Page 72 of The Unseen
Dmitri smiled and shrugged. “I can’t say that bothers me overmuch.”
Valentina remained silent all the way home, her mind working furiously. She was looking at a minimum of ten years of sexual slavery. Ten years. She had to find a way to earn a living so she could start paying him back, but no matter how much she earned, she couldn’t begin to hope to offset the amount of money Dmitri spent on her family. Elena had spent modestly at first, but her appetite for clothes and trinkets was growing, and Tanya still had years at home until she hopefully married.
Valentina swallowed back a wave of nausea. Now that she knew the real Dmitri and what he was capable of, the frightening reality of the next few years loomed before her like a death sentence. She was condemned, and there would be no last-minute pardon.
FORTY
Perhaps, in time, Valentina would have found a way to reconcile herself to the situation, as many women in her position have had to do in order to survive, but things rarely stay the same, and they almost never get easier. At the beginning of April, Mrs. Stern gave her notice. Her daughter was getting married and moving to Leeds, and Mrs. Stern was going with her. Rachel was the only family Mrs. Stern had, and she wasn’t about to be parted from her girl. A new housekeeper and chambermaid would need to be found, and Dmitri overcame his dislike of Stanislav Bistritzky long enough to put an advertisement in the paper in the hope of finding suitable Russian candidates.
“Mrs. Stern has agreed to stay until Tanya’s birthday,” he announced over breakfast one day. “She will make a delicious supper and we will have a little party. After all, it’s not every day a young lady turns sixteen. Tanya, you should invite those two girls you’ve grown friendly with and their families. It’s been too long since this house has seen any kind of celebration. What say you, Tanya?”
Tanya’s mouth opened in a charming “O” of delight. “Oh, yes. Thank you, Cousin Dmitri. That’s very kind. I’d love to invite Natalya and Larissa. They’ve both had me over for tea, but I have yet to return the favor. I’m sure they’ll come.”
“That’s very generous of you, Dmitri,” Elena said, smiling at him adoringly. “The girls’ families are not titled, but in the circumstances we must take our friends where we can find them. Perhaps I’ll invite their mamas to tea sometime in June to further our acquaintance.”
“Absolutely, my dear. It’s good for a woman to have female companionship. A good gossip over tea and cakes can do wonders for the spirit. You should try to make some friends, Valya. It would do you good. The only person you seem to talk to is that annoying Jew. I can’t imagine what you two could possibly have in common.” When Valentina ignored Dmitri’s barbedcomment, he turned back to Tanya. “And what would you like for your birthday, Tanya? Name it, and it’s yours.”
Oh, dear God, please don’t ask for anything too expensive, Valentina thought desperately. She could already see Dmitri adding the sum to the ever-growing bill of expenses.
Tanya blushed prettily. “I would like to go to the seaside. I’ve never seen the sea, and it should be lovely the first week of May.”
“Splendid idea! We will go to the seaside the day after your party. Bournemouth, perhaps. We’ll drive there in the motorcar and enjoy the sights and sounds of the country. Won’t that be grand?”
“I wish Kolya could come along,” Tanya said. “He would so enjoy it.”
“I’ll tell you what. We’ll take Kolya out of school for a few days. The headmaster is an acquaintance of mine, so he won’t object. Kolya will just make up the work when he returns. The little chap deserves a treat. We all do.”
Cousin Dmitri sounded so jovial, Valentina could hardly believe this was the man who’d forced her into prostitution and threatened her family. When she was around Dmitri at home, it was as if she’d imagined the whole thing, her mind conjuring up a sordid nightmare out of thin air. But then once Elena and Tanya retired to bed, the mask slipped, and the real Dmitri emerged: ruthless, greedy, and utterly devoid of compassion.
“Sixteen is a wonderful age,” Dmitri said. “That’s when young ladies truly begin to bloom into womanhood. The perfect age to start courting, don’t you think, Elena?”
“I wouldn’t say no if a suitable young man took an interest in our Tanya,” Elena replied, giving Valentina a reproachful sidelong glance. They’d had several arguments about her lack of interest in finding a husband, and Valentina knew her mother wasn’t about to give up. Marriage was the ultimate goal for anywell-bred Russian female, and in Elena’s estimation, becoming a spinster was a fate worse than death. Valentina could now argue that there were worse things but ignored her mother’s loaded gaze and turned to Dmitri instead.
It was fleeting, but Valentina didn’t miss the speculative gleam in his eyes. Did he hope Tanya would find a beau and marry? She wasn’t exactly sure how things worked in England when it came to marriage. Only two couples married since they’d joined the church, and they didn’t know the families well enough to ask such indelicate questions. Would Tanya need a dowry? Would Dmitri provide one? Would he pay for a wedding? Valentina could only assume that she would have to work off any expense incurred, so Dmitri could afford to be generous.
Elena and Tanya threw themselves into planning a menu for the birthday supper and discussing the arrangements for the trip to the sea immediately after breakfast. Dmitri promised to find a charming little hotel where they could spend a few nights, so they could fully enjoy their holiday.
“Dmitri, we wouldn’t want to put you to such an expense,” Elena protested. “A day at the seaside should be enough.”
He took Elena by the shoulders and smiled into her eyes. “No expense is too great for my girls, Lenochka. We will go for three days at least, and we will have a marvelous time. Agreed?”
“Agreed,” Elena said, her resistance having melted away under Dmitri’s warm gaze.
The man really is a consummate actor, Valentina thought as she watched Dmitri’s performance.
“Valya, stop looking so glum. We’ll have a ball,” Tanya said, smiling happily. “Help me write out the invitations. You have beautiful penmanship, much nicer than my chicken scratch. Is there anyone you’d like to invite? I’d be happy to include them.”
“No, Tanya. This is your birthday. Don’t worry about me.” Valentina plastered a smile onto her face and followed Tanya tothe desk where the stationery was kept. Perhaps helping Tanya with party planning would keep her mind off her upcoming assignation with Ian Murdoch.
“Tanya really is lovely,” Dmitri said as they drove to the hotel that evening. “A real beauty. You must have been stunning at sixteen.”
“I was pretty enough.”
She wasn’t pretty anymore. Not in her own eyes. She looked haunted and traumatized, but no one seemed to notice. People simply assumed she still mourned her fiancé. Elena had confided to the ladies at church that although the marriage had been arranged, the young people had been genuinely fond of each other and it would take some time for Valentina to get over her loss. Of course, this was cleverly designed to explain away Valya’s reluctance to socialize with any of the young men who tried to approach her and to assure their eager mamas that their sons shouldn’t stop trying, since it was only a matter of time until her daughter was ready to love again.
“I’m torn, you know,” Dmitri continued. For some reason, he loved sharing his thoughts and plans with Valentina while they drove to and from the hotel. She couldn’t decide whether he needed someone to talk to or just enjoyed toying with her. “A part of me wants to see Tanya well married, but a part of me is loath to pass up this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. You girls cost a fortune, and now this little holiday will set me back a few quid.”
“You are the one who offered to stay at a hotel,” Valentina replied sharply.
