"Thank you, Benedikt," Dmitri says in a tone that tells me that no matter how many times they've requested it, the 'master' designation has stayed. "This is our guest, Ava Blue." Dmitri introduces me to him and Magda, the housekeeper, who eyes me for a moment before breaking out into a huge smile.
"It is such a pleasure to have you here!" she beams. "I can see that you are a wonderfully close-" her gaze darts to Dmitri before returning to me,"friendof the family."
The two-story entryway boasts a circular marble floor and two stairways that go up both sides to the second floor. Roman walks up one, Dimitri takes me up the other. "There are separate wings to the house," Roman calls over with an exaggerated drawl. "My suite of rooms is inthiswing," he points to the right. "Yours are on the left."
I'm laughing helplessly because at this point, I'm feeling like I'm in the middle of a historical romance, maybeAnna Karenina,except that my Vronsky is a lethal Slavic supermodel in a Tom Ford suit.
"You havewings,"I say. "Well of course."
Dmitri shakes his head, leading me down the hall to his suite. The bedroom is dominated by a massive fireplace, of course, as well as a heavily carved four-poster bed, with tall French doors that open out onto a balcony overlooking the city.
"Everything here is…" I look at the huge, fluffy silk comforter on the bed and I want to pet it like a kitten. "I can see why you can't stay away."
"I'm used to jet lag and time shifts more than you are," Dmitri says. "Why don't you crawl into bed and take a nap? I'll wake you before it gets dark. I'm eager to show you the city when the lights first turn on at dusk."
I climb up on the bed, which is a more undignified process than I'd like, especially with an amused Dmitri who finally boosts me up onto the mattress with a hand on my ass. "Thank you for your assistance," I narrow my eyes at him.
His gaze is making a leisurely tour of my body, my skirt's hiked up and there's a lot of leg showing. "It was my pleasure, believe me."
"All joking aside," I say, "this is an adventure I would not have ever imagined I'd have. I'll be paying student loans until I retire at seventy, so I won't be taking lavish trips like this again. Thank you, so much."
He smiles, leaning against one of the tall bed posts, looking effortlessly elegant. "There's something so refreshing about you, Magpie," he says. "How genuinely pleased you are with each new experience. You haven't become jaded, have you?"
"Oh, give me time," I say, peeling back the thick silk comforter. "I'll pencil in becoming jaded and bitter in my thirties."
I'm almost asleep by the time he stops laughing.
Chapter Thirty
In which there is no proposal like… no proposal.
Dmitri…
St. Petersburg is spread out before me, like glittering stars in a velvet night sky. The sun has just set and the last bluish-purple hues remind me of Ava's eyes.
"Are you sure this is how you want to handle it?" Roman asks.
"This is the only way," I say. "Stating that she's a 'friend of the family' isn't enough, and you know it. Naming Ava as my wife means I'll have complete impunity to crush anyone who has gone along with this trafficking ring. And I intend to crush every skull that ever thought of creating it."
"Ah, violence. Now that's something I can get behind," Roman says approvingly, leaning against the doorway. "It's Ava being completely unaware that I'm questioning."
"Do you have a better suggestion?" I snap. I know he's trying to sort through this with me, but there isn't another way. "Just make sure the paperwork is clear, and that the marriage holds the same legal status in the United States as well as here in Russia."
He shrugs. "It's already done."
"What's already done?" Ava walks into the great room, smiling at us innocently. She's wearing a cream-colored cashmere dress, because even summer nights can be chilly here.
"Our reservation at Chudesnyy," I lie smoothly, taking her hand and kissing her ringless fingers.
"Oh, that sounds exciting. I'm looking forward to trying out more Russian food. Will they havepelmini?"Ava asks. "Those lamb dumplings are still my favorite."
"I'll make certain of it," I say.
***
Chudesnyy is situated in a three-hundred-year-old building with a commanding view of the city. There's an enormous, domed skylight in the middle of the dining room, and Ava pauses to touch the delicate filigree of the two-story brass globe placed within it. "This looks like the designer wanted you to feel like you were dining in the sky," she says, looking at the elaborate blue tiles.
Taking her arm, Roman whispers, "There is certain to be "work associates" of our father here tonight, and I would give my left kidney to avoid speaking to any of them. Keep walking. Pausing gives them a chance to close in."
