A Midnight Clear
Page 2
She leaned back against the door and gripped the freezing metal handle to prevent herself from doing either of those foolish things.
“What are you doing here?” Her voice came out breathless and slightly accusing.
“I’ve been looking for you.”
Oh, that voice. It always turned her knees to water and made her stomach twist in the most delicious way.
“Pavel got your letter that said you’d be arriving at Dover. Since his wound isn’t quite mended, he asked if I would get you and bring you to London.”
Her heart sank. He was doing her brother a favor. She was a duty, a chore, a parcel to be delivered. How very lowering. She glared at him.
“When I realized the roads had become impassible, I deduced that you’d sought shelter,” he continued. “I searched damn-near every inn in this city before someone suggested I try here.” He shot her a look that was both angry and wryly amused. “A brothel? Really Tatiana?”
Mocking Aleks was back. She ground her teeth.
“Kind of you to have made such an effort,” she said icily. “But don’t you dare say anything mean about this place. The women here have been nothing but kind and welcoming.”
The corners of his eyes crinkled in amusement. “Is that why you’re blocking the door so effectively? Afraid I’ll test the warmth of their welcome for myself?”
She almost snorted. He’d probably seen the inside of more whorehouses than she’d had hot dinners, the wretch. “Hardly.”
“Does the thought of me with another woman have you seething with jealousy?” he teased.
“Of course not! Why should it? I don’t care what you do with yourself in your spare time Aleksandr Orlov,” she lied. “What I do know is that this house is packed to the rafters. There’s not even space for you in the stables. You can’t stay here.”
He shot her a look that liquefied her insides. “I thought I could stay with you.”
“With me?! What would people say if it ever got out that we’d shared a room? In a brothel no less! Pavel would murder us both. And I would be ruined. I’d never be able to hold my head up in public again.”
He shrugged. “I won’t tell anyone if you don’t.”
Tatiana felt her cheeks heat, burning despite the cold. “That’s not the point. We’d know.”
“We would indeed. So what to do?”
He took a step closer and she leaned back against the door, feeling cornered. The tips of his boots touched hers. The sweep of his greatcoat brushed her cloak and she shivered. The memory of their parting kiss flashed between them.
His gaze dropped to her lips and then rose to clash with her own. “Before I left, I was going to ask you a question,” he said, and his dark eyes burned into hers.
She could barely catch a breath. “You were?”
His mouth was exactly as she remembered it, with that wicked sulky curl at the corners and that full bottom lip that just begged to be bitten. Or kissed.
“But then I decided to wait and see if I was killed.”
She wanted to kick him for being so oblique. “What was the question?”
“It’s one that might solve the problem of my lodging tonight.”
She raised a brow, but her excitement fled. He was going to offer to be her lover. “If you think I’m going to become yet another of your conquests, just so you can have somewhere warm to sleep tonight, you can think again.”
He didn’t even have the grace to look crestfallen, the brute. He smiled. “That wasn’t going to be my question, although I have to admit I’m disappointed. I’ve dreamed about what it would be like between the two of us for years.”
Tatiana almost choked. “You have?”
“Haven’t you?” he countered. He leaned even closer, tilting his head as if about to impart a secret. “For the record, I think we’d be spectacular.”
Tatiana couldn’t even begin to form a response. Thankfully he didn’t seem to require her to do so. He glanced down and carefully removed his gloves, tucked them in the pockets of his coat, then reached out and cupped her face in his hands.
She stilled at the unexpected warmth. Her skin tingled. Every cell in her body came alive as he brushed his thumb over her lower lip.
“Can you really not guess my question, Ana?”
Her heart twisted in her chest at his pet name for her. She’d always hated it, assuming he was using the diminutive word to make her feel like a silly schoolgirl. But now, in his deep growl, it sounded anything but childish.
Her heart was racing, the warm clouds of their combined breath mingling between them. His gaze was so intense, so serious, it made her tremble. But she still didn’t dare to believe he meant what she hoped he meant. She shook her head slightly within his palms. “But you hate me,” she whispered. “Remember?”
Again that smile, but this one more self-deprecating. “Oh, I’ve never, ever hated you. I’ve hated every time you danced with someone other than myself. I’ve hated every man who ever made you laugh. I’ve hated the months I’ve had to be away from you, fighting this stupid war. And I’ve hated myself, for never having the guts to tell you that what I feel for you is the furthest you can possibly get from hate.”
His eyes burned into hers and she saw the snow and the darkness reflected in their depths. And sincerity. Utter sincerity. Her heart missed a beat.
“I don’t think you hate me, either,” he whispered.
Tears stung her eyes, but she blinked them back. “I really don’t.”
His shoulders relaxed at her admission and the corners of his mouth drew up in that half smile she knew so well. “I love you, Princess Tatiana Elizaveta Denisova. Will you marry me?”
Tatiana brought her own hand up and rested it against his cheek. Her fingers were icy cold, but the heat of his skin warmed her all the way down to her toes.
“Yes and yes and yes!”
With a muffled groan he pulled them closer together and captured her mouth with his. The world slid away and Tatiana’s heart melted, just as if she were the snow maiden Snegurochka. She threw her arms around Aleks’s neck and kissed him with every ounce of joy in her heart.
And man, at war with man, hears not
The love-song which they bring;
O hush the noise, ye men of strife,
And hear the angels sing.
The lilting melody of another carol filtered through the door from within the brothel but neither Tatiana nor Aleksandr paid it any heed.
Afterword
Thank you for reading A Midnight Clear. I hope you enjoyed Ana and Aleks’ snowy adventure as much as I enjoyed writing it!
This novella originally appeared in a Christmas anthology, titled ‘The Snow Maiden.’ The proceeds raised over $900 for the charity Toys For Tots.
Please consider leaving a review at any (or all!) of the online retail sites: each and every review is greatly appreciated!
To see sneak previews of my other books please visit my website: www.kcbateman.com. Plus, sign up for my monthly-ish newsletter for regular news, giveaways, and exclusive excerpts.
You can also join my Reader Facebook group: Kate’s Badasses in Bodices here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/490385021542157/
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Happy Reading!
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Love Kate
Also by K. C. Bateman
To Steal A Heart (Secrets & Spies #1)
A Raven’s Heart (Secrets & Spies #2)
A Counterfeit Heart (Secrets & Spies #3)
The Devil To Pay
This Earl Of Mine (Bow Street Bachelors #1)
To Catch An Earl (Bow Street Bachelors #2)
The Promise Of A Kiss
About the Author
Kate Bateman, (also writing as K. C. Bateman), is the #1 bestselling author of Regency and Renaissance historical romance, including the Secrets & Spies series; To Steal a Heart, A Raven’s Heart, and A Counterfeit Heart.
Her Renaissance romp, The Devil To Pay, was a 2019 RITA® Finalist.<
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When not writing feisty, intelligent heroines and sexy, snarky heroes, Kate works as a fine art appraiser and on-screen antiques expert for several popular TV shows in the UK.
For sneak previews of Kate’s other books visit her website: www.kcbateman.com. Follow her on social media, or visit her website to sign up for her newsletter and receive regular updates on new releases, giveaways and exclusive excerpts.
You can join Kate’s Reader Facebook group: Kate’s Badasses in Bodices here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/490385021542157/