Page 8 of The Unseen (Echoes from the Past #5)

SIX

Alexei sprang to his feet when Valentina glided into the music room, floating on a cloud of happiness.

Even if Alexei did not propose today, she was still the luckiest girl in the world.

Her life was perfect, and she was astute enough to realize that.

Her father worried incessantly about the political situation and rising tensions in the country, but Valentina paid little attention to his concerns.

There would always be tensions and people who were dissatisfied with their lot in life.

Many of them were probably even justified in their complaints, but they had nothing to do with her or her immediate future.

Her life went on much as it had before, even after the war broke out, and as long as Alexei wasn’t sent to the front, she had no reason to think about it.

Alexei was in uniform, having probably come directly from the barracks.

To Valentina, he always looked splendid.

Even the drab gray of his uniform couldn’t dull the gleam of his honey-blond hair or the sparkle in his dark blue eyes.

He’d recently grown a moustache. Valentina hadn’t liked it at first, but it was beginning to appeal to her.

It made him look older and more commanding, which was fitting for an officer of the cavalry.

Alexei came forward to greet her, his hands outstretched. He took her hands in his and brought them to his lips, one after the other, brushing his lips against her skin.

“Valya, you look beautiful. But then, you always look beautiful,” Alexei added with a knowing smile, “even after I tried to dunk you in the river and you crawled out looking like a drowned rat. You flipped back your hair, flashed me a look of contempt, and stomped off in nothing but your underthings.”

“That was ten years ago,” Valentina exclaimed. “I was seven.”

“It’s a sight I’ll never forget. ”

Valentina swatted Alexei playfully on the arm and invited him to resume his seat on the apple-green settee. “Would you like some tea?”

“No, thank you.”

“Then shall we get down to business? Are you here to ask me?” she demanded. “It’s not my birthday yet, but I think it’s all right if you’re a bit early.”

“Valya, for the love of God, let me do this properly. I know it’s not exactly a surprise, but for once, allow me to take charge of the situation.” He grinned, as though well aware that wasn’t likely to happen. He knew her too well, and miraculously, he still liked her.

“Well, go on then. I won’t say a word until you’ve finished.”

“Promise?”

“Promise. So, are you going to sit there all day?”

Alexei laughed at her impatience, but took the hint and dispensed with the preliminaries.

He got down on one knee and took her hand in his, his eyes searching her face as he waited for her to give him her full attention.

“Valentina Ivanovna Kalinina, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?” he asked solemnly.

“Of course I will, you silly. As if I’d say no.”

“With you, I never know,” Alexei replied with an indulgent grin.

He extracted a thin gold band from his front pocket and slid it onto Valentina’s right hand, as was the custom.

She had her ring ready as well and put it on Alexei’s finger.

They were officially engaged, and the rings would become their wedding bands once the church ceremony took place.

Alexei kissed her cheek and resumed his seat on the settee, looking relieved that the difficult part was over, but he wasn’t finished.

“Valya, our parents have planned our union since we were children, but I think you know me well enough to realize that if I didn’t love you, I wouldn’t agree to the match.

I don’t ever want you to think that I married you out of obligation or duty.

I can’t imagine sharing my life with anyone but you.

I know it won’t be easy, since you probably won’t let me get a word in edgewise, and will question my every decision and try to win every argument, but I love you, and I am prepared to embrace a lifetime of suffering. ”

Valentina sputtered with laughter. “And I love you, Alyosha, because you’re the only man in my life who allows me to be myself. Yes, I will drive you mad, most likely, but I promise, you’ll never be bored.”

“Heaven forbid,” Alexei replied, rolling his eyes. He grew serious as his gaze met hers. “May I kiss you now that we’re engaged?”

“You don’t need to ask for permission.”

Alexei leaned toward her and slid his arm around her waist, pulling her closer.

His eyes were closed as he captured her mouth with his own, and she gave herself up to the sensation, eager to experience her first grown-up kiss.

It was different than she’d expected, sweet and romantic, but it was also so much more than that.

It made her want to move closer and wrap her arms around Alexei’s neck as she pressed her body to his.

