Written on the Wind (The Blackstone Legacy #2)(77)
The envoy presented him with a thick envelope, sealed with a wax stamp and tied with elaborate ribbons. “I was charged by Count Cassini to deliver this message directly into your hands and to await your response.”
Natalia’s heart began to thud. Whatever was in that letter was important enough to be hand-delivered all the way from Washington.
Dimitri’s face paled as he took the letter, then turned his back on everyone as he untied the ribbons. He spread the papers out on a table, bracing his hands on either side of the documents as he read.
His shoulders sagged, and his head dropped to his chest. Even from yards away, she heard his ragged breathing. She rushed to his side and stared down at the papers, but the calligraphy was so lavish that it was hard to read.
“What is it?” she asked.
“The czar has restored my title and my properties,” he said in a choked voice. “Mirosa is mine again.”
The breath left her in a rush. It was official? They had won? She met Dimitri’s gaze in wonder because it felt like a dream.
Maxim Tachenko’s voice brought it all crashing down. “And a reaffirmation of the treaty?” he demanded.
Dimitri looked back at the paper, skimming it quickly. “It is silent about what happened at the Amur. Nevertheless, I will return to Russia to continue my battle for the rights of the villagers from Saint Petersburg.”
Maxim closed the distance between them, grabbing Dimitri by the shoulders and kissing both his cheeks. “I wish you well, my friend. I will carry out my end of the bargain here, and together we shall be a force to be reckoned with.”
Gwen and the others began to applaud and cheer, but Patrick’s voice cut through the celebration. “Do you trust it? I wouldn’t.”
“Sir,” the envoy sputtered, “Count Cassini had a wire from the czar himself. You are insulting the highest officials in our land.”
Natalia glanced at Dimitri. “Could it be a trick? Just a ploy to get you back in Russia where you can be silenced?”
The celebratory atmosphere vanished. The envoy looked offended, but Dimitri sent her a tired, cynical smile of understanding.
“Anything is possible,” he finally said. “I won’t know until I go.”
“And if you are arrested and disappear forever?”
“Then I die,” he said with a simple note of fatalistic acceptance. “I have made my mark in America, and if the czar makes a quick end of me in Russia, my voice will become all the more powerful as my allies continue my quest.”
And he would finally enjoy the tragic ending so important to all Russian novels.
Over the next two days, Dimitri spent every moment with Natalia. Their time together was growing short, and unless he succeeded in convincing her to come with him to Russia, this might be their last few days together.
She took him to a shabby tearoom called The Samovar, where she once came with her mother to soak in the sounds and taste of Russia. Sticky tables crammed close together weren’t his idea of fine dining, but the aroma of fried herring and baked cabbage rolls felt like home. They sipped hot tea and quietly strategized how to ensure the czar honored his agreement to reaffirm the treaty.
“The first thing I must do is get back to ensure my mother is safely returned to Mirosa,” he said. “Meanwhile, Tachenko will keep drumming up publicity about the Amur River here in America. It will make it harder for the czar to go back on his word. We must fight on all fronts, but especially with the American government.”
“Senator Lansing can help with that,” Natalia said. “During the summers he plays golf with Poppy every week. Poppy won’t mind twisting his arm to be sure President Roosevelt is aware of the czar’s promise.”
Dimitri’s mouth tilted in amusement. There was a time when Natalia would have moved heaven and earth to avoid Poppy, but now she did not hesitate to recruit all the allies at her disposal.
“Send me a wire the moment you know what the czar plans to do,” Natalia continued. “If he balks, I’ll sound the alarm in Washington. If he concedes, the moment you have the document in hand, I will rally the journalists to trumpet news across the land. It will lock the czar into position, and he will lose face if the army goes back on his word.”
It felt like old times. They would be working in tandem on opposite sides of the earth, still joined together in a noble cause. Dimitri warmed with pride as he raised his teacup in a silent toast, and Natalia clicked her teacup with his.
But then her gaze strayed over his shoulder. He turned to see what captured her attention and spotted a woman who had just pulled the flap of her blouse aside to let a baby nurse.
Joy faded, and he turned back around, but Natalia still contemplated the woman, a wistful smile hovering on her mouth.
“You would like a baby,” he stated needlessly.
She did not tear her gaze from the nursing child, but she gave a little nod of her head. As much as he loved her, he could never give her what she wanted most.
“We could adopt,” he said abruptly. “Were you to come to Russia with me, we could adopt as many children as you wish.”
“I know,” she whispered. “But there’s something about having a baby of one’s own.”
Without warning, she stood and began weaving through the densely packed tables to approach the woman.
“How old is he?” she asked the woman in Russian, but Dimitri turned away before he heard the answer. This was too painful to watch.