If anyone had overheard our amorous encounter the night before, it wasn't mentioned the next day. Olena asked what time we got in, but there were no knowing looks or twinkling eyes. Dimitri gave an account of the meal we shared, then explained that we'd gone dancing and time had got away from us, so we were back late.
An afternoon of fighting was the last thing I felt like, but Dimitri reminded me I might one day again be called on to fight tired - and I knew after my latest kill how hard that was. Besides, I was conscious in twenty days I'd be having my trials. Not being ready wasn't an option.
We trained lightly in the morning, wanting to be fresh for the fights. While initially, the fights had been a bit of a lark, and a chance for a gathering and some free food for the locals, they were getting more serious now. Our competitors no longer assumed we were greenhorn Novices, and more experienced fighters were coming to check us out.
By time I'd won six fights out of seven, and finally sunk into a seat next to my father with a plate full of food, I was nursing a number of bruises and a notebook filled with techniques and moves to research thanks to Chaung, one of Abe's Guardian's who'd refereed my fights. I glanced up at Eddie, Meredith, and Vika where they sat nearby, and they all looked as exhausted as I felt.
"Only two more of these to go," I grumbled, feeling sore and a little sorry for myself.
Meredith groaned, massaging her sore leg muscles.
"What sort of freaks organize a dance at the end of weeks of training and then trials? It's alright for you," she continued looking at Eddie. "You can cover everything under a suit! You can bet the Moroi girls will spend a week in a spa before graduation ball," she grumbled dispiritedly, "and they won't have fluffy hair, ragged nails and be covered in bruises for graduation!"
"They need a week in a spa to compete with what we were born with," I joked, trying to raise her spirits. But I saw her point.
"Don't worry about that," Sonya said kindly. "Karo, Vika and I will spoil you two graduation morning. We're better than any spa!"
"Where are you staying on campus, anyway?" Viktoria asked curiously.
"Guest quarters," Dimitri replied. "Guardian Sokolov has put us up in a three-bedroom unit there."
"Ohhh! Two of you will have to share!" she teased.
I turned to Dimitri, but he smiled at me reassuringly. Ok. So we'd be sharing a room. I was down with that!
"Rose? I was wondering if we could have a moment?" Abe asked quietly once I'd finished my meal. Around us the party was just getting started, Abe's beer and food still being in plentiful supply.
"Sure."
I followed him out through the kitchenette area at the side of the gym and out into a dilapidated small outdoor space. With some attention to the garden, and the addition of chairs, it could be a pleasant alfresco area – but as it was, with weeds almost the size of triffids, the spot was unwelcoming and consequently abandoned.
"What's up, old man?" I asked, speculating about his unusual lack of words.
He regarded me carefully.
"Well… I was thinking of calling your mother."
"Why?" I blurted out in surprise.
"Why not? We were friendly once. Very friendly," he said waggling his eyebrows suggestively in a way that was truly cringe-worthy. "We have a daughter together. Surely that warrants a conversation?" he defended.
I shrugged.
"Is there really that much to talk about? I'm an adult now."
"I think your mother and I should talk. We're both a part of your life. We're bound to see each other at events in the future. It would be better if we'd at least spoken to one another before we have to see each other again."
"Baba? Honestly, I'd leave it alone. Mom is… Mom. And she might not want to talk to you."
"Why? What has she said?" he asked, and if I didn't know better, I would think he was nervous.
"Nothing," I quickly said, cutting him off before he went too far down that line of inquiry. "I just mean Mom is not much of a talker. Her way of dealing with things is pretending they don't exist."
"Really?" he asked, pondering my words.
"It's what she did with me," I said, moving back toward the door.
"I think I should speak with her," he reiterated obdurately.
"Well I'm not giving you her number, and I suggest when you do get it, text first. If you put her on the spot it won't end well," I predicted, thinking of her reactions when I'd cornered her in the past.
"Where did you and Abe disappear earlier?" Dimitri asked as I stood in front of the washing hamper in our room peeling off smelly, fetid clothing later that evening.
"Just outside. He wants to call Mom."
"Why?" he asked.
"That's what I said!" I laughed. "He gave me some story about settling things between them before they have to see each other again. He thinks they'll have to come face to face some time because of me."
