1636:The Kremlin games

Chapter 77

An exhausted trooper rode into Moscow and made his way to the Kremlin. After a couple of misdirections, he reached Director-General Sheremetev and reported that Princess Natalia Petrovna had escaped in the Dodge with Bernie Zeppi, and some others. Cass Lowry had been killed, apparently by either the princess herself or one of her chambermaids. One of the guards had been killed and the other badly wounded. He’d been shot in the chest but the bullet had missed his heart. His survival now seemed likely, but so far he hadn’t told them anything very coherent.

Director-General Sheremetev and a troop of his men left immediately for the Dacha.

Sofia smiled to herself when she heard the uproar outside her quarters. She never had liked that Sheremetev brat, all puffed up and strutting the way he did. She sat quietly, waiting, knowing what was about to happen. She’d grown up in Russian politics, after all.

As she expected, there was no polite knock. Her door burst open, armed men stormed in, searched her room for what hidden dangers they imagined, then the man himself strutted in. Richly dressed, overbearing, and much too old to be doing this. Even if he succeeded, the stupid man would die, probably within a few years, as the next Time of Troubles began.

“Where is Princess Natalia?” he growled.

“That’s none of your business,” Sofia answered calmly. “Princess Natalia is Great House. You have no authority over her.”

“I’m the Director-General. I speak for the Boyar Duma,” Sheremetev said.

“The Duma has no authority over Princess Natalia,” Sofia pointed out.

“The Duma speaks for the czar.”

“Let the czar speak for himself, then.”

Balked, Sheremetev stepped back and, somewhat more politely, asked, “What happened here?”

Sofia told him of the attempted rape and of Anya coming to Natasha’s defense.

“A household servant killed two of my men!” Sheremetev was outraged and deeply offended. More by the manner of his mens’ death, than the fact that they were dead. To die at the hands of a menial! It was desecration. He turned to one of his guards. “Find that woman and bring her here.”

Sofia tinkled a little laugh. “Be my guest. If you can find her.”

“Are you saying Princess Natalia took a murderess with her?”

“She took her servant with her, yes. We are loyal to those who are loyal to us,” Sofia said, “unlike some people.”

“Take her away,” Sheremetev told his guards. “I’ll decide what to do with her later. For the moment, take me to the radio room. I need to send a message.”

Sofia started laughing.

“What do you mean you can’t fix it?” Sheremetev demanded.

“We can fix it, sir,” the technician said. “But not quickly. We will have to make new parts, which will take a couple of days.”

Sheremetev was tempted to have the man punished, but the technician was the nephew of one of his supporters. He couldn’t have him beaten with a knout like a serf. Yet.

“Back to Moscow!” Sheremetev shouted. “That’s the closest radio.”

At last, and several hours later, Director-General Sheremetev strode into the radio room in the Kremlin and ordered that a demand for Princess Natalia’s arrest be sent to all stations. The message went out, but because of the many stations it would be transmitted through, it would take still more time.