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"It isn't necessary, Gregory."

He took my arm and led me toward the sweeping marble staircase. "It gives me pleasure," he said huskily.

"We made an agreement, Gregory."

"Is true. I agree to pay you very generously. I keep my word."

We were moving up the stairs now, his hand grasping my elbow lightly. His palm was warm against my flesh. He smelled of silk and body moisture and that familiar male musk I had once found so heady. I knew very well what he had in mind. Damn, I thought, tonight of all nights he wants to turn seductive again. Do men never think of any-

. thing but assuaging that urge?

. "I'm not talking about the money," I said as we reached the landing. "We agreed it would be-merely a business arrangement."

He nodded, tightening his grip on my arm, guiding me down the hall. "This is so."

"Y ou agreed not to come to my bedroom unless I invited you."

He chuckled playfully, ever so amiable, convinced the legendary Orlov charm would win him the prize. We reached the door of my room. He let go of my elbow and turned me around so that my back was to the door and I

. was facing him. Eyes gleamed darkly, full of warmth. The wide pink mouth curved in a provocative smile.

"We make an agreement, yes, but I think you want me as much as I want you," he murmured.

"You're quite mistaken, Gregory."

"It has been a long time since Rostopchin's," he said in his huskiest, most seductive voice. "I think of that night often."

"So do I," I said.

"You do?"

"I wonder how I could have been such a fool."

He frowned. "This is not a nice thing to say, Marietta."

"I'm sorry if you're offended."

"We had a glorious experience that night."

"It was rather glorious," I agreed, "but things are different now."

Candles flickered in wall sconces in the hall. His face was softly brushed with shadow. He moved closer, placing a palm against the door on either side of me, his arms making a prison, his chest almost touching my bosom. I had to tilt my head back to look up into those sensuous eyes.

"You are a very desirable woman," he crooned.

"I'm very tired," I said.

"We make love. I make you feel good."

"I'm afraid not."

"I throb for you. Look."

I looked. He did indeed.

"That's too bad," I said.

"You would leave me in this condition?"

"I have a suggestion, Gregory."

"Yes?"

"Go play with yourself."

My frankness startled him, as I had intended it to do. He looked dismayed', then offended, then extremely angry. I reached behind me, opened the door and, slipping from under his arms, stepped quickly inside and closed the door behind me.

"Damn!" he roared. He pounded his fist against the door and then stormed down the hall. I sighed, thinking how peaceful it would be to live in a world without men. No fencing, no feinting, no fighting off unwelcome passes. First Prince Danzimov, then Gregory. Glancing at the clock, I saw that it was already after midnight. Bryan was probably longing to strangle me.

Moving quickly through the bedroom and into the dressing room, I fetched a fur cloak and retraced my steps, cautiously opening the door and peering up and down the

hallway. No one in sight, but many of the servants were still up, and Gregory was undoubtedly prowling about downstairs, slamming things around, fuming at my lack of response. It was imperative that no one see me. Not daring to use the main staircase, I hurried down the hall and turned into a narrow side corridor that would eventually lead to the back hall. I felt terribly exposed and vulnerable, and my footsteps rang much too noisily on the uncarpeted floor.

Passing a bank of windows, I saw that it had begun to snow heavily outside. Only a few candles were burning in the back hall, and the walls between those dim yellow pools were washed with shadows that seemed to shift and slide ominously. The hall went on forever, and my heels still rapped with the sound of gunfire. I paused to take off my shoes and moved on much more quietly, shoes in hand.

Long moments passed before I finally reached the servants'

staircase, a dark black pit, totally unlighted. Gripping the smooth wooden banister for guidance, I cautiously began my descent.

It was freezing cold. Even in my fur cloak I shivered, moving slowly, step by step, my hand sliding along the banister. It was so dark I couldn't see anything, the darkness a palpable thing that seemed to swallow me up, the air black and damp, stroking my face. I couldn't risk a candle.

Careful, I warned myself. Be very careful. There's a turn here, and the stairway branches off to the left. You don't want to fall and break your neck. Following the curve of the banister, I turned to the left, and I could see misty yellow light below, a faint haze from candles in the lower hall. Relieved, I took a deep breath and moved down another step, then froze as I heard shrill laughter. My heart seemed to stop beating as the diabolical sound rose, echoing weirdly in the enclosed space.

