The broker stood up. Colin walked by his side to the foyer. Alesandra stopped the two of them when she called out, 'Matthew, no matter how outrageous the contract, if the sum is high enough Morton and Sons will agree?'
'Yes, Princess.'
Alesandra smiled at Colin. 'Husband, I would like for you to prove to me you mean to protect me.'
His wife dared to keep right on smiling at him after she'd given him that insult. He knew she was up to something but he didn't have the faintest notion what it was.
'What do you have in mind?' he asked.
She walked over to Colin's side. 'Take a contract out on me, naming yourself as beneficiary, for the exact sum and the exact time limit'
Colin was already shaking his head before she'd finished her request.
'It's a clever plan,' she argued. 'Do quit shaking your head at me.'
'And will the policy pay if you live or die, Alesandra?'
She gave him a disgruntled look. 'If I live, of course.'
She turned her attention to Dreyson. 'I know you dislike doing business with Morton and Sons, but couldn't you see to this little transaction?'
'I haven't agreed to this-'
'Please, Matthew,' she interrupted, ignoring her husband's protest.
'Then you want his name on the voucher for everyone to read?' Dreyson asked.
'Yes, of course,' she answered.
'You'll have to pay a high premium, and I'm not at all certain there's an underwriter willing to sign his initials alongside yours,' he told Colin.
'You told me once that Lloyd's of London would insure a sinking ship if the price was high enough,' Alesandra reminded the broker. 'I'm certain Morton and Sons, with its tainted reputation for common wagering, would leap at the chance to make a profit.'
'Perhaps… if you were married to anyone but Sir Hallbrook, that would be true. However, your husband's reputation will defeat your plan, Princess. No one's going to wager against him.'
'Why is that?' she asked.
Dreyson smiled. 'Your husband has become a legend of sorts. He's feared in most circles. His work, you see, for the War Department-'
'That's enough, Dreyson,' Colin interrupted. 'You're worrying my wife.'
The agent immediately apologized. 'Do I try to find someone to underwrite the voucher, Sir Hallbrook?'
'Call it what it is,' Colin said. 'A wager.'
'If you have any doubts about your ability to keep me safe, then I would of course understand your reluctance to put your hard-earned money-'
'You know damned good and well I'm going to protect you,' he snapped. 'Honest to God, Alesandra, most women would be weeping with fear after finding out someone has taken a contract out on them, but you…'
'Yes?'
He shook his head. He finally accepted defeat, though not at all gracefully. 'Do it then,' he grumbled. 'If my wife wants everyone in London to know there are two vouchers in effect, we'll let her have her way.'
Alesandra smiled. 'Do you know, Colin, you're actually wagering on your own ability. It's quite sporting, really,' she added. 'And in my opinion, a certain profit for you. You really shouldn't act so surly about this. I have ultimate faith in you. I therefore see no reason to fret.'
Alesandra didn't wait to hear what Colin had to say about her opinions. She bid the agent good-bye and then went upstairs.
Flannaghan appeared out of the shadows. He let Dreyson out the front door and then hurried over to his employer. 'She isn't at all worried, is she, milord?'
'How much did you overhear?'
'All of it.'
Colin shook his head. 'Your uncle would be pleased. You're picking up all of his unsavory habits.'
'Thank you, milord. Your princess's loyalty must please you.'
Colin smiled. He didn't answer his servant but went up the stairs to his study. Flannaghan's words echoed in his mind.
My princess, he thought to himself. Yes, she was his princess now, and, oh, how she pleased him.
Chapter 10
He infuriated her. They had their first argument late that night. Alesandra had already gone to bed, but she couldn't sleep, so she worked on the list of duties she wanted to accomplish the following day. She was in her own bedroom, of course, because that was where Flannaghan had told her Colin wanted her to sleep, and she was desperately trying not to become upset with her husband because he happened to be such an unfeeling clout. He couldn't help the way he was, could he? Their marriage wasn't a love match either, and if Colin wanted to sleep apart from her, she shouldn't take exception. She did, though. She felt vulnerable-frightened, too-and she couldn't understand why she would be plagued by either emotion.
She tried to understand what was happening to her. She decided she was feeling so insecure because Colin had put her in a much weaker bargaining position. Then she shook her head over that fanciful thought. What did she have to bargain? Her husband had rejected everything she had to give.
Heaven help her, she was beginning to feel sorry for herself. Mother Superior, in one of her daily lectures, had told her that men and women often wanted things they could never have. Envy, she explained, soon turned into jealousy, and once the tentacles of that sinful emotion had taken hold, misery soon followed. Jealousy burned, consumed, until there wasn't room for joy or love or happiness of any sort.
'But I'm not jealous,' she whispered to herself. She was envious, though, and let out a little worried sigh over that admission. She was already envious of Colin's brother's happy marriage, and, Lord, did that mean she would soon turn into a jealous shrew and be miserable for the rest of her days?
Marriage, she decided, was a complicated business.
Colin didn't have time for it. He had disappeared into his study directly after dinner to work on his accounts. Having a wife wasn't going to change his habits. He was building an empire, and no one, especially an unwanted bride, was going to interfere with his plans. Colin hadn't had to sit her down and explain his views to her. His actions spoke for him.
Alesandra wasn't upset by his attitude. In truth, she approved of his dedication. She didn't have any doubts, either. Colin would achieve any goal he set. He was strong, terribly clever, and wonderfully disciplined.
She didn't have any intention of getting in his way. She wouldn't distract him, either. The last thing Colin needed was a clinging wife. Still… at night, when the work was done, she wished he wanted to be with her then. It would be nice to fall asleep in his arms, to feel him pressed against her during the dark hours of the night. She liked the way he touched her, kissed her…
She let out a groan. She was never going to be able to concentrate on her lists if she didn't quit daydreaming about her husband. She shook herself out of her daze and forced herself back to work.
It was almost midnight when Colin walked into her room through the connecting doorway to his own chamber. He wore only a pair of black pants, but he had those stripped off before he reached the side of the bed.
He was very casual about his nudity. She tried to be casual about it, too. 'Have you finished working on your accounts?'
She asked the bed that question. Color flooded her face and her voice sounded as though she were being strangled.
Colin grinned. 'Yes,' he answered. 'I'm completely caught up now.'
'Caught up on what?'
He tried not to laugh. 'Alesandra, there isn't anything to be embarrassed about.'
'I'm not embarrassed.'
She was actually able to look directly into his eyes when she told that blatant lie. Colin thought it was an
