The second novel from the series “The Thunderstorm of the Twelfth Year” about the Cherkassky family. The Most Serene Princess Elena Cherkasskaya clearly did not calculate her strength, promising her family to get to St. Petersburg and meet Emperor Alexander I. Beaten, chilled, she no longer hoped that she could survive a cold autumn night under a pouring rain, when Count Vasilevsky came to her aid. Two days and two nights in a small hut on the edge of the forest will turn the lives of both of them upside down, and love for Elena will help the young cavalry guard go through all the battles of the great war. But what about the one who promised to wait for her groom? Why did she become the wife of another? Is it possible to forgive her?! The princess has her own truth, but she gave her word and now cannot reveal the secret of her marriage to her beloved. The young woman became beautiful, rich and independent. But can success replace love?! And how can Elena alone resist her enemies when she and her little daughter are in mortal danger?!