Natalia silently groaned. She had hoped to introduce Dimitri with as little fuss as possible, then leave to survey the disaster of her home, but a glance down the long marble corridor showed a dozen relatives already gathered for a black-tie affair to welcome Count Sokolov to the city. The men wore starched collars and formal black tailcoats, while Poppy dripped with diamonds and pearls.
“I thought we agreed on a small family dinner,” Natalia said, wondering why each encounter with Poppy had to be so contentious. Couldn’t Poppy understand that Dimitri was a stranger in New York? That after traveling halfway around the world, a man might want a few hours to relax?
Actually, Poppycouldn’tunderstand. None of the people gathered here tonight knew anything about Dimitri’s disgrace in Russia or his flight through the wilderness to reach freedom. Natalia had already advised him to keep quiet about his trialuntil she had the opportunity to speak privately with her father about what happened at the Amur River.
Despite her worries, Dimitri immediately slipped into fine form as he greeted Poppy. “You have a beautiful home,” he said, giving a courtly bow as he kissed the back of Poppy’s hand. “Its splendor is surpassed only by the beauty of its hostess.”
“Count Sokolov!” Poppy flushed beautifully at the ridiculous flattery, but it appeared Dimitri was in a mood to lay it on thick.
“You are as lovely as Helen of Troy,” he said with a nod to Poppy’s enameled brooch liberally studded with opals, diamonds, and pearls.
“You recognize it?” Poppy asked in surprise.
“But of course. Helen is always portrayed with the white roses of Aphrodite and the doves of peace. You have both in your brooch. Is it Fabergé?”
“It is!” Poppy enthused. “Oscar bought it for me when he was in Paris. The jeweler said no one would understand the symbolism, but it looks like he never met you!”
They headed deeper into the house, where Poppy made the introductions to the rest of the family. The newly married Gwen and Patrick were here, as were Liam and some of her father’s elderly aunts.
All throughout dinner, Poppy was in her element. She continued nattering about the quality of Fabergé versus Tiffany, and Dimitri indulged her by adding insightful commentary in his elegant accent during the soup and fish courses. To Natalia’s astonishment, Gwen and her father seemed to find the conversation engaging. Patrick mercifully managed to change the topic after the turtle soup was cleared to make way for the gouda cheese souffle.
“What brings you to America after all these years?” Patrick asked in his lilting Irish accent. Patrick was the kindest man ever to walk the earth. It was an innocent question, but Dimitri paused for a fraction of a second before answering.
“I wanted to meet Natalia in person,” he said, raising his goblet to her.
“Well, well,” Poppy fairly purred. “We must arrange for you and Natalia to do something more interesting than fritter away time at the bank.”
Natalia could see the wheels turning behind Poppy’s calculating gaze. Getting an aristocratic title in the family would be the ultimate coup for her status-hungry stepmother, who continued jabbering on about all the places she intended to take Count Sokolov, as though he were her newest fashion accessory.
“I’d like to arrange for us all to see the opera,” Poppy said. “We have the best box seats at the hall. Or perhaps Liam could host a party aboard theBlack Rose? We can invite people of consequence for a lovely afternoon sail.”
Liam winked. “I’m not sure you’d approve of the kind of parties I like to have on theBlack Rose, Pops.”
Poppy’s smile stiffened. First of all, she hated being calledPops. Secondly, theBlack Rosehad been Oscar’s yacht until last year, when Liam managed to finagle it out of her father’s hands in a quick-thinking business negotiation. The deal had been brokered by Patrick and was a rare victory for the younger men over her father.
“An afternoon sail would be the perfect way to introduce Count Sokolov to all the right kind of people,” Poppy insisted. “You could invite Senator Lansing and his daughter. Millicent Lansing is a lovely young lady, and I think she might be perfect for you, Liam.”
Liam snorted. “Milly Lansing wouldn’t be caught dead with a lug like me.”
“Nonsense,” Poppy said. “For all his power, Senator Lansing doesn’t have deep financial pockets. We do. I should think Senator Lansing would find your courtship of his daughter very appealing. And it would be nice to have a senator in the family.”
“What is a senator?” Dimitri asked, bringing the conversation to a dead halt. Dimitri spoke such beautiful English that it was easy to forget he was a complete stranger to the United States.
“It’s an elected position,” her father replied. “Each stateonly gets two, and they are very powerful men. Senator Lansing controls the committee on foreign relations, so his status is even higher than that of most senators.”
It was as if a jolt of electricity brought Dimitri alive. “Tell me more about Senator Lansing,” he asked Poppy in a honeyed voice, and Poppy happily obliged, describing the senator’s charm and his reputation for hosting the best badminton games in the city. Dimitri was coolly elegant as he bantered with Poppy, but Natalia knew he had no genuine interest in Senator Lansing’s badminton court, only the senator’s position on the foreign relations committee.
Dimitri continued to lavish charm on Poppy, who wallowed in it like a pig in mud. Actually, he was charming everyone at the table, but Natalia was distracted when Alexander’s nanny entered the dining room to whisper to Poppy. It was impossible to overhear what Miss Felicity said, but she looked frazzled, and Poppy’s displeasure was evident as she rolled her eyes and quickly dismissed the nanny.
Was the baby ill? He’d started cutting a new tooth shortly before Natalia left for San Francisco, and he suffered terribly during the process. It wasn’t normal for the nanny to interrupt dinner unless it was urgent, and Poppy couldn’t be trusted to care. After all, Poppy had already returned to fawning over Dimitri, pretending to admire his opal stickpin as she ran a finger down his tie.
Natalia abruptly stood, causing all eyes to swivel toward her. “I haven’t seen Alexander in three weeks,” she said, setting her cloth napkin beside her plate. “I’d like to go check on him.”
She ignored their surprised glances as she headed upstairs. Let them be surprised. Dimitri didn’t need any help from her in winning her family’s affections.
When she arrived at Alexander’s nursery, Miss Felicity had the baby on her lap as he happily sucked on a bottle. Alexander was nine months old, with dark hair and a dimple in his chin when he smiled, but at the moment he was entirely engrossed with the bottle clutched in his pudgy fists.
“Is everything all right?” Natalia asked.
