“I came here to discuss my sister, not to indulge in foolish games.”
For a tense moment she feared he might haul her back against his chest. And more important, she feared she might not protest.
Then, with a rueful shake of his head he waved a hand toward the wing chairs.
“Have a seat, and I will order tea.”
She stubbornly remained standing in the center of the floor. “Do not pretend to be civilized on my account.”
He leaned against the desk, the late afternoon sunlight slanting over his elegantly chiseled features.
“Most of my guests find my manners exquisitely polished and my hospitality without equal.”
“Indeed?”
His lips twisted. “It is only you who seems to rouse my more barbaric nature.”
“Do you intend to assist me or not?”
“Tell me of the gentlemen who you believe abducted your sister.”
Unprepared for his abrupt question, it took Emma a moment to gather her scattered thoughts.
“They were obviously noblemen.”
He arched a raven brow. “How can you be so certain? Even the most common criminal can mimic his betters with enough wealth and the proper training. I possess a number of employees who could attend a ball at the Winter Palace without stirring the least curiosity.”
She grimaced. “It was not their fine clothing or their elegant speech that marked them as nobles.”
“Then what?”
“It was their utter contempt for those they considered beneath them, and how they expected others to bow to their every whim.”
He seemed surprised by her explanation. “You are very perceptive.”
“Obviously not perceptive enough,” she said, her voice edged with bitterness. “I should have suspected that such elegant gentlemen would never willingly re main at my modest coaching inn without some nefarious purpose.”
“What explanation did they offer?”
She shrugged. “They claimed to be searching for a small estate to purchase that would be suitable for a hunting lodge.”
Dimitri nodded, as if he’d expected a similar story. “What names did they use?”
“Baron Fedor Karnechev and his younger brother Sergei.”
“And you would recognize them?”
A cold, dangerous smile curved her lips. When she found the men who had taken her sister, she intended to rip out their hearts with her bare hands.
“Without a doubt.”
Amusement smoldered in the whiskey-gold eyes as Dimitri watched fury ripple over her face.
“Does your sister resemble you?”
“There are some similarities, but Anya’s hair is lighter in color and her eyes the shade of a summer sky.” A wistful smile touched her lips. “She is quite beautiful.”
“I was referring to her temperament, not her physical attributes.”