Letters from beyond - стр. 6
– Why did he do it? Was he really that mad at you?
– Not at all. On the contrary, he was delighted with me.
– So why?
– At the instigation of the Empress. This German hag in every possible way prevented our love with the heir. Remind me Robert, I'll tell you someday what tricks I had to go to in defiance of the maestro to go on stage and please Nicky with my presence.
– This juicy story I myself will tell Robert. Better continue the story about the seduction of Tchaikovsky.
– So. With a load of resentment against Petipa, I showed up at Tchaikovsky's house.
– And you managed to seduce him? Robert asked.
– Hell no. As soon as I rushed to his chest with a cry, the bedroom door opened and from there came out in underpants the mustachioed Joseph Kotek, or as my Kotik affectionately called him.
– Well, what happened next?
– And then nothing. As soon as the half-naked Kotek appeared, I immediately realized that I had nothing to do here. I got dressed and left quickly.
Kshesinskaya stopped playing music and moved back to her chair.
– And you told the king about all this?
– Of course!
– And what was his reaction?
And he wasn't particularly surprised. He knew about it, but now he has received reliable evidence.
– Which soon killed Tchaikovsky.
Robert's words seemed to hang in the air. Matilda was the first to break the silence.
– You're right. After this incident, the tsar's entourage did not have to convince him to give tacit consent so that the court of honor sentenced the composer to suicide.
– Is the official version of Tchaikovsky's death from cholera a fiction?
– Of course it's a hoax. Where has it been seen that a person who died of cholera was buried in an open coffin, which was carried throughout St. Petersburg, accompanied by a huge crowd of citizens, some of whom kissed the deceased? Tchaikovsky was sentenced to suicide. The main instigator and inspirer of the court of honor was the head of the imperial stable, Count Stenbock-Fermor. Although our king did not like to ride, he was a frequent visitor to the stable, admired the handsome horses, caressed and fed them with carrots from his hands. Stenbock had an old grudge against Tchaikovsky. Allegedly, while studying law, he molested his nephew.
– Was it true?
– It was hard to say whether it was true or slander now, but the supreme equerry managed to convince the tsar to arrange a trial for Tchaikovsky. Arsenic was poured into a glass of water, and either he had to drink it or be dishonored. Tchaikovsky chose the first.
Everyone fell silent under the impression of what was said. Matilda was a living eyewitness of those events and there was no reason not to believe her.