The Prince's Bride

by Victoria Alexander

  What she did not ignore, what indeed she held on to, was the anger that grew with every passing mile and endless day. Anger directed at Alexei, of course, but at herself as well.

  How could she have been so stupid as to take Alexei’s threats without question? She should have told Rand at once and she certainly should never have left him. Her husband could protect himself if he knew he was in danger. Surely Rand would have been able to deal with Alexei. Surely ...

  She rested her head against the seat back and heaved a heartfelt sigh. She’d been all over this a hundred times or more and in the end, it all came down to the same thing. Given the same circumstances, right or wrong, she would do exactly as she had.

  The coach rumbled to a halt. She did hope the stop meant someone would bring her a food basket; she was rather hungry. There was something about being on the open road that left her famished. They’d eaten all their meals while moving thus far, and while she didn’t especially mind it, she’d just as soon consume one meal without the constant lurching and rocking of the coach.

  The coach door opened and a basket appeared, carried by Alexei.

  “Hungry, my dear?” Alexei climbed into the coach and settled in the seat across from her.

  “I was but I find I have quite lost my appetite.” She pointedly turned away.

  “Pity.” He opened the basket and the mouth-watering scent of roasted meat and some kind of pie and who knew what other lovely things filled the air. Lady Insipid had proudly explained that the party had a horseman ride ahead to the next inn to ensure food was ready when the rest of the group arrived. Jocelyn had promptly told her what she could do with her food.

  “I shall have to eat it all myself then.”

  “Not in here you won’t,” she snapped.

  “Oh, but I will,” Alexei said firmly.

  The carriage lurched forward and they were once again on their way. Alexei obviously planned on staying for a while. She clenched her teeth and resisted the impulse to scream in frustration.

  “How could I possibly pass up the opportunity to dine with such a charming companion, even if your behavior thus far has not been particularly charming?” His voice was casual and he rummaged in the basket while he talked. “Poor, dear Countess Lenosky refuses to come anywhere near you.”

  “Countess Lenosky?” Lady Insipid. Jocelyn tried and failed to ignore a sharp stab of guilt. She sighed. “Please offer her my apologies. I was inexcusably—”

  “Rude? Ill-tempered?”

  “I was going to say peevish,” she muttered.

  “Disagreeable? Ill-mannered?”

  “That’s enough.”

  “In point of fact,” he continued as if she hadn’t spoken, “it isn’t. She is a very nice woman and you have been extremely unpleasant.”

  “Have I really?” She widened her eyes in feigned surprise. “And what could possibly have caused that?”

  “I have no idea,” he said mildly.

  “No? Well, then, let me prod your memory.” She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. “I’m here against my will and you’ve threatened to kill my husband. Why, you’re right, Your Highness. Nothing at all has happened that would make me less than gracious.”

  “Here.” He thrust a cloth-wrapped bundle at her.

  “What is it?” she said suspiciously, knowing full well it was something delicious.

  “I have no idea but it smells quite tasty. However, if you’d prefer—” He started to pull the packet away.

  “I’ll take it,” she said quickly and grabbed the offering. After all, she did have to eat. She simply didn’t want to eat with him. “Thank you.”

  “My pleasure.”

  She unfolded the cloth to find chunks of roasted meat and potatoes, with a wonderful crusty bread. They ate in silence, he apparently as hungry as she. It was just as good as it smelled and wonderfully satisfying. At last she sat back and studied him.

  “I don’t suppose—”

  He pulled a jug of wine and two glasses from the basket at his feet. She raised a brow. Those horsemen of his certainly were efficient. He poured a glass and handed it to her.

  She took a sip. It was red and rich and quite appealing. “You are prepared, aren’t you?”

  “Not at all.” He filled a second glass for himself, then settled back in the seat. “None of this”—he swept a wave at their surroundings—“was planned.”

  “Why did you do it?”

  “I told you. I did not locate the Heavens and my cousin is the next best thing.”

  She sipped at her wine and considered him. “There’s more to it than that, I think.”

  He laughed. “Isn’t saving a crown enough?”

  “Perhaps.” She paused thoughtfully. “You are an interesting combination, you and your cousin.”

  “Oh?”

  “I watched the two of you together on our trip from Worthington Castle and there were moments, granted not many, but a few when you weren’t sniping at one another, when I thought you actually enjoyed each other’s company.”

  “I doubt that.” Alexei drew a swallow of his wine. “He doesn’t like me very much.”

  “And that bothers you.”

  “Not particularly.” He shrugged.

  “It does. I can see it in your eyes.” She leaned forward curiously. “Why is that? It strikes me that there are any number of people who dislike you, up to and including those who would prefer to see you dead. I personally am not especially fond of you.”

  “My cousin’s like or dislike of me is of absolutely no consequence,” he said loftily. “Nor is yours.”

  An odd idea was forming in her mind.

  “I don’t believe you. Furthermore, I wonder ...”

  “What?”

  “Why you would truly want Rand in Avalonia.”

  Alexei heaved an annoyed sigh. “I have explained—”

  She waved aside his words. “Yes, yes, I know. Third branch of the royal family and all that. But you have other family besides that nasty Valentina creature.”

