Part 78, Chapter 1168
Chapter One Thousand One Hundred Sixty-Eight
20th February 1956
Moscow, Russia
“My cousin still giving you the cold shoulder?” Georgy asked in clearly in an effort to distract Fyodor from the chessboard. It was working.
“She sent me a letter thanking me for covering the expense of her young ward’s dance lessons after she sold the last gift that I sent her” Fyodor replied. She had also been able to set up a charitable foundation to pay for disadvantaged children to participate in the arts with the amount of money in question. The Czar didn’t need to know about that and realizing how foolish he had been still rankled him.
“Many men have tried to scale that edifice” Georgy said, “You’ve gotten further than most, normally she refuses to accept gifts.”
“I didn’t know that” Fyodor said.
“I’ve talked with Lidiya about Jehane many times” Georgy said, “My wife says that she lives within a series of contradictions. A deeply passionate woman who knows she must remain beyond reproach, being modern but having an old soul, living away from her homeland but being very much a part of it.”
“Where does your say that leaves me?”
Georgy just made a move on the board instead of answering. Finally, he said, “Another foolish man trying to win the heart of a beautiful woman even if you are going about it the wrong way.”
“Are you suggesting that there is a right way?” Fyodor asked in reply. As he made a move and knew it was the wrong one as soon as his hand left the piece.
“Before I ended up in charge of this great country, I spent years in the South of France and Paris” Georgy replied, Fyodor was aware of the Czar’s past. He had grown up in France and England as an exile, later to serve in the French Army in the Soviet War. While Georgy had learned a great deal about how the world really worked during that time, Fyodor had no idea what that had to do with his situation. “I won over Lidiya through her friends, it’s a possibility.”
“Are you trying to get me killed?” Fyodor asked, “Her friends know exactly what I am, and they are not shy about what they would do to me if they get the chance.”
“It sounds like you need to be careful then” Georgy said, “I would have a hard time finding someone else willing to play an honest game of chess.”
Fyodor noticed that the Czar found this incredibly amusing, so did everyone else apparently.
Berlin
It had been listening to Gräfin Katherine complaining to her mother about a Doctor Berg that had made Kiki curious. There was an N. Berg on the Hospital Staff. It had taken a bit of time, but she eventually got a look at Nora Berg after asking around about her. It was enough to get Kiki to rethink what she wanted to do with her life. Here was a woman living the life that Kiki thought she wanted, and it clearly didn’t look like it brought her any joy. A woman built like a fireplug with close cropped greying hair who seemed to have a scowling disposition towards everything. What Kiki had not anticipated was what would happen if she got caught…
“I need to speak with you in my office this instant Fraulein von Fischer” Doctor Berg said sharply as Kiki had been walking down the corridor. Something about the way she said Kiki’s assumed name set off alarm bells in her mind.
“I’m sorry Ma’am” Kiki replied, “But I’m expected in Geriatrics…”
“If I choose to have you removed for spying on me that won’t be a problem” Berg said, then she leaned forward so that only Kiki could hear her, “And that would be a real black eye for your parents Princess Kristina. Or we could even have it out right here in the corridor.”
Kiki knew about how gossip flew around the University Clinic. It was as if the staff didn’t have anything better to do. The last thing she wanted was to have this blabbed all over the Hospital. She didn’t have much of a choice but to follow Doctor Berg to her office.
“One thing you should know” Berg said as soon as the door closed, and Kiki was sitting a chair that she suspected was made uncomfortable on purpose, “Asking around cuts both ways. If you ask people about me, they tend to ask me why you are asking about me.”
It was something that should have been incredibly obvious.
“I wasn’t spying on you” Kiki blurted out.
“What you were doing then?”
“I just wanted to know who were after I heard my mother and Gräfin Katherine talking about you.”
“I figure that Kat was complaining as she tends to do?” Doctor Berg said, “Stubborn woman, she would kill for those she cares about but getting her to take care of herself is difficult.”
Kiki was silent which seemed to answer her question.
“Supposedly, you are interested in going into the medical field” Doctor Berg said as she got out of her chair and went to the filing cabinet that open and removed a folder, “A rewarding career, though it has its moments.”
Like this one, Kiki thought to herself as she sat there silently as Doctor Berg sat down in her chair and started filling out a form. Kiki had no idea what she was doing. Filling out an official complaint?
“I’m sure that you are aware of what my specialty is” Doctor Berg said mildly, “It’s probably just as well that this happened. In fact, you probably should have been to see me a couple years ago.”
“Wait, what?” Kiki asked.
“Now, Kristina, for your surname would you prefer this to be under the name von Fischer or the one your family normally uses?” Doctor Berg asked.
“I already have a Physician” Kiki blurted out when she realized what Doctor Berg was doing.
“I’m sure that he is a good one too” Doctor Berg said her voice full of practiced compassion, “Today, we are going to start to discuss matters he likely hasn’t thought about since Medical School.”
Too late did it occur to Kiki what the sort woman who would go head to head with the likes of Gräfin Katherine would be like. She had never stood a chance.
