RUSSIAN WINTER NIGHTS by Linda Skye Page A

actions of Empress Anna’s personal police squad.
    Since arriving a mere week ago, Ekaterina had so far managed to avoid close contact with her aunt, opting to stay hidden behind the jewelled plumes of the headdresses of more ambitious court women. But being inconspicuous in such a gaudy, debauched court took quite a bit of effort, and Ekaterina could not help but resort to old tricks to keep her sanity—such as strolling anonymously through the peasant areas.
    As she reached the edge of the walled courtyard, she heard soft, tinkling laughter. Pausing, she looked over to where a small gaggle of children was weaving pine boughs together to make crude Christmas ornaments. They were nothing like the expensive, gaudy contraptions that her aunt had commissioned for the Christmas season. Unlike the crystal baubles and bright candles, these simple decorations were dotted with crimson holly berries and strung together with tatty bits of string.
    But they were even more beautiful in Ekaterina’s eyes.
    The children’s ruddy faces shot up as she approached, her boots crunching over the freshly fallen snow. Ekaterina smiled warmly, her dainty fingertips skimming over the fragrant pine needles.
    “They’re beautiful, children,” she said encouragingly.
    The children’s smiles widened. Ekaterina patted each child on the head and leaned down to whisper.
    “Come see me in the kitchens tomorrow,” she told them with a wink. “I’ll have some sweet treats for you to share.”
    With that, she rose and resumed her stroll, warmed by the squeals of excited giggling left in her wake. She followed the stone wall to an iron gate, which she pushed open. As she stepped through the archway, a lovely winter landscape met her eyes. Brilliantly white snow carpeted the expansive meadows, broken only by a few clusters of evergreen trees. Ekaterina stepped farther away from the palace and closer to the wilderness, relishing the cold, crisp air on her face and the bright blue sky stretching as far as the eye could see.
    And then she saw him.
    A man was standing in the centre of the field, his the only tracks in the glittering snow. He was facing away from her, his thumbs hooked in his trouser pockets. Even though a cold wind stirred the fabric of his loose white shirt, he did not move—he didn’t even shiver! He was so still that the white puffs of his breath were the only indication that he was a living, breathing man and not a statue.
    But what a statue he would have made! His figure could have made any of the marble mythical gods envious.
    Even from behind, he cut a striking silhouette against the perfect blue of the horizon. He was tall, long and lean—a fact accentuated by his billowing linen shirt and fitted wool trousers. His shoulders were broad, and he had dark, tousled hair that did not quite conceal a square jaw covered in rough stubble. Ekaterina swallowed breathlessly as he shifted his weight. And then he began to walk away, his shoes crunching over the new snow as he wandered towards the copse of trees that hid a small brook from sight.
    He was leaving!
    Ekaterina’s feet were rooted to the spot although she desperately didn’t want to lose sight of the stranger. She was intensely curious, but at the same time, trailing after a stranger seemed a terribly dangerous idea. Ekaterina bit her lip, her brow furrowing as the distance between them grew. Should she risk revealing herself, risk her safety for a glimpse of this handsome stranger?
    Just then, the man paused and turned slightly to the side. A breeze lifted his dark locks, which played across his perfect profile. Ekaterina’s stomach erupted in fluttering.
    Yes , she told herself. She just couldn’t help herself.
    Resolute and determined, Ekaterina followed him, carefully putting her feet in his large footprints so as to remain a silent and unseen follower. Although, she thought with a wry smile, he would see her immediately if he but turned around. Just a quick glimpse of