-----

Gently Charles folds the note in two. He glances up at the messenger, seemingly considering the invitation before passing it along to Doc Slade, who reads it and who upon having read it, in turn passes it to Penelope Pritchard. She too reads the invitation. Expectantly Charles looks at them. "Well, shall I inform the Countess that we will all be joining her?"

Doc replies, "Of course. Do you have contacts throughout the world, Charles?"

Penny acts a bit confused. "She acts as if she knows you. If she didn't, why would she want to meet with us?" she asks Charles.

"Haven't the foggiest." He smiles. "Nonetheless, I intend to find out and so will you." He addresses the messenger, "Inform the Countess that we gladly accept her invitation and that it would be an honour and a privilege to make her acquaintance." A brief pause follows after which Charles adds, "Please enquire of the lady when she wishes to receive us and let me know. Thank you."

When the messenger slips out Charles raises an eyebrow, "Do you suppose it would have been more polite to have sent her a note?" He frowns and then shrugs.

-----

Natasha smiles slightly as the message came back from Mr Cochroft, she gazed into the air for a moment, then she said "Go now, tell Mr Cochroft that I would like to see him now", then she adds "No tell him that I would appreciate it if he could come now". She watches the servant bow deeply and then leave, such manners were hard to come by in America, too much democracy and equality, and it never led to anything good. As she waits for Cochroft she tries to remember what she had heard about him, she had been briefly introduced to him at a party Mrs de Vere's in Boston, although the memory was somewhat hazy. He was however of Romanian descent on his mother's side, and at least he had some noble blood in him, so he could not be all that bad. Naturally the things that came to mind was him finding the grave of Vlad Tepes, the man that had driven back the heathen Turk, and Cochroft finding the Ark that had been a topic of conversation for weeks.

The Countesses carriage is a bit like walking into the 19th century, the carriage walls has silk wallpaper with intricate gilding, it also has three large, very solid, windows with heavy red drapes hanging by their sides, if you look closely you will be able to see shutters that can close the windows entirely. There is an elegant oaken table in the carriage, as well as four deep recliner chairs, there is also a mahogany desk in the room with another deep chair behind it, clearly intended for some business dealings. There is a liquor cabinet in the room but it is empty, curiously though the appropriate glasses are still present. In the back there are doors leading to a bedchamber and a bathroom. However the most impressive thing is the small shrine that is placed against a wall, you notice several Icons of various Russian saints, as well as Icons of Jesus and the Virgin Mary.

The Bedchamber has a large and very soft double bed (with soft blue sheets). Soft and deep white carpets cover the floor wall to wall. It is small but very comfortable and elegant, obviously for those long and arduous journeys. The bathroom has a WC (white porcelain with polished mahogany seats) and a nice white porcelain wash basin with gold lion heads temperature regulators and water supply (basically it looks like a three headed lion, the water comes from the mouth of the head in the middle, the left head can be twisted for more cold water, and the right head for more hot water).

The servants are all impeccably dressed, although in a rather conservative fashion, there is something about their attitude that would make them appear more at ease in the 19th than in the 20th century. They are very servile, and quite elegant.

-----

When Cochroft and company finally arrive Natasha smiles graciously to him and offers her hand for him to press or kiss, she says "Mr Cochroft it is a pleasure to meet you again, I am Countess Natasha Boyarova, but please call me Natasha Mikhailovna, it reminds me of Russia." She then looks at the two other guests and waits for Cochroft to introduce them.

When Cochroft and company finally arrived Natasha smiles graciously to him and offers her hand for him to press or kiss, she says "Mr Cochroft it is a pleasure to meet you again, I am Countess Natasha Boyarova, but please call me Natasha Mikhailovna, it reminds me of Russia", she then looks at the two other guests and waits for Cochroft to introduce them.

Gracefully, Charles Cochroft leans forward and kisses the hand of the Russian noblewoman before backing up a step and straightening up. "Countess" He lowers his head slightly, only for a moment, as a sign of respect. His hand gestures towards Doc, "Countess Mikhailovna, it is my pleasure to introduce Doctor Stuart Slade, a close and personal friend of mine. Smiling at Penny he continues, "This charming young lady by side is Miss Penelope Pritchard, a colleague and friend. Miss Pritchard is helping me with my current project and she is rapidly becoming an indispensable member of my team. She is quite brilliant in her field of science, Cryptography and I daresay that I would be lost without her. Miss Pritchard is one of the most accomplished scholars I have ever had the privilege of working with."

