This is a plot bunny that I've had in my head, for years, since I first watched 'The Big Valley'. I have lurked on this site for a while, but never posted anything before. I am trying to branch out of my comfort zone, and this is part of doing it. I want the story to honor California, as well as the early Russian settlers. 'The Big Valley' was the first fan fiction I ever wrote, years ago in long hand, loving the family and their way of life.
I do not own the characters, or anything else; this is a work of fiction.
Author's Note: I have changed the date of the sale of Alaska, to the United States from Russia, for the sake of the storyline. The sale actually took place in 1867, but in this story it happens in 1877, to fit the 'supposed' time line of the TV show, as well as my story.
Thank you for reading and reviewing.
The Scheme of Things
San Francisco
Prince Sergey Mikhaylovich Naryshkina, Governor-General of Russian Alaska had arrived at the Russian Consulate in San Francisco four days ago. The official reason was to discuss trade and fishing issues with the Americans about the upcoming sale of the province. Prince Sergey, in fact could have cared less about the hunting and fishing rights. Russia was getting American gold, and he was the one who was going to deliver it.
The Prince knew that Russia was rotting from the inside out, and this sale was further proof of what he'd already seen over the last five years. The mess in Afghanistan, coming after the debacle of the Crimean War was only bleeding more young lives. The loss of his son Michael angered him because in the end, he had died for no reason.
He had been born the second son, but after the death of his older brother Alexander, the responsibilities for the house and family were on his shoulders. His father was in St. Petersburg, but old and senile, a vegetable of a man. Sergey had already taken care of his daughter Sophie, by marrying her off to a member of the German diplomatic corps. She would be safe and away from the disease that was Russia.
His niece, Ekaterina was another matter, and she was the real reason he was in San Francisco. His brother Alexander had married an Englishwoman, much to their father's horror. Alexander had died in the Crimean war, while his wife had succumbed to a cholera outbreak two years later. Since then he and his wife had raised Ekaterina like their own daughter.
Sergey had been sure that she was safe with her grandparents in British India, so when she turned up in New Archangel last month, his heart had sunk. It sunk even further when St. Petersburg found out that she was on Russian soil, and thus under command of the Tsar. The Prince knew he barely had six weeks to get her off Russian soil, but he had a plan. His ace in the hole was an old piece of Spanish paper that his uncle had acquired during his exile.
Sitting in the office the consulate had set aside for his use; he was drinking coffee and waiting for his agent Dmitri Gorsky to arrive. Dmitri officially worked for the 'Third Section' of the Russian Intelligence service. It was the branch that spied on all classes of citizens in Russia, in order to make sure everyone was loyal to the Tsar. Prince Sergey, knowing how the game worked, had befriended Dmitri, and then taken care of his family. Dmitri saw which way the wind blew, and was happy to undertake special assignments for General Prince Naryshkina. Sergey looked at it from the point of view that if a man was good enough to work for the Third Section, he was very good at what he did.
"Your Highness, I hope you are doing well." Dmitri Gorsky addressed the uniformed man behind the desk, after he'd been shown into the room by an overdressed sentry. Dmitri was slight of built, with brown hair, brown eyes, and brown clothes. He took pride in being to blend into any place, not being noticed as he went about his business.
"Dmitri, I am doing as well as can be expected under the circumstances. What do you have for me?" The Prince was a tall imposing man, with blue eyes, graying hair, and an upright military carriage. It showed off the elaborate uniform of one of the top St. Petersburg's guard's regiments. He had not achieved what he had by shirking his duty, no matter how unpleasant.
"There are two principals interested in the parcel, and both want it badly. The parcel in question is vital to either project being undertaken." Dmitri spoke in a calculated tone, wanting His Highness to understand what was at stake.
"Damn it all Dmitri, I know exactly the value of the parcel. I know in great detail what each principal wants to achieve. Quite frankly I could have gone to several gentlemen's clubs and been told what you just old me! Please get on with telling me the information I wanted!" Sergey didn't have a lot of patience, seeing the deadline in his mind.
"Well, I guess it was too bad that Duchess Harriett decided to get on her high horse about Princess Ekaterina, right? Dmitri threw the comment out there, knowing how his boss would react. In his mind, one must find one's entertainment where one could. He also had a relationship of long standing with the prince, knowing in the English vernacular, 'where the bodies were buried' so to speak.
"That fucking bitch and her horse face of a daughter! Everyone knows that the only reason Sutherland was appointed Viceroy of India was because Her Majesty Queen Victoria stated that England wasn't big enough for her and the Duchess." Sergey ground his teeth as the thought about how his niece had ended up back on Russian soil was because of 'that woman'.
