“If I hadn’t been distracted, I would have been immediately suspicious of those meek ‘my lords’ you handed out so prettily in my cabin.” The huskiness was gone from his voice, but it was still deeply caressing. “But I’m not distracted now, little one, so no more tricks.”
Katherine tried once more to break his hold on her, but it was utterly useless. “Let go of me!”
No sweet entreaty. It was a command. Dimitri grinned. He rather liked this haughty role she assumed and was pleased she hadn’t decided to abandon it just yet, simply because it wasn’t working in her favor.
“You haven’t answered my question,” he reminded her.
“I prefer to stay right here.”
“That was not one of your choices.”
“Then I demand to see the captain.”
Dimitri chuckled, squeezing her slightly without realizing he was doing so. “Demands again, my dear? What makes you think this one will gain you any more than the others?”
“You’re afraid to let me see him, aren’t you?” she accused him. “I could scream, you know. It’s not very dignified, but it does have its uses.”
“Please don’t.” He was shaking with laughter now, unable to help himself. “I give in, Katya, if only to save you the trouble of plotting a way to reach the man later.”
She didn’t believe him, even when he called to one of the sailors nearby and she turned to see the fellow hurry away to do his bidding. But when she saw an officer come around the quarterdeck and make his way toward them, she gasped, recalling her position at last, that her skirt was still hiked up and her petticoats wantonly displayed.
“Let go, will you?” she hissed at Dimitri.
He too had forgotten that he was still grasping her leg, which had been a purely impulsive hold, unnecessary to detain her. He took his arm away, but did not immediately remove his hand, letting the fingers trail up her thigh as she put her foot down. He heard her sharp intake of breath at the deliberate liberty, but didn’t regret it in the least, even when she swung around to glare furiously at him.
A brow arched innocently, yet he was grinning when, turning to the man who stopped before them, he made brief introductions. Sergei Mironov was a medium-sized man, stocky of build, perhaps in his late forties. There was gray mixed with the brown in his neatly trimmed beard, deep lines around his brown eyes, which showed not the least irritation at being called away from his duties, and his blue and white uniform was impeccable. Katherine had little doubt that he was in fact captain of this ship, but she didn’t like the deference he showed to Dimitri.
“Captain Mironov, ah, how shall I put this?” She glanced hesitantly at Dimitri, realizing suddenly that it wouldn’t do to come right out and accuse a Russian prince of wrongdoing, at least not to a Russian captain. “A mistake has been made. I—I find that I cannot leave England at this time.”
“You will have to speak slower, Katya. Sergei understands French, but not when it is spoken so fast.”
She ignored Dimitri’s interruption. “Did you understand me, Captain?”
The older man nodded. “A mistake, you said.”
“Exactly.” Katherine smiled. “So if you will be so kind, I would greatly appreciate being put ashore—if it wouldn’t be too much trouble, of course.”
“No trouble,” he said agreeably, only to look at Dimitri. “Highness?”
“Continue on your present course, Sergei.”
“Yes, my prince.”
And the man walked away, leaving Katherine staring after him with her mouth open. She quickly snapped it shut and rounded on Dimitri.
“You bastard—”
“I did warn you, my dear,” he said pleasantly. “You see, this ship and everything in it belongs to me, including the captain and his crew.”
“That’s barbaric!”
“I agree,” he returned with a shrug. “But until the Tzar can reconcile himself to going against the majority of his nobles and abolishing serfdom, millions of Russians will continue to be owned by only a select few.”
Katherine held her tongue. As much as she would have liked to tear into him on this issue, she had already heard him tell the beautiful Anastasia that he had offered his own serfs their freedom. And if he was against serfdom, as that indicated, they would only end up agreeing on any arguments she might raise, and she was in no mood at the moment to agree with him on anything. She took another tack.
“There is one thing on this ship that doesn’t belong to you, Alexandrov.”
His lips turned up at the corners, and in that smile was the knowledge that even though she was correct in principle, she was nonetheless at his mercy. Katherine didn’t need to hear it said to understand this subtle message. The problem was in accepting it.
