Once a Princess

Chapter 33

Tanya hadn't expected Stefan to come for her when the ship docked in Danzig the next day. She had hoped he would and had dressed accordingly, but she hadn't expected it.

She had so many beautiful clothes to choose from now, it was actually a dilemma to decide what to wear that might impress him. She'd settled on a dark emerald skirt with a matching shortwaisted jacket that buttoned primly to the throat, revealing only the delicate white lace on the high collar of the blouse beneath. Sasha had even supplied her with two choices for outer wraps. One was a long, thick cloak in pearl gray with a darker gray fur trim and a hood lined in the fur inside and out. The other was a coat very similar to the men's, black velvet with brown sable along every edge and in a wide, cape like collar. Hers fell to the ankles, while theirs cut off at the knees. What Sasha must have found amusing was having it made in the same material and colors as the one Stefan was wearing right now. Fortunately, she'd chosen the gray cloak to wear today.

He appeared stiff. The bow he offered, slight as it was, was formal. And she could read nothing in his expression as he looked her over, though his eyes were more amber than brown. But she had done nothing that could have made him angry, so that softly glowing color had to come from some other emotion, though she couldn't imagine which one.

"It is our hope the voyage was not too tedious for you."

Definitely stiff, and she didn't know what to make of it, if he was merely reluctant to have to deal with her again, or... Lord help her, had the others gone against her wishes and told him what she'd said yesterday? No, she wouldn't assume that. He'd have come straight to her to demand to hear it from her, wouldn't he? And be furious besides. Right now he was only — dammit, she couldn't tell what he was. But if she'd got anything out of his friends' revelations about him, it was that Stefan was even more complicated than she had thought.

She decided to behave just as she'd planned, casual, a little bit goading, a little bit friendly, maybe even a little provocative, whatever it took to keep him off balance until she could figure out where she stood. After all, his total indifference to her on this voyage was telling. If he could stay away from her on the confines of a ship, would she ever see him after they were married and he had a whole country to disappear in? If they were married. Maybe he'd find some way to get out of the betrothal. He was king, after all.

The smile she had planned to give him wasn't quite so dazzling now, but she still managed to speak in a friendly tone. "The voyage was quite pleasant, but of course it would be, with such charming companions to keep me entertained. "

He obviously couldn't tell if she was being sarcastic or not, for he hesitated before saying, "My men are a lot of things, Tanya. But charming?"

"When they try to be, yes. I even found — to my amazement, of course — that I could like Lazar and Serge. And I have grown quite found of Sasha."

"You don't mention Vasili."

"Let's just say I've learned to tolerate your cousin, even when he's at his obnoxious best. No, I can't even say that. I have discovered, only recently, that I actually have a horrid temper. So I guess I haven't been very understanding of the close bond between you and Vasili that has more or less influenced his behavior toward me."

She smiled again, this time with satisfaction, for his new expression was a priceless combination of bafflement, irritation, and wariness. He really didn't know what to make of her now, and that was just what she wanted for the time being.

"It surprises you that I figured that out?" she continued. "Well, don't be. Vasili made the confession himself only yesterday. So I guess the most I can say is that I will try to tolerate him in future — your Majesty. "

He raised a brow at the title, something he could at last deal with directly. "Was it the credentials?"

"Not at all. I thought they were faked."

"Then what convinced you?"

"Sasha, actually. He has an amazing way of getting his point across without even trying. He just kept going on and on about you, me, Cardinia — and the wedding." And then she pinned him with a direct gaze that had just enough angry sparks in it to indicate what was coming. "Why the hell did you tell me Vasili was king?"

He turned toward the door on the pretext of holding it open for her, but the question obviously disconcerted him so much that he couldn't hold her gaze. "You were being troublesome at the time. I thought you would be less so with him named as the prospective bridegroom."

She wasn't letting him off the hook that easily. "Why?"

"Because women become utter fools around him, and that is before he even sets out to seduce them. If he had made an effort to win you over, you would have succumbed."

Tanya snorted. "If you believe that, you are deluded."

He finally glanced at her and his look said she was deluding herself. "You say you know that Vasili's loyalty to me influenced his behavior toward you, so haven't you realized yet that some of his behavior was a deliberate effort to make you despise him? I merely wanted you to come along with us willingly, but Vasili saw the consequence of the lie. He didn't want you falling in love with him when you would have to marry me in the end."

"How thoughtful of him," she sneered. "But you and he both put too much stock in his looks, for some reason thinking that's all that matters to a woman. And maybe that is all that matters to a woman with no sense. But most women aren't foolish enough to fall in love with a man without knowing what he's made of. Vasili is incredibly handsome, yes. There's no denying that. But he's also the most arrogant, condescending man God ever put breath into, and you aren't going to tell me that his obnoxious attitude was a pretense just for my benefit."

He didn't like what he was hearing, probably because he knew he was arrogant and condescending, too, in no way as bad as Vasili, but Tanya was counting on his not making that distinction. The object here was not to let Stefan know that she was one of those foolish women she had just ranted about. Not that she had fallen in love. Lord help her, she hoped she wasn't that foolish. But she knew very well that she had succumbed to a purely physical attraction, one so powerful that she could want this man even when she was so furious with him that she could shoot him. And time hadn't made that feeling go away. She wanted him, enough to marry him, enough to ignore all his faults. But he had to want her just as much... he had to love her, whether she loved him or not. That was the only way she could willingly give herself over to the control of one man for life. And she didn't have much time to find out if it was even possible.

Before he could dwell too deeply on what she'd said, she asked, "When you saw that the pretense wasn't working, why didn't you tell me the truth, that you were Cardinia's new king?"

"You already doubted everything. It was not the time to admit to a falsehood that you could hold up as a reason to justify your continued skepticism. "

"I see your point," she said, her brows knitted thoughtfully for his benefit. "Of course, you never saw mine, did you? It didn't matter who was being offered as my husband, I didn't want one."

He didn't notice the past tense, he merely replied adamantly, "You have no more choice than I do."

"Ah, that's right. How did you put it before, when Vasili admitted he didn't want to marry me? That the king will marry me whether he wishes to or not, because his duty demands it? But you know, Stefan, I've been giving that some thought, especially after being assured how all-powerful you are, so powerful, I'm told, that you can have us married no matter what I say about it. It strikes me that if you're that powerful, how can anyone make you do something you don't want to do? You could just break the betroth—"

"I happen to honor my father," he cut in stiffly, his eyes suddenly glowing with serious anger. "Sandor wants you sitting on the throne, so you will damn well sit on the throne! And if you ever try coaxing me out of my duty again... I will marry you, Tanya. Nothing will prevent that, do you understand? Nothing!"

It was amazing how wonderful that promise made her feel, shouted or not. And she had her answer. He wasn't going to do anything to get out of the betrothal. Neither was she, but he didn't know that. Nor was it part of her plan to let him know that. She'd keep him guessing, which would keep her constantly on his mind. But long before they reached Cardinia she'd have him in her bed, too. There was no help for that. She just couldn't wait anymore.