Once the Rus had left my chambers, it didn’t take long for my ladies to cluster around, making sure I was okay and making shocked sounds at the idea of an unrelated male touching me. As much as it pained me to give up one of my few suitors early in the game, it was clear he could no longer be allowed to be in consideration. I would not get report his breach of conduct to my father, letting the guards “do their job,” but that would only give me so much leverage. I had to admit that I was shaken as well, worried about the rage of a man who so obviously viewed me as a possession.
It was only a matter of time, if he thought me so touchable, before other men got the same idea. While I had thought I had several years, that was no longer the case. It was also clear that Ivan had felt that he al