The buttons of his tunic were hard and cold against her breasts and his moustache tickled a little, but she pulled him even closer, eager for something she couldn’t quite name.

They’d touched each other playfully in the past, especially at the Petrov dacha where they went swimming in the river and spent hours traipsing through the countryside, but this was different.

This was a bit frightening, but exciting at the same time, and she didn’t want it to end.

As though sensing her eagerness, Alexei deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue into her open mouth and exploring it in a surprisingly intimate manner before finally pulling away from her abruptly.

His pupils were dilated and his breathing uneven as he studied her features, as if seeing her for the first time. Valentina was breathless.

“What’s the matter?” she asked him, wondering if she’d done something wrong.

Alexei shook his head and smiled in a way that made her heart flutter. “Absolutely nothing, my darling Valya. Now that I’ve had a taste of what’s to come, it’ll be that much harder to wait for our wedding night.”

Valentina blushed. She had a general idea of what took place in the marriage bed, but she’d assumed it was awkward and embarrassing, especially the first time.

After that kiss, she wasn’t so sure. The only thing she was sure of was that she wanted to be kissed that way again, and again.

“Do your parents ever kiss like that?” she asked Alexei. His eyes widened in surprise.

“No. My father gives my mother a perfunctory peck on the cheek at breakfast and then another one in the evening before she retires to her own bedroom. Theirs was never a love match, but they have great affection and respect for each other.”

“Promise me you’ll never stop kissing me this way.”

“I promise. We’re going to be wonderfully happy, you and I,” he said, and she was reassured to see that he looked entirely serious.

“Valya, I have something for you. It’s an engagement gift.

I have a birthday gift for you as well, but you’ll have to wait for that one.

It’s bad luck to give a birthday gift early.

” Alexei withdrew a long velvet box from the pocket of his uniform and handed it to her.

“I chose it myself,” he added, clearly worried that she wouldn’t like it.

Valentina opened the box. Inside, nestled on folds of deep blue velvet, was a gold necklace with a little egg pendant. The egg was crafted of blue enamel and worked in a pattern of gold and diamonds. She breathed a sigh of delight. “It’s exquisite, Alyosha. ”

“Open the egg.”

She carefully opened the egg to reveal a tiny golden chick sitting in the center. “It’s charming,” Valentina exclaimed.

“It’s for all the chicks we’re going to have,” Alexei clarified.

“I don’t want to raise chickens, I want babies.” She laughed at her own wit and threw her arms around him. “I love you, you know. I’ve loved you since I was a little girl.”

“Well, now that you’re no longer a little girl, I hope you love me still. Let me help you put that on.”

Alexei closed the delicate clasp behind her neck and smiled. He looked relieved, his mission accomplished.

“How soon can we be married?” Valentina demanded. “I wish we could do it tomorrow.”

Alexei laughed at her naiveté. “Oh, darling, if our mamas have anything to say about it, and they do, this will be the wedding of the year, and those take ages to plan. Besides, we need to find a house and furnish it to our liking. Surely you’ll enjoy that. Imagine, our own home.”

Valentina sucked in a happy breath. The notion of being mistress of her own house was too exciting to even contemplate, even if choosing the house would be a group project.

Alexei’s parents, as well as her own, would be involved in every aspect of choosing and decorating their home, given that they’d be the ones paying for it, but Valentina didn’t mind.

Her mother had exquisite taste, and Alexei’s mother wasn’t too bad, as far as future mothers-in-law went.

She was older than Valentina’s own mama, and a bit stodgier, but still a good sort.

“Well, I won’t stand for the wedding being any later than the beginning of September. I want fine weather on our special day. Once the autumn comes, it’s nothing but wind and rain,” Valentina said .

“Surely you don’t want to marry during the summer. Everyone is away from the city, enjoying their country estates. There’ll be no one to attend.”

“No, I suppose not. And I don’t want to be married during the white nights. I want hundreds of candles glowing in the ballroom and reflecting in the mirrors while we dance, and that’s a lot more dramatic when it’s fully dark outside.”

“Well, I’ll leave the planning to you, dearest. I’m sure you and the mamas will do what’s best. I must return to my duties.”