Daniela Steele
SAINT PETERSBURG
The trio rushed across the snowy plain. Zoya closed her eyes, surrendering with her whole being to this rapid movement: the ringing of bells sounded like heavenly music in her ears, the fluffy snow seemed to kiss her flushed cheeks. At seventeen, she felt completely grown up and at the same time experienced childish delight when Fyodor whipped up the sleek black crows and they raced even faster.
...The village had already flashed past, and then two twin palaces at the entrance to Tsarskoe Selo appeared and began to approach. Zoya smiled at them and pulled the fur mitten off her left hand to look at her watch. She promised her mother that she would certainly be home for dinner and would fulfill her promise unless... unless she and Masha got into a chat, and that was quite likely.
Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna, Marie, Mashka, was her best friend, more than a friend - a sister.
Fyodor, turning around from the box, smiled at her, and she laughed loudly with joy. What a wonderful day it is today! She had always loved ballet: the satin slippers were still lying next to her on the seat. Yes, from early childhood she wanted to dance, and more than once she secretly confessed to Masha that she dreamed of running away from home, entering the Mariinsky Theater and rehearsing, rehearsing day and night! A smile again touched her lips: it was a dream that could not even be said out loud, because people in her circle could not become professional dancers. But Zoya knew that she had talent, she knew from almost five years old, and classes with Madame Nastova were an extraordinary joy for her. She did not spare herself at rehearsals and in the “class”, secretly hoping that one fine day the great choreographer Fokin would notice her...
Gradually her thoughts turned to her friend - after all, it was to her, to Masha, that the troika was rushing her now. Zoya's father, Konstantin Yusupov, and Emperor Nicholas were second cousins, and her mother Natalya, like Alexandra Feodorovna, was German. She and Masha had everything in common - tastes, passions, interests, and dreams: in childhood they were afraid of the same things, they received joy from the same things... How could she not come to Masha today, even though she promised Mother, why won’t she come to Tsarskoe while everyone there is sick with measles? But Masha feels great, she is completely healthy, and Zoya will not come to the other princesses... The day before, Masha sent her a note where she complained about how sad and bored she was alone - both her sisters and her brother-heir were lying in their own ways. rooms.
The peasants gave way to the troika, going to the side of the road. Fyodor shouted at the crows. As a boy, he was taken into the service of Zoya's grandfather. Only for her sake would he risk incurring the master's wrath and arousing the cold, restrained displeasure of the lady. Zoya, however, promised that no one would know anything about their trip to Tsarskoye. After all, he took her there a thousand times: Zoya visited the Grand Duchesses almost every day. What does it matter if the heir and his sisters have measles? Alexey is still just a boy, and besides, he is in poor health, he is very fragile and sick, as everyone knows. And Zoya is a healthy, strong young lady and so sweet... Fyodor has never seen such a nice girl in his life. And his wife Lyudmila nursed her in infancy. Lyudmila died a year ago from a fever, and this loss was terrible for him, especially since God did not give them children. The only people close to Fedor were his gentlemen.
At the gate, Fyodor reined in the horses, from which steam was pouring out. The snow became thicker. Two Cossacks in tall fur hats and green overcoats approached the sleigh.
They looked menacing - but only until they recognized the coachman and rider. Both Fedor and Zoya were well known to everyone in Tsarskoe Selo. The Cossacks saluted, and the troika, passing the Fedorov Chapel, moved towards the Alexander Palace, which the Empress loved more than others. The august couple visited the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg only on the occasion of a court ball or some kind of solemn ceremony. In May they went to the dacha in Peterhof, spent the summer on the yacht “Polar Star” or in Poland, and in September they always went to Livadia. They often took Zoya with them, and she spent the whole summer with them until classes began at the Smolny Institute. She also liked the Alexander Palace the most, it was her favorite place. She even demanded that her room be covered with wallpaper in exactly the same mauve shade as in the bedroom of the Empress - Aunt Alyx. The mother was surprised at this desire, but still fulfilled it. And Marie always said, when she visited Zoya, that it was as if she had never left Tsarskoe.
Fyodor jumped off the box when two grooms ran up and took the horses by the bridles, and, holding out his hand, helped Zoya get out of the sleigh. The collar of her fur coat was frosted and covered with snow, her cheeks were flushed from the frost and the two-hour race. “I’ll have time to have tea with Marie,” she thought and entered the palace. And Fedor returned to the horses. He had many friends among the royal grooms, to whom he told city news while passing the time while waiting for the young lady.
Having thrown her fur coat into the hands of the maids, Zoya took off her sable hood, and her lush, unusually thick, bright red hair, which invariably attracted everyone's attention when she walked without a hat, as, for example, in the summer in Livadia, spread over her shoulders.
