“Shura—”

Coming closer to her, Alexander said through gritted teeth, “What do you want, Tania? You want a scene?”

“No,” she said, trying very hard not to cry.

His face was near her. “A loud, ugly scene like the kind you’re used to?”

“No,” she whispered, not looking at him.

“Just give me my things, and I’ll go quietly, and you won’t have to explain a single word to your friends and your lover.”

When she didn’t move, Alexander said, much louder, “Now!”

Embarrassed and upset, Tatiana led him outside to the shed behind the house, out of everyone’s view.

“Where are you going, Tanechka? Are we going to eat soo—”

“I’ll be right back!” Tatiana yelled, her shoulders shaking. When they were behind the house, Tatiana tried to take hold of Alexander’s hand, but he roughly ripped his arm away from her. She staggered but did not back off. Coming in front of him quickly, she wrapped her arms around his waist. He tried to push her away. “Please don’t go,” she said, looking up at him with pleading eyes. “Please. I beg you. I don’t want you to go. I waited for you every minute of every day since I left the hospital. Please.” She put her forehead on his chest.

Alexander didn’t say anything. Tatiana didn’t look up. His hands remained on her bare arms.

Holding him tightly, Tatiana said, “God, Alexander! How can you be so thick? Can’t you see why I didn’t write you?”

“Not at all. Why?”

She inhaled his smell, her face still in his chest. “I was so afraid that if I told you about Dasha, you wouldn’t come to Lazarevo at all.” She wished she were braver and could look at him, but she didn’t want to see him be angry with her anymore. Taking his hand, she placed it on her cheek, and when his warmth gave her strength, she looked up at him. “Leningrad nearly finished us all off. I thought that maybe if you didn’t know about her and came anyway, and I got healthy again, like last summer, maybe your feeling for me would come back—”

“Come back?” Alexander said hoarsely. “What are you thinking?” His hand remained on her cheek. His other hand, though, wrapped itself on her bare back, his fingers fanning her, grasping her, and moving on her flesh, pressing him to her. “Can’t you see…” he said and broke off. He couldn’t say any more. She felt it. And he didn’t need to. She felt that, too.

At last Alexander spoke. “Tatia, I will earn your forgiveness. I will fix everything. I will do right by you, but you have to let me. You can’t shut me out like this—you just can’t.”

“I’m sorry,” Tatiana said. “Please understand.” She hugged him tighter. “Just too many lies for me, too much doubt.”

“Look at me.”

She lifted her eyes to him.

His arms around her, Alexander said, “Tania, what doubt? I am here only for you.”

“Then please stay,” she said. “Stay for me.”

Breathing hard, Alexander bent his head to her, and she gave him her wet hair to kiss. His lips stayed on her for a few moments, and then he said, “What is this, Lake Ladoga?”

“Shura,” Tatiana said, “there is a houseful of people.”

His fingertips were pressing into her bare shoulder blades so emphatically they were making her feeble.

“Lift your face to me this instant.”

She lifted her face to him that instant.

“Tania, could we eat, please?” Naira’s loud voice from the porch was hungry and irritated. “Everything is burning!”

Alexander kissed her so fiercely that for a moment Tatiana became supported only by his arms around her. Her numb legs could not hold her up.

“What is she doing out there? We’re all starving. Tatiana!”

They heaved themselves away from each other, Tatiana didn’t know how, retrieved his things from the shed, and went inside.

Tatiana poured soup for Alexander first, placing the bowl right in front of him and handing him the spoon. Then she served everyone else while Alexander waited for her to sit down before he took his first bite.

“So, Alexander,” said Vova, “what does a captain in the Red Army do?”

“Well, I don’t know what a captain in the Red Army does. I know what I do.”

“Alexander, do you need some more fish?” Tatiana asked.

“Yes, please.”

“What do you do?” asked Vova.

“Yes, tell us, Alexander,” said Axinya. “The village is dying to know.”

“I’m in heavy weapons, in a destroyer brigade. Do you know what that is?”

Everybody but Tatiana shook their heads.

“I command an armored company of men. We provide extra support for the rifle guards.” Alexander swallowed his soup. “At least, we’re supposed to.”

“What’s extra support?” asked Vova. “Tanks?”

“Tanks, yes. Armored cars. Tania, are there more pancakes? We also operate antiaircraft machine guns called Zeniths, and mortars, and other field artillery. Cannons, howitzers, heavy machine guns. I myself stand behind a Katyusha, a rocket launcher.”

“Impressive,” said Vova. “So it’s the best job. Less dangerous than the rifle frontovik?”

“More dangerous than anything. Who do you think the Germans are trying to knock out of position first—a guy with a slow, bolt-action Nagant or me with a mortar that pummels them with fifteen bombs a minute?”

Tatiana said, “Alexander, you want some more?”

“No, Tatiasha—” He stopped. She stopped. “I’m full, Tania, thank you.”

“Alexander,” said Zoe, “we hear Stalingrad is going to fall.”

“If Stalingrad falls, we lose the war,” said Alexander. “Any more vodka?”

Tatiana poured him a shot.

Dusia said, “Alexander, how many men are we prepared to lose in Stalingrad to stop Hitler?”

“As many as it takes.”

She crossed herself.

Red-faced, Vova said excitedly, “Moscow was quite a bloodbath.”

Tatiana heard Alexander suck in his breath. Oh, no, she thought. No scene, please.

“Vova,” said Alexander, leaning in front of Tatiana—who pressed into his side—to glare at Vova. “Do you know what a bloodbath is? Moscow had 800,000 troops before the battle for the capital started in October. Do you know how many were left when they stopped Hitler? Ninety thousand. Do you know how many men were killed just in the first six months of the war? How many young men were killed before Tania left Leningrad? Four million,” he said loudly. “One of those young men could be you, Vova. So don’t go around calling it a bloodbath, as if it were a game.”

Everyone at the table was quiet. Tatiana, nested into Alexander, said, “You want more to drink?”

“No,” he said. “I’m done.”

“Well, I’ll just go and clear—”

Alexander lowered his arm under the table and placed his hand on Tatiana’s leg, shaking his head ever so slightly and keeping her in place.

Tatiana remained in place. Alexander did not take away his hand. At first her cotton dress was between his hand and her thigh, but Alexander obviously did not like that, because he moved the dress up, just enough to grasp her bare thigh with his bare hand. The aching in her stomach intensified.

Naira said, “Tanechka, aren’t you going to clear up, dear? We can’t wait for your pie. And some tea.”

Alexander’s hand squeezed her a little harder and moved up.

Tatiana clenched her teeth. In exactly one second she was going to moan right at the dinner table, in front of four old women.

Alexander said, “Tatiana cooked wonderfully for us. She’s outdone herself. She’s tired. Why don’t we give her a break. Zoe, Vova—maybe you could clear up?”

Naira said, “But, Alexander, you don’t understand—”

“I understand extremely well.” Alexander’s hold on Tatiana’s leg did not abate.

Tatiana grabbed the edge of the table with her fingers. “Shura, please,” she said hoarsely.

His hand gripped her thigh harder. Her hands gripped the table harder.

“No, Tania,” Alexander said. “No. It’s the very least they can do.” He stared across to Naira. “Don’t you think, Naira Mikhailovna?”