Anonymous - Grushenka. Three Times a Woman

Nelidowa did not mind the act so much; she simply closed her eyes and managed to get a thrill. What she could not stand was the play of his strong hands over her body before every jump. At this time, he hurt her quite often. He fussed around with her breasts, pinched the nipples and laughed when she tried to avoid him. It always gave her pain and a shock. But she did not complain, and even gave him gentle words and told him how happy she was. It was the price demanded of her and she paid it. The rest of their personal relations were also regulated by rules. They ate apart, except when they had guests. They went to all social affairs together and he liked to show her off. He spoke politely to her, in few words, and never told her about his own affairs. For example, she did not know that he had big estates in the south, until they travelled over them. He confided his affairs only to an old trusted man servant and to very few of his friends. He was a man of few words, used to command, and he exercised his will with great determination. Nelidowa had to find her life with her women friends. She chatted with her bed-maids and amused herself as she could with anything that was proper and becoming for the wife of a great Prince. He never beat her, as many husbands did their wives and he never lost his temper. He had resorted to the lash only a few times in his life, sending the culprit to the stable master for the punishment. However, when he was seriously dissatisfied, he would have the guilty person stand while he smacked the face a few times. He did this to his wife on occasions when her giddiness had aroused the mockery of other society people and he had heard of it. When he heard that she was beating her maids or had them beaten, he discussed it briefly with her. He said that she had the right to do so, but that if one of the servants should become seriously ill, or die on account of the punishment, he would inflict the same torture on her. “They are my property,” he added. “As well as you are.” That closed the incident because he remembered that his mother had whipped her maids also.

He had expected to have a child from the Princess; he wanted an heir to cheat his relatives. She remained barren. He had a few virgins come from one of his estates, made them and held them under strict watch, so that they could not sleep with other men. Out of four girls, two became pregnant. Therefore it was Nelidowa, not he, who was at fault. But he had decided not to take another wife. Not because he could not have gotten rid of Nelidowa or because he loved her, but that it was not so important after all. She was there and she could remain there. After the first year of her marriage, feeling secure now as a Princess and a powerful man's wife, Nelidowa was ripe to take a lover. He must be distinctly different from her husband, a bit exotic, maybe a Frenchman. As it turned out, he was a Pole.

Gustavus Swanderson, he made known, was his name. He came from Warsaw, where his father had a string of disorderly houses. Gustavus, who then bore the name of Boris, managed, during a raid on his father's establishments, to get hold of some gold which the old man kept hidden. With this, he travelled to Sweden, changed his name, bought the patent of an officer and played the nice chap for the ladies. He was decidedly romantic, with a wealth of brown hair, elegant in his movements, enterprising, and not altogether a bad boy. His hobby was drawing and his satirical sketches of society people were quite the thing. He started to learn architecture, first just to play with it, but later became interested and took part in the erection of some military buildings and forts. When Peter the Great was already quite elderly, he came to Russia and offered his services as builder. Peter, though not much impressed with him, sent him to Moscow where a big bridge was under construction and here he began to be a slight success in his line. When he met Nelidowa he was around thirty years of age, ten years her senior. He was different from the other men; his skin was white, he was not hairy, his hands were fine, almost feminine and tender. He kept himself clean and modish and his laughter was of a romantic sadness. Nelidowa selected him for herself at first sight.

The man had very little choice as to whether he wanted her or not. He had to conquer her because she wanted him. Oh, she fixed it in a very romantic way. Poems fluttered through the air; secret words passed, understood only by the conspirators. Nelidowa played her part wonderfully, with tears and resistance and with faked fainting spells.

She won him and she was very satisfied. He was so tender, so full of caresses, so loving, so romantic and when, after long kissing and playing and toying, she finally felt his staff enter her hungry crevice, she nearly fainted with delight. Of course, when he built lovely castles in the air about elopement and how they would live in Paris as happy as doves, she listened like a happy but already grown up child to a smartly told fairy tale. While she avoided saying “No,” in her heart she never considered him more than a lover. Something necessary to a woman's life, but not to be mixed up with the reality of a Princess. On the other hand, this reality bothered her three times a week when she walked nude, except for blue slippers, through different rooms to the bed of a big brute who offended her body and for whom she was nothing but an instrument for his pleasure. She could not pretend she had a headache or did not feel well, because if she did, her husband would send a servant with a brief message that he was not interested in her head but in another orifice. As long as she did not have her monthly, she had to appear. No pity from that quarter and no excuse accepted. Another incident occurred which proved to be annoying. Gustavus fell in love with her and the longer the liaison lasted the more enamoured he became. With this his jealousy developed, and while the brutal and elderly Prince in his strength entertained no slightest thought that his wife might be unfaithful, Gustavus, in his tender and weak constitution, was crazed with jealousy. She had once described to him in what way she had to satisfy her husband, and though this was still early in their affair, he was near to assassinating his rival. Lately he had pestered her to refuse to play the dutiful wife and in passionate words had threatened to take the life of the Prince and even hers. She told him she would do as he wished and, lying, said she did not go to her husband since at present he had a passion for one of the serf girls. Gustavus did not believe her fully and they had many scenes. She did not want to give up her lover. She could not stay away from her master. She had to think her way out. Suddenly she was struck with an idea: didn't they tell her that Grushenka looked just like her, not only in figure but in face also? It was whispered that they were like twins, that nobody could really say who was who. If that were true then Grushenka could take her place in the bed chamber of her spouse. This thought was so daring, so exciting, that she had to go to work right away. She commanded Grushenka to her presence and had herself and the girl clothed in dresses exactly similar and their hair done in the same way. She then had one of her maids ask other servants from the basement which of the two was the Princess. The servants looked uneasy, afraid to make a mistake. They tried to avoid a direct answer and finally pointed at random, missing the Princess as often as they chose her. That was fine! All that was needed now was for the Princess to teach Grushenka exactly how to behave with the master. She dismissed all the servants including her handmaids, locked herself in her bedroom with Grushenka and made her kneel down and swear solemnly never to betray her. She confided her plan to the girl and rehearsed to the smallest detail the way the parties took place. When Grushenka undressed, an obstacle appeared: Grushenka was clean shaven. There was nothing to do but wait until the hair had grown. So it was decided.