Free The Royal Assassin by Kate Parker Page B

returned to Hereford House.”
    â€œThen I suppose I am walking back,” I said in wistful French, relieved that nothing worse had happened.
    â€œNonsense. We won’t leave a young woman to see to her own safety. There is room in the coach,” Blackford said in English.
    Lady Raminoff continued to lecture the princess in Russian as we returned to the dirt and gravel lane for the carriage. There was nothing wrong with her breathing now.
    I interrupted her in French with, “Are you feeling better, milady?”
    She brushed an invisible speck off her dress. “Yes. Thank you. London air doesn’t seem to agree with me.”
    â€œYou had the same problem in St. Petersburg, but you hid it from my father,” Princess Kira countered.
    â€œNonsense,” Lady Raminoff said, but she bit her lower lip.
    â€œYou missed a lovely bit of woodlands,” I said. The sounds of carriage wheels crunching stones and horses whinnying cut off any replies.
    I was squeezed into the carriage on the return ride between Lady Raminoff and the hard wooden and metal side by the door. From my position, I could see that Sussex never took his eyes off his intended, while Princess Kira alternated between smiling at him and looking out the window on the far side. I’d have given anything to see her expression as she gazed out.
    I stared at Blackford, hoping he’d get my mental message. I wanted him to tell me tonight if Jacob had been successful in following the girl.
    Finally, after we traveled through knots of traffic amid surly drivers and tired horses, we arrived back at Hereford House. The footman handed me down last, as befitted my lowly position in this group. As I reached the ground, I heard Sussex say in French, “I could visit for a while if you’d like. If it would help.”
    Princess Kira gave him a wan smile and said, “No. Thank you, but I’m feeling a bit tired. I’ll see you tomorrow?” Her last words sounded eager, not fatigued.
    Either she really liked his company, or she had planned something with the girl for tomorrow.
    â€œYes. Yes, my love,” Sussex replied.
    I began to follow them into the house. Blackford was standing to the side of the doorway and as I passed, he muttered, “Tonight.”
    Good. He had read my mind.
    The butler let me pass, and as the two dukes turned away, he shut the door. I could hear voices in the front parlor from where I stood in the hall. Three female, one male. The Duke of Herefordmust have returned from his estate to see how his household was faring with the Russian “invasion.”
    I followed the sound to the parlor and found that the door, surprisingly, stood open. I peeked in and saw not the duke but a bearded Russian soldier in full uniform holding his cap in his hand. At his feet was a large rolled bundle wrapped in canvas.
    His hair and beard seemed greasy and his uniform looked worn, as if the wool fabric had previously been used for something else. His boots were scuffed, more the sort workmen wore than the polished boots favored by British officers. I took a step back, uneasy in his presence.
    Russia must be a very poor country to send its soldiers abroad looking like this.
    The soldier, the princess, and Lady Raminoff were all speaking in Russian. The women were talking over each other and waving their hands. The soldier wasn’t getting a chance to say much, or perhaps it was his military training that kept him from answering sharply.
    â€œCome in, Miss Peabody,” the duchess said from where she stood apart from the others. Her drawn face made her look ready to collapse.
    I took a few steps in. “What is going on?”
    â€œApparently, we now have a Russian guard added to our household.” She eyed the tall, heavy-boned man distastefully. “I suppose he can stay in the coach house with the grooms.”
    The man turned a fierce face on the duchess. “No,” he said in heavily