Inventing Wonders

Chapter 15: Not About Loneliness

"And can you imagine, Katasha, what happened the other day?" Trubetskoy continued, slipping under the blanket.

"Something happened with Larochka again?" Ekaterina Ivanovna wasn't surprised.

"And who else would it be?" the prince smirked.

"What did she do this time?" Katasha still sat by the dressing table, diligently brushing her hair.

"A terrible stupidity happened," he began slowly, "can you imagine, I had the carelessness to suggest that the countess is closely acquainted with our Grand Duke. And that boy, the lieutenant..." Sergey Petrovich hesitated: "What's his name? Uvarov, I think..."

"The one who proposed to Larochka in the spring?" the princess gasped, turning away from the mirror.

"He proposed to her as well? If she turned him down, that explains a lot... But the point is entirely different! That Uvarov had the audacity to eavesdrop on our conversation."

"Sergey," Ekaterina Ivanovna was horrified, "did you really start discussing Lara's suitors in the middle of the evening? You know what reputation she has!"

"Katasha, don't lecture me. Listen to what the lieutenant did next."

The princess sighed and extinguished the candles near the table. She still couldn't get used to her husband's mix of prudence and rashness:

"And what then?"

"He, that insolent man, drank too much and declared that Larisa Konstantinovna has a certain kind of relationship with Nikolai..."

"For heaven's sake! Tell me you stood up for her honor?!" his worried wife settled at his feet and grabbed his hand.

"I give you my word, Katasha, I tried, but her brother, Maksim Konstantinovich, himself volunteered to defend his sister's honor."

Trubetskoy stroked his wife's hand, indicating that everything was fine; everyone knew what an excellent fighter Count Vovk was. Ekaterina Ivanovna turned pale and pulled away:

"Sergey, tell me you know her brother, that it wasn't Larisa Konstantinovna making it all up..."

"We'll have a chance to meet the mysterious Count Maksim tomorrow," Sergey Petrovich remained unimpressed. "The meeting is set for half past five, Ryleyev agreed to be the second. Everything according to the rules..."

"What rules?! Sergey!" Ekaterina exclaimed, likely raising her voice at her husband for the first time in her life. "She doesn't have a brother. And knowing our Lara, I'm sure she'll go to duel herself. And if he kills her?.. And if she kills him?.."

Katasha jumped up, ran to the window, then to the screen:

"I'm going to her right now, before that fool makes any mistakes... We must stop this!.. Sergey! Get up!"

***

"No! I still don't understand! Why!" Anya sobbed after being inexplicably told that her beloved Georgiy was going to duel.

No one slept in the house on the embankment. Lara, surprisingly calm, lounged in a chair. Pelageya had spent a quarter of an hour helping her mistress bind her chest so that no trace of it remained. On the back of the sofa lay a cloak and hat, brought by Kondraty Fyodorovich: spending money on outerwear for the fictional Maksimka was something Larisa Konstantinovna had no desire to do.

"I believe the lieutenant's actions are inexcusable, but Larisa Konstantinovna, what if your deception is revealed? It will be a scandal..." Ryleyev sighed.

"Scandal?" Lara coldly replied. "A scandal is when offended boys allow themselves such behavior..."

"He'll kill you!" interrupted Anya's thought.