Be My Prince Read Free Page B

allowance from my uncle, so it seems I must choose a husband in a more mercenary fashion if I am to help my sisters improve their situation. I am the eldest. It falls upon me to lift us out of the trenches. That is the world we live in, I suppose. Duty must come first.”
    The gentleman said nothing. He seemed rather taken aback, and Alexandra wanted to sink through the ground. What had she been thinking? It was unseemly to reveal such intimate details to a complete stranger in the dark when she was duty bound to be inside seducing a prince—not only to secure a better future for herself and her sisters but also to avenge her true family and embrace her destiny as the rightful sovereign of Petersbourg.
    “What happened to your real mother?” the man asked, proving himself to be a very bad influence, continuing to ask such personal questions.
    My real mother died tragically in exile, shortly after giving birth to me.
    “The duchess died when my youngest sister was born. Our father remarried my stepmother a year later, but there were no children from that union. I am sorry, but I must go. Good night, sir.” She hurried past him to return to the ballroom.
    “Wait.” He turned to follow. “Will you dance with me?”
    She glanced down at his muddy boots. “You’re not dressed.”
    “I can be,” he replied. “Just say yes and I will arrange a proper introduction.”
    Alexandra hesitated. “I am here to dance with the prince.”
    “So you’ve already said.”
    A spark of heady anticipation seeped into her blood as she imagined waltzing with this man … setting her gloved hand upon his shoulder … following his movements across the floor.…
    “You’re going to get in my way, aren’t you?” she asked.
    “In the way of your mercenary ambitions to marry a royal?” His eyes burned into hers. “I thought you said you’d settle for a clerk or a merchant if it meant you could marry for love.”
    Alexandra lifted her chin. “I did say that, but I must think of my sisters. As much as I would like to, I cannot settle for less, so please do not upset things.”
    He spread his arms wide as if to profess his innocence. “A dance. That is all I ask.”
    She should have taken more time to weigh the particulars, but an answer spilled past her lips before she could think it through. “Fine, but please say nothing to anyone about our conversation here. I’ve stayed too long as it is.”
    The instant she reentered the ballroom, her stepmother came quickly to her side.
    “Where were you, Alexandra? The Duke of Wentworth has been engaging me in conversation. I could not break away, and I was consumed with worry that you had been abducted by some imperial spy in the garden.”
    “Oh, don’t be silly. I only required a bit of fresh air. That is all.”
    But in all honesty she had been abducted—in the proverbial sense at least—by a handsome horseman in the shadows with a quiet, husky voice and a very dangerous sensual appeal.
    It was not until that moment that she realized he had not told her his name.
    She hoped he would not come to the ball.
    It would not be wise to see him again.

 
    Chapter Three
    Later that evening, Alexandra watched the prince lead another young lady through a country dance. Dressed in his striking scarlet regalia, he was a stunningly handsome man. A skilled dancer as well. There was no denying it.
    The lady upon his arm at present, moving with him through the steps of the dance, appeared to be foolish with awe and infatuation. Clearly, the prince knew it. He was aware of his effect on women. He had a way of teasing them with his eyes. Alexandra would be next, she supposed.
    Though in her case there was no danger of becoming infatuated, for her wounds ran deep, as did her scorn for this seditious family of usurpers.
    Alexandra watched him escort his partner off the floor and prepared herself for her own encounter with him. She would not giggle and gape at him as all the others had. She knew the