Free The Amber Keeper by Freda Lightfoot Page B

than the steam yachts on Lake Windermere. I confess to being rather worried about that.’
    Laughing, she tucked her arm into mine, giving it a reassuring squeeze. ‘Come on, let’s find our cabins. I’m sure you’ll be fine.’
    As it turned out I was very far from fine, at least for the first twenty-four hours or so. After that the wind calmed down somewhat and the ship didn’t pitch and toss quite so badly, which meant my sickness gradually abated.
    Fortunately, I was not responsible for the children during the journey as they were with the Count and Countess, so I was free to spend much of my time with Ruth, and we were soon firm friends. We watched in awe as dolphins followed the ship, cheered at the first glimpse of land, and marvelled at the beautiful vista of mountains and forests. But I was unprepared for how bitterly cold it became when we entered the Baltic. I put on every warm garment I possessed, yet it still wasn’t enough.
    But if I’d thought that was cold, I soon learned the true meaning of the word as we approached St Petersburg. I saw small boats trapped in the ice, icebreakers moving back and forth as they attempted to free them. Our own ship cut through with relative ease, and my new friend kindly lent me a winter coat, which she called a shuba . It was well worn but far warmer than my own. And with my bout of sea-sickness long forgotten I felt a mix of excitement and nervousness at the first sight of this beautiful city.
    ‘Now we have to face Customs,’ she warned. ‘Just be polite and do as they say.’
    ‘But how will I know what they say since I don’t speak a word of Russian?’ I asked in alarm as we gathered our luggage and prepared to disembark.
    ‘Don’t worry, I’ll help.’
    The customs officials were indeed most vigilant and while allowing in the packets of flower and vegetable seeds I’d brought with me, plus fruitcake, playing cards and picture puzzles, they seemed to object to my books, save for a bible, which was most upsetting. I became almost frantic as I watched them take the books from me: Little Lord Fauntleroy and Little Women. A Christmas Carol by Dickens and several others that I’d brought to help the children learn English.
    Ruth began to babble to them in this mystifying language. I heard her mention the name Belinsky, which seemed to give them pause, and after a few more exchanges, the books were returned to my luggage. I breathed a sigh of relief, hugely impressed by my new friend’s fluency in the language.
    ‘Don’t worry,’ she said, as we were finally allowed through. ‘They are always nervous of written material in case it is political propaganda. Censorship is rife here. However, I explained they were children’s books, and that you were employed by Count Belinsky.’
    I thanked her most humbly and was sad when the Countess approached to tell me it was time to go and we were obliged to part company. ‘Say goodbye to your friend now, Dowthwaite. Our carriage is waiting.’
    ‘I’ll see you soon, as arranged,’ Ruth whispered in my ear, giving me a quick hug. She had told me of the British and American Chapel which she attended in her free time. The church apparently provided a welcome social life for British expatriates in the city, including governesses.
    ‘You’ll make plenty of friends there, Millie. I think of it as my home away from home,’ she’d explained. It was a comforting thought. Then I climbed into the carriage and settled myself next to the children. My new life had begun.

    The family apartment was set in a grand building of impressive proportions fronting one of the canals behind the Winter Palace. It must have been some eight or nine stories high, from basement to attic windows, although I didn’t have time to count them as I helped the children out of the carriage. Perhaps I would be living up in the roof, in the attics, I thought. We were met at the door by a man known as the dvornik , or concierge, whose task was to