Her Russian Hero (International Romance Series) (31 page)

* * * * *

Colonel Nicouvitch was waiting
for him in his office. “
Dobroye
deen
,
Generalle
. Yelena
cooked stuffed cabbage today, your favorite. She wants you to come for dinner.
Here, she packed a sandwich and her famous brioche for you.”

“Give her a big hug for me. I
will come but I may be gloomy company tonight.” He frowned and his lips
stretched with bitterness.

The colonel settled in a chair
and stretched his long legs in front of him. “Did you hear from our Minister of
Defense or from the Vice-President?”

“I left a message at the VP’s
office requesting an appointment and I forced the door of Minister Anatov.”

Sergei related his visit. “I
managed to stop the printing of the pictures taken last night in front of
Cecile’s room and during the fight in the hotel lobby.” He sighed. “Not a big
achievement but it gives us time to plan a strategic approach and solve this
problem.”

“My
Generalle
, you have had
ample opportunities to eliminate Roussov in the past. You’ve never seized
them.”

Sergei stared blankly at the
wall. “I couldn’t. Sofya’s death tied my hands. I wasn’t present when she died.
I couldn’t destroy her father.”

The colonel bolted out of his chair.
“Sergei, stop feeling guilty. It wasn’t your choice to stay away from her. We
were in the middle of a war. You couldn’t desert your position and run to her
side. Roussov was here in Minsk. He never went to see her. What kind of father
resents his daughter until death?” He waggled a finger. “Stop him before he
hurts more people. He has already tried his dirty tricks on Cecile.”

Sergei’s chair scrapped on the
hardwood as he stood and faced his colonel with anger. “Dr. Lornier is a strong
woman who can take care of herself. She never asked for my help.”

“You’re unfair, Sergei.” Nicolai
sent him a pointed look and shook his head.

“Don’t tell me you’ve defected to
her camp, Colonel Nicouvitch?” Sergei bellowed unable to prevent his resentment
from clouding his judgment. He heaved a deep breath and bit ferociously into
the sandwich Yelena had sent him.

“
Generalle
, justice will
prevail. You are our
Major
Generalle
and only you have enough
dedication to save our country,” the colonel declared with excitement.

Sergei threw him a disillusioned
look and attacked his brioche. “Any vodka to clear my head?”

“Here. Enjoy. I am going back to
my office. I called a meeting with a dozen colonels. I need to round up their
support for you. If nothing else works, tomorrow, we will rally in front of the
Ministry to protest in your favor.”

The phone rang. It was the
Vice-President’s office confirming an appointment for the next day.

* * * * *

The van parked in front of the
Vice-President’s residence. The Second Lady bit her lip and allowed her
forehead to wrinkle into a hint of a frown. “
Sissyl
, you should talk to
my husband. He may listen to you because of his respect for the
Major
Generalle
. And of course, because he dislikes Roussov. Come with me
inside.”

Cecile followed the sinuous siren
up the marble stairs leading to the front door. The guard rang the bell to
announce their arrival and immediately opened the door. Inside the parlor, an
antique console, needlepoint French chairs, carved tables and Oriental rugs spoke
more of the czars’ fabulous era than the simplicity of communism.

Her hostess must have noticed
Cecile’s surprised admiration. She smiled with proud satisfaction. “I
redecorated the whole mansion and changed the furniture. It was horrible when I
moved in, two years ago. My husband gave me carte blanche.” She bent toward
Cecile’s ear. “Even the First Lady is jealous of my house,” she whispered in a
confidential tone.

Natalia Galinova gave an order to
a maid and ushered her guest to a sumptuously decorated side room. They sat
next to each other on a gold silk sofa. Cecile was done admiring the
overwhelming décor. She forced a smile. “Everything is so beautiful here.” Her
leg bobbled in a nervous tap. She glanced impatiently at the grandfather clock.
Already four in the afternoon. She prayed she could visit the Minister of
Defense before the release of the pictures.

For heaven’s sake, call your
husband
. A wave of nausea gripped her stomach. Her general was in trouble, his
future collapsing and her dreams shattering and here she was listening to the
inanities proffered by this witless doll.

“Here is my husband.” Natalia
went to kiss the tall skinny man on the cheek and looped her arm in his. Cecile
tried to repress a loud breath of relief.