Dimitri lifted an eyebrow dubiously, and I laughed again.
"I told him I wasn't going to give him her number, and I suggested when he got it, he text her first."
"Do you think you should warn her?" Dimitri asked looking at his watch. "It will be 9 am there…"
My eyes met his and I sagged. I knew he was going to suggest that!
"Alright," I grumbled, pulling out my cell and dialing.
"Hathaway," Mom announced tersely.
"Hi, Mom. Now a good time?" I asked.
"Yes, fine Rosemarie. I've just had dinner and was just going over some Guardian reports."
I rolled my eyes. Figured Mom would take work home with her. Maybe because she had nothing better to do, a little voice said in the back of my head.
"How are things in Russia?" she asked.
"Good. Had another fighting intensive today. There were a couple of Guardians there from St. Phillipe's and they had some new moves, so I'm learning those."
"Well they're fast, I'll give them that," she allowed, referring to the reputation of graduates from the Academy in France.
"So… How's the leg?" I pressed, trying to make a semblance of a conversation before launching into Abe's intentions.
"All healed!" she said brightly. "In fact, I've been cleared for light work around Court starting next week, and that going well I'm off to Brazil in a fortnight with Lord Szelsky."
She'd be away for my graduation. Not that I'd expected her to come all the way to Russia. But still.
"Don't worry – I'll be back in time for your allocation ceremony. Lord Szelsky understands how important it is to me to be there for that," she said quickly.
"So Brazil? That will be fun?"
"It's only for a week, but Lord Szelsky has a cousin there," she explained. "He's been meaning to go for a while, and it was a good opportunity to get me back up to speed as the place we'll be visiting is well guarded."
I was surprised that a Moroi Royal thought enough about their Guardian's needs to ease them back into service or make sure they were back at Court in time for a family commitment. But Mom had been with Lord Szelsky for a long time, so I suppose a certain amount of familiarity and give and take was to be expected.
"So Abe had a conversation with me today," I started. "He said he wanted to give you a call."
"Why?" she asked sounding surprised and nervous. "You didn't give him my number did you?!"
"No, I didn't. He said he thought it would be best if you talked things through," I explained.
"What's to talk through? We spent a weekend together nearly twenty years ago, he moved on, and I was left holding the baby," she said bitterly.
"Thanks. Love you too, Mom," I mumbled sarcastically.
"That's not what I meant, Rosemarie," she snapped, reverting to her default status – indignant anger.
"I don't want to argue. I was just letting you know he is looking for your number and is intending to call you. I didn't give it to him, but you know he'll get it easily enough. I suggested he text you first to give you time to collect your thoughts. I didn't think you'd welcome being blindsided."
Mom was silent as she listened.
"Yes thank you. I appreciate that" she replied, her voice softening. "Did he say why he wanted to talk?"
"Just that you're bound to see each other at some time in the future, and he thought it best you'd at least spoken before then."
"Give me his number," she said with steely determination.
I was surprised, but then realized I shouldn't have been. Janine Hathaway wasn't one to run away from a fight.
"Ok. But don't ring him straight away. You wouldn't appreciate a call out of the blue, so give him the same courtesy. I'll give you his number, then give me ten minutes to call him and let him know, alright?"
"Oh, I won't call him today," she said, with a playful tone of voice I didn't recognize. "I want him to stew waiting for my call!"
"Mom! If you don't call him, he'll call you," I warned.
"I know. Just tell your father you've given me his number and I'll call him soon."
"How soon?" I asked suspiciously.
"It's a relative term," Mom laughed. "Have to go, Rosemarie. Glad the training is going well." And then she hung up on me.
"She hung up on me!" I gasped to Dimitri who was sitting on our bed listening to my part of the call.
He shrugged as if to that 'it's your mother!'
I quickly dialed Abe's number.
"Kiz?" he answered. "What's up?"
"Just letting you know I called Mom and told her you wanted to talk. She asked for your number, so I gave it to her. She said she'd call you soon. I hope that's ok?"
"How soon is soon?" he asked suspiciously.
"Your guess is as good as mine. She's back on active duty around Court next week, then off to Brazil with Lord Szelsky in a fortnight. But she did say she'd get in touch."
"Well thank you for that," Abe said, sounding distracted. "I guess I'll wait for her call."
