Page 25 of Echoes of Twilight (Dawn of Alaska #4)

25

Juneau, Alaska; That Night

A lexei leaned forward in his chair, the old wooden seat creaking under his weight. The rich aroma of borscht wafted from the bowl in front of him. His sister Evelina had topped the red broth with a sprig of dried dill, and it looked so pretty he hadn’t yet been able to take a bite.

He’d arrived in Juneau about an hour ago. That’s how long it had taken Evelina to send their youngest brother to fetch Kate and Nathan for dinner. Now the lot of them were gathered around the table in the kitchen above the Juneau trading post, where Evelina and Jonas lived with their two half siblings, Inessa and Ilya.

Inessa had just turned sixteen, and Ilya was thirteen. Before Alexei knew it, he’d be watching the half-Aleut, half-Russian siblings he’d raised for a good portion of their lives head off to make a place for themselves in the world.

But for now, they were all together, the aroma of borscht and freshly baked rolls filling the room. He knew people sometimes thought their family was odd, especially since Evelina was a lawyer and Kate was a doctor, but if those people could see the Amoses at a time like this, they’d find that their family was completely normal.

Except for the fact they spent far too little time together now that half of them were married. That didn’t feel normal at all, but it made him want to cherish every moment together that they had left.

“I got a letter from Yuri this afternoon.” Evelina paused where she sat across the table from him, her spoon halfway to her mouth. “He said Mikhail still hasn’t returned.”

“He hasn’t?” He’d been hoping to find Mikhail already in Sitka when he finally got home. “Mikhail made it sound as though he’d be back in less than two weeks, but he’s been gone over a month.”

“It’s actually been almost eight weeks.” Kate took a roll from the platter in the center of the table and cut it open, her actions a bit more aggressive than necessary. “He left Petersburg the second of October, remember.”

Had it really been that long? Alexei frowned, his appetite fading as he stared down at the deep-red soup made of beets, potatoes, and cabbage. He should be devouring it. Borscht was something of a delicacy in Russia. And yet he couldn’t force himself to touch it, given the fact that Mikhail wasn’t back yet.

“He didn’t even act worried when he left.” Kate slathered butter onto her roll with quick, sharp strokes. “But I’m certainly worried. Snow’s already falling in the mountains. What if he’s caught in an impassable valley with no way out?”

“Mikhail knows better than to get himself stuck in some stupid valley,” Ilya muttered from the other end of the table, his voice filled with the unshakable confidence of a thirteen-year-old. “Besides, if something goes wrong, it’ll be the scientists’ fault. Some men got no business going into the wild.”

“We don’t know that anything bad has happened.” Evelina kept her voice calm and reasonable as she took another spoonful of soup. But Evelina was always calm and reasonable, always the rational one. “Maybe it took him longer than expected to find the scientists, but he’s probably found them by now, and they’re on their way out. I mean, for all we know, they could have reached Wrangell last night, and we’re worrying for nothing.”

“You can go on telling yourself there’s nothing to fret about,” Kate said, “But I’m still worried.”

Mikhail had a way of surviving whatever Alaska threw at him. Blizzards, grizzlies, river crossings, stubborn bureaucrats. It didn’t matter. In all the years he’d been leading expeditions, Alexei could count on one hand the number of times he’d truly worried about his brother.

But he was worried now, especially with winter closing in. “Perhaps I’ll take a quick trip down to Wrangell before I return to Sitka. Maybe one of the Tlingit hunting parties has seen him or the scientists—or both.”

Evelina nodded, her long brown hair tumbling about her shoulders. “I like that idea.”

Kate tore off another piece of bread. “And if they haven’t seen him? If there’s no indication anyone knows where he is?”

Alexei’s jaw flexed. “Then we’ll have to pray him home.”

“Can we pray he comes home by Thanksgiving?” Inessa asked. “I like it when everyone can be together for Thanksgiving and Christmas.”

Alexei glanced at his half- sister, her long black hair gleaming beneath the lamplight. She looked more and more like her Aleut mother each time he saw her.

“Of course we can pray he’ll be home by Thanksgiving.” Evelina sent Inessa a smile. “That’s an excellent idea.”

Was it just him, or did Evelina’s voice sound a little too cheerful?

But forced cheerfulness or not, he didn’t want to think about having Thanksgiving with Mikhail lost in the wilderness. Unfortunately, the holiday was less than a week away.

