That was not what he was expecting to hear, and it infuriated him that she had a legitimate excuse that sounded too true to be anything but the truth. A pampered court dandy? She'd said it once too often.
"I should have let them have you," he growled as he got up and stalked to the oven, where his clothes were drying. "I can't imagine why I didn't."
Alexandra sat up to watch him yank his pants on. The sight of those long legs and firm buttocks before they were covered held her breathless for a moment. And for her to be caught like that again, after what had happened, was galling in the extreme.
So the disgust in her voice was very real, if just for herself, when she said, "Don't worry, Petroff. It will take more than your blundering into a bunch of bandits and getting caught yourself for me to see you in a heroic light. You're still a despicable lecher as far as I'm concerned."
He turned to give her a mock bow. "How good of you to say so."
She sat there bristling, unable to think of a rejoinder that would be insulting enough for him. But by the time he had his coat on and was reaching for his boots, she felt a smidgen of unwanted concern. If he was still thinking about sleeping on the floor ...
"Just what do you think you're doing, Petroff? Those clothes can't be completely dry yet."
"It doesn't matter," he replied, stomping his foot into one of the boots, "since I'm leaving."
Her brows angled upward. "Oh? You know how to walk through walls, do you?"
"In a manner of speaking."
Fully dressed now, he stalked to the door and, without breaking stride, slammed his shoulder into it. Nothing happened, of course. He must have been rather deflated. Alexandra grinned smugly to herself.
She was about to make some taunting remark when his shoulder hit the door again. To her disgust, the nailed plank gave way this time and the door wobbled open. Old wood, obviously.
"You couldn't have thought of that sooner?" she said scathingly.
"Sorry, but I wasn't angry enough then."
He gritted his teeth against the blast of cold and stepped outside to have a look around. Latzko's main hall was lit up, but none of the other buildings were. Apparently everyone was still celebrating.
Vasili came back to stand in the open doorway. "Are you coming?"
"I'm certainly not staying here with a broken door," she said and started to throw off the blanket before she caught his eyes on her. "Do you mind?"
"As a matter of fact, I do." And he crossed his arms, leaned against the doorframe, and grinned. "Call it recompense for my getting you out of here—so unheroically."
So that dig had struck home? Well, what did she care if he watched? He'd already done much worse.
"Have it your way," she said with blatant unconcern and headed for her clothes, not even bringing a blanket along for partial modesty.
Before she got her drawers on, Vasili had turned away. He was going to add "No shame whatsoever" to his list of her bad points. She was forced to add one more redeeming quality to hers, but hoped that would be the last one.
Before long, they were tromping through the snow again. The stable was easy to locate, but it was an old building, with crumbling walls that did nothing to keep out the cold. Vasili's roan was there. So was the horse Alexandra had borrowed, and most of the villagers' mountain ponies. But not one of the white herd.
"Where would they have taken them?" she asked.
Vasili was still smarting over how easily his manhood had come to life again at the sight of her naked body, which was why he replied curtly, "I could not care less."
"I'm not leaving here without my horses, Petroff," she warned.
"Suit yourself."
"Don't think I won't," she snapped and led her mount out of the stable.
Vasili gritted his teeth and followed. "Dammit, that celebration could break up at any minute. We don't have time to go searching."
"Nobody's asking you to help."
He felt like shaking her, but knew it wouldn't do any good. And it would take less time to find her horses than it would to argue with her, she was so damn stubborn.
"All right," he conceded. "There will be a new stable around here somewhere. It's doubtful that the old one is even used anymore, except for emergencies like this. Look to the outskirts—"
She'd already spotted it. "Over there, on the edge of the village farthest from the direction we entered."
"It would be," he grumbled, looking in the same direction. "Well, lef s at least be quick about this."
He needn't have bothered with the suggestion. She was already heading that way, leaving him to follow again.
