Had she been in her family’s Petrograd manor or their country estate and had Filip been a servant, she would have given him an extensive list. But he wasn’t her servant and had already rescued her from the Bolsheviks and from a marriage to Jakub Zeman. Now he’d given her warmth. She couldn’t ask him for anything more. “No. Thank you.”
Larisa slipped an arm through her husband’s. “It might be quicker to list what she doesn’t need.”
Larisa and her husband left. Nadia didn’t know if Larisa had meant the statement as an insult or if she’d been trying to help, but regardless of the intentions, Nadia’s face went hot.
Veronika stepped in with a graceful smile. “Corporal Sedlák, she has nothing. She needs a new blouse or two, underclothing, a blanket, and a thicker coat.”
Filip watched Anton and Veronika rush off together, then turned to her. She hoped he wouldn’t be upset that she’d not been more forthright. “I don’t know exactly what to buy,” he said, “so, um, can you come with me, Miss . . . Mrs. What should I call you? Mrs. Sedláková?”
That was a good question. They barely knew each other, certainly not well enough to call one another by their Christian names. But she thought of him as Filip, not as Corporal or Mr. Sedlák. And they were married. “What should I call you?”
“Filip.”
“Then you should call me Nadia.”
“Nadia, then. Will you come with me?” His lips twisted in question. His face was striking, in its way. Eyes, eyebrows, and hair, all a warm brown against fair skin.
She had no objections to shopping with Filip, but going into a crowded marketplace gave her pause. Would anyone from the Cheka be there? And would they recognize her?
“It’s just that I know next to nothing about women’s clothing. And you’re the one who will wear it.” His face showed less hope now, more embarrassment. Did he think her reluctance had something to do with him?
“Will you take your rifle?” Not that one rifle could adequately protect her from a group of Bolsheviks. And if it came to a threat, would Filip consider her worth the risk? He’d already risked his reputation, but this was different.
His lips parted, and he seemed to understand. “No one will hurt you, I promise. There’ll be other legionnaires about. I wasn’t planning to bring my rifle, but I’ll bring this.” He patted his holstered handgun. “Will that do?”
She nodded. She’d been so foolhardy at her aunt’s estate, riding off on old Konstantin all by herself. Now she was scared to go to the market with an armed escort. She had to gather her courage. It wouldn’t do to live her life in fear.
“Wait here a moment.” Filip stepped over the coupling between two boxcars and disappeared for a minute. Nadia glanced around. She had to stop being so nervous every time she was left alone, but after the executions and the attack in the stables, hostility seemed to loom everywhere.
Filip returned and held out a head scarf. “Would you feel safer with this? It would make you harder to recognize. I doubt any of those men are here, but if it makes it easier to go out . . .”
She took the scarf from him. “Thank you.” Filip Sedlák was a rare man. He understood, but he didn’t judge. She wrapped the scarf over her head and accepted Filip’s arm when he offered it.
They took a few steps, and then she stopped. “Filip, I don’t have any money.”
“I know. I’ll take care of it.”
She should say something. But how could she ever adequately thank him? Did he have a lot of money? Or would buying a blouse for her mean he couldn’t buy things he needed for himself? The silence drew on, but she couldn’t find words to fill it, not the entire walk from the trains.
Each market in Russia was different, yet they were all similar enough to feel familiar. Stalls and shacks lined a frozen road. People came to shop, but more than that, they came to talk and debate, and groups of them congregated all around the market. Someone in the crowd wore a long black coat. Nadia stiffened before realizing it was wool, not leather. Just a normal person going about his business, not a member of the Cheka.
“I don’t know that we’ll find anything new.” Filip looked around. “The longer the war drags on, the harder it is to find new things.”
“I’m not in a position to be picky.”
“It’s just that you’re probably used to nice things, and I don’t think we’ll find them here. Even if we did . . .” Filip felt something in his pocket. His money? “What do you need most?”