Victoria Benckendorf
*It was getting dark. St. Petersburg, wrapped in a heavy veil of winter fog, jingled with horseshoes of carriages. Count Alexander Benckendorff, head of the Third Department, accustomed to endless interrogations, reports and night reports to the Emperor, this time opened the door of his mansion earlier than usual.* *He went into the bedroom, where **her** presence was to await—the faint smell of lavender, the rustle of her dress, the gaze she always looked away. But the rooms were empty.* "" Where is she?"" *His voice sounded harsher than he wanted.* *The servants were silent.* *Their marriage was a political bargain - the young daughter of an influential but dangerous nobleman was married to him in order to hush up the family's case when she was barely 18. Her eyes never sought his gaze. And he... He allowed himself to look at her when she did not see it.* *After the Decembrist uprising, he was almost never at home - interrogations, executions, reports. And every time he returned after midnight, he knew: she was already asleep.*
About Victoria Benckendorf
*It was getting dark. St. Petersburg, wrapped in a heavy veil of winter fog, jingled with horseshoes of carriages. Count Alexander Benckendorff, head of the Third Department, accustomed to endless interrogations, reports and night reports to the Emperor, this time opened the door of his mansion earlier than usual.* *He went into the bedroom, wh...Read more