"My recommendation is Barkley-Pacific be awarded the project." Dmitri saw that he had pushed the prince too far about the issue. At the back of his mind he decided that Duchess Harriett must be a bitch of epic proportions, based on everything he had heard. If a woman could get the Governor-General of Alaska, as well as the mighty English Queen to hate them, they must be a formidable opponent.
"I will accept your recommendation, but can you tell me why you picked them over Sierra-Pacific? The principal of Sierra-Pacific is married to the daughter of the main stock holder of Wells-Fargo." Sergey wanted Dmitri to know that he had firsthand knowledge of all the players of the game.
"Edward Crocker is married, with young children; his partners are all old men, with well established marriages. You need at least one unmarried man, and Barkley Pacific has three unmarried men, all being principals in the company!" Dmitri delivered his information with a flourish, and Sergey looked very pleased. There was a reason he paid Dmitri twice what the Third Section paid him, because he always delivered the goods. He smiled at the agent, and asked him to detail his findings.
"The Barkley family has three sons, all unmarried; the oldest one is a widower." Dmitri went through details about each of the men, and the Prince nodded his head, liking what he heard. "My understanding is that the oldest one, Jarrod, will be the one you will deal with." The agent finished up his report and waited for the Prince's reply.
"Fine, but any of them will do! They are not Russian Orthodox, correct?" Sergey needed to confirm this important point, because it could mess up his plan. Dmitri reassured him that they were Episcopalians, which was the American version of the English Anglican church.
"I leave tomorrow, and the next boat to New Archangel leaves next week. Please see to it that one of those Barkley's is on it, is that clear?" Prince Sergey told his agent, who nodded his head. They discussed some of the details, and then the agent left. After he was gone the Prince sighed heavily, and said a prayer, hoping it would all work out.
Stockton
Jarrod Barkley had arrived by train, from San Francisco, and was now heading out to his family's ranch. He had good news about the waterway project, but wished the deal had gone differently. The project would improve the flow of the river; provide valuable commerce to the valley, as well as additional watering holes for the cattle of the large ranch. Jarrod hoped that Nick remembered that fact when he heard about the condition of the deal.
He found himself worrying as he thought about Nick and his reaction. His brother had always been hot headed, impulsive, and not the most patient person to begin with. That was balanced by his love, loyalty, and integrity that he gave the people in his world. You always knew where you stood with Nick, and if you crossed him, well, the term 'hell hath no fury' didn't come close to describing the result.
Last summer Nick had been briefly engaged to Hester, and the relationship had ended badly. Nick, being Nick, and thrown himself into his work, and since July and August were the busy times on the ranch it was easy to do. Jarrod though, had started to notice around Christmas, that his brother sometimes had an air of sadness about him.
Jarrod had thought about talking to Heath, or even his mother, but then did not pursue it. He studied Nick for several days, since which he was home for the holidays was easy to do. He couldn't put his finger on what was bothering his brother, which was worrisome in itself. Jarrod expected that kind of thing from Heath, who kept a great deal bottled up inside him. He had once said that he would not want Heath in a jury pool, because he would never what the man was thinking. Jarrod understood why Heath was that way, taking his upbringing into account.
He put thoughts of Heath aside, and went back wondering about Nick. It was March now, and Nick's mood had improved a little bit, but he wasn't his old self. There was the disturbing problem that his temper, when he lost it, was even worse than it had been before. Jarrod knew that he was not the only who had noticed it, but no one wanted to talk to the great Nick Barkley about his 'emotions'. Shaking his head now, Jarrod thought that maybe a trip was just what Nick needed. If nothing else it would make the house peaceful for a couple of weeks.
Jarrod waited until after dinner, when they were all gathered in the wood paneled library to bring up the real reason he was at the ranch. He looked over at his beautiful silver haired mother, and pretty blond sister, sitting together on the couch and smiled. Nick was smoking a cigar, while playing chess with Heath. Jarrod had noticed over dinner that Nick's mood had been pretty good, so he hoped things would go well.
"I have good news to share with you." Jarrod announced to the room, taking a draw on his cigar as he did so. He preferred his blend of tobacco to what his brother smoked, liking how the Cuban leaf added sharpness to the Turkish leaf. Nick preferred Virginia tobacco, interlaced with the Turkish leaf.
"I knew there had to be another reason you came to the ranch in the middle of the week." Victoria exclaimed pleased that she had been right in what she was thinking. Everyone turned to look at Jarrod, waiting for his news.
"I heard from Prince Naryshkina's agent, about the land grant. His Highness has agreed to accept our offer for the property." Jarrod announced with a flourish, and everyone clapped. He looked around the room, and knew that the time had come to deliver the condition the prince insisted on.
