Chapter 10
Anatole enters Helene's box (innuendo unintended, despite previous rumours of incest) and is introduced to Natasha. She finds him surprisingly easy to talk to, despite his intimidating good looks.
Anatole invites Natasha to a costume tournament at Julie Karagins, while gazing at Natasha longingly, which she finds both flattering and a little creepy, due to the rampant sexual tension in the air. She keeps looking at Helene and her father, to try to escape, but they don't seem to notice. Eventually, she becomes comfortable with the sexual tension, and totally forgets that she's an engaged woman. She pays even less attention to the fourth act than she did to the first three. When she gets home, she finally remembers Andrew and feels horrified at what she's done, which is literally just to be looked at by Anatole and helped into her carriage by him. It's the rampant sexual tension that she's afraid of, having never experienced it before. Also, I don't think she actually likes Anatole - she's just really attracted to him. Anyway, she reminds herself that she hasn't actually done anything and tries to calm down, though her love for Prince Andrew is now tainted. How can it be true love, if she felt like that around Anatole? Also, she's still daydreaming about Anatole.
Chapter 11
Anatole's in Moscow because he was running up ridiculous debts in St Petersburg, and his father found him a job in Moscow and told him to stay out of trouble and try to marry an heiress, preferably Julie Karagina or Mary Bolkonskaya. Anatole's staying with Pierre, which Pierre isn't totally happy about, but he's gotten used to it. Anatole has not improved his behaviour in Moscow, and is rumoured to be having intimate relations with a French actress. He's been ignoring heiresses because they're all plain, and also he secretly got married a few years ago, while in Poland with his regiment. He's paying off his father-in-law to not expose him as a married man who's abandoned his wife. The text also says that the landowner forced him to marry the daughter - possibly for seducing her? - though since he's going along with this deal, it's unclear what he gets out of it except for money. Anatole feels no guilt or shame whatsoever about any of this, because it really doesn't seem like he's capable of it. He's firmly convinced of his place in life, so much so that he convinces others to loan him the fortune he hasn't got and never pays back. Apparently he's the mold Anna Sorokin was cast from. He's not ambitious, like Andrew or Darling Bory. Literally, all he cares about is wine, women, and song (paraphrased). The text describes him as a Rake, which is one of my favourite archetypes because it's a fun word to say.
Anatole and Dolokhov have teamed up, because Anatole admires Dolokhov's cleverness and audacity, and Dolokhov despises Anatole, but hides it well while using his name, position, and connections. Dolokhov quite enjoys using people and feeling superior to them. Anyway, we join them while Anatole is talking about his ambition to make love to Natasha (with literally no thought of how anyone else might feel about it or what might happen afterwards).
Anatole says he love innocent young girls (the text is translated as 'little girls', but Natasha is at least sixteen, so I'll give Anatole a pass on that very specific crime) and how they "lose their heads at once". Dolokhov reminds him he has already been caught by one little girl - his polish wife - and Anatole insists it can't happen twice. Unsure if he means he won't be forced to marry twice, or if he means, for example, he won't accidentally impregnate another person. No evidence for the latter scenario, just the first thing I thought of.
Chapter 12
The next day, the Rostovs do nothing very interesting and Natasha waits for Andrew. The Count and Marya Dmitrievna talk about something they keep secret from her. As well as pining, she's now having weird feelings about Anatole and some anxiety over her meeting with Andrew's family.
She's now convinced something is going to go wrong, and Andrew will never arrive in Moscow, and also unsure of whether she's actually done anything wrong with Anatole because she really doesn't understand what happened, because the concept of a fuckboi has not yet been invented.
On Sunday, the Rostovs all go to mass with their hostess. Afterwards, Marya Dmitrievna announces that she is going to speak to old Nikolai (I like to call him that because 'Old Nick' is a nickname for Satan) and tell him off about Natasha. Meanwhile, Natasha is visited by the dressmaker, and while she's wearing a bodice held together only with pins she hears Helene in the hall. Helene marches in and insists that Count Rostov bring Natasha and Sonya to a soiree at Mademoiselle George's home, Mademoiselle George being the French actress Anatole is rumoured to be having an affair with. Then she looks through Natasha's clothes and says flattering things. Honestly, this is all quite dangerous liaisons, I'm half expecting Helene to propose a threeway.
Natasha is flattered and feels quite loving towards Helene, who is being very nice for someone Natasha was formerly intimidated by. Helene quite enjoys Natasha and is amused by the thought of bringing her and Anatole together.
When Marya Dmitrievna gets back, she's too agitated to discuss what happened with Old Nikolai and says she'll explain tomorrow. When she's learns about Helene's visit, she advises Natasha to have nothing to do with Helene, but if Natasha has promised, then she should go.
Chapter 13
The Rostovs do go to the soiree, and Count Ilya is not happy to find that it's mostly young men and woman "famous for the freedom of their conduct". Also, many Frenchmen, including Metivier, that guy Old Nikolai accused of being a spy for Napoleon. The Count decides he's not going to play cards or let Natasha or Sonya out of his sight, and that they'll leave as soon as they politely can. Anatole's been waiting for them to arrive and immediately begins following Natasha around, like a sex pest. When it's time for Mademoiselle George's show, he tries to sit next to her but the Count takes the seat Anatole had pulled out instead, in a masterful move of politeness judo and fatherhood. When the act has finished, he goes to congratulate Mademoiselle George on her performance, and it's then that Anatole gets a chance to whisper some flattery in Natasha's ear. The Count quickly whisks her away again. The Count wants to go home, but Helene leads everyone into the ballroom and begs the Count not to spoil her improvised ball. She is also a master of politeness judo. Women will put themselves in very dangerous situations in order to be polite, and Natasha is too young to understand the danger signs she's seeing and doesn't want to be rude enough to escape the situation.
Anatole and Natasha dance, and he spends the entire time holding her close and telling her he loves her. During the next dance, he only gazes lovingly at her. She reminds him that she's affianced and loves Andrew, and he shouldn't say such things. He is unperturbed, and doesn't see what her engagement has to do with his love for her. They keep dancing together, and though her father begs her to come home, Natasha insists on staying, because being wanted like that can be intoxicating. When Natasha gets away from Anatole - to rearrange her dress - Helene follows and keeps up the constant insistence of Anatole's love.
As Natasha heads back to the ballroom, Anatole waylays her in a sitting room and begs to see her, because otherwise, he'll like die or something. She resists, and he kisses her then starts begging again. Natasha is feeling very confused and flustered. Helene interrupts, and the Rostov's head home, with Natasha in a state of torment over whether she loves Anatole or Andrew. Personally, I think this is why most people stopped getting married as teenagers. She knows she loves Andrew, but she believes she must love Anatole or else how could any of this have happened? She tells herself she must love him, and therefore he must possess noble qualities that meant she could not help loving him.
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