what appeared to be an eagle or falcon atop one turret.
'Does the castle have a name, Princess?' Flannaghan asked, intrigued by the amazing detail.
'It's called Stone Haven. My father and mother were married there.'
She answered every question put to her. Flannaghan's jovial mood lightened her own. He was incredulous when he heard she owned not one but two castles, and his expression made her laugh. He really was a delightful man.
They worked together all morning long, but when the bell chimed one o'clock Alesandra went upstairs to change her gown. She told Flannaghan only that she was expecting more company and wanted to look her best.
Flannaghan didn't think the princess needed to change a thing. It simply wasn't possible for her to become any more beautiful than she already was.
Colin came home around seven that evening. He was stiff and irritable from sitting at his desk at the shipping offices for such long hours. He carried his heavy ledgers under his arm.
He found his butler sprawled out on the steps leading upstairs. It was Raymond who opened the front door for him.
Flannaghan looked done in. 'What happened to you?' Colin asked.
The butler roused himself from his stupor and stood up. 'We had company again today. The princess didn't give me any warning. I'm not faulting her, of course, and she did tell me she was going to have callers, but I didn't realize who, and then he was here with his attendants and I spilled the tea Cook prepared. After he left, a dock worker appeared at the door. I thought he was after begging, but Princess Alesandra heard me tell him to go around to the back door and Cook would give him something to eat. She intervened. Why, she was expecting the man, and do you know, milord, she treated him with the same respect as the other.'
'What other?' Colin asked, trying to sort through the servant's bizarre explanation.
'The prince regent.'
'He was here? I'll be damned.'
Flannaghan sat back down on the steps. 'If my uncle Sterns gets wind of my disgrace, he'll box my ears.'
'What disgrace?'
'I spilled tea on the prince regent's jacket.'
'Good for you,' Colin replied. 'When I can afford it, you're getting a raise.'
Flannaghan smiled. He'd forgotten how much his employer disliked the prince regent. 'I was quite rattled by his presence, but Princess Alesandra acted as though nothing out of the ordinary was happening. She was very dignified. The prince regent wasn't his usual pompous self either. He acted like a besotted schoolboy. It was apparent to me he has great affection for the princess.'
Alesandra appeared at the landing above. Colin looked up and immediately frowned. A tightness in his chest made him realize he'd quit breathing.
She looked absolutely beautiful. She was dressed in a silver and white gown that shimmered in the light when she moved. The cut of the dress wasn't overly revealing, but there was still a hint of flesh visible at the top of her neckline.
Her hair was pinned up with a thin white ribbon threaded through her curls. Wisps of hair curled at the base of her neck.
She looked breathtakingly beautiful. Every nerve in Colin's body reacted to the sight of her. He wanted to take her into his arms, kiss her, taste her…
'Where the hell do you think you're going?' He snapped out the question in a general's tone of voice. Anger hid his lust-or so he hoped.
Her eyes widened over the hostility in his demand. 'To the opera,' she answered. 'The prince regent insisted I take his box tonight. I'm taking Raymond with me.'
'You're staying home, Alesandra,' Colin stated.
'Princess, you cannot expect me to go inside the opera and sit near the prince regent,' Raymond said, somewhat plaintively for such a large, fearsome man.
'He won't be there, Raymond,' she explained.
'I still can't go inside. It wouldn't be proper. I'll wait by the carriage.'
'You aren't going anywhere without me,' Colin announced. He added a hard glare so she would understand he meant what he said.
Her smile was radiant. He realized then she'd had no intention of dragging Raymond into the opera house. She'd cleverly tricked him into accommodating her.
'Do hurry and change, Colin. We don't want to be late.'
'I hate the opera.'
He sounded like a little boy complaining about having to eat his vegetables. She didn't have a bit of sympathy for him. She didn't particularly like the opera either, but she wasn't going to admit that fact to him. He'd want to stay home then, and she really couldn't insult the prince regent by not using his box.
'Too bad, Colin. You already gave me your promise to go. Do hurry.'
Alesandra lifted the hem of her gown and came down the stairs. Flannaghan watched her with his mouth gaping open. She smiled when she passed him.
'She moves like a princess,' Flannaghan whispered to his employer.
Colin smiled. 'She is a princess, Flannaghan.'
Colin suddenly quit smiling. Alesandra's dress was a little lower on top than he'd realized. Up close he could see the swell of her bosom.
'You're going to have to change your gown before we go anywhere,' he announced.
'Why would I want to change?'
He muttered something under his breath. 'This gown is too… enticing. Do you want every man there boldly staring at you?'
'Do you think they will?'
'Hell, yes.'
She smiled. 'Good.'
'You want to attract their notice?' He sounded incredulous.
She looked exasperated. 'Of course I want to attract their notice. I'm trying to find a husband, remember?'
'You're changing your gown.'
'I'll keep my cloak on.'
'Change.'
Flannaghan's neck was beginning to ache from turning his head back and forth during the heated debate.
'You're being ridiculous,' she announced. 'And acting terribly old-fashioned.'
'I'm your guardian. I'll act any damned way I want to act.'
'Colin, be reasonable about this. Valena went to a great deal of trouble and time to get all the wrinkles out.'
He didn't let her finish. 'You're wasting time.'
She shook her head at him. She wasn't going to give in, no matter how intimidating his scowl became.
He walked over to her. Before she knew what he was going to do, he grabbed hold of the bodice of her dress and tried to pull the material up to her chin.
'Every time I think your dress needs some adjustment, I'm going to haul it up, just like this, no matter where we are.'
'I'll change.'
'I thought you might.'
As soon as he let go of her, she turned and ran up the steps. 'You're a horrible man, Colin.'
He didn't mind her insult. He'd gotten his way, and that was all that mattered. He'd be damned if he'd let the unattached predators ogle her.
It didn't take him long to wash and dress in formal attire. He was back downstairs in less than fifteen
