4
Synnovea carefully debated her alternatives.
As much as she considered prostrating herself before Tsar Mikhail and begging him to release her from this prison he had inadvertently created for her, it wouldn’t be wise to do so.
She’d only expose herself to harsh criticisms, if not from him, then surely from the Taraslovs, who’d be outraged by her suppositions.
They’d naturally resent any grievances that would make them seem less than worthy of the tsar’s trust.
And who could predict what they might say or do to save face? They could twist her petitions to their liking, possibly causing severe judgments to be leveled against her.
Very simply, she could be maligned as ungrateful and hopelessly self-willed.
It was therefore crucial that she hold her peace and endure whatever hardships might arise until she could think of a more judicious way of gaining her freedom.
The traditional garments of a Russian maiden would definitely be the best choice to wear on her first evening at the Taraslovs, Synnovea decided.
Not only did she hope to guard against Aleksei’s rudely prying eyes by wearing such garb, but she deemed it wise not to test Anna’s tolerance.
Over a ribbon-trimmed underskirt and a shirtwaist fashioned with full, billowy sleeves, she donned a sarafan of rich ruby satin elaborately stitched with threads of silk.
Upon this embroidery, an ornate overlay of gilded threads had been sewn to enrich the artistry of the piece, copying the pattern of tiny flowers that embellished the blouse.
Low-heeled slippers of ruby-red, bedecked with the same needlework, were also adorned with soles that formed wedges of gold.
Her long, lustrous black hair had been intertwined with ribbons and woven into the customary single braid for unwed maids.
Upon her head, she settled a rounded kokoshniki , formed in the shape of a crescent. Tiny jewels and beads of gold and red shimmered amid the elaborate needlework. Lastly she fastened on earrings of finely worked gold filigree adorned with delicate clusters of rubies.
When the last bow was tied, the final clasp fastened, Synnovea assessed the results in a long, silvered looking-glass, a luxury she also enjoyed while at home and was grateful to find here.
At least, in furnishing the guest chambers, Anna had been keenly aware of what would please her guests, even if she hadn’t had the present one in mind at the time.
Boyars never knew when they would be entertaining or housing important visitors.
In short, it was far better to be prepared than embarrassed.
It had been far from Synnovea’s intent to achieve such a stunning radiance that she’d actually complicate her dilemma.
Yet when she joined the Taraslovs and Ivan in the parlor downstairs, the sly, seductive narrowing of Aleksei’s eyes and the ebullient smile curving his generous lips readily summoned forth an impression of a snake slyly perusing a bird, clearly for the purpose of devouring it.
Synnovea’s quick glance toward Anna caught a sharp frown being subdued behind a stiffly fixed visage and a forced smile of greeting.
No words parted the princess’s grimacing lips.
The prince, however, proved more vocal.
“My dear Countess Synnovea,”
he murmured warmly, stepping forward to cradle her hand within the slender length of his.
Garbed in a royal blue kaftan bedecked with elaborate embroidery, Aleksei looked like some bronze-skinned sheik from the deserts of Arabia.
His warm brown eyes glowed with provocative fervor as they held her gaze in a commanding vise.
Beneath a carefully groomed mustache, his red lips widened into a sultry smile.
“I had nigh forgotten how lovely you are, my dear.
You’re as enchanting as an elegant swan.”
A barrage of accusations tempted Synnovea’s tongue, and though her eyes chilled briefly to indicate her displeasure with his unabashed invasion of her privacy, she held her silence.
Still, she was not above purloining some subtle revenge.
Deftly she slipped her hand from his, forbidding him the opportunity to kiss the pale fingers, and opened a bejeweled fan between them.
Cleverly she denied his compliments as well, aware that Anna was regarding them with icy shards of enmity glittering in her eyes.
As the recipient of that chilling glower, Synnovea understood clearly what it felt like to be loathed by another woman.
“I’m humbled by such words of charity, Prince Aleksei.”
She feigned a doleful look of regret.
“Though sweet succor to my ears, I fear your kindness is exceeded only by your pity for me.”
Her gentle scolding brought a smile of amiable humor to Aleksei’s sensual lips.
While he recognized the vexation in her distant manner, it served to whet his appetite all the more.
He was intrigued by her spirit, for he had often derived ecstatic pleasure in making conquests among the most reluctant virgins and noting their subsequent compliance to his every whim.
Because of the accessibility of her tremendous beauty, this particular maiden promised to be exceptionally sweet provender upon whom his ravenous lusts could be indulged.
Her grace and charm would lend great satisfaction to the tryst, at least more than any in which he had recently indulged.
The prince met Synnovea’s aloof stare while his own smoldering gaze promised a fervent seduction.
He was confident of achieving his goal.
