Once a Princess Read Online Free PDF Page B

Her step was jaunty, her movements brisk—too brisk for such a tired-looking woman.
    Tanya noticed him right off, and had to fight the urge not to cross herself. If the devil ever came to life, he’d have eyes like that man’s, aglow with yellow hellfire.
    Fanciful. She must be more tired than she thought, yet she’d felt exhilarated only moments before. It had been so long since she’d had to dance, six years to be exact. She’d been afraid she would have forgotten how, but she hadn’t, and why should she? For almost half a year she’d danced every night at Dobbs’ insistence, after Lelia had run off with a riverboat gambler.
    Lelia had been the first dancer, the one who taught Tanya. She’d come through town with a troupe of actors, had had a fight with one of them, and had decided to stay. That had been Dobbs’ lucky day, for Lelia and her foreign dance had turned the tavernaround, from a business that barely paid for itself to one that made a decent profit. He finally had an attraction that could compete with the brothels and gambling dens that surrounded him. He even changed the name of the place to suit the dance. And did he ever have a fit when Lelia ran off.
    But Tanya knew the dance by then, or her own special version of it, which was good enough for Dobbs, since she was all he had to keep the customers coming in. She was young, but her body was pretty much grown to what it was now, and Lelia had taught her how to use the powders and creams of the acting profession to dramatically change her looks. That was important, because Dobbs didn’t want anyone knowing it was she up there on that stage, and neither did Tanya. When a few of the regulars finally figured it out, Dobbs found a girl for her to teach the dance to.
    She’d been glad to quit. As much as she loved dancing, she’d hated the way the men in the audience looked at her, and their crude comments while she was performing were even worse. But until April’s foot healed, she’d be dancing again, or lose the business to her next-door neighbors, which she refused to do. She had to protect what would soon be hers. And she made a vow right then that when The Seraglio was hers, she’d have extra dancers trained so she wouldn’t have to expose herself to discovery again.
    She shivered, knowing damn well those glowing yellow eyes were still watching her. And despite every instinct that screamed, Don’t look at him again ,she did—and got summoned to his table with a beckoning hand.
    Don’t be a twithead, missy. He’s not the devil, he’s not . But she’d never walked so slowly in her life as she did to that swarthy-faced, richly dressed gentleman. And then she almost erupted with giggles at her own foolishness, because two steps away from him, she saw that it had only been the candlelight reflecting in his eyes that had made them seem to glow from within. They weren’t yellow at all, but a very light brown, like golden sherry wine, and beautiful, really, in such a darkly bronze face.
    When she reached him, she was smiling, her relief was so great. But that was something she never did in the common room, because good humor just didn’t match the haggard appearance she strived for. She was old Tanya, supposedly Dobbs’ spinster daughter. However, this was a stranger, most likely from the riverboat that would be leaving in the morning, so she wasn’t going to worry about one little slip.
    â€œWhat can I do for you, sir?”
    The smile confused Stefan, not because it was incongruous in that work-worn face, but because women rarely smiled at him, not at first anyway. They were usually overcome with embarrassment for getting caught staring in fascinated horror at his scars, which were what everyone, men included, noticed first about him now. But this barmaid had yet to even notice, or if she had…perhaps she didn’t find him quite so objectionable for