You Belong to Me (18 page)

Alexandra had to interrupt at that point because Fatima had reached them and was about to throw herself at Vasili. “Hold it right there,” she said, her voice so commanding it
would have stopped a battalion. The ex-slave obeyed instantly.

Oddly enough, Alexandra wasn’t angry, though the woman’s position in the house was pretty obvious. She should have been angry, probably would have been mere days ago. But today her mood was so gloomy with hopelessness that it didn’t leave much room for any other emotions.

If she didn’t have to remain consistent for Vasili’s benefit, she might not have stopped the girl at all, might have just quietly left so the two lovers could enjoy their happy reunion. At least she understood now why he hadn’t wanted to bring her here. And she could see that he was braced for her attack, expecting the worst.

She surprised him instead, merely telling Fatima, “You’ll have to find somewhere else to work.”

“But I live here, mistress.”

“Not anymore. Your
master
is getting married.”

Fatima turned to Vasili, apparently thinking that, as the man, he was going to have the last word on the subject. And to make sure his decision would be in her favor, great fat tears appeared in her pretty eyes.

That was when Alexandra got angry. Of all the rotten, female things to do, to use tears to appeal to his protective instincts. As if he had any. It was his rutting instincts that were going to be swayed, but not while Alexandra was there to witness it.

Vasili saw her unhook the whip from her belt, but she’d already snapped it once before he could reach her. The sound brought back to him the painful memory of the welts he still wore, but that wouldn’t have stopped him if her intent had been to do damage. Since all she’d done was crack the lash to regain Fatima’s wide-eyed attention, and was even now rewinding it, he decided not to tempt her further…the hell he wouldn’t.

He snatched the whip from her hand, but she merely gave him a disgusted look and chided, “You should recall that I always give fair warning first, Petroff—and I have other whips.” Then her expression turned positively menacing as she fixed her dark blue gaze on Fatima to say, “You want to share his bed some more, you’re going to pay a price for it. Are you sure you want to?”

Fatima was too frightened to answer. She simply shrieked and ran toward the back of the house. Vasili was torn between going after her to assure her that she wasn’t in danger of losing any skin, at least not yet, and wringing Alexandra’s neck. He took a step toward Alexandra.

She backed up, but her expression didn’t change. If anything, she looked like she was about to scratch his eyes out now that they were alone, but it was a verbal attack she unleashed first.

“You are the most perfidious, lecherous, despicable man in creation! You went to collect a bride, but kept your mistress installed in your
own house? You couldn’t even move her to another house?”

She was shouting at him. He answered her almost too quietly as he forced her to retreat another step. “I went to Russia to get rid of a bride, not bring her home with me. You were supposed to have sense enough to see that we wouldn’t possibly suit. But rest assured, my other mistresses are in other houses, and Fatima will be installed elsewhere before the end of the day.”

“But you won’t get rid of them?”

“I warned you I wouldn’t, sweetheart. So why don’t you rejoice and realize that that gives you grounds to end this thing?”

“I’m not just bound by that betrothal contract, you fool, I’m bound by my own word to marry you. When are
you
going to realize that that means it’s going to happen no matter what you do, with only one exception? Refuse to marry me, and that will end it.”

Another step had her backed up against a wall, and he braced his arms on both sides of her. “I’m beginning to look forward to this marriage, just so I can spend the rest of my life making you miserable.”

Alexandra was too angry to be intimidated. “Misery loves company,
sweetheart
,” she shot back. “So don’t think I’ll be suffering mine alone.” She slipped out from under his arm and marched out the door.

B
ojik had been waiting on Vasili’s doorstep for Alexandra to appear. She chided herself for forgetting about him. Ever since the snowstorm when he had been unable to find her, he hadn’t let her far from his sight…and what could have possessed her to lose her temper like that again? She really didn’t care how many women Vasili had. Others? He’d said
others
, the son of a…no, dammit, she didn’t care. It was necessary to do something, yes, to remain consistent, but she didn’t have to
mean
it.

