Chapter 6 006 Amy Dubuque-Drivery Miss Will Be a Stepmother
Chapter 6 006 Miss Amy du Buc de Riviera will be a stepmother (Part )
Mikhail Solovyov carefully read the information bought by the loyal old servant of the family. At least he was not one of those playboys. Although his family background was relatively good, he did not like the things that the bad guys and losers of the Kurakin family wanted to do. Although he had a good personal relationship with Ippolit and knew that this man was just a coward, he had a very bad impression of Ippolit's brother Anatoly.
He buried himself in various military, geographical and historical books. There was a map on the table, and he was always scratching on it with a quill pen. It would be better if he had a pencil, but the pencils at that time were still in the form of graphite sticks.
"Uncle Sergei, I remember that you are a good carpenter."
"Yes, Master, do you have any instructions?"
At least the servants in the house were still willing to be ordered around by this young master. He seldom made unreasonable demands and never whipped his servants. Before joining the army, he was just a relatively kind child, and now he was even more friendly, with no airs of becoming a master in the future.
"I think it would be possible for a carpenter to put a cover on this damn graphite rod, right?"
"Master, if it's just for you, my craftsmanship is no problem."
"What if we make more?"
"That's difficult. Not everyone has the skills like me. You need more carpenters who can do fine work."
There is a small problem with pencils. Mikhail has noticed that the strength of graphite rods produced in the UK and those produced in continental Europe are two different concepts. This may be a problem with the raw materials. The quality of British-made ones is better, and he himself uses the same kind. As for adding a wooden "cover" to the outside of the graphite rod, although this is very "Belikov", people in Italy started doing this more than two hundred years ago, and those exported from the UK gradually began to use cedar wood. The French even completed the invention of the modern pencil by Nicolas-Jacques Comte in 1795. Mikhail's thinking at this time was obviously a bit outdated. He even used graphite rods without "covers" imported from the UK. Russia's own craftsmanship was backward.
The stepmother he is about to marry is a French woman. Although she is from the West Indies, she must have relatives in France, right?
Solovyov didn't know that his stepmother had many relatives, and she was on her way to St. Petersburg with his father, where their wedding would be held.
Anyway, as the eldest son in Russia, he naturally enjoys the first right of inheritance, as long as the will and inheritance law do not change. What's more, he is now an officer. After arriving in St. Petersburg, he became Lieutenant Baron Solovyov. Although this was a typical nepotism in the army in the late 18th century, it also meant that as long as the teenage lieutenant did not encounter illness or accidents, or was killed on the battlefield, his future was still bright. After further promotion in the future, he could choose to be a diplomat, a civil servant, or continue to be an officer.
He was not worried about his property and even felt that it was okay to have more brothers and sisters. This was an era without restrictions and one could keep building as long as the conditions allowed. Of course, the entire period of childbirth was still very dangerous, which had a lot to do with the extremely poor medical conditions. At least after Solovyov came to St. Petersburg, he paid great attention to hygiene in his mansion at 4 Laundry Lane.
The servants also agreed with this point. After all, everyone likes cleanliness. It's just that this practice is somewhat similar to the practice when Kievan Rus accepted Orthodoxy. The master would force them to take a bath, and everyone had to keep clean. They had to take a hot bath and keep the house clean and tidy. Regular cleaning was what the servants had to do on a daily basis, which even attracted the ridicule of the French butler of Count Shuvalov, the owner of No. 1 Laundry Lane.
"Master, what should we do with that French guy?"
"Don't worry about him. We just need to take care of ourselves. Uncle Sergei, this is 'Laundry Alley'. If it's not clean, it would be a disgrace to the name of this street!"
"But, Master, you should wash your hands too. And these gloves are all black. Look at them."
In fact, this is the biggest disadvantage of the graphite rod, so Baron Mikhail still needs to wash his hands. His father wrote to say that after arriving at No. 4 Laundry Lane, he would attend the salons of the upper class in St. Petersburg and introduce his family to these people.
Baron Soloviev's family was indeed not from a high background and did not have much power, but they were quite familiar with the old man. It was just that Sergei Soloviev was going to marry a French woman who was only five years older than his son. Naturally, he had to make up for a young wife in many ways.
