When We Meet Again (13 page)

"And you are an ass, Petrov, " the lady tossed back over her shoulder. "But even you cannot dampen my excitement at this news. " She moved to Pamela, grabbed her hands, and kissed the air by one cheek, then the next. "My dear, let me be the first officially to welcome you." Alexei groaned.

"Welcome me to what?" Pamela said slowly.

"The family of course. The House of Pruzinsky. The ruling house of the Kingdom of Greater Avalonia. " The lady wrinkled her nose. "Or rather what was the ruling house. I should probably stop calling it such."

"Forgive me, but"—Pamela chose her words carefully—"who are you?"

"Allow me to introduce my cousin. " Alexei's voice was edged with a long-suffering air. "Princess Valentina Pruzinsky."

"You shall call me Valentina, as I know we shall be very close. " The princess favored her with a brilliant smile. "And I shall call you?"

"Pamela. " Pamela stared at the other woman. "Valentina? You're the one who—"

"Yes, yes, I am the one. I shall always be known as the one. It is my cross to bear. " The princess's eyes narrowed with suspicion. "Did he call me wicked?"

"Not that that would be especially inaccurate, " the gentleman—Petrov—muttered. Alexei blew a long breath. "I did not call you wicked. You claim to have changed. and—"

"As indeed I have, " Valentina said brightly.

"And until such time as you prove otherwise—" Alexei leveled his cousin a look that was worthy of a prince or a king. The oddest thrill tripped up Pamela's spine. "I am willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. " He turned toward Pamela. "And this is perhaps my oldest friend in the world. Captain Dimitri Petrov, formerly the captain of my guards. "

"You must be the enchanting Miss Effington. " The captain stepped to her, took her hand, and raised it to his lips. "While I must admit to a moment of shock"—he shot a questioning glance at Alexei—"I can certainly see why His Highness was swept off his feet by your loveliness."

"Do not be an idiot. Petrov. " Valentina rolled her gaze toward the ceiling. "They have obviously met before. Why, I strongly suspect she is the real reason why he decided to take up residence in this dreadful house in this wretched country. " She glanced at Pamela and gestured aimlessly. "I do mean that in the best possible way, of course."

"Of course, " Pamela murmured. "There is often more than one way to think of dreadful and wretched." Valentina nodded approvingly. "I have always thought so." Pamela tried not to stare at the other woman and failed miserably. The princess was nothing short of mesmerizing. Oh, not in appearance, although she was undeniably beautiful, but there was an air about her of command or strength or resolve. It struck Pamela that this lady would be a formidable, even deadly, enemy. If she had indeed changed—could she be as good an ally? Or even friend? Alexei would need friends in the future.

Petrov snorted in disdain. "As the words treacherous and murderous have more than one meaning. " Valentina turned to him with what, by any definition, was a truly murderous look. "Captain, I realize, given my past misdeeds, earning your trust will be only less difficult than transporting myself to the moon. I realize as well that you do not like me, you have never liked me, but as I have never liked you either, that is of scant importance. However"—her eyes narrowed—"if you do not refrain from using words like murderous I shall forget the repentance of my sins and my determination to reform and do all in my power to rip the heart from your chest. " She cast Pamela a pleasant smile. "In the best meaning of the phrase, of course."

"Of course, " Pamela said weakly.

"You should be in a cold, dark dungeon where you can do no harm. " Petrov glared down at the princess.

"You should be stuffed and pickled and fed to small creatures with exceptionally sharp teeth, " Valentina snapped.

"Stop it at once. You should both be restrained in some manner, and at this particular moment I would be inclined toward chains for both of you. You are like quibbling children. " Once more Alexei's voice took on the commanding tone of a king. It was really quite exciting. His wry gaze caught hers. "Welcome to my family, Miss—" a private smile lifted his lips— "Pamela." Perhaps it was the faint foreign inflection of his words or perhaps it was that he had never said it before or perhaps it was simply that he had murmured it over and over again in her dreams, but there was something about the way he said her name that made it sound intimate and personal and special. Pamela. Serenissima.