She could only be thankful that he hadn’t remembered what he’d warned her he would do if she ever threatened another one of his women. She could also be thankful she had gotten out of there just in time, because he had been too close physically. Those feelings that now seemed to well up within her anytime he came near her had definitely been on the rise. And she was afraid she knew what would happen if she lost control of them again.

Vasili kept his eyes squeezed shut, but he could still smell the scent of her, still see the fury in her midnight-blue eyes, such passion, such…

He groaned and banged his head on the wall again; he hadn’t moved from there since she’d slipped away from him. He could control this, he really could. He just had to keep his distance from her. He’d managed to until today. And what had possessed him to give in to her demand? He should have called her bluff and let her camp in the street. If she got arrested, he wouldn’t say a word to prevent it. But when she came before the magistrate, he’d arrange to have her placed in his custody—and the fantasy that that inspired had him groaning again.

His mother was his only hope now, and this hell he was caught up in could conceivably be over by the end of the day. Maria’s first encounter with Alexandra could do it and…Jesus, she’d left, slammed out of here, and she was too angry to wait for him outside. He had visions of her lost in the city. The way she was dressed, and alone, men wouldn’t think twice about accosting her. And he had her whip. He’d left her defenseless.

He felt such fear, he broke out in a sweat, and sure enough, when he got outside he saw that the footman held only his horse. Alexandra’s was gone. “Did the lady at least ask you for directions to my mother’s house?” he asked the man as he mounted, but was met with confusion.

“The lady?”

“The wench who arrived with me!” Vasili snapped.

“No, sir—but I heard her tell her dog to find Nina, whoever that is.”

That news didn’t exactly relieve Vasili, and he took off, hoping he could catch up with Alexandra before she got into trouble. But he arrived at his family home without sighting her, and by the time he located his mother in the conservatory, he was out of breath from running.

He also shouted without realizing it. “Where is she?”

Maria, wide-eyed and indignant, said, “Three months’ absence and this is the greeting I—”

“Mother, is Alexandra here?”

“No, she isn’t,” she huffed. “And why isn’t she with you? Only her servants have arrived so far, the last one just minutes ago.”

That gave him pause. “Was the last one a woman?”

Maria frowned. “I suppose that’s possible. I mean, now that you mention it, yes.”

The fear was gone instantly, leaving him so weak he had to sit down on a nearby bench. Maria, observing him closely, said suspiciously, “You aren’t going to tell me that woman was Baroness Rubliov.”

Anger should have overtaken him by now, for what he’d just gone through, but instead Vasili found himself grinning. “I’m afraid so.”

Maria was horrified. “And I sent her to the servants’ quarters!”

At which point he started to laugh.

“I’ve never been so embarrassed,” Maria later told Vasili. “Why didn’t she say anything?”

They were in the drawing room, waiting for Alexandra to join them for dinner. Vasili had gone to the palace to let his cousin know he was back, but Stefan had been in conference with his ministers, so he’d left word that he would see him tomorrow. By then, he’d had only enough time to return home and change for dinner with his mother, which he wasn’t going to miss for the world, and to try to calm Fatima.

That had been a lesson in exasperation. She hadn’t stopped crying, and while he’d always given in to her tears before, he couldn’t this time, not when he knew Alexandra had her ways of finding out things—her people were too clever by half. And he’d found it much easier to send Fatima away for the time being than to deal with Alexandra’s temper again. Yet even when he’d told Fatima that her leaving would just be temporary—he hoped—she had not been relieved.

He supposed the easiest way to have assured her that everything would be all right would have been to make love to her, but incredibly, he couldn’t dredge up the least desire to do so. Fatima’s small, delicate body simply didn’t tempt him the way it used to,
not when all he could think of was lush curves and breasts so large his hands couldn’t contain them…Jesus, not again!

He dragged his mind back to his mother’s question. “Alexandra didn’t say anything because she doesn’t care about such things. You probably could have put her in the stable and she would have been happy.”

