Before saying anything, Nasrosoltan locked eyes with Irina, giving him the confidence he so desperately needed at this moment. Then with the next few words he uttered, he cast himself about on a sea of chance. “Thank you, Your Majesty. I have spoken all that was in my heart and mind, for love has conquered the very last remnant of any fear I may have harbored. I am not ashamed of my feelings, and I pray, fully aware of the vast space between our two worlds, that these words may find a place within your gracious hearts and gently rest therein.
“I remember how one evening at dinner in this same palace, we spoke of kismet. Just now, His Majesty said he would be deciding my fate. As I believed that night and as I will always believe, kismet has already written what will happen to us. Our love for one another is solely a natural reaction to what blind fate has determined, and we had no choice since we felt hard-pressed to balance the force of such destiny. Therefore, I do now with great humility accept my fate, whatever Your Majesty decides.”
As Nasrosoltan emptied his soul with his heartfelt defense of their love, he felt wholly depleted. Irina, spellbound by his plea the whole time he spoke, maintained a fixed gaze upon him.
With a renewed liveliness, Princess Irina turned to the tsar and said, “Please, dearest Uncle, how can you refuse our petition. Do you not want me to be happy?”
Before the tsar could respond, she suddenly blurted out the words the tsar himself had threatened during his own courtship, proclaiming emphatically, “If I cannot be allowed to be with the one I love, I would rather not marry at all!”
Irina’s comment startled the tsar. With those words, she inadvertently put the tsar in her shoes, and he began to empathize with her, remembering what he endured from his own family when he first fell in love. This worried him since he did not want Irina’s first encounter with love, even a love he disagreed with, to be forever intertwined with pain and sorrow. This was when the tsar would let his cherished niece see his goodness as a loving uncle rather than his greatness as a tsar. Irina would soon witness more of his love than his majesty.
Unexpectedly, with a softer tone, the tsar asked Nasrosoltan, “But then, Monsieur, what was your plan? Assuming the grand duke had acquiesced to your petition, were you going to take our princess from the magnificence of St. Petersburg to your country with no prior planning? That is not how things are done, especially with the nobility of the Romanovs! Does your own family even know of your feelings for our dear Irina Alexandrovna?”
Nasrosoltan, who by now was expecting the worst and had lost all hope of the conversation taking this surprising yet encouraging turn, confessed, “No, Your Majesty, they do not know yet.”
The tsar suddenly realized he had been offered a way out of this predicament. One that would not leave Irina devastated but, at the same time, would send this presumptuous tutor on his way.
On the spur of the moment, in an attempt to salvage this uneasy situation, the tsar unexpectedly declared, “Well then, Monsieur, I suggest you go back to Persia as you had planned and discuss the matter with them. If they are agreeable, these matters may perhaps be discussed further. You must understand these things cannot take place on a whim, and much needs to be decided before any more talk of this. That is my final word on this issue!”
The tsar’s shocking decision initially left everyone in the room stunned. Irina could not believe what she had just heard from the tsar’s own lips, that the miracle she had been praying for had come true. With unbridled excitement, she leapt up from the foot of the tsar’s chair and kissed his cheek repeatedly in grateful appreciation. She thanked him over and over for allowing her to be happy, knowing that now, even if her own parents were unconvinced, they would not dare overrule her uncle.
Nasrosoltan, who was absolutely baffled at the tsar’s sudden change of heart, bowed low to show his gratitude. “I am forever thankful to His Imperial Majesty. If permission is granted, I shall take leave as soon as possible and act upon His Majesty’s advice.”
The tsar then dismissed them both. While Nasrosoltan and Irina left the reception room, the grand duke and duchess remained seated and were dumbfounded by what had just transpired. They had expected the tsar to crush this indecency, rather than give it his apparent blessing.
Grand Duchess Xenia, who had continuously scolded Nasrosoltan during his lengthy defense, was extremely disappointed in the tsar’s ruling. But instead of confronting her all-powerful brother for his abrupt unilateral decision, Xenia unleashed her frustration on the grand duke, demanding, “Sandro, why did you not say anything? You are her father, for God’s sake; don’t you care about your only daughter’s future?”
