Page 51 of The Unseen (Echoes from the Past #5)

FORTY-TWO

London, England

Valentina set the delicate china cups on a tray and added the teapot, the sugar bowl, and a saucer of lemon slices.

Dmitri had asked her to take on the household duties for a few days, to bridge the gap between Mrs. Stern and Rachel’s departure and the arrival of the new housekeeper.

Once she started in a few days, she would be arriving in time to organize breakfast and then leave after clearing away after supper.

Now that Valentina knew Dmitri better, she understood only too well why he no longer wanted live-in help.

He liked to keep his affairs private, and with someone constantly in the house, there was always a chance of his secrets being discovered.

Hands splayed on the kitchen table, Valentina closed her eyes and bowed her head.

She’d been with Ian Murdoch last night, and she felt battered, both emotionally and physically.

She feared the man. There was a suppressed violence in him that could easily erupt at any moment if provoked.

He worked out his aggression at the boxing club, but she was in no doubt that he would pummel someone to death if the situation called for it.

She needed to know more about the man in order to protect herself, but he never spoke of his real life.

He wore no wedding ring, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t married.

He might even have children, like her other clients.

Daughters who might be close in age to Valentina. Or Tanya.

Valentina trembled with fear when she thought of Tanya. Murdoch had asked about her last night. “I hear you have a sister,” he’d said as he watched her undress. “Quite a beauty, Dmitri tells me. Does she look like you? ”

“A bit,” Valentina had squeezed out through clenched teeth.

“Now, there’s a plum that’s ripe for the picking,” he’d said, watching her through narrowed eyes.

She knew he’d been toying with her, tormenting her, but his words had hit their mark. Would Dmitri agree if Murdoch offered him enough money for Tanya? Would he go back on his word?

“Valya, where is that tea?” Elena called out. “We’re parched.”

“Coming.”

Valentina made a herculean effort to get hold of herself and sailed into the parlor, tea tray in front of her.

She set in on the low table in front of Elena, who reached for the teapot and began to pour out.

She saw herself as the mistress of the house, and no one challenged her view.

She was, after all, the closest thing to one, and Dmitri treated her as a beloved sister.

He accepted his cup and took a long sip, sighing with pleasure. “Perfect. Mrs. Stern’s tea was always too weak for my liking.”

“Tanya, would you be a dear and bring some milk? I actually prefer my tea the English way now. Less acidic,” Elena explained.

“Of course, Mama.”

“You’re awfully quiet, Valya,” Elena remarked. “Is everything all right?”

“Of course. Just a bit tired.”

“You have been looking rather wan lately. I know just the thing to put roses in those cheeks. ”

“If this is going to be another lecture on how I need to find a husband, let’s pretend we already had it and move on to the next topic.”

Elena glared at her but didn’t persist. “So, what topic would you like to discuss, given that you’re now censoring my efforts at conversation?”

Talking about the weather is always safe , Valentina thought.

She stirred in some sugar and added a slice of lemon to her tea.

She didn’t want to talk. She just wanted to drink her tea and pretend that everything was normal, but she saw Dmitri watching her from beneath hooded lids.

He watched her all the time, as though fearful that she would give something away and upset the delicate balance they’d managed to maintain in front of the others.

Spending three days under his watchful gaze in Bournemouth had been sheer hell, the only bright spot being Kolya, who’d been overjoyed to have been pulled out of school for the impromptu holiday.

Thinking of Kolya brought tears to Valentina’s eyes, and she quickly blinked them away before anyone noticed.

Kolya put on a brave front, but she’d seen the fear in his eyes and the bruises on his still-childish body.

He wasn’t having an easy time adjusting to life in a school where he was only one of two non-English-born children.

The other boy was Indian and probably got bullied as well, just for being different.

Kolya never complained and returned to school bravely when the time came, but it’d pained Valentina to see him go.

Perhaps hiring a tutor and keeping him at home would have been the kinder option.

She’d locked herself in her room and wrote an impassioned column about the impact of boarding schools on the children of immigrants and their emotional welfare.

Stanislav had been pleased, since many women at church were faced with the decision whether to send their children off for a “proper” education, as their husbands called it, or keep them at home until they were a little older and less vulnerable.