“Tell us more about your trip to Ketchikan, Alexei.” Kate pressed her lips into a flat line, then reached for another roll, almost as though she was determined to eat the entire basket of bread herself. “Are you sure it yielded nothing? There has to be some way to stop the governor from having every last one of our ships searched and holding it for days on end.”

Alexei released a sigh, then dipped the tip of his spoon into the thick soup. “Yuri thinks we should take an action I didn’t want to pursue at first, but now I’m wondering if it’s the only option.”

“What did Yuri think you should do?” Evelina’s husband, Jonas, spoke around his mouthful of soup.

Jonas sat at the head of the table, his cheeks and jaw covered in a short red beard that made him look severe, and that was on top of his broad shoulders and large chest. But since Jonas was a Deputy Marshal, Alexei had no complaints about how intimidating his brother-in-law looked. In a mining town like Juneau, he had more than his share of ruffians and outlaws to handle.

Alexei swirled the tip of his spoon in the borscht. “He wants us to file a lawsuit against the governor and the RCS for targeting our ships with contraband searches. But I’m also wondering if we can sue over the governor’s refusal to pay the penalty for canceling our shipping contracts early.”

“A lawsuit?” Evelina straightened. “If you have evidence of our ships repeatedly being singled out and treated differently than other ships, then we might have grounds to file a harassment lawsuit, but I would do it only as a last resort. I’d also be cautious about taking the new governor to court over failure to pay the penalty for early termination of the contracts. It’s only going to anger the Caldwells, and we’re better off at least attempting to get along with them.”

“I think we’re past that point.” Alexei reached for a roll of his own before Kate decided to put the rest of them on her plate.

“If that’s the case, I can draw up papers and bring them when we go to Sitka for Thanksgiving,” Evelina said. “But has the new judge arrived yet?”

He shook his head. The judge who’d been presiding over Sitka for the past decade died of a heart attack in October, which meant that all legal matters were on hold. “I’ve heard a new judge is supposed to arrive by the beginning of December, but he wasn’t in Sitka when I left for Ketchikan.”

“Filing a lawsuit seems aggressive, but I can’t see any other way to stop these searches. The governor shouldn’t be able to single out your ships like that without repercussions.” Jonas shoved another mouthful of soup into his mouth, inhaling his food at twice the rate of anyone else at the table. “It makes me wonder what other things he’s getting away with over in Sitka.”

“If he’s doing something else he shouldn’t, Marshal Hibbs doesn’t seem interested in investigating.” Alexei dunked his roll into his soup with too much force, causing borscht to splatter onto the table. “I’ve been to his office three times since Simon Caldwell became governor, and all three times he’s told me it’s not his job to look after the governor.”

“But if you can prove the new governor is doing something illegal, then he’ll lose his job.” Inessa’s voice floated over the table, quiet but articulate. “There’ll be no need for a lawsuit. The searches will stop as soon as he gets removed from his position.”

“The hardest part is proving he’s doing something illegal,” Kate muttered, plunging her spoon into her soup before looking up at him. “And as frustrating as searching our ships has been, it’s not illegal, right?”

Alexei clenched his jaw. “Right. The RCS has the authority to search any ship that comes into port. I’ve just never seen that right applied in such an unfair manner before.”

“It’s harassment,” Evelina interjected. “There’s no question about it. If we file a lawsuit, we should be able to get the searches stopped, but I doubt anyone in Washington, DC, will care enough about losing a lawsuit to have Simon Caldwell removed as governor, and then we’ll have to deal with whatever he comes up with next.”

“Do you need me to go back to Sitka with you, Alexei?” Ilya asked, his face bright, though his excitement probably had more to do with getting out of school for a few weeks than spending time with him or Sacha or Yuri. “I can spend some time down at the docks and see what I learn.”

Alexei jabbed the tip of his spoon in Ilya’s direction. “The last place I need you is at the docks.”

The boy already had a penchant for getting himself into trouble. He didn’t need Ilya intentionally spending time in a place where trouble occurred on a regular basis.

“Finding a way to have the new governor removed seems like the most efficient way to solve the problem.” This from Nathan, Kate’s husband, who was usually quiet, especially when surrounded by a large group of family members.

But seeing how Nathan was the medical director in charge of providing care to the entirety of Alaska, he didn’t need to be loud and boisterous. He needed to be organized, efficient, and good at practicing medicine.

