No; if she kept thinking about it, she'd collapse. And still that cool, sane little voice in her mind was insisting, Something's not right.
Maria let her gaze wander about the small room, noting signs of barely concealed poverty in threadbare rugs, worn furnishings. The walls had once been painted in bright, old-fashioned style, stiff, archaic figures against a sky-blue background, but now the paint was sadly faded, so stained and peeling that it was difficult to tell if the images were holy men or heroes. One figure, so worn that only its eyes remained, seemed to stare at her, pleading or pitying, till Maria, fighting down a shudder, looked down at her winecup instead, noting for the first time that it was of cheap, common pewter, not silver. It was true then: Alexei was at the point of bancruptcy, too proud to soil his hands with work, too drawn by the love of gambling to save himself.
But why was he studying her like this? Why did his eyes glitter with passion? All at once Maria began to wonder very much about that so obviously planned attack, and the fine leather boots on men in rags, and the perfectly timed rescue.
«Alexei," she began slowly, «I'm very grateful for your help. But how is it you chanced to be there just at that very moment?»
He gave her a charming smile. «Why, good fortune, Maria Danilovna. Good fortune. You see, the city guards can't be everywhere, and so I have my own men patrol the area about my house. It happened that I was with them this day.»
«I see.» But her hands were beginning to tremble anew, and Maria clenched them fiercely about the winecup. «Boyar Alexei, I may be wrong about this. And if I am, I sincerely crave your pardon. But—what had you to do with Vasilissa?»
His expression of surprise was just a bit too perfect. «I? Why, nothing, boyarevna! She's betrothed, isn't she? What should I have to do with a betrothed woman?»
«Then you'll deny I saw Lissa and her betrothed—and you—running towards this house?»
«Why, my dear, what a thing to say!»
«Alexei, stop it. I'm not the little girl who was bedazzled by your charm. Did I or did I not see you guiding them here?»
His elegant glance seemed to caress her, gently admiring. «No longer a little girl at all," he murmured, voice smooth as dark velvet. A small shiver of response ran up Maria's spine, and angry at herself, she snapped:
«Answer me!»
«Temper doesn't become you.» He paused, then added thoughtfully, just before she could explode, «Of course, it is possible that I might have yielded to romance and let a certain young couple have a bit of privacy on my small lands.»
Maria stiffened. Very carefully she put down the half-filled cup of wine lest she hurl it into his smiling face. «And you made certain I'd see them, didn't you?»
«Did I?»
Curse it, she wasn't going to let that smooth voice be-guile her! «You timed the whole thing very nicely, Vasilissa and my attackers, and the so‑called rescue‑it must have taken every one of your servants.»
«Oh, it did," he admitted, smile fading just a bit. «But how did you suspect?»
«My God, Alexei, if you're going to set a trap for someone, think of the details! Ruffians don't wear expensive boots.»
«Ah. Of course.»
The smile had gone completely; Alexei never had liked being corrected, Maria remembered. She hurried on, «The whole thing was a trap for me? But—but why? What could you possibly hope to gain?»
«You," he said simply.
«What!»
«You, my dear.» The velvet was back in his voice. Before she could move, his hands had snared hers, so quickly she barely had a chance to release the winecup, holding her with a grip so firm it was almost painful. His eyes burned into hers, sending renewed shivers racing through her.
«Alexei, let me go.»
«Not yet. Not till you hear me out. Don't you see, Maria? Did you never guess? Do you not remember that
Maria felt herself blush. They'd both been barely more than children, he enough her senior to have little to do with her. Till that day he'd cornered her in an empty hallway and seen her for the first time as girl rather than child. «I slapped your face.»
«But you didn't tell your father.»
Tell him what? That Alexei had let her go the moment after his lips had brushed hers, suddenly remembering who and what she was? That for all her shock and anger she hadn't exactly disliked the experience? «It was nothing.»
«But you do remember.»
She tried to pull her hands free, but he only tightened his grip. Some women might have enjoyed the feeling of being held helpless like this, Maria supposed in growing unease, but the man's air of casual superiority infuriated her. «Are you actually trying to seduce me, Alexei?»
«And would that be such a terrible thing?»
«It would be an astonishing foolish thing!»
«Akh, Maria, did you never guess? Did you never before notice how I watched you all the years you were growing up, you and your sister—oh, hers is the quick, elegant beauty, but you, with your radiant charm… Many a time I ached, burned, to take you in my arms, Maria, but your father would never let me — "
«Stop it.» No other man had ever spoken to her like this; they'd all been too dazzled by Vasilissa. She might have believed him. She wanted to believe him. But in his contempt for her sense, her willpower, he'd gone too far. This was just too polished a speech to be genuine. Maria thought of all the poor, simple, silly young women who must have been snared by it, and torn by regret and pain and a rage that nearly left her breathless, she gasped out, «Alexei, let me go.»
«No, my dear, not till — "
«Stop it!» With a surge of panicky strength, she twisted her hands free. «What do you really want?»
Alexei paused, studying her, still smiling faintly. «Akh, fierce young woman. Clever woman! I spoke the truth. I want you.»
«Liar!»
The smallest hint of anger flickered into life in his eyes. He continued, with only the slightest roughening of the urbane voice, «Why, my dear, such a bitter word doesn't belong on such lovely lips.»
«Liar, I say!»
She started to scramble to her feet, but he caught one wide sleeve of her caftan and pulled her sharply down again. «I told you that temper doesn't become you, Maria.» The velvet had been replaced by steel. «But I will kiss it away and — "
«You never learn, do you? I don't want you. "
«You will.»
He leaned slowly towards her, eyes hot. And Maria slapped him. It wasn't as hard a blow as she'd have liked, what with the table so awkwardly between them, but she made a point. Alexei released her with a hiss, face gone cold and deadly.
«That was a foolish thing, Maria. So now, my dear, you want the truth? I do want you. Oh no, not from any overblown sense of the romantic. But, as I said, you're a clever woman. Figure it out.»
«I won't play games with you.»
He sighed. «So be it. You know I'm still in disgrace with our most unforgiving prince. Without a court position, my fortune is fading rapidly. I barely have enough gold left to maintain this house in proper style.»
The chill, calculating passion in his eyes frightened her. As coldly as she could manage, Maria spat, «What's this? Am I supposed to pity you?»
«My dear, I hardly care. Your father might have helped to restore my place in Svyatoslav's good graces. But he refused me. This time he isn't going to be so hasty.»
«You can't actually be planning to hold me for ransom!»
«Oh, no. My intentions are quite honorable.» He added with deliberate malice—revenge on her for her blow — «I would have preferred your pretty, pliable sister, but she is already as good as wed. That left only you.»
Maria stared at him in disbelief. «You can't be meaning to marry me!»
«Can't I?»
«But there are dozens of unmarried women. Go to them!»