Page 23 of You Belong to Me
She had locked him in her room that afternoon out of habit, because they would be having guests in the house, and he didn’t get along well with guests he didn’t know. She shouldn’t have. She should have let him runloose to do what he did best to unsuspecting strangers. A chunk missing from the popinjay’s backside might have made that interview she’d just suffered through end more to her liking.
The thought calmed her somewhat. She hadn’t realized she could be vindictive—at least in her thoughts. Too bad she’d never use an animal as a weapon other than for defense, because it had been a really satisfying thought, imagining that Cardinian howling with pain.
After assuring the large wolfhound that she wasn’t angry about the way he had first greeted her, she glanced over at Nina, the valise, and the pile of clothes strewn across her bed. “So you’ve heard?”
“Everyone has heard,” Nina said neutrally. “What we don’t know is what you’re going to do. So I started packing in case you decide to marry the man, but I can just as quickly put all this away.”
Nina didn’t betray by the slightest expression which answer she’d like to hear, even if shewasstrongly opinionated and had already decided which answer Alexandra ought to make. Loyally, she’d support whatever Alexandra decided to do, though it was likely that there would be some arguments first if Nina thought Alexandra had made the wrong decision. Alexandra loved her for that.
Socially they weren’t equals, and they were the exact opposite in looks. Nina’s black hair was a riot of curls, and her light blue eyes were huge, giving her an owlish appearancethat could be disconcerting when she was serious. Otherwise, she was a sweet dumpling with her slight chubbiness, her short stature, her dimples, and her bawdy sense of humor. And they were the dearest of friends.
Alexandra sat on the edge of the bed and fingered a pale mauve ball gown, recalling the one time she’d worn it. She’d received her first kiss that night—from Christopher, and it had been everything she’d ever imagined a kiss to be.
She held up the skirt of the old gown and asked Nina, “What were you packing this for?”
“You’ll need something to get married in,” the girl said pragmatically.
Alexandra prayed it wouldn’t get to that point, and if it did, she’d insist on having a grand wedding gown made in order to buy herself more time. Perhaps something in black.
“You can forget about the valise,” she said decisively. “I want trunks, and lots of them. Have someone dig out whatever is in the attic, and then beg, borrow, or steal some more from town. I want enough to fill at least two wagons.”
Nina no longer contained her opinion. Her grin was self-explanatory. “So you’re actually going to marry a king’s cousin?”
Alexandra ignored her friend’s delight. “No. I gave my word I would, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to happen—not if I can help it. My betrothed thinks he can’t break the betrothal—I know I can’t—and arguing with him about it isn’t going to get me anywhere. So I’ll just have to show him that I’ll make him a terrible wife.”
“But you’d make him an excellent wife,” Nina contradicted loyally.
“Not him I wouldn’t. But even if it were so, he’s never going to know it, and he certainly isn’t going to think it by the time I’m done with him.”
Nina sat down beside her and asked hesitantly, “Why don’t you marry him instead?”
“And betray Christopher?”
“Christopher ought to be betrayed,” Nina muttered.
Alexandra sighed, not prepared to argue with her friend about the love of her life—again. None of the Razins had anything good to say about Christopher anymore—especiallynot Nina—and she was tired of taking his side when she had nothing to show to support her loyalty.
“Even if I weren’t in love with someone else, I wouldn’t marry that arrogant Cardinian. And before you build up to a really good protest, you might as well know he doesn’t want to marry me either.”
Nina was incredulous, not to mention indignant. “He said that?”
“He did. But he still plans to sacrifice himselfandme, even though his father isn’t alive to be disgraced by his breaking the betrothal. And would you like to hear whathehas planned for our marriage? To get a child from me and then to ignore me. He threw it in my face that he’sgot mistresses and will continue to keep them. Of course, he’ll be magnanimous and allow me some lovers.”
“He saidthat?”
“He did.”
Nina bristled. “Well, you aren’t going to marry him. I won’t let you. And neither will your papa, once you tell him about this.”
To that, Alexandra snorted. “That’s what you think. I told him that the man flirted with me before he knew who I was, and he wasdelighted. Petroff proves himself to be a damned libertine, and all my papa sees in that is that he wasattractedto me. So Papa’s not going to believe the rest of this, not when he knows I don’t want this marriage. He’ll think I’ve made it up and probably be too embarrassed to confront Petroff about it. Even if Papa did mention it, I’d wager even money that the arrogant coxcomb would take the coward’s route and deny it. After all, they’ve had their little meeting and seem to be getting along wonderfully. If the man didn’t admit his true feelings when he had the chance, he won’t now. OnlyIwas privileged to be informed of them.”
Nina stared broodingly at the floor for a moment before she replied, “It sounds as if you will have an…aristocratic marriage.”
Alexandra dropped back on the bed, laughing. Nina turned to scowl at her.
“It’s not funny,” the younger girl said.
“I know.” But Alexandra was still grinning. “I wasn’t blind at all those balls and parties Iattended in the cities, in St. Petersburg especially. More than half the married people I met were having affairs. And, appallingly, the women discuss it, either by gossiping about someone else or by bragging about their own conquests. What the Cardinian suggested is standard practice in his circles, I would imagine. I just don’t believe he thought I was aware of it, since he was trying to shock me into breaking the betrothal, not to propose to me a normal marriage.”
