Masquerade [Kuskovo Estate]

[Sofia Vasilieva]

Alina Marveet

The dance left Alina breathless and smiling, her protests at Maksim leading her away only superficial in nature. Initially she found herself confused by him then ushering her to privacy, but her eyes widened quickly at the revelation. She had not had a good look at the man in white, having no real reason to note him as he passed, and she was torn between an uncomfortable fear for the entangled politics, and an overwhelming need to sweep the man up immediately and thank him for what he had done for Maksim. She cast her gaze around for the Ascendancy, but spotted him nowhere near. Which meant nothing, for he certainly had eyes. And Pasha would not have been so foolish to invite a man the family was supposed to have no knowledge of. So how and why was he here?

She squeezed her husband’s hands with her own indecision. Sofia would kill her for breaking family confidence and risking the Custody’s ire. Unless they might do so subtly? Jensen’s presence almost certainly suggested a test of loyalty, but with each fierce beat of her heart all Alina could see was the swollen ruin that had been Maksim’s face, the rattle of his breathing, the beep of the monitors. Their son might have been orphaned, still too young to have significant memories of his father. Their second child, still growing inside her, might never have met him at all.

“We must thank him somehow, Maksimka. Without breaking confidence, of course.” She was earnest in her resolve, though not quite sure how to achieve it yet. Despite herself, she looked immediately for Jensen when they returned to view. The flash of his white tux was nowhere obvious, but she did spy Sofia – distracted and enjoying herself, so far as Alina could see. Briefly she wondered if her sister was responsible for their mysterious guest, given the nature of her date and the power play between them. But it didn’t seem like the sort of risk she would take.

As they rejoined the fray she sought out her other siblings, if only to ensure none had noticed the warring guilt inside for what Maksim had shared. Pavel was austere, surrounded by a dark cloud of compatriots – and already heading to one of the other rooms to hold court. Grisha had disappeared entirely, despite his earlier warning. And she might have assumed he was keeping Dima occupied as promised, except she saw him striding rather purposefully across the dancefloor just then. She glanced a fraught look up at Maksim, but while Noemi took a rather purposeful step back from him when he approached, there was no immediate scene.