Page 5 of You Belong to Me
“And if I am right?”
“If it’s obvious that they won’t suit, then of course I will release them from the betrothal and compensate the count for his trouble in coming here.”
“Well, thank God you’re not going to be pigheaded about this to the very end.”
He flinched at her sarcasm and retaliated by saying, “Actually, I’m feeling much betterabout it, now that you’ve raised issues that hadn’t occurred to me and I have successfully put them aside.”
She was about to reply quite scathingly to that remark when the front door slammed, and a moment later, Alexandra appeared in the doorway. She didn’t notice them yet, as she was busy slapping dust from her sleeves with her equally dusty fur cap, spreading a fine coating of it on the floor at her feet where her Borzoi was making a bigger cloud of it with his wagging tail. A single lock of ash-blond hair had escaped her coiffure and fell over her shoulder to her waist.
She looked like a Cossack, amaleCossack, in her baggy pants which were tucked into knee-high boots, her bright red sash tied around her narrow waist, her no-longer-white shirt with the fine blue embroidery down the front, and her knee-length coat with the wide skirt. This was her customary dress for riding and working with the horses. Her bedraggled and filthy appearance was nothing new to her family.
“Much,muchbetter,” Constantin said in a soft whisper that only Anna could hear, a reiteration of what he had said moments before. “And fortunate it is that a man with a new wife will lay down the laws early in their marriage and see that they are obeyed.”
Anna’s nostrils flared wide as she gritted her teeth. But because of Alexandra’s present, she couldn’t address that statement in the manner that it so richly deserved, so shepicked up Constantin’s second glass of vodka, which still had enough liquid in it for her purpose, and without the slightest hesitation tipped it over his head.
Witnessing only the dunking and her father’s sputtering, Alexandra laughed delightedly. “Anna?Youhave given in to temper? But then, Itoldyou I would be a bad influence on you eventually, didn’t I?”
“Indeed, darling—and you know where to find the bucket and mop, don’t you?”
Glancing down at the trail of dust she had tracked into the hall, Alexandra was still grinning when she asked, “Before or after Bojik and I bathe?”
With visions of the disaster that the Russian wolfhound was going to leave in the bathhouse, Anna said, “I don’t believe it matters.”
Alexandra flashed one of the smiles that could so easily turn grown men into mush if she only knew how to utilize it, and marched off toward the kitchen, Bojik following at her heels as usual. It had been unnecessary to mention the mop and bucket. The girl always cleaned up after herself—and her overlarge pet. They might have a dozen servants on hand to wait on her, but she rarely made use of them.
“Anna?”
The word came softly for all that it was a growl—as if she could forget the undoubtedly furious man standing behind her reeking of vodka. She cringed inwardly at what she’d done. Never, ever, had she stooped to such alow level of behavior. It simply wasn’t in her nature.
“Shall I pour you another glass?” she offered without looking around.
She heard a snort. “Will I get to drink it?”
After a moment’s thought, Anna said, “Probably not,” and marched out of the room herself.
2
Stefan Barony, the reigning King of Cardinia, had to laugh. He had found exactly what he had expected to find in the Gypsy camp—his cousin lying beneath a tree with a lovely young woman clinging to him. Actually, there were three women clinging to him, which was not expected, but not surprising either. Vasili had one tucked under each arm, and a third woman sat behind him, offering her ample breasts as a pillow for his golden head.
The camp was at its most boisterous at night, naked children wrestling at the feet of their dancing mothers, singing and storytelling at each campfire, pilfered fowl and rabbits steaming in cauldrons. This particular tribe specialized in horse trading. Other bands might offer repair services and blacksmithing, and still others strictly provided entertainment with their Carpathian bear trainers, snake charmers, fine musicians, and dancers.
Most of the tribes that passed through Cardinia, however, were cattle breeders whotraveled with their large herds of water buffalo or regular cattle. But all the tribes offered their women for a price, and had their old ones who could heal with their herbs what town doctors had given up on, and of course they had their fortune-tellers and charmsellers.
“Didn’t I tell you we’d find him here?” said Lazar, who was on Stefan’s right. “He still craves the wildness.”
On Stefan’s left, Serge snorted before giving his own opinion. “It’s an abundance of women that he craves, and the Gypsies never fail to supply that.”
Stefan couldn’t argue with that statement, since he’d spent a fair amount of time in Gypsy camps himself. At least he had when he had been only the Crown Prince of Cardinia with few responsibilities, rather than the king. Now, there was simply something not quite dignified about a king cavorting with Gypsy wenches and dancing by firelight. Not that he wanted to any longer. The only cavorting he did these days was with his queen. But the sight of the camp brought back fond memories.
“I suppose you two will want to remain here with Vasili,” Stefan said to his friends in a humorous tone. For all their derogatory remarks, they both held equally fond memories of Gypsy camps.
“You mean we aren’t dragging him back to the city?” Lazar asked.
“My aunt merely requested that I locateVasili, not deliver him. As long as he makes an appearance sometime tonight, that will suit her well enough.”
Serge was grinning now. “It’s a good thing old Max won’t let just the three of us protect you anymore, or we would be forced to escortyouback to the city.”
Old Max was Maximilian Daneff, Cardinia’s prime minister, who was like a second father to Stefan. And Max took his duties quite seriously, including insisting that a full complement of soldiers accompany Stefan whenever he left the palace.
