Page 49 of The Unseen
It took nearly two weeks, but eventually, Valentina found Tanya a position with a local seamstress. Tanya was to work from eight in the morning until six in the evening, with only a half hour for dinner at noon. Tanya hated the tedious work and disliked her employer, but she dutifully went off every morning, while Valentina took on some cleaning jobs. They paid a pittance, but it was enough to buy bread and butter, some cheese, and a weekly bucket of coal. It wasn’t nearly enough, but they used the coal sparingly, and only in the evenings. Valentina greatly lookedforward to a break in the weather when they might cut back on heating.
Life went on, if you could call it living. Elena wasted away, Kolya spent his days playing with other boys in the street, and Valentina and Tanya worked to support the family. Valentina came home first and had to immediately start preparing supper, since Elena did nothing during the day but sleep and stare out the window. She wouldn’t even eat if her daughters didn’t set a plate in front of her. They helped her bathe on Saturdays and brushed her hair, since she showed no desire to take care of herself.
It was at the beginning of March that they received their first and only visitor. As it was late afternoon, they were seated around the scarred wooden table, having tea and bread, meant to tide them over until suppertime, when there was a loud knock on the door. Valentina and Tanya exchanged glances. Valentina thought it might be their landlord, but he never came for the rent on Sundays. She pushed her chair away from the table and went to answer the door. Outside, she found a man of about forty. He had dark soulful eyes, thick sandy-colored hair, and a short beard. The sable collar on his coat and the silver-tipped walking stick in his gloved hand looked out of place in the dingy corridor.
“Valentina Ivanovna, I presume?” he asked, smiling at her kindly. “I’m Dmitri Pavlovich Ostrov, your mother’s cousin. May I come in?”
“Of course.” Valentina stepped aside and invited him into the room. She inwardly cringed as he took in the two iron bedsteads, the laundry hanging beneath the ceiling and the grimy, narrow window. They didn’t have an extra chair to offer him, so Valentina offered him her own. “May I pour you some tea?”
“Thank you. That would be wonderful.”
Valentina quickly rinsed out her own cup, since they only had four, while Dmitri Pavlovich removed his coat, hat, and gloves. He looked about, unsure what to do with the items, until Tanya jumped to her feet and reached out to take them. She stowedeverything on the bed, for lack of a coat hanger. Dmitri’s eyes focused on Elena, who stared at him woodenly, confusion marring her brow as she studied his features. They hadn’t seen each other in nearly twenty years, and no doubt found each other much changed.
“Dima, is that really you?” Elena breathed.
“It is, Lenochka. I’m so sorry I haven’t come sooner. I was away on business, you see, and only arrived back a few days ago. That was when I saw your letters.”
“What’s type of business are you in?” Valentina asked.
“I have various commercial interests. You wouldn’t be interested.” Dmitri waved his hand in a dismissive manner. “Tell me about you. How long have you been in London? How’ve you managed to live?”
Valentina and Tanya gave him an abridged version of events. They simply couldn’t muster the emotion to go over it all again, especially the cruel deaths of their father and Alexei. Dmitri surmised for himself that Ivan was gone, and Valentina saw no reason to bring up Alexei. Her pain was private, and she wasn’t ready to share it with a man she’d just met. Perhaps she’d tell him about Alexei in time, if given the opportunity to further their acquaintance.
“Merciful Father, how you have suffered. You did right to come to London, my dears. I’m back now, and I will look after you.”
Valentina watched Dmitri discreetly. She knew nothing of the man, but he seemed genuinely distressed by their plight and eager to help. She wouldn’t ask him for anything, though. She’d wait to see what he proposed, and proceed from there.
Dmitri took a sip of tea and set his cup down with the look of a man who’d made a decision. “You are coming to live with me.”
“Are you married, Dmitri Pavlovich?” Tanya asked. Valentina hadn’t thought to inquire, but Dmitri’s wife might have something to say about four people she’d never heard of taking up residence in her home.
“I was. Alas, my wife died several years ago. We weren’t blessed with children.”
“How did you come to live in London?” Kolya asked. “I don’t like London.”
“Many years ago, when I was a young man, I met an English lady who stole my heart,” Dmitri said, his explanation dripping with romanticism meant to appeal to a young boy. “She worked as a governess for a family I knew well. She’d been engaged to teach the children English and Italian. She was lovely, my Emily. My parents were extremely angry when I married her, and cast me out, so we returned to the land of her birth to make a life for ourselves here.”
“Where do you live?” Kolya asked.
“I have a house in Belgravia. It’s not overly large, but it’s comfortable, and has enough bedrooms to accommodate you all. Shall we go there now? My carriage is just around the corner.”
Valentina gazed at Dmitri in some surprise. She didn’t know much about London yet, but she knew that Belgravia was a very prestigious area, not the type of place where a cast-out nobleman and a former governess would reside. Dmitri had obviously done very well for himself over the past twenty years.
“Come now,” Dmitri said as he rose to his feet and looked around the room. “Is there anything I can help with?”
“Just give us a moment,” Valentina said.
“Bring only your clothes and personal items. You won’t have any need of domestic implements.” He looked with distaste at the chipped china and blackened pans hanging by the hearth.
It took all of ten minutes to gather their belongings. Valentina looked around the bare, cheerless room. She hoped they wouldn’t have to come back, but until she saw their accommodations and verified the terms of Dmitri’s assistance, she wouldn’t give up their home or their employment. They would just have to take an omnibus to work tomorrow, since it was likely too far to walk.
Dmitri supported Elena gently as he escorted her toward the carriage. Her fur coat hung on her thin frame, making her look frail and shrunken, and her hat obscured most of her face. She didn’t bother to look around, just stared straight ahead, uninterested in the place they’d lived for several months. The carriage wasn’t grand, but large enough to fit them all comfortably. Dmitri used his walking stick to tap on the roof once they were settled, and the vehicle moved smoothly away from the curb.
“Will I have my own room?” Kolya asked, earning himself a sharp look from Valentina.
“Of course you will. For the time being.”
“For the time being?” Kolya asked. He looked frightened and Valentina laid a hand on his arm to comfort him.
