“I think it’s ready,” Filip said. “We’ll send it on to Murom in the next pouch.”
* * *
In the Dacha, Sofia’s eyes sparkled like cold black diamonds. “Nevertheless, it cannot be you that goes. You are needed here. Bernie needs you. Boris and Mariya need you. You may not abandon that trust.”
Natasha stopped her pacing. She’d been trying too hard to justify being the person who went to Grantville to determine whether or not Brandy Bates was acceptable to the czar as her brother’s wife. She knew it. “But I so want to see it, Aunt Sofia,” she whined. “So very much.” She threw herself onto a bench. “Vladimir is there. I miss him. And I want to see it.”
“Even so.” Sofia’s eyes softened. “I know, dear.” She patted Natasha’s hand. “I know.” She grinned. “So do I want to go.” Then she straightened her shoulders. “But we must carry on here. Czar Mikhail has said that he will consider this marriage, but there must be a senior female of the family to examine Brandy. And I know just who to send.” She cackled in laughter. “Oh, my. It will do them so much good.”
As it turned out, Aunt Sofia was not entirely in control of who was sent to Grantville. The other great houses wanted their say as well. A friend of Sofia, true enough, would be one of the three dragons sent; the next would come from the Sheremetev clan and an aunt of the czarina would be the other.
All of which would come as a surprise to Vladimir back in Grantville.
* * *
“I didn’t really believe it. Not until I saw that.” Vladimir watched the Las Vegas Belle until it was out of sight. Even after the months since the first flight, he still wasn’t entirely sure he believed it. And slowly he began to smile. “I believe that turnabout is fair play, Brandy. Perhaps I should write Bernie that I insist that he build me an airplane. And a factory for cars. And an oil refinery.”
“Soda pop.” Brandy looked in the direction where the plane had disappeared. “Real, old-fashioned Coca-Cola. I miss those. New movies, instead of rewatching all the old ones. Xerox machines for quick copies. Um, we can probably think up a bunch of other stuff to demand. They won’t be very realistic, I imagine, but it might be kind of fun to make a demand instead of trying to satisfy them. Besides, they might just do it.”
They walked slowly to Brandy’s house thinking up ever more outrageous things to demand of Bernie and the “brain cases” in Russia and laughing at their demands. No one could be sad on a day like today.
They turned up the walk to Brandy’s house and she hesitated a bit. Vladimir knew that it was because her mother had died there.
He’d been surprised, three days after Donna died, by the attendance at her funeral. It seemed like a large number of people showed up. Most unusual was the cluster of young girls around Brandy. One of them was one of the most beautiful girls he had ever seen. Her hair was a deep auburn and her skin was clear with just a few freckles.
Brandy had, in compliance with Donna’s wishes, arranged a simple graveside service. It was very brief. Afterward, people visited with one another and everyone spoke to Brandy and her father Vernon for a moment or two. Brandy introduced Vladimir to the cluster of young girls. They were . . . quite exceptional, he thought.
Much to Vladimir’s surprise, Vernon was one of the first to leave. “He’s just not good at emotions.” Brandy had noticed Vladimir watching Vernon. “He never has been. He’s closed up, like in a shell or something. It drove Mom crazy. That, I think, is why they got divorced. Mom was too emotional for him, I guess.”
Vladimir looked down at her. “I promise you. I promise you that I will never be so, so . . .”
“Calm and dispassionate?” Her tears started flowing again. “Good. I don’t think I’d like it any better than Mom did.”
* * *
The sound of the doorbell jerked Brandy to alertness. She smoothed down her dress and checked her reflection in the mirror before opening the door. Here goes, she thought.
Vladimir stood on the porch, smiling at her. Her breath caught a bit. They’d been dating a long time, but this was the first time they’d been alone together. Really alone. No servants. No Mom. Brandy still felt Donna’s loss keenly. But a person had to move on. This dinner was an effort to do that.
“Come in, please.” Brandy smiled as Vladimir brought his left hand from behind his back with a flourish. His eyes twinkled a bit. “A guest should not arrive empty-handed. So, I brought you this.”
This was not flowers or candy, or even a bottle of wine. Vladimir had brought a bag of coffee beans. Brandy grinned. “Good. We’ll have some later.” She stood aside and waved Vladimir inside. “Dinner will be ready in just a moment. I hope you like it.”