Page 11 of The Unseen
“I don’t have a suitor, and Valentina is nearly engaged. Alexei would never believe any mean-spirited talk about Valya.”
“Nearly engaged is not the same as married, my girl,” the nanny replied. “She’s my responsibility till then.”
“Tanya, stop aggravating the poor woman,” Valentina admonished her sister. “She’s doing her best for us. Always has.”
“I know. I just don’t like being treated like a child. I’m fourteen—nearly a grown woman.”
“You’re hardly a grown woman. You still have several years in the schoolroom before you are presented to society. Be patient.”
“Easy for you to say. You’re on the verge of something wonderful, while I have to molder in that schoolroom with that fusty governess. God, she bores me to tears.”
“She’s only doing what she’s paid to do.”
“Don’t I know it,” Tanya complained. “She should focus on Kolya. He needs all the help he can get.”
“Father will get him a different tutor this year. Kolya’s education will be quite different from ours, him being a boy.”
“You mean he won’t have to spend countless hours playing excruciatingly dull minuets on the pianoforte and memorizing poetry? She won’t even let me play a waltz, that miserable cow. Boys get to have all the fun,” Tanya grumbled as they reached their door and knocked, eager to be admitted into the warmth of the house.
“Oh, I don’t know about that. I have plenty of fun,” Valentina replied. She enjoyed teasing her sister.
“That’s because you have Alexei.”
Valentina handed her fur-trimmed coat, muff, and fur hat to a footman before heading into the parlor where her mother was reclining on a chaise, reading. She was a great fan of Alexander Pushkin and knew many of his poems by heart, but at the moment she was enjoying a volume by Mikhail Lermontov, her second favorite.
“Did you have a nice time, Valya?”
“It was splendid, Mama. How was your afternoon?”
“Lazy,” her mother replied, smiling guiltily. She was still beautiful at thirty-eight, with blond ringlets that framed her heart-shaped face and large blue eyes, just like Valentina’s, fringed with thick lashes. “Your father tried to entice me with a sleigh ride, but I was so comfortable here by the fire with my book.”
“You need fresh air, Mama.”
“And I’ll get some tomorrow. You know how I dislike the cold. And the bright sun reflecting on the snow makes me squint, and you know what that means.”
“That you’ll get wrinkles around the eyes. A definite no-no.” Valentina gave her mother a peck on the cheek and settled in the chair closest to the fire.
“Don’t get too comfortable, Valya. Go and make yourself presentable. Countess Petrova sent word that Alexei will be stopping by. He wishes to speak to you.” Elena Kalinina looked like a cat that had got at the cream, her eyes sparkling with mischief and her mouth twitching as she tried to suppress a smile.
“Really?” Valentina gasped.
“Really.”
“What should I wear?”
“Why don’t you put on that light blue frock I like so much? It brings out your eyes.”
“All right.”
Valentina exploded out of the chair in a most unladylike way and hurried to her room. If this was “The Talk,” she meant to be ready for it.
“You’re so lucky,” Tanya grumbled as Valentina dashed past her. “I wish it was my turn.”
“It soon will be.”
Valentina stripped off her warm woolen gown and put on the blue silk her mother had recommended. The dress was feminine and frilly, adorned with Belgian lace and tiny cloth-covered buttons. It was lovely. She ran a brush through her thick blond hair, tied it with a matching blue ribbon, and examined her reflection in the mirror. She looked happy and excited, a girl on the cusp of womanhood, and if her mother was right, on the threshold of marriage.
Valentina had known Alexei all her life. Their fathers had become great friends during their time in the Imperial Army when they were young Hussars. The two families were close, and it had always been assumed that Valentina would marry Alexei, Count Petrov’s oldest son. Valentina couldn’t think of anything more wonderful than marrying Alexei. He was handsome, charming, and fun, and always made her feel like she was the most beautiful girl in the world. It was agreed that their relationship wouldn’t be formalized until Valentina turned eighteen, but she would be eighteen the following week, and a supper party was planned to celebrate her birthday. Her parents assumed there’d be an announcement to make. And now Alexei was on his way.
