Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Five
A rriving in Irkutsk, they drove straight to the hotel where rooms had been reserved. The town had been built over the last forty years and most of the houses were plain wooden structures. The streets were unpaved and, apart from churches, the only significant building was the governor’s white mansion. Their front room had a window which was piled high with snow, making the candlelight yellow in the dim interior; but it was clean, and Anna and Sofia enjoyed a bath and a good night’s sleep for the first time in a month.
To their surprise, the governor was announced the next morning soon after they finished breakfast.
‘I congratulate you on the speed of your journey.’ General Zeidler’s face was red with frost, and he spoke with a heavy German accent. ‘You travelled almost as fast as our imperial couriers.’
His uniform was slightly dark in the creases with epaulettes showing signs of wear. He must be about fifty, Anna thought, and not far off a pension, no doubt the size of which depended on doing his job to the tsar’s satisfaction. He walked with the heavy tread of a soldier and declined their offer of refreshment.
‘Our beloved sovereign understands the emotions that prompted you to make this journey.’ The general sat himself down on the far side of the table and took off his gloves. ‘However, Irkutsk is the furthest outpost of the empire and I strongly advise you against travelling further. Beyond here is a harsh, inhospitable land where the summer is shorter than spring and winter lasts for eight months.’
Anna said nothing, observing Sofia who sat very still as she tried to control her frustration. ‘We’re aware of the climate in Siberia, sir. To have come so far and not travel on to Nerchinsk would render our journey futile.’
‘I expect you to act with common sense, Madame.’ General Zeidler placed a leather folder on the desk and took out a handful of letters bound with red ribbon. ‘I have here your correspondence to your husband. I will arrange for it to be sent to Nerchinsk and allow the convict Brianski to reply while you remain in Irkutsk. Once that is achieved, you should return to St. Petersburg.’
Anna heard Sofia’s sharp intake of breath. The sight of the letters in Zeidler’s fat hand struck fury and horror in her heart. No wonder they hadn’t heard from Sasha! All their correspondence had been confiscated. Her brother must have thought they had disowned and abandoned him.
‘I haven’t travelled all this way to exchange letters,’ Sofia said in a tremulous voice after a brief silence. ‘I have the same right as any Russian woman to be with my husband.’
‘That’s true, but the emperor’s keen I dissuade you from proceeding deeper into Siberia. He is against wives following their spouses into oblivion.’
It was the first time the tsar’s censure had been stated so baldly. He had given Maria and Sofia permission to go to their husbands and they had taken it as approval. She glanced at Sofia and saw her cheeks go pale.
Zeidler was severe as he went on, ‘For that reason, the traitors are not allowed to correspond with their relatives in the west. If you’re determined to continue on your journey, you will be treated as little better than convicts yourselves.’
Anna felt coldness pass across her skin. Was the tsar afraid they might stir up public opinion at home? It was bad enough the Decembrists were cut off from their loved ones. Surely, he couldn’t forbid their wives from maintaining contact with their families?
‘It is my duty to make the situation clear to you.’ The general made no attempt to soften his tone. ‘Should you persist in your rash venture, you may only see your husband if the prison commandant gives permission and then under guard. For the rest, you will be confined to the prison village surrounded by felons who will treat you as their equal.’
Anna wanted to protest but could not get the words to her lips. She swallowed hard, too shocked to speak. Sasha had entrusted Sofia and their unborn child to her care. If she had known this before, she might have persuaded them to stay at home. Oh, Sasha… If only, you could have written to us! How could we know what was for the best?
She spoke at last, as loudly as the constriction in her throat would permit. ‘This isn’t what we were led to believe.’
Zeidler’s pale eyes flicked over her and he did not reply.
‘There must be someone in charge!’ Sofia protested.
‘The commandant can’t protect you from the insults and attacks of depraved men.’ The general’s cold glance fell on Sofia. ‘Criminals have no fear of retribution – not even if they assault the wife of a fellow prisoner.’
‘Then God will protect me.’ Sofia’s chair scraped the floor as she stood up. Her voice changed, gathering strength as her gaze fixed on the governor’s face. ‘I will be with my husband, sir!’
General Zeidler puffed out his cheeks and placed a sheet of official paper on the table. It was embossed with the double-headed eagle and ran to several paragraphs.
‘Here’s everything I’ve tried to explain to you.’ He stabbed a finger on the document. ‘Before I allow you to proceed, you must agree to the conditions and sign this document. I advise you to read it with utmost care.’