Natalia spoke in English. “My
darling, this is
Sissyl
Lornier, the great woman who refurbished the
Belchem Lab to help the fight against cancer. She just told me her wonderful
news.” Cecile realized she’d misjudged her. The woman was a born manipulator.
“Darling, imagine, the
Major
Generalle
has asked her to marry
him.
Sissyl
will stay in Minsk and work for his cause.” She grabbed
Cecile’s hand and extended her fingers under her husband’s nose. “Look at the
beautiful ring he gave her.”

The stern man listened without
betraying any emotion. Cecile wondered if he even paid attention to his pretty
wife’s babbling. Then she noticed the thin line of his lips stretching into an
imperceptible smile. “Hmm,
Generalle
Fedorin finally hooked.”

Without releasing his wife, he
bowed to Cecile. “Miss Lornier, I am pleased to meet you. I read in today’s
newspaper an account of your excellence performance at Belchem.”

He threw a lopsided glimpse at
his wife. “My darling, remind me to congratulate the
Major Generalle
on
his excellent choice. A beautiful and intelligent woman like Miss Lornier would
be a perfect wife for this great hero. In fact, I will see him tomorrow. He
asked to meet with me.”

Deciding not to waste any more
time, Cecile took the bull by the horns. “Mr. Vice-President, my fiancé has a
lot of respect for you.” She crossed her fingers behind her back.
I hope my
bullshit rings true
. “As you know, he’s a man who fights his own battles.
Unfortunately, last night after a fantastic day and a fun evening, the general
got very upset at some reporters for taking undesired pictures of me. He hit
them.”

She waited, holding her breath
for the man’s reaction. He didn’t flinch. Natalia batted her mascara-shining
lashes and jerked her shoulders in a big shiver. “This is so romantic.
Remember, darling, the fabulous punch you gave the drunken officer who ogled me
the first year we were married?”

“Miss Lornier, we understand the
Major
Generalle
’s motive. Is there more to your story?” He peered at her. She
realized the Vice-President had earned his high-power position.

“Yes, sir. And I take full
responsibility for it. Just before Sergei was accosted by the reporters and
their cameras, I asked him to spare me the trouble and fatigue of running
downstairs to pay the restaurant for the reception.”

“And…” the Vice-President asked,
his impatience becoming visible.

“And I gave him an envelope with
a lot of money to cover the expenses for the reception.” Cecile couldn’t get
herself to confess the crucial detail.

The Vice-President eyed her with
an icy look that pulverized her hopes. “I hope you haven’t given him an
envelope full of dollars?”

She swallowed hard and stared at
the unsympathetic politician, a lump in her throat preventing her from uttering
a single word.

His mouth pursed into a disgusted
line as he lost his apparent indifference and glared at her. “It takes years
for a hero to build and maintain a glorious reputation and five minutes for a
woman to destroy it.”

Her eyes welled with tears. “It’s
my fault,” she mumbled.

“Oh, I believe you, my dear. I
believe you.” He hissed with scorn. “I know Fedorin better than you think. He
would never betray his country or break a rule. It takes the negligent
foolishness of a woman to bring him down. If only you’d have warned him that
the envelope contained foreign currency.”

Cecile didn’t specify she did
warn Sergei but he was too incensed to listen. So far, the Vice-President was
irked by her revelation and the fall of a favorite hero. She waited for him to
suggest his contribution to help Sergei.

Natalia listened in silence. She
nudged her husband. “My darling,
Sissyl
has told me
Generalle
Roussov was present and his National Security guards attacked the
Major
Generalle
.”

“Is it true?”

Cecile nodded.

The Vice-President disentangled
himself from his wife’s loving arm and marched to the old-fashioned onyx
telephone. “I will talk to Minister Anatov and will demand an explanation. I
want to know why his
Generalle
s are washing their dirty laundry in
public and rattling our establishment.” He settled in a chair and talked in
Russian for fifteen minutes.

Natalia tried to reassure Cecile
and distract her with details of her husband’s powerful achievements. A maid in
a black dress and white apron entered carrying a tray of tea and cake. Cecile
gratefully accepted a cup of tea but was unable to swallow a bite of the orange
cake. As long as the Vice-President supported Sergei and discussed his case
with the Minister of Defense, there was nothing else she could do.

