Page 68 of Crimson

“Do you want me to wear my ring?” she said. “I can take it off, if you want to wait a little while before telling people...”

“No,” Nikolai said fiercely. “Don’t ever take it off.”

“Alright then,” Nadia said. “I’ll wear it.”

“Good,” Nikolai said, nodding stiffly. He didn’t look happy, however.

“What is it?” Nadia said. “Are you nervous about the party?”

She was afraid that he was actually dreading telling his father what he’d done, getting engaged to her. For all his supposed friendliness, Nadia didn’t trust that Zavier Markov would actually be happy to see her marrying his son.

“Yes,” Nikolai said, “I am nervous. There will be a lot of important people there. There’s a deal I’m supposed to close...”

He pressed his fingers against the bridge of his nose, swallowing hard.

“Oh,” Nadia said. “I feel bad for distracting you...”

She thought that Nikolai was regretting taking three days off at a crucial time.

“It’s not that,” he said.

But after a long pause, she realized he wasn’t going to tell her what the problem actually was.

And anyway, they had reached her grandfather’s house.

“I had the most incredible time,” she said to Nikolai.

“So did I,” he said.

Yet he still didn’t look very happy.

As she opened the car door, he said, “Nadia, wait!”

“What is it?” she asked, turning back to face him.

“I—I love you,” he said.

She smiled at him.

“I know.”

“See you tomorrow night, then.”

She blew him a kiss as she closed the car door.

* * *

It wasn’tuntil the following day that Nadia saw Aunt Rashel. They both came into the kitchen at the same time, Nadia to make herself some food, and Rashel on her way out the back door to the garden. She was already wearing her gardening gloves, with her hair pulled back in a messy twist.

“Oh, you’re back,” she said.

“Yes,” Nadia nodded. “I came back yesterday, actually.”

“I didn’t hear you,” Rashel said. “I was with Papa all day. He’s been very bad. I don’t think he’ll last another winter.”

“I’m sorry,” Nadia said. He was her grandfather as well as Rashel’s father, but she knew Rashel would feel the loss a hundred times more than herself. For all her bluntness about Stanislav’s demented state, Rashel remained incredibly devoted to the old man.

And what would she have when he was gone? She’d be all alone in the moldering house. Nadia highly doubted her aunt would suddenly become social or start traveling the world.