Read Prince Of Dreams for Free Online Page A

Emma. “A powerful combination, nyet ?”
    Emma regarded him stonily. Although it was Nikolas's habit to pay infrequent visits to Southgate Hall, drinking pots of Chinese caravan tea and conversing with Tasia in rapid-fire Russian, he had never made a side trip to the animal menagerie. This was her private world, and no one was allowed here unless specifically invited. “What do you want, Nikolas?”
    He gave her an oblique smile. “I've never seen your collection of animals before. I would like to have a look.”
    “I'm working,” Emma said curtly. “I'm sure you can find better entertainment than watching me feed animals and rake manure.”
    “Not necessarily.”
    Her mouth twisted. “Stay if you like, then.” She finished raking a pile of dirty straw from the chimp's pen and replaced it with a fresh scattering. Then she gestured for Cleo to go inside. “Back in there, old girl. Go in.” The chimpanzee shook her head vigorously, baring her teeth. “Yes, I know,” Emma said, pointing to the pen. “We'll play later, Cleo. Later.”
    The chimp muttered resentfully as she picked up a rag doll from a small pile of toys. In a flash, Cleo's small, wiry body ascended a ladder bolted to the side of the wire pen. When she reached the top, she seated herself on a wooden perch and frowned down at them. Emma closed the door of the cage and turned to her little brother. “William, it's time for you to go back to the house.”
    “Can't I stay with Cleo?” the boy pleaded, staring wistfully at the chimp.
    “You know the rule—no visits to the animals unless I'm with you. We'll come to see her later this afternoon.”
    “Yes, Emma.”
    As the child left, Emma turned her attention to Nikolas. He was dressed in dark riding breeches and a white shirt that emphasized his tawny coloring. His hair looked more brown than blond today. A light sheen of perspiration had given his skin a smooth shimmer, as if he were a sculpture cast in precious metal. The thick lashes that framed his yellow eyes gleamed like filaments of light.
    For the first time since Adam's desertion, Emma felt a stirring of something other than anger inside, a mixture of nerves and confusion and awareness. Realizing she was staring, she turned and picked up a metal bucket. She went to the large iron slop sink in the corner and worked the pump until a steady stream of water emerged.
    Nikolas came forward, reaching for the pump handle. “Let me help you.”
    “No,” she said quickly, elbowing him aside. “I can do it.”
    Nikolas shrugged and stood back as she labored over the sink. He watched her intently. The taut muscles of Emma's shoulders strained beneath a sweat-blotched shirt. Snug gray trousers outlined the slender shape of her bottom and thighs. Briefly he remembered her appearance at the ball in London, the cool white dress, the tightly pinned hair. He preferred her this way, strong, capable, flushed from exertion. She was extraordinary. He had never known an aristocratic woman who worked like a peasant. Why did she tend the animals when she could order her servants to do it?
    “It's not often I have the chance to see a woman in trousers,” he said. “In fact, this may be the first time.”
    Emma straightened in a snap. She gave him a wary look. “Are you shocked?”
    “It takes more than that to shock me.” He let his admiring gaze sweep over her. “You remind me of a phrase by Tyutchev…‘the face of beauty flushed with the air of spring.’”
    Apparently deciding he was mocking her, Emma glared at him and turned back to the sink. “I don't like poetry.”
    “What do you read, then?”
    “Veterinary manuals and newspapers.” She lifted the heavy bucket from the sink, breathing hard with the effort.
    Automatically he tried to take it. “Allow me—”
    “I'm used to it,” she said gruffly. “Let go.”
    Nikolas raised his hands in a mocking gesture of surrender. “By all means.”
    Emma's thick auburn brows lowered in a scowl.