of Camille? If she knew of Dmitri's dalliance, she would be hurt. Dmitri had no right to treat her with such callous disregard. Alexis felt he must speak with Dmitri as he was afraid for his friend. Again, he suspected there was trouble brewing for the Bressoff family.
***
Dmitri lay on his back on the rumpled bed. He watched the tip of the cigar glow as he puffed on it. Vanessa lay on her side, with her back toward him. She had drained him of all desire, yet Dmitri found it impossible to sleep. Their lovemaking held little tenderness; the bed became a battleground as they ruthlessly satisfied their passions, each using the other.
Dmitri discovered he missed the warmth of Camille beside him. Even when they had only slept together, Camille curled against him. Some portion of her body was always in contact with his. Dmitri needed his wife’s gentle spirit and acknowledged the aching hunger for Camille. Angry with himself for his inability to conquer his need for the girl, Dmitri smashed the cigar out in the ashtray.
He pulled Vanessa against him as he tried to shut Camille from his mind. He would stay another day as Vanessa asked. Camille had rejected him, in turn, he would reject her.
Never would he plead for love, beg for his wife's attention. Camille must come to him now. His mind in turmoil, Dmitri used Vanessa, then satiated, tried to sleep. It was early morning when he dozed off.
Near mid-day he awoke to Vanessa's impatient kisses. The red haired woman almost assaulted him. Dmitri discovered his capacity for violence matched hers. Like a cat, Vanessa sheathed her claws, then napped after being satisfied.
On edge and feeling restless, he lit another cigar, then leaned back against the pillows. His response toward Vanessa was disturbing. She enjoyed being mauled, and it only encouraged his violent tendencies.
Left again with his thoughts, Dmitri was uncomfortable with the situation he had instigated. In the past, he always experienced a sense of fulfillment along with a certain amount of serenity after making love. Vanessa left him wondering if the cruelty she brought out in him was a part of his nature. She fascinated, yet repelled him.
Sex with Anya sometimes had an element of roughness in it. His fingers went to the small scar under his arm, but not like this. Vanessa's body would have bruises; he was sure of it. Worse, he had given them to her and in some corner of his soul, enjoyed doing so. It was not right. And it was something he knew should not be indulged.
Alexis left the Arctic Tern to walk past the hotel. While walking by, he watched the upper floor. In the cafe, Alexis chose a seat with a view of the doorway. He ate lunch and lingered at the table with coffee as he waited. Alexis watched for Dmitri until late in the afternoon. Disgusted, he returned to the harbor and rowed back out to the schooner.
"Damn!" Alexis slammed his hand down on the table in the cabin. He did not want to be a party to this deception. Dmitri asked too much of their friendship. If only there were a way for him to return home, then Dmitri could rot in Juneau with his whore. Alexis' anger simmered, as he waited for his friend.
***
Two days later, Dmitri returned to the schooner, having paid someone to row him out to the Arctic Tern’s anchorage. By the time Dmitri returned, Alexis had little to say. It seemed he had resigned himself to the inevitable. Neither man spoke outside of the instructions needed to set sail as they got the ship under way. The compass heading denoted a homeward voyage.
Dmitri was thankful for Alexis' silence. Tired, he only wanted to bask in the sunshine as the ship scudded along before the breeze.
It was a warm day. The sun shone from a cloudless blue sky. The serenity of the sea and the green forests on either side of the passage restored a measure of peace to Dmitri's soul. He hated Juneau. It was rank. Juneau looked like some massive fungus on what had once been an untouched shore.
The water sliding astern of the ship changed color continuously. Its hue told Dmitri of the depth of the water beneath the Arctic Tern's keel. He took the first watch and was happy to do so. As the day progressed, Dmitri relaxed, sure of himself again.
Alexis padded toward Dmitri on bare feet, with a mug in either hand. "Coffee?"
His friend slid into Dmitri's place on the folding bench, as Dmitri relinquished his hold on the wheel.
With a slow stretch and yawn, Dmitri settled on the cushion beside Alexis. After sniffing the coffee, he took a sip from the steaming mug.
"Hummum." The coffee had been laced with brandy. Its warmth eased the last of the tension from his body. "Thank you, Alexis."
His friend nodded. The two men drank their coffee in silence. Dmitri then took the empty mugs down to the cabin. There was a fresh fish in the cooler, caught on the line they towed behind the schooner. A scoop of coal from the pail went into the fire box on top of the coals. After closing the door, the Count started lunch.