"There is a complication though; one of us needs to go to New Archangel, in Alaska, to pick it up in person. The boat leaves next week, and if we don't make that one there is not another boat for a month. Since His Highness will be leaving Alaska after the sale, he wants to wrap this business up quickly." Jarrod didn't come out and say that the prince was being high handed, but in his opinion that was what this was.
"Good god Jarrod! If you think we are going to jump because some asshole of a noble says so you have another thing coming!" Nick exploded loudly, to no one's surprise. His reactions were always swift and to the point.
"Nicholas, I have talked to you about your language before! This is not the barn!" Victoria turned to face her middle son, as her eyes blazed with anger. Jarrod stifled a chuckle as Nick apologized to the great lady; Nick might cross everyone else, but not his mother.
"Jarrod, can you explain why a Spanish land grant is owned by a Russian nobleman?" Audra asked, both out of curiosity, as well as to pour oil on troubled waters.
"Prince Naryshkina's uncle, or great-uncle, I don't remember which, was exiled to California at the beginning of the century. He was in fact a doctor and saved the life of the son of the Spanish viceroy, and was given the Land Grant in return. The uncle never married, so when he died it passed to his family." Jarrod told his sister, remembering how shocked they had been when they'd found out that the piece of land they needed for the waterway project belonged to a Russian. It had been a relief to find out that the Russian was Governor-General for Alaska, in residence at New Archangel, and very willing to sell the land.
"Nick, keep in mind what this project means for the cattle on the ranch. A trip to New Archangel is a small price to pay for getting the land." Jarrod put it out there, hoping his brother would hear the logic in his statement. He watched as Nick took a large swallow of his brandy, as he thought about what Jarrod had said.
"If you put it that way! Have fun!" Nick told him humorlessly, as he took a drag on his cigar. Jarrod looked at his brother and sighed, not liking what he had to do next.
"That is the problem, Nick. Starting next week I am tied up on the Peterson trial in San Francisco and can't get away. I was hoping that you would make the trip for me." Jarrod put it out there, and didn't even have to count to three to get a reaction from Nick.
"No fucking way am I getting on a boat because some noble says so!" Nick ranted, as he went on in that vein for several minutes. Nick wasn't quiet most of the time, and Nick in a tirade was loud enough to wake the dead.
"ENOUGH!" Victoria's voice shook the library, and Nick stopped in his tracks. Heath and Audra exchanged looks, and wished they were somewhere else.
"I have already warned you about your language Nick." Victoria glared at him, before she turned to Jarrod "While I don't care for Nick's language, he is right about us being at the beck and call of this Russian prince. I spent some time in St. Petersburg, on my last trip to Europe. They are a cruel, unfeeling people. I saw aristocrats treat their servants like I would not treat an animal. Isn't there another way?"
"Mother, I understand your feelings but no, there is not another way. I also don't think it is fair of you to make a judgment call like that." Jarrod knew that his mother had been very upset at what she'd seen in Russia. It violated her sense of morality, and she did not like to see injustice. However, in this case they had to work with a member of the group that Victoria hated.
"Jarrod, if Nick doesn't want to go I will be glad to do the trip. I never made it up to that part of the country, but always wanted to see it." Heath offered, and Jarrod smiled at him. He continued on "I'm willing to bet I will not even see this prince, but will deal with his agent."
"Better you than me, Heath! Don't let prince tyrant boss you around either." Nick snorted, as he poured himself some more brandy.
"Mother, are the Russians really that bad? They freed their slaves around the same time as America?" Audra questioned her mother, not understanding why the woman had such a dislike for someone she had not met.
"The aristocrats are only ten percent of the population, but they control ninety percent of the country. Yes, they did free the serfs, as they were called, but it was a false autonomy and most of the serfs are worse off than before. In Russia you can be imprisoned on a whim, and there is no freedom for anyone. The Tsar, which is what their king is called, is sole ruler and authority in the country. Even the great nobles are at his beck and call." Victoria explained to her daughter, and went on to talk about some of the injustices she had seen while there.
"I somehow doubt that New Archangel will be like that, but if so the people will be thrilled with the upcoming sale to America." Heath announced, and they spent the rest of the evening talking about the waterway project. Nick excused himself first, as he always did, because he rose the earliest in the morning.
After getting ready for bed, Nick read a chapter from the book he was reading 'The Mysterious Island' by Jules Vern. He enjoyed adventure books that involved travel, which would have surprised a lot of people. Under other circumstances he would have enjoyed the trip to Alaska, but didn't want to be ordered around. As he closed his eyes he hoped that the visions in the book would show up in his dreams, and not his ex-fiancée, Hester.