‘I take it there’s nothing that implicates my companion,’ Sofia said with a defiant lift of her chin.
‘Your maid may travel with you to your destination, but no servants are allowed in Nerchinsk.’
Anna felt momentary relief that Zeidler had accepted her deception – but what were these conditions? Nicholas Bulgarin had intimated that wives who followed their husbands might be exiled for life. Surely, Maria Volkonsky had gone through this interrogation, too? The document could only be a bureaucratic formality, she told herself. It was inconceivable Maria would sign away the right to return and collect her little boy.
As if she had spoken aloud, Sofia said. ‘My friends, Princess Volkonsky and Princess Trubetskoy, are expecting us to join them. I hope you will not detain us in Irkutsk for too long.’
Before Anna had a chance to stop her, she walked over to the table, leant an elbow on the desk and dipped a quill into the inkpot. Zeidler stood beside her as she glanced over the document and then wrote her name at the bottom.
The governor emitted a grunt as he signed his name alongside and picked up the paper. ‘As the wife of a convict, you’re in no position to expect any help from me.’
There was exasperation in his voice as he put on his gloves. Then, leaving a copy for them to read, he stalked out of the room. The document was spread out on the table and the two women sat down. Anna read quickly:
‘– A wife who follows her husband to Siberia must renounce all rights to her previous position. She will be considered the spouse of a state criminal and bear the consequences of her status, whatever they may be.
– Any child born in Siberia out of such a woman’s union with her criminal husband will be regarded as a serf and the property of the state.
– She will never be permitted to return to western Russia, even on the death of her husband.’
There was more, but the these first three points sent a rush of blood to Anna’s head. In a single stroke of her pen, Sofia had signed away her freedom. She would never be allowed home – not even if Sasha died. Why hadn’t Maria been told the truth? She would never see her beloved Nicolenka again. How could she bear to be separated from her darling son? Sofia and Sasha’s baby would be registered a serf and belong to the state. Never in their wildest dreams could they have imagined anything so monstrous. Anna’s pulse was going at such a rate she felt dizzy. The Decembrists had wanted to end serfdom. Now their children would be in bondage and their families had officially ceased to exist. The tsar was too afraid of the church to separate husbands and wives, but he was determined to punish them, all the same.
Sofia must go to General Zeidler at once and retract before it was too late. Anna grasped her hand. ‘You can’t agree to this! Sasha will never allow it. You must go to the governor immediately and say you’ve changed your mind.’
‘Thank God I didn’t wait until after my baby was born.’
‘But the baby will be a serf. He may be taken away from you!’
‘I won’t let that happen, Anna. My heart bleeds to think of poor Maria and her little boy…’ Sofia faltered, then collected herself. ‘This document only applies to me. You’re free to return whenever you wish. I think the time has come for you to go home.’
Anna hardly heard what she was saying. Nicholas had suspected something like this. He had said the emperor would never forgive the Decembrists or those who stood by them. She thought of the tsar’s cold face and hatred filled her heart. It was only when Sofia raised her voice, she realised that she was talking.
‘My place is beside my beloved husband, Anna. But it’s different for you. You’ve already gone beyond the call of duty. Nerchinsk is close to the border with China. It will be far more difficult to get home from there.’
Anna forced herself to think. This was the last point at which she had the chance to turn back. Now she understood the true nature of the Romanovs – their brutality and deceit – the idea of being alone in St. Petersburg made her feel sick. To return from Irkutsk would mean the tsar had won. She despised him and his court. How could she ever feel at home in a society where such cruelty existed just beneath the surface?
Only a long time later did Anna realise that Peter Dashkovy played no part in her decision. Her happiness no longer depended on him and he didn’t cross her mind. She was here because of Sasha and Sofia, and she wouldn’t let them down. The tsar’s vengeful, savage actions made her bitterly aware of the sacrifice made by the Decembrists. They had wanted Russia to be free and had lost everything in their fight against tyranny. She believed in their cause and would do anything in her power to support them. I don’t care about myself, she thought. I will stand by them to the end. Nothing else is of any consequence.
‘I’m coming with you, Sofia. The next stage of the journey is the most dangerous. Besides, I want to see Sasha.’ Sofia opened her mouth to interrupt but Anna held up her hand. ‘Let’s hope the governor doesn’t delay us interminably. I’ll go and find out if Ivan’s managed to hire some fresh horses.’