Forever in Your Embrace

  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.”

  “Not 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.”

  “Oh?” Aleksei’s dark brows jutted sharply upward as he awaited the cleric’s explanation.

  “The princess has wisely prescribed a daily tutoring of your new charge.”

  “What?” The single word came unbidden from Synnovea’s lips, and she turned to stare aghast at Anna, unnerved by Ivan’s announcement. “You don’t mean to say that you’ve engaged this…this…”

  “Synnovea!” Anna snapped sharply, halting the insults that threatened to rush forth from the astonished woman. “Remember your place!”

  Synnovea drew herself up in rigid silence, daring no further utterance while she bristled in outrage, but her mind ranged far afield, already searching for some avenue of escape. Coping with Ivan on a diurnal basis was not a situation she was capable of enduring. Their journey to Moscow had convinced her of that!

  Anna smiled at the younger woman, demonstrating a cool reserve that bordered on frigidity. “The fact that you’ve been sent to me for instruction will eventually lead to your advantage, Synnovea. You were indubitably coddled by your father and allowed to nurture unpleasant tendencies. That will cease, of course. I’ll not tolerate boorish manners…or an argumentative disposition. If you’re wise, my dear, you’ll learn to curb those inclinations. Do you understand?”

  It was readily apparent to Synnovea that any objections she offered would be considered of a quarrelsome nature. Being thus warned against speaking her mind, she held her tongue, yet inwardly she still stewed.

  Ivan’s pleased smirk evidenced his own satisfaction with what he considered a well-deserved subjugation of the countess. He was not above heaping burning coals upon the hapless victim. “You may trust that my directions will be thorough, Princess. I’ll address myself with careful diligence to polishing your ward’s manners.”

  Aleksei seemed immensely pained by such a prospect. “Surely this is some kind of jest, Anna. Synnovea has no need of more tutoring. She has been enlightened by some of the best scholars in the country. You can’t possibly mean to prolong this arduous climb to knowledge.”

  “The girl needs instruction in the rigors of life and conventional decorums,” Anna stated obstinately, daring anyone to challenge her decision.

  “Damned nuisance, if you ask me!” her husband retorted. Slamming down his glass, he turned with a harsh scowl and, offering no excuse or explanation, stalked to the pair of doors leading into the hall and threw them open.

  “Where are you going?” Anna demanded, sensing that she was about to be denied his company for yet another evening.

  “OUT!” Prince Aleksei flung back over his shoulder. Halting in the hall, he braced his arms akimbo and bellowed at the top of his lungs. “BORIS!”

  Rushing footsteps were heard in the hush that followed the master’s summons. A moment later, the white-haired steward breathlessly made an appearance. “Here I am, Your Highness.”

  Facing the man, Aleksei continued in a lower commanding tone. “Hie yourself out to the stable and tell Orlov to ready my drozhki with my fastest horses. I’ll be going out this evening.”

  “Immediately, sir?”

  “Would I urge you to make haste if I had the patience to wait for our guests to dine?” Aleksei barked sharply. “Of course I mean immediately!”

  “As you wish, sir.”

  Synnovea lifted her gaze to find Anna staring rigidly toward the place where, only a moment ago, her husband had stood. The typically pale cheeks were now imbued with a vibrant shade of red, and except for a small tick at the corner of her mouth, she appeared to have taken on the quality of stone.

  Ivan dared no further comment, and the meal was soon entered into and stoically endured. Synnovea was completely distraught over the idea of Ivan becoming her tutor, and though under normal circumstances she would have savored each course, the roasted grouse with its cranberry sauce seemed as tasteless to her as the flaky pastry stuffed with steamed vegetables and dressed with a light sauce. Ivan was profuse with his compliments to the cook and devoured every morsel with gusto, totally amazing Synnovea. His slight frame seemed much too frail to handle the amount he consumed, and she could only wonder how he accomplished such a feat without bursting open.

  When the meal came thankfully to an end, the two guests retreated to their respective chambers. Anna was left to make her own way to a suite of rooms she shared far too infrequently with Aleksei. Even their arguments were more tolerable than the loneliness that greeted her and the wild imaginings of her mind that placed her husband in the arms of another woman.

  The night proved as wearisome for Synnovea as the journey she had just endured. She found nothing within the stuffy shadows of her bedchamber to assuage her apprehensions, for she could foresee only doom descending upon her in the days and weeks ahead. How in the world would she be able to maintain a quiet, gentle manner under such conditions? She’d be defeated before she even began, for if there was one thing that Ivan seemed proficient at, it was provoking her temper.

  Synnovea tossed restlessly upon her bed, unable to sleep while her mind raged on in a state of turmoil. It was only when her thoughts drifted unbidden to Colonel Rycroft and the moment wherein he had held her close against his sleek, manly body that she was strangely lulled into a peaceful slumber.

  The heat of the night was oppressive, holding the land in a stagnant vise until the morning sun lifted its burning face above the horizon and unleashed its sweltering rays far beyond the vales and hillocks that surrounded the city. Even at an early hour, the dusty roads seemed to shimmer in undulating waves beneath the full light of the heavenly fireball. Those who could, took shelter where they could find it, whether in grand houses or beneath lackluster trees that struggled for survival.

  Oblivious to the insidious warmth creeping through the house, Ali arose from her tiny cot, much refreshed after a lengthy night’s sleep. She busied herself in the narrow room, bathing, dressing, and unpacking her belongings until sounds of movement finally came from the larger chamber. With a quick knock and a cheery smile, she bustled into the adjoining room, but halted in sharp surprise as she espied her mistress sitting in bed with an elbow braced upon a knee, staring listlessly across the room. Her mistress’s solemn countenance hinted of a troubled spirit, and Ali gently laid a consoling hand upon the slender arm, thinking she understood the reason for the countess’s dismay. “Ah, me lamb, be ye mournin’ again for yer pa?”

  Though Synnovea braved a smile, the sparkle of tears in her eyes readily evidenced her pensive mood. Wistfully she sighed. “If I had been wise, Ali, I would’ve eagerly sought marriage while Papa was still alive. Then I wouldn’t be here now, contending with the dictates of strangers.”

  Ali hadn’t been with her mistress all these many years without learning to keenly perceive the young woman’s moods. Something dire had happened. “Me lamb, have the Taraslovs been unkind ta ye
?”

  Synnovea dared not reveal the full extent of her concerns. The maid was too loyal to keep still about a lecher spying on her. Nor would Ali take kindly to Ivan being engaged as her tutor, but that fact couldn’t be hidden like the other, for it was about to become part of her daily routine.

  “I was in error, Ali, when I thought we’d soon be parted from Ivan.” Synnovea saw the servant’s brows lift sharply in suspicion, and with a small shrug, she added, “He’s to instruct me while I’m here. Anna has declared it so.”

  “Ye don’t say!” The diminutive woman settled her fists firmly on her narrow hips and snorted in contempt. “An’ what would the li’l weasel be teachin’ ye, pray tell? How ta hide from yer left hand what yer right one be doin’? Aaarrgghh!” She shook her head in acute disgust. “I’ve had a bad feelin’ in me bones ’bout that warty li’l toad since he first hopped onta yer stoop.”

  “Nevertheless, Ali, we must keep silent about his faults lest we antagonize the princess. I fear she dotes upon the man.” A darkly winged brow was raised in question as Synnovea met the tiny woman’s gaze. “Do you understand?”