Free The Midwife of St. Petersburg by Linda Lee Chaikin Page A

He’d already mentioned a possible arrangement before Ilya might join the army, should war come.
    His brow arched. “You were saying?”
    “I do not wish to speak of it. And I don’t know why you are saying all this to me.”
    “Fibbing, Miss Peshkova, doesn’t become one so idealistic. Perhaps I wanted to confess in order to shock you. To make you turn your back on me and walk away.”
    The music stopped. She stood looking at him, angry, hurt, and yes, disenchanted. From the glimmer of something aching in his own gaze, she believed he spoke the truth. He was deliberately driving a wedge between them.
    “If you walk away now, I won’t need to reconsider my plans … If you decide not to, then you would make it difficult for me.”
    Of all the temerity!
“Colonel, there is no need for you to worry. I think you’re the most awful and arrogant officer I’ve ever met.”
    He bowed gravely.
    She turned on her heel and walked away, looking straight ahead. She blinked hard.
    He didn’t love Tatiana, yet he would marry her if the union furthered the one thing he cared about: his military career.
    And I had thought him so dashing, so honorable. The most handsome man I’ve ever met. This ends all my silly notions about romance. I hope I never see him again. Two weeks I shall be here. I must find ways to avoid the scoundrel
.

    Alex watched as she walked away with shoulders back and head high. Understanding the loss he’d just sustained in exchange for his career, heclenched his jaw. He’d made a deliberate choice tonight. He’d gotten what he wanted—at least, he told himself he had.
    Forget her. Your path is laid out in the direction you need to go
.
    True, finding himself in the Okhrana was a setback, but the general had assured him the change would be temporary. In a year or so, he would be promoted again, to the czar’s personal bodyguard.
    She thinks you’re a man who mocks love and honors the steel of sword and gun. Now she won’t tempt you to throw it all away
.
    Alex was turning to leave the ball when he spotted the ensign who served as his messenger in St. Petersburg. The young man stood in the archway, holding an envelope.
    Alex left the ballroom and joined him in the hall.
    “For General Roskov from Major-General Durnov, sir.”
    Alex looked at the envelope. Durnov was not in St. Petersburg but in Kiev. Why would that be?
    He released the ensign to sample the food and drink. “Don’t stray far. I may need to send a reply to Durnov.”
    “Just so, Colonel. Thank you, sir.
    Alex located General Roskov in the library, enjoying the reprieve of his leather-bound books.
    “From Major-General Durnov, sir,” Alex said, handing him the envelope.
    The general took the letter to his desk, opened it, and read.
    Now what?
Alex thought. He had a premonition that his status at Kazan would be affected.
    The general stroked his honey red mustache. He frowned. A few moments later, he looked at Alex.
    “This is unpleasant and rather personal, Alex. Durnov informs me of an arrest at the local college near Kiev where my wife’s brother Josef Peshkov teaches history. His colleague, Professor Chertkov, was arrested for spreading revolutionary ideas to his students. Chertkov claims he’s innocent.The local gendarmes found books by Hegel, Kant, Marx, and Engels in his desk. Also a dozen of Lenin’s Bolshevik newspapers.”
    “So many books stashed in his desk strikes me as overdone, sir.”
    “Yes … I don’t like this. Sergei highly regarded Professor Chertkov. And both my nieces took his classes at the college. They’ll be upset over the news.” He rubbed his forehead. “This arrest will not go over well with the students and instructors. The local chief of the gendarmes, a man named Grinevich, expects the worst. It seems a Bolshevik meeting turned ugly a year ago, and the group moved to St. Andrew’s Church. When Grinevich arrived, shooting erupted. The Bolshies broke windows and set a room ablaze.