Free Blood Ties by Warren Adler

outlines of her
body, sensed the beginning of desire. And more. He knew the signs, resisting
them.
    "I warn you. I'm a terrible dancer," she said.
    "Just follow the rhythm. And me."
    "When I was a girl, I did a great deal of dancing, but
Wolfgang was not interested in such things." The music was slow and they
moved within a small circle. He could hear Dawn's drunken giggle beside him.
    "What kind of man was my uncle?" he asked.
    "Introspective. A quiet man. Tranquil."
    "That was the attraction?" His inflection gave away
his curiosity. Why did this beautiful woman marry such an old man? Present
circumstances did not explain the original motivation.
    "They are good traits." She smiled and he felt
her closeness, the special scent of her. Her hair was soft against his cheek.
He wondered if she was teasing.
    "Shall I call you Aunt Olga?" he said, testing
the humor.
    "If you like."
    "Will it make you feel uncomfortable?"
    "Yes." She laughed.
    Moving slowly, he turned, saw Siegfried caressing Dawn's
bare back as they danced.
    "Well, what do you think of this jolly group?"
Albert asked.
    "I'm not sure," she said.
    "What did my uncle tell you about us?"
    "A great deal."
    "Within the family, he was rarely mentioned. Except in
some unfavorable context. It was a bit of a shock ... his surfacing after so
many years. Surely you must know how the Baron feels about the Russians."
    "Wolfgang made it quite clear."
    He felt the warmth of her cheek against his, the electric
reaction of his own body as he moved with her.
    "And what do you think of us now?" he asked,
determined to mask his excitement.
    "It is too early to tell." She hesitated, then
searched his face. "I am still observing everyone through Wolfgang's eyes.
I am still fitting personalities into the myth. He could not get the family out
of his mind."
    "After all those years?"
    "That was the curious part. He railed and ranted about
them. Sometimes I felt that was the only thing on his mind. To sustain such
fervor! That was quite something...."
    Her voice diminished as they moved past the musicians. He
could not decipher whether or not she was being sarcastic.
    "And your family?" he asked.
    "Gone. All dead."
    "Then we are your only family," he said stupidly.
    She did not respond. He wondered whether he had implied
something offensive to her. Damned von Kassel trait, he thought, labeling
people with motives.
    "You have every right being here, you know," he
said when the silence became burdensome. There was a momentary break in the
rhythm of her steps.
    "I never questioned that," she said, showing her
sensitivity. "Your aunt's welcome has been almost affectionate, especially
to Aleksandr."
    "That's surprising," he said lightly. Beyond the
levity was a tug of suspicion. Being affectionate was not his aunt's normal
guise.
    "Why so?" He had piqued her curiosity.
    Remaining silent, he ignored the question. She did not
press him, and they continued to dance. But the unanswered questions remained
and multiplied. He felt comforted by the contrived embrace of the dance and
disappointed by the musicians' pause as the piece they were playing ended.
    "We must talk further," he said, leading her back
to her place.
    "Yes. We must."
    Back in his own seat, he watched the tangled little dramas
at the other side of the table. Dawn, her giggle now high pitched, continued to
slosh wine. The waiters were attentive. Every sip was quickly replaced. Heather
glared malignantly at Siegfried, whose interest in Dawn was now obvious to her.
Albert observed it with wry amusement.
    "You cannot say I didn't warn you," Mimi said
without subtlety.
    He wanted to insult her, but checked himself. Mimi was
volatile, a scenemaker. He preferred to ignore her instead. No one had, as yet,
asked her to dance and Rudi was now being attentive to Dawn, much to Mimi's
further chagrin. On his other side sat a little creature who was Wilhelm's
wife, as gnomelike as her husband. He turned to her for a moment. But she was
so shy he could