Grand Duke Alexander, who was sitting in silence thinking about what had just happened, was pulled out of his thoughts by this unprovoked attack. However, before he could respond to her first question, Grand Duchess Xenia released a sharper arrow. “Why do you think a commoner was emboldened to even think of our Irene in this way?”
The grand duke replied sternly, “Xenia Alexandrovna, what are you talking about?”
The grand duchess angrily responded, “I will tell you why this man felt bold enough to even ask such a thing! It was because you allowed him into our private lives with your invitations for drinking and conversation after Irene’s lessons. You have always had a problem with setting appropriate boundaries. And look where we are now!”
The grand duke was shocked at Xenia’s anger toward him but most of all at hearing the kernel of truth in what she had said. He felt disrespected by her in front of the tsar and replied to his wife with great seriousness, “Xenia Alexandrovna, His Majesty has already decided their fate. But it was not becoming of you, showing your emotions as you did today!”
Grand Duchess Xenia momentarily caught herself, realizing she may have been too harsh on her husband and therefore did not respond to his comment. Instead, she turned to the tsar and said, “My dear Nicky, I am alarmed. What was the wisdom in your decision? Why afford them this glimmer of hope? I just do not understand.”
The tsar tenderly replied, “Xenia Alexandrovna, what would you have done if Father had opposed your marriage to our dear Sandro? Would you have submitted quietly to his wish, or would you have despised him and fought for your heart?
“As you remember, I also had to put my foot down with Father to marry Alix. Irina is young and impressionable; the love she feels for him is pure and innocent. It is prudent that we keep her close to us rather than drive her away with our displeasure for this relationship.
“We are fortunate that the Monsieur is departing for Persia in a few days. Unlike what some say, distance does not make the heart grow fonder. In fact, distance can slowly drain the excitement out of any affection.
“So even though he does seem to be a man with no ill intent towards our Irina Alexandrovna, and their love for one another seems genuine, that love they both so boldly spoke of this evening will not withstand the test of time and distance; two of the fiercest enemies of love.
“Therefore, do not worry, Xenia Alexandrovna, for Irina’s fantasies will also fade away with time, and she will soon forget about him when he is gone. In the end, nothing will change. I suggest you continue your negotiations with the Yusupovs!”
Chapter 29
The Pantheon of Khojivank
As Nasrosoltan and Irina hurriedly said their farewells outside the reception room, he kissed her hand and urgently told her, “My dear, I thank God that kismet was our friend today. I was truly fearful when I saw you in distress, crying at your uncle’s feet. I still cannot believe how events unfolded in our favor. Thank you for the words you spoke in defense of our love. I solemnly vow that you, my lovely princess, are the permanent priority of my life. But my darling, I must ask why you divulged our liaison to your family before I had a chance to speak directly with the grand duke? If you had not said anything, the matter might not have been elevated to involve His Imperial Majesty.”
Princess Irina replied, “My dearest, I am also amazed and thrilled
that Uncle decided the issue in such a surprising manner. Before you arrived, they made me feel terrible, and I expected a dreadful outcome. I do not want to tempt fate with disturbing thoughts of what might have been, but I only want to cherish this moment and appreciate the beginning of a beautiful future with you. I am so grateful that our love is no longer to be hidden.”
Irina then added with a slightly defensive tone, “But it was not me who told my parents, my love. It was Nana who alerted them! She found my diary and read it to Mama. I just found out this afternoon and had no way of getting word to warn you of what they planned. I regret that our secret was revealed in this fashion, but I am not sorry for the consequence, which turned out to be a blessing. As for Nana, I will never forgive her for trying to ruin my life with her betrayal!”
Nasrosoltan tried to console her. “My sweet Irina, don’t be too harsh with Nana for what she considered her duty, which is your protection. You should ignore the sin of her deed and forgive her. If Nana had not done what she did, even though I don’t condone her having shared your private thoughts, the situation might not have turned out so favorably for us.”