"-wouldn't dream of it. What kind of girl do you think I am?"

"I know what kind of girl you are. Peter told me all about what went on in your attic room last night."

"He never!"

"He said it was bliss. Come on, Lizzie. Let me sample a bit ofthat bliss. I'm much stronger than Peter. Much nicer, too."

One of the maids appeared at the foot of the stairs, a plump, buxom creature with curly black hair and rosy cheeks. I had never seen her before, but the servants were trained to do their work silently, invisibly, and except for those who actually waited upon us, remained out of sight.

Lizzie was joined by a strapping footman whom I
had
seen before, a blond giant with roguish brown eyes. He curled his arm around her waist, squeezing her tightly. Lizzie laughed again.

"Come on, lass. Give us a kiss."

"I oughtn't!" she protested. "You're a cocky brute, Ivan, much too sure of yourself."

"Give us a sample of bliss."

He swung her around and planted a lusty kiss on her lips and the girl struggled valiantly and lost the battle and giggled when he finally removed his mouth from hers. He plunged a hand into her bodice. She squealed, trying to slap the offending hand. He squeezed her breast, grinning wickedly. Lizzie sighed, melting at last, and Ivan curled an arm around her shoulders and led her up the steps toward me. Panic gripped me. I moved quickly back up to the landing and huddled against the wall and prayed they would be too preoccupied to see me in the darkness.

"I've been looking forward to this," Ivan told her. "I've had my eye on you for a long time."

"Had your eye on Betty, too, didn't you? That isn't all you had on her."

"There's a turn here. Watch your step."

"As if I didn't know these steps by heart. Come up and down 'em ten times a day. Betty told me you're the worst of the lot, rough and randy, ready to pommel a girl till she screams for mercy."

"It isn't mercy they're screaming for," Ivan growled.

"You're awful!"

They moved past me. Lizzie's arm actually brushed my own, but she was much too immersed to notice. I waited several moments, listening to their footsteps climbing the rest of the stairs, and then, shaken, moved nervously down the rest of the steps. The lower hall was deserted, but I could hear noises coming from the kitchen. Dishes rattled.

The door was open. I would have to move past it to reach the corridor leading to the west wing. Hesitating for only a moment, I scurried past, relieved when I entered the broad, unlighted corridor.

The worst part was over now. The west wing was unoccupied, the rooms shut up, the furniture covered with dust sheets. My feet were freezing. Moonlight spilled through the uncurtained windows, gilding the walls with silver, intensifying

the shadows. I turned and moved down a shallow flight of steps that led to one of the back doors. The matches and candle were still in the niche where I had hidden them. I lighted the candle and waved it in front of the glass panes of the door.

This was all terribly risky, of course, but it was the only way. Lucie and I were always accompanied by Vladimir and several others when we went out shopping, and there was no way she could slip away to meet Bryan without their finding out. Bryan had to come here. I knew she was far too nervous and distraught to traverse these halls herself without detection, so I had arranged to meet him myself and take him to her room. Once he knew the way, he could come on his own late at night when everyone was asleep, and all I would have to do was see that the door was unlocked.

He tapped furiously on the glass. I had been so intent on giving the signal that I had forgotten to unlock it now. I slid the bolt and turned the knob. A gust of snow blew in as he flung open the door, almost knocking me down. The candle blew out. He stamped snow off his boots, absolutely livid.

"I've been waiting for hours!"

"For God's sake, be quiet!" I warned.

"I've been
freezing!"

"Keep your voice
douml"

"I'll probably catch my death of cold," he whispered furiously.

"I think I already have. Maybe it's
frostbite!
I've been huddling behind that goddamn marble column for at least two hours."

"Will you stop whining!" I hissed. "I didn't know we were to have guests tonight. I didn't know they were going to stay so long. You're supposed to be a bold, intrepid young lover, risking all for the girl he loves, and you sound like a petulant child."

"You're a vicious bitch!"

I had to smile. He saw it in the moonlight, and I thought he was going to strike me. He shivered and brushed the snow from his hair and glared at me, and I placed my hand on his brow.

"You don't have a bit offever," I told him.

"I'm very sensitive to colds. This is insane, Marietta.

We're never going to make it without being caught."

