corner of my home where I triple-barricaded myself behind Darya, Tatyana, and Alexander. Unlike the hide-and-seek games we played as children, the outcome of this game could determine my future.
Olga copied my actions and hid in the opposite corner.
The midwife signaled Maxim to invite Borei. No sooner did he see Papa than he bounded over and nosedPapa’s hands for meat. When Papa showed him empty hands, Borei leaned against him and settled for a good rub. Papa showered him with praise and pats on the head.
“Bring us the next bride,” Papa encouraged his favorite dog.
Borei wouldn’t budge.
Our guests booed in a friendly manner.
“He’s a sight hound, not a tracker,” Papa said in Borei’s defense.
The midwife whistled for Borei’s attention and purposefully threw him a piece of suckling pig that landed near my feet. “There’s more, boy. Go find it.”
Borei trotted off in my direction.
“That’s not fair,” Olga shouted.
I kicked the meat away and it stopped just short of where Darya and Tatyana stood.
“This way!” Alexander led me to the opposite corner near the stove. “Hide behind me.”
Borei poked and sniffed around the chambermaids.
Darya giggled with hope.
But Tatyana sighed when Borei snatched the piece of meat off the floor and moved on.
“That was close,” I said.
Upon hearing my voice, Borei’s ears perked up and he began searching for me. I tried to escape and rushed behind Olga.
“No, you don’t,” Olga said, fighting to stand behind me. “I see what you’re doing. You want to win.”
“I’m telling you. I don’t want to win.”
Olga refused to let me get behind her and left me exposed.
Borei’s eyes locked on me—and when that happens, there’s no escape from a borzoi.
“Olga’s got a much bigger piece of meat,” I whispered to Borei, who poked and prodded relentlessly at my hands. “Go to her!”
“Looks like we have a winner,” Papa announced.
“Give him the meat,” the midwife said to me. “He’s earned it.”
In one quick chomp Borei snatched it from my hands and searched for more.
I glanced over at Olga and shook my head. “It could have been you.”
Mama was the first to clap. “Our next bride!”
But it was the midwife who clapped loudest. She had a mouthwatery look in her eyes, the kind hungry dogs get when they see fresh meat. While she reeled Papa in and held his ear, Marya tottered over to me and squeezed me until it hurt. “Let’s hope your papa finds someone close by. You’ll be sorely missed, if not.”
Ruslan and Boris crowded around me, too, and patted my back. The two of them looked happy for me.
When my eyes fell on Alexander, his face was full of smiles, but his voice sounded like a rooster who had lost his crow. “Maybe you can teach the midwife’s nephew to love the dogs as you do?”
“His fear of dogs isn’t my only problem,” I said. “Papa wants me to apprentice under Mama and become a dressmaker.”
“Nyet,”
Alexander cried. “He can’t do that!”
“He has,” I said. “You’ve got to promise me to watch over Zola and Zar and the other dogs.”
“I will, Larochka.”
“I know you will,” I said.
“I still can’t believe it,” he said. “How will the kennel manage without you?”
“Sasha, the question is, how will I manage without the kennel?”
Days later, after the midwife tidied up from the festivities of the baptism, she whispered something in Mama’s ear—eyeing me as she did so. Mama’s head bobbed up and down, and by the way her face glowed, she seemed to hang on every word. When the midwife finished, she nodded to Papa, bid us luck, and left. Like every morning since Bohdan’s birth, Papa kissed my baby brother on the nose and headed off to the kennel. Mama and Iwatched the midwife and Papa trudge through the snow in opposite directions.
“I need to get back to work, too,” Mama said. “The Countess needs me.”
“You should rest.” I knew Papa wouldn’t like
Olga copied my actions and hid in the opposite corner.
The midwife signaled Maxim to invite Borei. No sooner did he see Papa than he bounded over and nosedPapa’s hands for meat. When Papa showed him empty hands, Borei leaned against him and settled for a good rub. Papa showered him with praise and pats on the head.
“Bring us the next bride,” Papa encouraged his favorite dog.
Borei wouldn’t budge.
Our guests booed in a friendly manner.
“He’s a sight hound, not a tracker,” Papa said in Borei’s defense.
The midwife whistled for Borei’s attention and purposefully threw him a piece of suckling pig that landed near my feet. “There’s more, boy. Go find it.”
Borei trotted off in my direction.
“That’s not fair,” Olga shouted.
I kicked the meat away and it stopped just short of where Darya and Tatyana stood.
“This way!” Alexander led me to the opposite corner near the stove. “Hide behind me.”
Borei poked and sniffed around the chambermaids.
Darya giggled with hope.
But Tatyana sighed when Borei snatched the piece of meat off the floor and moved on.
“That was close,” I said.
Upon hearing my voice, Borei’s ears perked up and he began searching for me. I tried to escape and rushed behind Olga.
“No, you don’t,” Olga said, fighting to stand behind me. “I see what you’re doing. You want to win.”
“I’m telling you. I don’t want to win.”
Olga refused to let me get behind her and left me exposed.
Borei’s eyes locked on me—and when that happens, there’s no escape from a borzoi.
“Olga’s got a much bigger piece of meat,” I whispered to Borei, who poked and prodded relentlessly at my hands. “Go to her!”
“Looks like we have a winner,” Papa announced.
“Give him the meat,” the midwife said to me. “He’s earned it.”
In one quick chomp Borei snatched it from my hands and searched for more.
I glanced over at Olga and shook my head. “It could have been you.”
Mama was the first to clap. “Our next bride!”
But it was the midwife who clapped loudest. She had a mouthwatery look in her eyes, the kind hungry dogs get when they see fresh meat. While she reeled Papa in and held his ear, Marya tottered over to me and squeezed me until it hurt. “Let’s hope your papa finds someone close by. You’ll be sorely missed, if not.”
Ruslan and Boris crowded around me, too, and patted my back. The two of them looked happy for me.
When my eyes fell on Alexander, his face was full of smiles, but his voice sounded like a rooster who had lost his crow. “Maybe you can teach the midwife’s nephew to love the dogs as you do?”
“His fear of dogs isn’t my only problem,” I said. “Papa wants me to apprentice under Mama and become a dressmaker.”
“Nyet,”
Alexander cried. “He can’t do that!”
“He has,” I said. “You’ve got to promise me to watch over Zola and Zar and the other dogs.”
“I will, Larochka.”
“I know you will,” I said.
“I still can’t believe it,” he said. “How will the kennel manage without you?”
“Sasha, the question is, how will I manage without the kennel?”
Days later, after the midwife tidied up from the festivities of the baptism, she whispered something in Mama’s ear—eyeing me as she did so. Mama’s head bobbed up and down, and by the way her face glowed, she seemed to hang on every word. When the midwife finished, she nodded to Papa, bid us luck, and left. Like every morning since Bohdan’s birth, Papa kissed my baby brother on the nose and headed off to the kennel. Mama and Iwatched the midwife and Papa trudge through the snow in opposite directions.
“I need to get back to work, too,” Mama said. “The Countess needs me.”
“You should rest.” I knew Papa wouldn’t like
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