Candle in the Attic Window(38)
You see, I have met a man, Iryna!
Oh, I have met many men, as you well know. Uncle Adolf, the dear, as though sensing my discontent, has assumed the role of father as best he can, doting on me and being a lovable nuisance; in doing so, he has realized that I am of marriageable age and has taken upon himself the burden of alleviating my spinsterhood. The arrival in Novoarkhangelsk of even the lowliest of noblemen is grounds for an elaborate ball, that I may be presented to my latest suitor. All are horrid boors, of course, as you might expect in this dirty corner of the Empire.
But this month, a ship graces our port, the grandest naval vessel I have ever seen. Baranof Island is simply riddled with sailors; to be besieged by so many vulgar gazes is enough to put one off ever leaving the castle. With one exception, none of them has the slightest conception of how to act in the presence of a lady.
But, Iryna, what an exception! He is a lieutenant, and his name is ‘Pavel’.
How can I describe him to you? In truth, I cannot. Though he is handsome, his qualities extend much further, into the deepest reaches of his soul. How long it has been since I met a man who could converse at all wittily? And yet, when Pavel and I talk, hours go by in the space of a minute. We walk together every night along the bank of a little river that flows nearby.
In your wisdom, Iryna, you are now wondering how Uncle Adolf can possibly approve of such an arrangement and you have guessed the answer: He does not know. Except for Pavel and me, only old Yevgenia, my maid, is privy to our assignations. She is my confidant and willing accomplice, and finds great sport in plotting a new escape each night; now you are my confidant, too! It goes without saying that you must tell no one of this. A lady’s reputation is her most fragile possession.
Perhaps, next month, I shall have even more news for you!
Love,
Olga
From: Olga Feodorovna, Novoarkhangelsk, Alaska
To: Iryna Dvorkin, Saint Petersburg, Russia
June 22, 1843
Dear Iryna,
Discovery!
I admit I was careless. I wished Pavel to have a favour, to remember me during the times we could not be together, and so, I presented him with one of my ribbons: blue, of course. You remember how Uncle Adolf was always having new clothes made for me, and always the same colour. He said it went well with my black hair, which he claimed looked blue in strong light, and he called me his “blue lady”. Here, in Novoarkhangelsk, he has maintained this harmless eccentricity. So, my closets are seas of blue.
Pavel wore my ribbon at his wrist but underneath his sleeve. One day, Uncle Adolf was down in the town and chanced to pass him in the street. The ribbon had slipped, unnoticed, below the cuff of Pavel’s shirt and Uncle’s eye was naturally drawn to it. He recognized it and confronted Pavel, demanding an explanation.
Pavel responded admirably. Although he feared for my honour, he refused to speak falsely before a Governor of the Empire, much less before the father of the girl he hoped to marry. He confessed everything and professed his love for me.
Uncle will have none of it, of course. He refuses to allow me to marry a “common sailor”. This from the Governor of Alaska! As though sailing the seas for the glory of Emperor Nicholas is any less noble than sitting hunched over a ledger tabulating otter pelt yields!
Pavel has Uncle’s grudging respect; I have his boundless love. I can only hope that, together, these assets might be enough to change his mind.
Pray for me, Iryna!
Sadly yours,
Olga
From: Olga Feodorovna, Novoarkhangelsk, Alaska
To: Iryna Dvorkin, Saint Petersburg, Russia
July 8, 1843
Dear Iryna,
Uncle Adolf has dispatched Pavel’s ship on an extended voyage. He will be gone a year or longer.
Uncle wishes to arrange my marriage to a wealthy friend of his, Vladimir Titov.
I have given my assent. What else can I do? Uncle Adolf wants what is best for me. I could never bring myself to show ingratitude.
We are to be married next spring. Perhaps you can arrange to come. I feel I may need you.
Love,
Olga
From: Olga Feodorovna, Novoarkhangelsk, Alaska
To: Iryna Dvorkin, Saint Petersburg, Russia
August 17, 1843
Dear Iryna,
I have much to tell you and I hope you will read to the end of this letter before dismissing me. You may find it unbelievable, but I am a desperate lady and I have discovered that there are few lengths to which I would not go to escape my situation.
What you will not find unbelievable is that, though my love for Uncle Adolf persists, I simply cannot marry Vladimir. To begin with, he eats like a swine and looks like one. His manners are atrocious; his hygiene is questionable; and ever since our betrothal, he has inflicted any number of unwanted physical visitations upon my person when Uncle isn’t watching, asserting his immediate ownership of that which has merely been promised. Since Vladimir came, I have been subjected to abuses that no ordinary serving-girl would allow, much less a lady.