"Your Highness. " She drew a deep breath and returned his smile. "Alexei."

"I told you, Petrov. " A smirk sounded in Valentina's voice. "Two people who have just met do not look at one another as these two do."

"Perhaps, " Petrov muttered.

"And extremely clever of you, too, cousin, to keep your feelings hidden for so many years. " Valentina gave Alexei an approving glance.

Pamela caught her breath.

Alexei shook his head in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Come now, Alexei, I may have given up any number of my previous pursuits, but I have not given up thinking as well. " She cast him a condescending look. "You and I both know that until now you were not free to marry where you might wish but were expected to wed for the purpose of political alliances. That you did not do so before now is obviously the hand of fate."

"Fate?" Alexei said cautiously.

"Fate, destiny, whatever you wish to call it. Cousin, you may be able to fool any number of people, but you cannot fool me. In spite of Petrov's feigned shock at the news of your betrothal"—she cast Petrov a disgusted glance—"and not the least bit convincing I might add." Petrov shrugged.

Valentina turned her attention back to Alexei. "I know very well you were last in England three years ago, and I know there are distant connections by marriage between her family and ours. It is not at all far-fetched to assume that the two of you met at that time but there was nothing you could do about your affection for one another. Now that there is, you have rushed back here, to her very house, to proclaim your intentions."

Alexei nodded. "That does make perfect sense."

"And to my mind, cousin, you could not have made a better match."

"He couldn't?" Pamela stared at Valentina. "Why not?"

"Why, my dear, you are an Effington. " The princess looked shocked that Pamela would even ask such a question. "It is not as if you were true royalty, but your family is headed by a duke, which in this country is most respectable. Personally, my experience with the Effingtons has not been especially pleasant. " She leaned toward Pamela in a confidential matter. "A nasty little incident a few years ago at a reception. Little more than a misunderstanding really, although I doubt their memories of me are overly fond."

"Fond?" Dimitri scoffed. "I cannot imagine why they wouldn't be. Oh certainly, there was the potentially fatal incident with the balloon and a question of theft, as well as a few nasty threats, and we must not forget the shooting."

Valentina ignored him. "I will confess that, at the time, I was not especially impressed by Effingtons. I thought them all rather sanctimonious and, well, annoying. Still, I am more than willing to give them a second chance, and I am certain they will not hold my past behavior against Alexei. I am confident they are far too good for that. Besides, one cannot choose one's relatives after all. " She gestured dismissively.

"At any rate, cousin, they have a great deal of power, politically and socially, and an even greater fortune. You are exceedingly clever to return to claim her as your bride. Why, I would wager her dowry alone will put us—or rather you—back on firm financial ground."

"Oh?" Pamela raised a brow at the revelation. Alexei without a fortune might well be as devastating for him as Alexei without a country.

Alexei's eyes narrowed. "Dimitri?"

"She is a wicked, wicked woman, Your Highness, " the captain muttered, then shook his head in bewilderment. "I have no idea how it happened, it just slipped out. One moment I was talking about nothing in particular, and the next I was telling her of the state of your finances. I suspect"—he lowered his voice—"she is a witch."

"Or you are an idiot, " Valentina said pleasantly, then turned back to Alexei. "It is not the least bit shameful, cousin. Europe is filthy with deposed royalty: kings and princesses and counts and endless other titles all running about with no idea where their next penny will come from. Or"—Valentina's gaze slid pointedly to the champagne bottle on the table—"their next glass of champagne." Alexei nodded at Dimitri, who clasped his hands behind his back and adopted an innocent air. "I am afraid I see no extra glasses. Your Highness."

"There are no extra glasses at the moment, Valentina, so you shall have to wait, " Alexei said firmly.

