and so, too, shall we." Alexei forced a firm note to his voice. He no longer had a country, a home, but he had two very good men—two very good friends—who had followed him into exile and a handful of servants who had chosen loyalty to their prince over the place of their birth. Their future, indeed their very survival, was now in his hands. "So, how bad are my finances. Roman?" He waved at the room around them, a large library that had become the men's favorite place in the huge, if somewhat shabby, London house Roman had arranged to lease. "Can we retain the roof over our heads at least?"
"That was never in doubt. Your Highness." Indignation colored Roman's voice at the very thought that he had not taken care of this particular matter. "We paid the required rent in advance for the next six months."
Alexei raised a brow. "We had the money for that?"
"I said the situation was not dire." Roman huffed. "Although admittedly said payment did deplete our resources. You have a minimal amount of funds on hand, not what you are used to, of course, but something at any rate. I understand the nobility in this country, when finding themselves in similar circumstances, live to a great extent on credit."
"Credit?" Dimitri brightened.
"No." Alexei shook his head. He had seen far too many nobles in his own country succumb to the lure of credit to their financial ruin. He had never understood the temptation of credit before now. "I would prefer to avoid that route as long as possible."
"Excellent. Your Highness." Roman nodded his approval. "We shall simply have to curtail our expenditures, particularly those of a frivolous nature."
"What?" Alexei adopted a wicked grin. "No expensive baubles for whatever beautiful creature strikes my fancy."
Dimitri's grin matched his prince's. "That scarcely seems frivolous to me. Why, I would call it a necessity of life."
"No doubt you would. Both of you." A reluctant smile curved Roman's lips. "Even I can see the advantages in the presentation of a costly trinket in the attaining of the affections of a lovely woman. However." his expression sobered, "such indulgences must be eliminated for the moment. In point of fact, you—in truth we, all of us—shall have to adhere to a rather strict"—he flipped open his notebook—"budget."
"A budget?" Alexei traded glances with Dimitri. This would be most amusing under other circumstances. As it was, it simply added insult to injury. Certainly, his government had followed a budget, but never in his life had Alexei had to operate under personal financial limits. The world had indeed changed.
"A budget." Roman paged through the notebook, his voice firm.
"You said it was not dire." Dimitri muttered.
"Nor is it." Roman said, without looking up. "You can. Your Highness, continue to live in your accustomed style for the most part although a reasonable element of frugality would be wise. Nothing drastic, mind you, staff does not need to be let go—"
"Thank God." Dimitri said under his breath.
"—however Captain Petrov and I will both have to accept a severe reduction in our wages."
"What?" Dimitri stared.
"Which we will do gladly and in a most gracious manner." Roman leveled a firm look at Dimitri. The other man smiled weakly. "Gladly."
"You do realize I cannot permit that." Alexei met Roman's gaze. "Given the circumstances, it is a most generous, even charitable offer but—"
"Forgive me. Your Highness, it is neither generous nor charitable." Neither Roman's gaze nor his voice wavered. "When the captain and I chose to throw our lot in with yours we knew full well that life in the future would be uncertain."
"Apparently you knew more than I." Alexei said wryly.
"As I often do. Your Highness." The smile in his eyes belied the tone of his voice. "It is precisely why you depend on me."
Alexei had depended on the count's counsel for the last three years. Roman had long been one of Alexei's few true friends but had only served as chief of staff after
"That was never in doubt. Your Highness." Indignation colored Roman's voice at the very thought that he had not taken care of this particular matter. "We paid the required rent in advance for the next six months."
Alexei raised a brow. "We had the money for that?"
"I said the situation was not dire." Roman huffed. "Although admittedly said payment did deplete our resources. You have a minimal amount of funds on hand, not what you are used to, of course, but something at any rate. I understand the nobility in this country, when finding themselves in similar circumstances, live to a great extent on credit."
"Credit?" Dimitri brightened.
"No." Alexei shook his head. He had seen far too many nobles in his own country succumb to the lure of credit to their financial ruin. He had never understood the temptation of credit before now. "I would prefer to avoid that route as long as possible."
"Excellent. Your Highness." Roman nodded his approval. "We shall simply have to curtail our expenditures, particularly those of a frivolous nature."
"What?" Alexei adopted a wicked grin. "No expensive baubles for whatever beautiful creature strikes my fancy."
Dimitri's grin matched his prince's. "That scarcely seems frivolous to me. Why, I would call it a necessity of life."
"No doubt you would. Both of you." A reluctant smile curved Roman's lips. "Even I can see the advantages in the presentation of a costly trinket in the attaining of the affections of a lovely woman. However." his expression sobered, "such indulgences must be eliminated for the moment. In point of fact, you—in truth we, all of us—shall have to adhere to a rather strict"—he flipped open his notebook—"budget."
"A budget?" Alexei traded glances with Dimitri. This would be most amusing under other circumstances. As it was, it simply added insult to injury. Certainly, his government had followed a budget, but never in his life had Alexei had to operate under personal financial limits. The world had indeed changed.
"A budget." Roman paged through the notebook, his voice firm.
"You said it was not dire." Dimitri muttered.
"Nor is it." Roman said, without looking up. "You can. Your Highness, continue to live in your accustomed style for the most part although a reasonable element of frugality would be wise. Nothing drastic, mind you, staff does not need to be let go—"
"Thank God." Dimitri said under his breath.
"—however Captain Petrov and I will both have to accept a severe reduction in our wages."
"What?" Dimitri stared.
"Which we will do gladly and in a most gracious manner." Roman leveled a firm look at Dimitri. The other man smiled weakly. "Gladly."
"You do realize I cannot permit that." Alexei met Roman's gaze. "Given the circumstances, it is a most generous, even charitable offer but—"
"Forgive me. Your Highness, it is neither generous nor charitable." Neither Roman's gaze nor his voice wavered. "When the captain and I chose to throw our lot in with yours we knew full well that life in the future would be uncertain."
"Apparently you knew more than I." Alexei said wryly.
"As I often do. Your Highness." The smile in his eyes belied the tone of his voice. "It is precisely why you depend on me."
Alexei had depended on the count's counsel for the last three years. Roman had long been one of Alexei's few true friends but had only served as chief of staff after
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