The Seeds of Power Read online

  Jennie opened her eyes again. ‘No, sire. You have a most pleasant touch.’

  He smiled at her. ‘I am glad of that.’ His hands slid higher yet, to find the silk of her pubes. ‘Do you know, I think the sketch will have to come later.’

  CHAPTER TWELVE - THE ARRANGEMENT

  Alexandra was breathless as she burst into Colin’s study. ‘Jennie’s home!’ Colin looked at his fob watch. It was a quarter to ten. The family had already dined, desperate to converse between themselves about what Jennie might be doing, but prevented from speculating by Colin’s expression. Thus after the meal he had retired to this seclusion, to wait, and let the sisters get on with their clatter.

  What did he feel? He really had no idea. Envy, certainly. His memory kept casting back nine years to that unforgettable day on the bank of the bog. He supposed he had fallen in love with her then, and been shocked at himself for doing so. Lord Blaistone’s nephew did not fall in love with a scullery maid. But his love had grown, with every passing year, except that with every passing year it had become more and more confused with responsibility. To be able to rescue Jennie from Vorontsov and his thugs had made him feel at once heroic and ashamed. To watch her slowly returning to health and strength and beauty had been the greatest experience of his life. But how could one express love, to a woman who had suffered so much, who owed him so much, who could only submit to him out of gratitude. And now, the Tsar. Presumably, to be desired by the most omnipotent man in Europe, had to be the greatest of compliments. One which she would have rejected out of hand. Then she had understood that it was what her master wanted, and she had accepted her fate. Had he again pushed her into servitude? Or had he found the ultimate answer to her dreams? ‘Good,’ he said. ‘You could ask her to stop in and wish me goodnight.’

  ‘Oh...’ Alexandra flounced to the door. ‘Don’t you have any feelings at all?’

  ‘I can’t afford any,’ Colin retorted.

  *

  Jennie came in a few minutes later, after a brief knock. Colin stood up. ‘Can you forgive me?’

  ‘What is there to forgive?’ She took off her hat and gloves. ‘I am sorry I am late.’

  He peered at her. There was a certain dishevelment about her clothes, and even more about her hair, and there were pink spots in her cheeks. But she did not look distressed in any way. ‘Have you eaten?’

  ‘Yes.’ She sat down.

  ‘Would you like a glass of brandy?’

  ‘Yes, thank you. I would.’

  He poured two, gave her one, and sat down himself, in front of his desk, and beside her. Jennie drank, deeply. ‘I am to have a house of my own, servants, a carriage, and an allowance.’ She raised her head to look at him. ‘If I choose.’

  ‘Then you pleased him.’

  ‘Apparently. So he wishes me to become his whore.’

  ‘I do not think the mistress of an emperor can ever merely be called a whore,’ Colin ventured, still uncertain of her mood.

  ‘I told him of Vorontsov, and the police,’ Jennie said. And he did not seem to care. Rather it increased his interest in me.’

  ‘I can imagine it would.’

  ‘He sketched me, naked, lying on the floor.’

  ‘He is an artist?’

  ‘He can draw.’

  They gazed at each other. ‘Are you going to accept?’ Colin asked.

  ‘Would you like me to?’

  ‘The decision has to be entirely yours. What of Georgei?’

  ‘I have not mentioned him. I...if I am to be the Tsar’s mistress, I would not wish him to live with me. He is your adopted son. I am content with that.’ She gave him another long look. ‘You are to go away.’

  ‘Eh?’

  Almost she smiled. ‘I think the Tsar thinks that I am your mistress.’

  ‘I see. So I am to be banished.’

  ‘It is hardly a banishment. You are to go to Warsaw, as vice to the Governor-General of Poland.’

  ‘What?’ He was utterly astonished. ‘Me? He does realise that I am English, and that I am only twenty-eight years old?’

  ‘He admires both the English and youth. He certainly admires you, even if he is also jealous of you. He feels you are the man for the job. There is a great deal of unrest in Poland, apparently. He means to send for you himself, tomorrow, and explain it to you.’

  ‘I see.’ Colin stroked his chin. No man could refuse a command, or even a request, of the Tsar.

  And no woman? ‘If you wish, I would come with you,’ Jennie said.

