The Rise of Catherine the Great Page #3

to my guests.

Good-bye, gentlemen.

I'm sorry to leave you.

Good-bye, Kossinsky.

Good-bye, gentlemen.

Good-bye.

Good-bye, Narishkin.

Oh, Borodin! You are taking me to

the opera tonight. Please don't forget.

Good-bye, gentlemen.

- You are hurting me!

- Aren't you ashamed of yourself?

- Why?

- Your behavior. It's a scandal!

I don't know

what you are talking about.

- About your lovers.

- Oh, my lovers!

Yes, your lovers. You must have had

half a dozen in one regiment.

- Half a dozen?

- Well, I dare say a dozen.

Oh, to be exact, 17.

- Seventeen?

- Yes.

What's this?

You gave this woman a regiment.

Do you know what she does with it?

She's just fiung it in my face

that she's had 1 7 lovers in two years!

- Seventy?

- No, 17.

But I don't know what it's all about.

Haven't I complied with his wishes?

Haven't I lived for two years

apart from him...

quietly, discreetly?

I don't know why he makes

such a terrible fuss now.

There's a limit to shamelessness,

even at this court!

I demand that you send her back

where she came from.

- You demand?

- Well, if you don't, I'll take the law

into my own hands.

That will do, Peter.

Wait here for my decision.

Catherine.

How many did you say?

Seventeen.

Seventeen.

Are you sure? Not 18 or 19?

No. Seventeen.

Who was the first?

I can't remember now.

But you remember the last.

Yes. Narishkin.

No. I mean Alexei Borodin.

Come here.

Sit down.

Tell a man

as many lies as you like...

but never try to lie to a woman

in matters of love.

You haven't had one lover yet,

Miss Catherine.

But you've got nothing to be ashamed of.

The method was right.

Every beast of a man

begins to want you...

when he thinks you belong to

some other beast of a man.

But you've overdone it. It isn't easy

for any man to overlook 1 7 lovers.

Well, my devourer oflovers.

And all that because you're still in love

with that crazy husband of yours.

But why?

- Maybe you'll succeed.

- I shall.

Didn't you see how furious he was?

He's jealous.

That's good.

But it's not enough.

You can't live with

17 imaginary lovers.

What you need is one real one.

We'll soon settle this. Come.

Peter.

- You want to divorce your wife?

- I do.

Right. And you want to

divorce your husband?

- Yes, I do.

- Right.

We'll choose another wife for you...

the Mecklenburg girl or the Oldenburg woman.

- Right?

- Right.

- And you will go back to your mother, right?

- Right.

I'll settle the matter as soon as possible.

In the meantime, no scandal.

You will both behave

as if nothing had happened.

You'll hear my further decisions later.

Thank you.

- Shall we go?

- Right.

You know, I'm beginning to like you

now that I don't have to.

I always felt you could be very charming

if one weren't married to you.

- Good-bye.

- Good-bye.

Oh, um, your rooms...

Y-You find them nice and comfortable?

Yes, my rooms are charming.

Good-bye.

Have a good time.

- Good time?

- Yes.

I saw your carriage waiting.

Who is the reason tonight?

Anna Talitzyn.

The most charming woman

in Petersburg.

And you?

Opera with Borodin.

The most disgusting fellow

in Petersburg.

Tastes differ. Good-bye.

Good-bye. Oh, wait!

Uh, little Catherine.

Why not...

Why not dine with me?

Oh, what a gorgeous idea.

Lecocq!

Lecocq. Lecocq, s-send a message

to the Princess Talitzyn.

Tell her I can't come along tonight

because... because...

Well, you always know what to say.

Yes, and another message to Lieutenant Borodin

with my deepest regrets.

Very well, Your Highness.

Dinner tonight will be served

in the blue room.

- Blue room?

- Next to Her Highness's bedroom.

Maitre Duval!

The dinner tonight should be light.

Oh, bubbling,

not... not a family affair...

but sufficient

for the first stages of a...

You know what I mean.

And the wine, Tokay, of a vintage

to make up a woman's mind.

- Pom!

- Pom! Yes.

- Two footmen?

- No, myself alone.

There are circumstances

that call for a... Frenchman.

No, quite seriously. You ought

to marry that Mecklenburg girl.

She's really lovely!

Honey-colored hair

down to her knees...

and a skin like cream and roses.

I thought you told me

she had a cavalry mustache.

Oh, no. No!

Just a teeny, tiny little suspicion

of a mustache.

Oh, charming!

Men adore it, really!

Uh, by the way, who was the first?

- First what?

- First lover?

- Mine?

- Yes, yours.

Narishkin.

- When was that?

- Let me see.

It was, um, 1 0th of March.

- Where?

- In Peterhof, in spring.

The trees were all in bud.

You were in Moscow...

with the Italian opera singer.

Narishkin taught me to ride.

That evening we sat for hours

in front of the fire...

reading Voltaire.

- And then?

- Well...

One gets tired of reading.

And how long did that last?

Until May,

when we went back to Moscow.

- And in Moscow you met the second.

- Mm-hmm.

- Who was it?

- Gagarin.

- And how long did that last?

- Hmm.

Until the court

came back to Petersburg.

Oh, that was the beginning ofJune.

- Hmm.

- Three weeks.

Oh, but in Petersburg

the funniest thing happened.

Do you remember

the French ambassador's masked ball?

- No.

- Oh, darling.

- When you were in Moscow with Natasha Ronsky.

- Yes, I remember!

Well, there was a harlequin...

who made passionate love to me

the whole evening...

and I was convinced

that it was Alexei Borodin.

Go on. Go on, go on!

Well, we escaped together

and slipped into the palace.

And the next morning

I discovered...

that it was Vladimir Pashkov.

And he was so terribly

in love with me...

that it took me a week

before I could get rid of him...

and invite Alexei Borodin.

You dare to tell me that!

Oh, you idiot!

You idiot, idiot, idiot!

- Why?

- Because it's not true!

- Not true?

- Not a word.

Didn't you have 17 lovers?

- Not one, you idiot!

- Well, why did you tell me you had?

You idiot!

Why did you leave me

that first night?

Because I was an idiot.

Why don't you go to the ball?

- No, I'd rather stay here.

- I want to work.

I don't want you to work.

I want you to go to bed.

What about Russia, if I go to bed?

Oh, why not leave that

to your chancellors and ministers?

Oh, darling!

You should go to bed.

Dr. Marsden said so.

Oh, please.

How is Her Majesty tonight?

Worse?

Worse than she has any idea of,

so Dr. Marsden says.

Don't take it away.

- Read it to me, Catherine.

- Yes. I will.

What is it?

It's a report

from the governor of Kiev.

The peasants are in revolt.

Bad crops.

Famine.

The governor asks for military reinforcements

to suppress the rebellion.

What do you think?

Shall I send the military?

No.

Famine cannot

be suppressed by bullets.

One should send fiour and corn from

other territories where the crops were good.

So that's what you think

about the peasants' revolt?

Yes. When my peasants revolt,

I should hang my governors.

Good.

Very good, little Catherine.

Will Your Majesty appear at the ball,

or shall we stop it?

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