Vladimir sighed. “The history of my country isn’t a happy one, not according to the very few books here in Grantville. These books, they barely mention the time of troubles after the death of Ivan the Terrible, the three false Dmitris that left Russia bleeding and broken. Poland invaded and took Patriarch Filaret prisoner. The Poles held him prisoner for years, Brandy. That was after he was forced to take a vow of chastity by Boris Godunov. The purpose of the vow was to disqualify him from the throne.”
Vladimir stared into the distance. “It hardened him, Brandy. Which may well be to the good. I don’t know whether it was being forced to take holy orders or the imprisonment. Whatever it was that caused it, he was different when he came back. There is a cold-blooded practicality that wasn’t there before. He manipulates everyone. The czar most of all. Mikhail Fedorovich is not in control. His father is.”
“Do you know him?” Brandy settled in for a long talk. “The czar, I mean.” She couldn’t help but be interested. Vladimir attracted her in a way that few people did. She wanted to understand him and his country.
“Yes. My family is very wealthy, on the whole. And the treasury was bare when Mikhail came to the throne. My sister and I are the last of our particular branch, which concentrated the wealth even more. So we were invited to court quite a bit. Not as much as some, but fairly often. Our father traveled for the embassy bureau for many years; it gave us a different outlook. Natasha and I were educated more than most.” Vladimir’s face grew more animated. “Natasha does know the czarina quite well, and I have sent her letters and books. Perhaps the czarina, with Natasha’s help, can become more of an influence.”
“I’ve gotten to know the czarina fairly well through the letters we’ve traded,” Brandy said. “I don’t think that she’s in a position to do much. You said once that the czar supports Gustavus Adolphus, didn’t you? Or is that his father’s doing?”
“Some of both, I think.” Vladimir leaned forward. “Money. Always a problem, the money. The Poles cleaned out the Russian treasury. The Time of Troubles left roving bands of thieves that traveled through Russia, some of them even now, after nearly twenty years of Mikhail’s rule. Mikhail is loved by the people but he is not very strong. He is governed by the boyars and the great houses. I respect your system of government, Brandy. I really do. But how much of it can be adapted to Russia . . . that is hard to say. I don’t know how much we can do. We have Natasha. We have your Bernie, even. I will work for change, with all my heart.”
“I’ll help.” Brandy stood up. “As much as I can.”
Chapter 35
June 1633
“Well, let’s see.” Bernie said, pointing. “The acquisition is recorded here and here because it’s a . . .” He continued doing his best to give Anya an idea of what the accounting book said about how to prevent or catch different ways of cooking the books. By now Anya was better at accounting than Bernie was or wanted to be. But the expertise was in English and while Anya was learning accounting, English and the way of thinking that went with modern English was still mostly foreign to her. By now Bernie had gotten really good at translating between modern English and seventeenth-century English. And not bad at taking the next step and translating from modern English to seventeenth-century Russian. So he explained about the esoterics of accounting, and neither he nor Anya noticed Filip Pavlovich standing in the background listening. Not till Filip cleared his throat.
“What?” Bernie looked up. “Oh, hi, Phil. What are you doing up at this—” Bernie looked at his watch. “—ungodly hour?”
“The bathroom woke me,” Filip said sardonically. “Chamber pots are quieter and they can be emptied in safe ways.”
“Can be,” Anya said, “but rarely are.” Which, though Bernie didn’t notice it, brought Filip up short.
“That’s an interesting observation, Anya,” Filip said. “And not the sort of thing a maid would say.”
Bernie felt himself stiffen and Filip waved a gentling hand. “I wasn’t criticizing. I know I often sound like I am even when I’m not.” Filip grinned at them. “Which is rare enough.”
Bernie’s lips twitched.
“It was simply an observation. What drew me up short when Anya spoke up wasn’t that she was getting above herself, but that I didn’t mind that she was getting above herself. If that makes any sense?” He looked between them. “Bernie, before you arrived in Moscow I would have been offended. Deeply offended. Offended enough to have her dismissed or seriously punished. I would hazard a guess that before you arrived, Anya would never have thought to say such a thing in my presence.” Filip looked to Anya for confirmation and got it from a clearly anxious woman.