The new stable was closed up tight, and a yank on the doors proved it was also barred from the inside, which meant the animals were being guarded. So much for leaving without notice. But this time Vasili didn't bother to point out to the stubborn woman at his side that he'd have to do some bodily harm to someone in order to get her horses back. He knew by now that she'd just tell him to get on with it.
So he pounded on the door and called out in a tone that wouldn't carry beyond the immediate area, "Open up."
It took a moment before a voice came from the other side. "Who is that?"
Vasili made a guess at a common name for the area and supplied it. Apparently it worked, but it did not yield the results they wanted.
"Ain't you heard?" the guard shouted back. "Pavel, he said I don't open to no one but him, and you ain't him. You'll have to wait until morning to get a look at these beauties, just like everyone else."
"He thinks you're one of the villagers," Alexandra whispered. "Play on that."
Vasili considered it a waste of time, but made one more effort. "You're missing the celebration," he called out. "I've come to relieve you."
There was a chuckle. "Nice try, but I've got my own jug of ale and my orders."
The last words were barely heard as the guard moved farther back into the stable. "Do something," Alexandra ordered.
"What would you suggest?"
"You got through the last door."
Vasili snorted. "Forget it. This happens to be new wood, not old, and I'm not damaging my shoulder for your damn horses. We tried; now we're leaving. And you can be toted out of here if you insist."
"But—"
"Your horses aren't going anywhere, and, I might add, they're a hell of a lot warmer than we are. They'll be here in the morning, Alex. Now, we can either return to that shack they stuck us in and continue at a disadvantage, or show up tomorrow with an armed escort and get your horses back—one way or another. You choose."
She took her time deciding, but finally said, "I don't like leaving my babies with strangers for even one night, but I suppose it wouldn't hurt to start the bargaining tomorrow with some leverage on our side. Very well, let's find our people."
Vasili sighed. Considering that the cold was getting to him again, he'd almost hoped she would have chosen to return to the shack instead.
26
As it turned out, they might have been rescued if they had stayed in the village a little while longer. At least that was what Alexandra wanted to think, because she hated being beholden to Vasili for getting them out of there. But Lazar and three of Vasili's guards met them on the narrow mountain path not far from the village.
"It took you long enough," was Vasili's surly greeting, which had his friend's brows shooting up.
"Was I supposed to follow a trail buried under a half foot of snow? Even that Russian wolfhound of Alexandra's couldn't pick up your scent. What makes you think I could?"
"Then what led you this way?"
"I remembered where Latzko's village was. I was going to ask for his help, or buy it, as was more likely to be the case. I didn't expect to find you here."
"I don't know why not," Vasili replied. "He does consider these hills his territory, after all."
"But I didn't think he was crazy enough to provoke Cardinia's royal house again."
Vas
ili was forced to agree. "He's probably not, but Pavel sure as hell is, and unfortunately, Pavel's ruling the roost temporarily."
"Well, that explains it," Lazar said. "I suppose he was hoping Stefan was in our party?"
"Actually, all he was after was the horses. He had no idea who was transporting them."
Lazar frowned. 'Then how did he get you and Alexandra as well?"
Vasili's golden gaze lit on Alexandra before he answered sardonically, "Because my sweet little betrothed here thought nothing of attacking six bandits single-handedly, right on their doorstep."
"I didn't know we had reached their village," Alexandra mumbled in her defense.
Vasili said nothing to that, which was saying a lot, since he continued to stare at her. Lazar made an attempt to conceal his grin, but gave up when he saw that the guards were doing the same thing. Alexandra was aware of it, and the heat already climbing her cheeks went up a few more degrees.
Lazar cleared his throat to regain Vasili's attention. "So where, are the horses?"
"Locked up for the night."
"But not for long," Alexandra added. "Between the five of you—"
"Give it a rest, Alex," Vasili cut in, clearly at the end of his patience. "You may not be exhausted after fighting through that storm today, but I most certainly am."
