His priests, elaborate in embroidered silver on midnight-blue velvet vestments, flanked him like bearded robed shamans from an ancient time. Scented incense from thousands of flickering candles lent a perfumed ambience to the dazzling white-and-gold interior, muting the soft undertone of fragrant lily.
Lisaveta stood alone in the entrance to the nave, her pearl-encrusted gown and gold-embroidered veil shimmered in the candlelight, the diamonds at her ears and throat-a gift from her bridegroom-catching the light in brilliant display. She raised the small bouquet of white violets she held in one hand toward her bridegroom in silent, minute answer to Stefan-and smiled again, beautiful and assured.
Without a word spoken, every guest understood the nature of their relationship. Prince Bariatinsky and the splendid Countess Lazaroff were not only in love, they were equally matched. In mesmerizing silence the inconceivable concept was absorbed, followed closely by the piquant speculation: how exotic, how accomplished, how brilliant was the Countess to have attained parity with the most lionized man in the Empire.
The organ chords of the processional broke out triumphantly and Lisaveta, arresting the endless possibilities rife in everyone's mind, moved in stately grace toward her bridegroom.
The ceremony was lengthy, protocol carefully observed; Stefan wanted no doubt to the legitimacy of his marriage or his intentions. Before the entire world of Saint Petersburg elite he was marrying Lisaveta, and if there was a child, he was acknowledging it as his. He believed her-and in her-implicitly.
His faith was all the more stunning because he had been a man so successful with other men's wives and lovers over the years.
He was being offered the glass of wine to drink by the priest, and taking it, he turned to Lise with a smile. Saluting her, he drank and waited while she in turn sipped from her wineglass. They were symbolically toasting to fertility and good fortune-a bit late, he thought, and she seemed to read his mind because she winked at him.
Scandalizing the priests, he responded to her mischievous gesture by pulling her close with his free arm and, bending low, said in a murmur near her ear, the poufed silk tulle of her veil brushing against his cheek, "I love you dushka, for a thousand years."
She smiled back her own pledge of love and kissed him gently on the cheek. "Only a thousand years?" she whispered, sweet teasing in her voice.
The buzz of comment rose in the perfumed air at the extraordinary show of affection; Stefan wasn't a demonstrative man.
"Till the mountains crumble into the sea," he whispered, and kissed her very gently. Then straightening, Stefan signaled with a nod of his head and the ceremony continued.
The seated guests looked at one another in silent comment. Now that was like Stefan, they thought, intimidated by neither man nor God nor scowling priests. His brief nod was understated authority from a man intent on his own prerogatives and spontaneity. And his bride hadn't even blushed. Of course, she was a Kuzan. They'd been recognized as beyond blushing several centuries ago.
Lisaveta and Stefan were able to kiss with the priests' blessing after the benediction some time later, and then, beaming with pride, Stefan escorted his bride to the Tsar, seated in the first row. Not only a gesture of courtesy, it was meant as a warning to Vladimir Taneiev; Stefan intended any report going back to Vladimir was perfectly clear on his position with Alexander II.
The reception was glittering and resplendent. Even the Tsar stayed longer than he intended, intrigued by Stefan's Georgian wines, the charm of his bride, the Gypsy dancers who entertained the guests through dinner and the Cossacks who performed acrobatic feats of great wonder after dessert. Alexander lingered until the orchestra began playing and he danced twice with the bride. In leaving he embraced Stefan, a public demonstration of his friendship.
The newlyweds were gracious for an hour more, mingling with their guests, accepting congratulations and facetious comment with equal good cheer. Stefan had never seemed so relaxed and approachable. The new Princess Bariatinsky, everyone agreed, was a good influence on him.
But Stefan's accommodating nature had its limits, although his guests were invited to stay and enjoy his wedding ball and hospitality as long as they wished. His cellars were at their disposal, he informed them, his chef committed to their gustatory pleasure, the musicians willing to play for a week. He smiled from the bandstand and waved au revoir. He and his bride, he finished, her hand firmly in his, were off on their honeymoon. And so saying, he scooped Lisaveta up into his arms to cheering applause and carried her down the short carpeted range of stairs to the ballroom floor, across its length, down the corridor to the main staircase and thence down again and out the opened doors to his waiting carriage.
Acknowledged the good wishes of those of his staff in attendance at the main doors and at his carriage with a ready smile and cordial thank-yous, he deposited Lisaveta onto the carriage seat in a tumble of white lace and, climbing in behind her, signaled for departure.
"How is the time?" Lisaveta asked, since a suppressed agitation was evident beneath Stefan's composed exterior.
"The wedding set me back five hours, but we're still fine." He hadn't told her of the telegrams-three now since late afternoon-confirming Hussein Pasha's march toward Kars…or of his decision after the second one to leave as soon as possible after the wedding and not wait until the next day.
"I'm sorry," Lise teased, "for ruining your schedule." But under the playfulness of her teasing she was aglow with the wonder of her love. How impossible she would have thought the circumstances of her wedding short months ago, how inconceivable to be married to Russia's greatest hero, how strange she'd never dreamed of this eventuality when she'd fallen under Stefan's spell that first night in Aleksandropol. She'd thought herself a civilized female then, capable of participating in an amorous interlude, capable of saying adieu when it was over, never knowing intellect was insufficient against overwhelming feelings-against love. Hafiz had known it. Poets and past dwellers on this earth for a millenium had discovered that truth. And now she knew it, too.
His smile flashed white in the lamplit interior of the coach. "I wanted you to ruin my schedule, dushka. It was a perfect wedding." She was worth every minute of delay, he thought, taking his wife in his arms, feeling her close, the scent of her hair reminding him of their warm summer nights before Tiflis, when the fragrance of rose was on the air like perfumed seduction. His decision to come north and bring her back was worth every long frustrating hour of his journey. His grip tightening in a spontaneous gesture of assurance, he smiled down at her upturned face. "You belong to me," he said softly, the fullness of his need and love echoing in his voice.
"And you to me," she answered, her voice as quiet. "Do you mind?" she asked then, because Stefan was a man apart, a leader and overlord of vast tribal subjects and troops, and she'd felt his minute reaction to her words.
"I'd never thought of it that way," he honestly replied, possession always having been endowed by strength. This was new, this shared right, and he asked, "Is it in the order of things?"
"It's only fair."
His answer was in the simple kiss he gave her, his lips touching hers lightly, a butterfly kiss of affirmation and love. "Whatever makes you happy," he said, this man who'd stood alone since adolescence, this man who'd felt he never needed anything or anyone. "I'm pleased," he murmured, his mind and heart so filled with love he felt invincible, "to belong to you."
She kissed him then because no matter what his answer she loved him, but his reply had been tempered by her wishes, by his love for her, and she felt overwhelming happiness. "Do we deserve all this good fortune?" she teasingly whispered, her golden eyes like sunshine in the dark.