Once a Princess

Chapter 36

There was a positive benefit in being forced to stand there and watch her betrothed kissing another woman. It took Tanya's mind completely off that depressing tale she had just heard about her family. It also made her see red, and not just in the color of that strumpet's hair.

To give Stefan credit, however, he didn't seem to be returning the woman's enthusiastic kiss. He seemed to be trying to end it. But it was taking too damn long for him to do so, as far as Tanya was concerned. And she didn't doubt for a minute that if she weren't there to witness this reunion, he'd be participating in the kiss instead. But she was there, and he knew it, so what could he do but make this halfhearted effort to pry the redhead's arms loose from his neck?

When he finally accomplished that miraculous feat — the woman really was clinging to him — he was treated to a gushing explanation for her behavior. "It was too bad of you, Stefan, to be gone so long that I would miss you unbelievably. And we have been so worried. Your father even sent a man who will no doubt leave within the hour to take him news of you. The anxious fellow has been a pure nuisance hanging around here, but I suppose Sandor has been as concerned about your tardiness as the rest of us, and didn't want to wait even an extra few days to hear that you have returned safely. "

"My father still lives, then?"

"I have heard nothing to say otherwise," she assured him with a bright smile.

Tanya stiffened as the woman reached for Stefan again, obviously with the intent of showing him her delight in having him returned to her. Tanya felt a very strong urge to reach for the knife now strapped to her thigh, though she wasn't sure what she meant to do with it. It was merely a small eating knife that she had confiscated on the ship, and she had had to find a new place to conceal it after Sasha got rid of her boots, but old habits were hard to break. She might have one or more of four strapping, capable men always there to protect her, but she preferred to depend on herself.

Right now that knife would look very nice placed against the redhead's throat with a warning to back off. Of course, she would then have Stefan to deal with, and she couldn't imagine him being pleased by such an unexpected display of jealousy. And it was jealousy. She couldn't very well call it anything else when the sight of that woman kissing Stefan made Tanya mad enough to scratch her eyes out.

But how could she explain that to Stefan? He would believe that as much as he had believed her taunt that she might be a virgin — not at all. Why should he? She had rejected him completely the very last time they were together, before the Carpathia had sailed. The best she could do was offer the truth, that since she had accepted their upcoming marriage, she now had it set in her mind that he belonged to her, and if she was going to have him, she wanted him exclusively.

But she couldn't even tell him that without making a complete fool of herself, because he didn't feel the same way. He had admitted to wanting her, but also to hating that he did. And his wanting her was so temporary, it wasn't worth mentioning. One time was all he was interested in, she supposed for the novelty or the challenge, because she had rejected him. Big deal.

What was more telling was his resentment that he had to marry her, and that resentment had always been crystal clear. If it wasn't a matter of duty, he'd never do it. And standing before her was still another reason that he wouldn't.

She had been told by Vasili that Stefan had a mistress. She just never dreamed she would have to meet her. Nor had it occurred to her that Stefan probably had no intention of giving up his mistress. Why should he, after all? He was being forced to marry Tanya, but standing right here was a woman he gave his affections to by choice.

It was fortunate that Stefan prevented the woman from plastering herself to him again, because Tanya honestly couldn't say what she would have done if she had to watch them kissing again. He put his arm around her waist instead and turned her toward Tanya, and in that moment of green eyes meeting blue, Tanya knew this little demonstration of devotion had been staged for her benefit. Stefan's mistress must feel threatened by her. What a joke.

Any satisfaction she might have felt from that realization was ruined by Stefan's expression. He was so delighted to be reunited with his mistress again, he didn't even try to hide it. Tanya didn't consider that his obvious pleasure had come from hearing that his father still lived.

"Princess Tatiana, may I present to you Lady Alicia Huszar? Alicia wanted to meet you before the rest of the court, because she desires to be one of your personal attendants when you are queen."

Over our dead body, missy. No, over hers, Tanya corrected herself. But she'd rather die than be as obvious as they were about their feelings right now. Stefan was not going to know she was peagreen with jealousy. So she didn't dare say a word. She merely nodded to acknowledge the introduction.

Alicia was forced to offer a perfunctory bow now that Tanya's identity had been established. Tanya was a royal princess, after all. To do even that must have galled her, but Tanya couldn't find any satisfaction in thinking that either.

"I'm sorry, your Highness," Alicia said, pretending surprise she couldn't possibly feel. "I didn't even notice you standing there. "

Liar. She had seen them arrive from one of the windows, or Tanya would eat her new shoes. But she didn't say so, not directly anyway, since she still didn't trust herself to say anything to the redhead. She glanced at Stefan instead and raised a slim brow to accompany an expression as skeptical as she could make it.

He at least got the message, or she assumed he did, for he took his arm away from Alicia and frowned at her, perhaps finally realizing that she hadn't kissed him just in greeting, something he was no doubt accustomed to, but she'd done it in front of his betrothed.

Stefan, to give him his due, would want to be discreet, at least until the marriage was an accomplished fact. He probably hadn't counted on Tanya suspecting anything about his sweet Alicia. But did he really think she would accept his mistress as one of her attendants? His mistress, for crying out loud! If that was the way things were done in Cardinia, Tanya wasn't leaving Danzig.

For his part, Stefan was as embarrassed as Tanya was furious. He had left Alicia here with the promise that she wouldn't be supplanted. He had had no intention of giving her up for a woman he was being forced to marry, and although he would marry her, he had intended it to be in name only.

But he hadn't counted on his reaction to a plain-faced Tatiana, his delight that she wasn't what they'd expected, his anger that she was a whore. All he should have felt was satisfaction that she was what he could bring back to his father with the taunt, "Here is the princess you would bind me to, but neither of us will ever know if her issue is royal or bastard." Instead he had been fiercely glad that she would be his, had desired her from the first moment he saw her, and by the time her beauty was revealed, it was too late. His emotions were already thoroughly involved with her.

Now he knew exactly what he wanted, and it was more painful than he could have imagined, knowing that he'd never get it. She even teased him about it, perhaps not cruelly. since she didn't know how he felt, but it had hurt just the same that she could deal with the subject so frivolously. Tell her that he couldn't live without her, that he loved her madly? He'd actually found the only peace he'd known since meeting her by staying away from her on the ship, because every time he was near her, his passions were roused to either anger or desire. And he had no control over what she made him feel. Anger, lust, jealousy, love, it all went hand in hand where Tanya was concerned.

Love her? "Madly" was an apt word. God, what an utter fool he was!