To Love a Horseguard Read Online Free Page A

which seemed strange to her since she had only just woken up. The thought occurred to her just before she fell asleep, that Sergi had probably ordered her drugged again.
     
    * * * *
     
    Clink. Clink. The noise grated on her nerves and irritated her throbbing head. Rose opened her eyes. Wooden beams greeted her gritty, salt-caked vision. Somewhere china and silverware clattered. She rubbed a hand across her face flinching as the tiny granules of sea residue pricked her skin. A fire flickered in the coal brazier, its burning fingers plucking at the little black lumps of coal. Shadows danced in the corners of the room where the lamps suspended from hooks on the ceiling failed to reach. The older woman she had seen earlier was laying out dishes on the table. Rose’s stomach gurgled at the tantalizing smells wafting from the silver serving tray.
    The portly woman looked up from her task with a friendly smile. “You eat.”
    Rose eased herself into a sitting position, her head swimming. Clutching the bed chains for support she stood, steadied herself and then walked to the table. The woman pulled out a chair for her; then smiled at Rose and pushed a miniature loaf of coarse looking bread toward her. She nodded before taking her tray and leaving.
    Rose frowned at the bowl of soup and plate of roast fowl, potatoes, and cabbage before her. With a sigh she pushed her chair away from the table. The food is most likely drugged. She wandered over to the bookshelf and peered out the window. The moonlight danced on the undulating waves. How long have I been asleep, a few hours or days perhaps? She looked down at the bookshelf. With the door locked and the windows shut there was no escape for now, perhaps a book would entertain her for a while. With a sigh she browsed through the many Russian titles until she came to a section which contained a number of English ones. After perusing them, she pulled out a leather bound volume entitled ‘Lady of the Lake’, which looked interesting and settled into the chair by the fire.
    She tried to concentrate on the pages, but was distracted instead by the unfamiliar sounds around her. The waves lapping against the sides of the ship and the creak of the timbers lulled her into a false sense of peace. She soon lost interest in the book and stared into the fire. Her grandmother would be beside herself with worry, and her brother would probably be tearing the whole city of London apart searching for her. The marquis, well, he was most likely complaining about her lack of consideration for not telling them she had been kidnapped. She dropped the book to the floor in a fit of anger. Why did Sergi want her?  Was it because she had thrown herself at him on the veranda at the ball? How was she, or rather the princess going to help him take over the Russian throne? She sighed. A more pressing question was how was she going to get home? Not that she wanted to go back to the marquis. She would do almost anything to keep from marrying the man. Of course, she reminded herself, that is how she got into this mess in the first place.
    A key scraped in the lock. Rose jumped to her feet as Sergi entere d the room. He paused when he spied her standing there; then shut the door behind him and crossed to the table. He glanced down at her uneaten meal. “Not hungry?”
    She shook her head.
    He frowned. “You should drink your tea. At the very least you will find it will settle your stomach.”
    Rose lifted her chin and glared at him. “I am sure it will more than likely put me to sleep.”
    “It will make no difference to me. I like a spirited woman in my bed.” He grinned and sat at the table, propping his legs on her vacated chair.
    Bile rose in Rose’s throat at the thought of him defiling her. “I will not sleep with you.”
    “I do not see any way for you to prevent it, my dear.” He smirked, taunting her.
    She stiffened, clenching her shaking hands at her sides in defiant fists. “I will kill you before I