Part I

Eugenia Rostov flopped back onto the pillows, her face red and wet.

“It’s a girl,” Doctor Gee said, holding up a squalling baby, all messy with white mucus.

“A girl,” Ivan Rostov echoed, the delight on his face tempering a little. “That’s … nice.” He patted his wife’s hand.

“And here comes the other one,” the doctor added as Genia grunted, pushing down again.

“And? Another girl?” Ivan asked, leaning forwards.

“I don’t … no, it’s a boy.”

Ivan sighed with relief. They’d waited a long time for this, and the thought that perhaps the family name wouldn’t continue had eaten away at him a little. And what with Genia not wanting to know the sexes until the birth … He could have insisted, of course, but it seemed a comparatively small price to pay for her continued well-being. Except it had preyed on his mind.

The nurse quickly took the babies to one side, cleaning them up and making sure they were breathing okay. The sound of crying filled the room.

“Which one’s that?” the new mother asked, ignoring what was still going on between her thighs.

“The little boy,” the nurse said. “He certainly has a pair of lungs on him.”

“And the girl?”

“She’s fine. Just quieter than her brother.” Wrapping them both in blankets, she carried them back to the bed. “Here you are.”

“Which is the boy?” Ivan asked.

“This one.”

He took his son, holding him close. “His name’s Alexander. Alexander Ivan Rostov.”

“That’s nice. And your daughter?” the nurse asked, giving the other baby to her mother.

“Genia can name her.”

“Elena,” his wife said, moving the blanket to one side to look at her new child’s face. “For my mother.”

“And a middle name?” the nurse asked. “Her brother has one. Only fair she does too.”

She was tempted to do as her husband had done, and use her own name, but only a moment‘s thought persuaded her that he would think it foolish. “Amelia, then. I had a friend at school by that name.”

“Elena Amelia Rostov.” The nurse nodded, entering t