Merline Lovelace by Countess In Buckskin

Author:Countess In Buckskin
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

“Bring her here!”

Her face white and stricken, Helena shoved open the door to a room just off the central living area. Issuing a series of short staccato orders that sent Mikhail Pulkin scurrying, she hurried into the bedroom. Ruthlessly she swept a collection of dolls and toys from an elaborately carved sleigh bed and yanked back the feather-filled counterpane.

“This is my daughters’ room,” she said distractedly while Josh placed his limp burden on the bed. “They’re with their father and my son, and will return soon. In the meantime, I shall tend to the countess. Oh, the poor, poor dear! She’s so wet, and chilled.”

She bent over Tatiana and fumbled with the strings of her fur cloak. The tough, wet rawhide strands defied her efforts.

“I’ll do it,” Josh told her. Shrugging out of his coat, he edged the princess aside. “You’d best dry yourself before you take a chill, too. And stir up something hot to drink.”

“Yes, yes, it is already ordered.” Helena pushed her hair back from her forehead with a shaking hand. “I’ve sent Mikhail to rouse the servants from their quarters behind the house.”

“Go change,” Josh ordered brusquely. “I’ll take care of Tatiana.”

Helena stared at his broad back, as surprised by his curt instruction to a princess royal as by his use of her friend’s given name. At the tsar’s court, either could cost a man his tongue, if not his head. Even here, where everyday life demanded strenuous labor from princess and commoner alike, Helena was careful to maintain the distinction of her station.

Unaware of her scrutiny, the American pulled off Tatiana’s cloak and tossed it aside, then eased the hem of her fringed dress up to her thighs. Frowning in concentration, he went to work on the laces of her furred leggings.

Helena eyes widened. By Saint Sophia! Her friend wore nothing but those leggings under the dress! And this man’s hands moved over her body with a most startling familiarity.

Good! A fierce satisfaction shot through Helena as she turned and hurried to her own bedroom. Good! With all the grief the handsome, charming and so very irresponsible Aleksei had brought Tatiana these past years, Helena sincerely hoped that her friend had finally had a taste of a real man on this fantastical journey of hers.

Just a taste. Just enough to rid her once and for all of any memories of her despicable husband.

Helena slammed the door to her room, not a little shocked by the vehemence of her feelings. In love with her own husband to the point of idiocy, she had never once been tempted to break her vows. When her Uncle Nikolas had sent clever, loyal, hardworking Alexander to this farthest reach of the Russian Empire in an attempt to make it once again a profitable enterprise, Helena had packed up her babies, her servants and her belongings and accompanied him without a backward glance. Before she’d left St. Petersburg, though, she’d tried to warn a young, laughing Tatiana of Aleksei’s shallow character.

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