“Charlotte! I didn’t expect it to be you. Is anything wrong? Is it Miles?” Her hand went to her throat.
“It’s not Miles. I wanted to talk to you for a minute. Can you come out?”
She got her coat, and we walked to a little park down the block. I waited until there was no one near us and then told her what I’d seen. Her eyes closed and her head tipped back. I knew she was going to faint, so I grabbed her right as her knees buckled. A man on the other side of the park saw us and ran to help. We managed to get her over to a park bench and sit her down.
I put my hand on the back of her head and moved her so that her head was in her lap as the man hovered around.
“It’s all right. I’m a nurse,” I said to him. “She’ll be better in a moment. She heard some bad news.” I wanted him to go away before Raisa came to in case she said something he shouldn’t hear. I’d never expected her to faint.
He nodded, an understanding look on his face. Three years into the war, bad news had become commonplace.
She came to quickly, and when she looked at me, she put her hand to her throat again. “I feel like I might throw up,” she said.
“It will pass soon. Just sit quietly for a minute.”
I waited a few minutes before I asked her a question that had been worrying me all day. “Did you know Samuel was associating with some radical group?”
“No,” she said. “But I’m not surprised. There are groups everywhere working for change. People have realized we can’t wait any longer.”
She’d said “we can’t wait.” It would be just like Raisa to throw herself into one of the groups trying to bring down the czar. She was desperate to do something that might get her father out of prison.
My stomach turned at the thought of what could happen to her. I didn’t want her putting herself in so much danger.
I started to ask another question, but Raisa held up her hand. “Don’t,” she said. “Sometimes it’s better not to ask questions.”
I grabbed her hand. “Be careful,” I said, hearing how ridiculous my words sounded, as if they would make any difference.
“I am.” She stood up. “I have to get back.”
“Is there something we can do for Samuel?” I asked.
“I’ll go see his mother tomorrow and find out if she’s heard anything. I can tell her who to go see.”
“What should I do?” I felt completely helpless.
“Nothing. Please, Charlotte, don’t get involved.” She darted away so fast I didn’t have time to say anything else.
I headed for home as tiredness washed over me. The weight of the day pressed down on me so much each step was an effort.
When I finally reached our block, I saw the glow of a cigarette a few feet from our front door and a couple of dark shapes. My steps faltered. Another watcher? I didn’t know who else would be standing outside in the cold so late.
As I turned around to go a different way so I could reach the house from the back, I heard a burst of laughter and a voice I recognized. It was Osip, our footman, and I knew he was talking to Vladislav, the footman next door. Vladislav worked for another retired general, General Stackleberg, who was a little older than Papa. The general and Papa weren’t close friends, though they were cordial. I think the general’s wife hadn’t liked my mother, so she kept her distance from us, and after the woman died, the man rarely left the house.
“Hello,” I called out. Osip replied but Vladislav did not. The man threw his cigarette down and went back into the Stacklebergs’ house. He never responded to anything I said for some reason. I knew from Osip that he had worked on one of the Stackleberg estates until all the regular footmen had been called up. He, like Osip, wasn’t considered fit enough to be in the army. Osip’s eyesight was too poor, and Vladislav had a problem with one of his feet. Osip had said that Vladislav hadn’t wanted to come to the city, but the general had insisted, threatening to make Vladislav’s family move out of their house on the general’s estate.
“Everything all right?” I asked Osip as we went inside. Unlike Archer, Osip actually liked us, and I relied on him for updates on how the household had managed on any particular day. My brothers were good at not mentioning disasters.
“Everything is fine. A quiet day,” he said.
“Is … is the tutor in?” I didn’t know how to ask if Dmitri had quit or not.
“Yes,” Osip said. “I hope he doesn’t leave until the end of the week. I’ve made a bet with Vladislav and I’ve got him lasting five days. Vladislav has him only lasting for three.”
After the day I’d had, I didn’t think I’d find anything funny, but Osip’s words made me smile. Even with everything happening in the city, some things never changed. Osip and Vladislav always bet on each tutor.
“I hope you win,” I said as I went upstairs. I tried to be quiet so my brothers wouldn’t hear me. If they did, I wouldn’t be able to leave the house again without them knowing. They’d want me to play music with them or work on some magic trick.
Once I had changed, I took the baron’s piece of paper from its hiding place in my Greek book and put it in a small bag. I’d managed not to think about it during the day while I was at the hospital, but once I’d gotten home, I couldn’t wait to get rid of it. I didn’t know if I’d be able to burn it at the Tamms’ after I showed it to them because there would probably be too many people around, but I’d find a way to make sure it didn’t come back into the house.
I also collected some packages I was taking to the Tamms and then went back outside. As I started down the street, two figures burst out of the narrow passageway that ran along the side of the house, nearly knocking me down. One of them dropped a package.
I scrambled away from them, my heart pounding, ready to yell for help, afraid they were men intending to rob me.
“Lottie, what are you doing out here?” a voice said. It was Hap.
“What are you doing out here?” I asked, trying to calm down. “It’s very late.”
Miles picked up the package he had dropped and put it inside his coat. “It’s not that late. We’re going to the Tamms’ party, but we had to wait until Stepan was asleep because he’d want to go with us.”
“They have what is basically a party every night,” I said.
“It’s Peet’s birthday tonight,” Miles said. “It’s a real party. We have to go.”
Hap waved a small bundle at me and then pointed at the package I was holding. “We have a present for him. Did you get him one too?”
“It’s a bag of sugar for Celeste. And no, I didn’t know it was Peet’s birthday.”
“Now you know. So let’s go.” Hap took a few steps down the street.
I knew there was no way I could convince them to go back inside. As I was about to follow, Dmitri came out the front door wearing a coat and hat. He paused on the step, looking shocked to see us.
“Dmitri Antonovich!” Hap called. “We’re going to a party. Do you want to come along? You should meet our friends the Tamms. You’d like them.”
I wanted to shake Hap. We couldn’t take a stranger to their apartment. Even though I knew the Tamms were not radicals, I didn’t know about the people who came and went to all their parties. Dmitri might misunderstand a stray remark.