Chapter II

Summer, 1895

It was a particularly dry summer this year and Ivan, deciding to take advantage of it was outside his dacha, tending to his garden with the servants. He paid special attention to his favorite sunflowers, giving them generous amounts of water and trimming their emerald green leaves. After the extravagance of St. Petersburg, it was nice to finally be back in the countryside.

Ivan spent the whole winter in the city, mostly with the Tsar at Tsarskoye Selos, the Royal palace. Ivan would much rather spend a winter in the city with his leader, than out in the country where General Winter was merciless. Ivan shook off the unpleasant thought, returning to his flowers. When he was done he stood up, wiping sweat off on the sleeve of his Kosovorotka. He looked up and squinted at the sun, deciding he'd be better off just removing the shirt altogether.

Ivan barley had the garment over his shoulders before he heard a small giggle. He pulled the shirt off and looked around for the source of the giggle. He turned and spied two young servant girls looking at him from a row of corn stalks. One of them playfully stuck her tongue out at Ivan, while the other one whispered something. They both giggled even louder, until an older woman came over and scolded them. She then shooed them off to another part of the garden.

Ivan raised an eyebrow at how strange the girls had acted, and looked at himself. In reality he was quite handsome and tall, with a very toned stature and muscles gained from years of farm work (among other things.) However, he could not see any of this himself and dismissed the girl's strange behavior on the heat. He then tossed his shirt aside and went back to his work, going about pulling any excess weeds that might be in the garden.

As he worked his mind slowly began to go back to St. Petersburg, and the General. Could that old specter give him no peace of mind? Even during the warm and pleasant summers he was still haunted by thoughts of the old man. Though the winter at Tsarskoye Selos had been a pleasant one, there where times when Ivan felt as if he was being watched, and when he slept he had always ordered his curtains shut, should the General haunt him at night. Even then, he would always see a dark silhouette that never left until morning.

"Count Braginski, is something the matter?"

Ivan snapped back to the present. He had dropped the weeds he had been picking and was staring off into the woods. He turned around to see the question had been asked by an old, severe looking woman with small spectacles perched on her beak of a nose.

"Oh Catherine," he began to the old woman. "Yes everything is fine."

Catherine straightened her glasses, looking at Ivan closely. "Are you sure sir. You look as if you've seen a ghost."

Ivan shuddered a bit, but then hastily replied, "Da. Everything is fine. The heat must be getting to me. I think I should go lay down."

"I'll have one of the maids bring some tea."

"Thank you, that would be nice," replied Ivan a bit embarrassed. He quickly picked up his shirt and walked to the dacha.

Once indoors he went straight to his living room and collapsed on the sofa. That's what he needed. A good long nap. But just as he started to doze off, he heard someone clear their throat lightly. He opened his eyes and standing over him was one of the girls from before, holding a tray of tea.

"Oh! I'd almost forgotten," apologized Ivan, as he hastily threw on his shirt. It wasn't becoming of a young man to be shirtless in doors.

The girl suppressed a small laugh and sat the tray on the coffee table . "I was told your Excellency wanted tea."

"Yes, thank you," mumbled Ivan who took the glass, sipping at the amber liquid.

The girl turned to go, but Ivan stopped her saying, "Wait. I was just wondering. What were you and your friend laughing about today in the garden?"

She turned around and replied blushing, "Oh nothing. Just well-"

"Hmm?"

"Well sir… We both had never seen a man shirtless before."

It was a lame excuse, but Ivan bought it all the same.

"Really? That's odd."

The girl smiled. "Especially such a man as handsome as his Excellency."

Now it was Ivan's turn to blush. He felt almost as if he were back in the summer's heat. "Well um… thank you. But I'm not that handsome. In fact I think I've actually gained weight if anything."

The girl looked Ivan up and down quickly, before replying, "Well I think-"

"Feadora!"

They both looked and standing in the door way with her arms crossed was Catherine. "You naughty girl. I said give Count Braginski his tea and then go back to you chores!"

"Oh she's not any trouble," said Ivan feeling a little sorry for the girl. But Feadora mumbled an apology to Catherine and curtsied to Ivan awkwardly, before leaving the room.

Ivan watched her go, then sighed looking into his glass. Catherine shook her head as she watched Feadora leave before turning back to Ivan. "I'm very sorry sir. She's new and is still getting use to things."

Ivan still looked at his glass as he replied in a bored tone, "It's fine."

Catherine nodded absent mindedly and looked around the room a bit. Then she suddenly remembered something. "Oh yes. A message came for you today from St. Petersburg."

She crossed the room, and reached into the pocket of her apron pulling out a sealed envelope handing it to Ivan. She then curtsied stiffly and left the room.

Ivan looked at the envelope and after a moment of thought tore it open. Inside was a very official letter, inviting him to join the Tsar at Paris to lay the first brick at a bridge in honor of his late father Alexander III. Just what Ivan needed. A trip to Paris, that would get his mind of off winter.

He sat up, went to his desk and began to reply. By the time he was finished his mood was as warm as the summer sun. Winter was a long way off. He hoped.