The Prince Who Loved Me (The Oxenburg Princes) by Karen Hawkins Page A

lingering on this woman, then that, searching their faces for something . . . intriguing. Finally, he shrugged. “None of them.”
    “Pah!” Tata Natasha pinned him with a black gaze, disapproval an almost tangible cloak on her small shoulders. “There are more than fifty well-born, beautiful women here tonight. Sir Henry assured me they were all gently raised and are well suited as potential brides. You have your pick, durahk . So pick!”
    “Your concern for my happiness overwhelms me,” he said in a dry tone.
    “You will be happy once you are married. Talk to one. Ask her to dance. You won’t know if you’ll enjoy her company until you speak with her.” When he didn’t answer, she added, “Sir Henry promised that all the women here possess a proper, genteel education, and are well bred—”
    “So you’ve said ten times now. Please stop your infernal matchmaking. I escorted you to Tulloch Castle because you asked me to; I did not come to find a wife.”
    Her eyes narrowed. “What if one finds you? What then?”
    For some reason, an instant image of the fresh-faced brunette he’d met in the forest a week ago flashed through his mind. Which was a pity, for no amount of questioning had yielded her name. Though it was obvious the servants knew who she was, none of them had admitted to knowing her. It had been maddening.
    Realizing his grandmother was still watching him, he gestured to the refreshment table. “Shall I procure you a glass of orgeat?”
    Her expression soured. “You won’t talk about marriage.”
    “ Nyet . Not here. And not to you.”
    “The day will come when you can no longer avoid the subject. You are a prince, and a prince must wed.”
    “True, but that day is not today.” When that day did come, Alexsey could only hope he’d have his father’s good fortune in finding a mate. With just one glance at a lovely Gypsy maid, his father had fallen deeply, madly in love. The laws of Oxenburg hadn’t allowed marriage between the member of the royal family and a commoner, but that hadn’t stopped Alexsey’s father. Ignoring the outraged gasps and furious warnings of his advisors, he’d issued a decree allowing members of the royal family to marry anyone they wished, and then proceeded to parade his lady love before the people of his country. His plan had worked; the people of Oxenburg had fallen just as wildly in love with his beautiful, charming bride-to-be as he had. They’d welcomed the new queen with celebrations of such enthusiasm that his advisors were silenced, and the laws of Oxenburg changed forever.
    One might assume that such a change would mean that the king’s sons could follow their hearts on the path to true love. One might also assume that the Grand Duchess Nikolaevna, the mother of the Gypsy-turned-queen, would encourage her grandsons to marry for love as her daughter had done.
    But no.
    No one was more critical of bloodlines than his Tata Natasha. A tiny woman with a fierce pride, she was more conscious of her new title, and those of others, than anyone born to the velvet. Worse, she acted more queenly than any born-to-the-throne queen Alexsey had ever met. And he’d met them all.
    Tata Natasha pinched his arm.
    He flicked a glance her way. “Stop that.”
    “You were not listening. I was pointing out the beauties in this crowd and you were staring at the opposite wall as if you were in hell.”
    “Is there whiskey in this hell? If so, I’d gladly— Tata, stop that. Pinching my arm will not encourage me to listen. In fact, it has quite the opposite effect.”
    “You are fortunate to be here. Otherwise, you would still be in Oxenburg with that—”
    “Don’t!” Alexsey scowled. “It’s always the same with you: you spend too much time trying to order my life, and I need no such help. I know what I want.” And at the moment what I want is a few hours under a tree with a certain bespectacled, round-cheeked housemaid. He’d visited her reading spot every