Bound by Love (36 page)

She would be damned if she would allow any of the servants to see her crying over the Duke of Huntley.

Besides, she could not bear the thought of being closed in. Not in this moment. She needed to feel the summer breeze and the sun on her skin. How else would she melt the frozen pain that held her captive?

Choosing a marble bench near the back of the garden, Leonida allowed the tears to fall freely. The wrenching sadness would pass, she told herself. It might take a few days. Or weeks.

Or months.

But in the end she had made the right choice.

Mon Dieu
. There was nothing she wanted more than to be Stefan’s wife. It had nothing to do with becoming the
Duchess of Huntley. Or claiming a prestigious position in English society. It was simply the desire of a woman who loved a man beyond all bearing.

But Alexander Pavlovich had been right.

Even if Stefan were willing to give her his name for the sake of his passion, how long would it be before she began yearning for an affection he could not feel? Or worse, how long before Stefan came to regret having a wife he could not love?

It would destroy her.

And eventually it would destroy Stefan, as well.

She lost track of time as her tears slowly came to a halt and she wallowed in her misery. Soon she would gather her composure and return to the house. Life, after all, had not come to an end just because Stefan was leaving Russia.

Her mother was still in danger and until they could find some means of discovering who had the letters, the Countess would never feel safe. And, of course, there was still Sir Charles. Until he was caught, the streets of St. Petersburg would never be safe.

She was on the point of returning to the house when the sound of the back gate being pushed open had her on her feet.

“Pyotr?” she called, instinctively moving to investigate who had entered the garden. “What are you…” She came to an abrupt halt, her heart squeezing with terror as she easily recognized the slender man with a jagged scar running down his cheek. How could she ever forget him? He had helped Sir Charles hold her captive. “No.”

Opening her lips, Leonida prepared to scream. At least one of her servants was bound to be close enough to hear. Before she could make a sound, however, the small man clapped a hand over her mouth and lifted the gun he held in his other hand.

“Forgive me, Miss Karkoff, but I cannot allow you to draw attention to my presence.” A chilling smile touched
his lips. “I will remove my hand, but know I will not hesitate to shoot if you attempt to attract notice.”

Trembling with fear, Leonida waited for the servant to pull his hand away. Although he had managed to shave and change into a clean pair of trousers and linen smock since the last occasion she had seen him, Josef still managed to appear menacing. And she did not doubt for a moment he would pull the trigger.

“What are you doing here?” she asked huskily.

“My employer desires your company.” He jerked his head toward the small carriage just beyond the mews. She had been so lost in her thoughts that she had not even heard it approach. “If you will accompany me peacefully I assure you that no harm will come to you.”

“Never.” Her words throbbed with sincerity. “I would rather you shoot me now than to be in the hands of Sir Charles again.”

Surprisingly, his thin face twisted with disgust. “Sir Charles. Bah. I would never work for such a depraved coward.”

“Do you take me for an idiot? I have not forgotten one ghastly moment in your company.”

“Nothing more than a charade.” The man shrugged. “My true employer was anxious to keep track of Sir Charles. It would not do to have him disappear before he was brought to justice.”

Charade? Justice? Leonida shook her head, anger and confusion beginning to overcome her fear. This had to be some sort of trick.

“And it did not trouble you that he kidnapped an innocent woman and nearly slit her throat?”

“I did my best to keep you alive.” He caught and held her gaze. “Even you must admit that.”

Her lips thinned. She was not about to admit any such thing. Not when he was pointing a gun at her heart.

“All I know is that you were traveling with Sir Charles
and rescued him before he could be put in a grave where he belongs.”

“You were allowed to have your bit of flesh, but his life was owed to another.”

Leonida jerked in shock. “He is dead?”

Josef shook his head, as if he had said more than he intended.

“Your questions will all be answered if you will simply get into the carriage.”

She shivered. “I do not trust you.”

“Very wise, but on this occasion I have been commanded to treat you with exquisite care. Always presuming you cooperate.”

“What do you want of me?”

Noticing her instinctive glance toward the house, Josef reached out to grasp her arm and began hauling her toward the open gate.

“I admire your attempt to distract me long enough to be discovered by one of your servants, but I really must insist that you get into the carriage.”

With the gun pressed to her side, Leonida had no choice but to give in to his demands. Even if she could scream for help before the rat could shoot her, she would never put her servants at risk.

They reached the carriage and Leonida had only a glimpse of the large groom, who sat on the driver’s seat, before being shoved into the dark interior. Unfortunately, the glimpse was enough to reveal that the man possessed the hard, detached expression of a seasoned soldier. She would find no mercy from him.

Huddling on the surprisingly clean leather seat, Leonida kept her wary gaze trained on Josef as he sat opposite her, the gun held in his hand but no longer pointed in her direction. Not that she was deceived. One wrong move and he would shoot.

They traveled in silence, the only sound the sharp click
of horseshoes against the paved road. Leonida was too terrified at the lingering dread she was about to be delivered to Sir Charles to chatter, and Josef was obviously not the sort to believe in social niceties.

It was at last the realization they were traveling over one of the bridges to the outer islands that shook her out of the strange stupor.

“Do you intend to tell me where we are going?”

“No.”

Her hands clenched, her anger flaring. Was she being taken to a remote spot so no one could hear her scream? Or was it simply more convenient to drop her body in the sea after her throat had been slit?

Neither possibility eased her looming panic.