Mikhail could feel that the family's current annual income was 43210 rubles, and the expenditure was roughly the same. If the family did not have some savings, they would be finished soon. What's more, those French women, even those who had been captured by Barbary pirates and suffered, would have to spend a lot of money if they really wanted to get married.
He had to find some way for his family to make money, not just the way it was now. In Solovyov's own memory, his mother, a Baltic German, also spent money lavishly. In recent years, the old baron's ability to make money has not been as good as before. If a French woman came who could spend more money than the German women, his wallet would be in trouble.
So, he thought of pencils. Currently, only Britain and Prussia have the ability to mass-produce this thing, and France has just started the technology tree. But in terms of thinking, it is obvious that he is not only considering things used for writing and maps.
There are so many noble ladies in St. Petersburg, and they certainly need to put on makeup. From little girls of a few years old to old ladies in their eighties, everyone can't avoid using these things. Eyebrow pencil refills and eyeliner refills wrapped in suitable cedar or some other wood will definitely have some uses.
Compared with exploiting the working people, earning money from noble ladies does not make him feel guilty. Compared with the overpriced "fashions" in France, the prices can even be made more affordable and the products can be packaged beautifully. He has a quick mind and has already thought about it. He even plans to bring it up with his superior, Duke Dmitri Volkonsky. The duke is a good man and has always been guiding him. His family and that of Duke Nikolai Volkonsky are rare honest families in the aristocratic circle.
The reason for this can be seen from the salon that will be held at 33 Bolshaya Morskaya Street. "Are you sure it's okay? Not only my father, but also me?"
"Oui, monsieur, votre père, le baron Sergue Solovyov, et vous, le baron Mikhal Solovyov."
What this French servant of Prince Saltykov said is typical nonsense literature. He obviously knew Russian, but he heard that the eldest son of the Solovyov family was a "horseman", so he deliberately spoke in French. However, compared with a year ago, because he had been studying in Duke Volkonsky's house, even if this servant really spoke in long and difficult sentences, Mikhail could cope with it.
"Thank you, my father will arrive in Petersburg in a few days and I will convey the invitation to His Royal Highness the Prince." (Thank you, my father will arrive in Petersburg in a few days and I will convey the invitation to His Royal Highness the Prince.)
Anyway, when you get to Russia, you have to pretend that you can't speak Russian. To deal with this kind of Frenchman, you have to pretend to be a groom and give him a beating now.
The sender of the invitation was His Royal Highness Prince Nikolai Saltykov, who had been in great power during the reign of Catherine II, and was one of the few favorites of his mother, Tsar Paul, who was then the Crown Prince, and who was accepted by him. The fact that Paul, Peter III's No. 2, had no problem with him must have been due to the traditional Russian court trick of pleasing the monarch.
As for his other important positions, he was the guardian of Grand Duke Alexander and Grand Duke Constantine. Such a distinguished courtier had only participated in some battles in the Seven Years' War and the Russo-Turkish War. Moreover, when he was under Rumyantsev, he was mostly a colonel or a general commanding a brigade. He had been isolated from the army since 1770. However, it was such a person who became a field marshal of the Russian Imperial Army in 1796.
This was the first field marshal promoted as a sign of respect after Tsar Paul ascended the throne. Although he was honorable, his actions would be known in the future.
There were so many invited guests this time that if there was only 33 Bolshaya Moskaya Street, it might not be able to accommodate all the guests and their vehicles. However, since the invited guests were all in St. Petersburg, even from 4 Laundry Lane and places outside the Admiralty, it was not very far away, so sometimes there was no need for a carriage, only some servants and companions.
The day after receiving the invitation, Baron Sergei Solovyov and his fiancée came to No. 4 Laundry Lane. If such a lady was Mikhail's sister, he might accept her. She looked young, lively and a little cute like a girl. Even the ordeal of being almost sold to the Pasha by Barbary pirates did not reduce her vitality much. But to be a "stepmother" was a little difficult to accept.
"Cher, voici mon fils Mikhail, Misha, voici ma fiancée Aimée du Buc de Rivery." (Dear, this is my son Michael, Misha, and this is my fiancée Aimée du Buc de Rivery.)
"Hello, dear lady, welcome to the Solovyov House."
