“I—I think I had better leave.”
“As…you…wish.”
The words struggled out of him. It was all Dimitri could do just to remain seated, when every muscle screamed to leap up and stop her from fleeing. What kind of masochist was he to inflict such torture on himself? It was hopeless. She wasn’t going to change. Why did he persist?
Katherine leaned back against the closed door, her heart still hammering, her cheeks flushed, and she was clutching the book so tightly to her chest that her fingers hurt. She felt as though she had just escaped her execution. Perhaps she had. Dimitri threatened her beliefs, her principles, her self-esteem. He was capable of destroying her will, and then what would be left of her?
But she had so desperately wanted to walk to that bed. And if he had gotten up, if he had made one move toward her… She had seen in the last glance she had stolen in his direction what it had cost him not to move: the clenched fists, the straining muscles, the grimace etched on his features.
God, what madness to have sought him out. She should have remembered it wasn’t safe to be alone with him. But she had thought he had lost interest. Couldn’t she even assume the obvious where he was concerned?
Katherine walked away, lines of worry creasing her brow once again. But the melancholy that had been dogging her lately was gone.
Chapter Twenty-one
The carriage sped along at an alarming rate, the view through the window nearly a blur. Katherine had developed a headache from trying to distinguish anything of the passing scenery and gave up. At any rate, her main concentration was in trying to keep her seat.
Anastasia laughed at her gasps and cringes. “This is a normal ride, my dear, nothing to be alarmed about. Wait until winter, when the wheels are exchanged for runners. Then thetroikareally races along.”
“You mean you turn carriages into sleighs?”
“Of course. We have to with so much snow and ice covering the roads for most of the year. I know in England you usually keep a sleigh just for when it snows. We could do the same, only in reverse, but instead of storing atroikafor only a few months’ use, we convert it. Much more economical, don’t you think?”
Katherine had to smile, quite sure that Anastasia had never once concerned herself with economics, at least not on a personal level. But the smile didn’t last. The carriage turned abruptly, and she lost her grip on the seat and slammed into the side wall, which was fortunately well padded with a thick gold velvet. Unhurt, she started to laugh, seeing that Anastasia had also bumped shoulders with the wall, and the younger girl joined her. She could see how Russians might enjoy such rides if they grew up with them. A child, she imagined, would be thrilled by such an experience.
When Anastasia regained her composure, she said, “We are almost there.”
“Where?”
“Didn’t Mitya tell you? He has decided to leave me with our older half-sister, Varvara, and her family. She rarely leaves the city, except to escape for a while the damp of autumn. I don’t mind at all, even though St. Petersburg is so boring in August, with everyone off to their summer palaces on the Black Sea coast or traveling. But this will keep me out from under Aunt Sonya’s thumb for a while more, which suits me perfectly.”
“And where is Dimitri going?”
“To Novii Domik, our country estate, and he’s in a terrible hurry.” She frowned. “He won’t even stop to see Varvara, which is really too bad of him. But I’m sure he will see you safely settled first, probably with one of the families associated with the British Embassy. I wish you could stay with me. I’m sure Varvara wouldn’t mind. But Mitya said it wouldn’t be convenient at this time. Do you know why?”
“I’m afraid I haven’t spoken to him at all.”
“Oh—well, I wouldn’t worry about it. Mitya must know what he’s doing. But you will promise to visit me as soon as possible. I want to show you everything.”
“Princess, I think there’s something you should know about—”
“Oh, here we are! And look, there’s one of my nieces. How she’s grown!”
The carriage stopped before a huge house that in England would have been termed a palace, but then it seemed as if every other building Katherine had seen on this wild ride through St. Petersburg had been either a palace or a barracks. But she wasn’t surprised. She did know something of Russia’s history, in particular that Peter the Great, who had built this jewel of a city with the forced labor of his serfs, had also forced his nobles to build stone mansions here, with the threat of exile or execution if they refused.
Anastasia immediately jumped out of the carriage, but the many footmen in red-and-silver livery who had come running down the steps made sure she didn’t fall. Katherine watched as two of them practically carried her up the stairs, a hand on each elbow as if they thought she couldn’t maneuver a few steps by herself. And then the little golden-haired niece was in her arms, clamoring for a generous hug.
A homecoming. It made Katherine’s throat tighten. When would she have hers? She should have said something to Anastasia sooner. The girl was the only one who could really help her, the only one who would consider defying Dimitri. There was still time, but only a few minutes.
Katherine reached for the door, but was knocked back against the seat as the carriage took off again. Frantically she stuck her head out the window, but the most she could do was return Anastasia’s wave. She was already too far away to hear her calling goodbye.
For the first time, she now noticed Dimitri’s Cossacks trailing behind the carriage. To escort her to the Embassy? Somehow she didn’t think so. Blast and bloody hell! Why had she waited so long to tell Anastasia the truth?Because you came to like the silly girl, that’s why, and you didn’t want to hurt her by telling her what a bastard her brother really is. Now what’s to do? You wait and see, that’s what. He can’t keep you isolated from other people now. Somehow you’ll be able to talk to someone who will help.
Encouraging thoughts, so why didn’t they cheer her? Because she had been locked in her cabin today just as she had been every other time the ship had put into some port for supplies on this long voyage. She had waited and waited, and thought night would never come when she might be let out. And it didn’t come. She finally realized that Russia must be similar to those few other northern countries that had no night in summer; St. Petersburg, at least, was almost on a parallel with Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. It had been late when Vladimir took her off the ship and placed her in the carriage with Anastasia. And now she was being taken where?
It wasn’t long before the carriage stopped in front of another palace, this one even more impressive than Varvara’s. But no one came to open the door for Katherine, so she assumed she wasn’t destined to be left here. She was correct. After about a minute, the huge doors opened at the top of the wide stairs and Dimitri appeared and came directly down to the carriage.
Katherine was too tense to be cordial when he took the seat opposite her. “I don’t appreciate being whisked around by a mad driver in a city I don’t know at God knows what hour, and furthermore—”
