No, you can’t blame yourself, Katherine. It was simply impossible to think clearly in his presence, with those velvety eyes staring at you.
She had no doubt thathewas responsible for this last insult. She had warned him not to send Kirov to her again, and yet it was that brute who had entered the room not long after the Prince left, before she was even completely dressed. That he was not alone should have given her warning. The big fellow with him, not one of yesterday’s guards, but dressed in the black-and-gold livery of a footman, had circled round behind her, and before she knew it she was attacked, gagged again, her wrists wrapped up behind her back, and even her ankles bound together.
Then the footman, who hadn’t said a single word (neither man had, for that matter), had picked her up as if she weighed not an ounce and carried her downstairs. But instead of leaving the house as she had supposed they would be doing, they had taken her into a room on the second floor, and before she had even got a glimpse of it, she was laid down in a trunk, her knees tucked up, and the lid slammed shut.
She was cramped beyond belief. Bent at the waist, with her head just touching one end of the trunk, she was lying on her hands, which had long since lost all feeling, and she could just barely kick her feet at the other end if she inched her knees up to her chest first. But a lot of good kicking did her. They obviously weren’t going to let her out until they were good and ready.
She had no idea where she might be now. She had sensed a carriage ride from the jolts and bumps that jarred her, and she knew the trunk had been carried again after that, but where it was set down and left she couldn’t guess, unable to hear much of anything beyond her own painful breathing. And it was getting harder and harder to breathe, the air hot and thick with only the barest crack showing around the rim of the lid.
She imagined that if she was kept in here much longer she could well suffocate. But if she dwelled on that possibility she would panic, and it seemed only sensible to remain calm so that the air would last longer. Yet as the minutes passed into hours, she had to consider the fact that this might be the Russians’ solution to the problem she had raised. If they thought she would make good on her threat, how could they afford to let her go? They couldn’t, and this trunk might well be meant as her coffin. But could Prince Dimitri really do that to her after…after—no, she wouldn’t, couldn’t believe it. But Vladimir certainly would. She hadn’t mistaken his antipathy toward her.
Down in the galley, the fellow high in Katherine’s thoughts was bending over to reach for a plumppiroshki, the small pies with meat filling his wife made to perfection. Marusia stopped him just inches from his target with a light slap on his wrist.
“You know those are for the Prince and Princess,” she grumbled. “If you want for yourself, husband, you’ll have to ask me to make you some.”
Beside Vladimir, the ship’s cook laughed. “You’ll have to make do with my fare tonight, like everyone else.” And then in a softer whisper, “What’s the matter? Is she mad at you? If so, you’re lucky she only thinks to deny you her cooking.”
Vladimir glared at the jovial fellow until he moved away to stir his own pots, but he did wonder. When he had told Marusia earlier what had been decided on for the English maid, she had frowned mightily and snapped that no woman should be treated like that. When he had pointed out that the trunk was Dimitri’s suggestion, she said something must be wrong with the Prince for him to be so callous toward a woman, but it was at him that she had frowned.
“Is he still sleeping?” Marusia asked now.
“Yes, so there’s no need to hurry his dinner.”
“Don’t worry about his food. It will be ready when he is.” Her pale blue eyes narrowed, letting him know shewasirritated about the wench for some reason. “What did you do with little English?”
Vladimir gathered his resentment about him and snapped, “Put her in the cabin with the extra clothes trunks. I suppose I will have to string a hammock for her.”
“What was her reaction?”
“I thought it best to wait until we are far from London before letting her out.”
“Well?”
“I haven’t gotten around to it yet.”
“Then you made holes in the trunk? You know how seaworthy Dimitri’s trunks are.”
Vladimir blanched. Holes hadn’t occurred to him—how could they? He had never locked anyone in a trunk before.
Marusia gasped, correctly interpreting his expression. “Are you crazy? Go, and pray it’s not too late! Go!”
He was gone before she finished shouting at him, running out of the galley. The Prince’s words came back to him, pounding in his head. She wasn’t to be harmed, not even a tiny bruise. And if there would be hell to pay for a tiny bruise, what madness would ensue if his petty vengeance had killed the woman? It didn’t bear thinking about.
Marusia was close behind him, and the two of them running with such mad haste through the ship did not go unnoticed. By the time they raced passed Dimitri’s cabin, they had collected five curious servants and several members of the crew. Dimitri, having awakened only minutes before, sent Maksim, his valet, to see what the commotion was about.
The man had only to step outside to see everyone crowding into the cabin a few doors down the corridor. “They’ve gone in the storeroom, Highness.” The Prince traveled with so many personal possessions, even bedding and dishes, that an extra cabin was required just to accommodate his belongings. No doubt some trunk had fallen over. “I’ll only be a moment.”
“Wait.” Dimitri stopped him, realizing Katherine had probably been put in the storeroom and was now causing a disturbance. “It would be the Englishwoman. Bring her here to me.”
Maksim nodded, not even thinking to ask what Englishwoman. He was not privy to all of the Prince’s affairs, as Vladimir was, but had to wait and hear of them from Marusia, who couldn’t keep a secret. He wouldn’t dream of questioning Dimitri directly. No one questioned the Prince.
Inside the storeroom, Vladimir was too upset even to notice he had an audience as he unlocked the trunk and threw the lid open. Her eyes were closed. There was no movement, not even a cringe from the sudden flood of light. Vladimir felt panic rising up to choke him. But then her chest expanded as it filled with air, and then again and again she took deep gasping breaths to fill her lungs.
Vladimir actually loved her in that moment for not being dead. It was a short-lived feeling. As her eyes opened and locked with his, he watched murderous fury gather in those turquoise orbs. He was again overcome with the desire simply to leave her there, but Marusia jabbed him in the ribs to remind him he couldn’t do so.
He grunted and bent to lift Katherine out of the trunk, setting her on her feet. She immediately crumpled, falling forward against him.
“You see what your thoughtlessness has done, husband? The poor thing probably has no feeling in her feet.” Marusia threw the lid of the trunk down for lack of a chair. “Well, set her down and help me get these ropes off.”