  ‘No,’ he said. ‘I do not think I could take you, my dear, without causing scandal. But...unless he definitely repels you, I would accept the Tsar’s offer. I do not like the thought of you being on Bolugayen, with me absent.’

  ‘Is not Anna my friend?’ Jennie asked.

  ‘Anna is a law unto herself, Jennie. And Dagmar...’

  ‘Dagmar hates me. Well, I hate her.’

  ‘Thus it is best for me to be there. Go to the Tsar. Make him happy, and become wealthy and powerful in your own right. That is what you deserve, and that is what you need.’

  ‘A scullery maid,’ she murmured, ‘mistress to an emperor.’

  ‘There have been successful scullery maids before,’ he reminded her.

  ‘And when I am cast aside? I do not believe the Tsar has ever kept a mistress for more than a year, apart from Olga Kalinovskaya. And she retains his interest only because she is the mother of his son.’

  ‘By the time he casts you aside you will be rich, because he also never lets a mistress go without making sure of her future. While if you also were to become a mother...’

  ‘And...a future living alone in a house in this city?’

  ‘A future doing whatever you choose. There will always be a home for you on Bolugayen. Once I return.’

  ‘You are too generous to me,’ she said, and went to the door. ‘There are arrangements to be made. I will keep you informed. Oh, by the way, Mr MacLain, I have not yet told the sisters.’

  ‘I shall tell no one, until you give me permission to do so,’ Colin agreed.

  ‘Thank you.’ She closed the door behind herself, leaving him stroking his chin.

  *

  The Tsar was in the company of several of his leading advisers, most of whom were soldiers. ‘The fact of the matter is; Prince Bolugayevski,’ Alexander explained, ‘that it seems that I have been too easy on the Poles since my father died. It seems they are forming secret societies, and openly inviting France and Austria to aid them in gaining their independence. Can you believe it?’

  ‘I am assured by Count Hetzendorf that Austria will have nothing to do with aiding any revolution, Your Majesty,’ said Count Abramov. ‘They remember 1848 too well. A successful revolution in Poland could well overspill into Habsburg lands.’

  ‘Hetzendorf can make whatever promises he wishes,’ Grabowski snorted. ‘The fact is that these “patriots”, as they call themselves, cross the border into Austrian Poland as and when they choose. They use the Carpathians as bases, return when they are ready, and seem able to obtain all the arms and ammunition they wish.’

  ‘I am sure the Emperor Franz Josef will do all he can to help,’ Alexander said. ‘I have written, outlining the situation, and anticipate a reply very shortly. I am less sanguine about that madman in Paris. He has been on a wave of euphoria since he beat the Austrians.’

  ‘He’s no fighter,’ Grabowski said. ‘The Austrians virtually beat themselves by their incompetence. Is it not true that Napoleon was sick to his stomach when he saw the dead and wounded after Solferino?’

  ‘Napoleon will hardly ever be required to see the dead and dying after a battle in Poland, supposing there ever is one,’ Tarnowski remarked. ‘So that will not stop him backing the insurgents with money and arms. And rhetoric.’

  ‘With respect, Your Majesty,’ Colin interjected. ‘Have we reached the stage of insurgency?’

  ‘Not as yet,’ the Tsar said. ‘But there are all the signs. Secret societ
ies, like this dreadful Will of the People here in Russia. But the Poles are more deceitful than the Russians. They hide their intentions behind committees, like the Committee for the Improvement of Agriculture, which the Okhrana inform me is nothing more than a cover for meetings planning armed revolt. This simply must be prevented.’

  ‘Take every tenth man and hang him,’ Grabowski said. ‘That would soon bring them to heel.’

  ‘I am sure it would,’ the Tsar said. ‘But it would do our international reputation no good at all, apart from being a crushing weight on my conscience.’

  Grabowski’s expression indicated that he cared little for Russia’s international reputation and even less for the Tsar’s conscience.

  ‘What I propose to do,’ the Tsar went on, ‘is to take firm steps to forestall this tide of revolution, without descending to the methods of a tyrant.’

  Colin watched the various ministers exchange glances. They obviously did not accept that such an approach was practical, or likely to be successful. ‘In the first place,’ the Tsar announced, ‘I am sending my brother, the Grand Duke Constantine, to Warsaw as Governor-General. He is on his way here now from his country estate. He will have the fullest authority to act in my name, and to take whatever measures may be necessary for the restoration of order. However, I have already determined as to the measures to be taken. Thus I am sending, as the Grand Duke’s deputy, the Prince Bolugayevski.’

