Queen of Someday

  As Sergei predicted, the Ladies Vorotsova arrive at midday in a golden carriage. Their entourage is small, and they have a brief audience with both Empress Elizabeth and Count Lestocq before being sent to my rooms. By the time they arrive, I have three new gowns completed and my mother has returned from her long walk, a radiant smile plastered across her face. The girls greet me with deep curtsies. Elizavetta is short and plump with orange red hair and round eyes so light blue that they remind me of the morning sky. She’s round in the face and shoulders like the paintings of angelic cherubs, only her plump lips are dark red with beet juice, taking her look from childish to voluptuous. Her sister is nearly the exact opposite. Ekaterina has golden yellow hair that hangs in long, loose waves down her back. She is slender but not sharp of feature, her smile rich and genuine. Only her eyes betrayed their relation, the same light, icy blue.

  “I’m so pleased to meet you,” I offer warmly. “I hope your journey was pleasant.”

  Ekaterina speaks first. “It was quite uneventful. And please, call me Rina.”

  I nod. Elizavetta steps forward, looking flushed.

  “Is there anything you need right now, my lady? I should like to see to our things.”

  I shake my head. “I’m all right for now. Please, see to your things and settle in. In a few hours, I will need your help preparing for tonight’s ball.”

  With a curt nod, the red-haired sister glides off to her own room next door. Rina, however, stays behind. Mother quietly excuses herself, grabs the paper and ink well, and heads to her private chambers, closing the door behind her.

  Soon, I hear yelling from the next room, Elizavetta screaming at the servants about mishandling their trunks. I turn a surprised glance to Rina, who blushes wildly.

  “I think you will find my dear sister is… unused to serving others, as she is much more accustomed to being served.” She bats her eyelashes. “I blame my father really. He has spoiled her to the point of making her an incurable brat.”

  I can’t help but laugh at the remark, because it reminds me of something very similar I said about my own brother once. At the memory, a sharp pain erupts behind my ribs, a longing for home that always seems to be just below the surface.

  “I will leave her to the unpacking, I think. Retribution for the many, many verses of poetry she felt the need to recite on the journey.” She grins at me conspiratorially. “How are you settling into court? It must be very different than where you’re from.”

  I’m not sure whether I should be offended by the remark, so I choose to wave it off.

  “It’s very similar, on a larger scale, of course.”

  She kneels down and begins gathering up discarded bits of fabric and lace.

  “Are you hungry?” I ask suddenly. She looks up, a bit startled.

  “I am famished.”

  I turn to the maid. “Isobel, could you fetch some food for me and my lady? Some salted meat and bread with honey, please.”

  With a quick curtsy, Isobel hurries off to the kitchen.

  “Please, sit with me, Rina.”

  She obliges, sitting in a chair across from me.

  “Tell me, Rina, have you ever been to one of the empress’ balls?”

  She nods. “Quite often. My family visits court regularly.”

  “So you must know the prince?”

  She frowns. “I have seen him a few times, but we’ve never spoken. He rarely attends the galas and when he does, he’s always surrounded by his men.”

  “His men?”

  “Young generals and advisors he keeps close to him. Alexander Mananov and Mikhail Andrei, most specifically. They are his closest companions.”

  I nod, repeating the names in my mind until I’ve memorized them.

  “Surely, he will be there this evening. It’s in his honor after all,” I offer pleasantly.

  She shrugs. “I’m sure you’re right. He will be there, if only on orders from his aunt.”

  She turns her head to the side, looking at me thoughtfully.

  “Have you never met him then? The prince, that is.”

  “Once, a long time ago. Honestly, I was afraid he wouldn’t even remember me, but when I saw him earlier…” I let myself trail off. I can still feel where his hands clasped my waist; his smile has brined itself into my memory. I feel myself blush at the thought.

  She smiles warmly. “Then we have our work cut out for us. After tonight, Princess, everyone in court will know your name.”