Chapter 6

The weather was beautiful and sunny when they met at the was still much snow on the ground. Outside waited two big sleighs, each with three dapple gray horses hitched to them. Each sleigh had a driver sitting on the coach box. Michail entered one sleigh and offered Elisabeth to sit beside him. Erik took the place beside her and then Anna entered. The second sleigh carried Maryshka, Dimitrij, Sonja and Nicolas. As they had left the city behind and went through the countryside they saw that lots of snow still covered the ground. The sky was all blue and the frozen crust of the snow glittered. They passed a small bridge over a ravine with a river below. The water was open and snow had began to melt hanging down the ravine. "You have to be careful here" Anna remarked. "I would not like to fall down. Luckily our drivers are skilled." They passed big estates and Michail told Elisabeth about what they saw. By noon they stopped at an inn and had lunch. They talked about their experiences in Moscow and all they had learned. "Before you leave we will give a farewell performance dancing to you ballet music. I think we will call it Fantômes" Anna said. Before they entered the sleighs Elisabeth said "I'm tired of all this snow. I long for our cottage among the hills outside New York – and for the summer. " Erik smiled – that cottage held so many memories of his and Elisabeth's first love.

On the way back they had the same seats. The sleigh with Maryshka left first. Now the sky was grey and filled with clouds. "It looks like bad weather is coming up" the driver said. "Better hurry up to get home." After a while it began to snow. Later on the snowing grew worse and it became difficult to see. The lanternas and torches were lit but it didn't help much. "We should look for a nearby farm" Michail said. "Perhaps the driver is." The saw the railings of the bridge to their right and then they felt the sleigh heel. The horses neighed wildly, the wagon turned over and there was a big crash. They tried to climb out and saw that they had stopped dangerously near to the ravine. They saw the driver lying immobile near the railing. The horses pulled the shaft and Anna cried "We must loose the horses or they will push the wagon down the slope!" –"If we get off it could also fall down into the ravine" Michail said. Elisabeth had hurt her hip and had difficulties to move. Erik decided that he had to do something and climbed slowly over the sleigh to the shaft. He managed to cut the horses loose and they ran away. The shaft moved and hung over the slope with Erik clinging to it. Elisabeth screamed. The wagon slid a little more against the slope. They had to quickly climb out less they would follow the wagon down into the river. Erik still hang above the gulf and Elisabeth stared, petrified. "Michail, you have to save him" she yelled. Michail looked at the shaft and the gulf below it and grew pale. "I'm afraid ot heights" he said. "I will certainly fall.." – "But Michail.. he saved you life. Now you must save him. " The wagon moved again. "For godness' sake" Anna said and began to crawl out on the shaft. The took hold of Erik's hand an with her help he managed to climb onto the shaft and back into the wagon. Michail called for one of the horses and when it was near enough he got hold of its bridle and climbed out of the wagon. He reached for Elisabeth's hand, and supported by Erik she climbed out too, then Erik and Anna followed very slowly not to cause the wagon to stir. Erik managed to bring some the of the rugs. Then suddenly the sleigh slowly slid down the slope and fell down into the river. Erik attended the driver, who was still unconscious, Michail and Anna brought in the horses and Elisabeth still sat in the snow, crying. Erik took her in his arms, kissed her and helped her mount one of the horses. They managed to put the driver over the back of the other horse and then they began to walk. It had stopped snowing but now it was dark. They still had a torch. "I wonder what time it is" Michail said. "I think I saw a farm nearby when we came by." After a while they heard bells and a sleigh came up to them and stopped. "What has happened?" Maryshka called out."We noticed you were no longer behind us so we stopped at a farm nearby. Sonja and Nicolas wait for us there but we had to go look for you. Where is your sleigh?" The other driver and Dimitrij went for the unconcious driver and Erik answered "We drove off the road by the ravine. The sleigh fell into the river but we are alright." Anna went up to them. "As usual Erik is the hero." Michail carried Elisabeth from the horse to the sleigh. "I'm so ashamed for not doing what I ought to have done back there" he said. "But I was scared." She stroke his hand. "You don't have to be ashamed for being scared." They returned to the farm, some of them in the sleigh, the others riding. From there part of the company returned to Moscow, passing a doctor to take care of the driver. He also looked at Elisabeth's hip. Nothing broken but she had to rest for some days. At the hotel Elisabeth and Erik left the company. "What a terrible way to end your visit" Maryshka said. "But you were lucky nothing really bad happened. I understand if you now have grown tired of the winter."

In the evening Erik sat at Elisabeth's bedside. "I have had enough of Russia now" she said. "Let's travel on, you shouldn't have to risk you life any more." She took his hand. "When I saw you hanging over the edge I realized I don't want to live without you. I never meant to stay here. Well, perhaps for a short time I thought I wanted to stay here with Michail, but not any longer. And he has never said that he loves me."

Michail came to visit Elisabeth. "I'm glad it all went well" he said. "If Erik had died I could never had lived knowing I didn't do what I could have done to save him." She gave him her hand. "Let's forget all that. We will soon be leaving now." – "So you leave, and I can't make you stay with me?" – "No, not even if you say you love me, because I don't believe you. I cherish the time we have had together and I will not forget you. Now you must find another woman." He kneeled at her side and kissed her hands. "I will not forget you. Some day when you are a famous opera singer I will come to listen to you and bring you flowers." Then he kissed her and once again she slid her hand around his neck.

They went to the first performance of the ballet Fantômes. Sonja sat beside Elisabeth. "I am so sorry I was rude to you for a while" she said. "I was just jealous. But I understand it's over between you and Michail." They looked at the ballet and admired him on the stage together. Erik was impressed by the choreography. They had made good use of his music. He admired the almost etherial female figure who danced on the stage and thought her far different from the Anna he knew. They went backstage to congratulate the ensemble. "When will you leave Moscow?" Katrina asked. "The day after tomorrow. We have almost packed." Anna went up to Erik. "Will you meet me in your music room tomorrow at noon?"

Erik was in his room at noon and sat by the organ, playing. It was a good organ and he would miss it. Anna slipped quietly into the room and stood looking at him for a while. She moved and he heard her. She was dressed like the first day, in a blouse and skirt in Cossac style. He rose. "Now we are even again" she said. "I have saved your life twice, and you mine." – "And I haven't thanked you for it." She came closer. "I am the woman you need, adventurous, unafraid. And now you will separate us."- "I don't want adventure, I flee from it, I just want peace and quiet. You said it yourself you were not in love." – "I might have changed my mind. I also said that when we part we would never meet again. That might also be wrong. I can come looking for you." He held out his hands. "Don't make this more difficult than it is. We are going now. Godbye and thank you for all you have done for me. It has been a real pleasure to know you." She approached him, took off his mask and kissed him. He put his arms around her and kissed her back. Her hands carressed his neck, she pressed herself against him and he felt her heat. Suddenly she let go of him, said "Goodbye. See you again!" and left the room.

They said their last goodbyes to the company in the foyer before getting into the cab to the station. Elisabeth and Michail had said a private farewell, now they only kissed each others cheeks like the rest. "Perhaps we will meet again" Anna said "you never know." Maryshka accompanied them to the cab. "It was quite a dramatic stay you experienced here" she said. "And now we all have become friends. Have a good journey and write to us when you come to London."

From Russia they went to Vienna, to Switzerland and to Paris. This story is told in "Let me see my daughter".