“I’m afraid I must go away for a few days,” Dmitri announced, saving Valentina from having to come up with a suitable topic of conversation.

“I must visit my factory. Now that the war is behind us, changes must be made, and corners need to be cut. The golden goose has stopped laying eggs,” he added with a bitter chuckle.

“But there are always other opportunities, if one knows where to look,” he added, his eyes sliding to Tanya, who was delicately sipping her tea and nibbling on a biscuit.

“Will you be taking the motorcar?” Elena asked. “It’s a long journey, is it not?”

“I’ll take the train tomorrow morning,” Dmitri replied. “Someone from the factory will collect me at the station. I’m in no mood to drive all that way, although it is a pretty drive.”

“Maybe we can all go one day,” Tanya suggested.

“My dear, we just spent three days in Bournemouth,” Elena admonished her. “Don’t be an ungrateful brat.”

“Didn’t you enjoy the seaside?” Dmitri asked, looking amused.

“I loved it. I’ve never seen anything so beautiful in my life,” Tanya gushed.

“Which is why I want to take more trips. The countryside is lovely this time of year, isn’t it, Cousin Dmitri?

So green and fresh. I’d like to have a picnic on a hillside, so I can enjoy the view while I eat.

There’s something very romantic about being able to see for miles in all directions.

Perhaps we can take a drive once Kolya is home for the summer holidays. ”

“That sounds like a splendid idea. We will find a charming little spot and spend a few days there. The Cotswolds, perhaps, or Cornwall. Perhaps we can have a picnic on a clifftop. We can ask the innkeeper to pack us a basket of goodies,” Dmitri promised.

His gaze never left Tanya as he spoke, nor did his jovial smile reach his eyes.

“Valya, dear, can you make sure there are clean towels in my bathroom? I’ll have a bath tonight.

The accommodations near the factory are practically medieval.

You can almost see some poor serf lugging up buckets of hot water to the master’s chamber. ”

“You have such an imagination, Dima,” Elena said, smiling at him.

“You have no idea,” Dmitri drawled, making Elena giggle.

Valentina wasn’t quite sure when the idea had first presented itself or at what point doubt had changed to certainty.

She only knew that what was about to happen was inevitable, and had been since the day Dmitri called her into his study all those months ago.

She moved about as if in a dream, going about her business as if nothing in the world were amiss.

She served a simple supper of cold fowl and salad at seven, then cleared up with Tanya’s help, stowed away the leftovers, and washed the dishes.

She then put two fresh towels in Dmitri’s private bathroom.

No other bedroom had its own bath, but Dmitri had converted a small, windowless dressing room he had no use for into a fully functioning bathroom.

He’d installed a claw-footed tub, a sink with a mirror for shaving, and a flushable commode.

A small table next to the tub was stocked with a decanter of cognac and cigars, which Dmitri liked to smoke in the bath.

The decanter was nearly empty. Normally, Valentina would make a note to top it up, but today, it served her purpose.

She added a dozen drops of Elena’s laudanum to the cognac and gave it a vigorous swirl. She hoped it would suffice.

Valentina returned to the parlor and remained there, reading a book, until Elena and Tanya went upstairs and Dmitri finally said good night.

She periodically turned the page, but none of the words made sense, nor did she expect them to.

The book was just a convenient prop that enabled her to keep her eyes downcast and her hands occupied.

It also forestalled conversation with others, a tactic that was vital when she could barely remember her own name or verbalize a coherent thought.

She would have gladly gone upstairs to her room, but it was imperative to keep an eye on Dmitri to make sure things went according to plan.

She was simultaneously terrified and amazed, unable to believe what she’d set in motion.

A few times she nearly closed the book and went upstairs to pour the cognac down the drain and replace it with a fresh supply, but she remained in place, completely relaxed and composed, at least on the outside.

Having had to keep a part of herself separate from the men she serviced came in handy, since she’d been forced to learn to hide her feelings and school her face to appear expressionless and calm.

She might have found that ironic, were she not inwardly shaking like a leaf, knowing that the time of reckoning was upon her now that Dmitri had gone up to take a bath.