The Secret Wife(57)
‘I don’t know – maybe the farmer told someone. I will ride out and make contact with them tomorrow. They are led by Admiral Kolchak. Do you remember him from the war?’
Dmitri shook his head.
‘He’s a good man. I will ask if they have the Grand Duchess, and liaise with them over the rescue and handover of the remaining Romanovs. You stay here, keep an eye on the Ipatiev House, and see if Sir Thomas can exert pressure on the Red Guards … But now, I think, we should try to get some sleep, Malama. I will take the sofa.’
It took much persuasion but at last Dmitri went into the bedroom and threw himself fully dressed on the bed. As he lay there, eyes wide open, he noticed something sticking out from beneath a cupboard as if kicked there. He got up to retrieve it and found it was a notebook filled with Tatiana’s impeccable handwriting. It was her diary. She must have brought it with her, concealed in her clothing. Did she want to keep it safe from the guards? Was she planning to give it to him?
She had written the last entry on Sunday, just over twenty-four hours earlier. He couldn’t bear to read her words but he held the book to his face sniffing its pages. His fear for her was so acute it was like a hole gouged through his insides.
Malevich rode off at first light to locate the White Army headquarters, which he had heard were in Kamensk, some hundred miles distant. Like Dmitri he was a skilled horseman and should make it in a day, whereupon he promised to send a telegram to the consulate with news.
Dmitri went out to examine the hoof prints he had spotted the previous evening. It looked as though there had only been two or, at most, three men, but still he couldn’t find any trail beyond the crossroads. At eight, he rode into town and watched from a distance as the cleaning ladies entered the Ipatiev House, their number one fewer than yesterday. Next he went to call upon Sir Thomas and made his shameful confession: that he had rescued Tatiana then lost her again.
Sir Thomas looked stern. ‘So you think the farm girl is still in the house?’
‘I’ll be able to tell when they come outside to exercise at eleven.’
‘What will she do? My goodness, this is a muddle. I will send an immediate request for a guarantee of the Romanovs’ safety and will make enquiries amongst my local contacts. If the farm girl does not emerge with the other cleaners, you must go and tell her parents. That will not be a pleasant task, I’m afraid. And then we will wait for news.’
Dmitri remained in the consulate all morning, watching the house from an upstairs window. He refused all offers of food and drink; even a sip of tea made him feel as though he was choking. He could see no signs of life at the blanked out windows, but at eleven o’clock five figures appeared in the yard and he sprinted down the stairs and up the road. He rushed round the side of the Ipatiev House and bent to peer through the knothole, every nerve on edge. He could tell the tall slim figure in Tatiana’s gown was the farm girl long before she turned her head. The family all looked tense and scared, wandering around the yard without talking, and Nicholas paced up and down, as usual. Only the dogs displayed their normal exuberance.
Dmitri wished he could get a message to Yelena, telling her that she would be rescued soon. If only he had spoken to Svetlana that morning. If only he hadn’t done such a despicable thing in the first place.
He was waiting on the corner when the cleaning ladies left the house at twelve and Svetlana rushed straight over, her face white with worry. ‘Where is Tatiana? Yelena doesn’t know what to do. How can she leave if they do not change places again?’
‘I know, I’m sorry. We’re doing what we can. Say nothing to anyone and your friend will be freed soon.’ His promise sounded hollow even to his own ears and he could tell Svetlana was not reassured.
After that he rode out to Tolmachev’s farm and told the farmer and his wife what had happened.
‘Svolach!’ The wife slapped him hard across the face. ‘You promised us she would be safe.’ She began to wail. ‘I will never forgive you if …’
Dmitri quickly explained their plan to free the Romanovs and shepherd them into the hands of the White Army. ‘It will be any day now,’ he promised. ‘I will keep you informed. The good thing is that none of the guards suspect the substitution has been made and the family are keeping up the pretence. Yelena is perfectly safe for now.’
‘She must be so scared,’ the farmer breathed. ‘You guarantee it will be over soon?’
‘I give you my word,’ he told them. One way or another it would.
Before he left he placed the bag containing two thousand roubles on their kitchen floor. The farmer’s wife kicked it. ‘What use is your money without our daughter? Did you think of that? Or was she not a person to you, just a body you could buy? You disgust me.’
Dmitri hung his head in misery. He disgusted himself too.
Dmitri went back to the consulate that afternoon and Sir Thomas let him sit by the window to keep an eye on the Ipatiev House. At least he felt as though he was doing something, however futile. The family came out to exercise at three but Yelena wasn’t with them, which sent Dmitri into fresh spiral of panic. Where was she? Had her identity been revealed? He noticed cars coming and going but wasn’t sure if there were more than normal, and could not make out any of the occupants. His blood was pounding and he paced up and down, unable to keep still.