Heir Alexey loved to tease her “redhead” and gently finger those fiery strands. For him, Zoya was a fifth sister: she was only two weeks older than Marie, and from childhood they nurtured the boy, whom both his mother and sisters continued to call Baby, although he was already twelve years old. Now Zoya asked the maids about his health.
“Poor thing, he’s covered in a terrible rash and coughs a lot,” the eldest of them shook her head. - Monsieur Gilliard spent the whole day today at his bedside. And the empress looked after the girls.
Alexey fell ill with measles first and infected Olga, Tatiana and Anastasia. That's why her mother didn't want Zoya to go to Tsarskoe Selo. But Marie is healthy, and in her letter she so plaintively asked Zoya to come. “Please, dear Zoya, come visit me, if only your mother will let you go...”
Zoya, flashing her green eyes, straightened her hair and straightened her heavy woolen dress, which she replaced with the college uniform after the ballet lesson. Then she walked along the endless lobby to the stairs, which would lead her to the well-known door of the spartan furnished room where Masha and Anastasia lived. She passed the office of the Tsar's aide-de-camp, Prince Meshchersky, but he was so immersed in work that he did not notice the girl, who, even in heavy boots, walked past almost silently. A minute later she was already knocking on the door.
Turning the doorknob in one graceful movement, Zoya, her red hair flying ahead as if announcing her arrival, stuck her head through the crack. Marie stood thoughtfully at the window. At the sight of her friend, her blue eyes flashed with joy, and she rushed, arms wide open, towards Zoya.
Masha, I came to save you from boredom!
God bless! Otherwise I almost died of boredom. Everyone, well, everyone just got sick! Even poor Anna has measles. She was placed in a room adjacent to my mother’s chambers. And mom wants to take care of everyone herself. And all day long he either feeds them or gives them water from a spoon, and when they fall asleep, he goes to the wounded. We now have not one infirmary here, but two!.. - She threw her dark brown hair back. Zoya laughed.
The neighboring Catherine Palace had been turned into a hospital since the beginning of the war, and the Empress, wearing a headscarf with a red cross, worked there herself tirelessly and expected the same from her daughters. However, Marie was very burdened by these responsibilities.
It is unbearable! - she continued. - I thought that you wouldn’t come either. Mom will be terribly angry when she finds out that it was I who called you.
The girls, holding hands, crossed the room and sat down by the fireplace. The furnishings in this room, where Maria and Anastasia lived, were the simplest and most unpretentious: iron beds, covered with starched linen, a small table, and on the fireplace - the only decoration: a collection of Easter eggs - malachite, wooden, decorated with skillful painting. In the “nurseries,” as everyone habitually called the rooms of the Grand Duchesses, there was not a hint of the luxury with which the chambers of the Tsar and Tsarina and other apartments of the palace were decorated. An embroidered headscarf was hung on the back of one of the two chairs - it was the work of the queen's closest friend, maid of honor Anna Vyrubova, the same one that Masha had just mentioned. It was this closeness that led to Anna contracting measles and falling ill. The girls smiled with some superiority - they were both healthy.
Are you feeling well? - asked Zoya, who seemed even slimmer and more graceful in the thick woolen dress she wore for the trip. She was shorter and petite than Marie, who was considered the most beautiful in the family. She inherited her father's blue eyes and his charm. Jewelry and outfits were her weakness, unlike her sisters, who were almost indifferent to them: in this she agreed with Zoya and could spend hours discussing the clothes of familiar ladies and trying on hats and jewelry of Countess Natalya Yusupova.
The trio rushed across the snowy plain. Zoya closed her eyes, surrendering with her whole being to this rapid movement: the ringing of bells sounded like heavenly music in her ears, the fluffy snow seemed to kiss her flushed cheeks. At seventeen, she felt completely grown up and at the same time experienced childish delight when Fyodor whipped up the sleek black crows and they raced even faster.
A village had already flashed past, and then two twin palaces at the entrance to Tsarskoye Selo appeared and began to approach. Zoya smiled at them and pulled the fur mitten off her left hand to look at her watch. She promised her mother that she would definitely be home for dinner and she would fulfill her promise unless... unless she and Masha started chatting, and that was quite likely. Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna, Marie, Mashka, was her best friend, more than a friend - a sister.
Fyodor, turning around from the box, smiled at her, and she laughed loudly with joy. What a wonderful day it is today! She had always loved ballet: the satin slippers were still lying next to her on the seat. Yes, from early childhood she wanted to dance, and more than once she secretly confessed to Masha that she dreamed of running away from home, entering the Mariinsky Theater and rehearsing, rehearsing day and night! A smile again touched her lips: it was a dream that could not even be said out loud, because people in her circle could not become professional dancers. But Zoya knew that she had talent, she knew from almost five years old, and classes with Madame Nastova were an extraordinary joy for her. She did not spare herself at rehearsals and in the “class”, secretly hoping that one fine day the great choreographer Fokin would notice her...
