hand upon my waist and took the other in his. His hand felt cold and damp, rather like clutching a fish. So my decision to dub him Fishface had been quite accurate. It wasn’t just his face that was fishy. I forced my mouth into a bright smile as we glided around the floor.
“So,” he said, “can one assume that you have finally come to your senses? You have seen the light, ja? Realized the truth about the situation?”
What situation was he talking about? Did he know something about Pirin’s murder? Had he arranged for it? Or was he talking about vampires, by any chance? He wanted to know whether I had discovered the horrid truth about his family. I had to tread carefully. I was, after all, a guest in a snowed-in castle, with the telephone lines down and miles from any kind of help except for Darcy and Belinda.
“What situation is this, Highness?” I asked.
“You have realized that it is important for you to follow your family’s wishes and make the correct match. You understand the importance of duty.”
What exactly was he talking about? Then he went on and light dawned.
“Of course I realize that ours would be a marriage of convenience, like so many royal marriages, but you would find me a considerate husband. I would allow you much freedom, and I think you would have a pleasant life as my princess.”
The words “not if you were the last man on earth” were screaming through my head, but I couldn’t let him stomp off to find Pirin, could I?
“Highness, I am flattered that you even consider me as your bride when there are many ladies present of higher status than I. Surely Princess Hannelore would be a better match for you—a fellow German and a princess, not just a relative of the royal family.”
“Ah,” he said, his face clouding. “She would, of course, have been an excellent choice, but she has let it be known that she does not wish to settle down yet.”
She’s turned him down, I thought, trying not to smile. Good old Hannelore!
“She is very young,” I said tactfully. “She may wish to experience life a little before she takes on the responsibilities of royalty.”
Siegfried sniffed. “This I find ridiculous. Girls of her station marry at eighteen all the time. It is not good to let them have too much freedom and to become too worldly. Look at my sister. She was allowed to spend a year in Paris and now—” He broke off, checked himself then said, “At least she too has come to her senses. She realizes where her duty lies and has made an excellent match.”
At the edge of the dance floor I saw Belinda’s face light up and realized that Anton had rejoined the crowd. So had Nicholas. But there was no sign of Darcy. The music ended to polite applause. Siegfried clicked his heels to me. “I enjoyed our dance and our little talk, Lady Georgiana. Or now I shall call you simply by your first name, and you may call me Siegfried when we are in private. In public I still expect you to call me ‘sir’ or ‘highness’ of course.”
“Of course, sir,” I replied. “Oh, look, Prince Nicholas has returned. I wonder if he has news about the patient.”
Luckily Siegfried took the hint and strode over to Prince Nicholas. I saw the latter gesturing and explaining, presumably preventing Siegfried from taking a look at the patient for himself. Belinda and Anton passed close to me.
“You and Siegfried looked awfully pally,” she muttered. “If you’re trying to make Darcy jealous, it’s not going to work. I gather he’s sitting at Pirin’s bedside all night.”
“That’s as pally as I ever plan to get with Siegfried,” I said. “Let’s just say that I did it for a good cause.”
I looked around the room, my head suddenly spinning with the conversation and bright lights and the whole strain of the evening. If Darcy was spending the night playing guard to Pirin, then there was no point in my staying awake. Suddenly all I wanted was to be quiet and safe and away from danger. I slipped away unnoticed and made my way up to my bedroom. There was no sign of Queenie, which didn’t surprise me. She was probably snoring by now. I checked the window to make sure the shutters were fastened securely from the inside. I even opened the wardrobe and, after several deep breaths, the chest, and, satisfied