Free Granny Dan by Danielle Steel Page B

And he was as taken by her spirit as with her beauty. He had never seen, or known, anyone quite like her.
    “Truly, you look beautiful, my dear. Shall we go?” he asked, and she nodded, as he helped her put the sable cape on. And she commented again on how extraordinarily generous the Grand Duchesses had been to send it.
    They traveled the short distance to the palace in his sled, and he covered her carefully with a heavy blanket. It was a clear, cold night, and there were a million stars overhead. And each of them seemed reflected in the candles burning brilliantly in the windows of the palace. He took her quickly inside, and led her upstairs to a large, handsomely appointed salon all done in pale silks and brocades, with marble and malachite and treasures everywhere around them. It was a far less formal room than many others. And with a fire blazing in the grate, the candlelight, and the warm reception she received, she thought she had never felt more at home, or happier. It was like a dream just being there with the Imperial family, and Nikolai, and their friends. And Alexei glued himself to her all through dinner. He sat on one side of her, at his own request, and Nikolai sat on the other, so he could “observe her condition” more closely. But there was nothing to observe except joy that night, and the delight of their friends to meet her. Everyone found her gracious, beautiful, and charming.
    They spoke to her of the ballet, and were also surprised to find her knowledgeable on many subjects. Thanks to Nikolai, in recent weeks at least, she had done a great deal of reading and learning. She seemed to absorb new information like a sponge, and remember everything he told her. And listening to her now, he was oddly proud of her, as though she were his child, or something of his creating.
    He allowed her to stay for quite a while, and then finally, after eleven o'clock, when he saw her growing pale, and she seemed a trifle less animated, he decided that it was wisest to withdraw her. He said something discreetly to the Czarina, and then gently told Danina that he thought it was best for her to go home now. It had been a very exciting first evening for her. And although she had loved every minute of it, she didn't argue with him. Though she hated to admit it to him, she was exhausted, and he could see it. But she was still smiling, as she leaned her head back and looked at the stars, as they rode back to the cottage.
    And as he walked her inside, he stood very close to her, and put an arm around her shoulders for just a moment. She leaned her head against him, partially out of fatigue, but more out of the ease they shared, and her gratitude for all he had done for her.
    “I had a wonderful time, Nikolai … thank you for letting me go … and for arranging it for me … everyone was so kind to me, I had a lovely time,” and she mentioned one of the guests who had been very funny. “It's a shame the Czar couldn't be there.” Everyone had said they missed him. She smiled then, as she looked up at her friend. “It was a lovely party.”
    “Everyone was in love with you tonight, Danina. Count Orlovsky thought you were particularly charming.” He was well into his eighties, and had flirted with her shamelessly all evening, but even his wife thought it amusing. He had been doing precisely that and nothing more, with many beautiful women, in the sixty-five years they had been married.
    “Alexei was very disappointed I wouldn't play cards with him tonight,” she said as she took off her cape. It was an odd feeling, coming home together and talking about the evening, almost as though they were married. “I didn't play cards with him,” she explained, “because I didn't want to be rude to the others.”
    “You can play cards with him another time. Perhaps tomorrow, if you're both up to it. I'm afraid he will be very tired. And you?” He looked at her then with worried eyes. “How do you feel, Danina?”
    Her eyes