I rang off, laughing to myself.
"Janine Hathaway versus Abe Mazur, round one goes to Janine," I laughed.
"They really enjoy baiting each other, don't they?" Dimitri laughed, pulling me against him and down onto the bed. "Maybe it's their version of foreplay?"
I screwed up my face and shuddered.
"Glad they're on different continents, then," I mumbled before enjoying a bit of before bed affection from my man.
Abe and Yeva were up to something. Abe was over for the usual Sunday lunch, and they'd been whispering in the corner for half an hour, looking over at Meredith and me. Finally, Yeva sauntered off, a grin on her face.
"What are you up to, old man?" I asked walking over to him.
"Now why do you automatically assume I'm up to something?" he asked, with pretend hurt.
"Because I know you. You're plotting something."
"I'm sorry you think so," he replied, turning away. But the sparkle in his eyes gave him away.
"Has he always been like this?" I asked Pavel.
"As long as I've known him," he replied with a long-suffering sigh.
In the end, I didn't have to wait too long to discover their little plot. On Tuesday at lunchtime, Yeva announced Meredith and I would be needed at Miroslava's for a fitting that afternoon, so we should wear our shoes.
"I've only got the black pair I wore the other night, but they'll do," I replied. I didn't hold high hopes for the dress, so I didn't think it really mattered what shoes I wore with it.
"I don't have any heels here at all!" Meredith wailed. She was starting to ask Dimitri's sisters their shoe sizes, and if they had anything she could borrow, when Babushka held up her hand imperiously.
"You need not concern yourself with that."
She stood and shuffled toward the door, halfway there when there was a knock.
"Sneaky witch," I muttered under my breath.
"Roza!" Dimitri admonished, balking at the criticism of his grandmother.
"WITCH Comrade," I said defensively. "With a W."
He shook his head as Babushka returned from the door, followed by two of Abe's Guardians each carrying numerous boxes.
"Shoe size six and a half and seven, yes?" she asked Meredith and me respectively.
"Yes…?" I answered warily.
"Your father knew you'd need shoes, so he's organized a selection for you each to try on."
I said something rather colorful under my breath, recognizing the boxes as shoe boxes. Each Guardian was carrying at least nine.
"Put them on each sofa, then bring in the rest of them," she instructed.
"The rest of them! How many shoes are there?!" I wailed.
"Enough," Babushka said with a satisfied smirk, seating herself in her armchair preparing to watch our show.
"Dimka? Take the young man back to the gym," she instructed, refusing to let us open the boxes until Eddie and Dimitri had vacated the house.
Frowning at Dimitri's 'just go with it' look, I grudgingly watched him high-tail it from the house as I surrendered myself to Yeva, Olena, Sonya, and Karolina, who were all grinning expectantly.
"Where did he get so many shoes from, anyway?" I grumbled.
"Omsk," Karolina said with a smirk. "Abe told us what was required, so we told him all the best stores, and he organized a selection to be sent to you."
"That must have cost a fortune," Meredith said faintly, looking ill.
"They'll return the ones you don't want," Sonya reassured her. "They've brought purses for you to choose from, too."
"Of course they did," I muttered sardonically, throwing the lid off the first box of shoes and peering inside. Bronzish beige. Great.
For the next hour, I tried on various teetering high heels in numerous shades of brown, while Meredith did the same with the blue selections she'd been brought. We each narrowed it down to three pair. All of mine were four to five inches high, one of them with a slight platform to give me extra height. I was going with Dimitri, after all. I could use every extra bit of height I could get!
Meredith chose more sensibly, each of her three pair around the three and a half inch height.
"Are these expensive?" she asked staring at the three pair she was considering.
"Manolo Blahnik? Doesn't sound like an expensive brand," I mused.
"Good. Your dad's already done so much; I don't want to accept anything expensive."
After the shoes had been decided, we were on to purses. Meredith squealed when she opened the box containing her bag selections, immediately fishing out the prettiest blue beaded bag I had ever seen.
"I'll ask Eddie to carry my stake, or I'll wear a thigh holster," she said, reluctant to let go of the prize, even to pass it to the ladies present to look at.
"That's the exact shade of your dress," Yeva noted approvingly.
Opening the box sent for me, I was again underwhelmed.