The introductions were made, and the lady did not seem to be embarrassed, for she had known before that her future husband had a son who was in the army, and a young daughter, and Mikhail could also see that his sister Yulia was still clinging to her stepmother, and was always holding Mademoiselle de Rivery's arm.
"Sergei Osipovich, His Royal Highness the Prince, has sent us an invitation to attend his salon in a few days." (His Royal Highness Sergei Osipovich has sent us an invitation to attend his salon in a few days.)
It seemed that the old baron was not surprised at his son's sudden improvement in French. He probably thought that being an adjutant to Prince Volkonsky meant at least some improvement.
"So we have to attend this salon. I didn't expect that His Royal Highness would think of us. He is a minister that His Majesty the Tsar trusts very much. He is very considerate." (So we have to attend this salon. I didn't expect that His Royal Highness would think of us. He is a minister that His Majesty the Tsar trusts very much. He is very considerate.)
If he had seen what the French servant did, I wonder if he would have kept his words to himself.
Now Sergei Solovyov's family has been reorganized. The old baron used to be an adjutant to General Grushetsky. In fact, he has a close relationship with this circle. The content is roughly as follows:
Major Sergei Soloviev, a retired military officer, was formerly an aide to Lieutenant General Grushetsky, the son-in-law of the Commander-in-Chief, Prince Vasily Mikhailovich Dolgorukov-Krimsky, and his wife was the eldest daughter of the Commander-in-Chief, Yevdokiya Vasilyevna;
The commander-in-chief's son, Lieutenant General Prince Vasily Vasilyevich, was exiled by Tsar Paul not long ago, but he will soon return halfway. This family has a close relationship with Prince Saltykov's family. His wife Yekaterina Fedorovna has an awkward identity. She is the only daughter of Marshal Prince Fyodor Sergeyevich Bariatinsky. In the report sent by the Orlov brothers to Catherine II, this marshal was the one who clashed with the imprisoned Peter III and personally ended Peter III. This identity can only bring harm. That is, Prince Saltykov is also the son-in-law of the Dolgorukov family. Under the influence of his wife, he pleaded for mercy, which saved Vasily Dolgorukov's family from suffering greater punishment;
The lieutenant general's sister, Praskovya Vasilyevna, married Count Valentin Platonovich Musin-Pushkin. In 1793, this lady let her son marry the daughter of the Scottish Earl Bruce, who was also her niece. As for what happened afterwards, it was extremely despicable.
At least the Moscow noble Count Bezukhov saw this situation and immediately submitted a memorial to Emperor Paul, hoping that his blood-related son would inherit his position in the future, but it still needed to be kept secret. Seeing that Count Bezukhov was still in good health, Tsar Paul did not rush to approve it, but he also verbally agreed to make his son Pierre, who was studying abroad, the heir - 4 serfs and a large number of manors, as well as various properties. The annual income of the manors in the south alone was to rubles. In short, such a behavior of eating up the whole family was not recognized in the dissolute living environment of the Russian nobles. The normal practice was to help the rich heiress manage these properties after marrying her. The amount spent directly in this way was hundreds of thousands of rubles a year, and some properties were sold. Even the richest families could not afford it.
At least Lieutenant General Prince Vasily Dolgorukov was not actually satisfied with his sister's behavior. He even told his nephew to be more frugal and at least know how to manage business. The nephew listened to his uncle's words to some extent, but it may have caused the Countess's dissatisfaction.
Mikhail himself learned some of these from the side. Prince Volkonsky also criticized this kind of thing. His father Sergei came and emphasized it again. This only mentioned some families related to his family, and did not explain the situation of other people.
It seems that St. Petersburg and Moscow are not good places for good men and women to live, but returning to his hometown Ryazan is unlikely. No one gives up halfway. What's more, he is now thinking about how to find a place to make money and get a promotion in the future. Prince Dmitri Volkonsky thinks he is smart and always thinks he is an adjutant worth training and has a future.
What's more, when you are in St. Petersburg, you still have to find a big leg to hold on to, there is nothing wrong with that. Of course, this is not playing basketball, so it is impossible to put together a "Big Three".
There is an Easter egg in this chapter. Guess who Solovyov's stepmother is.
(End of this chapter)