Aphrodite's Gift by Olga Kryuchkova
Prologue
Warm spring weather, atypical for the end of March, pursued wealthy merchant Akinfy
Odarchenko from the very France where he had bought famous Languedoc oysters and a few
barrels of Burgundy and Anjou wine. The warmth, bright sun, and singing birds gladdened his
soul, yet the melting snow made roads completely impassable - especially when he crossed the
border into the Russian Empire. His carriages sank in the splashing mire, while the sun tempted
the merchant to take a rest and have a glass or two of vodka with pickled cucumber and
sauerkraut.
And Akinfy Odarchenko surrendered to the mercy of fate and chance, when he reached
Bryansk province, from where Kaluga was a stone's throw away. He stopped at the closest inn
and ordered his serfs to rest. His aides were happy to rest: they were dressed for winter, and the
unusual heat and impassable mud completely exhausted them. They longed to take a bath in the
steam-room and have a sip of vodka, or a pint of kvas at the very least.
The merchant examined his three drays. Boxes of wine bottles were covered with old
bearskin, which aroused envy in the French border guards when he crossed the border at
Pontarlier. The third cart carried a special sort of Mediterranean oyster. Akinfy opened up the
barrel and was glad to see that the ice in it had not melted; he hoped to deliver the dainty seafood
to Count Astafiev, who lived not far from Kaluga. The merchant wrapped the barrel in a quilt to
save his goods from the uninvited spring warmth. He counted on the timely delivery of the wine
and the oysters - this could make him the count's permanent supplier of the delicious food from
France.
Akinfy took off his cap, wiped his sweaty forehead with it, and allowed himself to dream
a little, "If the count likes the food, his friends from Kaluga will imitate him, asking me to bring
the rare delicacies to them, too... I could even hire somebody for this job and stay in the office
myself. And after expanding the business, I could jump into the second guild of merchants!"
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Aphrodite's Gift by Olga Kryuchkova
With such thoughts merchant Odarchenko proceeded to the wide-open doors of the inn; the dray
drivers followed him.
Akinfy sat down at a vacant table, waving his serfs to join him. A middle-aged hostess,
wearing a filthy linen apron, appeared before them.
"Dear," the merchant said to her, "we've come a long way, through the whole of Europe!
What do you have to offer?"
The hostess shrugged: "Indeed? Through the whole of Europe? Have you seen
Mohammedans?"
The merchant and his charioteers laughed. "One could say so. Except that Mohammedans
are in Turkey, somewhere in that area. In Europe people are clever and honorable, mostly
Catholics - almost like us, the Orthodox. Only they make the cross with two fingers, and their
women do not wear headdresses in monasteries.
"It's a sin - without a headdress," and the hostess made a cross.
Akinfy nodded.
"Set the table, hostess, hurry up. We are leaving in early morning to deliver the
merchandise unspoiled."
"What are you trading, dear, if it's not a secret?" the curious woman could not stop
inquiring.
Suddenly, the owner emerged: "Stop chatting with merchants, Praskovia! Do your work."
The woman finally asked: "What do you want to eat?"
Akinfy cleared his throat in anticipation of a hearty meal.
"Borsch for all, steamed buckwheat, pickled cucumbers and cabbage, a lot of bread, and a
bottle of vodka.
The dray drivers looked at each other joyously.
"Thank you, master."
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Aphrodite's Gift by Olga Kryuchkova
"Not a big deal," the merchant waved his hand in the air. "I am worrying about oysters.
You do not sit long; tomorrow I will make you get up at dawn."
The hostess brought a pot of borsch; she was followed by a wench with plates and
spoons.
"Enjoy, dear guests!"
The merchant crossed himself over his mouth, drank in one sip of vodka, and began to
slurp borsch with a huge slice of bread. The drivers followed his example.
After dinner, Akinfy slept soundly with his people - tiredness from a long trip and vodka
did the trick. But spring continued its work even at night, gently melting the ice in the oyster
barrel.
At dawn, rested and happy, the merchant went out to check his foreign delicacy and was
terrified at seeing no ice left in the barrel.
"Shit, shit! All is lost!" he began to swear furiously.
The dray drivers rushed to their benefactor.
