‘You will swear, under oath, that the Tsarevich was not here?’
‘Of course.’
‘But you just admitted to me a moment ago that he was!’
‘Be careful what you accuse me of, sir. A magistrate may be stripped of his office. And then he is just a man. It becomes a case of one man’s word against another’s. And indeed, of a gentleman’s word against a Jew’s.’
‘I have a feeling you are about to tell me that you count the Tsar amongst your closest friends.’
‘Of course. That goes without saying.’
Porfiry turned to the younger prince. ‘Prince Sergei Nikolaevich, allow me to express my deepest condolences. Please believe me when I say that I shall devote all my energies and all the resources at my disposal to apprehending the murderer of your fiancee.’
‘M-m-mi-zinchikov.’
Porfiry inclined his head respectfully. ‘The questions I ask may be painful, but be assured that they are framed only with that purpose in mind.’
‘It will not bring her … back.’
‘Why — do you believe — did Captain Mizinchikov kill Yelena Filippovna?’
‘I c-c-cannot say.’
‘Jealousy perhaps? Was he in love with her too?’
‘His … way of loving … was not … not … civilised.’
The answer prompted Porfiry to look again at the younger prince. ‘Had she given herself to him?’
‘How d-dare you suggest such a thing!’
‘How long had you been engaged?’
‘We announced our engagement two … days ago.’
‘Two da-a-ays ago?’ Porfiry drew out the word in a singsong. ‘Forgive me. Before that she was … unattached?’
‘We were very much in love.’
‘But she had other lovers.’ Porfiry did not frame it as a question. It was a private thought voiced.
‘I must protest!’ put in the elder Prince Naryskin. ‘Have you come here with the express purpose of driving a knife into the open wound of my son’s grief?’
‘No,’ answered Porfiry almost thoughtfully. ‘Rather, my purpose is to learn the truth. Before two days ago, Yelena Filippovna was not engaged to your son. I wish to know if she was amorously involved with anyone else at that time.’
‘M-m-mizinchikov,’ spat out the younger prince. ‘She was engaged to Mizinchikov. She broke it off to become engaged to me.’
‘One day she was engaged to Captain Mizinchikov, the next day she was engaged to you?’
‘Yes.’
‘Thank you. You see, it was painful but necessary. Now I am able to understand more clearly why Captain Mizinchikov might have killed Yelena Filippovna.’
‘What difference does it make why he did it? He did it. That’s all you need to know.’
‘A jury may need to know more, however,’ concluded Porfiry with a strained bow.
*
‘These skin-deep liberals are worse than the reactionaries.’ Porfiry’s remark, made under his breath as the door to the red drawing room closed behind them, drew a look of surprise from Virginsky. Before he could reply, however, the door re-opened and the younger Prince Naryskin followed them out. The rigours of the evening showed in his face, which had a rawness to it, as if it had been struck repeatedly. His eyes, though, seemed possessed of a cold resolve.
He closed the door carefully and drew himself upright.
‘This is where it g-gets you.’
‘I beg your pardon?’ said Porfiry.
‘My father’s … liberal ideas. He is regretting them now. The Tsar is to blame for much. His insane and unnecessary reforms … he has opened a Pandora’s … box.’
‘There are many who share that view, I believe.’
‘The labouring c-c-classes need flogging, not education.’
‘You were not yourself a supporter of Maria Petrovna’s school?’
‘I allowed myself to be … p-p-persuaded to lend my support.’
‘By whom?’
‘Lena. She was at school with Maria Petrovna. Although she had not seen her for many years, she had followed her philanthropic … c-career. I believe that she saw it as a way of making amends, to involve us all in supporting this project.’
‘For what did she have to make amends?’
‘I don’t know. For her life, perhaps. It was strange. This seemed to be a … c-c-cause very … c-close to her heart, although she was reticent about renewing her a-c-c-quaintance with Maria Petrovna. She seemed to want to work behind the scenes.’
‘Although tonight she was to have taken the leading role on the stage, was she not?’
‘Yes, well, that was d-different. She always did love theatrics. As for this evening, I was against it … from the beginning. I knew it would end … b-badly.’
‘But surely you did not know it would end with Yelena Filippovna’s death?’
‘She had asked for it.’
‘Good heavens, Sergei Nikolaevich! Think what you are saying! Can you be serious?’
‘I mean it c-c-quite literally. In fact, she demanded it. She asked me to k-k-kill her. Two days ago. And when I refused, when instead I asked her to marry me, she … she must have made the same demand of M-m-mm … of him.’
‘Mizinchikov?’
‘She was a troubled and unhappy woman. I … foolishly … be-believed I c-c-could make her happy.’
‘She wanted to die?’
‘It was the only freedom left to her.’
‘I don’t understand. Why do you say that?’
‘She was a woman.’
‘But not all women are driven to desire their own deaths.’
‘Not all are as c-c-consummately … logical as Lena.’
‘She sounds to have been an extraordinary woman. But tell me, why did you not say this just now?’
‘I did not want my father to n-n-know. He has always been against my engagement to Yelena. It has been his c-c-custom to blacken her name to me. I did not want to allow him this final triumph.’
Porfiry angled his head sharply as he considered the prince. He gave a slow nod. ‘I see. Yes. I think I can understand that.’ To Virginsky, he added: ‘Pavel Pavlovich, can you understand that?’
Virginsky gave a dismissive grunt.
‘We are all sons,’ said Porfiry, finger-drawing a loop in the air to link them. ‘Now tell me, how is her sister — Aglaia Filippovna, is it not?’
‘The doctor has sedated her. It is important that she rests.’
‘Her testimony will hold the key to this case, it is clear.’
‘I only hope that the shock has not destroyed the balance of her mind. She was not the most stable of individuals, even before this.’
‘I take it that the family have been informed? She should have her mother with her,’ said Porfiry. ‘Perhaps it would be as well for us to talk to the parents?’
‘There is no family. Their parents are both d-dead.’
Porfiry rocked backwards as he took in the information. ‘Tragedy upon tragedy. We shall leave her to her physic-induced oblivion. It is perhaps the last peace she will know in this world. Pavel Pavlovich, I fear that there is little more we can do here tonight.’
‘What about the rest of the witnesses?’
‘Everyone from whom we have taken a statement may be allowed to go home.’
‘You do not wish to cross-examine them yourself?’
‘I am content to rely on the statements you and others have taken.’ A terse impatience accelerated Porfiry’s words. And then he was left all at once stooped and exhausted. ‘There is a limit to the suffering one can endure in a single day.’
9 A repellent curiosity
The audience and performers were held together in the candy box theatre. Most had been interviewed once by now and were impatient to be gone.
A stale bodily smell hung in the room. As Porfiry entered, he saw a woman spray cologne from an atomiser to dispel it.
At his side, Virginsky drew himself up in preparation to addressing the room. ‘Ladies and gentlemen,’ he began. ‘Would those of you who have already been interviewed please take a seat on the left hand side of the auditorium and those of you yet to be interviewed on the right.’ Virginsky indicated the relevant directions with clear arm gestures. ‘Once I have confirmed that I have your statement, you may go.’