“It does not really matter.” She forced the words past her stiff lips. “As soon as it is known that I am missing the entire Russian Army will be scouring the city for me. You and your mysterious employer will learn what happens to those who anger the Czar.”

Unexpectedly, Josef smiled. “You do have spirit for a fancy wench.”

She grimaced. “More like stupidity.”

“No, I have seen your courage.” Even through the shadows she could detect the hint of admiration in his eyes. “Not many females would have survived Sir Charles.”

More unnerved than pleased by his words, Leonida cleared the lump from her throat.

“Your flattery will not save you from being executed.”

“You will be returned home long before Alexander Pavlovich can gather his forces.”

“We shall see,” she muttered, far from reassured.

Again a tense silence filled the swaying carriage. Leonida gritted her teeth. It was taking all her effort not to give in to the panic that thundered through her.

She would not lower her pride with futile hysterics.

After what seemed to be an eternity the carriage at last
pulled to a smooth halt and Josef shoved open the door to crawl out. Leonida grudgingly followed, her gaze swiftly taking in the three-storied warehouse built of gray stone that was situated along a shabby quay.

At first glance the place appeared abandoned with overgrown weeds and trash piled along the side, but Leonida was not deceived. Even from a distance she could see several large forms outlined behind the numerous windows.

Guards keeping watch.

“What is this place?” she demanded, resisting the urge to struggle as Josef grasped her arm and firmly led her to a side door.

“Follow me.”

As if she had a choice in the matter.

Grimly concentrating on not stumbling over her hem, Leonida nearly missed the sounds that began to fill the air. Startled, she turned to regard Josef’s hard profile.

“Are those children?”

He met her gaze with a faint smile. “Did you think only nobles could produce brats?”

She frowned. The sounds came from behind the warehouse, as if the children were playing in the sunshine.

“Why are they not at the orphanage?”

“We take care of our own when we can.”

We? Nothing could make her believe that Sir Charles had the least interest in caring for children. The man was a coldhearted monster. So who did Josef mean? Was this some sort of secret lair for criminals?

“By training them to be thieves?” she hazarded.

Oddly the man appeared offended by her comment. “By giving them a roof over their head, food in their bellies and the chance to learn how to read. Which is more than your orphanage can offer.”

She did not bother to hide her disbelief. “You are teaching them to read?”

“And to do their sums.”

“Even the girls?” she demanded, easily able to determine the high-pitched laughter that could never belong to a boy.

“Of course.” Reaching the door, Josef pulled it open and waved a hand toward the dark interior. “After you.”

Desperate to distract her mind from the potential monster waiting in the shadowed depths, Leonida concentrated on Josef as she stepped over the threshold.

“Who is responsible for the children?”

“For lack of an appropriate chaperone, I have taken charge of the urchins,” a voice replied from the shadows of the large, cavernous room.

She came to a halt, her hand pressed to her racing heart. “And you would be?”

The man stepped into the light from a nearby window, appearing absurdly out of place in the grimy setting.

Good…heavens. He was quite honestly one of the most handsome gentlemen she had ever encountered.

Tall and slender, he had dark hair that was pulled into a tail at his neck, the better to reveal his elegant, bronze-kissed face. His eyes were a startling gold that shimmered in contrast to the black velvet jacket, and his lips curved into a smile of pure temptation. In the shaft of sunlight a diamond flashed from the folds of his crisply tied cravat.

He should have been standing in the formal confines of the Summer Palace, not in an abandoned warehouse.

As if sensing her astonishment, the man moved forward to take her hand, lifting it to his lips.

“Dimitri Tipova,” he murmured, allowing his mouth to linger far longer than manners dictated. “It is my great pleasure to meet you at last, Miss Karkoff.”

This was the infamous Beggar Czar?

Too confused by the unexpected encounter to be as frightened as she should be, Leonida frowned.

“You look familiar. Have we met before?”

Amusement smoldered in his golden eyes. “I do not
move in your elevated circle, although you have no doubt crossed paths with my father.”

A blush touched her cheeks. “Oh.”

“Not all bastards are so welcomed as you,
ma belle
.” He glanced toward the back windows of the warehouse. “Which is why I opened my little school.”

Tugging her hand from his warm grasp, Leonida studied the handsome criminal with a wary puzzlement.

“Why have you brought me here?”

His gaze trailed a warm path down her body. “In part I desired to meet you.”

“Why?”

He chuckled at her blunt suspicion. “You are somewhat a saint among the serfs.”

“Saint?”

“Your kindness to those in need does not go unnoticed.”

She nervously glanced over her shoulder, discovering Josef standing patiently beside the door. Had she fallen asleep in the garden? Certainly this all seemed like more a nightmare than reality.

“And that is why you had me kidnapped?”

“An unnecessary evil, for which I hope you will forgive me. Unfortunately, there is a rather large bounty on my head. It did not seem wise to call upon you at your home.” The dark gaze took another sweep over her slender body. “Of course, had I known your beauty was even more stunning than rumored I might have considered it a worthy risk.”

“Sir…”

“Dimitri,” he smoothly interrupted. “I am no gentleman.”

“What do you want of me?”

“We shall discuss that in a moment,
ma belle
.” His slender hand lifted to tuck a stray curl behind her ear. Oddly, Leonida was not frightened by the intimate gesture. Or even offended. Instead, she could not deny a growing curiosity about this complex man. “First I have information that I believe will be of interest to you.”