"What happened, master?"
"These French snails are rotten, I presume!"
"Wait! Let me have a look!" a young driver opened the barrel and sniffed. "Never mind,
it stinks just a little. Maybe the count's chef won't even smell it."
"Oh, Mother of God! How could he not notice it?" the merchant exclaimed.
"Look, master," the driver put both hands into the barrel, mixing the oysters from top to
bottom, "Now everything is fine. Nobody will sniff out anything."
Three hours of driving on a muddy forest road in the province of Kaluga, and the count's
fields, with majestically towering homestead and church, finally opened up before Akinfy's
wagon train.
The merchant made a cross.
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Aphrodite's Gift by Olga Kryuchkova
"It's Astafievo-Hlynsko, God help us." he pleaded. "Let the count's chef not notice
anything. And I will go to the church, buy the most expensive candles, donate money. What
else?" he fell into thought, "My God, I promise I'll do a lot of good deeds..."
God heard Akinfy's prayer: the chef did not sniff out the smell of rot, and the merchant
was paid well for a foreign delicacy delivered on time.
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Aphrodite's Gift by Olga Kryuchkova
Chapter 1
Kaluga, 1832 AD
The sword duel between Lieutenant Kornev and Ensign Yartsev was not fatal,
fortunately: the ensign was just wounded in his right shoulder. But the consequences for the
lieutenant - the duel winner and an excellent swordsman - turned out to be very sad.
Kornev was expelled from Semenov's Imperial Guard Regiment, where he served for
several years, and sent to the Seventeenth Hussar Regiment that quartered in a small village near
Kaluga, in the sheer wilderness. The lieutenant tried to assure himself that his fate could have
turned out much worse: duels were forbidden, and he might have been executed for violation of
the emperor's order. He took his transfer to the ends of the earth bravely, ashamed to ask for help
from his all-powerful uncle, who had a lot of connections in the power circles of St. Petersburg.
Three months later, Lieutenant Constantine Kornev was already accustomed to provincial
life in Kaluga. However, the local champagne was slightly worse than its French counterparts
(our hero was an expert in wines), and local ladies - sweet and charming - were a bit sillier than
in St. Petersburg and Moscow. So, he started enjoying life once again.
Discipline in the Hussar Regiment was lame. Its commander neglected his professional
duties, spending time at the card table or at Madame Juju's. Juju, whose legal name was Evdokia
Zhukova, owned a modest shebang in Kaluga, which was particularly revered by all the hussars
of the Seventeenth Regiment. Young rascals, tired from boredom and idleness, spent time in the
arms of Madame Juju's girls and at the card table.
Once, Kornev and his hussar friends, in a marvelous mood, were returning home to
regiment quarters from Madame Juju. A cab with the top down drove past them. A pretty young
lady sat in it; she was dressed in the latest spring fashion: a fine-wool robe of a beautiful
terracotta color, trimmed with lace to match a wide-brimmed hat that protected a lovely damsel's
face from the bright sunshine.
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Aphrodite's Gift by Olga Kryuchkova
The lieutenant was stunned by the young lady. The cab was gone, but he still could not
come to his senses. His friends noticed his stupefaction and began making fun of him: "Isn't the
girl pretty, lieutenant?"
"She is adorable! You won't find such charm in the capital!" he exclaimed.
The hussars laughed, "You have become too estranged from St. Petersburg life, if you see
a beauty in each comely young lady."
"Let me tell you, lieutenant," one of the hussars added, "this lady is obviously from a
decent family. Maybe she is even noble. If you court her, alas, they would expect you to marry
her."
Kornev replied nothing, as he was in full agreement with his brother-hussar: she did not
deserve to be treated as Madam Juju's girls, but he wasn't yet ready for a serious relationship.
From that day, Kornev lost his peace of mind. He was embarrassed to admit to his friends
that the girl struck his fancy - they would certainly laugh at him and accuse of romanticism. He
waited in anguish for something, and oddly enough, a miracle did happen.
On one of April's serene days, when the sun was as hot as July, Lieutenant Kornev was
riding his horse into town for a stroll. A young girl attracted his attention - she painfully
reminded him of that lady in the cab. The girl looked at a refined dress on display at a store
selling the latest Parisian fashion.
