“I’m not interested.”
“No, you dolt, I know that,” Vasili said impatiently. “But she has narrowed down the field and finally has a name for you, or so she confided to me earlier. Your perfect future bride. Remember you asked her—”
“Forget it,” Dimitri interrupted curtly. “I have decided not to marry.”
“What?”
“You heard me. If I can’t marry Katherine, I’m not marrying at all.”
“But you can’t be serious!” Vasili protested. “What about the heir you need?”
“Without a wife, it will be perfectly acceptable for me to adopt any children that Katherine gives me.”
“Youareserious, aren’t you?”
“Quiet,” Dimitri hissed. “Aleksandr’s bringing her back.”
For the next hour, Dimitri didn’t let Katherine out of his sight, and she loved every minute of it. He danced with her again and again, teasing her mercilessly about stepping on his feet, when she didn’t, not once. He was in such good humor, and she was having the most marvelous time of her life—until he left her in Vasili’s care while he went to fetch them a cooling drink, and Vasili was immediately commandeered by a brazen countess who wouldn’t take no for an answer and dragged him off to the dance floor. If Vasili had still been there, he would have taken Katherine out of earshot of the group of gossips standing behind her, who didn’t seem to care that shewaswithin listening distance. She should have moved away on her own, but at first she was amused, hearing:
“But I told you, Anna, she’s English, one of his relations from his mother’s side. Why else would Mitya guard her so closely?”
“To make Tatiana jealous, of course. Didn’t you see her come in with her fiancé?”
“Nonsense. If he were going to make Tatiana jealous, he would be staying close to Natalia. She’s here too, you know. After all, Tatiana knows Natalia is his mistress and has no doubt heard that Mitya has been visiting her again since Tatiana chose Count Lysenko over him. Did you hear how furious he was about that?”
“Not furious, Anna. The poor boy has been so depressed that he came straight to St. Petersburg and has rarely left his house these last three months.”
“Well, he certainly seems to have gotten over his depression tonight.”
“Of course. You don’t think he wants Tatiana to know how miserable he’s been, do you? It was really too bad of her to end their courtship by introducing her fiancé to him. And after Mitya came to Moscow only to resume their courtship.”
“Then you think he still loves her?”
“Don’t you? Just look at her, over by the orchestra. Tell me what man wouldn’t love her?”
Katherine couldn’t help herself and looked at Tatiana as well. She quickly turned away, and walked away too until she could no longer overhear the comments. But the damage was done. The Princess Tatiana was the most beautiful woman Katherine had ever seen. Did Dimitri still love her? How could he not?
He’s used you, Katherine, and lied to you about being out of the country. Why? Was he so upset over his princess that he simply forgot to send you home in time? Why does he bother with you? Why this grand pretense of wanting you when you can’t hold a candle to such a gorgeous creature as Tatiana Ivanoval?
“Lady Katherine?”
She almost didn’t turn around, it had been so long since she had been addressed so. But she did, recognizing the voice. She groaned inwardly, and then saw, out of the corner of her eye, that Dimitri had returned. But he halted in midstride only a few feet away, his face gone deathly pale on hearing the man address her. She couldn’t worry about him now. She had the Ambassador to deal with first, her father’s dear friend—good Lord, how could she have forgotten the possibility that she might meet up with him here?
“What a surprise, Lord—”
“You’resurprised! I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw you dancing past a while ago. I said no, that can’t be little Katherine, but it is you, by God. What the devil are you doing in Russia?”
“It’s a long story,” she replied evasively, immediately changing the subject. “I don’t suppose you have heard from my father recently?”
“Indeed I have, and I don’t mind telling you—”
“Did he mention anything about my sister—a marriage perhaps?”
This time Katherine managed to distract him. “As a matter of fact, Lady Elisabeth has eloped with Lord Seymour. Remember him? Nice enough chap. But the Earl was furious, of course, until he found out that some information he had on young Seymour was all wrong.”
“What!” Katherine fairly shrieked in her surprise. “You mean it was all for nothing?”
“What was? Don’t know anything about that,” he said gruffly. “Your father only mentioned your sister’s marriage in telling of your own disappearance, because you both vanished the same day. George was expecting an elopement, you see, so for a while he simply thought you had gone with them as chaperon, you know. It wasn’t until the newlyweds returned home some two weeks later that he learned otherwise. They think you’re dead, my lady.”