First, he diced up part of the fish and placed the pieces in a pan on the stove. Potatoes chopped coarsely, carrots, and onion all went into the pot, along with fresh water. After securing the pot to the stove top, Dmitri left the fish chowder to simmer.
He shed all of his clothing, but his trousers before going back on deck. The wind rumpled his hair as it tossed the occasional bi
t of foam onto the planking.
With both hands on the rail, he leaned into the wind and felt the ship sing against his palms. It was the kind of day which kept a man returning to the ocean in search of yet another perfect day just like it.
Did Camille like sailing? The question slid into his thoughts. A sense of loss replaced it. But Dmitri shook his head, refusing to be drawn into the morass again.
Not today! He banished all thoughts of women. Today, he would think only of the ship. He needed the Arctic Tern and the sea to cleanse his mind and spirit. Tomorrow would be time enough to think of the women in his life.
As the thick forests slid by on either side of the ship, Dmitri watched with a slight smile. There were many coves and inlets, which beckoned as they sped past. Countless numbers had already been explored and recorded on the charts below. Dmitri thought a man might spend a lifetime exploring the Inside Passage, but still not know every secret it held.
Those who made their home along the passage were a curious mixture of land and water dwellers. Here, the sea was the main road from place to place.
The weather in the passage could and often did change radically within a few hours. Large ships had vanished without a trace when bad weather blew up. The narrow channels became traps for careless captains when fog closed in around them.
The sun beating on his bare skin warmed him through and through. He squinted against the glare as he glanced up into the deep blue above. How wonderful it must be to be an eagle, to be free to soar in the limitless sky. He closed his eye as he held his face up to the sun's warmth. After a while, Dmitri sighed and went below to check on lunch.
The chowder was bubbling away. Dmitri added salt, pepper and a lump of butter to the pot. A quick rinse removed the dregs of the coffee from the mugs. He ladled each full of the steaming chowder. It was time to take lunch up to Alexis.
The stocky man smiled at Dmitri as he reached out to take the cup. Alexis sniffed the contents of the mug and sipped at the hot soup after blowing across the liquid. "Good. Thank you, my friend."
With a nod, Dmitri stretched his legs out in front of him and leaned back against the padded seat. As he gulped the soup, Dmitri discovered he was sleepy. Upon finishing the chowder, he took a cushion and lay down in the sun on the main hatch cover. Dmitri fell asleep.
Alexis glanced at him and shook his head. He was sorry he had been so angry with the man. If there was no one for Dmitri to talk with, things might become even worse. God did not always make things easy for a man and he had no right to judge. There was no way for him to know what went on in Dmitri's bedroom or his heart.
Perhaps Camille was a cold woman. That could explain the whore. Russian men were passionate. They found it hard to live with women who were not. Dmitri, for all his blue blood, did not differ from Alexis himself in the matter of love.
A sudden rush of sympathy for Dmitri filled him. Then he thanked God for his Karin and carefree life. As he guided the ship home, Alexis hummed a dance tune.
The gentle rise and fall of the Arctic Tern on the swell woke Dmitri. Like a bird at rest, it sat anchored in a small cove. The sun has set behind a mountain peak leaving the air cool.
Somewhat lethargic, sweaty and in need of a bath, Dmitri woke. Before he might change his mind, he removed his pants and underwear then dove off the deck into the water. The shock of the cold, green water closing around him was intense. Dmitri swam once around the ship and climbed aboard, hand over hand on the anchor rope.
Teeth chattering, he grabbed his clothing with one hand and raced down the hatch into the cabin. With the hatch closed behind him, he went over to stand next to the stove. The shivering halted as the warmth of the stove surrounded him.
"Why did you not wake me?" Dmitri glanced at Alexis.
"You were tired." Alexis shrugged his broad shoulders. "Did pleasing the woman take all your energy?"
Dmitri sensed the wall between him and his old friend, one he had erected by his behavior in Juneau, had been breached. He laughed at Alexis' joke. "She was a mink, and could have worn us both out."
While they chatted, Dmitri pulled on his pants, then a warm, wool shirt. Alexis was busy fixing their meal. They sat down to fried fish and potatoes, washed down with water. After eating, the two men took their coffee outside and sat on the bench by the wheel. Dmitri lit a cigar as he watched the last of the daylight slip away.
"Alexis," Dmitri said, as he stared at the shore. "I hope you will not mention our trip to Juneau to anyone. If it should get back to Camille..."
With a heavy sigh, Alexis interrupted him. "I will say nothing to anyone. I admit, I do not understand why you saw fit to tumble the redhead," he shrugged. "But it is your business, friend."
