She didn't want to ever take him for granted either. That thought made her smile. Colin would never let her become lax. He was a demanding, lustful man, and if last night was any indication, she also had those same qualities.
Alesandra went back into Colin's bedroom and stood by one of the windows looking out. It was a glorious day and all because Colin wanted her. She must have been perfect last night, she thought to herself. It hadn't been idle praise on his part, or he wouldn't have wanted her so soon again today, would he?
Wanting and loving weren't the same. Alesandra understood that truth well enough. She thought of herself as a realist. Yes, Colin had married her because of duty. She couldn't change that fact. She couldn't make him love her either, of course, but she believed that in time his heart would belong to her. She had already become his friend, hadn't she?
It was going to be a good, strong marriage. Both of them had taken a vow in front of God and witnesses to live as husband and wife until death did they part. Colin was too honorable to break his commitment to her, and surely in the years to come he would learn to love her.
She was already falling in love with him. Alesandra immediately shook her head in denial. She wasn't ready to think about her own feelings.
Alesandra's own vulnerability frightened her. Marriage, she decided, was far more complex than she'd ever imagined.
'Princess Alesandra, will I disturb you if I put fresh sheets on the bed?'
She turned and smiled at Flannaghan. 'I would be happy to help you.'
He reacted as though she'd just called him a foul word. He looked appalled. She laughed. 'I do know how to change sheets, Flannaghan.'
'You've actually…'
He was too flabbergasted to continue. She found his behavior puzzling. 'Where I lived before I came to England I was fully responsible for my clothes and my bedroom. If I wanted the luxury of clean sheets, I changed them.'
'Who would demand such a thing from a princess?'
'The mother superior,' she answered. 'I lived in a convent,' she explained. 'And I wasn't given special treatment. I was happy not to be thought of as different.'
Flannaghan nodded. 'Now I understand why you're so unspoiled,' he blurted out. 'I-I meant that as a compliment,' he added in a stammer.
'Thank you,' she answered.
The butler hurried over to the bed and began to unfold the linens. 'I've already put fresh sheets on your bed, Princess. I'll turn the covers down for you directly after dinner.'
His explanation confused her. 'Why would you go to the trouble? I thought I would sleep with my husband in his bed.'
Flannaghan didn't notice the worry in her voice. He was busy with his task of tucking the bottom sheet into a perfect corner fold. 'Milord told me you would be sleeping in your own room,' he told her.
The half-given explanation confused her even more. She turned around and pretended to look out the window so Flannaghan wouldn't see her expression. She doubted she could keep the hurt from showing in her eyes.
'I see,' she replied for lack of anything better to say. 'Did Colin explain why?'
'No,' Flannaghan answered. He straightened up and walked around to the other side of the bed. 'In England, most of the husbands and wives sleep in separate quarters. It's just the way it's done here.'
Alesandra started to feel a little better. Then Flannaghan continued with his explanation. 'Of course, Colin's brother, Caine, doesn't follow that dictate. Sterns is the marquess's man. He's my uncle, too,' he added with a note of pride in his voice. 'He let it slip once that his employer and his wife never sleep apart.'
She was instantly miserable again. Of course Caine and Jade slept in the same bed. They happened to love each other. She wagered the duke and duchess only shared one bedroom, too, for they, too, held great affection for each other.
Alesandra straightened her shoulders. She wasn't going to ask Colin why he didn't want her in his bed. She did have her pride, after all. The man was making it perfectly clear how he felt about their marriage. First he cut his hair and now he was going to make her sleep alone. So be it, she decided. She certainly wasn't going to have hurt feelings. No, of course not. It would be a bother having to share a bed. She didn't need his warmth during the night and she certainly wouldn't miss being held in his arms.
The lies weren't working. Alesandra finally quit trying to make herself feel better. She decided she needed to get busy so her mind would be better occupied.
Flannaghan finished making the bed. She followed him down the hall. The door to the study was closed. Alesandra waited until she was well past the entrance to ask the butler how long she thought Colin would be in conference.
'The director had a stack of papers with him,' Flannaghan said. 'I'd wager it will take a good hour before they're finished.'
Flannaghan had miscalculated by several hours. It was well after two that afternoon when he carried the tray of food Cook had prepared up the stairs. He came back down and told Alesandra that the men were still pouring over the documents.
Dreyson was scheduled to call at three, and Alesandra was trying to hurry through the correspondence she and her husband had received that morning. There were over fifty letters of congratulations and almost as many invitations to sort through. Alesandra had divided the papers into stacks, then made lists for each. She gave Flannaghan the stack of invitations to decline while she penned another note to Neil Perry, pleading for him to give her just one hour of his time to discuss his sister.
'I must speak to milord about hiring you both a lady's maid and a full-time secretary,' Flannaghan remarked.
'No,' Alesandra countered. 'I don't have need for either, unless you dislike helping me out now and again, Flannaghan, and your employer is busy building his company. He doesn't need the added expense.'
The vehemence in her tone told the butler she would be pricked if he went behind her back. He nodded acceptance. 'It is good of you to be so understanding about your husband's financial affairs. We won't be poor for long,' he added with a smile.
They weren't poor now, Alesandra thought to herself. If Colin would take advantage of her own funds, of course, she qualified to herself. 'Your employer is very stubborn,' she whispered.
Flannaghan didn't know what had caused that remark. The knocker sounded at the door and he excused himself from the table immediately.
Morgan Atkins walked into the foyer. He spotted Alesandra in the dining room and turned to smile at her. 'Congratulations, Princess. I just heard the news of your wedding. I hope you'll be very happy.'
Alesandra started to stand up but Morgan motioned her to stay seated. He explained he was already late for a meeting with Colin and the director.
He really was a charming gentleman. He bowed low before turning to follow Flannaghan up the steps. She watched him until he disappeared from view, then shook her head. Colin had been wrong. Morgan Atkins wasn't the least bit bowlegged.
Another twenty minutes passed before Sir Richards and Morgan came downstairs together. They exchanged pleasantries with Alesandra and took their leave. Dreyson was given entrance just as the director and his new recruit left.
'I'm most alarmed, Princess,' Dreyson announced as soon as he'd finished his greeting. 'Is there someplace where we might have a bit of privacy?'
Raymond and Stefan were both standing in the foyer with Flannaghan. The guards always came running whenever a visitor wished entrance. Alesandra didn't believe their protection was necessary any longer, as she was married now and surely out of the general's reach, but she knew both guards would continue to do their duty until they were dismissed. She wasn't going to let them go, however, until she'd found suitable positions for them in London. Raymond and Stefan had let it be known they wanted to stay on in England, and she was determined to find a way to accommodate them. It was the very least she could do for such loyal men.
'Shall we go into the salon?' Alesandra suggested to the agent.
Dreyson nodded. He waited until the princess had walked past him, then turned to Flannaghan. 'Is Sir