Gradually her thoughts turned to her friend - after all, it was to her, to Masha, that the troika was rushing her now. Zoya's father, Konstantin Yusupov, and Emperor Nicholas were second cousins, and her mother Natalya, like Alexandra Feodorovna, was German. She and Masha had everything in common - tastes, passions, interests, and dreams: in childhood they were afraid of the same things, they got joy from the same things... How could she not come to Masha today, even though and promised her mother that she would not go to Tsarskoe while everyone there was sick with measles? But Masha feels great, she is completely healthy, and Zoya will not come to the other princesses... The day before, Masha sent her a note where she complained about how sad and bored she was alone - both her sisters and her brother-heir were lying to their rooms.
The peasants gave way to the troika, going to the side of the road. Fyodor shouted at the crows. As a boy, he was taken into the service of Zoya's grandfather. Only for her would he risk incurring the master's wrath and arousing the cold, restrained displeasure of the lady. Zoya, however, promised that no one would know anything about their trip to Tsarskoye. After all, he took her there a thousand times: Zoya visited the Grand Duchesses almost every day. What does it matter if the heir and his sisters have measles? Alexey is still just a boy, and besides, he is in poor health, he is very fragile and sick, as everyone knows. And Zoya is a healthy, strong young lady and so sweet... Fyodor has never seen such a nice girl in his life. And his wife Lyudmila nursed her in infancy. Lyudmila died a year ago from a fever, and this loss was terrible for him, especially since God did not give them children. The only people close to Fedor were his gentlemen.
At the gate, Fyodor reined in the horses, from which steam was pouring out. The snow became thicker. Two Cossacks in tall fur hats and green overcoats approached the sleigh. They looked menacing - but only until they recognized the coachman and rider. Both Fedor and Zoya were well known to everyone in Tsarskoe Selo. The Cossacks saluted, and the troika, passing the Fedorov Chapel, moved towards the Alexander Palace, which the Empress loved more than others. The august couple visited the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg only on the occasion of a court ball or some kind of solemn ceremony. In May they went to the dacha in Peterhof, spent the summer on the yacht “Polar Star” or in Poland, and in September they always went to Livadia. They often took Zoya with them, and she spent the whole summer with them until classes began at the Smolny Institute. She also liked the Alexander Palace the most, it was her favorite place. She even demanded that her room be covered with wallpaper in exactly the same mauve shade as in the bedroom of the Empress, Aunt Alix. The mother was surprised by this desire, but still fulfilled it. And Marie always said, when she visited Zoya, that it was as if she had never left Tsarskoye.
Fyodor jumped off the box when two grooms ran up and took the horses by the bridles, and, holding out his hand, helped Zoya get out of the sleigh. The collar of her fur coat was frosted and covered with snow, her cheeks were flushed from the frost and the two-hour race. “I’ll have time to have tea with Marie,” she thought and entered the palace. And Fedor returned to the horses. Among the royal grooms he had many friends, to whom he told city news while passing the time while waiting for the young lady.
Having thrown her fur coat into the hands of the maids, Zoya took off her sable hood, and her lush, unusually thick, bright red hair, which invariably attracted everyone's attention when she walked without a hat, as, for example, in the summer in Livadia, spread over her shoulders. Heir Alexey loved to tease her “redhead” and gently finger those fiery strands. For him, Zoya was a fifth sister: she was only two weeks older than Marie, and from childhood they nurtured the boy, whom both his mother and sisters continued to call Baby, although he was already twelve years old. Now Zoya asked the maids about his health.
“Poor thing, he’s covered in a terrible rash and coughs a lot,” the eldest of them shook her head. “Monsieur Gilliard spent the whole day today at his bedside. And the empress looked after the girls.
Alexey fell ill with measles first and infected Olga, Tatiana and Anastasia. That's why her mother didn't want Zoya to go to Tsarskoye Selo. But Marie is healthy, and in her letter she so plaintively asked Zoya to come. “Please, dear Zoya, come visit me, if only your mother will let you go...”
Zoya, flashing her green eyes, straightened her hair and straightened her heavy woolen dress, which she replaced with the college uniform after the ballet lesson. Then she walked along the endless lobby to the stairs, which would lead her to the well-known door of the spartan furnished room where Masha and Anastasia lived. She passed the office of the Tsar's aide-de-camp, Prince Meshchersky, but he was so immersed in work that he did not notice the girl, who, even in heavy boots, walked past almost silently. A minute later she was already knocking on the door.
Turning the doorknob in one graceful motion, Zoe, her red hair flying ahead as if announcing her arrival, stuck her head through the crack. Marie stood thoughtfully at the window. At the sight of her friend, her blue eyes flashed with joy, and she rushed, arms wide open, towards Zoya.
- Masha, I came to save you from boredom!
