fixed my eyes on his face and hurried forward.
And then, I was only a few feet away, and he turned and saw me, which was more frightening then facing the flock of wolves I'd just passed through. And now there was no turning back.
At the sight of me, he smiled, and I turned to jelly all over again. Pick his pocket? Was I mad?
127
"Miss Peters," he said, bowing.
He remembered my name! My un-name, that is.
His guards didn't bow, but their eyes took me in appraisingly.
"Can I assist you, Miss Peters?" Prince Gregor said, all politeness.
How many guards were there? A hundred? Half a dozen, to be sure, but all of them staring at me.
And Gregor, waiting for an answer. I had none to give him.
Got to get closer to him, away from these guards. Music. Gypsy music.
"Dance!" I blurted.
Oh, help.
I thrust my chin out defiantly. "I came to dance."
A ripple of laughter passed through his guards. They winked at each other, and the nearest one elbowed Prince Gregor.
"I'll dance with her for you, Your Highness," he said. "Save you for the Page 43
ABC Amber Sony Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcsonylrf.html
princess, eh?"
The night air was sharp, cold as the grave, but my cheeks burned.
I was trapped.
Gregor's expression was puzzled, but he offered me his hand. "That's all right, Rolf," he told the guard. "This lady is an acquaintance of mine. I claim the honor."
There was more laughing and waggling of eyebrows 128
among the guards, but Gregor led me away from them. Whispers followed us.
Gregor's guards weren't the only ones amused by my audacity.
"Don't mind them," Gregor said. "It's just that no one's ever done that before."
I looked sidelong at him, searching for a bulge near his breast pocket. "Done what?"
He grinned. "Asked me to dance."
"Nonsense," I said. "Every girl in the kingdom is desperate to dance with you."
He stood opposite me, offering me his arms. "Shall we?" I put my hands in his.
"The other girls, Miss Peters, I regret to say, have been taught they must wait to be asked."
Oh. All the blood drained from my face. I tried to follow Gregor's steps, despairing. All the while, his pockets were a full arm's length away.
"I didn't have time to wait," I said.
"How lucky for me," was his enigmatic reply. The corners of his mouth twitched. I studied his face, trying to determine whether he was mocking me.
Well, of course he was mocking me, but with good humor or not, I couldn't tell. I didn't dare look too often at his face, lest I lose my head completely.
The gypsy music forced upon us a lively dancing pace that Gregor negotiated easily, but it left my petticoats in a tangle and put me at risk of toppling.
I watched his feet, then looked down at my own, but they were lost in a sea of 129
skirts. Whenever I glanced at Gregor, there was that suppressed laughter again. Curse his pampered hide, not everyone had spent a lifetime in lessons!
How's a girl to pick a dancing prince's pocket when she can't even match his steps?
"You're no help," I said, too vexed to care whether or not he knew it. "Teach me!"
"First a dance, and now a lesson," he said. "You're a demanding creature, Miss Peters. Will there be anything else, while I'm at it? An invitation to dinner?"
"It's too late for dinner," I snapped. "All I need is one dance, with you."
Too late, I realized how brazen this sounded. I scrambled to save myself.
"After this, I won't trouble you anymore."
Gregor raised my arm high and twirled me around. "That," he said, "would be unfortunate." Then he altered the dance. His arm went behind my waist, and my other hand, now free, had nowhere to rest but on his shoulder. I leaned my head back and watched the constellations revolve overhead till they blurred together. My whole body tingled with heat and shock at this frightening, dreamlike sensation of dancing close to a painfully beautiful young man. Who was gazing down at me.
Then he stopped. A thought seemed to strike him. "Has someone put you up
And then, I was only a few feet away, and he turned and saw me, which was more frightening then facing the flock of wolves I'd just passed through. And now there was no turning back.
At the sight of me, he smiled, and I turned to jelly all over again. Pick his pocket? Was I mad?
127
"Miss Peters," he said, bowing.
He remembered my name! My un-name, that is.
His guards didn't bow, but their eyes took me in appraisingly.
"Can I assist you, Miss Peters?" Prince Gregor said, all politeness.
How many guards were there? A hundred? Half a dozen, to be sure, but all of them staring at me.
And Gregor, waiting for an answer. I had none to give him.
Got to get closer to him, away from these guards. Music. Gypsy music.
"Dance!" I blurted.
Oh, help.
I thrust my chin out defiantly. "I came to dance."
A ripple of laughter passed through his guards. They winked at each other, and the nearest one elbowed Prince Gregor.
"I'll dance with her for you, Your Highness," he said. "Save you for the Page 43
ABC Amber Sony Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcsonylrf.html
princess, eh?"
The night air was sharp, cold as the grave, but my cheeks burned.
I was trapped.
Gregor's expression was puzzled, but he offered me his hand. "That's all right, Rolf," he told the guard. "This lady is an acquaintance of mine. I claim the honor."
There was more laughing and waggling of eyebrows 128
among the guards, but Gregor led me away from them. Whispers followed us.
Gregor's guards weren't the only ones amused by my audacity.
"Don't mind them," Gregor said. "It's just that no one's ever done that before."
I looked sidelong at him, searching for a bulge near his breast pocket. "Done what?"
He grinned. "Asked me to dance."
"Nonsense," I said. "Every girl in the kingdom is desperate to dance with you."
He stood opposite me, offering me his arms. "Shall we?" I put my hands in his.
"The other girls, Miss Peters, I regret to say, have been taught they must wait to be asked."
Oh. All the blood drained from my face. I tried to follow Gregor's steps, despairing. All the while, his pockets were a full arm's length away.
"I didn't have time to wait," I said.
"How lucky for me," was his enigmatic reply. The corners of his mouth twitched. I studied his face, trying to determine whether he was mocking me.
Well, of course he was mocking me, but with good humor or not, I couldn't tell. I didn't dare look too often at his face, lest I lose my head completely.
The gypsy music forced upon us a lively dancing pace that Gregor negotiated easily, but it left my petticoats in a tangle and put me at risk of toppling.
I watched his feet, then looked down at my own, but they were lost in a sea of 129
skirts. Whenever I glanced at Gregor, there was that suppressed laughter again. Curse his pampered hide, not everyone had spent a lifetime in lessons!
How's a girl to pick a dancing prince's pocket when she can't even match his steps?
"You're no help," I said, too vexed to care whether or not he knew it. "Teach me!"
"First a dance, and now a lesson," he said. "You're a demanding creature, Miss Peters. Will there be anything else, while I'm at it? An invitation to dinner?"
"It's too late for dinner," I snapped. "All I need is one dance, with you."
Too late, I realized how brazen this sounded. I scrambled to save myself.
"After this, I won't trouble you anymore."
Gregor raised my arm high and twirled me around. "That," he said, "would be unfortunate." Then he altered the dance. His arm went behind my waist, and my other hand, now free, had nowhere to rest but on his shoulder. I leaned my head back and watched the constellations revolve overhead till they blurred together. My whole body tingled with heat and shock at this frightening, dreamlike sensation of dancing close to a painfully beautiful young man. Who was gazing down at me.
Then he stopped. A thought seemed to strike him. "Has someone put you up
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