Fortunately he was all three, and for some reason Alexei didn’t quite understand, he was utterly captivated by his outspoken sister.

“As others have pointed out, anything else we do will likely result in the governor finding another way to single out your family,” Nathan continued. “Did the elders in Ketchikan say anything that could be helpful?”

Alexei scowled. “The opposite. Even though there’s a rumor going around that the elders signed a treaty requiring them to move onto a reservation, the elders said they didn’t sign any such thing, and they didn’t plan to. They also said that Governor Caldwell himself paid them a visit, not one of his representatives, and he was very kind and accommodating, and they’re happy he’s the governor now.”

“Well, that’s entirely unhelpful.” Evelina stood from the table and ladled more borscht from the pot on the stove into her bowl. “And going to Ketchikan pulled you away from being in Sitka too. I’m sure it wasn’t an ideal time to leave.”

“It let me come here and visit you, so it could have been worse.” He swallowed another spoonful of soup. “How is it working using Juneau for our central warehouse?”

“Busy.” Evelina headed back to the table, where she set her bowl down. But before sitting, she reached out and gave Jonas’s shoulder a squeeze. “Fortunately we have a very capable warehouse manager who’s been able to keep us organized—when he’s not locking up drunkards for brawling, that is. But it’s a lot of paperwork, and some days I’m so tired that I...”

She shook her head, her cheeks turning pink. “Well, I think there might be another reason I’m so tired.” Her hand slid down to cover her belly. “We were going to tell you at Thanksgiving, but...”

“Go on, love.” Jonas reached out and settled his own hand over her flat belly. “Share our news.”

A bright smile filled Evelina’s face, and Alexei knew what she was going to say before she even opened her mouth.

“I’m pregnant.”

“You are? That’s wonderful!” Kate sprang up from the table and raced to her twin’s side. “When did you find out? How do you know? Do you want me to do an examination?” She reached out and laid a hand on Evelina’s forehead.

Evelina laughed. “What are you doing? Pregnancy doesn’t give women fevers.”

“I just...” Kate pulled her hand away, then threw her arms around Evelina’s neck and hugged her. “I’m so happy!”

“I am too.” Alexei scooted his chair back and stood, heading around the table toward Evelina. He waited until Kate was done with her hug before wrapping his sister in another embrace. “And you’re in good company, because Maggie’s pregnant too.”

“She is?” Evelina squealed, never mind that her mouth was right next to his ear and he winced at the noise.

She gave him another squeeze, then pushed away from him. “That’s amazing! Who would have thought we’d be pregnant at the same time? Our children can grow up together and be best friends. Now all we need is for Kate to?—”

“No.” Kate stepped away from them. “Nathan and I just got married at the end of May. We’re not ready to start having children.”

“Oh, don’t be ridiculous.” Evelina made a swishing movement with her hand. “Of course you’re ready. Every house should be filled with the laughter of little ones, and Inessa and Ilya are both old enough now that they don’t count anymore. So that means we all need to start having babies.”

Alexei held up his hands. “You have no complaints from me. Yuri and I are both looking forward to being uncles.”

“Yuri will make an excellent uncle.” Evelina clapped her hands. “He’ll have so much fun with the little ones.”

Alexei scowled. “I’ll make a good uncle too.”

“Good, yes, but probably not as fun as Yuri.” Jonas sent him a wink.

“What about me?” Ilya asked. “Will I make a good uncle?”

“The very best.” Evelina sat back down at the table and sent their youngest sibling a wink. “I’m counting on you to take your little niece or nephew prospecting for gold.”

Ilya’s smile turned huge. “I can’t wait!”

Jonas cleared his throat. “Yes, but just to be clear, you can take your nieces and nephews prospecting in a few years, not right away.”

Alexei choked on his soup. He could just imagine Ilya settling Evelina’s newborn into a sling on his back and carrying him around the mountains on his first prospecting trip.

Kate was the last one to return to the table, and her eyes were narrowed on her two youngest siblings. “How come neither you nor Inessa seem very surprised by Evelina’s news.”

Inessa shrugged. “We were both there when Evelina figured it out last week.”

“You’ve known for a week?” Kate squeaked.

Evelina flashed Kate a small smile. “This is the first time I’ve seen you since I found out. You’ve been pretty busy at the hospital.”

Nathan raised his arm and settled it around Kate’s shoulders. “Speaking of the hospital... I need to go in about half an hour. There are some patients I want to check on before I go to bed.”