- God bless! Otherwise I almost died of boredom. Everyone, well, everyone just got sick! Even poor Anna has measles. She was placed in a room adjacent to my mother’s chambers. And mom wants to take care of everyone herself. And all day long he either feeds them or gives them water from a spoon, and when they fall asleep, he goes to the wounded. Now we have not one infirmary here, but two!.. - She threw her dark brown hair back. Zoya laughed.
The neighboring Catherine Palace had been turned into a hospital since the beginning of the war, and the Empress, wearing a headscarf with a red cross, worked there herself tirelessly and expected the same from her daughters. However, Marie was very burdened by these responsibilities.
- It is unbearable! – she continued. “I thought you wouldn’t come either.” Mom will be terribly angry when she finds out that it was I who called you.
The girls, holding hands, crossed the room and sat down by the fireplace. The furnishings in this room, where Maria and Anastasia lived, were the simplest and most unpretentious: iron beds, covered with starched linen, a small table, and on the fireplace - the only decoration: a collection of Easter eggs - malachite, wooden, decorated with skillful painting. In the “nurseries,” as everyone habitually called the rooms of the Grand Duchesses, there was not a hint of the luxury with which the chambers of the Tsar and Tsarina and other apartments of the palace were decorated. An embroidered headscarf was hung on the back of one of the two chairs - it was the work of the queen's closest friend, maid of honor Anna Vyrubova, the same one that Masha had just mentioned. It was this closeness that led to Anna contracting measles and falling ill. The girls smiled with some superiority - they were both healthy.
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Description
The books of the popular American writer are known to readers all over the world. The novel “Zoya” is especially interesting to Russian readers. Its heroine is Princess Zoya Yusupova, a distant relative of the last Russian Tsar Nicholas II. A brilliant fate awaited the young princess - in Russia her surname and beauty opened any doors. But everything collapsed overnight. Once abroad, Zoya rushes about in search of work, human warmth, and love. Her life had everything - the capital of the world Paris with its temptations and charm, the symbol of success and prosperity - New York, there were losses and gains and great love, the light of which illuminates her whole life...
Zoe Danielle Steele
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Title: Zoya
About the book “Zoe” by Danielle Steele
The story about the fate of the Russian aristocrat Zoya Yusupova. A brilliant future or a hopeless existence - what awaits the young princess from Russia in exile?
Danielle Steele is the author of many bestselling novels. Over 550 million books sold! More than 20 of her works have been filmed. The novel “Zoya” is one of them. The film of the same name, directed by Richard Call, was released in 1995. And it immediately became popular, just like the book.
The main character is Zoya Konstantinovna Yusupova - a countess, heir to a rich and noble family, niece of the Russian Emperor Nicholas. Revolutionary events in Tsarist Russia took away her parents, home, and wealth. Position in society. The girl decides to flee to the capital of France, Paris. Life abroad turns out to be completely different from what you dreamed of. Alien to everyone, without means of livelihood, lonely and forgotten. Will the poor countess be able to find her happiness in a foreign land? The reader will find all the answers in the book “Zoya”.
Note that the main character of the novel is fictional, there are no historical facts and no archival documents have been preserved confirming the existence of Zoya Yusupova. Nevertheless, the Yusupov family is quite noble and popular. The famous family was one of the most prosperous in Russia and rivaled in wealth and nobility only with the imperial family of the Romanovs. That is why Danielle Steel connected her character with this family.
In the work “Zoya” the author showed all her skill, a special style by which now readers always recognize the master’s pen. Family values, memories from the past, tragic and sad fates of the main characters, beautiful love are a prerequisite for all Danielle Steele's novels.
The language of the narration is light and relaxed, the plot is captivating from the first pages and intriguing. The fate of the heroine is unusual and complex. Using her example, you can learn to look at the world with different eyes, appreciate what you have, not be afraid to take risks, believe and love, love, love... Those who are especially sentimental may even cry!
Reading the book “Zoe”, you will definitely want to quickly find out how this life story will end. We guarantee you will love the ending! And after reading, be sure to watch the movie. Compare your imagination with the imagination of the filmmakers. What do the main characters look like and how do the events unfold? Exactly how you imagined them? It will be interesting!
On our website about books lifeinbooks.net you can download for free without registration or read online the book “Zoe” by Danielle Steele in epub, fb2, txt, rtf, pdf formats for iPad, iPhone, Android and Kindle. The book will give you a lot of pleasant moments and real pleasure from reading. You can buy the full version from our partner. Also, here you will find the latest news from the literary world, learn the biography of your favorite authors. For beginning writers, there is a separate section with useful tips and tricks, interesting articles, thanks to which you yourself can try your hand at literary crafts.
Chapter 1
The trio rushed across the snowy plain. Zoya closed her eyes, surrendering with her whole being to this rapid movement: the ringing of bells sounded like heavenly music in her ears, the fluffy snow seemed to kiss her flushed cheeks. At seventeen, she felt completely grown up and at the same time experienced childish delight when Fyodor whipped up the sleek black crows and they raced even faster.
