Chapter three: Romance in St. Petersburg

There was a terrible snowstorm outside. Anna tried to read a novel, but she could not concentrate. She listened to the sound of the train and fell asleep. Suddenly, she realized that the train was coming to a stop on the way to St. Petersburg. After a while, a man in a military overcoat approached her.

“May I assist you, lady?’ he said.

Anna recognized Vronsky as he spoke.

“I didn’t know you were coming to St. Petersburg!” exclaimed Anna joyously. “What business do you have there?”

“Can you not guess?” asked Vronsky. “I have come to be where you are.”

Anna felt tom between joy and fear. For a long time, she was silent. Then she said, “You should not say that, and I beg you, if you are a gentleman, to forget it, as I shall forget it.” With that, she closed her eyes and tried to sleep.

Early the next morning, Alexey Alexandrovitch Karenin was waiting for his wife on the train platform. He saw Anna as soon as she stepped from her carriage. Anna also saw her husband immediately. The familiar feeling of dissatisfaction upon seeing her husband arose in Anna. To Anna, her husband was cold, without feeling or passion.

Vronsky stepped down from the train and saw Karenin take hold of his wife’s arm as if she were a piece of property. For the first time, Vronsky came face to face with the fact that there was a man attached to Anna. He, too, felt a disagreeable sensation when he saw Karenin. Vronsky approached the couple slowly and said, “Did you have a good night?”

“Yes, thank you,” replied Anna. Her eyes lit up when she spoke to him. Anna looked at her husband to see if he knew Vronsky. Karenin had an unpleasant look on his face. He disliked the interruption, and he was trying to remember Vronsky’s face.

“This is Count Vronsky,” said Anna. “I made his acquaintance in Moscow.”

“Ah, we have met before,” said Karenin without feeling.

“I hope I may visit you,” said Vronsky, more to Anna than Karenin.

“We’d be delighted,” said Karenin in a cold voice. “You may find us home on Mondays.”

Then he turned, and still holding Anna’s arm, they left the station.

When Anna and her husband arrived home, Seriozha, their son, was very happy to see his mother. Anna told him about her visit to Moscow and gave him some presents.

In St. Petersburg, Anna attended operas, balls, and dinner parties with the rich and powerful in Russian society. Count Vronsky’s family was one of the richest in Russia, and he also showed up at many of the same events as Anna. He was the commander of an army regiment, and he moved his men to St. Petersburg.

Upon her arrival in St. Petersburg, Anna had tried to forget her attraction to Vronsky. However, every time she met him at a dinner party or ball, she was excited and happy to see him. Soon, she realized that Vronsky was the main interest in her life.

Anna and Vronsky became very good friends and did many things together. Even when Karenin was too busy to go to the theater or other outings, Vronsky would escort Anna. In this way, Anna and Vronsky became lovers. They also became the subject of much gossip among the highest circles of Russian society. Karenin noticed his wife’s behavior. He was very worried about what other people might think of him. However, he was not a bold man, so he decided the best way for him to deal with the situation was to ignore it.

One day, Vronsky called on Anna when Karenin was away. He found her on the back porch of her house. Her lovely face looked red and hot.

“What’s the matter?” asked Vronsky. “Are you ill?”

“No,” said Anna. “I’m pregnant. It’s your child.” Vronsky turned pale.

“We must put an end to our secrecy. Ask your husband for a divorce, and we will get married.” he said.

“He would never agree to that,” replied Anna. “He will not allow me to disgrace his family name.”

“We have to tell him,” said Vronsky. “We cannot continue like this.”

“And then what would we do?” asked Anna. “Run away?”

Vronsky thought for a moment. “Yes, that is the only solution then. If he doesn’t give you a divorce, we will leave Russia.”

Vronsky did not know that this would be very difficult for Anna. She loved Vronsky, but she did not want to be away from her son. However, there was no choice for her.

When Anna told her husband she loved Vronsky, Karenin was horrified. Until now, he had tried to ignore his wife’s relationship with Vronsky. Anna’s direct announcement of her love for Vronsky and the fact that she was going to have his child forced him to confront the situation.