  “Of course.” He nodded. “I have a brother and a sister.”

  She couldn’t possibly be right.

  “But they’re younger and you’re the one everything falls upon. Saving your country and all that. You’re the one who will someday be king unless one of those people who doesn’t like you does you in first.”

  “I had almost forgotten that for a moment.” He raised his glass to her. “I am grateful for the reminder.”

  She ignored his sarcasm, trying to refine the vague thought that had occurred to her. “You and Rand are about the same age. You admire him. You’ve said as much yourself. You ...” She narrowed her eyes. “You even trust him.”

  “He’s an honorable man.”

  Ridiculous of course, yet...

  “You don’t just need Rand’s help; you need ... Of course.” She straightened in her seat. “That’s it. You need an ally. A friend—”

  “That’s absurd.” His laugh had a bitter edge. “I have no need for friends.”

  She studied him for a long moment, realization dawning even as she looked at him. Her anger vanished. Her voice was soft. “It must be terribly lonely in those high, lofty places where princes live all by themselves.”

  “I am not lonely. I have no need for friends or allies or...” He clenched his jaw. Perhaps it was the intimacy of the closed coach. Or the strain of recent days. Or he might just have long needed a confidant. A friend. He met her gaze defiantly. “Very well. You win. I confess. Yes, I would like my cousin to join me permanently. To be by my side and help me rule this tiny country that is my life, my blood, my very soul. And whether he admits it or not, it is part of him as well.” He shook his head. “The world is changing, Jocelyn. Empires crumble, new ones form, and kingdoms like Avalonia vanish every day, absorbed into greater powers without so much as a by-your-leave.

  “A hundred years from now, even fifty years from now, I don’t want my country to be nothing more than
a footnote in history. I owe my family and my people more than that.

  “When I conceived this idea of using you to lure Rand to Avalonia, I knew the possibility that he would choose to stay would be nonexistent. I do not expect that. I can only hope he will help me stabilize the current situation and in the process come to know the land of his ancestors and, with luck, even care about it. There now.” Alexei glared. “Are you quite happy?”

  “You were never going to kill him, were you?”

  “You do refuse to let go of even the most insignificant of matters.” Alexei heaved an irritated sigh. “Probably not.”

  “Probably?”

  “Probably,” he said firmly. “That’s the best I will do. Damnation, Jocelyn, I am a prince. I wield a great deal of power. You would be wise to remember that. I can indeed have someone killed if I so wish.”

  “But you don’t wish to have someone killed.” She tried and failed to hold back a grin. “And I would wager that you never have.”

  He glowered.

  “I am getting extremely close.”

  He reached up and rapped on the roof of the coach. It stopped almost at once.

  “You’re leaving?” She was surprised and the tiniest bit disappointed.

  “I am indeed.” He nodded firmly and opened the coach door. “I have had more than enough of your comprehensive assessment of my needs and my nature. If I stay a moment longer, you will no doubt wish to evaluate the rest of my life. My passion for fine art and the reasons I have not yet found a bride who would suit me.”

  “Well, you could have had me,” she teased.

  He snorted. “Then I would surely insist on someone’s demise. No doubt, whoever introduced me to you.”

  “You don’t mean that.”

  “Oh, but I do.” His voice was resolute. “I will admit, however, that in those rare moments when your mouth is shut, you would have made a lovely queen. But...” He stepped down and turned back with a wicked grin. “You would have been a magnificent mistress.” He slammed the door before she could so much as gasp. Or, in this case, grin.

  She settled back in her seat and considered their odd meeting and the radical change in her perception of him.

  It was clear that Alexei never would have had Rand killed. And while his methods were somewhat wicked, and she might never forgive him for letting Rand worry about Nigel, she now had difficulty faulting his purpose. He was as passionate about his country, and his place in it, as Rand was about his. In that the cousins were very similar. After all, Rand had been willing to do whatever he had to for his country. How could she condemn Alexei for the same devotion?

  Jocelyn very much suspected Alexei was rather more noble and even good than she’d ever thought. Ruthless when necessary, perhaps, but good nonetheless.

  She should still be furious with him for the terror he’d caused her if nothing else, but she wasn’t anymore. It was the look in his eyes when he’d talked about Avalonia and the flash of vulnerability when he’d spoken of needing help to rule. She’d only ever thought of the pleasures of being a prince or princess and never considered the awesome responsibilities the position entails. Wouldn’t anyone in that position do whatever was necessary to protect the country and the people placed in his charge? How could she fault Alexei for that? How could Rand?

  When and if her husband ever arrived, any problems they might need to resolve would simply have to wait. There was the future of a country to consider. The prevention of bloodshed. The stakes involved were far greater than the relationship between a man and a woman.

  There was no choice and Rand would have to understand that. He would have to help Alexei save his country, because it was the right thing to do. And because, regardless of his attitude, it was, in a tiny way at least, his country too.

  She just hoped she could convince her husband.

  Chapter 20

  It had been nearly three weeks, in truth closer to a lifetime, since Jocelyn had said good-bye to her husband.