A village had already flashed past, and then two twin palaces at the entrance to Tsarskoye Selo appeared and began to approach. Zoya smiled at them and pulled the fur mitten off her left hand to look at her watch. She promised her mother that she would definitely be home for dinner and she would fulfill her promise unless... unless she and Masha started chatting, and that was quite likely. Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna, Marie, Mashka, was her best friend, more than a friend - a sister.
Fyodor, turning around from the box, smiled at her, and she laughed loudly with joy. What a wonderful day it is today! She had always loved ballet: the satin slippers were still lying next to her on the seat. Yes, from early childhood she wanted to dance, and more than once she secretly confessed to Masha that she dreamed of running away from home, entering the Mariinsky Theater and rehearsing, rehearsing day and night! A smile again touched her lips: it was a dream that could not even be said out loud, because people in her circle could not become professional dancers. But Zoya knew that she had talent, she knew from almost five years old, and classes with Madame Nastova were an extraordinary joy for her. She did not spare herself at rehearsals and in the “class”, secretly hoping that one fine day the great choreographer Fokin would notice her...
Gradually her thoughts turned to her friend - after all, it was to her, to Masha, that the troika was rushing her now. Zoya's father, Konstantin Yusupov, and Emperor Nicholas were second cousins, and her mother Natalya, like Alexandra Feodorovna, was German. She and Masha had everything in common - tastes, passions, interests, and dreams: in childhood they were afraid of the same things, they got joy from the same things... How could she not come to Masha today, even though and promised her mother that she would not go to Tsarskoe while everyone there was sick with measles? But Masha feels great, she is completely healthy, and Zoya will not come to the other princesses... The day before, Masha sent her a note where she complained about how sad and bored she was alone - both her sisters and her brother-heir were lying to their rooms.
The peasants gave way to the troika, going to the side of the road. Fyodor shouted at the crows. As a boy, he was taken into the service of Zoya's grandfather. Only for her would he risk incurring the master's wrath and arousing the cold, restrained displeasure of the lady. Zoya, however, promised that no one would know anything about their trip to Tsarskoye. After all, he took her there a thousand times: Zoya visited the Grand Duchesses almost every day. What does it matter if the heir and his sisters have measles? Alexey is still just a boy, and besides, he is in poor health, he is very fragile and sick, as everyone knows.
And Zoya is a healthy, strong young lady and so sweet... Fyodor had never seen such a nice girl in his life. And his wife Lyudmila nursed her in infancy. Lyudmila died a year ago from a fever, and this loss was terrible for him, especially since God did not give them children. The only people close to Fedor were his gentlemen.
At the gate, Fyodor reined in the horses, from which steam was pouring out. The snow became thicker. Two Cossacks in tall fur hats and green overcoats approached the sleigh. They looked menacing - but only until they recognized the coachman and rider. Both Fedor and Zoya were well known to everyone in Tsarskoe Selo. The Cossacks saluted, and the troika, passing the Fedorov Chapel, moved towards the Alexander Palace, which the Empress loved more than others. The august couple visited the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg only on the occasion of a court ball or some kind of solemn ceremony. In May they went to the dacha in Peterhof, spent the summer on the yacht “Polar Star” or in Poland, and in September they always went to Livadia. They often took Zoya with them, and she spent the whole summer with them until classes began at the Smolny Institute. She also liked the Alexander Palace the most, it was her favorite place. She even demanded that her room be covered with wallpaper in exactly the same mauve shade as in the bedroom of the Empress, Aunt Alix. The mother was surprised by this desire, but still fulfilled it. And Marie always said, when she visited Zoya, that it was as if she had never left Tsarskoye.
Fyodor jumped off the box when two grooms ran up and took the horses by the bridles, and, holding out his hand, helped Zoya get out of the sleigh. The collar of her fur coat was frosted and covered with snow, her cheeks were flushed from the frost and the two-hour race. “I’ll have time to have tea with Marie,” she thought and entered the palace. And Fedor returned to the horses. Among the royal grooms he had many friends, to whom he told city news while passing the time while waiting for the young lady.
Having thrown her fur coat into the hands of the maids, Zoya took off her sable hood, and her lush, unusually thick, bright red hair, which invariably attracted everyone's attention when she walked without a hat, as, for example, in the summer in Livadia, spread over her shoulders. Heir Alexey loved to tease her “redhead” and gently finger those fiery strands. For him, Zoya was a fifth sister: she was only two weeks older than Marie, and from childhood they nurtured the boy, whom both his mother and sisters continued to call Baby, although he was already twelve years old. Now Zoya asked the maids about his health.
