Seducing the Princess by Mary Hart Perry Page A

his engagement to his Polish mistress tomorrow.”
    “Oh Lord.” Now it was Henry’s turn to take a fortifying gulp. He let the warmth of the brandy flow through him and settle low in his stomach before he spoke again. “The man must be mad.”
    “My mother didn’t even know that he had a mistress until we came here. At least, I don’t think she knew.” Bertie chewed his bottom lip and turned abruptly to start pacing again, alternating worried cigar puffs with sips of his brandy. “The queen has this notion that my sister’s widower should never again marry. After all, wasn’t Alice the perfect mate? Isn’t she irreplaceable? Why should her husband ever want another woman in his life after having had a royal princess and fathered seven children with her?” Bertie laughed. “Mother!”
    “Oh dear.” Henry took another, longer swallow of his brandy. Victoria terrified him even on her mildest days. And he wasn’t alone. He’d come upon her own family members literally tiptoeing away through the garden at Windsor or hastily ducking out back doors when the queen was in a temper. Often, her most vile moods had been brought on by nothing more than a casual remark. The current situation was far more serious.
    “I take it your mother will be furious at the very idea of the duke’s involvement with the lady?”
    “Mother will explode. She will take his behavior as a personal affront and betrayal of the family.” Bertie knocked back the rest of his brandy and reached out a hand toward the decanter. Henry gave it to him. “The problem is this engagement. Alexandrine has been his mistress, I suspect, for many years, and she’s here in Darmstadt now. The duke’s besotted with her. He invited the woman to his daughter’s wedding and intends, foolish man, to use the occasion to announce his betrothal to her.”
    Henry found it imperative to sit on the stone wall for support. He stared up at the full moon in the chill, black April sky. Anyone who had ever witnessed Victoria’s ire or, worse yet, been the object of her temper, would know that tomorrow was bound to be a nightmare if the duke persisted in his plans.
    “Have you spoken to the duke? Have you told him how poor his timing is?”
    “I have, last night at the ball. And he won’t listen to me. I told him, best to wait until the English contingent has returned to London. He says he is not ashamed to choose another wife and will do so despite anyone’s disapproval—even the queen’s.”
    “Then tomorrow will be a bloody awful day.” Henry shook his head in despair. He had hoped for a peaceful few days following the wedding, when he could seek out Beatrice and spend more time with her.
    “What do I do?” the Prince pleaded. “Can you think of anything at all I might do or say to lessen the scandal? You’re such a sensible fellow, Liko.”
    Though flattered, Henry felt ill-suited to the job. “I don’t know.” He thought for a moment. “Perhaps all you can do is try to reduce the impact of the announcement.”
    “But how?”
    Henry thought for a moment. “You must go to the queen tonight and tell her what the duke intends to do.”
    “Good God, no!” The prince leaned heavily on the wall, as if he’d collapse to the ground without its support. “Please, anything but that.”
    “All right then…what can you say about the woman, his mistress, to make her seem worthy of taking Alice’s place?”
    The prince laughed. “Liko, you must be kidding. She was married to a Russian before she took up with the duke. And you know how suspicious my mother is of them . On top of that, she’s not royalty, and she’s a divorced woman, and her reputation is, to say the least, highly questionable. It appears she’s had a string of lovers.” He shook his head. “I’ll admit that Alexandrine is exquisite and charming, but that’s likely to be held against her by my mother. In Victoria’s mind, no one can ever replace Alice as the mother of her