Free To Catch a Countess by Patricia Grasso Page A

won,” Prince Stepan said. “Why didn’t you go upstairs to accept her apology?”
    “If I did that, I would be doing her bidding,” Alexander explained, slanting an amused glance at the youngest prince. “Winning means making her wait until I’m ready to listen. Then she is doing my bidding.”
    Prince Rudolf and Robert raised their glasses in a salute to the earl. Alexander inclined his head, accepting their praise.
    Five minutes passed without the majordomo’s return. The minutes stretched to ten, twenty, thirty. And then almost an hour.
    Everyone smiled when Tinker walked into the game room and headed straight for the earl. “When you have a free moment and if it isn’t too much trouble, would you please speak with Lady Victoria?” Tinker asked. “She is beside herself with remorse, desperate to apologize, and anxious to share the lessons she has learned from this experience.”
    “Lady Victoria is a pain in the arse.”
    “Shall I relay that message?”
    Alexander’s lips twitched. “Please do.”
    Miss Victoria Douglas had to realize who was the master in their family. She was a fiery creature of passion, her response to his caresses the previous evening had told him that. A frightened virgin, she had placed herself in his hands, trusted him to keep her safe and pleasure her. Though she hadn’t known they were to be married, some part of her had known she belonged to him. He had seen that in her eyes before he had kissed her into a daze at the stream.
    “You delayed too long,” Prince Rudolf told him.
    Alexander looked at the prince, who stood near the window. “What do you mean?”
    “Take a look.” Prince Rudolf grinned and gestured toward the window.
    Alexander crossed the room. With flute in hand, Victoria walked in the direction of the gazebo. A smile flirted with his lips when she skipped a few steps as if unable to contain her joy at being free of her prison.
    Taking the glass of vodka the prince offered, Alexander gulped it down and grimaced at its strength. In an irritated voice, he said, “I instructed the maid to let me know if Tory left her chamber.”
    Alexander marched across the room and yanked the door open to reveal Tinker who was just about to enter. “Damn it, Tinker, where’s that maid I set to watch Lady Victoria?”
    “Lady Victoria went out the window and climbed down the tree,” Tinker answered.
    “Does this mean Tory has won?” Prince Stepan asked, smiling.
    Alexander turned to the youngest prince. There was no mistaking the murderous gleam in his gaze.
    “I have a fondness for my brother,” Prince Rudolf said. Then, “Stepan, you are making it more difficult for Tory to extricate herself.”
    Without a word to anyone, Alexander turned away. He was going to drag her inside and—he didn’t know what he was going to do once he had dragged her inside.
    Lady Roxanne appeared in the doorway and slipped her arm through his. “Do you want to sprain your hand with wife-spanking?” she asked in a low voice. “Or would you prefer to catch a countess for yourself?”
    Alexander cocked a brow at her. “I’m listening.”
    “Escort Victoria to her chamber, and then go to your own chamber to start packing your bag,” the duchess said, her smile feline. “I will tell Tory that you are releasing her from the betrothal. I guarantee she will go to your chamber to persuade you to stay.”
    “What if she doesn’t?”
    “I know Tory better than she knows herself,” the duchess told him. “Her pride is hurt because you never courted her, and we kept silent for a year. A young naive girl like my niece yearns for a gallant knight to woo her into marriage. Victoria got a business deal.”
    “Does this mean I’ll need to polish my armor until it shines?” Alexander asked with a wry smile.
    “It would certainly help.”
    “I’ll see what I can do.”
    Alexander left the house and sauntered across the grounds toward the gazebo. He could almost feel the watching gazes from