What woman could long resist his amorous attentions and hawkish good looks? His black hair, streaked with gray at the temples, and his warm, swarthy complexion enhanced his handsome features and accentuated his appeal despite a total of twoscore and three years behind him.
As he leaned toward Synnovea, his husky whisper conveyed an unfaltering boldness.
“Are you really so innocent of your marvelous beauty and its effect on men, my dear?”
“Kind sir, pity me and desist of such flattery before you turn my head,”
Synnovea begged coolly, recognizing the challenge twinkling in his darkly shining eyes.
“Flattery?”
He laughed in warm amusement.
“Oh, nay! I fear it’s infatuation, pure and simple, that makes me speak as I do.”
Feeling decidedly threatened by his temerity, Synnovea lifted the fan higher to flick it in irritation before her hotly burning cheeks.
She could understand more accurately now why Aleksei’s reputation had preceded him.
He applied his beguiling enticements with the crafty art of a true philanderer and boldly advanced his exploits with unmitigated verve.
He didn’t seem the least bit inhibited by his wife’s presence.
Indeed, he was brazenly forward, showing little regard for her feelings, while he forced their guest to strike down his overtures and parry his comments in such a way as to hopefully deflect the sharp blade of Anna’s resentment.
Synnovea was adamant in her resolve not to fall victim to his lascivious gambits.
Nor would she, for even a moment, allow him to entertain the idea that she would become another willing plaything.
Circumventing his ploy, she deliberately drew Anna into the contest.
“No need to extend your mercy to the extreme, my lord.
I can see quite clearly the high degree of beauty by which I must be judged and am quite resolved to endure the shortcomings of this poor flask that you see before you, knowing it’s far beyond my ability to hold a candle to Princess Anna who would shame the very sun with her radiance.”
Aleksei drew back to stare at his glowering wife with a jaundiced eye and managed a brief twitch of a smile.
“Why, of course,”
he replied with a dearth of enthusiasm and then allowed himself to be more magnanimous.
“I suppose it’s like the gem that’s too close at hand.”
“Sometimes,”
Anna interjected in glacial tones, barely moving her tensed lips, “the rare jewel is overlooked when a more colorful yet far less worthy bauble attracts the eye.”
Ivan came forward from the windows, where he had been all but obscured by shadows, and gave Synnovea a lengthy scrutiny which by no means was intended as a compliment.
“I’m greatly heartened, Countess, that you’ve finally regarded the garments of your homeland suitable to don.
I was sure you were averse to wearing them.”
“On the contrary,”
Synnovea replied, forcing a smile.
“I simply had no desire to see such treasures ruined by the journey.”
“But surely you have less extravagant sarafans that you could’ve worn while traveling,”
Ivan argued, reveling in the disapproval that Anna had already demonstrated toward the girl.
To exact revenge at every turn of the hand while remaining a saint in the eyes of the princess was a temptation he couldn’t resist.
“Now tell us true, my lady, was your goal to look your prettiest for your escort?”
His question awakened a nettling irritation within her.
“You imagine too much, Ivan.”
Aleksei interceded on her behalf, fully aware of the hostility to which she had fallen prey.
He disregarded as irrelevant the fact that his wayward propensities were primarily to blame for his wife’s animosity.
For the most part, he ignored Anna’s temper tantrums and visited her bed only when no other distractions were conveniently at hand or when he wanted to maneuver her opinions on certain matters.
Like most women, she found it hard to resist his lustful bent, but her penchant for nagging usually drove him off in frantic pursuit of unexplored territories.
“Synnovea is fortunate to be so well traveled, and as she has clearly demonstrated, she has become well versed in both cultures and is just as comfortable in our sarafans as in those horrible, stiff English ruffs.”
He turned to Synnovea.
“I do applaud your diversity, my dear.
You’re clearly young enough to be pliable to a variety of changes.”
Anna gritted her teeth in a badly feigned smile as her husband met her glare with a purposefully dull gaze.
His dark brow lifted tauntingly, deepening her resentment until she promised herself that if he didn’t escape the manse, as was his habit at late hours, she’d take him to task for blatantly flaunting the youth of their ward in her face.
Boris entered the room to announce that a zakuski had been laid out in the dining room in honor of the guests.
As the servant withdrew, Anna faced Ivan and Synnovea.
“You both must be thoroughly exhausted after your recent encounter with that band of thieves.”
She ignored Aleksei’s start of surprise and continued with her carefully delivered ruse of concern.
She was anxious to air her displeasure with her husband in the privacy of her chambers and made the necessary excuses for their guests’ speedy withdrawal.
“I shall endeavor to remember your great weariness and not delay you overlong with my chattering.
But for now, a little wine and a few delicious morsels will help assuage your hunger.”
Anna led the way into the dining hall, but not without directing a warning glower over her shoulder as Aleksei fell in behind Synnovea.
