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Zatonsk Police Station.
September 13, 1888.
Chief Investigator Shtolman.
Dear Yakov Platonovich,
It has come to my attention, that is to say, I have only now recollected that I failed to adequately thank you for your participation in my rescue from the cemetery crypt. It is all the more unforgivable, considering I have been in your presence twice since that terrifying experience. Allow me, in no uncertain terms, then to offer my most sincere and highest appreciation for your assistance in discovering and freeing me of that entrapment.
I wish to return to our brief discussion from your most recent visit. You suggested that a certain, ambiguous group, simply known as they, would most certainly assume you my suitor. My immediate response - suggesting that it would be rumor, and one by which you would not be bothered - was presumptive of me. I guessed, then, that you offered such an observation as a light humor, because you came to call on me that day. And perhaps because we have been seen in each other’s company several times since your arrival in Zatonsk. As you and I are both aware, these occasions were dominated by our shared interest in solving first the murder of Mrs. Kuleshova and most recently that of Olympiada Kuriokin.
But upon reflection I am aware that I may be assuming a lack of intention, where you are instead attempting to make clear the opposite. I fear that in dismissing your comment and following it with the revelation of local gossip’s suspicions - that of you being a womanizer - was at a minimum rude, and quite likely implied disinterest on my part for the consideration of courtship. Herewith I state that neither rudeness nor disinterest were my intent, nor do they reflect my disposition with respect to the possibility of receiving you as a suitor.
I will also disclose that your actions on the night of my disappearance in the cemetery have been met with considerable praise at the Mironov household. I venture to propose that you would find the abundance and measure of extolment rather melodramatic. I say this not to diminish the significance of your actions, nor to minimize my parents’ admiration, but simply as a reflection on what I perceive as your disposition. Which, were you to ask, I would assess possibly wrongly, but I will be surprised if it is far from the truth, as stoic, singularly committed to the pursuit of justice, and scornful of hyperbole.
In closing, I repeat my appreciation for your endeavors associated with my deliverance. If you are inclined to call again, I shall be most delighted to share your company and vow to restrain from making whimsy in response to remarks made in sincerity.
Very truly yours,
Anna Viktorovna Mironova.