“What a ridiculous thing to say,” Maria admonished. “And why was she dressed that way? Did something happen to her clothes?”

He shrugged. “She came with a mountain of trunks, but if there’s a dress in one of them, I wouldn’t know. The way you saw her is the only way I’ve ever seen her dressed.”

Maria narrowed her eyes so he wouldn’t mistake her displeasure with him. “You’re determined to persist in teasing me, aren’t you? Really, Vasili, I don’t find it the least bit amusing.”

“I can’t tell you how glad I am to know that, Mother. In fact, I can guarantee that you aren’t going to find anything amusing tonight.”

“And just
what
is that supposed to mean?”

“He would be referring to me, madam,” Alexandra said from the doorway. “Since he can barely tolerate me, he must assume that you won’t be able to either.”

“My dear girl, whatever gave you that…idea?”

Vasili barely managed to keep from laughing. His mother’s hesitation came from finally noticing that Alexandra was still wearing the
clothes she had arrived in, minus the coat and hat. And Maria was remembering what he’d said about never seeing her in a dress, if the sharp glance she gave him was any indication.

But Alexandra ignored their silent communication to address Maria’s question. “If you don’t believe me, madam, you have only to ask him. He quite despises me.”

Vasili should have known that this evening wouldn’t go
entirely
as he had hoped it would. Alexandra’s frankness was going to shock his mother, yes, but he wasn’t going to escape unscathed from it.

Maria was now indignant again. “Vasili, tell her that isn’t true.”

He obliged. He even did so with a lazy smile. “Of course it isn’t true. Whatever I feel for you, Alex, I could never despise you. That’s such a cold emotion, and mine run much—warmer—where you’re concerned.”

She ignored his allusion to passion completely, and provoked him with an arched brow. “So we are to lie for your mother’s sake?”

“I don’t despise you, dammit!”

“Vasili!” Maria admonished.

He sighed. If he was going to lose his temper this soon, he’d never get through the evening. And Alexandra’s smug look was designed to make him lose it again. The little witch. She was deliberately putting him on the spot.

“Forgive me, Mother. Why don’t we assume the subject is exhausted and go in to dinner?”

Maria quickly acquiesced. “An excellent suggestion—except, Alexandra, wouldn’t you like to change first?”

Vasili had never seen a more feigned look of innocence as the one Alexandra wore when she replied, “Change what?”

And his mother accepted it. “Your clothes, dear. We dress for dinner here.”

Alexandra glanced down at herself. “But I am dressed.”

“No, I mean—”

“Give it up, Mother,” Vasili cut in. “I honestly don’t think she owns any dresses.”

“Of course I do,” Alexandra said. “What do you think was in all those trunks we carted here?”

“Whips and daggers,” he said, straight-faced.

She actually laughed. That it was genuine surprised him. It also warmed him and brought a smile to his own lips. Maria wasn’t amused.

Sternly, she said, “We will continue this discussion of clothes tomorrow, Alexandra. For now, Vasili, escort us to the dining room.”

He did, but he wondered if maybe he should have given his mother some previous warning of Alexandra’s eating habits. If Maria happened to insult Alexandra in her shock, the girl could lose her temper with her, and there was no telling where that would lead.

As it happened, he needn’t have worried
about it. He should have recalled that Alexandra rarely took offense about her unusual habits. And some time actually passed before Maria noticed that Alexandra was eating with her fingers. When she did, she wasn’t so much shocked as embarrassed, though she wasn’t very careful about broaching the subject. Maria could be direct at times herself.

“Didn’t anyone teach you proper table manners, dear?”

Alexandra shrugged. “I suppose they did, but it’s been so long, I forget.”

“Why didn’t you continue the lessons?”

“You must be joking.” Alexandra laughed. “To deal with so many utensils is a waste of time, when I could be spending that time with my babies instead.”

Now
Maria was shocked, and her honey-gold eyes turned on Vasili. “Her
babies?
”

“Horses, Mother.”

More shock. “You call her babies horses?”