The princess was aware that from that angle he could appease himself with a closely attentive perusal of their young ward, a practice he had long employed with every beautiful young woman who had come into their home.
The Taraslovs and their guests came together around the food-laden buffet to partake of the caviar, sardines, balyk , ham, and other delectable selections often served prior to the main meal whenever visitors were present.
In making his own way to the sideboard, Aleksei deliberately passed near the girl to sample the elusive fragrance of English violets that drifted from her before he deigned to join his wife.
Boris laid out an intricately woven bread basket filled with slices of freshly baked khlebny and poured a lemon-flavored vodka for the men and a milder, wild-black-cherry Chereunikyna for the ladies.
Aleksei accepted the piece of bread that Anna had spread with a generous portion of caviar before stepping back with his libation and directing a question to their new charge.
“What is this that I hear about thieves, Synnovea? Am I to believe you were accosted by renegades on your journey here?”
Synnovea had actually opened her mouth to explain when Anna interrupted with her own version.
In good manner the younger woman could do naught but close her mouth and listen.
“A ghastly tale of murder and mayhem.”
The princess shook her head almost sorrowfully as a long, dismal sigh slipped from her.
“Poor Ivan was fortunate to escape with his life.
And dear Synnovea—why, it’s inappropriate for me to say what that wretched man claimed from her after he seized her and rode off into the forest….”
Synnovea gaped at the woman, feeling thoroughly victimized by her suggestive remark.
The coy smile that came upon Anna’s lips and the hard flint in the gray eyes openly conveyed the injury she had meant to reap with her insinuations.
Her motives seemed simple enough to her young guest.
Beyond a mere ruse to cause her undue shame, the woman obviously meant to frustrate her husband’s hopes of adding yet another virgin to his collection.
Synnovea didn’t mind that at all, but she certainly resented her honor being besmirched.
Aleksei was clearly taken aback.
“What’s this? Synnovea, dear child, were you offended by those ruffians?”
Synnovea tossed a covert glower toward Ivan who was no doubt to blame for spawning this latest infraction.
“I fear the tale has been much enlivened by hearsay, my lord.
There’s no need for alarm.
I was saved from ravishment by the timely appearance of an officer of Tsar Mikhail’s Hussars.
Were Colonel Rycroft here, I’m sure he’d attest to my claims, which he’ll likely have to do in a report to his superior.”
Aleksei relaxed enough to smile.
Though a self-proclaimed gallant, he had always prided himself in the care he took to avoid those grim maladies associated with indiscriminately lewd activities.
His own father had suffered many ills and woes stemming from the disease until finally, amid excruciating agony and frenzied hallucinations, the man had ended his own life.
Even to this day, Aleksei was haunted by the memory of that wild-eyed, slavering being slicing his own throat.
Nearly overwhelmed as a young man by the horror of that ghastly sight, he had vowed that he would never let himself fall prey to that kind of dark pestilence.
It was exceedingly more gratifying to mount the tender, pristine thighs of a virgin and, for a time, dally with her until he grew bored enough to seek entertainment elsewhere.
“And this colonel?”
Aleksei directed his attention to his beautiful guest.
“He was perhaps the one who escorted you here?”
“Captain Nekrasov was appointed that particular duty by His Majesty.
The one who actually came to my deliverance is an Englishman in service to the tsar.
He was on practice maneuvers in the area when he and his men happened upon my halted carriage and put the thieves to rout.”
“How can a foreigner claim the rank of colonel in Russia?”
Anna asked caustically.
Synnovea felt her neck prickle as she took umbrage at the princess’s obvious disdain.
“I would assume that Colonel Rycroft had already acquired that rank before entering the tsar’s service.”
“But he’s an Englishman!”
the woman exclaimed, unwilling to dismiss that fact.
“What is my cousin thinking of to incorporate an Englishman in his troops? Or is this more of his father’s doings? Patriarch Filaret will have us all killed in our beds by bringing foreign mercenaries into the city!”
“My dear, how can you speak of the good patriarch like that?”
Aleksei mocked with a slanted smile.
“Ivan can tell you! Filaret has assumed the powers of the tsar through his son.
His ambitions have asserted themselves beyond the duties of patriarch.
Indeed! He’d be sitting on the throne today in place of his son if not for the fact that Boris Godunov forced him to become a monk to save his own tsardom.”
Aleksei scowled darkly at the cleric, who conveniently addressed his attention to the food.
“Such talk is dangerous, Anna, and you know as well as I do that His Majesty has no real interest in ruling Russia without his father’s counsel.
His negotiations for peace with Poland not only gained an armistice but obtained the release of Filaret.
True, the treaty cost us a number of Russian towns and cities, yet it has gained us a far more valuable asset.
