Page 72 of You Belong to Me
But even that wouldn’t have been so bad if the ladies, one after the other, hadn’t greeted or hailed Vasili with such pleasure, and too many of them did so with an intimate familiarity that spoke of past association. Alexandra was able to remain quiet the first two times Vasili was stopped, because he broke away quickly with the excuse that the queen was waiting for them.
But the third time she saw a woman reaching for him to detain him, Alexandra stepped between them and declared, “He’s soon to be married, madam. You can still talk to him, but from now on you will refrain from putting your hands on him, however, innocent your intent.”
Vasili was whisking her away from the openmouthed woman before she had got thelast word out. “And here I thought you were actually going to behave yourself,” he said.
“It’s going to get worse if they don’t keep their hands off you.”
“I suppose you’re going to tell me now that only you have the right to touch me.”
“I see we understand each other.”
Then when the hell are you going to start?he wondered, but to her, he kept in form by complaining, “You’re pushing it, Alex.”
“You were given fair warning, Petroff.”
“So were you,” he reminded her, and was pleased to note that whatever she’d been about to reply to that, she thought better of it. “And,” he added, “you’llhave to deal with my mother when she hears about this, and I can guarantee you that she will. I don’t think she’ll accept jealousy as an excuse for scandal.”
“You know very well jealousy doesn’t come into this,” Alexandra said crossly.
“Certainly, but no one else is going to believe that, sweetheart, least of all my mother. And she happens to be of the old school that agrees a wife should ignore her husband’s little indiscretions, and jealousy is the height of foolishness.”
“I’m not jealous!”
“I think enough people heard you—but they still won’t believe it.”
“Now who’s pushing it?” she gritted out.
He chuckled, amazed that he was actually enjoying this verbal battle, probably because, for once, he was coming out ahead with her.“I would suggest you contain that temper of yours, Alex. You’re about to meet the queen.”
“Thanks to you, I’ll probably end up insulting her,” she retorted.
“I hate to say it, but what you’rewearingis going to insult her.”
“Damn you, Petroff!”
“Shh. We’ve arrived.”
They had indeed, and he apparently didn’t have to be announced, because he opened the door to the queen’s receiving chamber and walked right in, the guards at the door merely nodding at him. And since he was still holding Alexandra’s arm from when he’d forcibly pulled her away from that woman, she didn’t get the opportunity to hang back so she could try to compose herself.
The room wasn’t as large as she might have expected, and the three women in it were informally dressed in day gowns that were obviously of fine quality. Two of the women were Tanya’s favorite ladies-in-waiting, Alexandra was to learn, both married and in love with their husbands as the queen was with hers, which was probably why Alexandra sensed immediately that she wouldn’t have to do battle here, and she began to relax.
The two ladies merely nodded at Vasili and Alexandra on their way out, but Tanya hadn’t seen Vasili since his return, and her greeting in English was warm as she approached him with open arms. It was automatic for him to accept her hug, which he started to do untilhe recalled who was with him and backed off in alarm.
Alexandra noticed, and said in English for the queen’s benefit, “She can.”
He didn’t have to ask her what she was talking about, but after the alarm he’d just experienced, he was annoyed enough to demand, “Why can she?”
“Because she’s happily married and doesn’t have designs on you.”
Tanya lifted her brows. Vasili said, “You don’t want to know, Tanya, believe me.”
Alexandra shot him a baleful look for that. Tanya laughed and said, “Maybe I don’t. So introduce us instead.” He did, and after a moment of studying Alexandra, she added, “You’re luckier than you deserve, Vasili. She’s beautiful.”
The statement made both Alexandra and Vasili uncomfortable. He knew Alexandra was beautiful, but he wasn’t about to own up to it in her presence. And she never did like hearing it.
But Tanya didn’t notice, and went on to say, “Come, I’ve ordered refreshments and—”
“We’ve both eaten,” Vasili said so fast, Tanya raised a brow again.
