12 #2
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 scene like 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.”
“Don’t be absurd,” she said irritably. “I only did it for his benefit.”
That got her a snort and a scoffing tone as he replied, “This is Stenka, Alex. I know just how possessive you can be. I was there, remember, when you took a horsewhip to that army lieutenant when he abused the horse you let him borrow. You never hesitated to light into Konrad with both fists whenever he made Nina cry with his teasing. You blistered my father’s ears the last time he took a strap to me—let me know when you’ve heard enough. ”
That got him a scowl. “You and your family are different. So are my animals.”
“We are yours, and what’s yours is yours. Everyone who knows you knows that, Alex. And until one or the other of you breaks that betrothal, the Cardinian is also yours, so where is the difference?”
“The difference is, I don’t want him to be mine.” And then she looked at the rest of her friends. “Did at least one of you notice his reaction?”
“I did,” Konrad admitted, a partial grin touching his lips. “And it wasn’t shock he was experiencing. Anger was more like it.”
Alexandra still didn’t look for herself to see it, but she sat back, quite satisfied. “That will do just as well. I warned him what to expect. Now he knows I wasn’t spouting empty threats.”
“I’d say he’s figured that out,” Timofee put in with a chuckle. “It’s going to be interesting to see what he does about it.”
“What can he do?” she countered without concern. “We aren’t married yet.”
The three men just stared at her. Nina did the opposite and looked in another direction. Alexandra began to squirm in her seat.
“What?” she demanded.
“A betrothal isn’t like your usual engagement, Alex,” Konrad told her.
“It’s damn close to actually being married.
Sworn oaths were made. Even you gave your word you’d marry him, and your father likely apprised him of it.
That gives the man some definite authority where you’re concerned, or didn’t you know that? ”
“What kind of authority?”
Konrad didn’t mince words. “The same authority a husband would have.”
“Nonsense. I already told him he couldn’t dictate to me, and he didn’t try to prove otherwise.” She didn’t bother to mention that he had insisted that he could, in fact, do just that.
“You were still at home when you said it, under your father’s rule. Now you’re not.”
She really didn’t like the sound of this. “It makes no difference where I was,” she insisted. “He can rail at me and complain all he wants. I’m quite experienced by now at ignoring angry men.”
“An angry father, yes, but not an angry betrothed,” Konrad pointed out. “I hate to say it, Alex, but the two are not the same.”
“All right, damn it,” she practically growled. “Just what are you getting at?”
“What happens if he starts giving you some ‘or elses’ and backs them up?”
Her eyes narrowed at that, but her tone turned excessively dry. “You aren’t by any chance suggesting that the man might try to beat me, are you?”
“Actually—yes.”
“And you’d simply stand around and let him, I suppose? And Bojik wouldn’t rip his throat out if he tried?”
“Bojik isn’t going to be at your heels every moment of the day,” Konrad informed her.
“Most nights he’ll be put in the stable, where he is now, since most inns won’t allow him inside.
And we aren’t going to be at your side constantly either.
We might be able to make the Cardinian regret whatever he does to you, but that would be after the fact.
And a king’s cousin, regardless of the less-than-impressive title he carries, ranks higher than any of our princes, and you know how powerful they are.
It wouldn’t be all that difficult for him to get us tossed in jail.
Hell, he could have us shot, and no one would do anything to him for it.
That’s the kind of authority he can wield. ”
Alexandra was simmering by now. “Is there a point to all of this?”
Konrad finally grinned at her, now that he’d ruined her mood. “Just don’t get him too mad, Alex. Find out your limit and don’t overstep it, even if you have to give in to his demands occasionally—and hope he hasn’t realized how much power he has over you now.”
It was too late to hope for that, she was almost certain. And if she had been naive in thinking her friends could protect her in any given situation, they were forgetting that she didn’t do so bad at protecting herself. Give in, indeed. She’d start carrying a horsewhip first.