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Daria casually, without hesitation, threw off her robe and, looking in the mirror, straightened her hair and critically examined herself. Satisfied, she took an elegant red dress with a low neckline out of the closet, barely got into it and asked Peter to fasten the zipper on the back. She touched up her lips, turned her head back and forth, smoothed out non-existent folds of clothing, once again looked sternly at her reflection and said:
– I’m ready!
At the table, after the first toast for the word with the letter “L”, they lit up, and the moment of discussing serious topics crept up – yesterday there was no time for this. Looking at her classic, chiseled face, he asked:
– Tell me, where does the beauty come from?
– Mom is from Vologda, and dad is from Tver…
– Sorry, maybe I’ll ask an impolite question, if you don’t want to, don’t answer. Married?
– Was…
– Where’s the ex?
– In the jail Crosses.
– Visiting?
– About once a month.
– How long will he…?
– I don’t know. The investigation is there. He said that he had submitted a petition.
– Well, and the children?
– We didn’t have time to start it.
– And how did you end up here in the village?
– It’s a long story. It’s better to splash one more, or I’ll take it and cry…
– I’m sorry, I’m not just asking. I like you, I really like you, as if I’ve been looking for you all my life. Come on, here’s to you!
– For us, – Daria cast a close look at the cognac in the glass playing with multicolored lights, as if in a magic crystal she saw a secret prediction, her fate and stretched out an elegant, thin hand to Peter. – For us!
Resolutely, in one gulp, she drank a scalding, tart drink and, with a cute, feminine wince, gracefully bit into a piece of lemon. The strength of the alcohol took her breath away and tears came out. Carefully, trying not to damage the mascara, she dabbed her eyelashes with a napkin and cooed sweetly:
– Do you mind if I eat a little? I didn’t have time to have breakfast…
– That’s great, otherwise I was worried: maybe it’s tasteless? – Peter perked up, seeing that the interlocutor is coming back to normal. – Let’s do this: you eat, and I talk.
– Come on, – Dasha raised her eyes and fixed her hypnotic gaze on him, – where did you fall from, Kalinkin?
CHAPTER 6. CONFESSION
Peter took a deep drag on his cigarette, then carefully squeezed Dasha’s fragile wrist with his fingers, as if he was afraid of losing it, and began to tell about the strange find and his recent adventures. From time to time he stopped, catching his breath and choosing the right words, and looked at her – an unearthly, fatal woman, without whom he could no longer imagine his life. Daria listened attentively without interrupting, but the emotions that overwhelmed her were clearly reflected on her face: the pink skin of her face turned pale, then turned purple, her breathing changed its rhythm, her eyes expressed the whole palette of emotions: from delight to anger, from surprise to fright. Even watching her pleased and amazed, and the spontaneity of the expression of feelings was captivating: the sincerity and naivety of the child was clearly manifested in her. When the monologue came to the end, Peter took a deep breath and added almost plaintively:
– Dasha, I still don’t understand a lot myself. Help me figure this out…
Daria did not answer immediately. Her face lost its serenity, suddenly became thoughtful and serious. She gently released her hand, wanting to remain free, unfettered by anything. For a few seconds in complete silence, she stared at one point, pondering the decision, then she took the bottle and resolutely splashed alcohol into the glasses, after which she said in a low, muffled voice, wearily:
– Petya, your choice has already been made, you are the master of your magic machine, and you are its slave. I believe you and am ready to help in any situation. I hope I’ve already helped you in some way, – she smiled a little slyly. – But now I’m not ready to give a definitive answer. And therefore, let’s leave everything as it is for now. Isn’t that enough for today?
– Dasha, it’s so much that neither my soul nor my mind can contain it all, – Peter sincerely exclaimed, resolutely took the poured amber drink from the table, almost spilling it, and carefully put the glass into her warm fingers, squeezing them with his palm. – Let’s drink to the holiday that is with us today.
Daria moved closer to him, stroked his coarse hair and said:
– So be it!
