“She won’t,” said Arianna. “She’s clearly intelligent and pragmatic—so I mean to offer her the best deal she can hope for, now that an ill wind is threatening to blow down her house of cards.”
The carriage ghosted through the ornate archway and into the arrival courtyard of the Tsar’s private wing of the palace. The attendants, their uniforms flickering like fire-gold blazes of color against the pristine shroud of white, hurried to escort them into the entrance foyer. A majordomo bowed and then led them through the maze of corridors to the American adventuress’s private quarters.
“I’m terribly sorry, Milady, but Mrs. Schuyler is indisposed and isn’t receiving visitors at this time,” announced the solemn-faced footman who answered Arianna’s knock.
“Please fetch me a pencil and paper,” replied Arianna.
The footman padded off and returned a moment later with the requested items.
She dashed off a short note and folded it into a small square. “Please give that to her.”
“But—”
“We’ll wait,” announced Arianna.
He now appeared thoroughly flustered. “I can’t pass on your missive because Mrs. Schuyler has left the palace.”
“Left the palace,” she repeated. “To go where?”
“A spiritual retreat, Milady. She said her soul was unsettled, and she needed to travel to a higher plane of peace and tranquility in order to bring her psychic powers back into balance.”
“And just where is this place of peace and tranquility located?”
“She didn’t reveal that information—not to anyone. She said that any disturbance would ruin the process.”
Arianna thought for a moment. “When did Mrs. Schuyler depart the palace?”
“Before dawn, Milady,” answered the footman.
Deciding that she would get no further useful information, Arianna thanked the fellow and turned away, gesturing for Sophia to follow.
“Now what?” asked her friend. “If nobody knows—”
“Oh, there is one person who knows. But I need to return home for a short time before paying him a visit.”
Chapter16
“My nerves arein a horribly delicate state.” Tsar Alexander was stretched out on a silk-upholstered fainting couch, a damp cloth draped over his eyes. “Alas, I am cursed with a more sensitive nature than most people. But you, Lady Saybrook, are one of the few who understand me.”
“Indeed, I do, Your Majesty,” replied Arianna in a dulcet tone. She had left Sophia to wait in one of the side salons beforerequesting a private audience with the Tsar. Working her wiles on him would be easier without an audience. “Which is why I’ve brought something special to soothe your troubled mind. May I approach?”
He gave a languid wave. “Softly, please.”
She moved lightly across the thick carpet and slid a side chair close to where he lay. Easing open the lid of the large box in her hands, she shook it gently from side to side. A buttery-sweet aroma, redolent of sugar, cacao, and exotic spices, wafted up from the pasteboard in a slow sinuous curl.
The Tsar stirred and shifted up a little higher on the pillows plumped behind his shoulders. “Have you brought me—”
“Chocolate? Yes.” Arianna shook the box again, setting off a rustling of the bonbons nestled within. “Ones created especially for you.” She reached down and plucked up a softly mounded confection of mocha-flavored buttercream enrobed in a dark chocolate shell and studded with tiny walnut pieces. “This one is named the ‘Borodino Bombe’ in honor of your army’s victory over Napoleon. Would you like to taste it?”
The royal mouth opened wide.
Arianna smiled as his slow savoring of the bonbon ended in ablissful little moan. “Sublime,” he whispered, after licking his lips.
“Would you like another?”
His shoulders hiked up another few inches.
“This is the Pastille de Paris, to commemorate the fall of Paris after Waterloo, brought about by you and your generals.”
