The Gathering Storm

For weeks, I heard no news of the missing count Chermenensky, not from servants or family members. My brother appeared to have finally gotten over his friend's death, and had returned to his raucous parties with fell ow officers. Dr. Kruglevski had not seen any strange frostbitten patients with yellowed eyes and black fingernails. But he was seeing more patients who had been poisoned. Another maid from Smolny was currently resting in the women's ward. And the doctor had identified the poison at last: hemlock.



"It is the strangest thing," he said. "I do not understand how so many people can be ingesting such a poison."



I had finally decided that Elena could not be responsible for all the poisonings. It was happening all over the city, not just at the Smolny Institute. But I knew she was involved somehow.



"Do not worry," Dr. Kruglevski told me, patting me on the shoulder and giving me a new medical journal to borrow. This issue contained an article about sterile and clean techniques in the hospital setting. I took the journal back to Smolny with me and read the entire thing from cover to cover before dinner. The book Princess Cantacuzene had given me I still refused to open.



When I had a chance to speak with my cousin alone, I told her about Dr.



Kruglevski's discovery. She deserved to know what kind of poison had made her ill.



"Hemlock! But how would Elena get a hold of such a thing?" We were whispering together on our way to geography class. Elena glared at us as she brushed past us. I shook my head. "I don't think she was acting alone," I said. "There are people being poisoned throughout the city, the doctor says."



"By her and her sisters?" Dariya asked suspiciously. "Why would they be poisoning so many people?"



"Princess Cantacuzene wants me to find out," I said unhappily. "She said we need to be able to prove to the tsar that he is in danger." Dariya frowned. "Do you think they could have caused the train wreck at Borki last fall?"



"How?" I couldn't imagine the Montenegrin princesses being capable of causing such a horrible accident. Besides, I'd overheard my father saying it had most assuredly been due to the train's traveling at unsafe speeds.



The Montenegrins could not have achieved such destruction merely with their poison.



"Please be careful," my cousin begged. "Princess Cantacuzene has no right to ask you to spy on Elena and her siblings."



"If I don't do it, who will?" I asked. We had reached our classroom, where Madame Metcherskey hurried us all into our seats before Dariya could answer.



The Bavarian princesses had returned to St. Petersburg, their mourning period for their uncle, Crown Prince Rudolfe, officially over. Erzsebet told me her grandmother the empress Sissi had gone completely mad with grief over her son's death. She walked the halls of the palace spouting morbid poetry. Erzsebet was more than happy to get back to the institute, but Augusta would have preferred to stay on. Dariya and I tried to raise her spirits with card games and gossip.



"Tell us about the infamous Black Ball," Erzsebet said that evening as we sat in the Smolny parlor, playing a game of tarock.



"It was beautiful, with everyone in black dresses!" Elena said. "The ladies' diamonds and pearls showed up like moons and stars against the night sky. The ball room looked celestial."



Aurora Demidova nodded. "Princess Yussopova wore a pearl that was larger than her hand!" she exclaimed.



"And the music was wonderful," I added, studying my cards carefully.



"I danced with the tsarevitch. He was very, very sweet." Elena sighed.



"Such beautiful blue eyes he has. And Katerina danced with my brother twice!"



Erzsebet and Augusta teased me mercilessly for this. "You are almost engaged now! What did your mother say?"



I rolled my eyes, thinking of my father's words on the carriage ride home that night. I did not want to share that with Elena, who would know my parents were taking Prince Danilo's suit very seriously.



Augusta said shyly, "I should have liked to dance with every last cadet from the Corps des Pages. They look so handsome in their dress regiments!"



"Then you shal dance with every last one of them next week, at the grand duchess Marie Pavlovna's ball," Elena said. "It is a children's ball, so you will both be allowed to attend."



"Oooh!" Augusta said, smiling. "I shal dance all night long! I shal wear a beautiful white dress embroidered with diamonds, and ermine, and velvet slippers with diamonds on my feet."



I was glad to see the young princess cheered a little. She had looked so glum earlier. As much as it pained me to dress up again for yet another ball, I caught myself wondering if the grand duke George would be there.



Not that I hoped he would dance with me, but I did need to speak with him.



About my undead friend.