Soon they will get to know each other again, discovering previously unknown feelings and sensations, the taste of sweetness, the tenderness of intercourse, the pain of attraction and the aroma of fire.
Dasha’s cell phone rang with a nasty chirp at nine in the morning. It seemed that the devil’s hammers were pounding insistently in Peter’s ears, preventing him from falling into a blissful sleep again. A new day was beginning, but he could not clearly reconstruct the events of the last few hours. He only remembered that in the twilight their bodies were intertwined, then repelled from each other, simple words suddenly acquired the significance of eternal truths, semantic accents shifted, sharpening the senses. Fragments of dreams and memories flowed into a jumble of sounds and images in which it was no longer possible to distinguish reality from fantasy. Wanting to free himself from the shackles of Morpheus, Kalinkin threw off the blanket and abruptly stood up, unceremoniously showing his beloved’s naked body to two budgies in a cage. The parrots immediately perked up, clicked and whistled, vying with each other to express their admiration for the picture that opened before them, like true connoisseurs of the nude style.
– It’s good that they covered the cage with a rag before going to bed: they would have seen something else, – Peter thought ironically, trying to calm his headache.
In the falling morning light, Daria really looked damn tempting, like an awakening Aurora. The ideal of female beauty suddenly showed signs of life and moaned softly, mentally begging the sky for mercy – she didn’t want to wake up after a stormy night. Like it or not, it’s time to come to your senses and brush your feathers…
At night, Peter, like a true gentleman, solemnly declared:
– I agree with your choice in advance. Decide!
– With anyone?
– Of course!
– Well, what do you think: in the future or the past? – Daria still didn’t want to go against his wishes. But Peter confirmed the original: decide for yourself!
Sleepless and slightly intoxicated, they did not approach, but gently floated to the door of the store, just in time for the opening of the local miracle shop. Daria was the first to pass, and Peter, after briefly trampling on the street, joined the crowd of customers and crossed the threshold of the trading floor. Their plan in theory was simple: to sneak unnoticed into the warehouse, close the door of the barrel, press the cherished button and fly away from here to this very mother. The second point of the plan was to take care of Grunya and Borya in advance, the birds sitting in the cage. This was an indispensable condition for Dasha when planning a trip, which they discussed in between, which is very attractive to erotomaniacs. Daria managed to negotiate with her girlfriend in the morning, who promised to visit her house and feed the winged ones, so the feathered issue was already resolved, and there was only one thing left: to break through to the goal – an iron barrel.
Half an hour later, as soon as it became possible, Daria asked a colleague to replace her for a minute behind the counter, and she rushed to the back room, Peter followed her. We went in, closed the door and began to look for the unit: thank God, on the spot! Their hearts were pounding with excitement. Daria looked hopefully at Peter, and he winked at her and abruptly slammed the lid of the barrel, but the long – awaited click did not follow – the time machine did not start… Thinking took only a few moments:
– Dasha, batteries!
– How much?
– Six pieces!
She quickly looked around the shelves, found a box with batteries, deftly took out the right package from it and gave it to Peter. Peter quickly replaced the old batteries with new ones. Before closing the lid, he looked back at Daria and asked:
– Do you believe in miracles? – and, seeing the tense expectation in her eyes, he admonished her before slamming the lid: – Go ahead, my love!
The inner lock clanged like a magic chord, and immediately a low vibrating sound began to press on the ears. Peter smiled encouragingly at his beloved, who was watching the mysterious device. Before her eyes, the iron barrel gradually melted into the air and disappeared, a small orange ball appeared instead, which began to grow rapidly and turned into the throne of the lord of space and a wanderer in time: a comfortable, large armchair with a hood and a wide stand with a screen. Daria ran up to Peter and hung on his neck for joy. Peter hugged her, then gently sat her down in a chair, and he settled down next to her.
