Blood and Water [War and Peace BBC Story]

Six

The carriage wheels thumped and ricocheted rocks along the road as Andrei Bolkonsky and Anastasya Petrov approached the house of Prince Bolkonsky, his father, sister, sister's companion and wife inside. They rushed to the house, both limping up the stairs and greeting Andrei's sister, Marya, whom clutched a lantern in her hand and gripped a fur wrap closer to her body. There was a haunted and perpetually scared look about her face, his sister, and when she saw her brother, there was a look of sudden relief.

"How is your leg?" Andrei asked as they mounted the steps.

"How is your side?" she countered and gave a glance around the property.

"Better thanks to you," he nodded shortly, recalling that any flirtation would be highly inappropriate in the presence of his sister.

Ana knew not how to feel about his sight shift in tone, as it did not go unnoticed, but she spoke not of it. Her mind was suddenly settled on the terrible memory of the hospital tent from which she had rescued him. It smelled of death and sick, with insects buzzing into wounds and landing on sweaty men. She had spotted his bright blue eyes immediately, for his head had lulled to the side and he bore his eyes into her with an intensity which was almost stunning.

Her attention and demeanor were perturbed, which Andrei noticed, but the pair continued inward and he swept his sister up in his arms as they proceeded in. Both limped slightly, which his sister noticed. Anastasya was led to the drawing room to sit and wait while Andrei hurried off to see his dearest Lise. She felt her stomach twist and flop as she was left alone, both worried for Andrei and sickened by her lonesome. To be alone meant to be faced with the haunting thought of Alexei.

She recalled when she had first gone to live with him, a small bump forming upon her torso, a nervousness in her chest and a slight fear of the mean looking cousin that stared back at her. Alexei had been terrifying to her when she was a small child, he had always been brutish and large, with big shoulders and a somewhat mean look about him. However, when he saw her terrified face and bright red locks, he broke into a small smile and welcomed her to his home, as if they had been close all their life.

"Hello little cousin," he beamed and spoke in his deep, rich voice.

Anastasya felt nauseated and needed the breath of fresh air, pushing the pane open slightly. She propped herself up in the window and felt her chest collapsing in on itself and it was not until she heard dull cries that she looked away from the reflection of a candle flame. Andrei stood, with his newborn son, wailing in his arms and looked at Ana, a similar expression upon his face.

Pain filled his eyes as she drew closer, placing a hand on his shoulder and peering down at the screaming child. She knew that now she had delivered him home, she would have to return to the Rostov household, for she had promised Countess Rostova she would be back by morning. However, he looked at her in such a way that made it near impossible to even consider going.