Castles (17 page)

“Princess Alesandra, are you all right?”

She jumped a good foot. Then she burst into laughter. Flannaghan and another man she'd never met before stood just a few feet away from her. She'd not even heard their approach.

She could feel herself blushing. The stranger standing just behind the butler was smiling at her. She decided he probably thought she'd lost her mind. Alesandra moved away from the wall, forced herself to quit laughing, and then said, “I'm quite all right.”

“What were you doing?”

“Reflecting,” she replied. And praying, she silently added.

Flannaghan didn't know what she meant by that remark. He continued to stare at her with a perplexed look on his face. She turned to their guest. “Good evening, sir.”

The butler finally remembered his manners. “Princess Alesandra, may I present Morgan Atkins, the Earl of Oakmount.”

Alesandra smiled in greeting. “It is a pleasure to meet you.”

He moved forward and took hold of her hand. “The pleasure is all mine, Princess. I've been most eager to meet you.”

“You have?”

He smiled over the surprise in her eyes. “Yes, I have,” he assured her. “You're the talk of London, but I imagine you realize that.”

She shook her head. “No, I didn't realize,” she admitted.

“The prince regent has been singing your praises,” Morgan explained. “You mustn't frown, Princess. I've only heard wonderful things about you.”

“What wonderful things?” Flannaghan dared to ask.

Morgan didn't take his gaze away from Alesandra when he answered the butler. “I was told she was very beautiful and now I know that story is true. She is beautiful—exquisite, in fact.”

She was embarrassed by his flattery. She tried to pull her hand away from his, but he wouldn't let go.

“You have a delightful blush, Princess,” he told her. He moved closer, and in the candlelight she could see the handsome silver threads streaking his dark brown hair. His eyes, a deep black brown color, sparkled with his smile. Morgan wasn't much taller than Flannaghan, but he seemed to overwhelm the butler. The aura of power surrounding him was probably due to his important position in society, she guessed. His title allowed him to be arrogant and self-assured.

The man was a charmer, however, who understood his own appeal. He knew he was making her uncomfortable under his close scrutiny, too.

“Are you enjoying your stay in England?” he asked.

“Yes, thank you.”

Colin opened the door just as Morgan was asking Alesandra if he might be permitted to call on her the following afternoon. He immediately noticed Alesandra's blush. He noticed Morgan was holding her hand, too.

He reacted before he could stop himself. He reached out, grabbed hold of Alesandra's arm, and jerked her into his side. Then he draped his arm around her shoulders in an action she found terribly possessive and frowned at their guest.

“Alesandra's going to be busy tomorrow,” he announced. “Go on inside, Morgan. The director's waiting to talk to you.”

Morgan didn't seem to notice the irritation in Colin's tone of voice, or if he did notice, he chose to ignore it. He nodded his agreement, then turned his attention back to her. “With your permission, Princess, I'll continue to try to convince your cousin to let me call on you.”

As soon as she nodded agreement, he bowed to her and walked into the study.

“Do quit squeezing me, Cousin,” Alesandra whispered.

He heard the laughter in her voice and looked down at her. “Where the hell did he get that idea? Did you tell him I was your cousin?”

“No, of course I didn't,” she replied. “Will you unhand me now? I have to go back to my room to fetch my notecard.”

He wouldn't let go of her. “Alesandra, why are you so damned happy?”

“I'm happy because it appears as though I won't have to marry the general,” she said. She squirmed her way out of his grasp and went hurrying down the hallway. “And,” she called over her shoulder, “I have a new name to put on my list.”

As she ran down the hall, Morgan stepped out of the study and watched her—a devil-may-care smile upon his lips—until Colin's curt reminder called him back into the study.

 

C
olin stayed in conference with Sir Richards and Morgan for several hours. Alesandra ate her supper alone in the dining room. She stayed downstairs as long as she could manage without falling asleep, hoping Colin would join her. She wanted to thank him for showing such an interest in her future and ask him a few questions about the Earl of Oakmount.

She gave up the wait around midnight and went up to bed. Valena knocked on her door fifteen minutes later.

“You are requested to be ready to go out tomorrow morning, Princess. You must be ready to leave at ten o'clock.”

Alesandra got into her bed and pulled the covers up. “Did Colin explain where we're going?”

The lady's maid nodded. “To Sir Richards's home,” she answered. “On Bowers Street at number twelve.”

Alesandra smiled. “He gave you the address?”

“Yes, Princess. He was very thorough in his instructions to me. He wanted me to tell you he doesn't wish to be kept waiting,” she said with a frown. “There was something more he wanted me to . . . oh, yes, now I remember. The meeting scheduled for the afternoon with the Duke and Duchess of Williamshire has been canceled.”

“Did Colin tell you why it was canceled?”

“No, Princess, he didn't.”

