Page 27 of The Tsarina's Favorite
The lady beside me took my arm.“Has anyone been so heartless as to treat you poorly?”
“I cannot blame them,” I told her, refusing to look at any of the ladies who had devoted time and attention to making me feel my status with painful acuity.“My curse has been designed to encourage it.”
She still clung to my arm but looked at the ladies in the group.“We must do something.”
Ladies nodded their heads in agreement.
“Petition we shall,” one of them assured me.
The music started, and all attention tore away from me.Conversation ceased entirely as ladies were called away by eager partners or as they went to find partners when no one asked them immediately.
“Save a dance for me,” whispered the young girl who released my arm and patted my hand before she went off with what looked a steady beau.
Soon, all the ladies had been claimed except for Princess Alaina.No taller than the diminutive jesters herself and browner than any makeup would cover, no one seemed to want to claim her for a dance either.
I didn’t say anything about it.Not the first dance.Or the second.Or the third.
On the fourth, when she was pointedly overlooked by men who stood to the side, I rose from the bench and approached her.
“Your Highness,” I bowed, unsure how she would receive me, “might you care to dance?Despite my current circumstances, I will not shame you as a partner.”
Her gaze shot up to me.Her face softened.The sheen of tears glimmered at the corners of her eyes.But the moment passed.Her face hardened.Her eyes narrowed.A sneer twisted her mouth.
“How dare you presume that I would ever be desperate enough to accept such a degrading offer!”She huffed.“I suppose you would have me look as ridiculous as you.”
I could have said something cutting, but her unexpected sharpness wounded me when I had been trying to be kind to one who had once been kind to me.
“Of course not, ma’am.I would not wish this on anyone.”I bowed again.“My apologies.”
I made to leave the area where the ladies had gathered since none but the ill-receptive princess remained, but the music ended, and one of the young ladies sought me out.
“Please don’t go so soon,” she begged.“I hoped you might ask me to dance.”
Unlike the princess, she accepted my offer and held my arm like I was a prize.And other ladies followed suit, waiting for me when I returned with my prior partner so that I could take them for their turn on the floor.
“An enchanted prince,” and “a prince under a spell,” and “a prince in need of rescuing,” several murmured through the course of the evening, partnered with words like “intriguing” and “fascinating.”
Ekaterina finally caught me between partners and took my arm, pulling me aside to give me private attention.
“Some punishment,” she said.“You have the ladies in love with you all over again.”
“Not all of them,” I demurred.“You aren’t, surely.”
“If you renounced the Great Holy, Mikhail,” she said, blushing from her forehead to her decolletage, “she would probably forgive you.And then, maybe, once you were reinstated....”
“What if I should never be?”
“I refuse to give up hope.As you suggested, I will petition her on your behalf as many times as it takes.I know others will as well.And we will never stop.”
“You have all been so unkind to me through this,” I whispered.“It is painful to lose the affections of all you hold dear and to be so utterly alone.I fear that I’ve given up hope.”
“It’s just court nonsense,” she said, the shine of tears forming in the corners of her eyes.She took my hands and held them in front of her.“You know how it is here!If we don’t love something the tsarina loves or hate what the tsarina hates, we’re all in danger.”She squeezed my hands.“You must believe me.It is as you said — you are still you, no matter the silly costume she puts you in.”
“It seemed to matter very much.”
“Trust me.”She released my hands and placed one of hers on my cheek, the leather strap of the mask beneath it.“I would be able to see the true you, no matter how you are disguised.”
I never broke my gaze from hers as I took her hand.I bent over it and mimed a kiss since the mask prevented an actual one.
