'No, I wouldn't have,' Alesandra said again. 'Why do you look so surprised? Colin's home is his castle. Only friends should be allowed inside.'
Alesandra turned her attention to Jade and therefore missed the grin the two brothers shared. 'Do you happen to know a lady named Victoria Perry?' she asked.
Jade shook her head. 'The name isn't familiar to me. Why do you ask?'
'I'm worried about her,' Alesandra confessed. She explained how she'd met Victoria and what she had learned since she'd last received a letter from her.
'My dear, I don't believe it's a good idea to pursue this further,' the duchess announced. 'Her mother must be heartbroken. It's cruel to dredge it all up again.'
'Colin said the very same thing to me,' Alesandra said. 'Perhaps you are right. I should let the matter rest. I wish I could quit worrying about her.'
The duchess turned the conversation then to the topic of her eldest daughter. This was Catherine's year for coming out and she was full of plans for her first ball.
Caine didn't say a word throughout the rest of the meal. He kept his gaze on his brother.
Colin wasn't giving anything away. His expression could have been carved in stone.
Alesandra actually began to relax a little when dessert was served and Colin still hadn't brought up the topic of marriage. She thought he'd probably had enough time to think the matter through. Yes, he'd come to his senses.
'Have you had time to talk to Alesandra, son?' the Duke of Williamshire asked.
'Yes,' Colin replied. 'We've decided…'
'Not to marry,' she blurted out.
'What's this? Colin, I thought it had all been decided,' his father protested.
'It has been decided,' Colin agreed. He reached over and covered Alesandra's hand with his. 'We're getting married. Alesandra has agreed to become my wife.'
She started shaking her head in denial but no one seemed to be paying any attention to her.
'Congratulations,' her guardian announced. 'Gweneth, this calls for a toast.'
'Don't you think Alesandra should agree first?' Jade asked just as her father-in-law started to stand up with his water glass in hand.
He sat back down. 'Yes, of course,' he replied.
'She'll marry me,' Colin said, his voice hard, unbending.
She turned to him. 'I won't let you make this noble sacrifice. You don't want to get married for another five years, remember? What about your schedule?'
She didn't wait for Colin to answer her question but turned her attention back to Uncle Henry. 'I don't want to marry him, Uncle, and you did promise me I could choose.'
Her guardian slowly nodded. 'I did agree to let you select your husband. Was there a specific reason why you refused Colin?'
'He won't agree to a financial arrangement,' she explained. 'He wants other benefits.'
'Benefits?' Caine asked, his curiosity pricked. 'Such as?'
She started blushing. She looked at Colin, hoping he'd explain. He shook his head at her. 'You started this, you finish it,' he ordered.
The sparkle in his eyes indicated his amusement. She straightened her shoulders. 'Very well,' she announced. She couldn't quite look at Caine when she gave him her answer, however, and stared at the wall behind him. 'Colin would demand… intimacy.'
No one knew what to say to that confession. Her guardian looked thoroughly confused. He started to open his mouth to say something, then changed his mind.
'Aren't most marriages intimate?' Caine asked. 'You are referring to the marriage bed, aren't you, Alesandra?'
'Yes.'
'And?' he prodded.
'My marriage will not be intimate,' she announced, her voice emphatic. She tried to change the subject by adding, 'Colin didn't want to marry me until after he'd talked to his father. Now he's feeling honor bound. Clearly, he's marrying me out of duty.'
Her guardian let out a sigh. 'I did give you my word,' he admitted. 'If you don't want to marry Colin, I won't force you.'
The duchess was fanning herself with her napkin. 'Jade, dear, I believe you should be the one to have a private talk with Alesandra. You're younger and not as set in your ways as I am, and it should be a woman to discuss this topic I have in mind. Alesandra seems to harbor some fears about the… marriage bed… and I don't feel qualified to explain… that is…'
She couldn't finish her request. The duchess was violently fanning herself now and her face looked like it was on fire.
'Mother, you've had children. I believe that makes you very qualified,' Colin told her.
Jade poked her husband in his side in a bid to get him to quit laughing.
'I believe Morgan Atkins will be suitable,' Alesandra blurted out. 'If he needs my inheritance, he'll agree to my terms, and I don't mind bowlegged children. No, I don't mind at all.'
'If you aren't going to be intimate with your husband, how the hell are you going to have children?' Colin asked.
'I was thinking into the future,' Alesandra stammered. She realized the contradictions in her argument but couldn't seem to think of a way to straighten it all out. Why would she want to be intimate with a man she didn't know? The very thought made her stomach twist.
'Jade, I believe you should have that talk with Alesandra directly after dinner,' the duchess interjected.
'Yes, Mother,' Jade agreed.
'Has anyone ever discussed the facts of marriage to you?' Caine asked.
Alesandra's blush was hot enough to scorch the tablecloth. 'Yes, of course. Mother Superior told me everything I need to know. Could we please change this topic now?'
Her guardian took mercy on her. 'So it's Morgan you've chosen?' he asked. He waited for her nod, then continued. 'Very well. We'll invite him over for supper and take his measure.'
'I'll want to talk to him too,' Colin announced. 'He'll need to know, of course.'
'Know what?' his father inquired. Caine was already grinning. He knew his brother was up to something, but he couldn't imagine what it was. Only one thing was certain in Caine's mind. Colin had made the decision to marry Alesandra, and he wasn't going to let her get away now.
'Yes, son,' his mother said. 'What is it Morgan needs to know?'
'That Alesandra and I slept together.' The duchess dropped her napkin and let out a little screech. Jade's mouth dropped open. Caine started laughing. The Duke of Williamshire had just taken a swallow of water when Colin made his announcement. He started choking.
Alesandra closed her eyes and fought the urge to scream. 'You slept with her?' his father demanded in a strangled roar.
'Yes, sir,' Colin answered. His voice was very pleasant, cheerful in fact. He seemed completely unaffected by his father's wrath. 'Several times in fact.'
'How could you deliberately…' Alesandra couldn't go on. She was so mortified, she couldn't seem to catch a thought long enough to speak it.
'How could I lie?' Colin asked her. 'You know better. I never lie. We did sleep together, didn't we?' Everyone was staring at her now, waiting for her denial. 'Yes,' she whispered. 'But we…'
'For the love of God,' her guardian shouted. 'Henry, calm yourself. You're going to make yourself ill,' his wife advised when she saw how mottled his complexion was becoming. The duchess was once again frantically fanning herself with her napkin in an effort to remain composed.
Colin leaned back in his chair and let the sparks fly around him. He looked bored. Caine was thoroughly enjoying himself. Jade kept trying to make her husband take the matter more seriously by poking him in his ribs.
'Colin, have you nothing to say to straighten out this misconception?' Alesandra demanded in a near shout