  Heads turned, and Colin flushed. ‘This is for a variety of reasons, gentlemen,’ the Tsar said. ‘It is not enough for us to stamp on the Poles. We wish them, we need them, as participants in our empire, not as a running sore. Thus it is necessary to face facts. All of my military commanders learned their business and rose to their commands under my late father. They are all...’ he glanced at Grabowski, ‘talented soldiers and able men. But they are Russian, and they are regarded by the Poles as men of the ancien regime, men to be feared, not loved, and men, sadly, not to be trusted. That is, of course, the Polish point of view. My aim is to send them men who will clearly be of my own liberal disposition. The Grand Duke is certainly that. Prince Bolugayevski has the merit not only of being well known to be perhaps the most liberal and popular landowner in Russia, but he is also English, that is to say he is by definition of a liberal tradition.’ He paused, to look around the sceptical faces surrounding him. ‘Your task will not be an easy one, Prince,’ Alexander said. ‘I am advised by Count Wielopolski, who is our man on the spot—he is a Pole but utterly loyal to our government—that it may be necessary to syphon off some of the more radical elements by reintroducing at least a limited form of conscription. I leave this in your hands. But it must be done in a humane, fair, and acceptable manner. Do you understand me?’

  ‘I do, Your Majesty.’

  ‘Then will you accept this post?’

  ‘I am honoured, Your Majesty. May I ask for how long is the appointment.’

  ‘Until the business is completed, Prince.’

  Colin swallowed. ‘I understand, Your Majesty.’

  ‘Good. Well, gentlemen, I thank you. Prince Bolugayevski, I wish you to remain.’ Colin bowed, and the ministers filed from the room. None of them was the least happy with his appointment, Colin knew. ‘The Tsarina would like a word with you, Prince,’ Alexander said. ‘I think you should know that it was on Her Majesty’s recommendation that I gave you this posting. Thus I hope you are pleased.’

  ‘Very pleased, Your Majesty,’ Colin lied, while his brain did handsprings. The Tsarina? A woman he had only met once in his life and with whom he had not exchanged half a dozen words? But a woman who also knew that he was Jennie Cromb’s master, if not her lover. He needed to think, to consider the implications of this fact, but there was no time, for Alexander was already escorting him from the council chamber into a small reception room, where the Empress was waiting. With her was a very large young man, the Tsarevich Alexander, at seventeen already taller and broader than his father. ‘Your Majesty!’ Colin kissed the Tsarina’s hand. ‘Your Highness!’ He bowed to the Tsarevich.

  ‘You will be pleased to know that Prince Bolugayevski has accepted the position, my dear,’ Alexander said.

  ‘Oh, I am delighted,’ Marie said. ‘I know you will make a success of it, Prince. It is so brave of you.’

  ‘Brave, Your Majesty?’

  ‘Well, all those assassinations...’ She flushed as she looked at her husband.

  The Tsar cleared his throat. ‘There have been some attempted assassinations of our people,’ he agreed. ‘One or two have succeeded. But I am sure Prince Bolugayevski is not concerned with attempted assassinations. He is a soldier.’

  ‘Then I will congratulate you upon your success, Prince,’ Marie said.

  ‘Should you not wait on the success of his mission, Mama?’ the Tsarevich demanded.

  ‘It is certain to succeed,’ his mother asserted.

  ‘The Poles will never be brought to heel by soft words,’ the boy said. ‘No rebels ever are.’

  ‘Presumably you agree with Grabowski,’ his father snapped. ‘That every tenth man should be hanged.’

  ‘By no means, Papa. But I certainly believe that every man, or woman found with arms in his or her possession, or with seditious literature, should be hanged.’

  The Tsar understood that the family difference might be embarrassing to an outsider. ‘I am sure you have a great deal to do, Prince,’ he said. ‘I would like you to depart for Warsaw as soon as possible.’

  Colin kissed the Tsarina’s hand again, bowed to the Tsarevich again, and was escorted from the room by the Tsar. ‘He is a hothead,’ Alexander remarked. ‘I suppose most boys are. Were you a hothead at his age, Bolugayevski?’