Penny nervously curtsies slightly at the mention of her name for the countess and then blushes as Charles conveys his appreciation of her abilities. She remains quiet until directly spoken to looking about the extravagantly decorated railcar.

Charles' eyes sweep back towards the countess and capture the gaze of the noblewoman. "Countess Mikhailovna, It is a pleasure and a privilege to make your acquaintance. We were delighted, although somewhat surprised to receive your kind invitation so out of the blue." He smiles warmly, his steely, grey eyes carrying a boyish innocence and sincerity that enhances genuiness of his smile.

Natasha smiles graciously, then she says "Well my invitation was, I must confess Mr Cochroft, caused by my personal boredom. I must confess that there is so little to do on a train journey, and I do enjoy stimulating conversation with men, and women, of some intelligence", then adding, "Both, stimulating conversation and intelligence, are in depressingly short supply these days". She then adds, "I hope you are not offended".

Doc smiles "Natasha, I am glad to meet you. A long way from home. Do you travel a lot?"

Natasha's eyes narrow slightly, more annoyed than angry, then she says "Ah Dr Slade, by simple necessity I am far from home, I think the communists would kill me if I returned, or rather I know they would, like they ...", she stops "Never mind, but I travel a lot because my home is no more." She then adds, for the benefit of all present "I am the Countess Boyarova, but in Russian it is polite to address a person by their own name, and that of their father, which in my case means Natasha Mikhailovna, it is less formal than bringing in all these titles". She then adds "But if you insist I think Lady Boyarova is more suitable in English speaking countries". She does not sound insulted, more like a friendly schoolteacher imparting some fact, but she does sound insistent.

For the moment Natasha is ignoring Penny, instead talking to Mr Cochroft, she does however offer "It is good to see a woman with interest in the sciences Miss Pritchard, if only Russia had a few more people like you ..."

Penny nods to the Countess' remarks and looks around the railcar for a place to sit where she won't be to far from the conversation and yet not be forced to participate due to her closeness to it.

"Not at all." Charles grins and picks up. "As a scientist, I know exactly what you mean Countess. My world is filled with boring, little grey men and women, who never become tired of hearing their own voices. They are so intelligent that they sometimes border on intelligible. Furthermore they lack common sense. I have often seen simple men, uneducated, come up with the most brilliant, yet simple inventions, inventions that will make many an engineer wonder why they never thought it up, and in contrast I have seen many a learned man, lack the skill to fix something as simple as the hinge on a door. I have seen uneducated men and women, debating a topic with such vigour, skill and cunning that I have stood amazed."

Charles pauses for a moment to consider his thoughts, before continuing, " Intelligence to me is a relative concept and it is not something that one acquires through schooling. Yes schooling is a tool, through which one unlocks the mind, but it is not the creator of intelligence, no, it is something that one has to be born with, a gift most rare. This is the intelligence I believe you are referring to and yes, it is in very short supply"

He frowns as he continues to speak, as if troubled, "It is frightfully lonely if most of one's colleagues are 30 to 40 years one's senior and one is snidely referred to as 'junior', and called a rebel and an extremist behind one's back. It makes for quite a bit of conflict, and my recent successes have not helped much to quell the dissension. These men and women have turned the world of science into a cold, grey one that is most unappealing to the younger generation. I intend to stir up the pot a bit, and I don't mind using my celebrity status to achieve that goal. If I can become a catalyst to help raise up a generation of exciting, young scientists, our world will advance that much quicker and life will be brighter and better for all, both rich and poor."

Charles smiles, cheered up by his own words, "So you see Countess, I am quite familiar with your frustrations. Thankfully I have made the acquaintances of Mr. Slade and Miss. Pritchard several months ago. Our acquaintance has opened up a whole new world to us all and I daresay my mind is racing to keep up. It is most remarkable."