"Not if you keep carrying on like a banshee," I said calmly. "Several of the servants are still up. Gregory is, too. We're going to have to be extremely careful."

"It's dark. I can't see a bloody thing."

"There's plenty of moonlight. Follow me. There are seven steps here. They're low and flat. Be careful."

I moved up the steps. So did Bryan. He made four of them, slipped on the fifth, and went sliding back down, arms and legs flying at crazy angles, landing with a crash and a cry I felt sure would bring the whole house down on us. He sat up, groaning, rubbing his head. I hurried to him and took his hand, yanking him back to his feet.

"Maybe we'd better just forget the whole thing," I said acidly. "Maybe you'd better just
leave."

"Jesus, Marietta! I didn't do it deliberately. I could have cracked my skull open. I think maybe I did."

"You're perfectly all right. Here, take my hand again."

Bryan straightened up, his eyes full of silent apology. I sighed and took his hand and led him on the long journey up the stairs, down the hall, past my own rooms, past the staircase to Lucie's sitting room.

A trembling Lucie opened the door immediately. Her face was chalk white.

I pushed Bryan.through the door just ahead of me, then closed the door and leaned against it, so relieved I could barely stand. Lucie was wearing a light tan muslin frock sprigged with pink and brown flowers. Her hair was brushed, falling to her shoulder blades in a gleaming mass, a brown velvet bow fastened in back. A fire was burning vigorously in the fireplace, I noted. Thank goodness for that. I heaved another sigh, stood up straight, and told Bryan to take off his clothes.

"What!" He was horrified.

"Do as I say," I ordered.

"Nowjust a bloody minute! I came here to see Lucie. I've heard all that
talk
about you, but-"

"Fetch him a towel, Lucie, and a robe or something he can wrap up in while his clothes dry. You go stand by the fire, Bryan. I'll give you exactly twenty seconds to start disrobing. Hang your clothes over the fire screen."

Dismayed, offended, afraid to disobey, he set his boots down and took off his coat. In a few moments he was shivering, and Lucie gave him a towel and a long brown silk robe. She had regained her color. Her eyes were full of wry amusement as she poured a glass of brandy for him. In a matter of minutes the anguished girl had been transformed into a poised and lovely woman. Bryan wrapped

the robe around him and belted the sash and began to dry his hair with the towel. I slipped on the shoes I had been carrying all this time.

'Til leave you two alone now," I said quietly. "I'm sure you have quite a lot to talk about."

"Thank you, Marietta," Lucie told me. "Don't worry about anything. I'll see that he gets out."

I returned to my rooms and had a glass of brandy myself, weak from nervous exhaustion. I sat in the large gold velvet chair and stared at the dying fire, sipping the brandy, sad now, a prey to those memories that invariably returned when I was tired, when I was low and alone. Lucie's story was going to have a happy ending, I would do everything in my power to see that it did, but my own had no such conclusion in sight. There was no Prince Charming waiting to take me away, no love-filled future to be shared.

I took another sip of brandy and watched the tiny yelloworange flames leap and lick, growing weaker as the log flaked away. '

Where was he now? What was he doing at this very moment?

Why couldn't I hate the son of a bitch for what he had done to me? Why couldn't I forget him? I saw the floppy chestnut hair, the vivid blue eyes, the twisted nose and grinning lips and remembered the fights, the fury, the feeling of being gloriously alive. Jeremy Bond had saved my life a number of times, and then he had robbed it of all meaning. Who was he wooing now? Who was he dazzling with that roguish charm? Why, oh why, did I have to remember when I wanted only to forget?

I was amazed to find the brandy glass empty. I got up and poured more and sat back down in the chair. The room was growing chilly, but the fur cloak was still around my shoulders and what did a little chill matter? I remembered and the candles spluttered out and the fire died and moonlight invaded and the memories merged into dreams and h'e was there with a teasing smile on his lips and a wicked gleam in his eyes and I slapped him and he seized me and I came alive again and joy flooded through me and I knew this was where I belonged, wrapped tightly in his arms, my haven, my Heaven. Jeremy, Jeremy, Jeremy, never let me go. Don't leave. Don't go. Don't vanish again ... I opened my eyes and saw the pink-gold light of early morning and saw Lucie standing over me, looking at me with inquisitive eyes.