The opportunity to look into the mysterious tomorrow, to witness the upcoming events, certainly intrigued the girl, but the past centuries, the refined French aristocratic society attracted her more. An era of glory for France… Even in her youth, standing in front of a mirror, she dreamed of herself as Queen Margot or Lady Winter. She was able to evaluate the intelligence, beauty and influence in the society of these bright historical figures from books, and the outfits shown in the films, palace splendor and luxury completed the picture that beckoned like a magnet. But can she be blamed for this – many girls dream of the same! Peter looked questioningly at Daria, and she, encouraged by his gaze, reached for the “Past” button.
– “Time” – July 15, 1663.
– “Place” – France, Versailles, the palace of King Louis XIV.
– A royal choice, – commented Peter: even in such a situation, he did not lose his sense of humor. After answering the questions, the travelers saw a warning highlighted in red on the screen:
– “Attention! In order to avoid a dangerous situation, the return is activated at any moment of the journey by the command “I want to go back”…
Daria shivered from nervous tension. Peter felt her condition and hugged her tightly by the shoulders. Suddenly, the door leading to the trading floor opened, and a lady administrator appeared on the threshold, attracted by a suspicious noise in the warehouse. When she saw the couple sitting in the chair, she only had time to ask:
– What are you doing here?
But they didn’t hear her anymore: time and space disappeared, absorbing them together with the mysterious apparatus.
CHAPTER 7. VERSAILLES
And here they are in Versailles, young, beautiful, dressed in luxurious fashion outfits. However, they are no longer Peter and Daria, but Count Petronel de Armand de Burlemont and Countess Dorian de Burlemont, representatives of the French nobility.
– How’s that? – Peter asked with a victorious smile.
– I don’t believe my eyes! – Daria exclaimed, beaming with childish delight.
The Comte de Burlemont stopped at the statue of the great Gaius Julius Caesar, whose cult was highly appreciated by French art connoisseurs.
– Suae quisque fortunae faber, – he recalled the saying of the great Caesar in Latin, and the Countess echoed it in the purest French:
– Each blacksmith of his own destiny…
It is hardly possible to describe the impressions of the Palace of Versailles. As soon as Countess Dorian crossed the threshold, her heart fluttered – the arrivals immediately found themselves in the thick of the events of the royal court.
– Now I’m going to see what I’ve been dreaming about all my life! – she thought.
Daria and Peter walked across the sparkling parquet floor across the hall.
The King ‘s senior chamberlain announced:
– Comte de Burlemont de Armand Petronel.
She heard his voice:
– We are happy to see you, Count, and admire the Countess, about whose beauty we have heard so much.
– Have you heard? – Daria was surprised, not daring to utter these words or even show it, but clearly flattered by His Majesty’s compliment. Peter, on the contrary, perceived these words differently: a burning jealousy pricked his heart, and a vague, cold anxiety arose in his soul…
The day after the reception in Versailles, Peter and Daria went for a walk in Paris. In the evening they went to the hotel, where they stayed for the night.
– How are you, honey? So many events! It’s nice, it turns out, to be in the role of the nobility and receive the attention of the king himself!
– I’m so stunned, I’m in an amazing fairy tale all day! Everything we have seen and heard today has deeply impressed my imagination. I feel elation, and at the same time, my beloved, I am tormented by forebodings.
Daria told Peter: it was just as dangerous to refuse the monarch as to accept his courtship favorably. Those ladies who became favorites of Louis XIV were in danger of being poisoned by competitors.
Peter thought about it, and then asked:
– Are we able to resist this? – and he answered himself: – Alas, no! Let’s not give in to despair! In any case, we are not in danger today.
– Shall we order a dinner worthy of an earl and rest from our misgivings? – Daria suggested.
– Let’s leave it as it is for now. Isn’t that enough for today? – Peter repeated Daria’s words, spoken by her in that former world.
