You’re too possessive to tolerate—”
“I am not.”
“I know you, Alex. You’d take a horsewhip to a husband who wasn’t faithful to you.”
“I would not,” Alexandra protested vehemently.
She was aware that she’d said something quite different to Vasili. But that had been for effect. She certainly hadn’t meant it.
She added for good measure, “I couldn’t care less who that man sleeps with before or after the—never mind, there isn’t going to be any wedding anyway. I told you, I have no intention of marrying him.”
“‘If you can help it’ were your exact words, and just how do you intend to do that?”
Alexandra dropped an arm over her eyes before she sighed. “I don’t know. Delaying this journey with the wagons was as far ahead as I’ve thought.”
“That might annoy him, but it won’t make him refuse to marry you,” Nina pointed out.
“I know, so help me think. What would make a man refuse a marriage he’s already agreed to?”
“Repugnance,” Nina suggested.
“Shame,” Alexandra added.
“Disgust—”
“Wait, I can handle that one,” Alex said excitedly as she sat up.
“Good, because you couldn’t have managed repugnance, no matter how hard you tried. And I can’t see you managing to disgust him either, for that matter.”
“I already have.” Alexandra grinned. “As toplofty and disdainful as he is, he took exception to the way I’m dressed, found me quite disgusting, or so his expression said. And you can be sure he didn’t like my frankness one bit either. So that’s it, Nina.”
“What is? You’re still betrothed to him, so how did that work?”
“It hasn’t yet, but then, he’s only met me, he hasn’t met the new me.”
“Ah, a little pretense.” Nina nodded. “Is that what you have in mind?”
“No, a lot of pretense,” Alexandra said, warming to the idea. “He must already consider me a provincial, but I’ll be the worst provincial he’s ever encountered. I’ll be coarse and vulgar, ill-mannered, an utter embarrassment to him. He’ll be horrified at the very thought of introducing me to his family and friends. And he’ll quickly conclude that even his father would have broken the betrothal if he could have seen how I turned out.”
“This sounds like fun.” Nina grinned.
“Then you’ll come along with me?”
“You thought you could leave me behind?”
Alexandra laughed and hugged her friend. “It shouldn’t take more than a week for him to send me back, so we won’t be gone that long. I’m still going to cart along everything I own, though.”
“You still think you’ll need the delay the wagons will cause?”
“I hope he’ll come to his senses in only a week, but I’m not leaving anything to chance. If I do need more time to convince him he’d be a fool to marry me, then I’ll have it. But don’t worry about the packing. Just stuff everything in the trunks when they get here. I’ll send him a bill for whatever is ruined because there was no time to pack properly, as soon as this betrothal is over.”
“That will be throwing salt on an open wound,” Nina predicted.
“I’m counting on it.”
Nina left to start gathering the trunks, but Alexandra had only a few moments alone to reflect on what she had decided to do. Anna arrived, and the feelings of hurt and betrayal that Alexandra had been trying to ignore returned with a vengeance.
“Your father tells me you won’t be joining us for dinner,” Anna began.
“I’ll be too busy packing.”
Anna couldn’t miss the bitterness in her tone. “I’m sorry, Alex. I know you’re against this marriage right now, but you must admityour father picked an exceedingly handsome man for you.”
An exceedingly handsome, rotten man, whom she wasn’t going to discuss. “So you did know about the betrothal?” Alexandra said instead, as if it weren’t a foregone conclusion, considering how close Anna was to the baron.
Anna winced. “Yes, and your father
“I am not.”
“I know you, Alex. You’d take a horsewhip to a husband who wasn’t faithful to you.”
“I would not,” Alexandra protested vehemently.
She was aware that she’d said something quite different to Vasili. But that had been for effect. She certainly hadn’t meant it.
She added for good measure, “I couldn’t care less who that man sleeps with before or after the—never mind, there isn’t going to be any wedding anyway. I told you, I have no intention of marrying him.”
“‘If you can help it’ were your exact words, and just how do you intend to do that?”
Alexandra dropped an arm over her eyes before she sighed. “I don’t know. Delaying this journey with the wagons was as far ahead as I’ve thought.”
“That might annoy him, but it won’t make him refuse to marry you,” Nina pointed out.
“I know, so help me think. What would make a man refuse a marriage he’s already agreed to?”
“Repugnance,” Nina suggested.
“Shame,” Alexandra added.
“Disgust—”
“Wait, I can handle that one,” Alex said excitedly as she sat up.
“Good, because you couldn’t have managed repugnance, no matter how hard you tried. And I can’t see you managing to disgust him either, for that matter.”
“I already have.” Alexandra grinned. “As toplofty and disdainful as he is, he took exception to the way I’m dressed, found me quite disgusting, or so his expression said. And you can be sure he didn’t like my frankness one bit either. So that’s it, Nina.”
“What is? You’re still betrothed to him, so how did that work?”
“It hasn’t yet, but then, he’s only met me, he hasn’t met the new me.”
“Ah, a little pretense.” Nina nodded. “Is that what you have in mind?”
“No, a lot of pretense,” Alexandra said, warming to the idea. “He must already consider me a provincial, but I’ll be the worst provincial he’s ever encountered. I’ll be coarse and vulgar, ill-mannered, an utter embarrassment to him. He’ll be horrified at the very thought of introducing me to his family and friends. And he’ll quickly conclude that even his father would have broken the betrothal if he could have seen how I turned out.”
“This sounds like fun.” Nina grinned.
“Then you’ll come along with me?”
“You thought you could leave me behind?”
Alexandra laughed and hugged her friend. “It shouldn’t take more than a week for him to send me back, so we won’t be gone that long. I’m still going to cart along everything I own, though.”
“You still think you’ll need the delay the wagons will cause?”
“I hope he’ll come to his senses in only a week, but I’m not leaving anything to chance. If I do need more time to convince him he’d be a fool to marry me, then I’ll have it. But don’t worry about the packing. Just stuff everything in the trunks when they get here. I’ll send him a bill for whatever is ruined because there was no time to pack properly, as soon as this betrothal is over.”
“That will be throwing salt on an open wound,” Nina predicted.
“I’m counting on it.”
Nina left to start gathering the trunks, but Alexandra had only a few moments alone to reflect on what she had decided to do. Anna arrived, and the feelings of hurt and betrayal that Alexandra had been trying to ignore returned with a vengeance.
“Your father tells me you won’t be joining us for dinner,” Anna began.
“I’ll be too busy packing.”
Anna couldn’t miss the bitterness in her tone. “I’m sorry, Alex. I know you’re against this marriage right now, but you must admityour father picked an exceedingly handsome man for you.”
An exceedingly handsome, rotten man, whom she wasn’t going to discuss. “So you did know about the betrothal?” Alexandra said instead, as if it weren’t a foregone conclusion, considering how close Anna was to the baron.
Anna winced. “Yes, and your father
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