Secret Fire (23 page)

He took her wrist and pulled her behind him up the stairs and into the White Room, where he threw open the door to the bathchamber. Katherine shrieked, sinking down into the water, but Dimitri crossed to the rub and firmly lifted her up, presenting her back to Sonya. He got a soapy washcloth slapped across his neck and chest for the trouble.

“Damn you, Alexandrov—”

“I’m sorry, little one, but my aunt was under the illusion that she hadn’t really hurt you.”

He set her back down in the water and quickly closed the door, though he could still hear Katherine’s furious disclaimer. “I’m fine now, you dolt! I told you that! You think a St. John can’t tolerate a little pain?”

He didn’t have to labor the point with Sonya. She had paled as much as he had upon seeing the result of her handiwork. He took her elbow and led her out of the room, but stopped at the top of the stairs.

“It was my intention, Aunt Sonya, to leave Katherine here at Novii Domik for several weeks until—well, the reason isn’t important. But that is still my intention. Under the circumstances, I think it would be best if you visited one of your nieces for a while.”

“Yes, I’ll leave today… Mitya, I didn’t realize… She seemed so sturdy, despite… I know that is no excuse—” She hurried away, unable to finish, unable to face Dimitri’s condemnation a moment longer.

She was like so many nobles of the old school, committing atrocities in a moment of anger, regretting it later, when it was too late.

“No, that is no excuse. Aunt Sonya,” Dimitri murmured bitterly to himself. “There is no excuse.”

Dimitri gave a short bark of laughter after finishing this letter. Two of those bad investments Katherine had found were no doubt the factories he considered his charities, for each year they fell just short of breaking even. Yet they each employed a large work force, and he couldn’t see himself closing them down and putting all those people out of work. He had planned to make the necessary changes eventually, to make the factories self-supporting as well as profitable, even if he had to change the goods manufactured. He had just never found the time to devote to such an undertaking.

He had known Katherine would discover the loss from those factories easily if she was as good as she claimed to be at figures. But the other two? He wondered if he should write her to discuss them? Would she even read a letter from him? Just because she had deigned to go over the account books when she had said she wouldn’t touch them, did not necessarily mean she was ready to forgive him. She had made it quite clear before he left that she would be most happy if she never laid eyes on him again.

“So I have finally tracked you down. I tried every club, every restaurant, every party currently in progress. Never would I have thought to find you at home—”

“Vasya!”

“And attending to correspondence, no less,” Vasili finished with a grin, coming forward to clasp Dimitri in a powerful bear hug.

Dimitri was delighted by the surprise. He hadn’t seen his friend since early March. Before he had left for England, he had been so tied up
in his courtship of Tatiana that he had found little time for Vasili, a mistake he wouldn’t let happen again. Of all his friends this one was the most dear, the one who most understood him. Not quite as tall as Dimitri, with coal black hair and light blue eyes, a devilish combination according to the ladies, Vasili Dashkov was the charmer, the carefree soul, exactly the opposite of Dimitri. Yet they were so attuned, they could read each other’s minds more often than not.

“So what took you so long? I have been back for nearly a month.”

“Your man had a little trouble finding me, since I was with a certain countess on her estate and didn’t want to be found. Couldn’t have it getting back to the husband that she was entertaining without his knowledge, now, could I?”

“Of course not,” Dimitri said in all seriousness as he resumed his seat.

Vasili chuckled, plopping himself down on the corner of Dimitri’s desk. “At any rate, I stopped by Novii Domik first, thinking to find you there. And what the devil is wrong with that bear Vladimir? He wouldn’t even let me in your house, just told me I’d find you here and sent me on my way. And what’s he doing there anyway, when you’re here? I’ve never known him to be out of shouting distance from you.”

“He’s keeping an eye on something for me that I couldn’t trust being left unguarded.”

“Ah, now my curiosity is whetted. Who is she?”

“No one you know, Vasya.”

“Yet a treasure that must be guarded, and by your most dependable man?” Vasili’s eyes wid
ened. “Don’t tell me you’ve stolen someone’s wife.”

“That’s your department, I believe.”

“So it is. All right, talk. You know I won’t let up till you do.”

Dimitri wasn’t being evasive. He wanted to talk to Vasili about Katherine. He just didn’t know how to go about it, how much actually to explain.

“It’s not what you’re thinking, Vasya… Well, it is, but… No, this situation has got to be unique.”

“Let me know when you make up your mind.”

Dimitri sat back, giving his friend a quelling look. “I am utterly obsessed with this woman, yet she wants nothing to do with me. She actually hates me.”

“That
is
unique, and not to be believed either,” Vasili scoffed. “The ladies don’t hate you, Mitya. They might become annoyed with you, but they don’t hate you. So what did you do to get on the wrong side of this one?”

