Free A Royal Affair by John Wiltshire Page B

him how well he rides and how incredibly beautiful he looks upon his horse. He is very vain, and I do not want to encourage him.”
    “I do not think he is very beautiful.”
    “That is because you are a silly baby.”
    “I am not a baby.” And this argument went on for some time, with Aleksey claiming all kinds of evidence to prove his point and the poor child trying vainly to prove, by crying and smacking his tormentor, that he was actually very mature and quite Aleksey’s equal.
    Suddenly there was a roar. Even I jumped a little. The child started too but in delight and then flung out his arms, crying, “ Papa !” and the bear of a man I had met in the forest swung him off Aleksey’s shoulders.
    “Stop abusing my children.” He tucked the child under his arm, clasped Aleksey with his other, and proceeded to knuckle-rub his head until he cried out in genuine distress. The giant chuckled, swung his son onto his own shoulders (narrowly missing braining the child on the roof), and said amicably, “There, you are both babies equally.” He turned to me. “I apologize for my friend’s appalling lack of manners. I am Gregory.” Then he laughed. “Ah, we have already met.” He turned slyly to Aleksey and added, “I see all desired things come to those who already have everything, hey, spoiled child?”
    “Shut up, Gregory.” Aleksey moved swiftly and propelled me toward a door that led into the back of the inn. Once more I was surprised by what I saw, and yet it was only cleanliness, freshness, and openness of design and style that I had rarely witnessed. I had no time to comment on any of this, for two men rose from a table as we entered. I should have expected it: the scarred man and the boy. Aleksey made a murmured inquiry of the boy, only to receive a grief-stricken look and departure in return. Not understanding any of this, I sat, my head spinning.
    He thought I was beautiful.
    Or was he merely humoring himself, as he seemed to do in all things?
    Gregory came to join us at the table, and Sebastian was dispatched to the kitchen to find his mother. I expected this woman to come out and serve us food, but when she appeared, she sat next to her husband at the table. She was carrying another small child, a girl, who was playing with a little doll. It was a particularly affecting scene for some reason. I was extremely tired by now, of course, and hungry, but even this could not explain why I felt my emotions suddenly overwhelm me. I rose swiftly, made the excuse of needing some air, and returned to the stable.
    After a while, I sensed someone behind me. I turned, thinking it would be Aleksey, but it was Gregory’s wife. She smiled, swapping the little girl to her other hip. She was a striking woman: dark skinned, as if she spent a great deal of time out of doors. Her hair was black and luscious and curly down to her waist, for it was not tied up or covered. I had never seen the like. She wasn’t young or beautiful, but she caught and held the eye. Perhaps it was her frank way of looking at me. I held out my hand to the little girl. She reached and took my finger in her chubby ones. “She is very pretty, Madame.”
    “Pia. My name is Pia.” It was very unusual for women to address a stranger quite so frankly. I was at a loss how to respond, so I just bowed politely. She continued to eye me openly. “You have no family?”
    I shook my head, now busying myself with Xavier’s tack.
    “It must be hard to be so far from home amongst strangers.”
    I gave an imperceptible shrug. I had always been far from home and always amongst strangers.
    “You lost your parents very young, I think… and… a sister?”
    I turned sharply. “You would do well, woman, to keep such strange ability to read a man’s mind to yourself in this country.”
    She did not seem offended by my complete and uncharacteristic lack of manners. It was not every day that the very things I had been remembering were plucked so accurately from