Page 23 of The Unseen (Echoes from the Past #5)
“Sinok, thank the Lord you’re safe. I was so worried. How long can you stay?”
“Two days, Mama.”
“Come inside. You must eat. I’ll tell Masha to bring fresh tea.”
Alexei buttered a thick slice of bread and ate a boiled egg in two bites. “Is there any bacon?” he asked. “I haven’t had svenina in months. ”
“Yes. Masha, bring some bacon,” Aunt Vera called out. “And more butter.”
The servant came rushing out of the kitchen, bearing several more boiled eggs, a plate of sliced cured pork, and a dish of butter. She set everything in front of Alexei, who was gulping down a glass of milk.
“Are they not feeding you?” Aunt Vera exclaimed. “You’re thin as a reed.”
“Keeping us fed is not a priority right now. The foot soldiers are close to mutiny, and several officers of my acquaintance have deserted and switched sides.”
“They’ve gone over to the Bolsheviks?” His mother gasped. “That’s treason.”
“Let’s not speak of it, Mama. I need a break.”
“Of course, son. Whatever you need. I’ll have Polina make up a bed for you. Would you like to sleep for a while? You look tired.”
“No, actually I’d like to take a walk with Valya, if she’ll join me.”
“Of course. We can walk in the woods, if you like,” Valentina suggested. The woods were dense and private, a place where they could talk without interruptions and maybe even steal a few kisses. She’d missed Alexei desperately, and having had a taste of his passion, she longed for more intimacy.
“A walk in the woods sounds heavenly.”
Alexei finished his breakfast and pushed his chair away from the table. “I feel truly full for the first time in weeks. I hope I don’t get sick as a result of my greediness.”
“Walk it off,” his mother suggested. “That’s just the thing for a full belly. ”
Valentina and Alexei walked in near-silence until they reached the edge of the woods. The dew had burned off and now the sun was beating down, the heat building as the hour grew closer to midday. The woods were cool and fragrant, the thick green canopy overhead dappled with sunlight.
Alexei scooped up Valentina into his arms and kissed her hungrily. “I’ve been dying to do that since the last time I kissed you.”
“I missed you so much, Alyosha. I hate not knowing when I’ll see you again.”
“Valya, I might be able to get another furlough next month. They’ll give me a few days off if I tell them I’m getting married.”
“You’d lie to get time off?”
“I wouldn’t be lying. I want us to get married. There’s no sense in waiting.”
“But our parents would never agree. They still want a proper wedding, with a church service and a wedding feast.”
“Valya, we can still have a church service, but the celebration might have to wait. Things are very uncertain at the moment. There are many who believe there’ll be another armed rebellion.
The Bolsheviks are gaining power and military support.
If they succeed, the Imperial Army will most likely be disbanded, or worse. ”
“Worse?”
“The highest-ranking officers might be executed to prevent the army from reforming. I want out, Valya.”
“You’d desert?”
“I’d rather be a live deserter than a dead soldier who did his duty to the end.” Alexei sounded defensive, as if she were accusing him of cowardice, and partially turned away from her .
Valentina laid her hand over his arm to reassure him that she wasn’t judging him.
She was more surprised than upset. She hadn’t expected this, but she certainly didn’t think him a coward.
“Alyosha, you must do what you think is right. I would never fault you for leaving the army. But what would you do if you deserted?”
Alexei turned back to her, mollified by her response. “I want us to get married and go to Paris. I have an aunt there. She’s a bit of a recluse, but she’s comfortably off, and she’d help us get settled.”
“But what about your parents, and your sister?”
“My parents wouldn’t leave, and neither would yours.
They’re too set in their ways and too stubborn to see what’s right in front of their noses.
They still want to believe that all this will blow over, the monarchy will be reinstated, and the rebels will be shot like dogs.
The Tsar is not coming back, Valya. He’ll be lucky if he’s allowed to live out his life in exile, and his brother is too much of a coward to fight for the throne.
Life will never go back to what it once was.
We need to think of our future, Valya, of our children. ”
“And what would we do in Paris?”
“We’d make a life for ourselves. We’d work.”
“Work? At what? We have no skills to speak of.”
“We’re more skilled than you imagine. You can be a governess, and I can work as a chauffeur. They have many more private automobiles in France than they do in Russia.”
“But you don’t know how to drive.”
“I’ve learned. There are several trucks where I’m stationed, and I asked one of the drivers to teach me. Oh, it’s wonderful, Valya. So different from riding a horse. Automobiles are the way of the future. ”
“Alyosha, that’s mad. Our life is here. Our families are here. I don’t want to be all alone in Paris.”
“You’d be with me.”
“But I’d miss my parents, and Tanya and Kolya, and even Nyanushka. And your mother would be heartbroken if you left. We can’t. We simply can’t. We must wait. Please, until next year.”
Alexei hung his head in disappointment. “I won’t pressure you, but please, think about what I said. Valya, it’s not safe for us here.”
“Then we should all go.”
“Our parents will never leave; you know that,” Alexei replied. “They would have to abandon their homes, their possessions, and their entire way of life. They’re not ready to make such a sacrifice. Do you understand that?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Promise me you’ll consider my proposal.”
“I promise.”