Chapter 95 Ball at the Winter Palace

Chapter 95 Ball at the Winter Palace

Chapter 95 Ball at the Winter Palace (Part 045)

Because Rajevsky was weak and sickly during his teenage years, he attached great importance to physical exercise. He lifted weights every day and had a well-proportioned body. At the age of sixteen, he followed the army on the expedition to Turkey to Moldavia. His appearance could also set off Solovyov.

"You, the inventor, were in the Grenadiers before, but now you are in the Guards."

"Nicholas, this should be said to be the emperor's commendation for his heroic fighting in Italy and Switzerland. He just issued an order at noon today and joined the Guards. Of course, these clothes are all new."

Vladimir had previously been in General Korsakov’s corps, but had lost the brigade he commanded on the battlefield. He himself was a major general of the Guards and a general of honour, but unlike his brother Peter, who was a general of honour to the crown prince, he was a general of honour to the tsar himself.

In a sense, Grand Duke Konstantin and Prince Vladimir Dolgorukov were Paul's spies at the front line, and they also had the right to report on everything that happened at the front.

He was very dissatisfied with Korsakov's report that shifted the blame, so when he spoke of Solovyov, his tone was relatively gentle, after all, he was also a friend of his third brother.

"Yes, you have turned yourself into an orange. If you were in your old clothes, there would be no place to rest and take a shower. No girl would like you if you came back with the smell you have."

In response to this question, Prince Mikhail sniffed and then gave a conclusion: "Yes, not only did I wash it, but I also sprayed it with cologne. You love cleanliness. Do you take a bath every day when you are at home?"

"Yes, when we are on the march, we can only wash more when we are stationed in the city. When we are in Milan, something always happens."

"Did you fall in love with an Italian girl while you were on the expedition?"

"It's a pity that we have to go on the expedition. There will be wars from place to place. It was very dangerous when we were in Switzerland. Massena, that old soldier, was always chasing us. If General Rosenberg and Prince Bagration hadn't driven the French away, it would have been dangerous enough."

"That General Massena won the battle in Zurich, but why do you call him an old soldier?"

In response to Prince Vladimir's doubts, Solovyov answered very straightforwardly: "It all depends on this person's experience. I like to study the experience of my opponents. He seems to have been a smuggler and was born a civilian. It was the French who overthrew their king, which gave him the opportunity to become an officer. Otherwise, he would be at most a warrant officer."

The capture of General Scherer was enough to interrogate a lot of information, and the French people's talkative nature could be put to good use.

The banquet went on very quickly. They were talking and were about to move on to the next step.

At this time, one has to pass through a huge living room and then reach the palace where the dance floor is.

A huge chiming clock placed at the entrance of the palace caught Solovyov's attention.

As he stopped to watch, someone patted him on the shoulder from behind.

When he looked back he noticed it was Countess Ekaterina Skavronskaya.

"Mishka, did you notice this clock, too?"

"Yes, it's really exquisite. Why is such a big thing placed here?"

"That's the chime clock that my uncle ordered in England. It was given to Her Majesty the Queen that year, and it was placed here this year. This chime clock can even make bird calls! Do you want to listen to it?"

This girl appeared here today, still wearing the standard tailor-made dress of a maid and a brooch representing Elena. However, she was in no hurry to go to the ball. It was probably because Elena, who was about to get married, gave her "sisters" a holiday and they had no official duties - plus, she had always been like this. If the noble maids in the Winter Palace had to punch in for work, she would definitely be absent the most times.

Of course, she took the initiative to talk to Solovyov outside her house, and she didn't know what her personal thoughts were, but at least he wouldn't faint. After all, she was the one who taught him the "anti-fainting tactics". Although it worked on the first day, it was hard to guard against, and Sylvia had another trick up her sleeve.

"Of course, there's always some time, and it looks like it's almost time. This big guy looks very exquisite."

In addition to the story that must be told about Prince Potemkin and his niece, he was particularly good at pleasing the Queen. This huge peacock clock also has an owl and a rooster on it, which are used to tell time, and the peacock can actually sing.

This huge clock came to the Winter Palace after Potemkin's death, and was recently moved here by Paul, just outside the ballroom.

"It's really beautiful. I have to admire the craftsmanship of the craftsman. This is a masterpiece."

"But I also heard, Mishka, that the same designer made another chiming clock, but the Chinese emperor didn't like it."

This thing seems to have something to do with Emperor Qianlong, who liked to stamp things, but that's another story.

"And Prince Potemkin spent a lot of money on this, which is also a masterpiece. If I could see another treasure, I would be very interested."

This may just be an advertisement to increase the value of the clock. The cunning British can come up with such a method.

You have to know that the emperor who liked to stamp his seals had the Imperial Household Department directly produce the products, and there were also outstanding works. In addition, the Qing Dynasty was not short of silver.

Then the "little fairy" took his arm. It could be felt that although the girl was only sixteen years old, she looked quite old.

When you hold her hand, you can tell that because she is still growing, she is almost becoming a thinner "ball of fat", and it feels soft when you pinch it. Now it seems that she is indeed very attractive.

No wonder she heard that many young Guards officers had courted her when she was on duty.

"I want to invite you to dance at the ball."

"Don't you have Count von Paaren?"

"He has been away from Petersburg lately; he has been in Riga."

"You don't need me to be your dance partner, do you? Aren't there others?"

"I want to know something from you, and I know you can't say no when a young lady is like this."

"How did you know?" "I'm with Her Highness Elena, how could I not know about your affairs? And the portrait you sent last month included one of Cupid and Psyche, and it was Julie who let you know about it. I think you can't refuse this."

