Aurelia waited a beat in respectful silence before asking, “And you don’t remember actually fighting in the war?”
He thought for a moment and then shook his head.
“I remember seeing the countryside rushing past the windows of our train, and nothing more.”
“Right, then.I’ve been thinking,” Aurelia said as she opened her notebook and began flipping through its pages.“What if there’s a problem with your train?What if you never make it to Serbia and instead you go somewhere else?”
“I do not understand.What do you mean by ‘somewhere else’?”
“What if your train stops in… I don’t know… Budapest, and you decide to just live there for a while, start over with a new life?”
“What kind of life would it be if I had run from my obligations to my country, to my men?How could I fail to serve with my army in a time of need?”
“We’re writing you a new story—we can make your life whatever you want it to be.Why put you at the frontlines of a war?”
Vronsky stiffened at her words.
“I could never disregard my duty.I studied at the Corps and trained as a cavalryman.I have soldiers waiting for me to lead them into battle—I would not abandon them to ‘start over’ and live a life of frivolity whilst they put themselves in harm’s way.”
Aurelia remembered how devoted Vronsky had been to the men who served under him and to his career in the army.She respected his patriotism, but still, she’d grown fond of him and—despite the fact that she’d be writing his story and could keep him safe—she hoped he’d reconsider.
“War is a terrible thing, Alexei.You’d see your friends killed, or injured and suffering… No one would think less of you if you didn’t want to experience that.Don’t you want to consider some alternatives?”
“There are no alternatives,” he said tightly.“Ask me again in a week or a month or a year, and my resolve will not waver.”
“Alright,” she said at last, giving a sigh.“You go to Serbia.I’ll need to research how long the war lasted since I’m not well-versed in the Serbian War of 1876.”
She tried to keep the sarcasm in her voice to a minimum, but it wasn’t easy.
“Just for tonight, then, let’s start after the war.What would be the first thing you’d want to do?”
“I would want to tend to my men, ensure they were properly cared for and their wounds were treated.”His face suddenly brightened.“Anna and I built a magnificent hospital near my home.Perhaps I could accompany them there?”
“Would you really want to go back to Russia?”
Aurelia was caught off guard.She’d thought he would want to get a fresh start somewhere else, far from memories of Anna or awkward conversations with friends who’d known about their relationship.
“It is my home,” he said simply.
“Think big, Vronsky,” Aurelia teased him.“This is your chance to do anything, go anywhere, be anything!Well, you don’t have any medical training, so we couldn’t write that you’re suddenly performing surgeries.But if you want to go to medical school, we could write it.”
Vronsky made a face.“Surgery is not in my line.”
“For now, then, let’s say you return to Russia.You bring your men to your hospital, make sure they get the treatment they need, and then?”She put down her pen and began paging through her notebook again.“What about Italy?”
“What about Italy?”Vronsky asked blankly.
“You liked Italy, didn’t you?You and Anna lived there for a few months and you seemed to like painting and living the artistic life there.”
“I did enjoy Italy.Next you’ll suggest I raise a stable of racehorses there,” he said with a laugh.
“Alexei, you can do anything you like!Just imagine it and I’ll write it.”
28
AureliaandVronskyspentthe rest of the evening throwing out ideas that grew more and more wild as the hours wore on.At one point, she suggested he tour with a troupe of Russian circus performers as their ringmaster.Vronsky laughed so hard he snorted, which sent Aurelia into a fit of laughter.A reproving look from Cuff made it almost impossible for her to pull herself together, though she eventually caught her breath and put on her best serious face.She and Vronsky agreed to get back to outlining real possibilities for his future the following evening.
In spite of her ongoing fatigue from late nights in the shop, Aurelia was in a delightful mood the next day.The shop was getting busy as the holidays were now only a few weeks away and she felt invigorated by all the activity.In between helping customers, she pulled out Aunt Marigold’s old holiday decorations and set about making the shop more festive.Her spirits wobbled a bit as she remembered decorating the shop with her aunt just last year, but she soldiered on.She even ran out to a local florist and bought garlands to string around the mezzanine railing and the front windows, which she’d always thought would look pretty set against the books and the shop’s woodwork.