“Poor thing, he’s covered in a terrible rash and coughs a lot,” the eldest of them shook her head. “Monsieur Gilliard spent the whole day today at his bedside. And the empress looked after the girls.
Alexey fell ill with measles first and infected Olga, Tatiana and Anastasia. That's why her mother didn't want Zoya to go to Tsarskoye Selo. But Marie is healthy, and in her letter she so plaintively asked Zoya to come. “Please, dear Zoya, come visit me, if only your mother will let you go...”
Zoya, flashing her green eyes, straightened her hair and straightened her heavy woolen dress, which she replaced with the college uniform after the ballet lesson. Then she walked along the endless lobby to the stairs, which would lead her to the well-known door of the spartan furnished room where Masha and Anastasia lived. She passed the office of the Tsar's aide-de-camp, Prince Meshchersky, but he was so immersed in work that he did not notice the girl, who, even in heavy boots, walked past almost silently. A minute later she was already knocking on the door.
Turning the doorknob in one graceful motion, Zoe, her red hair flying ahead as if announcing her arrival, stuck her head through the crack. Marie stood thoughtfully at the window. At the sight of her friend, her blue eyes flashed with joy, and she rushed, arms wide open, towards Zoya.
- Masha, I came to save you from boredom!
- God bless! Otherwise I almost died of boredom. Everyone, well, everyone just got sick! Even poor Anna has measles. She was placed in a room adjacent to my mother’s chambers. And mom wants to take care of everyone herself. And all day long he either feeds them or gives them water from a spoon, and when they fall asleep, he goes to the wounded. Now we have not one infirmary here, but two!.. - She threw her dark brown hair back. Zoya laughed.
The neighboring Catherine Palace had been turned into a hospital since the beginning of the war, and the Empress, wearing a headscarf with a red cross, worked there herself tirelessly and expected the same from her daughters. However, Marie was very burdened by these responsibilities.
- It is unbearable! – she continued. “I thought you wouldn’t come either.” Mom will be terribly angry when she finds out that it was I who called you.
The girls, holding hands, crossed the room and sat down by the fireplace. The furnishings in this room, where Maria and Anastasia lived, were the simplest and most unpretentious: iron beds, covered with starched linen, a small table, and on the fireplace - the only decoration: a collection of Easter eggs - malachite, wooden, decorated with skillful painting. In the “nurseries,” as everyone habitually called the rooms of the Grand Duchesses, there was not a hint of the luxury with which the chambers of the Tsar and Tsarina and other apartments of the palace were decorated. An embroidered headscarf was hung on the back of one of the two chairs - it was the work of the queen's closest friend, maid of honor Anna Vyrubova, the same one that Masha had just mentioned. It was this closeness that led to Anna contracting measles and falling ill. The girls smiled with some superiority - they were both healthy.
– Are you feeling well? – asked Zoya, who seemed even slimmer and more graceful in the thick woolen dress she wore for the trip. She was shorter and petite than Marie, who was considered the most beautiful in the family. She inherited her father's blue eyes and his charm. Jewelry and outfits were her weakness, unlike her sisters, who were almost indifferent to them: in this she agreed with Zoya and could spend hours discussing the clothes of familiar ladies and trying on hats and jewelry of Countess Natalya Yusupova.
“Wonderful,” answered Marie, “the only pity is that it won’t be possible to go with Olga to Petrograd.” “According to a long-standing tradition, their aunt, Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna, would pick up the children and take them to dinner with their grandmother in Anichkov Palace or to visit one of their close friends.
“I knew it,” Zoya said sadly, “but I really wanted to show you my new dress: my grandmother brought it from Paris.”
Zoya's grandmother, Countess Evgenia Petrovna, was a very remarkable woman. At eighty-one, she managed to maintain both the grace of her slender figure and the youthful sparkle of her green eyes. Everyone found that Zoya was the spitting image of Evgenia Petrovna in her youth. Zoya's mother was a tall, thin, languid beauty with ash-blond hair and gray-blue eyes. She belonged to the type of people who strive to hide from the world around them, to hide from it, and Zoya’s father, helping her in this, treated her like a fragile and sickly child. And Zoya herself was energy embodied, her strength overwhelmed her.
“Pink satin,” she continued enthusiastically, “woven with pearls, can you imagine?” I really wanted to show it to you!
They discussed their outfits like children discussed their teddy bears. Marie clasped her hands in admiration:
– I can’t wait to look at him! Well, everything will probably be fine next week. And we will come to you. In the meantime, I’ll draw something for you - you’ll hang the drawing on the wall in your terrible room.
- Don't you dare scold my room. It's almost as cozy there as in Aunt Alix's boudoir. - And they both laughed.
At that moment, the cocker spaniel Joy ran into the room and began to fawn over Zoya, and she, warming her frozen hands by the fire, told Marie about her institute friends. The Grand Duchess, who lived almost as a recluse, seeing no one except her brother, sisters, tutor Monsieur Gilliard and Mr. Gibbs, who taught them English, loved listening to these stories.
