tray.

Her gaze flew to the head of the table. Nicholas was

dressed entirely in stunning black and white, his golden hair

shining with light as he bent to speak to the lovely red-haired

woman sitting on his left. He seemed very amused by the

woman, she noticed with a pang that she permitted to last only

until the instant she identified its nature. She swiftly shifted

her glance to Valentin. „I don’t see Mikhail.“

„Mikhail feels uncomfortable at most social functions and

Nicky seldom insists he attend.“

No one appeared to notice their arrival, and Valentin was

unobtrusively seating her near the foot of the table when

Nicholas’s voice rang out over the hubbub of conversation.

„Not there, Valentin.“ He casually gestured to a chair farther

up the table. „Seat her beside our good friend Bassinger, and

then come and sit by me. We want our newcomer to get

acquainted with our other guests, don’t we?“

„Do we?“ Valentin murmured. He shrugged resignedly, but

whispered in Silver’s ear as he escorted her to the chair

Nicholas had indicated, „Be careful, Bassinger is…“ He

trailed off. „I’ll see you after dinner!“

Silver nodded as she seated herself between a plump, pretty

woman in a violet taffeta gown and a slim elegant gentleman

with pale green eyes. „Thank you, Valentin.“

Valentin hesitated and then muttered something beneath his

breath before stalking toward the head of the table. He threw

himself into the chair at Nicholas’s right and immediately

reached for the wine goblet beside his plate.

„Count Marinov appears to be disturbed at being forced to

share you with the rest of us.“ The man at Silver’s left leaned

toward her and smiled intimately. „Who could blame him?

You’re very lovely, Miss…?“

„Silver Delaney.“ She glanced at him briefly. She judged

him to be middle-aged; his features were nondescript and gray

threaded his dark hair like winter frost. His light green eyes

reminded her also of frost. Even though his lips were smiling,

his eyes were cold. „And there’s no reason why Count

Marinov should be disturbed.“

„I’m Lee Bassinger.“ The man’s smiled remained intact.

„I’ve heard a number of very interesting things about you. I

understand you’re Savron’s property, but tonight you appear

with Marinov. Is Nicholas sharing you?“

„I’m no man’s property.“ Silver watched as a servant

placed a chicken breast on her plate with silver tongs. „I’ve

heard of you too, Mr. Bassinger.“

Bassinger’s lips tightened. „Really? His highness has

spoken of me?“

She shook her head as she picked up her knife and fork and

cut into her chicken with exquisite precision. „Robert Danfold.

He said you were a very rich man with many riverboats in

your shipping company and offices in St. Louis, Memphis, and

New Orleans.“

His smile deepened. „That’s true. I’m as rich as you could

wish, and I can be very generous if a woman pleases me.“

She took a bite of her chicken. It was delicious, delicately

flavored with herbs. „He also said you were stupid enough to

lose this fine riverboat to Nicholas in a poker game.“

He stiffened, a flare of anger twisting his nondescript

features to ugliness. „Stupid? I don’t like being called stupid

by a whore.“

„I’m not a whore.“ She didn’t look at him as she began

eating in earnest. „But youmost certainly are stupid, if what

Robert says is true.“

His hand suddenly fastened on her wrist with painful force.

„I’m not – “

„Let me go.“ She glanced at his now livid face with eyes as

cold as his own. „Or I’ll skewer you instead of the chicken

with this fork.“

He glared at her with a venom greater than any she had

ever encountered. Then his hand slowly released her and he

smiled again. „You have spirit and I admire that in a woman.“

He was lying. Silver thought. He was an easy man to read

and was obviously one who liked only fear and respect to

surround him.

„I’m sure we’ll get along very well.“ Bassinger patted the

wrist he had so recently grasped with such cruelty. „You can

always count on me for any assistance you may require.“

Silver began to eat again. „I need no assistance.“

She proceeded to ignore him as the servant brought another

course and set it before her.

„Why did you do it?“ Valentin lifted his brooding gaze

from his wineglass to Nicholas’s face. „It would have done no

harm to let me sit beside her. I would have – “

„Protected her,“ Nicholas finished for him. He smiled and

shook his head. „But I don’t want her protected.“

„I know,“ Valentin said sourly. „But why Bas-singer?“

„She appears to think I’m Satan incarnate. I wanted her to

see there are a few men more degenerate than I.“ Nicholas

lifted his wineglass to his lips, his dark eyes dancing over the

rim. „Besides, she’s obviously come to no harm. She seems

more interested in her dinner than anything going on around

her. The lady has a hearty appetite.“

„I’ve noticed.“ Valentin’s tone was abstracted as his gaze

followed Nicholas’s to rest on Silver. „She was nervous about

coming here tonight.“

Nicholas paused in the act of setting his glass back on the

table. „Really? I find that difficult to believe. She appears

quite composed.“

„She has courage.“ Valentin’s hand tightened on the stem

of his glass. „Dammit, Nicky, I tell you there’s something

wrong. She told me she’d never met a count before. How

could that be, if she knew Andre in Hell’s Bluff?“

„I have no idea. Perhaps Andre was hesitant about

confiding his title to the citizens of such a democratic society.“

„Andre?“ Valentin’s tone was unbelieving.

Nicholas shrugged. „Perhaps he had changed from what we

knew of him. Men do change.“

Valentin nodded and then was silent for a moment before

bursting out, „But just look at her, Nicky. She doesn’t belong

here.“

Nicholas had been avoiding looking at Silver all evening

and he had no intention of changing that now. He was well

aware of the contrast she presented to the rouged and

besatined strumpets surrounding her. It had taken only one

glance to permanently engrave it on his memory. In spite of

the fiery sensuality that was so much a part of her, there was

also a simplicity, a pristine quality about Silver that set her

worlds apart from the company at the table. „It’s that hideous

schoolgirl uniform. I’ll have one of the women send her a

gown to wear tomorrow night.“

„It’s not the – “

„Stop it!“ Silvers voice rang out with bell-like clarity,

instantly capturing the attention of everyone at the table.

„What the devil,“ Nicholas muttered, already halfway out

of his seat.

Silver was standing, glaring down at Bassinger. She

reached for a cooled bottle of wine from a copper bucket

carried by a passing servant. „You don’t listen well. I told you

to stop.“ She held the bottle over the man’s head. „Now!“

The rich red wine poured over Bassinger’s head, streaming

in rivulets down his cheeks, matting his dark hair, and turning

the gray streaks threading it to pale pink. He sat frozen in

disbelief.

Laughter exploded from the other guests at the table,

soaring around Bassinger with a stinging mockery that caused

his pale cheeks to flush with color.

Silver set the empty bottle down on the table. „Now, don’t

do it again.“

Bassinger was pop-eyed with rage and seemed to have

trouble forcing the words from his throat. „You… you…“