Sophie gasped, then laughed. Had her worthless piece of glass given her the clue to finding the Volkonsky riches?
“I know!” she said. “I know where they are! Perhaps Dmitri and his family knew all along, too — except they didn’t realize it!”
“You know?” The princess’s voice seemed to catch again. “Are you sure? Is this some childish game?”
“This isn’t a game.”
The princess wrapped her fingers around the glass. “I can tell the difference between glass and diamonds,” she whispered.
“This is no game, Princess,” Sophie repeated. “Get Ivan. And Dmitri …”
The princess looked at Sophie. There was a confused look on her face, as if she didn’t know what to do. But then she picked up an old-fashioned telephone and spoke tersely into it.
They ran through the shadows toward the ballroom, Sophie’s heart bursting with happiness. “It’s so simple,” she laughed. She, Sophie Smith, would save this Volkonsky princess!
Ivan stood at the door to the ballroom. Dmitri was there, too. Sophie ran toward him, excited. But Dmitri just looked at the floor, not smiling.
The princess strode into the ballroom and stood, impatiently tapping her foot. Sophie took no notice of Dmitri’s sullen face. He might be cross that the princess had set him such a demeaning task, but all would soon be explained and he and his family would be so happy … the history of the Volkonskys would come full circle.
“Pull down the rope!” she said. “Quickly! There’s something I have to show the princess!”
The boy frowned, then walked slowly, so slowly, to the side of the room and picked up a long pole. As he hooked the end of the pole into the chandelier, the rope slipped down and danced in the air for a few seconds.
“The wolf princess was so clever …” Sophie said. “She cleaned the chandeliers in 1917 — on the eve of the Revolution! She wasn’t mad — she was making preparations!”
“What are you doing?” the princess whispered.
“Dmitri!” Sophie shoved her foot into the loop. “You’ll have to help me.” The boy didn’t respond. “I can’t get up there on my own!” Without someone to haul up the rope, she would have to climb, sailor style. Dmitri groaned. He was being really silly, thought Sophie.
“Anna! Ann-aaaaa!” The general appeared in the doorway. “What’s going on?” he snapped. “Anna? What are you all doing here? What are you whispering about?”
“Nothing!” the princess said fearfully. “We’re not talking about anything!”
“Are you plotting together?” He walked toward them slowly.
Sophie took a step closer to the princess.
“I am loyal!” The princess spoke fast. “You know that! I gave you the papers the minute you arrived. Everything is yours!”
The man crossed his arms. “And tell me,” he sneered, “how does an empty palace help me?”
“I need more time!” The princess ran toward him, grabbed his arms. The man stood impassive. “Please, Grigor! Everything I’ve done, I’ve done for us!”
“Us? You’ve done everything for us? And what is this ‘everything’? You’ve bought yourself furs … set yourself up here …”
“Grigor!” the princess sobbed.
“And who is this ‘us’?” He uncrossed his arms and roughly pushed her toward the large mirror. “Here we are!” he cried, pulling out his pistol. “The happy couple!”
A soft popping noise, like a champagne cork, and the mirror shattered in a torrent of splintering glass.
“Get me the diamonds, Anna.Thenwe’ll talk about ‘us.’” With a casual flick of the smoking pistol, he waved toward Ivan. “Put my things in thevozok.”
“I won’t take orders from you any longer,” Ivan said quietly.
“Then you’ll die where you stand.” The general held up the still-smoking pistol, aiming for the middle of Ivan’s chest.
Sophie’s breath caught in her throat. He wouldn’t … he couldn’t …