“You’re not listening, not that I haven’t done everything conceivable to earn her enmity, but she wanted nothing to do with me from the beginning.”

“You’re serious, aren’t you?”

“You could say we met under the worst circumstances,” Dimitri replied.

Vasili waited for him to go on, but Dimitri had turned pensive, remembering, and Vasili exploded, “Well? Must I drag it out piece by piece?”

Dimitri looked away, not very proud of his part in this. “To be brief, I saw her on the London
street and wanted her. I thought she would be available, so I sent Vladimir after her. Everything went wrong from there. She wasn’t for sale.”

“Sweet Christ, I see it already. Resourceful Vladimir got her for you anyway, didn’t he?”

“Yes, and slipped an aphrodisiac into her food. I end up with the most sexy, sensual virgin God ever created, and the most memorable night of love I have ever experienced. But the next morning, in full possession of her faculties again, she insisted on having Vladimir’s head for abducting her.”

“She didn’t blame you?”

“No, actually, she just couldn’t wait to get away from me. The trouble was, she made certain threats about going to the authorities, and what with the Tzar’s scheduled visit, I thought it prudent to remove her from England for a while.”

Vasili grinned wryly. “I don’t suppose she was delighted with that plan?”

“She is possessed of a glorious temper, which I have been treated to more than once.”

“So you have this lovely wench still under wraps, and still wanting nothing to do with you. Does that about sum it up?”

“Not quite,” Dimitri replied quietly, his expression bleak. “I made the mistake of leaving Katherine at Novii Domik, and I returned to find my aunt had abused her. If she didn’t hate me before, she does now.”

“This time she blames you?”

“With good reason. I didn’t insure her safety as I should have. I left rather quickly, for reasons I am too ashamed to repeat.”

“Never say you… No, you wouldn’t have raped her. That’s simply not your style. So you must have had her drugged again.”

Dimitri gave Vasili a disgusted look for his perception. “I was angry.”

“Naturally.” Vasili chuckled. “You’ve never come up against a female who wasn’t seduceable before. It must have been most trying.”

“Stow the sarcasm, Vasya. I’d like to know what you would do faced with similar circumstances. Katherine is the most stubborn, argumentative, pretentious woman I know, and yet I can’t be in the same room with her without wanting to carry her off to the nearest bed. And the most irritating, the most frustrating thing about it is, I know she isn’t completely immune to me. There have been stolen moments when she returns my passion, but she always comes to her senses before I can take full advantage of them.”

“So you are obviously doing something wrong. Is she holding out for marriage, do you think?”

“Marriage? Of course not. She has to know that isn’t possible—” Dimitri paused, frowning. “On the other hand, with her delusions, she just might think it is possible.”

“What delusions?”

“Didn’t I mention she lays claim to being Lady Katherine St. John, daughter of the Earl of Strafford?”

“No, but what makes you think she isn’t?”

“She was found walking the street, in the dress of a commoner, and without escort. What conclusion would you draw, Vasya?”

“I see your point,” Vasili said thoughtfully. “But why would she make this claim?”

“Because she knows enough about the family to get away with it. It’s quite likely she’s the Earl’s natural daughter, but that still doesn’t make her marriageable.”

“So, if marriage is out of the question, what is the second thing she could want?”

“Nothing. She wants absolutely nothing from me.”

“Come now, Mitya, every woman wants
something
. And it sounds to me as if this one just wants to be treated like a lady for a change.”

“You mean I should pretend I believe her?”

“I wouldn’t go that far, but—”

“You’re right! I should bring her to the city, take her to parties, escort her—”

“Mitya! Am I mistaken, or are you here in Moscow because Tatiana Ivanova is in Moscow?”

“Damn!” Dimitri slumped back in his chair again.

“That’s what I thought. So shouldn’t you get a firm commitment from the Princess before you are seen adoring someone else? After all, it is expected that you will have your mistresses, but not while you are pursuing your future bride. I don’t think Tatiana would take too kindly to that. What are you doing home, anyway, when she is at the Andreyev party tonight, and with your old friend Lysenko? For that matter, what is she doing with him, when you are back?”

“I haven’t gone to see her yet,” Dimitri admitted.

“How long have you been here?”

“Eight days.”

Vasili’s eyes shot to the ceiling. “He’s counting the days. For God’s sake, Mitya, if you miss your Katherine that much, send for her, keep her
here under wraps until you have Tatiana’s answer.”

Dimitri shook his head. “No, when Katherine is around, she’s all I can think about.”

“It seems to me she’s all you can think about whether she’s here or not. You’ve been procrastinating, Mitya.”

“What I have been, Vasya, is miserable, and no fit company for anyone. But you have made your point. I need to get this marriage business out of the way first before I can resolve anything with Katya.”