"And I do know where my next glass of champagne, as well as my next penny, will come from."

"How delightful for you. " Valentina sniffed and crossed her arms over her chest. He ignored his cousin and turned his attention back to Pamela. "Miss—Pamela—I should explain." Abruptly it struck her that if she were really his fiancée and had just heard of the state of his finances she would be more than a little concerned. And probably rather upset.

"Yes, " she said slowly. "I believe you should."

"A temporary financial crisis, nothing more. " Alexei shrugged. "It should be resolved within a few months."

"Were you going to tell me about this?" She raised her chin and met his gaze directly. "Or were you going to keep this from me until after we were wed?"

His brow furrowed, his words were cautious. "I did not think informing you was necessary. "

"If one were a suspicious sort, one might think your return to London had more to do with my prospects than your heart. " She forced a note of indignation to her voice. This pretense was really rather enjoyable, especially given the total confusion on Alexei's face. "Indeed, one might think your urgent desire to wed was prompted by financial need rather than affection."

"Pamela, I can assure you I—" Abruptly his expression cleared and a gleam of amusement sparked in his eye. "My urgency is prompted only by my desire to have you as my wife, by my side, for the rest of my days."

Before she could so much as open her mouth to respond, he moved to her and swept her into his arms.

"I was a fool when last we met not to have abandoned my duties and responsibilities for love. But we have been given a second chance, and I shall not lose you again. " He grinned, and it was all she could do to keep from laughing aloud.

"Then it's not my dowry or my inheritance that you want?" She fluttered her lashes at him and felt him suppress a laugh.

"I want you and only you. " His voice rose with the passion of his words. "I do not care if you haven't so much as a penny to your name—"

"Although it would be a great pity, " Valentina said behind him.

"It does not matter to me if you are a member of a prestigious family or nothing more than a chambermaid. " His voice rang dramatically in the room.

Pamela glanced over his shoulder. Valentina stared with rapt attention. Petrov with a bit of confusion, but it was obvious both cousin and friend accepted their ruse.

Her gaze slid back to his, and she grinned. He nodded slightly in silent acknowledgment.

"I loved you then and I love you now and I shall not lose you again. " Perhaps his voice rang a shade too dramatically. Still, it was most effective.

Besides, there was not a doubt in Pamela's mind that Alexei was enjoying this act of theirs. And why not? The man probably hadn't had a truly frivolous moment in years. The least she could do was continue their performance.

"Do you?" A hopeful note sounded in her voice. matching his in drama and overacting. It was great fun.

"It's been so long, and I scarcely dared to think, to imagine, to dream..."

"And I have spent every moment since our last moment together"—he gathered her closer and gazed into her eyes—"thinking, imagining, dreaming of no one save you."

Pamela stared up at him. He was very good at this. Of course, he would be. He had no doubt practiced fine phrases exactly like these with endless numbers of women.

"Still"—a realistic quiver sounded in her voice, and she clutched at the lapels of his coat—"you are now, as you have always been, a prince. And I am merely—"

"You are the stars that show my way in the night, the sun that warms my flesh in the day. " His gaze bored into hers. His brown eyes were endless and mysterious and enticing. One could well imagine true affection there. It was rather easy to forget it was nothing but an act on his part. And on hers as well.

"The light that feeds my soul."

Except that she had indeed thought about him, imagined being in his life, dreamed of being in his arms. He lowered his lips to hers.

"Your Highness. Alexei. " Her voice was barely more than a whisper. "I think perhaps, at this point, we should—"

"Do be quiet, Miss Effington. " His gaze slipped to her lips and back to her eyes. "I know precisely what we should do at this point."

His lips met hers, and for a long moment she didn't breathe. Couldn't breathe. She closed her eyes and at once was swept back through the years and the miles to a night of sheer magic. Desire, sweet and aching and nearly forgotten, washed through her, and it was all she could do to remain standing and not melt into a pool of wanton need at his feet.