Worried that the royals would soon come out of the reception room, and not wishing to be there when they did, Nasrosoltan quickly promised to write Irina every day, and she vowed the same in return. They promised each other they would never forget their love for one another, no matter the circumstance.
Irina kissed him softly on the cheek and bid him a safe journey until they would meet again. She said a traveler’s prayer for him as Nasrosoltan departed the palace for what was to be the last time before his return to Persia.
As the carriage carried him back to his apartment, he could not contain his excitement. If not for fear of embarrassment in the company of the carriage driver, he would have certainly let out an exhilarating shout of delight to celebrate his unexpected change of fortune.
What had initially seemed to be the edge of an abyss with no escape had suddenly transformed into a bridge, leading to a future of joy with his lovely Irina. There was nothing to fear any longer, no more doubts, no more secrets, no misery, only happiness—that is all he felt.
Later the next day, as he prepared to leave his apartment to collect his things at the conservatory and bid adieu to his peers and professors, he was surprised at the sound of someone banging at his door. He rushed to open the door and found an irate and anxious Madame Lazar on the other side.
Nasrosoltan invited her in, and without a greeting, the Madame angrily blurted out, “Monsieur, what have you done? Your indiscretion is appalling! Nana informed me of what transpired last evening at the palace, in the presence of the tsar. My reputation has now become tarnished for having introduced you; you have ruined me. I wish I had never referred you to this noble family. I am terribly disappointed in you and in myself!”
Nasrosoltan slowly calmed her down, offered her some tea, and once she regained her composure, he explained to her that perhaps Nana was still not aware of the glorious outcome of the whole saga. That in the end, the tsar had not disapproved, pending his going back to Persia and settling affairs to prepare for Princess Irina to join him there.
Madame Lazar listened with intense curiosity to the details Nasrosoltan shared of this harrowing tale. She could not help but notice his beaming with an aura of elation at recounting the incident and the fortuitous end result. As a savvy lady familiar with the ways of the royal court, Madame Lazar sensed that something did not add up in the story. She wondered whether Nasrosoltan was being sent on a fool’s errand. However, if this was the case, she saw no reward in downing his happiness and decided to say nothing further except to offer him congratulations on the news.
Nasrosoltan responded, “How can I ever thank you? If it were not for your introduction, my dear Madame, I would have never been so fortunate. May God bless you!”
The next day, while finalizing his travel arrangements, Nasrosoltan recalled the grand duke’s touching words upon hearing of Rustam’s death, that people only die when you forget them. With that thought in mind, Nasrosoltan wanted to honor the memory of his dear departed friend. He decided to pass through Tbilisi on his way home to visit Rustam’s family and pay respects to him at his gravesite.
When he contacted Rustam’s business manager, the man informed Nasrosoltan that Rustam’s wife had left Tbilisi and was on an extended stay in Batumi on the Black Sea with her parents. He then gave Nasrosoltan the location of his friend’s final resting place, the Khojivank Pantheon of Tbilisi. Khojivank was where many Armenians of great stature, including intellectuals and artists, were buried.
Nasrosoltan spent his last few days in St. Petersburg attending to his affairs, and just before leaving, he asked one last favor of Madame Lazar. Not satisfied with his rushed farewell with Irina, Nasrosoltan requested that the Madame deliver a note to her. He wanted to reassure Irina of his love with words he borrowed from Hafez:
Look upon all the gold in the world's mart,
On all the tears the world hath shed in vain;
Shall they not satisfy thy craving heart?
I have enough of loss, enough of gain;
I have my Love, what more can I obtain?
Mine is the joy of her companionship
Whose healing lip is laid upon my lip
This is enough for me!
On Friday, October 3, 1913, Nasrosoltan climbed aboard a train bound for Persia, an entirely different man than the one who had arrived in St. Petersburg only one year earlier. He now departed with a transformed heart and soul, reveling in all that was delightful. He had a fixed purpose and intended to reach his destination as soon as possible, to prepare for the eventual welcoming of his true love.