“At least it’s good that classes have been cancelled: Gilliard is sitting with Baby, and I haven’t seen Gibbs for a week: he’s afraid of contracting measles.”
The girls laughed again. Marie began to comb Zoya’s thick, bright red mane of hair: this had been their favorite pastime since childhood, during which they chatted about the capital’s news. However, since the beginning of the war, the social life of Petrograd no longer seethed with the same intensity; even the Yusupovs, to Zoya’s unspeakable chagrin, now gave almost no balls or held receptions. The girl always liked the crowd of guests - men in multi-colored uniforms, women in evening dresses and jewelry. She told Marie about who was courting whom, who shone with beauty and who was “not in the face,” who was wearing the most dazzling necklace. It was a world that had no equal anywhere - the world of Imperial Russia. And Zoya, who bore the title of count and was related to the sovereign himself, felt like the center of this world, enjoying its splendor and luxury by right of birth. She herself lived in a palace built like a smaller copy of Anichkov, she communicated daily with representatives of the most prominent families of the Russian nobility, with people who made history - and did not see anything special about it.
“Joy is so happy now,” she said, pointing to the dog fussing near their feet. - Cute puppies?
“Very cute,” Marie answered, smiling to herself for something. - Well, wait... - She let go of the braided braid from her hands and ran to her desk. Zoya thought that she would take a letter or photograph of the heir out of the box, but Marie found a small bottle in her hands, which she proudly handed to her friend.
- What is this?
- This is for you! “And she kissed Zoya on the cheek while she turned the bottle in her hands with admiration.
- Masha! Can't be! Really?..” She unscrewed the cap and inhaled the aroma through her nostrils. - It's them? Yes?! – This was indeed Marie’s favorite perfume, which Zoya had been begging from her for several months. -Where did you get them?
– Lily brought them to me from Paris. I remember: you liked them. And I still have some left in the bottle that my mother gave me.
Zoya closed her eyes and sniffed again. How childishly innocent, how simple and ingenuous were the pleasures of these girls - long walks in Livadia in the summer or games on a yacht gliding along the fiords!.. Even the war could not disturb the serenity of this life, although sometimes it was discussed. A few steps from here, in the Catherine Palace, lay wounded, crippled people. How cruelly fate treated them, which, however, did not spare the heir to the throne. His incurable illness, which constantly threatened his life, was also sometimes discussed by the girls, but in a completely different, serious and strict tone. With the exception of a very narrow circle of close associates, almost no one in Russia knew that Alexey suffered from a cruel hereditary disease - hemophilia.
- How is he? – Zoya asked. “I want to say: measles will not affect... on...” Her eyes were full of anxiety, and she even put down the bottle of coveted perfume.
“No,” Marie reassured her. – Mom says that Olga’s condition worries her more.
Olga was four years older than Marie. This already quite grown-up girl was distinguished, unlike Marie and Zoe, by extraordinary shyness.
“It was so good in class today,” Zoya said with a sigh. - Oh, how I wish...
- Well? – Marie interrupted her with a laugh, knowing by heart all her friend’s secret dreams. – To be “discovered” by Diaghilev?
Both laughed, but the light that flashed in Zoya’s eyes at the mention of this name flared up brighter. She was generally bright - dazzling hair, shining eyes, swiftly smooth movements. For all her apparent fragility, Zoya was full of strength and energy, ready to burst over the edge at any moment. Her very name meant “life” in Greek, and this blossoming young woman could not have been better named.
“Yes...” she admitted. “And Madame Nastova praised me very much.”
The girls looked at each other and thought about the same thing - Matilda Kshesinskaya, the dancer who was Nikolai’s lover before he met Alix, came to mind for both. This topic was taboo; the ballerina’s name was spoken only in a whisper when there were no adults around. Once Zoya mentioned Kshesinskaya to her mother - she was horrified and strictly forbade her daughter to even think about such an unsuitable subject for a young lady as the sovereign’s old hobby. Grandmother was not so stern and once casually noted that Kshesinskaya was a first-class ballerina.
– Are you still thinking about entering the Mariinsky? – Marie asked, although Zoya had not told her about her childhood dream for several years.
Marie knew that Zoe’s path to the stage was closed: in due course she would get married, have children, and become a high-society lady like her mother. There can be no talk of any ballet school. But on this February day, it’s so nice to dream about the impossible over tea - it amuses and pleases, like the fuss of the cocker spaniel Joy under the table. Life is beautiful, even despite the measles that destroyed almost the entire august family. Chatting with her friend, Marie could forget, at least for a while, about the responsibility she had. Sometimes she would like to be as free as Zoya. She knew very well that pretty soon her parents would tell her the name of her fiancé... But first, her two older sisters would get married, but for now... for now, you can look at the fire and think what he will be like, this betrothed of hers, and whether she will love his...
