Such extraordinary and brilliant proposals ought naturally to have opened the eyes of the Princess Tarakanof, and to have raised her suspicions; but her amiable and confiding soul, her inexperience of the world, completely deceived her. Besides, the language of the emissary of Alexy Orloff was in harmony with some hints which she often heard about herself at Prince RadziviU's house. She imagined herself destined to the throne; and all the airy and poetical dreams floating in her head on that subject, could not but encourage the deceit. With a thankful heart she unhappily promised to receive the proposed visitor, and thus herself concurred in the work of her destruction.
Count Alexy Orloff shortly afterwards came to Rome, having been announced already by his agent; and hastened to pay his respects to the young Russian lady. He was received as a particular friend, as a benefactor. However, some persons to whom the princess and her governess communicated the good fortune that awaited them, advised them to be on their guard against the evident treachery of a man whose character for wickedness was well known; and who, without doubt, had too much reason to remain faithful to his present sovereign to think of conspiring against her.
Instead of paying due attention to such useful and timely advice, the princess was so imprudently frank as to repeat immediately, word for word, to OrloiF all she had heard. The latter, as a skilful courtier, soon contrived to allay her apprehensions; and thenceforth threw a deeper shade of dissimulation, address, and hypocrisy into his honied speeches and behaviour. Not satisfied with flattering the ambition of the young Russian, he contrived, by the usual arts of dissimulation and of feigned attachment, to assume the semblance of a passion for her, and succeeded so far as to inspire her with a true one. As soon as he was sure of it, he conjured her in the most urgent terms to marry him without delay; she unhappily consented, and even with joy, thinking that the title of spouse to Count Alexy Orloff would shelter her powerfully from the imminent dangers and PRINCESS TARAKANOF. liS treacherous machinations which she was taught to apprehend.
Feigning a desii'e that the marriage ceremony should be performed according to the rites of the Greek church, Orloff suborned some low villains to disguise themselves as lawyers and priests, and the mock marriage shortly afterwards took place. Thus profanation was combined with imposture, in the conspiracy plotted against the unprotected and too confident Tarakanof.
When Alexy OrlofF had become the husband of the unhappy princess, he represented to her that their stay in Rome exposed her to too close observation; and that it would be better for her to proceed to some other city of Italy, to wait for the breaking out of the plot that was to call her to the tlirone. Believing this advice to be dictated by love and prudence, she answered that " she had married him, not out of ambition, but for affection; and that as became her duty towards him as an obedient and devoted wife, she would willingly follow him where-ever he chose to conduct her, even to the end of the world." He brought her immediately to Pisa, where he had previously hired a magnificent palace. There he continued to treat her with unshaken marks of tenderness and respect; but he permitted none to come near her, excepting persons completely devoted to him; and when she went to the theatre, or to the public promenades, he himself always attended her. The division of the Russian squadron, under the orders of Admiral Grieg, had just entered the port of Leghorn. Having been apprised of this, OrlofF told the princess that his presence was necessary at Leghorn, for the purpose of giving some orders; and he requested the latter to attend him there. To this she immediately consented, having previously heard of the magnificence of the Russian ships, and the beauty of the port of Leghorn. Imprudent creature, the nearer she approached the catastrophe of the plot, the more she trusted to her faithless betrayer.