"Oh look. More beige…" I growled with a distinct lack of enthusiasm. That said, there were a couple of pretty beaded clutches, and there was a weird sort of drawstring bag thing that caught my eye.
"Right. Get changed into your undergarments. We're off to Miroslava's for a fitting. Bring your shoes and bags," Yeva instructed.
I set off to my room, Sonya following me up the stairs.
"You might want to ask Mama if she'd like to come to Miroslava's. She's dying to see the dresses, but doesn't want to suggest coming."
"Yeah, of course, I'll ask her. Did you want to come, too?"
"Hell no! I like her dresses, but Miroslava is a bitch! All I'll get is 'you've put on too much weight for a first pregnancy, and your buds are going to get saggy,'" she said in a decent impersonation of the Russian dressmaker's drawl. "I'll see it when it's done!"
"That's if it's worth seeing," I sighed.
"It will be. She wouldn't have agreed to make you a dress unless it would be good."
I nodded, but only because I couldn't be bothered arguing.
Back downstairs I quickly asked Olena whether she would like to join us. Her instantaneous grin was answer enough. So soon the four of us were bundled into Olena's car, the trunk filled with shoe boxes.
Upstairs in Miroslava's workshop, we stripped to bra and panties again. Once again Miroslava started with Meredith, directing her to stand on the dais, while Olena ushered me over to a table where large photo albums were piled. She started to flick through them, showing me some of Miroslava's creations. And I had to admit – they were works of art. Every single one was strikingly beautiful, and no two were alike. The woman had talent.
"She won't let you look anything other than your best," Olena promised, putting her arm around me in a cuddle.
"Thanks," I said giving her a sheepish smile, feeling better about the situation.
We turned as Miroslava carried over Meredith's dress. It was almost complete, and even on the hanger, it looked sensational. Inspecting the shoes Meredith had considered, Miroslava pointed imperiously to a pair, declaring those to be 'the ones.' I grinned when I noticed they were the Manolo whoever that had been her top pick.
She slipped into her dress, Miroslava using pins and clips to take it in where necessary. Once she was done, I passed Meredith her bag, and the Russian dressmaker nodded in approval. Other than hemming and the final fitting, she was done.
Then it was my turn.
"Next time wear a strapless bra," she said. "I will do your final fitting just before the day, so it fits perfectly. You will wear those shoes," she instructed, pointing to the plainest and tallest pair I'd brought.
And then she brought out my dress. I nearly burst into tears. It wasn't the beige fabric from last time. Even that would have been an improvement on this. My gown was made up in plain, cheap cotton.
I stared at it then Miroslava, eyes wide. Somehow I wondered if maybe she had a grudge against Abe and I'd be the one who pays the price by looking hideous.
"This isn't the fabric you showed me," I spluttered, too astounded to be angry.
"Fabric I showed you very expensive. Too expensive to make mistakes. This is a pattern in cotton. We get the fit right in this; then I cut the fabric."
I grudgingly shrugged the dress on. The back was completely unstitched, so I stepped in, and she pinned it up.
"It won't hang like this one will it?" I asked with suspicion. This one went to just above my knees then became more full, the fabric dropping in weird ruffles.
"No. The silk fabric is much lighter. Don't worry about the hang."
I stood there while she pinned, poked and prodded.
"Ok. Off. Next one," she announced, producing a dress in a similar shape but less covering.
"What's this?"
"The underdress. Two dresses. One the top, one the underneath," she explained in a tone of voice that suggested I was a simpleton. Olena smiled at me encouragingly, so I slipped this dress on. It was a lot tighter than the first one and was tighter still by the time Miroslava had finished pinning. I only got stabbed three times – not that I gave her the satisfaction of knowing it.
I stepped out of the second cotton prototype when directed, donning my street clothes.
"Are you sure it's going to look ok?" I asked nervously. While I could see Meredith's gown was going to look superb, I still had serious reservations about my own.
I expected a rude retort, but instead, I got a smile.
"Don't worry little flower. You will be in your most beautiful bloom," she promised, gently caressing my cheek before shoeing me to put my heels and bag away.
"You see. I told you all would be alright," Olena said sweetly as I trailed her down the stairs and back to street level. "Now why don't we celebrate with coffee and a piece of cake?"