When We Meet Again Read Online Free PDF Page A

helpfully. "Destitute? Impoverished?
    Without a pot to p—"
    "That's quite enough," Count Roman Stefanovich said in the very same tone he had honed to a fine art during his regrettably brief service as chief advisor to the heir to the throne. The count glanced at the notebook in his hand, drew a deep breath, and turned his attention back to his prince. "It is not as dire as all that, Your Highness."
    Alexei narrowed his eyes. "Precisely how dire is it, Roman? What is the true state of my finances?"
    "As you know, your grandfather saw fit to protect a sizable portion of his personal wealth by placing it in the Bank of England more than half a century ago, during a time of great upheaval in Avalonia," Roman began. "Wisely, as it turns out, even though the crisis had passed, he thought it prudent to allow the funds to remain and accrue interest in the event it was ever needed by the rightful heir to the throne. It is now a substantial, indeed, an impressive fortune."
    "Yes, yes, as you said, I know all that." Alexei gestured impatiently. While in many ways Roman was brilliant, he had the most annoying tendency to reiterate the entire history of an issue rather than simply get to the point. "Precisely why I have chosen to make England, a country I have never been overly fond of, my home."
    "Although, your sister and your cousin do reside here," Dimitri pointed out. "Besides, England is as far away as one can get from Avalonia and not have to cross the Atlantic."
    "There is that," Alexei said darkly.
    It still grated on him, this exile from the land of his birth to a country he found no more than bearable, but what choice did he have? He refused to leave Europe altogether and the Americas certainly held no interest for him. Nasty, uncivilized places from what he'd heard. No, as unappealing as he had always considered England, and London as well, it was the only acceptable option. As soon as Roman could locate a suitable estate for purchase somewhere outside of London, it was Alexei's intention to forsake the city altogether. He had always been a sociable sort, indeed he had relished attending grand balls in Vienna, masquerades in Venice, even soirees in London when necessary, but that too had changed in the six months since his father's death.
    Alexei now wanted nothing to do with English society or society anywhere for that matter. His desire at the present was for solitude, the kind that allowed a man to examine his life and come to grips with his own mistakes as well as accept the forces of fate he could not control. He wanted—no needed —a haven for himself and for the handful of retainers, servants and, in the case of Roman and Dimitri, friends as well who had remained loyal to him and accompanied him into exile. He owed them that much and indeed more.
    "Unfortunately," Roman continued, "the very reasons your grandfather originally chose the Bank of England, its secure and conservative nature, make it difficult to access the funds at the present time."
    "Why?" Alexei asked, even though he already suspected the answer.
    "Russia, Your Highness. As Avalonia is now part of the Russian Empire, the bank, as well as the British government, wishes to be certain the Russians have no claim to the money." Roman paused to choose his words. "Apparently the English have no desire to annoy the tsar."
    "What about annoying me?" Alexei snapped although once again he knew the answer. Silence fell in the room. Roman and Dimitri traded wary glances. It was not at all fair of Alexei to take his frustration out on them, and he well knew it.
    "My apologies, old friends." Alexei ran a weary hand through his hair. "It is most prudent of the British government to do whatever necessary to avoid strained relations with Russia. I would do the same in their place. I am, after all, a sovereign without a country, and any annoyance on my part is of scarce importance to the English or anyone else."
    "Nonetheless, there is a question of loyalty to longtime