brain him with one restless movement. “Come!”
Algie motioned to a footman, but Kate stopped him. “Caesar has to learn to obey,” she said, taking out her bag of cheese.
Freddie and Coco crowded against her skirts, acting like the ravenous little pigs they were. She gave them each a piece of cheese and a pat, and then all of a sudden Caesar realized what was going on. “Come!” she called again.
He came, and she gave him a piece of cheese.
“Tedious business,” Algie remarked.
“Yes,” Kate agreed with a sigh.
“But they do seem to be less noisy. I’m afraid Victoria has too soft a nature. Just look what happened to her poor lip.”
Once they were seated Algie said, rather unnecessarily, “That was my uncle. The prince.” His tone was reverent and hushed.
“He seemed princelike,” Kate agreed.
“Can you imagine what His Highness would make of Victoria’s background?” He sounded horrified at the thought.
“I wonder what his bride will be like,” Kate said, again picturing the prince silhouetted against the sun. He was the sort of man who would marry a glimmering princess from a foreign land, a woman wrapped in ropes of pearls and diamonds.
“Russia women are dark-haired,” Algie said, trying to sound as if he knew what he was talking about. “I might have introduced you, but I thought it was better that he not notice you until . . .” He waved a hand. “You know, until you change.”
As far as Kate could tell, he hadn’t minded a bit that Kate didn’t look as pretty as Victoria—until now.
“I’m sorry,” she told him.
He focused, blinking a little. “For what?”
“I’m not as much fun to have on your arm as Victoria. The prince would surely have noticed how beautiful she is.”
Algie was too young to dissemble. “I do wish she were here,” he said. “But it’s probably better this way, because what if she saw him and she decided . . .” His voice trailed off.
“Victoria adores you,” Kate told him, feeling very pleased with herself for suppressing an impulse to add “more the fool she.” They were perfectly matched, Victoria and Algie: both fuzzy and sweet and awed by anyone with two thoughts to knock together. “And remember, the prince would never in a million years marry someone like Victoria. I expect that he’s too high in the instep for even a duke’s daughter, let alone someone like my stepsister.”
Caesar growled out the window at a passing carriage. “On the floor,” she said sternly, and he hopped down. But Freddie put his front paws on the seat and whined gently, so she let him jump up and sit next to her. He leaned his trembling little body against her and then collapsed, chin in her lap.
“I say, that’s not fair,” Algie pointed out.
“Life isn’t fair,” Kate said. “Freddie is being rewarded for not barking.”
“He’s brilliant,” Algie said, rather unexpectedly.
Kate blinked down at Freddie, who was decidedly not brilliant.
“I mean the prince. My mother said that he actually took a degree at Oxford. I didn’t even bother going to university. But he took a top degree in ancient history. Or something like that.”
The prince had not only arrogance and royal blood and a truly beautiful riding coat, but brains ?
Not so likely. Weren’t all those princes inbred? “Likely they give every prince a top degree just for gracing the door of the university,” she pointed out. “After all, what else could they say? ‘I do apologize, Your Highness, but you’re as stupid as a hedgehog, and so we can’t give you a degree’?”
As they trundled the last miles to the castle, she carefully nurtured that sprig of disrespect for a man whose hair curled wildly around his shoulders, who spent his time careening about accompanied by scented courtiers, and who didn’t bother to greet her.
He counted her beneath his notice, which was humiliating but not exactly unexpected. She was beneath his notice.
In fact, thinking about the
Algie motioned to a footman, but Kate stopped him. “Caesar has to learn to obey,” she said, taking out her bag of cheese.
Freddie and Coco crowded against her skirts, acting like the ravenous little pigs they were. She gave them each a piece of cheese and a pat, and then all of a sudden Caesar realized what was going on. “Come!” she called again.
He came, and she gave him a piece of cheese.
“Tedious business,” Algie remarked.
“Yes,” Kate agreed with a sigh.
“But they do seem to be less noisy. I’m afraid Victoria has too soft a nature. Just look what happened to her poor lip.”
Once they were seated Algie said, rather unnecessarily, “That was my uncle. The prince.” His tone was reverent and hushed.
“He seemed princelike,” Kate agreed.
“Can you imagine what His Highness would make of Victoria’s background?” He sounded horrified at the thought.
“I wonder what his bride will be like,” Kate said, again picturing the prince silhouetted against the sun. He was the sort of man who would marry a glimmering princess from a foreign land, a woman wrapped in ropes of pearls and diamonds.
“Russia women are dark-haired,” Algie said, trying to sound as if he knew what he was talking about. “I might have introduced you, but I thought it was better that he not notice you until . . .” He waved a hand. “You know, until you change.”
As far as Kate could tell, he hadn’t minded a bit that Kate didn’t look as pretty as Victoria—until now.
“I’m sorry,” she told him.
He focused, blinking a little. “For what?”
“I’m not as much fun to have on your arm as Victoria. The prince would surely have noticed how beautiful she is.”
Algie was too young to dissemble. “I do wish she were here,” he said. “But it’s probably better this way, because what if she saw him and she decided . . .” His voice trailed off.
“Victoria adores you,” Kate told him, feeling very pleased with herself for suppressing an impulse to add “more the fool she.” They were perfectly matched, Victoria and Algie: both fuzzy and sweet and awed by anyone with two thoughts to knock together. “And remember, the prince would never in a million years marry someone like Victoria. I expect that he’s too high in the instep for even a duke’s daughter, let alone someone like my stepsister.”
Caesar growled out the window at a passing carriage. “On the floor,” she said sternly, and he hopped down. But Freddie put his front paws on the seat and whined gently, so she let him jump up and sit next to her. He leaned his trembling little body against her and then collapsed, chin in her lap.
“I say, that’s not fair,” Algie pointed out.
“Life isn’t fair,” Kate said. “Freddie is being rewarded for not barking.”
“He’s brilliant,” Algie said, rather unexpectedly.
Kate blinked down at Freddie, who was decidedly not brilliant.
“I mean the prince. My mother said that he actually took a degree at Oxford. I didn’t even bother going to university. But he took a top degree in ancient history. Or something like that.”
The prince had not only arrogance and royal blood and a truly beautiful riding coat, but brains ?
Not so likely. Weren’t all those princes inbred? “Likely they give every prince a top degree just for gracing the door of the university,” she pointed out. “After all, what else could they say? ‘I do apologize, Your Highness, but you’re as stupid as a hedgehog, and so we can’t give you a degree’?”
As they trundled the last miles to the castle, she carefully nurtured that sprig of disrespect for a man whose hair curled wildly around his shoulders, who spent his time careening about accompanied by scented courtiers, and who didn’t bother to greet her.
He counted her beneath his notice, which was humiliating but not exactly unexpected. She was beneath his notice.
In fact, thinking about the
Similar Books