Karenin sent his wife to their summer house outside Moscow. He told her he needed time to think.

After much thought in his calculating way, Karenin decided that he should force Anna to remain with him.

“I must not be unhappy, but also Anna should not be happy.” he thought. “This is the best solution. I am not getting rid of a guilty wife but am giving her a chance to mend her ways.”

He quickly wrote a letter to Anna.

Whatever your behavior has been, I do not think that I have the right to cut the bonds that God has made between us. The family cannot be broken because of the sin of one of the partners. Our life must continue as before. I am sure you regret your behavior and will not continue with it. If you do, I am sure you can imagine what the future will hold for you and your son. I ask you to return to our home in St. Petersburg as soon as possible.

Karenin

Anna returned home as her husband had instructed. She felt helpless in her current situation.

“My life was miserable before,” thought Anna. “What will it be like now that Karenin knows I was unfaithful? And what about the baby?”

Anna and her husband lived in the same house, and they met every day for dinner so that the servants would not gossip. However, Anna continued to see Vronsky away from the house. Karenin knew this. He only told Anna that Vronsky was not welcome at the house.

One day, Vronsky received a note from Anna.

I feel sick and unhappy. I cannot leave the house, but I want to see you very much. Come by before ten. My husband will be busy in a meeting until then.

Vronsky was tired, so he lay down to take a nap. He had a strange dream about a dirty old peasant who was bending over and talking to himself in French. This dream frightened Vronksy, but when he woke up he thought that he was being very silly. Then he looked at his watch and saw that it was eight o’clock. He would have to hurry to meet Anna before her husband came back home.

When Vronsky knocked on Anna’s front door, the servant opened it and gave him a surprised look. Then it was Vronsky’s turn to be surprised as Karenin appeared. Karenin stopped and looked at Vronsky with a stern look of disapproval. Then he stepped outside and made his way to a waiting carriage, acting as if Vronsky were not there.

“If he fought me, I could do something,” thought Vronsky. “But he makes me feel like a snake in the grass.”

Vronsky went inside the house and found Anna in the hall.

“What was your husband doing here?” asked Vronsky.

“He was away, but he came back for something unexpectedly,” said Anna. “I’m sorry you met each other.”

“Tell me about this illness,” said Vronsky, “Is it because you are expecting our child soon?”

Anna smiled in a gentle way. “Soon, our problems will be over. We shall all be at peace.”

“What do you mean?” asked Vronsky.

“I will die in childbirth,” said Anna. “I know it. Last night, I dreamed that there was a dirty old peasant who was bending over. He was muttering in French. I was so frightened. That’s when I knew I would die in childbirth.” Vronsky remembered his own dream, and for a second, he was also terrified. Then he shook himself and said, “What nonsense! You should not believe your dreams.”

The next morning, Karenin walked into Anna’s bedroom without knocking.

“The only thing I asked you to do,” Karenin said to Anna, “is not to receive your lover in our house. Now that you have disobeyed me, I will divorce you and take your son away. He will go and live at my sister’s.”

Anna grabbed her husband’s arm and cried. “Please, leave me Seriozha!”

Karenin only pulled his hand free and left the room. He went to Moscow on business for three days.

In Moscow, Karenin was walking out of the office of a high government official when he heard someone calling his name. He looked around and saw Oblonsky. Karenin was not happy to see his wife’s brother. Oblonsky ran over to speak with him.

“Why didn’t you tell us you would be in Moscow?” he said. “We’re having a dinner party tomorrow night. Come over between 5 and 6 o’clock.”

Karenin hesitated. Then he said, “I can’t come to your house. I don’t mean to be rude… it’s just… I am going to divorce your sister.”

Oblonsky had heard rumors that there were problems between his sister and her husband. Now he knew those rumors were true, but he did not want to believe them. He said, “No, it’s not possible. Anna is such a fine and splendid woman. There must be some misunderstanding.”

“I wish it were just a misunderstanding!” replied Karenin.