Having changed into black jeans and a burgundy-coloured classic shirt, I went down to the big fireplace hall, which became the centre of attention of a hundred of ours. It turned out that the numerous Polish Mroczek clan had arrived. Among the guests was Mariska, Markus's lover. The two of them stood by the fireplace and talked quietly. I was happy to see my brother happy and admired them until the sweet couple noticed me.
– Well, you're here at last! We've been waiting for you! – laughed softly at my brother.
I walked towards them, but on the way I was surprised to find among the familiar faces two unfamiliar beauties. They did not belong to the Mroczeks, for all the members of that large family were golden-haired, and these strangers had dark hair.
– Mariszka, it's good to see you. – I gallantly kissed her beautiful thin hand.
She smiled indulgently.
– Isn't it time for us to switch to "you"? We've known each other so long that it makes me laugh when one of the Morgans addresses me as if she were seeing me for the first time," Mariszka said, her beautiful grey-blue eyes sparkling merrily.
– Whatever you say," I said with a smile. – Markus is in good hands now.
– You're wrong: Mariszka is in my hands! – my brother merrily parried, putting his arm round his beloved's waist.
– You scoundrel, always thinking only of himself! Cedric, your brother is an incorrigible possessive! – Mariszka said just as cheerfully at Markus's remark.
We laughed. But suddenly I noticed that Mariska was looking at the two strangers with a fleeting glance.
This caused me to smile slightly. I knew why she had brought them – to marry one of them to me, and I was unpleasantly surprised by these attempts to interfere in my life.
– These are my friends from Russia: Emma and Samantha," Mariszka introduced her. I greeted the girls delicately, saying all the appropriate words about the joy of our acquaintance and so on, but I did not kiss their hands. I felt unpleasant that they had agreed to take part in this adventure, and I let them know that I had figured out their plans, ignoring their beautiful, outstretched hands to me.
The guests tried, with mild surprise, to pretend as if they had no claim to a kiss at all, but they failed rather badly. I knew that in their hearts they were thinking that I was behaving badly to the ladies. But that was to my advantage.
– Cedric, we hear you're going to Russia? – Emma asked me, smiling sweetly.
I noted with annoyance that they must already know almost everything about me. Apparently, Mariszka or my mother had had an entertaining conversation with them about my humble persona.
– I'm going to," I answered coldly enough.
– If you have any uncertainties about Russia, you can ask us: we have lived there quite a long time and know a great deal about the Russian character. Russians are very different from other mortals," Samantha put in.
– How so? – Markus chuckled.
– All Russians are optimists. All of them. But words cannot express everything about the mysterious Russian soul: you need to spend many years on its research, but even then you will not understand it.
– And the blood of Russians? Does it have characteristics inherent only to it? – I asked, still relaxing a little. Talking about the country I had dreamed of travelling to had taken my fancy, and for a while I let my guard down.
