Where The Spirit Meets The Bone

Five: Alina Starkov

Five

Alina Starkov

Alina didn't remember leaving the ballroom. She remembered sobbing into her father's shirt in an unexpected display of emotion. He had, gently, awkwardly, patted her on the back and taken them home. They were disappointed together for a change. Neither of them had expected that this would be the outcome of that night.

Alina cried so hard she started hiccupping. By the time they were home, Duke Keramasov had carried her in his arms to her bed and placed her gently there still wearing her ballgown. Alina had fallen into a restless, fitful sleep.

When she woke, it was to a million texts, at least half of them from her best friend Genya Safin. Genya was royal too, the daughter of a baron. She was due to go to the University in the fall, unlike Alina.

Al, is it true? Are you engaged to Morozova?

What happened?

Someone said there was a fight. Did Nikolai punch him? Did YOU punch him?

Text me back please, I need to know you're alive. Xo xo -G

Alina got up, and she wiped her face. She needed to shower, to get out of the horrible dress that she had on. To put on normal clothes. But she knew that Genya wouldn't stop texting her until she had an answer.

I slapped him. He demanded I marry him in return. -A

OMG! I can't believe that. What did he do to get slapped? -G

He implied that I was a bastard and that I didn't love Nikolai.-A

......Do you love Nikolai?-G

I don't know. I told him I did last night, in front of everyone but I had to do something to keep Morozova from marrying me. It didn't work. -A

I'm sorry, A. But let me know if there's anything David and I can do. We'll figure something out. -G

The phone stopped vibrating. Alina looked through the rest of the texts and noticed a number that she didn't recognize. Curious, she clicked it.

You had such passion last night on the dance floor, I can't wait to see it in my bed, my Sun Beam.

She didn't need a signature or a number to tell her who it was from. Aleksander Morozova. Her future husband. A shriek escaped from her lips, then she tossed her cell phone on the ground.

The door to her room opened abruptly, and her father came in. He was still in the same suit he'd worn last night, she realized, but a little more rumpled. His hair was a mess, and his tie was undone. "Alina," he said, "are you alright?"

Alina heaved a sigh and went to go pick up the cell phone. The last thing she needed was for her father to see Morozova's inappropriate text. He might decide to commit murder, and then she'd be left without anyone to protect her from the man.

"It's nothing," she lied, "I thought I saw a spider, that's all."

He blinked a few times and narrowed his gaze as if he didn't quite believe her. "Are you sure?"

"I'm positive," she said.

"Oh," he said running a hand through his hair, "alright. Well. You need to get showered and get dressed."

"Why?"

"Lord Morozova, it seems, wants the wedding to happen as soon as possible. He is sending the royal dressmaker here to make certain that your dress is properly fitted to your specifications. Well, his specifications."

"His specifications?" Alina's eyes widened. "What does that mean? He doesn't....I won't be getting married naked, will I?"

Her father coughed. "No! No. Nothing so improper. But he does have a very specific color scheme. He wants the wedding dress to be black."

"He wants the wedding dress to be black?" Alina said with a raised eyebrow.

Her father shrugged. "Trust me, I thought it was strange too. We've been on the phone arguing about it for at least two hours. I couldn't get him to budge. He was very insistent on the color. But he said you could design it any way that you wanted."

"Fine," Alina relented, "anything else?"

He sighed. "You are to be married at the end of this week. During that time, you will stay in Lord Morozova's mansion."

"No!" Alina said. "Father, please don't make me stay there. I don't even know the man."

"You're going to be marrying him," said her father, "he thinks this is the best way to help you adjust to your new living situation."

"He doesn't think this is the best way to help me adjust," Alina insisted, "he is doing this to torment me, and to torment Nikolai. That's the only reason. This has nothing to do with him and everything to do with the fact that I'm----"

Father sighed. "I know, my dear girl. I know. But we have to save our Prince. This is the only way that we can do that."

"I'll marry him, but that won't stop me from hating him."

"Hate him with your whole heart. Let it fill you up, and should something happen to Mr. Morozova at your hands, I will let you, and welcome you back to your home with open arms. I will do whatever I can to protect you as well."

It was the most concern he had ever shown for her. Overwhelmed, Alina tossed her arms around him, hugging him tightly. "I'm not going to let him destroy me," Alina said.

Her father patted her on the back. "I know that, my dear, dear girl. I know that. We'll both survive this thing."