The logs crackled and snowflakes slowly swirled outside the window. It was getting dark.
- Masha? What are you thinking about? – Zoya’s voice brought her back to reality, having completely forgotten that she had promised to be home by dinner. “You suddenly became so serious.” “And in fact, when Marie was not laughing, a very concentrated expression appeared on her face, although her bright blue eyes continued to emit a lively and warm light, which the eyes of her crowned mother were deprived of.
- Yes, so... Some stupid things come into my head. “She smiled softly at her friend. Both of them were soon to turn eighteen years old, and the thought of marriage involuntarily visited both of them. “I was thinking about who you and I would marry.” Not now, of course, but when the war ends.
– I sometimes think about this myself. Grandmother says that this is in the order of things and that I am “a young lady of marriageable age.” And she also says that Prince Orlov is a wonderful match for me. “She laughed and shook her head so that her hair flew out. - And you... who will you marry? Who is your “he”?
- Don't know. First, Olga and Tatyana will be extradited, and Tatyana is so reasonable and sedate, in my opinion, she doesn’t want to get married. “She was closest to her mother and, perhaps, would like to devote herself to her family, never leaving her home.” - It would be nice to have children.
- How many? – Zoya asked teasingly.
“At least five people,” answered Marie: there were just five children in her family.
- And I want six! – Zoya stated with conviction. - Three boys and three girls.
- And all are red! – Marie laughed and, leaning over the table, gently stroked her friend’s cheek. – How I love you, Zoya!
Zoya pressed her lips to her hand like a child.
- How I wish you were my sister! “But she had an older brother who teased her mercilessly, most often about her red hair. He himself had dark brown hair, like his father, but his eyes were also green. This twenty-three-year-old officer inherited Konstantin Yusupov's quiet strength and dignity.
– How is Nikolai doing?
- Unbearable, as always. Mom is terribly glad that his regiment is in Petrograd, and not somewhere in the active army...
At that moment the door slowly opened and a tall woman silently entered the room. The girls were so carried away by the conversation that they didn’t even notice her appearance. A large gray cat came in behind her and also froze on the threshold.
“Hello, girls,” the woman smiled. It was Alexandra Fedorovna.
Zoya and Marie hastily stood up. Zoya ran up to kiss her, not being afraid of getting infected: Alix had measles several years ago.
- Aunt Alix! How are they feeling?
The Empress, hugging Zoya with a tired smile, replied:
- Not too good, my friend. And the worst of all is poor Anna. And how are you? I hope you are healthy?
- Yes, thank you. – Zoya suddenly flushed. Like all redheads, she blushed very easily and was embarrassed about it.
- How did your mother let you come to us? - said the queen, knowing that Countess Yusupova was mortally afraid of infection. Zoya blushed even deeper, which indicated that she had come to Tsarskoe without any permission. Alix smiled and shook her finger at her: “Well, you’ll get it.” Why are you going to lie to her this time? Where are you now?
Zoya smiled guiltily:
– In the “class”, I studied with Madame Nastova longer than usual.
- It's clear. Of course, it’s bad to lie, but we’re good ourselves: how could it be possible to separate you and Marie for so long?! “She turned to her daughter: “Have you already given Zoya our gift?” – She smiled again. Fatigue made this usually reserved woman softer and more complacent.
- Well, of course! – Zoya exclaimed, pointing to the table where the bottle of “Lila” stood. - These are my favorites!
The queen looked questioningly into her daughter's eyes, and she, giggling, jumped out of the room.
– How is Uncle Nika’s health? – Zoya inquired politely.
“He’s healthy, but, you know, we hardly saw each other.” Poor! I came from the army to rest, but found myself in quarantine: everyone had measles.
At that moment Marie returned, clutching something wrapped in a blanket to her chest. There was a thin squeaking sound, as if there was a bird there, and then a brown and white muzzle with long silky ears poked out of the blanket. The onyx-colored eyes sparkled merrily.
- Oh, how lovely! - Zoya screamed. – I haven’t seen the puppies for several weeks! “She extended her hand to him, and the puppy immediately began to lick it.
“This is a girl, her name is Sava,” Marie said proudly, admiring her admiring friend. “Mom and I want to give it to you.” - And she handed her the puppy.
- To me?! Oh, bo... But what am I... - “What am I going to tell my mother,” she almost burst out, but, afraid of losing the gift, she bit her tongue. The Empress understood everything anyway.
- Oh, but Natalya doesn’t seem to like dogs very much... I completely forgot... She’ll probably be angry with me?
– No, no, no, quite the opposite! – Zoya thought up as she went, taking the puppy in her arms, who was licking her nose and cheeks. Zoe pulled her head back until he reached her hair. - How wonderful she is! Is this really for me?
