“How can my request do anything but please her?” he demanded, but softly.
“Nonsense. You know she won’t accept the clothes or his invitation. Yet you have your orders, don’t you? Well,Iwon’t be the one to force more grief on her.” Her voice lowered and was tinged with self-disgust. “I did enough already.”
His eyes widened, finally understanding what had turned her into a shrew. “I don’t believe it. What have you to feel guilty about?”
She glanced up, all hostility gone from her expression. “It’s all my fault. If I hadn’t suggested you drug her—”
“Don’t be a fool, woman. I had heard Bulavin’s boasts too. I would have gone to him eventually without your suggestion.”
“That doesn’t change how callous I was, Vladimir. I gave no thought to her. She meant nothing to me, just another one of the nameless women he avails himself of between his more lofty conquests. Even after I met her and saw how different she was from all the others, I’m ashamed to say I still didn’t consider anything except pleasing him.”
“Which is as it should be.”
“I know that,” she snapped. “But that changes nothing. She was a virgin, husband!”
“So what?”
“So what? She wasn’t willing, that’s what! Would you take me, if I weren’t willing? No, you would respect my wishes. But no one has respected her wishes since you dragged her off the street. Not one of us has.”
“He didn’t force her, Marusia,” he reminded her quietly.
“He didn’t have to. The drug took care of that, andwegave her the drug.”
Vladimir frowned. “Shehasn’t complained of her loss. All she does is hiss and snarl and make demands. And you forget she will be well compensated. She will be returned to England a rich woman.”
“But what about now? What about forcing her to come with us?”
“You know it was necessary.”
Marusia sighed. “I know, but that doesn’t make it right.”
After a moment of silence, he said gently, “You should have had children, Marusia. Your mothering instinct has been aroused. I’m sorry—”
“Don’t.” She leaned across the table to reach for his hand. “I love you, husband. I have never regretted my choice. Just—just go easy on her. You men, you never consider a woman’s feelings. Consider hers when you deal with her.”
He made a long-suffering face, but he nodded.
Vladimir hesitated before he knocked on the door. Behind him Lida stood shamefaced, her arms full of packages. He had given the girl a sound scolding for carrying the tale of the stained sheets to Marusia and no doubt anyone else who would listen. If it weren’t for that cursed virginity, his wife would never have been so sympathetic toward the English wench, or so he thought. And her guilt had rubbed off on him. Despite all the difficulties the wench had caused, Marusia had managed to make him feel sorry for her. His pity lasted as long as it took for the door to open.
She stood there, a picture of arrogant defiance and withering malice. Nor did she move aside to let him in.
“What do you want?”
He had to stop himself from automatically bowing in deference to her, her tone was so imperious. It prodded his temper, just as it had from first meeting her, this superiority of hers. No Alexandrov serf would dare put on such airs, even those elevated to new enviable positions. The ballerinas, opera singers, ship captains such as Sergei, architects, actors who had performed for the imperial court, they all still knew their place. Not Little English. No, she put herself above them all.
She needed a good slap to bring her down a peg, and every instinct cried out for Vladimir to deliver it. He didn’t. Instead he steeled himself to recall Marusia’s entreaty. Howcouldhis wife feel sorry for this bitch?
“I have brought you a few necessities you will need for the voyage.” He took a step forward, forcing Katherine to move out of the way so that Lida could carry in the packages. “Over there,” he told the girl, indicating the top of one of the many trunks in the cabin.
It annoyed him that the wench would undoubtedly be pleased with these many new clothes. He should have attended to the purchasing himself, what with the four women in the Prince’s entourage too busy putting the Duke’s house back in order to go shopping. But he had been unable to bring himself to buy anything forher.
He had sent Boris instead, who had helped him load Katherine into Dimitri’s trunk and so could at least judge her size. He had secretly hoped the fellow would fail and return empty-handed, with no time left to send anyone else. But Boris was smarter than Vladimir gave him credit for. Afraid to make a mistake, he had coaxed Anastasia’s maid, Zora, along to help him. And Zora was unfortunately accustomed to buying for the Princess, so everything the two had bought was of a better quality than Vladimir had intended. Nothing fit for royalty, but nothing appropriate for a servant either.
“There is one dress that is finished and appears near your size.” Vladimir addressed Katherine again, but avoided looking at her until he had said what he had to say. “The others are all in different stages of completion, according to the dressmaker, but Lida here will help you if you have no talent with the needle. We were lucky to find anything at all at such short notice, but there are still some things money can buy if the price is right.” He smiled to himself when he heard her gasp, his barb hitting its intended mark. “You should have everything you will need. The Princess’s maid was quite thorough. If not, you need only tell me.”
“You’ve thought of everything, haven’t you? Did you buy me a trunk too?”
“You may use that one, since it is now empty.”