And today was also a strange day. It was okay to talk with the three prince brothers and Raevsky at the dinner table. The three of them spoke mostly Russian. Today, even when the "little goblin" asked him to speak Russian, it seemed as if he wanted to "encrypt the call."

She was clever enough to have learned about her "eye problem" from the clever Archduchess Elena.

"Okay, I promise you. What's the matter?"

"Let's wait until the ball to talk about it. Otherwise it will look a little strange. I don't want people to gossip about me before I get married, like Maria did."

Needless to say, something had happened to her sister recently, but since she had just returned to St. Petersburg, it was not convenient for her to ask, or she should not know at all.

As for the dances to be performed at the party, we also have to take into account that some old ladies' legs and feet are not so flexible, and a polonaise at the beginning may be too passionate.

Tsar Paul himself was very fond of the old French-style dance. He sat on the throne and watched the people dancing below. One of them was the Duke of Richelieu, a descendant of the cardinal's nephew. The young duke was an expert in French court dance.

Seeing him, Paul would recall the two times he went to Paris and met Louis XVI and his wife. The French king, who was somewhat afraid of socializing, became friends with the serious-looking Paul. Paul joined the anti-French alliance because he remembered the tragic fate of his friend and his wife, who now had only one daughter. At the request of the Count of Artois, he offended the British and Louis XVIII and let the girl settle down in Dresden under the cover of Prince Vasily Dolgorukov, who was exiled to Saxony.

He wanted to bring happiness to those around him, so he arranged the escape of the French princess. Therefore, he always liked to arrange the marriages of those around him.

His daughter's marriage involved diplomacy, but he was willing to arrange it for trusted generals, senior court attendants, and noble maids who were ready to get married.

Of the countess's two daughters, he planned to arrange for the elder one to marry Count Pavel von Paalen, the son of his trusted minister, and he would give special attention to the younger one. Although it had not been officially confirmed yet, the Tsar's promise to the countess was to choose a "warrior among the brave" as a groom for his younger daughter Catherine.

For this reason, he set his sights on Prince Bagration. Although he was from Georgia, he was brave in battle and came from a high-ranking family. The Russian aristocratic system recognized the prince titles of Georgian and Tatar princes, so he felt this marriage was not bad.

It’s just not clear that the “little goblin” already has someone in his heart, and his approach is to randomly match people up.

You have to wait until the previous dance is over before you can start the polonaise or waltz, so that you can be more free on the dance floor. The characteristic of French court dance is that it is relatively slow and the rhythm is very soothing.

This is a good time to have a conversation.

Solovyov felt that the bad girl was hugging his arms tighter. She was so close that he could smell the perfume she was using.

The "little fairy" often changes her perfume to attract other people's attention. In the past, she has used cinnamon, lavender, rose and jasmine. This time it is almond scent. Although she is incredibly lazy, she is very good at intelligence work and knows where her weaknesses are.

Moreover, she opened her women's folding fan, obviously wanting to whisper something.

"You went to Italy. Did you get to know Prince Bagration?"

"what?"

Prince Bagration was probably not the type this girl liked. Her question made Solovyov confused.

"Which Prince Bagration are you asking about? There are many royal families in Georgia!"

"Play dumb, Mishka. It's the Emperor's favorite, Prince Bagration. Although it hasn't been decided yet, I heard from my mother that the Emperor wants to marry me to the maid next year."

"That prince is a brave warrior. We can trust him with our backs on the battlefield. Moreover, his family is very high-ranking. This is a good match. If I were the emperor, I would make the same arrangement."

Then, his arm was twisted by the "little goblin".

"As expected, you are wearing the uniform of the Guards issued by the Emperor, and the medals awarded by the Emperor. You are no longer on my side! We are business partners, and aren't the things you produce used to test me? Mishka, you should help me come up with ideas, not you."

This time she must have been really anxious, tears were welling up in her eyes. When she realized her situation, she took out her handkerchief.

"If the Emperor has really decided, no one can change it. I escaped a disaster today. If His Highness Constantine hadn't changed the subject, I would have been included in the collective wedding. Katyusha, it's not surprising for a girl to get married at the age of seventeen, but it's a bit early for a young nobleman to get married at the age of eighteen. A famous general like Archduke Karl didn't even have a blind date in public."

"You have escaped a disaster, but please think about me! I have someone I like, and if I can't be with him."

It is said that this Earl's daughter is a smart little girl. She is small in stature, but has many ideas in her mind and her heart is almost full of them. In fact, she is still a naive little girl.

"Have you learned about the person you like? If you are really worried about the marriage arranged by the Emperor, I can help you investigate His Royal Highness. I met him when I went to the British Club that time, and he was often my superior in the Grand Marshal's Corps. Moreover, according to the Emperor's instructions, he will serve as the general on duty in the palace next year, so I will have a lot of time to observe him."

"Well, you have to help me with this!"

"It would be best if Her Highness Elena could stay in Petersburg for a while after she gets married, and influence the Emperor through her and Her Highness Maria. Do you understand what I mean?"

"Well, I understand now!"

Only then did she hold back her tears, and as the Mazurka began, she pulled Solovyov down to the stage to dance.

In her opinion, this series of cover-ups was perfect and indeed went unnoticed.

But what will happen to Prince Bagration and her? Solovyov is caught in the middle and it is not easy for him to survive.

However, the prince was still single in his thirties. In reality, a wealthy woman like Countess Orlov might be more suitable for him. But she had been exchanging letters with Count Kamensky the Younger, and it was obvious that she had someone in her heart.

Nor can we just watch the "little devil" being hit by Paul's indiscriminate marriage attack, which would be extremely difficult.

(End of this chapter)