As he left this imperial capital city, Nasrosoltan had no idea that barely ten months later, the Great War would erupt and drag Russia into unprecedented destruction and loss of life. Nasrosoltan could not have known that this conflict would affect the futures of many he had become acquainted with during his time in St. Petersburg.
On his journey home, he took a detour to visit the grave of his late friend in Tbilisi. He arrived in the picturesque capital city of Georgia, straddling the banks of the Mtkvari River, a few days later. At the train station, he hired a carriage and proceeded to the pantheon. When he got there, Nasrosoltan was surprised to see the vastness of the cemetery. He later learned that there were over ninety thousand graves in this pantheon, in an area surrounded by a massive boundary wall. This wall also enclosed a beautiful garden and a magnificent church.
Nasrosoltan noticed that most graves had granite and marble sculptures with short, inscribed notes and poems. These engraved words revealed much about the Armenian population of Tbilisi and about their families, their heritage, and different aspects of their social life.
He quickly realized that to find his friend’s gravesite, he would need assistance from the keeper of the pantheon. After he spent quite a while searching for him, Nasrosoltan finally located the keeper, who had been busy tending to the expansive grounds, and he introduced himself. In return, the man introduced himself as bat’ono Grigoryan (bat’ono in the Georgian language being the equivalent of monsieur). The keeper was a young and robust man but appeared distracted and aloof.
Nasrosoltan explained, “I have come all the way from St. Petersburg to pay respects to a dear friend, Monsieur Rustam Somkhishvili, who is buried here. Can you kindly direct me to where he rests?”
Nasrosoltan was surprised that just upon hearing Rustam’s name, Grigoryan gestured to him to come along, and in a low, gravelly voice and talking dead slow, replied, “Follow me…I know where he lies.” Nasrosoltan found it remarkable that the keeper could direct him to his friend’s resting place without searching the records.
The keeper escorted Nasrosoltan to Rustam’s gravesite. Along the way, upon learning that Nasrosoltan was Persian, the keeper shared the history surrounding this cemetery. He spoke so slowly that it seemed as if it took ages for him to complete each sente
nce. “As a Persian…you may be interested to know…that the pantheon is built on land given to the Georgians…by one of your kings…Shah Abbas, in 1612.” After sharing this historical tidbit, the keeper stopped talking. But because of how Grigoryan lingered over every word he spoke, Nasrosoltan was unsure if it was just a pause or if he had completed his thought.
After a few moments of silence, the man continued where he had left off, once again dragging out each word. “My ancestor was the first keeper…and for generations since then…the eldest son of the Grigoryans…has always held the position. This is something our family…is immensely proud of. People …soon forget the dead…but we take care of them…even when their own families and friends forget them.” After another long pause, the keeper continued, “That is why…it is refreshing to see…you have come all this way to pay respects to your friend.”
Surveying the multitude of gravestones, Nasrosoltan reflected on the truth that no matter who they were or what they did when alive, they were now all equal. It amazed him that these different lives were now all summed up in the dash etched in stone between their birth and death dates.
Nasrosoltan stopped for a moment, contemplating, but then quickly moved on to where Grigoryan had stopped ahead, waiting for Nasrosoltan to catch up. When he got to the keeper, he noticed a massive marble stone with the inscription, In memory of our dear husband and cherished father, Rustam Somkhishvili, but nothing else, except for the number thirty-two chiseled underneath.
A surprised Nasrosoltan turned to the keeper and asked, “Bat’ono Grigoryan, I knew this man! He was much older than thirty-two when he passed, so why did they etch this number on his gravestone?”
Grigoryan became a bit more lively and responded with a laugh, “Oh no, Monsieur…this is not his age. His wife told us…when we inquired…that it had been his wish to have a reminder…on his gravestone.”
A puzzled Nasrosoltan questioned the keeper, “A reminder of what?”
A Hundred Sweet Promises Page 23