Because, thought Arianna, they all knew it was true. Be that as it may, she wished to lessen Constantina’s fears. “We won’t be without support. As we did in Paris, we are taking a select group of our household staff to manage our residence in Russia.”
The earl’s footmen and valet were all experienced partisan fighters from the Peninsular War. And Maria, her lady’s maid, was also no stranger to trouble.
“And don’t forget, my brother is already in St. Petersburg,” she added. “Richard may be new at espionage, but he’s proved himself to be steady and clever.”
The dowager looked slightly mollified by the news. “I’m glad to hear all that but—”
“Let us not dwell on the things that might go wrong,” said Arianna. “I’ve no intention of letting Evil get the best of us.”
“Amen to that.” Henning rose abruptly and moved to the sideboard. Ignoring the enticing aromas rising from the chafing dishes, he took up a bottle of brandy and added a splash to his tea.
“Sorry—I feel the need to warm my innards.” He took a gulp. “As will you, so I hope you’ve packed a generous supply of whisky for the trip. From what I’ve heard, the brutal cold in Russia can turn the blood in your veins to ice.”
“Always the optimist, Baz,” quipped Saybrook. “As for liquid fire to melt the ice, we’ll have no trouble finding strong spirits in Russia. Vodka is their national drink.”
“Bah—vodka can’t hold a candle to malt. It’s colorless and tasteless,” retorted Henning. “I would rather drink horse—”
The earl gave a warning cough.
“Good Heavens, I’ve heard the word ‘piss’ before, Sandro,” said Constantina dryly. “Along with a great many other unladylike words.”
“You have to admit that the three of us are rather difficult to shock,” observed Sophia.
“A good thing,” said Constantina. She sounded a little wistful. “Because I have a feeling in these old bones that there are many unexpected surprises to come.”
The farewells were done with a minimum of fuss—they were all close enough that the unspoken emotions were understood—and the carriage taking the three of them to Greenwich was soon clattering over the cobblestones, followed by the baggage coaches carrying their trunks and household staff.
“How long do you think we will be at sea?” asked Sophia, once she had settled back against the squabs.
“It’s hard to say,” answered Saybrook. “The Baltic weather is unpredictable. My best guess is somewhere between ten and fourteen days—though it could be longer.”
“To occupy the hours, I’ve brought a book of Russian phrases to study,” said Arianna. “With the pronunciation spelled out in our alphabet, of course.” That the Russian language used the Cyrillic alphabet was just another reminder of how foreign Russia would be. The language, the customs, the clothing, the weather—everything about the country would be so very different.
Mysteries wrapped in mysteries.Which made their mission of recovering the missing medallion even more daunting.
“I, too, will have reading to engage my time,” responded Saybrook. “Grentham said he would have one of his adjutants waiting at the docks to deliver a box of dossiers containing all the latest intelligence reports he has on the situation.”
“I can’t help but think that the reason he’s not coming himself to see us off means there’s something else that he’s not telling us,” murmured Arianna. She hadn’t asked Sophia if the minister had taken a private farewell from her. By the look on her friend’s face, she rather doubted it.
“If there is, we’ll discover it soon enough,” said the earl.
“You sound unperturbed by the thought,” she remarked.
He smiled. “I am practicing the Russian penchant for fatalism.”
Arianna and Sophia both laughed, which broke the tension within the carriage. Leaving home for unknown perils was always a little unsettling and put one’s nerves on edge.
With the mood lightened, the rest of the journey passed in a discussion of practical matters and going over whether anything had been forgotten.
“Mr. Egg should be pleased that we’re such eccentric females,” said Sophia as the talk turned to firearms. “I, too, purchased another pistol from him. It’s a long-barreled beauty with special rifling that is frightfully accurate at longer distances than usual.”
“Let us hope we don’t have to put it to the test,” replied the earl.
The streets became rougher as they crossed London Bridge and continued along the south side of the river. The dark, swirling water was beginning its ebb, and the pungent odors of low tide would soon start scenting the air. In another few hours, their ship would be hoisting its sails and heading east.
“Do you think Dmitri Orlov knows how his older brother really died?” mused Sophia after an interlude of quiet.
“I think we had better assume that the late Prince Orlov made no secret of his hatred for us,” answered Arianna. “Whether Dmitri knows the full story or not, we would be wise to consider him a dangerous enemy.”
