selected him for more than just his ability to run a household.
“Well, darling,” she said once she had turned away from her valet’s backside. “What do you think of our ancestral home?”
“This is ours?”
“Of course,” she said. “You didn’t think a home like this in the finest neighborhood in Gogoleth would be something one could simply purchase at one’s convenience, did you?”
“I hadn’t really thought about it.”
She sighed. “As usual. If the topic isn’t magic, the military, or Galina Odoyevtseva, you barely acknowledge its existence.”
“Mother!” he objected.
“I’m only teasing. Still, if you had come around more often, you’d have known that I’ve been endeavoring to make this place livable again since our arrival in Gogoleth. It had been left to gather dust for over a decade and was in a frightful state.”
“We had no other family to live here?” asked Sebastian.
She shook her head. “I’m afraid you, your sister, and I are all that is left of the noble house of Turgenev.”
“But you always talked about your older sisters. What happened to them? And your parents?”
His mother’s face grew sad as she smoothed out her skirts. “A topic for another time, perhaps.” Then her face suddenly brightened. She had always been mercurial, but the sudden shifts in mood seemed to have become more pronounced since their arrival in Gogoleth. “Now, what brings you here, my darling one?”
He cleared his throat uncomfortably. “Well, uh, I did want to see how you were getting on after the move.”
“I do appreciate it, dear,” she said. “But I doubt that’s your only reason.”
“Yes… well… one of my fellow officers happened to ask me when I was thinking of… proposing to Galina, and, er, I hadn’t given it much thought, but I suppose that is the next step in our relationship.”
“Yes, dear,” she agreed. “If that is what you want.”
“It is!” He found himself leaning forward, his hands gripping his knees. He knew he must look like a lovesick schoolboy but he couldn’t help himself. “She makes me happy as no one else. Every time I leave her presence, I feel renewed—no, improved! As if some small part of her astonishing kindness and intellect has been passed on to me simply by speaking with her. If I were to… well, live with her… if I could come home after an exhausting day and be in her comforting presence every night…” He shook his head. “I cannot think of anything more wonderful.”
His mother’s smile was beatific. “I’m so happy to hear that, my darling. Well, if that is the case, we have much to do in order to make your dreams come true.”
“Oh, and I have other news that will please you,” said Sebastian.
“Is that so?”
“Yes, the commander has decided to promote me to captain.”
“How wonderful, darling. Congratulations.”
“Yes, it’s the strangest thing. General Zaniolo of all people suggested it. Honestly, even after all this time, I still don’t know what to make of him.”
“I grant that he has an… oily sort of personality. But he also strikes me as the only one out of the three generals with any real intelligence.” She placed her hand on his and looked firmly into his eyes. “He could be an invaluable ally to you, my darling. Even within such a rigorously disciplined organization as the imperial army, you will find true allies to be both rare and precious, so you should not squander them.”
This was one of those times, which had become more frequent since they arrived in Gogoleth, when his mother spoke with a gravity that implied important things left unsaid. He felt he rarely grasped her full instruction in those moments, but also felt compelled to pretend that he did. “I understand, Mother.”
She smiled again. “Wonderful. Now, let’s start planning the ball we’ll be throwing to impress Lord Sergey Prozorova enough that he will be willing to relinquish his only daughter to you.”
“Shouldn’t I ask Galina first?” he asked.
She laughed merrily. “My darling boy, it is entirely unnecessary. But I suspect it is precisely such thoughtful and solicitous concern that has won her heart, so by all means, speak to her first.”
26
Galina sat in one of the smaller drawing rooms, reading a collection of essays by Iosif Kantemir concerning the purpose of Man, Nature, and Governance. It was one of her favorite rooms, largely because of its soothingly warm brown and beige tones, and the smell of lemon and vinegar that always seemed to permeate the wood. That particular book she was less fond of, but likened