"It figures," she replied in disgust.
The black look she got for that remark should have knocked her off her horse. She merely raised her chin a notch and glowered right back. Vasili was too cold to waste time staring her down—if it were even possible.
He sighed. "I'll allow that Pavel might be too drunk to notice that we are so few in number, but he'll also be too drunk to have the sense to lower his price. And if you think I'm going to pay what he's asking for those animals, you're out of your mind."
She didn't want him paying anything that would make her any more beholden to him. "What happened to getting them back 'one way or another'?"
"Jesus, sheathe your claws, woman. Cardi-nia happens to be one of the richest countries in Europe. We're in the habit of using money first, arms only as a last resort. And we haven't reached our last resort yet. Returning in the morning, when they'd rather be sleeping off all the ale they drank tonight, is still our best bet."
"And if I happen to disagree with that?" she asked stubbornly.
"Wouldn't you prefer that your babies spend the night in that nice warm stable they're presently enjoying, rather than be exposed to the elements?" It was rotten of him to play on her concern again, but he wasn't finished making his point. "We can reach one of Stefan's hunting lodges by tomorrow night, so we'll have some proper shelter again. This is the last night that we'll have to rough it outdoors, but this happens to be the coldest night we've seen yet, which you pointed out to me, if you'll recall. And for all we know, that storm could return before morning."
All she'd heard was that his cousin owned property near here. And just as the heat of her embarrassment had gone undetected in the dark a few moments ago, so did the abrupt loss of all her coloring now.
"We're that close to Cardinia?" she whispered.
He didn't notice her subdued tone. "Another few days should see us there, as long as we don't encounter any more storms—or bandits. Now we're going to find our tents and get some sleep, and I really don't want to hear any more arguments about it." He turned to Lazar. "I hope to hell you're not camped where we left you."
Lazar was startled to be drawn back into the conversation so abruptly, having been engrossed in that fascinating exchange. "We're about thirty minutes from here, where this path leaves the main trail." But then he couldn't resist goading. "Are you certain you want to head in that direction?"
When Alexandra immediately perked up upon hearing that, Vasili hissed, "He was joking!" and gave Lazar a look that promised he'd get even with him for that, before he headed for their camp.
27
Barely the next morning, they left one man behind with Nina and the wagons. The rest of the party, all fully armed, rode into Latzko's village, and Alexandra had to admit they were an impressive sight. She also had to admit, though grudgingly and only to herself, that Vasili had had the right idea. Returning triumphant, so to speak, inspired confidence. She would get her horses back, "one way or another."
Only a few of the villagers were up and about after their long night of celebration, but that quickly changed as Vasili's men slowly approached the main building. Someone had run ahead to inform Pavel of their arrival, because he stumbled out onto the porch just as they drew abreast of it. No one dismounted. Guns were held at the ready.
Pavel was still shrugging a coat on. That he had no shirt on under it and was barefoot indicated he'd been pulled from his warm bed. He certainly didn't seem to be happy to see Vasili mounted and surrounded by his own people, instead of how he'd left him last night.
"Who let you out?" he demanded.
"I let myself out—and now I want the horses," Vasili replied.
The reminder that all was not lost changed Pavel's demeanor abruptly. "Ah, yes." He flashed a toothy grin. "King Stefan's very valuable horses. I can assume they didn't let themselves out?"
Vasili waited while the bandit and his cohorts laughed over his little joke. He wasn't amused. He wanted to get this over with. The sooner they were out of these mountains, the sooner they'd be back to temperatures he could at least tolerate. Never again would he cross the Carpathians this late in the year.
"The horses aren't for Stefan, as I believe I already told you," Vasili informed the bandit. "However, I did stretch the truth a bit yesterday, since they aren't mine either—at least not yet. They belong to the wench here, and she doesn't have the amount you're asking. But I've promised to get them back for her. One hundred rubles each—and no one dies. Think about it before you answer."