  ‘Why, I suppose I was, Your Majesty.’

  ‘And shed it with experience. Alex will undoubtedly do the same.’ The door had been closed behind them by one of the waiting flunkeys. Now the Tsar held Colin’s arm and led him into one of the window alcoves. ‘There is another matter I wish to discuss.’

  ‘Yes, Your Majesty. Mademoiselle Cromb asked me to tell you that she awaits your pleasure.’

  Alexander’s face lit up. ‘Oh, capital. Capital. I will tell you, Prince, that I have never been so enchanted.’ His face grew serious. ‘May I ask what is your exact relationship with the young lady? I know you extracted her from the hands of the police, somewhat illegally, I have been informed. Do not mistake me, I am glad that you did bend a few rules in her favour. But since then...’

  ‘Mademoiselle Cromb is my ward, Your Majesty. We have never shared a bed.’

  Alexander gazed at him for several seconds, then smiled. ‘Your candour is refreshing, Prince.’ He held out his hand. ‘I will wish you every fortune in Poland, and after. And I wish you to know that your, ah, ward, will be taken care of in every possible way. In any event, she will be much safer here in Petersburg than she could ever be in Warsaw. Indeed, Prince, I would strongly recommend that you do not take your wife or any of her sisters with you. It is, after all, hopefully only for a few months.’

  Colin squeezed the proffered fingers. ‘Thank you, Your Majesty. I will take your advice. May I ask you a question?’

  ‘Of course.’

  ‘Does Her Majesty know of this projected liaison?’

  ‘Of course she does not. Oh, certainly she will find out soon enough; it is impossible to keep a secret in St Petersburg. But if you are worried about Jennie’s safety, I do assure you that Her Majesty has never interfered in my, shall we say, private life. I give you my word that Jennie will come to no harm.’

  Colin bowed.

  *

  He walked slowly towards the staircase, and was arrested by a hand on his arm. He turned in surprise, neither having heard the woman approach nor been alerted as to her presence by any changes of expression in the guardsmen who stood sentry along the hall. ‘Countess!’ he bowed.

  ‘You are going to Warsaw?’ Alexandra Dolgoruka said. ‘How I envy you. It is my home.’

  ‘A
re you not allowed to return there?’

  ‘I am required to remain at Her Majesty’s side,’ Alexandra said. ‘However...I should be much obliged if you would call on my family. Here is my card, with the address.’

  ‘I shall be honoured to do so, Countess.’

  Alexandra gave a roguish smile. ‘I have a sister, Catherine, who I am sure would interest you. She is much prettier than I, and she is only sixteen.’

  ‘Do you think I need to be interested, Countess?’

  ‘All men need to be interested, Your Highness, from time to time. Although, I suppose, someone in your happy position needs such an interest less than most. May I ask, will you be taking all your, ah, family, to Warsaw?’

  ‘I have not yet considered the position, Countess.’ Was she fishing, or was she truly unaware that Jennie at least would certainly be remaining. ‘I have been advised by the Tsar that it would be unwise to do so. Now, may I ask you a question in return?’

  She smiled. ‘One to which I hope I will be able to give a more positive reply. Ask away, Prince Bolugayevski.’

  ‘His Majesty has told me that I was recommended for this posting by the Tsarina. Have you any idea why she should have selected me?’

  ‘Why, Prince...’ Alexandra Dolgoruka squeezed his arm. ‘Did you not know? Your wife especially requested the favour of Her Majesty.’

  *

  Colin dismounted in the courtyard of the Bolugayevski Palace and went into the hall. Oleg bowed as he took his hat and coat. ‘Are the ladies in?’ Colin asked.

  ‘Indeed, Your Highness.’

  ‘Will you inform them all that I would like to speak with them. I wish them to attend me in the study. Now. I also wish Monsieur Yevrentko to be present.’

  Oleg bowed again, and Colin went up the stairs. He knew he had to keep very calm, and very cool. He also needed to make some very important decisions. He sat behind his desk, and a few minutes later Yevrentko knocked and came in. ‘You sent for me, Your Highness?’

  ‘Yes. Will you sit down, over there?’ Colin pointed to the smaller, secretary’s desk in the corner, and Yevrentko took his seat. ‘Now,’ Colin said, ‘I wish you to copy down everything that is said. Do you understand?’