Page 29 of You Belong to Me
And Konrad, the last to arrive, addressed only the portion he caught. “Saddle sores, Alex? You? Your arse should be tough as—”
“That’s enough,” Alexandra interrupted, and she looked at each of them separately as she said, “No, no, and no,” in answer to their remarks. “I’ve already explained my plan to you, and you agreed it’s a good one. We’ll give it a chance before I consider any other options. But beating him up isn’t going to be one of them.”
“A shame,” Stenka said with a sigh.
She gave him a stern look before continuing. “Rest assured, we won’t have another day like today. He’s trying to keep us onhisschedule, and even if we can manage it much easier than he can, I won’t wait for him to give it up, not with my babies along. Speaking of which, have they been settled in for the night?”
“They’re rigging up a separate corral for the mares, since they aren’t equipped for so many horses here,” Timofee told her. “It will do for one night.”
They went on to discuss a few other matters pertinent to traveling, but were interrupted when Vasili finally made an appearance with his friend, Lazar Dimitrieff. That one had approached Alexandra earlier in the day to introduce himself. She hadn’t been a bit surprised to find out that he’d purchased one of her father’s whites and was riding him, a gelding she knew to be of easy temperament.
Ordinarily she would have discussed the merits of the animal with him, would have enjoyed doing so and at length, but she had decided not to be friendly toanyonein Vasili’s group, and that included Count Dimitrieff, which was a shame, because he seemed quite likable, and they obviously had a love of fine horseflesh in common. It didn’t take him long, though, to give up trying to instigate a conversation with her when she all but ignored him.
She had deigned to share a few words with him only because he’d asked about Nina. “Who’s the little cherub?” had been his exact question.
“My maid, Nina Razin.”
“Related to those Cossacks?”
“Their only sister,” she had told him.
Her reply had produced a drawn-out sigh. “And here I thought I just might enjoy the trip home.”
She had wanted to laugh at his forlorn expression, it was so funny. Instead she had warned him, “You’ll stay away from Nina—unless she wants to be bothered.” And she had said no more.
She wondered now if he had informed Vasili of her rudeness. She certainly hoped so. She wanted him to know that her contempt wasn’t reserved just for him, and that hisfriends and family weren’t going to be immune from it.
Vasili gave her only a cursory glance upon his entrance. There was one seat left at her table, but she was sure he wouldn’t take it. But then, as long as he could witness her table manners, which were going to be atrocious for his benefit, it didn’t matter where he sat.
He stopped to speak to the proprietor for a few moments, probably finding out that there was nothing left for him to arrange, that she’d taken care of everything. She hoped that would annoy him, which was why she’d done it. Men did have a habit of liking to think they were in charge.
Watching him closely, she could discern no indication that he was hearing anything that might disturb him. Then there was a squeal across the room, made by one of the two serving girls, this one having just noticed him. And the girl apparently knew him, because the pleased noise was followed by her rushing across the room to him.
Alexandra’s brows went up, then came abruptly together when she saw the smile Vasili bestowed on the girl, a smile so beautiful that Alexandra drew in her breath, and she wasn’t even the recipient of it. The girl wasn’t exceptionally pretty, but the way Vasili was looking at her, you’d have thought she was the loveliest creature he’d ever seen.
When she reached him, he leaned close to whisper something in her ear. She laughed and placed a hand intimately on his chest before answering him. His hand came to her derriere for a pat before she sauntered away to return to her work, though she cast more than one sultry glance back over her shoulder at him. Any half-wit could have figured out that they’d just made an assignation for later.
Alexandra left her table and caught up with the girl as she was about to leave the room for the kitchen. Without warning—Alexandra hadn’t known what she was going to do when she started across the room—she grabbed a fistful of the girl’s hair and jerked her around. The tray she was holding went flying from her fingers. If people had not been looking in their direction before, they were now.
“That’s my betrothed you were thinking about bedding,” Alexandra said, her voice actually quite casual for such a volatile subject. “Go anywhere near him again and I’ll cut off your ears and make you eat them. Or perhaps you consider him worth the loss?”
“No, Baroness,” the girl squeaked, her eyes wide and her complexion gone white.
Alexandra frowned. “You know me?”
“Y-yes, Baroness.”
“So you know I mean what I say?”
“Yes!”
“Good. Then let us hope I don’t have to speak to you again.”
Alexandra returned to her table. She didn’t glance at Vasili as she passed him. She was rather amazed at herself, not for what she’d said, but for having been able to cause a scenelike that without feeling the least bit embarrassed. Proving to her betrothed that she was far below his social stratum was going to be much easier than she’d thought.
“Was he shocked?” she whispered to Stenka as she resumed her seat.
“I couldn’t say,” he answered honestly, his eyes twinkling. “I couldn’t take my eyes off you and such a splendid display of jealousy.”
