Anna Pavlovna talks with Prince Vassily Kuragin, the first guest to arrive at one of her soirées in 1805."Chère Annette" is a 40-year-old spinster who runs one of the most celebrated salons in Petersburg, and as usual, her manner of speaking expresses enthusiasm whether she feels it or not. She speaks of Napoleon as the Antichrist scourging Europe, asserting that the lofty-souled Alexander I must save them all against the"hydra of revolution" Bonaparte represents. Easily changing the subject, she tells Prince Vassily how charming his three children are, and that she knows a wealthy heiress to match with his profligate son, Anatole. The lady is Princess Marya Bolkonsky, who lives in the country and is dominated by her old father. Her brother Prince Andrey will appear here this evening with his wife Liza. Annette promises to speak to Liza about this matter.
With all her guests arrived, Anna Pavlovna supervises them smoothly, making sure each conversation group avoids controversy as well as boredom. The"little princess," Liza Bolkonsky, chatters eagerly. Although visibly pregnant, and once considered the most seductive young woman in Petersburg, she still makes every man she speaks to feel successful and masculine. But when she addresses her husband in the same coquettish manner she uses for casual acquaintances, Prince Andrey turns away with an involuntary grimace. His bored expression is a vivid contrast to the liveliness of his little wife. Anna Pavlovna is uncomfortable when Pierre Bezuhov arrives, for he is bound to be rude. This is his first appearance in society since his return from abroad. An illegitimate son of Count Bezuhov, a celebrated dandy in the days of Catherine, Pierre's tall stout figure and his"clever, though shy, observant and natural look" distinguishes this mild, bespectacled young man. Prince Andrey's handsome face lights up for the first time when he sees Pierre, and from their greeting, it is obvious they are good friends. Prince Vassily's daughter, the beautiful Ellen, now arrives. She wears a radiant, unvarying smile as if to acknowledge her awareness of the splendid beauty barely hidden by her décolleté. As she and her father leave, an elderly lady accosts Prince Vassily, begging him to petition the emperor so her son Boris can transfer to the Guards. She is Anna Mihalovna Drubetskoy, a member of one of the best families in Russia. Now that she is poor and out of touch with her former connections, she appears uninvited at the soirée expressly to beg Prince Vassily's favor. Wearily the elderly courtier agrees to petition for her son.
