I swallowed my tea, and tried to calm my suspicions. I had other things to worry about that were more pressing. “What did you do with the poor kitchen girl?”
“I told you not to worry about that.” He placed an extra biscuit on Augusta’s plate, which she took happily. “But yes, she was killed by the ghost. And yes, I have sent her body back to the village where she came from. Her family will think she died from influenza.”
I sighed, wishing we’d been able to stop the ghost before something like this had happened. “Why was she so angry? And why would she have gone after Olga?”
“Shouldn’t you be more concerned with your own creature?” Sucre asked.
“Are you going to tell the empress about Madame Metcherskey?”
“Of course not, Duchess. She will find out long before I have a chance to speak with her.”
I wanted to cry. “I don’t suppose you have any idea what I should do with her.”
“Sending her to the Tibetan was probably not a wise choice. She will draw much attention to him.”
The thought frightened me. “Will he be in danger?”
“It’s too late to worry about that. And now there is a student here that knows what you are. What will you do about her?”
I almost choked on my tea. I glared at Monsieur Sucre. “Is there any secret at Smolny you do not know?”
He chuckled as he turned to head back into the kitchen. “I would not want to be in your shoes right now, Duchess.”
I glanced down our long dining table. As I had suspected, no one had noticed my conversation with Sucre. Not even the headmistress, who seemed to be extremely fascinated with whatever Sister Anna was saying to her. But I spotted Alix, staring straight at me.
She had seen me speak with Sucre. She could see through his glamour just as well as I could. The Hessian princess had her eyes fixed on me with a mixture of revulsion and sadness. There was nothing I could do but smile sweetly back. As I finished my breakfast, I prayed she had not been serious when she had threatened to kill me.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
That night I had a terrible dream, not about the ghost, or Madame Metcherskey, or Princess Alix, but about George Alexandrovich. He was surrounded by a circle of crimson-robed men who were chanting something in low, deep tones. I couldn’t make out what they were saying. George held a black candle in his hands, and was staring intently into its flame. His sapphire-blue eyes reflected the candlelight. The men’s chanting grew louder before it suddenly stopped. Then George blew the candle out, leaving everyone in total darkness.
I could smell the burning wick and the smoky air burned the back of my throat. I heard his soft voice. “Isn’t this what you wanted, Katiya?”
I woke up with a start and was startled to find tears rolling down my cheeks. I glanced across the room in the dim moonlight, and could make out Elena and Alix sleeping soundly in their own cots. I took a deep breath. It was just a ridiculous dream, I told myself, wiping the tears from my face. It didn’t mean anything.
I tried to go back to sleep but was haunted by George’s face illuminated by the black candle. He had looked thinner, his cheeks sunken and pale. Like a corpse. Why would he think I wanted him to become a black mage? I closed my eyes. Did he believe I wished that he belonged to the Dark Court as I did?
You are being ridiculous, Katerina Alexandrovna, I told myself. The grand duke was most likely pretending to be a dark wizard in order to spy on them for his father. The tsar had sent him to Paris to discover a way to prevent the return of Konstantin. George was strong. He would not be tempted by the Order of the Black Lily.
The walls in our dark room seemed to close in on me, and I had difficulty breathing. It was too stuffy, and I felt like I had to escape. It was the darkness itself pressing in. I scrambled out of bed and fumbled for my robe and slippers. I didn’t know where I was going, but I had to get out of there. I held my breath as Aurora shifted in her sleep, but she did not awaken. Elena and Alix snored softly. Carefully, I tiptoed out of our room and down the hallway.
I did not even think about where I was going until I ended up at the door to the library. I took a deep breath and pushed the heavy door open. It didn’t make a sound.
It was colder in the library than it had been in the hallway. I couldn’t help shivering. But I did not see or hear the ghost. Whether she was there watching and waiting for me, I could not tell. “Why won’t you show yourself?” I whispered, scared I would wake the headmistress or one of the students.
There was no answer. No sense that anything unnatural was present in the tiny room. Other than the chill.
“Looking for trouble, Duchess? I thought I told you to stay away from the library.”
I nearly jumped out of my skin, and glared at Sucre, who was leaning in the doorway, smiling at me menacingly.
I pulled my robe closer around me. “I had a bad dream, and wanted to get a book to distract myself.”
“You don’t fool anyone, Duchess.” Sucre stood up straighter, and folded his arms across his chest. “I am glad you were not in your room, actually. I came to tell you that you have visitors. At the front gates.”
“In the middle of the night? Don’t be ridiculous. And what would you have done if I’d been asleep? Surely you would not have entered a room full of sleeping girls.”
Sucre smiled. “A glamour would have easily persuaded your friends that you were talking and walking in your sleep. Don’t you want to know who your visitors are?”
My heart leapt for just half a heartbeat, and I immediately felt stupid for thinking of George Alexandrovich. What reason would he have to sneak into Smolny Institute when he was thousands of miles away?
“I hate to disappoint you, my love,” the crown prince’s lazy voice filled my head.
No. Danilo? Why are you here? Alarmed and suspicious now, I followed Sucre down the stairs and into the kitchen, still warm from the dying hearth fire. As he opened the outside door, however, a gust blew through, killing the flames. He stepped back, holding the door open for me.
“I feel it is necessary to protect you from your newest creature.”
As I looked out into the darkness, I saw two figures standing at the edge of the courtyard, just beyond the barrier of the empress’s spell. Sucre struck a match and the figures’ faces were illuminated: Dr. Badmaev and Madame Metcherskey. Madame was looking even paler than before. The Tibetan doctor did not look quite his normal color either. “Mon Dieu!” was all I could think to say when I saw the pair. The crown prince stepped out of the shadows as well.
“Good evening, my beloved.” I could see Danilo smirking even by the light of the tiny flame.
“Stop calling me that,” I said to the crown prince, but I glared at Sucre. He enjoyed his little games too much. I stepped forward to greet Dr. Badmaev, but Madame Metcherskey hissed when I moved toward them. I froze.
Dr. Badmaev shook his head. “I am sorry, Duchess. She is very strong, and insists that she needs to be here. If you listen to her story, I think you will agree with her.”
“Madame?” I looked at her.
“You must release me, Mistressss. I still have tasks of my own to complete. She is in danger.” Madame had been pulling on her sleeves. The edges were frayed, and looked as if they’d been chewed on. I tried very hard not to shudder.
“Who is in danger?” I asked.
Madame stood ramrod straight, her hands clasped firmly in front of her. “I was told to protect her. I am here to watch her.”
“Can you tell me who she is?” I pressed, but Madame stared straight ahead, her eyes now empty and colorless. I looked at Dr. Badmaev. “Has she told you anything else?”