The princess’s mouth slid up playfully, a one-dimple smile. “But you can’t possibly want to go back to Saint Petersburg! Boring lessons at School 59?” She shook her head as if someone had suggested she allow herself to be stung by bees. “Oh, and perhaps there are trips to museums you are longing to go on? Believe me, the Yusupov Palace is overrated, wouldn’t you say, Ivan?” Ivan nodded as if such a visit would, indeed, be more of a punishment than a pleasure.
“And anyway, I haveextraordinarythings planned for you.” She clenched her fists as if she couldn’t contain her excitement. “Do you think anyone will take you for a midnight picnic on a frozen lake if you go back to your Miss Ellis? Or arrange for an orchestra of automata to play to you as you gamble for diamonds? Or take you for rides in avozokthrough the Volkonsky forest? What about skating by twilight? Do you think you will get to do any of these things in boring Saint Petersburg?”
Sophie felt her pulse quicken. A midnight picnic? She looked across at Marianne, who was fidgeting uncomfortably. Back in London, Sophie felt uneasy when her friends weren’t entirely happy. But right now, it was as if she wanted to do these things with the princess more than worry about Marianne.
“Perhaps Russian grammar lessons are more to your liking?” the princess teased. “There will be plenty of those if you go back to Saint Petersburg. I warn you that the Russian language is very hard: Would you really prefer learning short-form adjectives or the perfective aspect of the verb to being wrapped in furs and bearskins and drinking cherry cordial in the snow?” She whispered, “Of course, I will send you back if you really don’t want to stay …”
“Can we at least phone our parents?” Marianne said, not looking up. She seemed unable even to meet the woman’s gaze. “I promised I would call when I arrived. My phone doesn’t work.”
“Nor mine,” Delphine added.
“Marianne” — the princess stepped toward her — “of course you must phone your parents.” Her voice was like being wrapped in velvet. Warm, reassuring, making everything right. “As soon as we can get the phone lines working …”
She said something in Russian to Ivan. He nodded as if he would take care of the request.
The princess shook her head. “The snow … and we are so remote …” She took Marianne’s hand in both of hers. “There is no need to look so anxious!” She laughed and Sophie found herself smiling, just because it was such an appealing sound. “We are going to have the most wonderful time.”
The princess spoke quietly to Ivan in Russian once more. He bowed and opened a pair of mirrored doors. The glass shivered in the panels, and their reflections shook, too. The princess let go of Marianne’s hand and disappeared into the room beyond.
“What are we meant to do?” Marianne asked Delphine.
“Stay where you are,” Delphine said, trying to peer into the room. “You have to wait until you are summoned.”
“Why does it have to be so formal?” Marianne mumbled, pulling at her tunic. “This thing is really scratchy. Do you think I can take it off?”
Ivan coughed discreetly and indicated that the girls should follow the princess. Delphine walked forward confidently, the silversarafanswishing on the floor. Sophie could see it was too long for her. She and Marianne followed her into a much smaller, darker room, almost entirely taken up by a large round table. In the center was a large candelabrum, the candles glowing, the wax dripping down the gilt branches. All over the table were piles of paper, some bundled and tied with ribbons, others in perilously high stacks. The princess was sorting through a small pile in front of her, looking slightly distracted. Ivan leaned across to push the candelabrum closer.
“Thank you, Ivan, but I don’t need your help,” the princess said. The sharpness of her tone seemed to wound Ivan, and he stepped back from the table into the gloom. “Just a little boring paperwork,” the princess muttered to herself, still shuffling papers. “Ah yes, here we are!”
She pulled out several sheets of paper.
“Your Miss Ellis is extremely strict! Extremely thorough.” She smiled as she laid a piece of paper in front of Marianne. “She would only allow me to take you skating if you signed these papers.”
“Shouldn’t it be our parents who sign them?” But Marianne took the pen that was offered and put her name at the bottom of the paper.
“I think your signature will do nicely.”
The princess turned the paper over without bothering to read it and put it on top of a different pile. Then she smiled broadly as she beckoned Delphine forward. “It is just a formality. I am not expecting any accidents!”
Delphine took the silver pen she was offered and signed her name where the princess indicated. The princess nodded and picked up the paper. Sophie watched her every movement, fascinated: The angle of her head, the thick rope of hair, the cut of her clothes made her look quite different from anyone Sophie had ever seen before. She was smiling as she scanned the page, but it was a quiet, private smile. Then, as she read quickly to the bottom, the princess’s forehead crumpled in a frown. “But there has been some mistake …”
She tore her eyes away from the page and looked up at Ivan. Sophie saw anger flare in the depths of those large gray eyes.
“You are the wrong girl!” The princess spoke quickly.
Delphine took a step back. “I … I …” she stuttered.
“What are you doing here, dressed like that? That is not yoursarafan.”
The woman crunched Delphine’s consent form into a ball and threw it on the floor.
Sophie panicked. She wanted to pick the paper up and return it to the princess so they could go on as before. But could it be that perhaps they weren’t meant to be here after all? Perhaps it was Lydia Sedgwick who had been invited. Or Nadine? Perhaps they would be sent back to Saint Petersburg straightaway and some other girls would get the joy of skating with the princess.
“I’m not the wrong girl. I’m Delphine.”
She looked at her friends as if she suddenly doubted who she was. Sophie wanted to help her friend, but she couldn’t get her tongue to work.
“I’m here with my friends,” Delphine managed to say. “The school trip.”
