Michael Loris-Melikov, governor-general of Russia, second only to the tsar, walked away from Alexander’s study with a heavy step and a heavier feeling in the pit of his stomach.
He had not been completely honest with the emperor about the successes with the revolutionaries.
Yes, he had captured Zhelyabov. He and several other members of The People’s Will were behind bars. Zhelyabov had not talked. But Melikov, nevertheless, knew far more about the terrorists’ movements than he admitted to the tsar. For others had talked. What they revealed was enough to put Melikov in deeper disgrace, if events conspired against him, even than Fedorcenko.
He had learned that they were mining the streets—the very streets of St. Petersburg! He did not have to guess how that would make him look in the eyes of the Crown! Even if no danger came of it, the very fact that he had allowed it to go on under their noses would reduce his standing in imperial favor.
He also knew that another dangerous leader was still at large—a woman by the name of Sophia Perovskaya.
Melikov needed time. A few days would do. He had to locate those mines and, more importantly, track down the Perovskaya woman. He had played down the danger to the tsar because he was so close to wrecking the entire ring of radicals. Yet he knew close was often not good enough.
Well, he had tried to warn Alexander.
What more could he do, short of admitting to his own deficiencies and the inadequacies of his police network, of course? At this delicate time, the less the tsar knew of any man’s blunders or mishaps, the better off that man was. He did not want to end up like poor Viktor!