“B-But what if Tatiana is spooked by an unknown intruder trying to enter her bedchamber and raises the alarm?”
“She’ll be forewarned.” Arianna allowed herself a smile. “I happen to know there is an important diplomatic reception tomorrow—that is, today—immediately following the daily five o’clock benediction. Prince Orlov is attending, and he brings Tatiana to all his public appearances. I’ll contrive to take her aside for a moment or two and tell her of the plan.”
“Brilliant,” murmured Sophia. “Saybrook and I will keep watch outside the mansion, in case anything goes amiss.”
“What can I do to help?” demanded Mrs. Schuyler.
“You need to return to the Winter Palace and keep Tsar Alexander on an even keel,” said Arianna, her eyes sparking with a martial gleam. “Leave the rest to us.”
“Take a weapon.”Saybrook watched as Arianna slipped on her soft-soled climbing shoes and reached for her black knitted jumper. “I’ll not have you go unarmed.”
“I wasn’t planning on it.” She held up her pocket pistol before tucking it into the waistband of her trousers. “I don’t expect any trouble, but—”
“But trouble has an unholy knack of sniffing us out,” finished Saybrook.
They exchanged fleeting smiles.
“Although only the Almighty knows why we find that so amusing,” he added.
“Admit it,” murmured Arianna. “We would both be bored to flinders if our lives had naught but quiet scholarly research and writing to keep our minds engaged.”
Sophia tucked a loose curl of hair up under her fur hat. “Speak for yourself. It’s colder than the devil’s heart out there, and I’m not looking forward to freezing my . . . fingers.”
“You at least can wear thick mittens.” Arianna tugged on a pair of tight-fitting gloves. “Ready?”
They met their two footmen in the scullery. Prescott, too, was waiting there. He had asked to be part of the foray, and she and Saybrook had agreed. The six of them exited into a narrow alleyway behind their residence and threaded their way out to one of the side streets. The night was shrouded in a knife-sharp cold that seemed to cut right to the bone. Clouds covered the moon, and as they moved through the deserted streets, only the pale puffs of their breath broke the unremitting blackness.
The Naryshkin mansion was located at the far end of the Moika Canal, past the grander palaces of the princely families. An earlier scouting foray had identified Tatiana’s bedchamber. It was at the back of the house, overlooking theriver’s ice-dark water, with access from the street through a locked gate of the walled garden.
Hands clamped beneath her armpits to keep warm, Arianna waited with Sophia and Prescott in a nook between two buildings while Saybrook darted across the street and made quick work of releasing the lock. José and Tomás were stationed a short distance away on both sides of the mansion to watch for any signs of trouble. A glance up and down the deserted avenue showed there wasn’t a light to be seen in any of the windows.
Tatiana, however, had mentioned that Prince Orlov had a guard stationed inside both the front and rear entrances of the house, to ensure that she wouldn’t try to slip away in the dead of night.
Arianna shifted her stance to keep the blood moving in her feet. She would have to be careful about making any sound.
The earl rejoined them. “In and out, as fast as possible,” he whispered. “Remember, if your presence is spotted, we’ll create a diversion in the street, and make it appear that a gang of thieves is targeting the area.”
She nodded, and wasted no time in hurrying away. The gate yielded to her touch, opening and closing in a flash. Following the graveled footpath, which the wind had thankfully blown clean of snow, Arianna made her way to the back of the mansion, where the decorative stonework of the building’s corners provided plenty of nooks and crannies for climbing.
A glance up showed that once she had reached the third row of windows, there was a ledge set just beneath the sills. It was just wide enough to allow her to shimmy over to Tatiana’s bedchamber.
Pray heaven the maiden aunt who had the room next to hers was asleep with the draperies drawn, thought Arianna as she started to climb.
Her fingers were numb, and the stones were slick with ice, slowing her progress more than she wished.
Careful, careful.
On reaching the ledge, she paused to steady her breath. Her throat was burning from the cold. There was just one window to navigate before reaching the one where Tatiana would be waiting. Arianna gave herself another moment to rest, then set a foot on the ledge and started inching forward. She felt horribly exposed, her dark clothing stark against the white of the mansion’s marble facing. But she dared not go any faster.
A cautious peek showed the interior of the aunt’s room was black as Hades. Crouching low, she crept past it and kept moving. Another few slides . . .
And there was Tatiana’s pale face, just visible through the patterns of ice etched on the window glass. Arianna pressed herself up against the wall, while Tatiana eased the casement open, allowing her to slip inside.
Tatiana, looking very young and vulnerable in her snow-white nightrail, pressed a finger to her lips in warning, then signaled for Arianna to follow her into a small storage closet before venturing a whisper that was barely more than a zephyr of air.
“Orlov has become increasingly agitated over the last few days. There’s now a guard posted just outside my door.”
Arianna wondered whether the prince had been spooked by Saybrook’s inquiries concerning Fitzroy and Wolff. Or perhaps there was a rival faction challenging his plans.