"Yes, indeed, outfits from France!" the lieutenant thought. "Surely they are sewn in the
local tailor shop."
Suddenly his thoughts were interrupted; the young girl was approached by her maid or
companion, and Kornev overheard the name of the object of his desire: Natalia Dmitrievna. Now
the hussar was certain: in front of him was the young lady that had struck him with her beauty.
Natalia entered the clothing store. Kornev dismounted from his horse and bought a
bouquet of roses from a street flower-girl. She asked him, "Sir, are you going to a wedding?"
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Aphrodite's Gift by Olga Kryuchkova
Kornev was confused; he realized that he could not even approach the girl because they
had not been introduced to each other. Finally, he decided to storm Natalia as if she were a
fortress to capture. Hopefully, she would not be able to stand his pressure and would give way.
Or perhaps not...
Soon Natalia came out of the shop doorway, her maid carrying a hat box. Kornev
understood: there it was, the moment when he must act!
He rushed to Natalia, kneeled, and theatrically stretched out his hands with the flowers,
horrified by what he was doing and prepared that "the lady of his heart" would resent his actions
or, worse, that she would call a policeman for help. Still, the local police was accustomed to
hussars' pranks, and sluggishly reacted to them.
Natalia Dmitrievna rolled her eyes and became honestly confused, not knowing how to
respond to such a daring escapade, especially before townsfolk, who stopped chatting, watching
this scene.
"Dear Natalia Dmitrievna, do not drive me away," Korneev started, as if acting in a bad
play. "I did not know how to make your acquaintance; any manner I could think of would seem
indecent, anyway. That's why I ventured to seek a chance encounter with you. Please take these
flowers. They are not in the least as beautiful as you are. Alas, that's all I can give you at the
moment."
The audience - it was mostly ladies - was touched: the young officer was so romantic.
The lieutenant, still on his knees, waited in horror for the moment Natalia would start
screaming. But her reaction was extraordinary: she laughed loudly. The townsfolk relaxed:
clearly, the lady viewed the hussar's courtship favourably.
"Sir, you have struck me!" the beauty exclaimed. "Glasha," she turned to her maid, who
was in a stupor from what was happening, "take the flowers from the officer. What is your
name? And get up from your knees, after all! All of Kaluga is watching us."
Kornev rose, "I am Constantine Kornev, a hussar; our regiment is housed in Red Fort."
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Aphrodite's Gift by Olga Kryuchkova
"Oh! It's the one where all the duelists serve!" the young lady smiled.
Kornev was abashed, "Well, yes," he drawled.
Natalia's reaction was again the most unexpected: "How romantic of you, sir! You have
to tell me why you shot each other."
"It was a sword duel."
"Oh, really?! Because of one lovely lady?"
"Sort of."
"You are so modest, sir! By the way, how do you know my name? Did you follow me?"
The lieutenant got embarrassed again and decided to tell the truth: "I confess, I was
watching you."
"This is exactly like in Ponson du Terrail's novels! Have you read them?"
"Yes, milady. Les Galanteries De Nancy La Belle." Though the lieutenant wasn't quite
being honest, because he had not finished reading that book - it was too naive.
"This is my favorite," Natalia admitted. "I must go back home to Pogremtsovo, or papa
will be angry. I always have to beg him to allow me a walk in town."
"There are no outlaws in our area, as far as I know."
"True, but there are plenty of hussars."
The young lady approached a cab and the lieutenant helped her up. Then he spoke a
couple of compliments to Glasha, who was literally buried in flowers.
The cab with the girls left the officer behind. Glasha finally came to her senses and
courageously asked, "Natalia Dmitrievna, what a shame! What will your papa say if someone
reports you?"
"Calm down, Glasha. Papa won't find out. Let's say I bought the bouquet myself. As to
the shame... Is it indeed shameful if a young, handsome hussar confesses his feelings to a young
lady!? He is handsome, this Lieutenant Kornev. His eyes were a burning fire of passion! Ahh,
Glasha..."
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Aphrodite's Gift by Olga Kryuchkova
The lieutenant occupied her thoughts all the way home.
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