Cold All the Way Through, But Warming

Yeoman and Confrontations

I rubbed a hand over my face as I read through Mother's letter for what seemed the tenth time. God, what a mess New York was now. German spies planting bombs, the city covered in broken glass, the Statue of Liberty full of holes. It almost made me glad to be away, although I did miss everyone there terribly. Liz and James were inordinately proud of their son, Morris seemed to relish any time he could spend with his boys and Samantha and Ezekiel had finally tied the knot. Not to mention how much I missed Mother, especially now that she had little Delilah romping after her.

But I had my duties here, and my husband.

Will had written that Beatty had denied his request for a few days of leave, apparently he was still resentful that Bertie had chosen to serve on Will's ship rather than the Lion. But still, I felt that my place was by his side, in spirit if not in body. And I had my charity home, I had been able to offer employment to quite a few men from my ward to assist with the renovations. Doctor Humphry had even been willing to assist with assessing our nursing candidates and offering advice on how to best provide care for our future patients.

Not to mention my new family.

Mikhail had made the occasional visit to my office, always carefully watched by Collins and Rowan in case of another enthusiastic hug. He had wanted to share every bit of his activities with me, including his visit with the King. I had listened attentively as he had detailed their dealings. He had been fidgeting with his cigarette case, though I still refused to allow him to smoke in my office. "He was very kind, and was glad to get a letter from cousin Nicky."

"And will he let you keep everything in the Tower?"

"Oh yes, he has no problems with that. But he wasn't pleased when I brought up the idea of a loan from the Crown." Mikhail had shrugged, "I suppose they've got it hard enough on the Western Front."

"From what I've been able to learn, they're borrowing heavily from American banks to fund the war."

"Well, hopefully I can make a few inroads here. We could certainly use some funding ourselves."

"I take it you're not planning on sending piles of cash back to Russia."

"Rifles and shells would be better." He had stood, sliding the case back into his pocket. "Or he machinery for us to set up more factories." I had mulled over his words after he had left, thinking about the factories Mother had so easily set up back home. In her letter about the explosion that had occurred, she had made it clear that we had only escaped losing a large amount of munitions by the skin of our teeth. She had made arrangements for us to still fulfill our portion of the order, even if the majority of what had been desired had burned into ash.

Still though, Mikhail would be displeased when I told him about what had happened.

I folded Mother's letter up and tucked it in my pocket, reaching down to run my finger over it as I collected Rowan and Mr. Collins before stepping up the yacht. Mikhail's large, bearded guard peered at me, a brow raised. I raised my chin, holding his eye. "You can tell the Grand Duke that his cousin is here to meet with him." He snorted then gestured for me to come onboard. I stepped past him, but turned when he blocked the path, leaving Mr. Collins and Rowan on the dock. "They're with me."

The guard turned, his voice guttural. "His Highness says you are allowed, he did not say anyone else."

"If they are not allowed on, then I will be leaving." I made to move past him, but he stepped in front of me. "I will jump into the harbor if needed." Seeing as how he clearly didn't believe me, I stepped up to the railing, placed a foot on the lowest rung, and lifted myself up.

The guard rolled his eyes, but stood aside. "Americans, so dramatic." He waved the other two on, then called out in Russian. A servant came scuttling up from a hatch, gesturing for us to follow. I was expecting him to describe the ship to us, but it was obvious he didn't speak English as he led us to a sitting room below decks.