At that moment, a butler
announced the Minister of Environment. Natalia’s husband put back the receiver
in its cradle and stood, his arm extended for a handshake. Minister Letovin
stopped in his tracks and gawked at Cecile. “Dr. Lornier, how…how do you manage
to be here?”

Natalia dazzled him with a smile
and answered for her. “
Sissyl
is a good friend and we are trying to help
Generalle
Fedorin.”

The Minister of Environment shook
his head. “Wait until my wife hears about this one.”

The Vice-President rolled his
eyes. “Women,” he muttered. “Heaven, help us.”

“My darling? What were you
saying?” Natalia trilled.

“Nothing, my love.” Amazingly,
the powerful VP cowered under the scowl of his pretty wife. “Miss Lornier, you
put in motion several branches of our government to save your
Generalle
.
You will back off now and let me handle the situation.”

“Can you tell me what you plan to
do, please?”

He stared at her. “No, Miss Lornier.
I am not used to discussing my plans with a woman. You can stay and enjoy your
tea with my wife.”

“But, sir. Sergei is―”

“I will take care of your Sergei
and his father-in-law,” he sputtered. “Now, stay out of the mess you started.”

“Sir, I haven’t reached my
position by comfortably staying out of messes, whether I started them or not.
I’m used to coping with pressure and solving problems.” She crossed her arms on
her chest while trying to control her rising temper.

The two men looked at each other
and scowled at her. Natalia tugged at Cecile’s sleeve and squeezed her hand in
warning. The Vice-President’s mouth flicked a light smile, the first one she’d
seen on the stern face. “Heaven help Fedorin if he ever survives this mess. The
man has designed his own punishment and deserves it for allowing this headache
to disturb my afternoon.”

The Vice-President spun toward
her and gave her a hard look. “Miss Lornier, I want a full report of your
story. And know that I will verify it. If you want to save your fiancé from a
life in prison or a trip to Siberia, don’t falsify the truth.”

Cecile gasped. “Siberia? You must
be joking. There’s no more Siberia…I think?”

The man narrowed his eyes in a
menacing glance. “Miss Lornier, I never joke.”

“Yes, sir. I noticed.” She
sighed, wondering how the petulant Natalia could live with such a gloomy
character.

At that moment the butler
introduced the Minister of Defense. He gawked at her. Cecile tilted her head
but didn’t say a word to Sergei’s boss.

The three men talked in Russian.
Cecile remained ensconced on the sofa next to Natalia.

The Vice-President faced her. “Go
ahead with your tale, Dr. Lornier.”

Cecile collected her thoughts.
This could be the most important presentation of her life. Sergei’s freedom and
her happiness depended on it. She heaved a deep breath and launched into her
story.

She started with the permit
episode, the failing trip to the airport, Roussov’s invitation to dinner and
the picture taken. Scowls blackened the foreheads of her audience. Heeding
John’s warning, she carefully omitted the bribe episode.

She continued with the second
trip to the airport and the charade she and Nicolai played on the airport
clerk. The Minister of Environment burst out laughing, the Vice-President
sniffed, and the Minister of Defense glared at her.

With a voice full of emotions,
Cecile related her trip with Sergei to his village and his mother’s death. The
three men inched forward. “The next day we decided to hold an inauguration
ceremony for the new lab. Sergei asked me to marry him and stay in Minsk. I
love him. I accepted but I insisted we postpone the announcement until after
the inauguration. We both have a mission to fulfill.”

Cecile shifted her gaze from one
to the other. She had their full attention. She related the events of the
inauguration day, Roussov’s harassment, Sergei’s growing frustration during the
day and the final coup of the newspaper picture with Roussov.

The Vice-President raised an
eyebrow and threw a stern look at the Minister of Defense.

So far, her speech seemed to
produce the desired effect to turn the tables against Roussov and away from
Sergei.

She lowered her eyelashes and
continued with a quivering voice. “Sergei was so upset when he saw this
picture. We had a fight and I ran to my room. He joined me later to ask for an
explanation. I was about to go and pay the restaurant. He said he would do it
for me. I was so tired after the long day and our argument.”