Valena let out a dramatic yawn and immediately begged her mistress's pardon. “I'm very weary tonight,” she whispered.

“Of course you're weary,” Alesandra said. “It's quite late and you've put in a full day's work, Valena. Go to bed now. Sleep well,” she called out when the maid went hurrying out the doorway.

Alesandra fell asleep a few minutes later. She was so exhausted from the long week of taking care of Colin, she slept the night through. She awakened a little after eight the next morning and hurried to get ready. She wore a pale pink walking dress. Colin would approve of the garment for the square-cut neckline was very prim and proper.

Alesandra was downstairs a good twenty minutes before they were scheduled to leave. Colin didn't join her until a few minutes after ten. As soon as she spotted him coming down the stairs, she called out to him. “We're already late, Colin. Do hurry.”

“There's been a change in plans, Alesandra,” Colin explained. He winked at her when he passed her on his way into the dining room.

She chased after him. “What change in plans?”

“The meeting's been canceled.”

“The meeting with Sir Richards or the meeting this afternoon? Valena said . . .”

Colin pulled the chair out and motioned for her to sit down at the dining room table. “Both meetings were canceled,” he said.

“Would you care for chocolate or hot tea, Princess?” Flannaghan called out from the entrance.

“Tea, thank you. Colin, how did you find out the meeting was canceled? I've been waiting in the foyer and no messenger came to the door.”

Colin didn't answer her. He sat down, picked up the newspaper, and started reading. Flannaghan appeared at his side with a basket of biscuits, which he placed in front of him.

Alesandra was both irritated and confused. “Exactly why did Sir Richards want a meeting? We both spoke to him last evening.”

“Eat your breakfast, Alesandra.”

“You aren't going to explain, are you?”

“No.”

“Colin, it's impolite to be rude first thing in the morning.”

He lowered the paper to grin at her. She realized then her statement had been foolish. “I mean to say, it's always impolite to be rude.”

He disappeared behind his paper again. She drummed her fingertips on the tabletop. Raymond walked into the dining room then. Alesandra immediately motioned him to her side. “Did a messenger . . .”

Colin interrupted her. “Alesandra, are you challenging my word?”

“No,” she answered. “I'm just trying to understand. Will you quit hiding behind that paper?”

“Are you always in such a foul mood in the morning?”

Alesandra gave up trying to have a decent conversation with the man. She ate half a biscuit and then excused herself from the table. Raymond gave her a sympathetic look when she walked past him.

Alesandra went back upstairs and worked on her correspondence the rest of the morning. She wrote a long letter to the mother superior, telling her all about her journey to England. She described her guardian and his family, and spent three full pages explaining how she had ended up living with Colin.

She was sealing the envelope closed when Stefan knocked on the door. “You're wanted downstairs, Princess Alesandra.”

“Do we have company, Stefan?”

The guard shook his head. “We're going out. You'll need your cloak. The wind's up today.”

“Where are we going?”

“To a meeting, Princess.”

“On again, off again, on again,” she remarked.

“Begging your pardon, Princess?”

Alesandra closed the lid to the inkwell, straightened the desk, and then stood up. “I was just complaining to myself,” she admitted with a smile. “Is this meeting with Colin's father or with Sir Richards?”

“I'm not certain,” Stefan admitted. “But Colin's waiting in the foyer and he seems impatient to get going.”

Alesandra promised the guard she would be right down. Stefan bowed to her and then left the room. She hurried to brush her hair, then went to the wardrobe to fetch her cloak. She was walking out the doorway when she remembered her list. If they were going to the Duke of Williamshire's town house, she would certainly need the notecard, she decided, so that she could go over the names with her guardian and his wife. She hurried back over to the desk to get the list and tucked it into the pocket of her cloak.

Colin was waiting in the foyer. She paused at the landing to put her cloak over her arm.

“Colin? Are we going to see your father or Sir Richards?”

He didn't answer her. She hurried down the steps and then repeated her question.

“We're going to see Sir Richards,” he explained.

“Why does he want to see us again so soon? He was just here last evening,” she reminded him.

“He has his reasons.”

Valena was standing with Stefan and Raymond near the entrance to the salon. She hurried forward to assist her mistress with her cloak.

Colin beat her to the task. He put the cloak around Alesandra's shoulders, took hold of her hand, and then walked outside, dragging her behind him. She had to run to keep up with his long-legged stride.

Raymond and Stefan followed behind. The two guards climbed up the rack to sit with the driver. Colin and Alesandra sat across from each other inside the carriage.

He locked the doors, then leaned back against the cushions and smiled at her.

“Why are you frowning?” he asked.

“Why are you acting so peculiar?”

“I don't like surprises.”

“Do you see? That was a peculiar answer.”

Colin stretched out his long legs. She adjusted her skirts and moved closer to the corner to give him more room.