Page 42 of A Queen's Match
If only she’d caught up with Eddy and explained that Nicholas and Hélène’s courtship was just for show. She had tried to chase after him—but then she’d found Ernie and Johann, who had both promptly run off. Alix hadn’t seen any of them for the rest of the day.
When Ernie and Eddy had shown up at this engagement party, dragged here by George, it was too late. The engagement was announced, and the damage was done.
Alix supposed she could tell Eddy the truth now…but what if it only made things worse?
“You seem surprised by this engagement,” Maximilian observed, in a low tone. “Are you all right?”
Alix turned to look at Maximilian then. He didn’t resemble the other guests, all painfully glamorous in their petal-soft dresses and glittering jewels. His clothes felt somewhatdated, his jacket cut too wide, the colors from at least five years ago. And, of course, he had that distinctly German beard.
Alix found it endearing, almost commendable, that he hadn’t bought new clothes for the regatta—or shaved—in an effort to look like everyone else.
Maximilian colored, sensing her scrutiny. “Sorry if I overstepped. But I’m here, if you’d like to talk about it. As friends.”
He thought that Alix was upset by Eddy and May’s engagement. Come to think of it, many other guests had been shooting her curious glances. They must have all heard her name linked with Eddy’s, back when Grandmama was trying to push the two of them together.
“Thank you,” Alix told Maximilian. “I am surprised, yes. But not for the reasons you think. I do not love Eddy, and I never did.”
He studied her, puzzled. “Her Majesty had told me that you were previously engaged to Eddy. When you told me that you didn’t wish to be courted, I thought— That is, I assumed he had broken your heart.”
“I didn’t wish to be courted because I love someone else,” Alix confessed.
If Maximilian was shocked by her honesty, he didn’t show it. “I see” was all he said, with a solemn nod.
Alix hurried to change the subject. “Do you know where Ernie is? I’m concerned for him.” Maximilian would assume she was worried about Ernie’s drunkenness, but of course it was much bigger.
She wanted to talk to her brother about Johann, to make sure he was all right.
It had startled her, seeing the two of them together. Alix was not so sheltered as to be completely unaware that there could be romance between two men or two women. She had read novels, after all, many of which were written in France. It was just that in books, such men were always ridiculous and foppish, painting their faces with rouge or wearing earrings. Ernie loved to hunt and ride and drink liquor as much as any other man.
But then, Alix had already learned the hard way that life rarely resembled the world depicted in novels.
“There are some gentlemen on the upper deck smoking cigars. I’ll look for your brother there,” Maximilian promised, seeming grateful to have been given a task.
As he walked off, Alix caught sight of Nicholas. He must have just rejoined the party; he was approaching from the back of the yacht, where rowboats ferried guests to other boats or to shore.
Alix didn’t hesitate. She wove through the crowds, ducking past servers with champagne on silver trays.
“Your Imperial Highness.” She curtsied before him, because they were still in public and she knew enough to be careful.
“I was just escorting the Princess Hélène back to thePolar Star.She felt unwell,” Nicholas explained.
Before Alix could reply, he waved his wrist in the direction of the yacht’s interior. “I’m sorry. I seem to have lost a cuff link inside. Would you help me find it?” He spoke loudly, in case anyone was eavesdropping.
Alix followed him to the yacht’s interior and down a narrow hallway that was clearly meant for staff. Nicholas trieda door, revealing a closet filled with wineglasses and folded cloth napkins. He pulled her inside and quickly shut the door behind them.
The only illumination was a thin golden light that crept in from the hallway. It gleamed on Nicholas’s dark hair, casting a shadow along his jawline.
“I’m glad you’re here,” Alix began, but couldn’t say more because Nicholas’s mouth was on hers.
Her heart thudded wildly as he reached his arms around her. Within moments they were chest to chest, Alix’s back colliding with the shelves as Nicholas lifted her, his thigh pressing into her skirts. His hands seemed to be everywhere at once: on the back of her neck, in her hair, around her waist. It was intoxicating and, at the same time, not nearly enough. She wanted all of him, right now—
Alix pulled back with a start, turning her face aside so that Nicholas’s kiss fell on her hairline instead of her mouth.
Slowly, he lowered her and took a step back, running a hand through his hair. They were both breathing heavily.
“I am sorry,” Nicholas said quickly. “I got carried away. It is just that I have thought of you every minute since we were apart.”
“So have I,” Alix whispered.
