Nadia looked away. “I can barely cook, my sewing is atrocious, and I still take twice as long to make the clothes half as clean as the other women do.” She’d learned so much since the train station in Piryatin, but there was still so much she didn’t know.
“You’ve learned skill after skill, and you’ve never given up. And you’ve done it all with grace and kindness.”
“But you’re trying to overthrow the old order, and I was part of that.” Her life prior to meeting him was one of luxury and privilege, part of a class parallel to those who had persecuted his people in his lands. “Is Russian aristocracy so different from Austrian aristocracy?”
“I didn’t hate the Hapsburg aristocracy because they were rich and German. I hated them because they thought that because they were rich and German and I was poor and Czech, my life and my happiness weren’t as important as theirs. But you’re not like that. You’ve cared for our wounded, helped us smuggle rifles, and gathered intelligence. You may have been born rich, but you’ve made common cause with us, and that has earned you my undying admiration and my unconditional love.”
Love? She swallowed as hope and uncertainty waged a war in her chest. Could he really love her? She met his gaze and had her answer. Yes, he did. She could see approval in his eyes and fondness in the set of his mouth.
“Filip, I think I love you.”
His smile was pure joy. “I had hoped you would come to. But I never supposed you would.”
He kissed her forehead, kissed her cheeks, kissed the end of her nose. They were delicate, soft gestures that warmed her like a fur cloak in winter. And then he kissed her lips. She’d never been kissed before, had only dreamed of what it might be like.
Reality was far better.
Filip had won her over completely with his humble confidence, his kindness, his patience. She’d fallen in love with his determination, his attention to duty, and his considerate nature. Now she fell in love with the way his mouth moved over hers, the way his arms held her, and the way his hands caressed her. She didn’t want the kiss to ever end. She’d never felt so alive, so giddy. Nor had she ever felt such a strong connection to anyone.
Eventually, Filip’s lips moved to her neck. “Nadia.” His voice was a husky whisper. He kissed her again, even longer than he had the first time. There was more passion now, and more anticipation. She treasured every second of it, drank up every moment of his closeness, his attention. The feelings were new, powerful, and exquisite.
“Nadia, I don’t have guard duty till tomorrow. Will you spend the night with me?”
She hesitated only a moment. She wanted to be Filip’s wife in every aspect, wanted to be alone with him, wanted to be completely his. “Yes.”
“What I’m asking will make an annulment unlikely.”
Their agreement at the train station in Piryatin felt like something from a different life. “I . . . I don’t want an annulment anymore. Do you?”
He ran his hands around her waist and buried his face in her neck. “I never wanted one.”
She laughed softly. “For someone who never wanted an annulment, you’ve been incredibly patient.”
He responded with more kisses. His mouth did something to her—something incredible. His warmth wrapped her up in delight and security and invited her to something new and absolutely breathtaking.
She held his face with her hands. “How soon can you find us somewhere private?”
“Soon.” Another kiss sent her soaring. “Very soon.”
She woke up the next morning with Filip at her side. Her husband—a real one, not a sham one. She fingered the curls of his hair and watched him sleep. Gratitude wound around her heart. After the worst moments of her life, God had led her to someone who was gentle and capable, honorable and kind. “I love you,” she whispered and knew it would be true for the rest of her life.
Chapter Twenty-Six
When Kral called everyone together, Filip sensed that something was wrong. Dalek’s more-petulant-than-usual frown confirmed his hunch. It seemed a cruel twist of fate for another complication to arise now, when the legion finally held the rail line from the Volga to Vladivostok and when everything with Nadia had been so perfect for the last week and a half.
Kral raised his voice so everyone could hear. “The Allies have requested that we hold our current positions.”
“Why?” someone asked.
Filip had the same question. Yes, they’d managed to take over several thousand miles of railway, but the legion was too small to hold for long. It was better to get everyone to the coast and sail for France as soon as possible.
“Because German guns are shelling Paris, and the German Army is transferring divisions from Russia to France. The Western Allies are in danger of collapse. They’re desperate.”
“Then they should give us ships and send us to France, as planned.” Emil’s young face showed confusion. “We can make a difference there if they hurry.”
“We can also make a difference here. Perhaps more quickly than we can there.”