Pavel didn't take that advice, saying immediately, "Double or nothing and you accept my challenge."
"How fortunate that I can afford not to waste my time," Vasili replied in a bored tone.
"You fight me, aristo, or I keep one of the horses for myself."
Vasili nearly rolled his eyes. Why had he known this was coming? Because Pavel was so damn predictable in some ways, and this was certainly one of them. He looked at Alexandra, but her mulish expression said she wasn't going to leave a single one of her precious babies behind, and that didn't surprise him either.
But she did manage to do the unexpected by interfering, telling Pavel, "The horses are mine. The choice of who fights you should be mine."
Pavel glanced at the three Cossacks surrounding her and laughed. "Pavel is not stupid, woman."
That was certainly debatable and she started to say so. Vasili, guessing as much, said quickly, "All right, Pavel, but indoors, if you don't mind. And the choice of weapons is mine, so have someone fetch the sword that I surrendered last night." When Pavel just stared at him, looking a little green around the gills, he remarked, "No sword skill? Well, never let it be said I took advantage. You choose, then, but I should warn you, Stefan and I shared the same instructors. How is your shoulder, by the way?"
Pavel had become red in the face by that point. Vasili supposed he'd gone a little overboard, reminding Pavel of the knife wound Stefan had given him. But he was a man so easy to goad, Vasili hadn't been able to resist. However, he regretted it in the next moment.
"Whips," Pavel said.
There were some collective gasps over the bandif s unexpected choice. Vasili barely managed to contain his. "You call that a weapon?"
"Mine is going to cut you to ribbons. You don't call that a weapon?" Pavel countered with a chuckle.
"The choice of weapons was yours, Pet-roff," Alexandra interjected. "Take it back."
Vasili knew she didn't think he could win with whips. That was obvious. Hell, she hadn't thought he could win against the brawny bandit period, no matter the weapon, which was why she had tried to interfere earlier. Just as
he'd labeled her promiscuous, she'd labeled him a useless, helpless court dandy, and refused to see him any other way. And thanks to his moment of generosity with Pavel—he should have stuck with swords—he wasn't going to be able to prove otherwise, because he, too, doubted he could win with a weapon he'd never had occasion to use before.
But he couldn't, honorably, do as she was suggesting either, much as he'd like to. That she thought he would was still another indication of how low her opinion of him was. That was fine, exactly what he had been striving for. But he seriously objected to the label of court dandy.
Damn Pavel anyway, and his quest for one-upmanship. Whips, for God's sake. How were you supposed to fight with whips? Take turns slashing at each other and see who could withstand the pain the longest?
Pavel had already sent someone for whips and had reentered Latzko's hall to wait. On Vasili's right, Lazar caught his friend's arm as he started to dismount.
"This is ridiculous. He's using you as a substitute for Stefan."
"Tell me something I don't know," Vasili replied with a sound of disgust.
"How about, 'You don't have to do this'?"
Vasili was quite aware of that. He was willing to pay the ransom, even though he'd end up with nothing to show for it once the betrothal was broken and Alexandra took herself and her horses back to Russia. He certainly wasn't after her gratitude, which could only hurt his campaign. And to say that he refused to let Pavel take one of the thoroughbreds was pretty lame. So why had he accepted the challenge? Payment for that gift he'd received last night?
Disgusted with himself and the whole situation, Vasili dismounted. But he confided in an aside to Lazar, "Relax, my friend. If it gets too painful, I'll concede and pay the double ransom."
"Well, at least you haven't gone completely crazy," Lazar remarked.
That was another thing that was debatable, but Vasili didn't say so and headed for the house. Alexandra had also slipped off her mount, and she was practically blocking the entrance to the hall as he neared it. She hadn't heard his exchange with Lazar, which was fortunate, since he didn't feel like arguing anymore, and she'd no doubt insist he hang in there until the bitter end.