Natasha smiles slightly at Charles' long explanation, then she looks serious as she says "Ah yes science, it is so often hailed as the great saviour, but even the Communists claim that their crazed doctrines are scientific. I suppose all things are what you make of them, but for myself I try to find solace in the past." She smiles again as she says "That is why I find your discoveries so interesting. Noah's Arch, which should set the Atheists back a while, and the grave of the hero Vlad Tepes, vanquisher of the heathen Turk. If only all science was as noble and enlightening as that, now please I tell me about your discoveries, I am deeply fascinated". She will gladly listen to his explanations and stories.

Charles never tires of telling of his great discoveries and successes and makes no exception this time. Natasha is a good hostess and offers both food and other refreshments, on the subject of refreshments she asks "So what do you gentlemen, and gentlewoman think about the Volstead Act? This prohibition is it?" She smiles slightly as she asks this, hinting subtly that there may be some more 'refreshing' refreshments available as well.

<Comments> {Keeper assumes that the Investigators appreciate some strong stuff}

The food and refreshments are of the very first class. Charles continues to relate about his experiences and after a while, when Natasha feels that Charles has come to his end, she asks, "So what are you three doing on a train to Boston? I mean I do not want to pry but you seem to have some kind of purpose to your coterie", she is genuinely interested.

Doc looks toward Charles letting him start the answer.

Charles sees no reason to tell the truth although not the whole truth, there is no lie better than the truth. "Actually, we're inquiring into the mysterious disappearance of one of the professors at the Miskatonic University in Arkham." Natasha leans forwards towards Charles and grips his hand. Charles lowers his voice nearly whispering the last words. "He was absorbed in a hush, hush project regarding time travel!" Charles has told much more than he intended, but it must be this charming and intriguing young noblewoman that has mesmerised him.

"Well, well, a eccentric professor has suddenly vanished without a trace? How exciting, and he was working on some mysterious timetravel theory? Well, would you mind if I came along?"

Charles snaps out of the enchantment, realizing that he has told too much, "Err, I don't think that would be a good idea. You see, this can become very dangerous, and I don't want your life on my consciousness. Also this assignment was entrusted to us only, and only to us. I have told you too much, and I'm afraid that we under no circumstances can take you along." Charles tries to look determined. He, sincerely, with the past incidents in mind, don't want to introduce blissful ignorant minds to the knowledge of the Mythos.

Doc smiles slightly at Charles' reluctance, "Natasha, understand what Charles is stating. Our investigations can run into extreme life-threatheing hazards, and unless you are willing to risk your life, I would not want you to come along either. The only reason I go, is in the service of the powers of Good and am prepared to face unspeakable evils if it will advance the cause of good." Turning to Charles, "Charles, if she freely accepts the risks, she may provide useful to the successful completion of our search, so I will welcome her company if she chooses to join us."

Penny asks the Countess, "Have you ever encountered anything strange in inexplicable in your native land?"

Natasha says "Yes actually ... It is called the Russian revolution, and somehow I doubt there are many things in or off this world that can match it for cruelty, danger, or indeed earth". She then smiles again and says "But please now you have piqued my curiosity, I simply must come with you, it sounds really exciting. I do love adventure, and life here can be so boring." Natasha goes on saying "If you do not mind I would like to, how do you say it? Tag along? If you wish we can use my car, I would not think of letting you travel around in one of those awful taxies". She speaks to Charles "Dr Cochroft, I am going on a cocktail party later today, perhaps you and your friends would join me? I think you would be welcome company, and the invitation did say Lady Boyarova and friends".

Charles faces the defeat. "Natasha you will regret this, but it seems that my fellow partners don't mind taking you along. This said, I'd love to go with you to the cocktail party, and my friends too. Actually we were planning a recuperative event once we were in Boston. But if you don't mind we will make the trip to the laboratory site before going to the cocktail party. With your transportation, this should pose no problem."

<anything more to say?>

-----

For the remainder of the train trip, our investigators and Natasha, make more acquainted with themselves.

<I will allow "outside of play conversation here. Toy can use this opportunity to keep conversations going beside play, i.e. asking Natasha about her past and experiences, etc.>