"Camille and I had a quarrel."
Alexis listened without making a comment. That much Gregor had confided to Alexis the night before they left the island.
"I do not understand her. She runs hot, then cold." Dmitri took a puff of the cigar.
"Vanessa I can understand. She wants everything I have and would give me her body in return. I have no love for Vanessa; she helped me purge my anger somewhere else, rather than at home. I thought I needed release...needed to forget."
The first stars appeared above them. On the horizon, the light was slow in dying. Alexis watched Dmitri's face. “What does Vanessa help you to forget?"
Dmitri flipped his cigar over the side, then looked over at his friend. "I am afraid I am falling in love with Camille."
"Is it so terrible to be in love with one's wife, Dmi?"
Dmitri’s throat bobbed as he swallowed, then nodded. Alexis’ use of his old nickname returned them to the days when they spoke of sex and females in hushed whispers as boys.
"Perhaps, if she does not return my love. I do not think she knows anything about marriage, little of the physical side of it. Someone failed to explain even the simplest of things to her. I would not be surprised to find she thinks babies are found under cabbage leaves."
Alexis thought about the village girls. They were all well aware of the facts of life. Karin! Alexis thought of her and the way her body looked by candlelight. He tried to imagine what it would be like to marry Karin, with her ignorant of the things her slender body could do. Alexis muttered a curse. What hell a situation of the sort would be for a man.
Dmitri broke into Alexis' thoughts. "Camille is an utter innocent. Worse, she needs me. My strength, the comfort I can give her, those things she accepts without question."
While glancing at the dark shore, Dmitri wished he was a lone fur hunter, with no one to bother about but himself. "I think my body, my lovemaking offend her. And at other times she.... It is such a waste. Camille has a body just made for love."
The memory of the night Camille came to him freely, made the breath catch in his throat. Night settled on the ship and the cove they rested in. Dmitri saw only the shadow of his friend’s face.
But Alexis' concern was discernable in his tone when he spoke. "Perhaps, in time, she will learn. Some women are slow to respond. It takes patience and time."
Oh God! If only she would come to me without fear. His heart longed for her to want him as he wanted her.
Dmitri recalled the first time she saw his back. The scars terrified her. For a short while, the night before he and Alexis left for Juneau, he thought she might see him as he truly was. What did the girl see when she looked at him? It was a frightening question, and he hesitated to explore it.
"I have needs that must be met now! After being married to Anya....this is so difficult to understand." Agony lay beneath Dmitri's words.
Alexis shook his head. It was a shame their union was floundering. "Surely, you must have noticed this coolness of nature, before you married. You saw no clue, no hint?"
"No." Dmitri's voice shook, as he replied.
How was he to explain to Alexis the marriage resulted from his error? The entire situation was of his making. Camille was innocent of complicity. Perhaps, it was the other re
ason he turned to Vanessa. They were the instigators and in a way they shared the guilt.
"It is one reason I went to Juneau. I know there are girls in the village, willing girls. Camille would be the laughingstock of the island if I dallied with any of them. I cannot disrespect neither Camille nor any of our girls in such an indecent way. At least, I can preserve her dignity as my wife by taking my peccadillos far from home. I owe her that much and more. She must be protected at all costs."
Camille had lost the sallow look. Her skin was clear and her hair shone with life and health. She no longer resembled a waif from the streets. The effects of the drug were no longer apparent. Good food, rest and care had mended her health. He would not allow her to return to the tortured creature he married. Camille was a sensitive child, one he must be very careful with.
Dmitri supposed he would make more trips to Juneau. Vanessa, he understood. Therefore, she was controllable. If he helped her to become rich, Vanessa would not think it necessary for them to change their relationship. She could be as respectable in the states as she liked as long as money and power fed her in the territory. He possessed more than enough money to set Vanessa up in business in Juneau. He would see to it on the next trip.
Alexis bid him good night and went below to his bunk. Dmitri sat alone in the dark. The stars were a myriad of cold gems in the dark sky. They shone in various colors. It was as if someone had opened a vast jewel chest and scattered it across vault above. The great bear was the guardian of the whole.
As soon as he was home, he would give his mother's jewel box to Camille. Anya was far too young to wear any of the collection. The various pieces would suit Camille's coloring. His mother's hair had been dark, her skin fair, as was Camille's.
She would have liked Camille. Anya never pleased Alexi Bressoff, being far too wild for her tastes. If only his mother were alive now. She would have explained things to Camille so much better than he might ever hope to do, or even knew how to do.
Behind the Raven Mask Page 18