Bound by Love (Russian Connection 2)

“And why would the King of England have any interest in letters written over twenty years ago?”

“He has never hidden his dislike for Alexander Pavlovich.”

Stefan shrugged. The two powerful leaders were never destined to be friends. George IV was a gregarious soul who delighted in lavish entertainments and happily indulged his every whim, no matter how outrageous. Alexander Pavlovich, on the other hand, was a quiet, austere man who disliked the pomp and ceremony that was thrust on him.

“George is a vain man who is sensitive to any hint of a slight,” he said. “Alexander Pavlovich should not have refused the entertainments that were planned in his honor when he visited London.”

Her lips thinned, revealing that her sympathy for the disagreement was thoroughly with Alexander Pavlovich.

“Whatever the reason, I do not doubt the King would be pleased with the opportunity to embarrass the Czar.”

He would, of course. But that was hardly the point.

“And you thought I would be an accomplice to such a plot?” he rasped.

She winced. “I did not know you.”

“My mother was a loyal Russian until the day she died.”

“And your loyalty is to England, as it should be,” she swiftly countered.

He gritted his teeth, in no mood to be reasonable. She would never have been put into danger if she had just trusted him.

“We will return to this subject later.” He stepped toward the bed. “What is in the letters that you feared would prove to be an embarrassment to Alexander Pavlovich?”

“I do not know.”

He muttered a low curse. “I thought we were beyond this foolishness?”

Her eyes flashed with frustration. “I am telling you the truth.”

“You traveled all the way to England, played the role of thief, and battled a madman without knowing why you were risking your bloody neck?”

She restlessly stirred on the bed, the shift twisting against her body to outline the perfect curves of her breasts. Stefan sucked in a sharp breath, trying to ignore the brutal awareness that had plagued him since Leonida had opened her eyes.

Until that moment he had been unable to think of anything but the sight of the dagger slicing through her neck. Christ. He was not certain his heart would ever fully recover.

Now, however…

Now he was remembering just how delicious she felt in his arms.

“My mother refused to reveal what she had written and, to be honest, I did not press the issue,” she confessed. “There are some secrets best left unknown.”

He studied her pale features, at last giving a grudging nod of his head. Alexander Pavlovich’s journey to the throne had not been without sacrifice.

Or scandal.

“Yes, I suppose there are.” He paused, considering the unpleasant consequences of the letters falling into the wrong hands. “I am still confused.”

“Why?”

“Those letters have been hidden away for years. Hell, I did not even know they existed. Why was your mother so suddenly determined to have them in their possession?”

He watched the emotions ripple over Leonida’s beautiful features as she overcame her reluctance to confess the truth.

“Because she is being blackmailed.”

“Good God.”