  She paced the long length of the opulent suite given her at the palace of the ruling House of Pruzinsky in the capital of the Kingdom of Greater Avalonia. Her rooms were decorated with the finest fabrics and the most elegant furnishings. Plush carpets lay beneath her feet and magnificent paintings hung on the walls. Alexei had even provided her with a wardrobe worthy of, well, a princess. She had, in truth, everything she’d ever dreamed of.

  Except her prince.

  Where was Rand? Shouldn’t he have been there by now?

  If indeed he was coming at all?

  She’d expected him to appear every day of their more than two-week journey, and thought certainly he would arrive any minute in the three days since they’d reached the palace. It was becoming harder to ignore the terrifying thought that he might have decided she was not worth following. Or worse, that something had happened to him along the way. She would never forgive herself in either case.

  She stepped to the window that overlooked the stunning vista of the mountains and valleys of Avalonia. She scarcely ever took her spectacles off now, and relished the ability to see. Under other circumstances she could quite enjoy her stay. For one thing, everyone here called her princess, which was ever so much fun. She’d even become friends with Countess Lenosky, who wasn’t as timid as Jocelyn had thought once she got to know her.

  Among those she didn’t particularly warm to was Alexei’s chief adviser, the Count Borloff. He’d accompanied Alexei to England and had returned with them, although Jocelyn hadn’t actually been introduced until their arrival in Avalonia. His manner was polite enough, and he was certainly attractive, but time and again she’d caught him studying her when he’d thought she wasn’t looking. They’d scarcely exchanged more than a few words, yet she took an instant dislike to him and suspected the feeling was mutual.

  And she didn’t trust the Princess Valentina one bit. Alexei’s cousin was beautiful, but the look in her eye was cold and calculating. Jocelyn could well believe this was a woman who would not hesitate to do whatever necessary to achieve her ends—including murder. And Jocelyn was certain the princess would indeed enjoy it.

  Jocelyn learned Alexei’s younger brother and sister had been sent out of the country for their own safety but she did have a brief audience with the king, who was still confined to bed. His physicians said he would fully recover his health and the knowledge seemed to ease Alexei’s burden, although he was essentially running the country, and Jocelyn knew it was not easy.

  She and Alexei had spent a great deal of time in conversation while on the journey there. Jocelyn was right: Alexei did need a friend and a confidant. Exactly what he’d found in her. He confided his ambitions for his country, his hopes, his dreams. He confessed his fears as well. About Avalonia’s survival as an independent nation, the need to modernize, and his own ability to rule. They talked about politics and the world and the future. The more time she spent with Alexei, the more she thought he would one day make an excellent king. A leader his country could depend on. A man his cousin could be proud of.

  She leaned against the window frame and gazed into the distance. She would give her husband until the end of the week, and if he had still not arrived, she’d return to England herself and drag him back here. Whether he wanted to come or not. Whether he wanted her or not.

  A knock sounded at the door.

  “Come in.”

  The door opened and Countess Lenosky stepped inside without so much as a moment of hesitation. “Your Highness—”

  Jocelyn bit back a grin at the title.

  “—we have had word from the border. Your husband—”

  Jocelyn’s heart leapt. Rand!

  “—will be here any moment.” The countess smiled. “I would suggest—”

  Jocelyn was out the door before the other woman could finish her sentence. She headed toward the grand chamber where Alexei met with visitors and members of the court, raced through the long corridor, flew down the nearest stairway and straight into Count Borloff
.

  “His Highness wishes to inform you of the imminent arrival of your husband.” Borloff’s voice was cool but his gaze was intense. Dislike and an odd touch of apprehension washed through her. “But I see you are already aware of that.”

  “Yes, thank you.” Jocelyn forced a pleasant smile and tried to step around him. “Now, if you don’t mind—”

  “His Highness also suggests you might prefer a more private meeting place in which to greet your husband.” He directed her from the main corridor into a smaller hall. “I am to escort you.”

  “How thoughtful.” Alexei had proven to be most thoughtful even if she would have preferred he send someone other than Borloff to accompany her. “Where are we going?”

  “A parlor in the prince’s private apartments.‘ He took another turn and another, then went down a flight of steps, the hallways they passed through progressively less crowded, older in appearance, and obviously far less used.

  “He certainly does like his privacy,” she murmured.

  “Indeed he does,” Borloff said curtly.

  She’d never been in this part of the palace and would be hard pressed to find her way back. Of course she’d have Rand to help her. Still, the secluded nature of the hall, the fact that they hadn’t seen another person for several minutes, and Borloff at her side all combined to send a shiver of unease up her spine.

  Her step slowed. “Perhaps it would be best if—”

  “Here we are.” Borloff pushed open a door and stepped aside, allowing Jocelyn to enter first. She walked into a fair-sized room, sparsely appointed with a pair of loveseats and a handful of chairs and tables against pale silk-paneled walls, bordered with carved moldings. It was elegant enough but there was an odd, unoccupied feel to it. It was not the sort of room she’d imagined Alexei would prefer. She stepped farther in and heard the door close behind her, followed by the faint but distinct click of a key turning in a lock.