Dasha appreciated the memory with dignity and smiled understandingly, throwing herself into the arms of her beloved. Secretly, sideways, she looked in the mirror by the huge bed in the boudoir: there were reflected two figures, female and male, similar to the actors from the movie about the three Musketeers, the treacherous Milady and the fearless D’Artagnan…
The beautiful Burgundy wine turned their heads, and they forgot themselves after love on satin sheets. When fatigue set in, Peter quickly closed his eyes and passed out. He dreamed that he was arguing with Julius Caesar about power and democracy, and Daria tossed from side to side and could not fall asleep for a long time: even during intimacy with her beloved, she could not forget the king’s gaze and felt his presence next to her with horror.
CHAPTER 8. COUNTESS DORIAN
After a sleepless night and painful thoughts, Daria initiated Peter into her plan: she would take any opportunity to have an audience with His Majesty, and then rely on the good will of the monarch. And who in the world could have predicted how the story would develop further? She secretly hoped that the king would not refuse her request related to their future fate. Peter was not so optimistic and believed that although Louis XIV was not distinguished by vindictiveness, he would hardly put up with a rival in his person. The king’s attention to his wife was fraught with imminent danger for him.
However, unfortunately, events developed so rapidly that the de Burlemont couple was not ready for this. Confirmation of this was the night arrest of Peter on false evidence of high treason. Formally, these slanders had to be considered by the court, but there was no doubt that his fate was predetermined… You can get rid of the Comte de Burlemont by bricking him up in prison.
Two days later Daria was standing in front of the king, confident that His Majesty would listen to her words:
– Sire, let my husband stand trial, and then he will easily prove that he was the victim of erroneous accusations. The Count has never conspired against Your Majesty. He just couldn’t do it…
– I don’t understand you. Kindly express yourself more clearly, – Ludovic’s face assumed an interested expression.
– Sire, I will tell you a secret… a secret that any sane person can hardly believe. Nevertheless, without fear of being accused of mental illness or witchcraft, I beg you to listen to my words and not rush to reject them without due attention.
The contemptuous irony of the king did not bode well, but Daria continued.
– I am in despair, Sire. But the truth is that my husband and I are your guests from the future. We arrived in France from distant Russia during the reign of Your Majesty from the twenty-first century…
The King frowned and calmly said:
– I assumed that everything would come down to witchcraft and magic.
He headed for the exit, and then, stopping, addressed her:
– I can only promise to clarify some circumstances concerning your husband. I will ask you not to leave Paris for the next ten days.
Daria realized: apparently, the king had already decided for himself the fate of the count.
CHAPTER 9. PARTING
Thanks to the patronage of a nobleman from the royal entourage, who clearly sympathized with her, the Countess de Burlemont achieved the almost impossible: a meeting with Count Petronel in the Bastille prison, from which only a few came out alive, and dozens and hundreds of people disappeared without a trace, who got there only at the behest of the king, without any investigation or trial. In the very place that was terrifying only at the mention of him.
At noon on the twenty-third of July, the carriage with the Comtesse de Burlemont stopped not far from the prison gates. The fortress was a huge quadrangle with eight towers twenty meters high and a deep moat. A suspension bridge is thrown over a moat filled with water. After crossing the bridge to the gate, Daria handed the Duke’s letter to the commandant through the window. At least half an hour of agonizing waiting had passed when the bolts rattled and the heavy door, studded with metal strips, opened. Daria, dressed in a black robe and a black hat with a veil, followed two jailers through a narrow corridor with many bars with locks and went out into the courtyard of the building. Her escorts led her along a cobblestone path to one of the five-story towers, where another supervisor, a portly, gloomy-looking one, let her in. The two of them went down a narrow staircase to the underground chamber where Peter was imprisoned. Keys rattled, and the narrow door to the casemate opened.
– Fifteen minutes, – the fat man said triumphantly, reveling in his little power, and slammed the door from the outside, leaving the prisoner and the Countess alone.
When Daria crossed the threshold of this dungeon, she felt sick from the smells and darkness. Dampness permeated the walls and the floor, strewn here and there with straw on the cold sand. Peter was sitting on an iron bed attached to a long wall. Light penetrated into this room from the corridor through two narrow openings located at the very bottom of the door, and painted his prison uniform in gray tones.
