  &quot;Training is cancelled today,&quot; Zinaida announces abruptly as soon as Dmitri, Giacomo, and I have taken our seats at the breakfast table. Giacomo arches an eyebrow quizzically.
  &quot;Is that so?&quot; he inquires. Zinaida nods, her eyes daring him to contradict her. &quot;Well then, in that case, I should like to go back to bed, if Your Ladyship has no objection.&quot;
  Zinaida and Wesley seem to have a short conversation with their eyes. They ve both been present for almost every meal in the week that has passed since Dmitri told me about the letter she received from her family. I don t like it. Are they practising to try to convince this Yekaterina that we are a loving, close-knit, happy family? They won t fool anyone. Although, it must be said, compared to the &quot;family&quot; I lived with in Grandmother s chateau, this really is quite a loving, close-knit, happy famil

  CRACK!
  A trail of smoke rises slowly from the muzzle of the revolver in my hands. The bullet strikes its feed-sack target a little off-centre of the red circle painted on it.
  &quot;Я не знала, что сын Зинайде будет так красивый,&quot; Yekaterina compliments Dmitri, her hand on his upper arm. I didn't know Zinaida's son would be so handsome. He gently removes her hand, but seems to be smiling to himself in response to the compliment. Zinaida is not present for breakfast this morning, and Wesley, being ignorant of Russian and half-asleep, seems not to see what is going on.
  CRACK!
  Another shot, this one dead centre into the target, where I ve been picturing Yekaterina s face. Giacomo seems a bit put off by my intensity as I fire a few more shots into the target.
  &quot;Good! Ah, good. It seems like you ve mastered the revolver. Why don t you try your hand with this rifle?&quot; h

  &quot;Well, it seems we ve come across some free time,&quot; Dmitri observes casually as we leave luncheon. &quot;Perhaps you d like to go for a ride? We haven t visited Excalibur in quite some time. I fear he s getting lonely, and I m convinced that he s under-exercised.&quot;
  &quot;By all means. It s been quite some time since we ve had any time for such wonderful, leisurely pursuits. We should certainly take advantage of it,&quot; I agree immediately. Some time out of the mansion together, away from Giacomo and the problems he causes, could only do us good. My conversation with Malina yesterday convinced me of that much, if of little else.
  We need not exchange more words as we make our way through the passageways to the stables. Roderick helps us with Excalibur, as usual, and we depart from the mansion mere minutes from when we left the dining room. I breathe a deep sigh of reli

&quot;Training is cancelled today,&quot; Zinaida announces abruptly as soon as Dmitri, Giacomo, and I have taken our seats at the breakfast table. Giacomo arches an eyebrow quizzically.
  &quot;Is that so?&quot; he inquires. Zinaida nods, her eyes daring him to contradict her. &quot;Well then, in that case, I should like to go back to bed, if Your Ladyship has no objection.&quot;
  Zinaida and Wesley seem to have a short conversation with their eyes. They ve both been present for almost every meal in the week that has passed since Dmitri told me about the letter she received from her family. I don t like it. Are they practising to try to convince this Yekaterina that we are a loving, close-knit, happy family? They won t fool anyone. Although, it must be said, compared to the &quot;family&quot; I lived with in Grandmother s chateau, this really is quite a loving, close-knit, happy family.
  &quot;I see no reason why you should not,&quot; Zinaida relents, more easily than anticipated.

Chapter 43 Yekaterina