The touch was light and gentle, and Kate leaned her head into his shoulder. “You could just come home. You don’t have to spend every waking hour at the hospital.”

Nathan trailed his fingers up and down the top of her arm. “Don’t pretend like you’re not right there by my side.”

“Usually, yes, but we could let the nurses handle things just this once. They know where to find you and Dr. Emery if there’s an emergency.”

“Hmm...” Nathan made a little humming sound in the back of his throat, neither agreeing to nor rejecting Kate’s idea. Then he leaned forward in his chair and looked down the table. “So, Evelina, how are you feeling? Does everything with the pregnancy seem to be progressing as it should?”

“She’s tired.” Jonas sent his wife a soft smile. “Don’t let her try to tell you she’s not.”

“Yes, I am quite tired. And my dresses have been a little tight too—not in the stomach but other places.” Evelina looked down at her chest and pulled on the bodice. “I thought it was a bit odd at first, but then Mrs. Radford stopped by the trading post, took one look at me, and asked when the baby was due. Both Inessa and Ilya were there, and the moment she said it, I just knew.”

“Those are your symptoms?” Kate grew still, her spoon hovering over her soup.

“Yes. The smell of certain things bothers me every so often too, and sometimes I have an inexplicable craving for certain foods, like the borscht tonight. I can’t get enough of it. But those are all typical pregnancy symptoms, aren’t they?”

“I... ah...” Kate stood abruptly. “I don’t know, but Nathan’s right. We really should stop by the hospital before we head home.”

“Kate?” Nathan stood and caught her wrist before she could dash out of the room, then wrapped her in a hug. “Don’t go running off. There’s no reason to be upset.”

“But she said she’s been tired, and her chest... and the food... Is that why... all the bread...” Kate buried her head in the crook of Nathan’s neck. “I can’t be. No.”

“Kate, darling.” Nathan nudged her head up with the tip of his nose. “I’ve wondered for a couple weeks. You have all the signs.”

“Wait.” Inessa dropped her spoon into her soup. “Does this mean Kate’s pregnant too?”

“You mean she’s a doctor and she didn’t know?” Ilya’s brow drew down into a frown. “Aren’t you supposed to learn how to tell that kind of thing in medical school?”

Kate kept her eyes pinned on Nathan, almost as though she hadn’t heard the others. “But that would mean that I... that you and me... that the first time we...”

Nathan pressed a finger to her lips. “I don’t think your family wants all the details, love.”

“But we only just got married!” Kate pulled away from Nathan, her eyes red and brimming with tears. “Evelina and Jonas have been married for two years. They want children. They’re excited. You and I are still getting to know each other.”

“We’ve been married almost six months.” Nathan wrapped her right back in his arms, tucking her more firmly against his chest. “And it will be another six before the baby is born. That’s plenty of time to get to know each other better.”

“But. ..”

“But it will be wonderful to raise our children together.” Evelina had left the table at some point and was now standing beside Kate. “They’ll be best friends.”

Her face white, Kate pulled away from Nathan and turned to her twin. “What if I’m not ready?”

“I think you’re more ready than you realize.” Evelina wrapped Kate in a hug. “And I think you’ll make a wonderful mother.”

“You do? Really?”

“I do,” Evelina whispered.

Alexei watched the scene before him, his twin sisters with their arms twined together, hugging each other the same now as they used to when they were five and twelve and eighteen.

But they weren’t five or twelve any longer. They weren’t even eighteen. They were married, and his family had three babies coming.

He should be happy, but all he could think about was how the family shipping business was in danger of losing merchant contracts down in California and in Washington Territory because the RCS kept delaying their ships. Of how the RCS might even be able to permanently seize one of their ships if they found something illegal.

And as Sacha had suggested, Governor Caldwell would keep looking until he found something illegal on one of the Amoses’ ships—or something he could claim was illegal.

Alexei pressed his lips together. If only he had taken Secretary Gray more seriously when the man asked him about being governor. If only he had tried making some kind of deal with Gray that would have protected his family and also appeased the bureaucrat. But instead, he’d stormed out of the room.

Had he realized what was at stake, he could be governor, not Simon Caldwell.

Given what Secretary Gray had asked of him in exchange for the governorship, walking away had seemed like the right thing to do.

Now he was afraid that decision would cost him more than he could afford to pay.