Anna’s tears flowed freely as she watched her mistress enter the church on the arm of her father.
Katrina looked stunning in a white satin gown, its bodice and hem studded with a fortune in pearls and diamonds. Her dark hair shone rich as ebony under the jewel-encrusted headpiece of satin and lace. Although Anna had helped work on the gorgeous gown, she had never seen the whole effect once the jewels had been added.
It was rumored the dress cost in excess of ten thousand rubles, but Anna did not allow herself to think about how many starving peasant mouths that money could feed. She was too caught up in that moment with the beauty of the bride and the entire wedding party to think of anything but Katrina’s happiness.
She was thankful, too, that God had protected the princess from marrying the wrong man. He had set her upon the right path, and in a few moments Katrina would be united with the man she had loved since childhood. The ironies of her own life did not invade Anna’s thoughts just now. There was only room for pleasure at this sacred day of Katrina’s fulfillment.
How beautiful and mature Katrina looked on this, her nineteenth birthday! Not even a hint of the usual premarital doubts or jitters showed on her glowing face. She radiated the calm assurance of a young lady who at this moment possessed everything she had ever wanted in life. When her father gave her hand to Dmitri, she gazed up at her husband-to-be with perfect love and contentment. And he returned the look with still-deepening awe—he, who until so recently had viewed this radiant jewel as little more than an inconsequential child. If Dmitri knew anything at all, he at last realized what a prize he possessed in Princess Katrina Viktorovna Fedorcenko. He had been drawn by her strength and vitality long before he had been able to admit it. But in womanhood, these qualities had finally caused the blossoming of the love that now filled his heart.
Dmitri did not view himself as a religious man. And even if he had admitted to some passing acquaintance with deeper realms of thought, his spiritual sensitivities were far from keen. Yet he was aware of a new depth in Katrina, some spiritual change which he suspected had something to do with her association with Anna. She could still prove headstrong, but she was far less self-absorbed. He saw this quality not only in the devoted way in which she loved him, but in how she loved Anna, and in how she treated the other servants. She was a woman now. But more than that, she was a woman of substance and character.
The bride and groom knelt side by side at the altar while the choir chanted the Te Deum. The priest went on with the mass and readings, blessing the couple and sprinkling holy water over their foreheads. Then they rose to pledge themselves to each other.
“I, Dmitri Gregorovich, give to you my hand, my possessions, my home, my future, and my love. To you I promise to be a faithful husband who cares for you, watches over you, provides for you, and protects you, all the days of my life.”
When he had completed his pledge, Katrina turned her gaze upon her groom, full of love and wonder. “I, Katrina Viktorovna, give to you my hand, my life, my future, and my love. I promise to be a faithful wife and companion and mother to your children, all the days of my life.”
As Katrina’s voice died away, two candlelighters approached from either side and lit the candles the bride and groom held. The priest chanted a solemn litany, then pronounced them husband and wife.
Anna’s tears were flowing in earnest. Nina reached over and took her hand, giving it a warm, affectionate squeeze. Tears stood in the eyes of Princess Natalia’s maid too.
Against her strong determination, Anna’s eyes strayed from the groom to the best man standing next to him. A quick hand wiped away her tears so that she could see him clearly. Even though the distance was too great for their eyes to meet, somehow she knew that Sergei was looking her way, and that he too was thinking, Will this day ever come for us? Will we stand here before the priest to receive this sacred sacrament of the church? Or will we perhaps make our vows before a country priest in Akulin?
As she witnessed the splendor of the ceremony and beheld the full weight of the wealth and nobility of the Fedorcenko family, such questions seemed to Anna all the more presumptuous and fanciful. Was the thought that one day she would be the bride of Sergei Viktorovich Fedorcenko, Prince of Russia, nothing more than a dream, an unreachable fantasy?
She forced her eyes away, glancing down at the floor as the heat raced up her neck to her face. Unconsciously she clutched Sergei’s book tighter to her side.
When Anna glanced up again, she forced herself to keep her gaze focused on the bride and groom. Before long the crowd was pouring out of St. Isaac’s behind the wedding processional. Hand in hand, Dmitri and Katrina turned to face the hundreds of family and relatives, friends and spectators.
They were married now—married at last!
Anna struggled through the press of men and women to get closer, losing all contact with Nina and Mrs. Remington and the others. Katrina and Dmitri were attempting to move toward the waiting carriage that would take them first back to Katrina’s home, and then propel them along the seemingly endless stream of parties and receptions that lay ahead over the next few days.
Anna wanted to get close enough to wave one final greeting to her mistress. She struggled forward through the happy, shouting crowd.
Dmitri was helping Katrina up to her seat now, then he climbed up next to her in the open carriage. Katrina turned toward the throng one last time, smiling broadly and giving a wave of her hand.
Anna struggled to the front of the throng, unaware of the green soldier’s uniform next to her. The driver of the elegant marriage coach gave a small flick of his rein, and the carriage jerked into motion.
Anna fixed her eyes upon the happy couple. Suddenly Dmitri seemed to look straight at her as the carriage clattered off. But his words were not addressed to her at all. “Thanks for everything, Sergei, my old friend!” she heard him cry out.
Just as Katrina was about to turn around and settle back into her seat, suddenly she spotted Anna waving to her. Her face lit up in a huge smile. Anna saw the movement of her lips saying, “Oh, Anna . . . I love you!” But the sound was lost in the din.
The next moment the carriage turned into the street, and Katrina was lost to Anna’s view. She turned timidly to face the soldier standing next to her. He still had not seen her.
She gave his elbow a tug.
“Excuse me, Your Excellency,” she said with a half-bashful smile, “but you seem to have forgotten to sign your book.”