Patriarch Filaret Nikitich has the wisdom to make the right decision for our country.
If he has brought foreigners here to secure our peace and train our troops, I can find no fault against the man for wanting to strengthen our capabilities and defense.
They need to be!”
“What are you saying, Aleksei?”
Anna asked, amazed that her husband could lightly accept such a notion.
“Colonel Rycroft is an Englishman!”
Synnovea rallied to the colonel’s defense, not entirely sure why she should feel so offended in his behalf, except that she was half English herself and felt a deep loyalty to the memory of her mother, who had been far more gracious than Anna Taraslovna could ever hope to be.
“That rogue Ladislaus made light of the abilities of the tsar’s men until Colonel Rycroft confronted his pack of wolves.
Then the thief had to lament the loss of those brought down by the Englishman’s sword.
I, for one, am most appreciative of the colonel and his skill as a soldier.
I wouldn’t be here this very moment enjoying the safety of your house if not for him.”
Anna mentally sneered at her guest’s input.
“I can understand why you’d be grateful for such a one.
After all, your mother was English, but other boyarinas are more discriminating than to value the presence of a foreigner.”
Her mouth curved in a derisive smile as she offered a conjecture.
“No doubt you found the colonel attractive.”
“No! particularly,”
Synnovea replied stiltedly, somewhat miffed that Anna could suggest that her feelings of gratitude had been inspired merely by the looks of a man.
But then, such an idea had likely been spawned by Ivan’s claim that she had garbed herself for the sole purpose of attracting male attention.
“In truth, Captain Nekrasov is much more pleasing in appearance, though not quite as daring with a sword.
I certainly valued the captain’s attendance, but after his wounding, he was allowed no opportunity to save me.”
“Such a rescue must be construed as fortuitous unless by chance there was a weightier hand guiding events,”
Anna rejoined in haughty aloofness.
“It was indeed fortunate that Colonel Rycroft happened to be near enough to come to your aid.
Perhaps he was only waiting there to advance your appreciation of his exploits.”
“Considering the danger the Englishman was in, I find no evidence to support your insinuation that he might have arranged the attack for his own gain,”
Synnovea countered with uncompromising fervor.
“’Tis simply inconceivable.
He very nearly laid down the highest price a man could pay for my deliverance and, in the process, killed many of Ladislaus’s men.
I, for one, am deeply grateful for having escaped the brigands and am equally relieved that Colonel Rycroft came through it alive as well.”
Anna bestowed her regard upon Ivan, who was cramming a caviar-stuffed pancake into his mouth with such greed that one had to wonder if he intended to embark upon a long fast on the morrow.
“Was that the way you perceived it, good Voronsky?”
The beady eyes flicked upward in surprise and momentarily fastened on the princess.
Realizing an answer was expected, Ivan worked his lean jaw vigorously to dispense with the food.
He swallowed hard and promptly washed the mass down with an ample swig of vodka before he cast a glance toward Synnovea and found himself the object of her curiosity.
Wiping the back of his hand across his mouth, he cleared his throat and spoke for once in agreement with her, knowing she could name him a liar if he dared dispute her words.
“’Tis much as the countess has said.”
He noticed a spark of irritation in the silver eyes and hastened to mollify his hostess.
“Though it’s impossible for me to clearly discern what was in the heart of the Englishman at the time.
He was rather brutal in his assault on the thieves.”
Synnovea was incredulous.
“Sir, are you suggesting that Colonel Rycroft should have treated them like errant children and slapped their wrists or perhaps waited to launch his attack until they had actually killed one of us? Thieving bands rarely show compassion for their victims.
They seize and slay, whether a man be noble or common born.
I say that we’re lucky to have escaped alive! And as for that, I’m sure you have cause to remember Petrov threatening you with dire consequences unless you gave him more coins to appease his greed.”
Seeing his chance to extract a greater measure of concern from his benefactress, Ivan validated her claim.
“And quite violently so.
The oaf would have thought nothing of taking my life.”
Aleksei considered the scholar with a slyly malevolent smile.
“I see no scars from your encounter, Ivan.
Indeed, you seem in rare good health and of superior appetite.
I daresay we shall be enjoying your company for many a meal yet.”
A deep blush stained Ivan’s pockmarked face as he felt the sting of the man’s sarcasm.
The prince was immensely fond of casting aspersions upon his poor frame, perhaps because they were both cognizant of the one from whom he garnered protection.
Being favored by the princess certainly had its reward.
Her presence guaranteed Ivan impunity from physical aggression, which allowed him to enjoy a prideful arrogance.
He was not above flaunting his position over the prince or even needling him about it now and then.
Actually, the idea seemed quite appealing at the moment.
“As it stands now, my lord, you’ll be seeing more of me for some time to come.”