Bound by Love (Russian Connection 2)

“The stable boy admitted that he recognized the carriage I described and that a veiled lady with two servants spent the night at the inn.”

“When?”

“The night before last. We are gaining.”

Stefan clenched his hands. “Too slowly.”

Boris shrugged. “There is more.”

“What?”

“According to the stable boy the widow lingered long enough to trade her elegant carriage for a far inferior vehicle.” Boris grimaced. “One that is so common that it could easily be lost among a dozen others just like it.”

“Clever minx.” Stefan’s lips twitched. He was as impressed by her relentless courage as he was relieved at the knowledge that she was still a step ahead of her enemies.

It was absurd how much time he devoted to fretting over her welfare. Christ, he had lain awake last eve worrying whether or not she had a fire to keep her warm. The nights this far north were chilly even in summer.

“She does come from a long line of cunning warriors,” Boris pointed out, a hint of pride in his voice. “Czar Peter rebuilt a forgotten land to a massive empire by the sheer power of his will, while Catherine seized the throne and civilized the nation.”

“And Alexander Pavlovich?” Stefan demanded dryly, at the moment thoroughly out of charity with the current Czar.

Boris shrugged. “He rescued us from a madman.”

“He was not alone in battling Napoleon.”

“Ah.” A strange smile touched the servant’s lips. “I had nearly forgotten. Two madmen.”

Stefan lifted his brows, belatedly realizing that Boris had been referring to Alexander Pavlovich’s father, Emperor Paul.

The previous Czar had propitiously died when Alexander was a mere twenty-four years of age. No one mourned the loss of the brutal Paul, but the whispers that Alexander had assisted in sending the previous Czar to his timely death, and even stepped over his cold body to take the throne, had haunted the Emperor for years.

“It is a dangerous business to be born a Romanov.”

“Russia is a harsh land that breeds those capable of surviving. The weak are not tolerated.”

Stefan narrowed his gaze. “Is there something you are trying to tell me, Boris?”

“Englishwomen are taught that being modest and well-behaved are admirable traits,” he said, a sudden smile curving his lips. “Although there are those females, such as my wife, who do not heed such teachings.”

Stefan snorted, well aware that Janet, who was also Brianna’s maid, was firmly in charge of Boris. The woman would terrify the most stout-hearted man.

“Implying Englishwomen are placid and boring?”

Boris shrugged. “They prefer to use charm to beguile a gentleman.”

“And Russian women?”

“Passionate, volatile and occasionally dangerous. Most importantly they will not hesitate to do whatever necessary to protect those they love.”

Stefan abruptly turned away, a queer ache blooming in the center of his heart.

He could not deny that Leonida made every other woman of his acquaintance pale in comparison. It was not that she was flamboyant or tempestuous. Quite the opposite, in fact. She was much like his mother. A stunningly beautiful woman with a calm composure that disguised a generous heart and a fierce loyalty to her family.

“I will find her,” he muttered beneath his breath.

“Best sooner than later.”

Stefan turned back to meet Boris’s steady gaze. “Is there something you haven’t told me?”