“No,” he replied patiently. “She calls her
horses
her babies. She breeds them.”

“That isn’t funny, Vasili.”

“It wasn’t meant to be.”

Alexandra could feel Maria’s incredulous gaze on her again, but she didn’t care. Keeping up the pretense for Maria’s benefit was much easier than she’d thought it would be, with Vasili present. Of course, he wouldn’t remain here. After dinner, he would return to his own house and…

“Just how many
others
do you have besides that concubine at your house, Petroff?”

Maria gasped. Vasili nearly choked. He couldn’t believe that even Alexandra, as frank as she was, would bring up such a topic in front of his mother, and where the hell had it come from anyway? But at least she was losing her temper with him, and not with his mother. He really couldn’t have arranged it better himself.
This
was going to be the crowning touch, the coin to tip the scales.

“Only three others,” he answered, aware that his mother’s gaze had just swung back to him, but he kept his own eyes on Alexandra. And Alexandra was gloriously furious. This could only get better. And it did.

“
Only
three others? And you keep them all, pay for them all, fornicate with them all?”

He nearly choked again. His mother sounded as if she were also choking. He didn’t dare look in her direction. Even expecting something of the sort, he could still feel heat rising in his cheeks. And he’d thought Alexandra couldn’t shock him anymore.

Somehow he managed to answer calmly, “Something like that.”

“I’ll find them, Petroff, each one of them, don’t think I won’t. You won’t be enjoying them much longer.”

“Then I suppose I will be visiting you quite often, won’t I?”

“In your mother’s house?” she countered triumphantly. “I don’t think so.”

“You really don’t think that will stop me from keeping my promise, do you, Alex?” he asked in a softly warning tone.

“For a lecher like you, no, I suppose not. But Bojik will, and he’ll be sleeping with me from now on.”

Maria finally found her voice, and it came out quite loudly. “Who…is…Bojik?”

More color mounted Vasili’s cheeks. Alexandra so aggravated him, he had actually forgotten, briefly, that his mother was still sitting there with them. And finally looking at her, he was afraid that he’d managed to shock her as much as Alexandra had.

“Bojik is her dog, Mother.”

“There will be no dogs in my—on second thought—oh, God.” Maria started fanning herself. “You will
not
go sneaking into her room, Vasili, until after the—oh, God. This can’t be—she’s—oh, God.”

“I know, Mother,” Vasili commiserated.

“
Did
you know?” Her voice was accusing.

“Not everything, certainly. The trip was quite an eye-opening experience.”

“And you didn’t return her?”

“I believe you told me that wasn’t an option,” he reminded her.

“No, of course, but—oh, God, this is too unexpected. A lady who thinks horses are more important than—”

Vasili wished his mother hadn’t begun her complaints there, because now he had to stop her before she got too far along. But he knew Alexandra wouldn’t tolerate any complaints that included her horses.

“She has a mind of her own, Mother.” And
then he grinned at Alexandra. “Isn’t that right, sweetheart?”

“I must have misplaced it, to be sitting here listening to you two dissect me,” Alexandra replied as she stood up. But there was no anger in her tone. She even licked her fingers, loudly, before adding, “If you have anything more to say to me, Petroff, I’ll be in the stable. Don’t bother if it’s not what I want to hear.”

At that moment, watching her leave the room, he realized that she expected him to end the betrothal tonight, that just about everything she’d said tonight had been deliberate. Jesus, had she figured out what he had, that his mother could end this thing for them? No, she was guessing, testing the waters, so to speak. When he recalled some of the language he’d heard her use on the trip, he knew she could have been even more outrageous than she’d been. Perhaps she’d merely been trying to show Maria her worst so she wouldn’t be shocked by her on a regular basis—as he’d been.

“My God, Vasili, that girl is barbaric,” Maria said as soon as they were alone.

“Yes, splendidly so.”

“You can’t marry her as she is.”

“Can’t I?”

“Of course not. She’d disgrace us both. She’ll have to be taught proper behavior first.”