20th February 1956
Moscow, Russia
“My cousin still giving you the cold shoulder?” Georgy asked in clearly in an effort to distract Fyodor from the chessboard. It was working.
“She sent me a letter thanking me for covering the expense of her young ward’s dance lessons after she sold the last gift that I sent her” Fyodor replied. She had also been able to set up a charitable foundation to pay for disadvantaged children to participate in the arts with the amount of money in question. The Czar didn’t need to know about that and realizing how foolish he had been still rankled him.
“Many men have tried to scale that edifice” Georgy said, “You’ve gotten further than most, normally she refuses to accept gifts.”
“I didn’t know that” Fyodor said.
“I’ve talked with Lidiya about Jehane many times” Georgy said, “My wife says that she lives within a series of contradictions. A deeply passionate woman who knows she must remain beyond reproach, being modern but having an old soul, living away from her homeland but being very much a part of it.”
“Where does your say that leaves me?”
Georgy just made a move on the board instead of answering. Finally, he said, “Another foolish man trying to win the heart of a beautiful woman even if you are going about it the wrong way.”
“Are you suggesting that there is a right way?” Fyodor asked in reply. As he made a move and knew it was the wrong one as soon as his hand left the piece.
“Before I ended up in charge of this great country, I spent years in the South of France and Paris” Georgy replied, Fyodor was aware of the Czar’s past. He had grown up in France and England as an exile, later to serve in the French Army in the Soviet War. While Georgy had learned a great deal about how the world really worked during that time, Fyodor had no idea what that had to do with his situation. “I won over Lidiya through her friends, it’s a possibility.”
“Are you trying to get me killed?” Fyodor asked, “Her friends know exactly what I am, and they are not shy about what they would do to me if they get the chance.”
“It sounds like you need to be careful then” Georgy said, “I would have a hard time finding someone else willing to play an honest game of chess.”
Fyodor noticed that the Czar found this incredibly amusing, so did everyone else apparently.
Berlin
It had been listening to Gräfin Katherine complaining to her mother about a Doctor Berg that had made Kiki curious. There was an N. Berg on the Hospital Staff. It had taken a bit of time, but she eventually got a look at Nora Berg after asking around about her. It was enough to get Kiki to rethink what she wanted to do with her life. Here was a woman living the life that Kiki thought she wanted, and it clearly didn’t look like it brought her any joy. A woman built like a fireplug with close cropped greying hair who seemed to have a scowling disposition towards everything. What Kiki had not anticipated was what would happen if she got caught…
“I need to speak with you in my office this instant Fraulein von Fischer” Doctor Berg said sharply as Kiki had been walking down the corridor. Something about the way she said Kiki’s assumed name set off alarm bells in her mind.
“I’m sorry Ma’am” Kiki replied, “But I’m expected in Geriatrics…”
“If I choose to have you removed for spying on me that won’t be a problem” Berg said, then she leaned forward so that only Kiki could hear her, “And that would be a real black eye for your parents Princess Kristina. Or we could even have it out right here in the corridor.”
Kiki knew about how gossip flew around the University Clinic. It was as if the staff didn’t have anything better to do. The last thing she wanted was to have this blabbed all over the Hospital. She didn’t have much of a choice but to follow Doctor Berg to her office.
“One thing you should know” Berg said as soon as the door closed, and Kiki was sitting a chair that she suspected was made uncomfortable on purpose, “Asking around cuts both ways. If you ask people about me, they tend to ask me why you are asking about me.”
It was something that should have been incredibly obvious.
“I wasn’t spying on you” Kiki blurted out.
“What you were doing then?”
“I just wanted to know who were after I heard my mother and Gräfin Katherine talking about you.”
“I figure that Kat was complaining as she tends to do?” Doctor Berg said, “Stubborn woman, she would kill for those she cares about but getting her to take care of herself is difficult.”
Kiki was silent which seemed to answer her question.
“Supposedly, you are interested in going into the medical field” Doctor Berg said as she got out of her chair and went to the filing cabinet that open and removed a folder, “A rewarding career, though it has its moments.”
Like this one, Kiki thought to herself as she sat there silently as Doctor Berg sat down in her chair and started filling out a form. Kiki had no idea what she was doing. Filling out an official complaint?
“I’m sure that you are aware of what my specialty is” Doctor Berg said mildly, “It’s probably just as well that this happened. In fact, you probably should have been to see me a couple years ago.”
“Wait, what?” Kiki asked.
“Now, Kristina, for your surname would you prefer this to be under the name von Fischer or the one your family normally uses?” Doctor Berg asked.
“I already have a Physician” Kiki blurted out when she realized what Doctor Berg was doing.
“I’m sure that he is a good one too” Doctor Berg said her voice full of practiced compassion, “Today, we are going to start to discuss matters he likely hasn’t thought about since Medical School.”
Too late did it occur to Kiki what the sort woman who would go head to head with the likes of Gräfin Katherine would be like. She had never stood a chance.
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