“Jade and Alesandra will be down in just a moment. Do come into the dining room. Supper will get cold. Boys, give your mother a kiss. Heavens, you’ve lost some weight, Caine, haven’t you? Colin, dear, how is your leg? Is it paining you?”
Her sons understood that their mother didn’t really expect answers to her questions. They understood she liked to coddle, too, and put up with the show of motherly concern without even a hint of a reminder that they were both fully grown men now.
Gweneth was the only one who dared inquire about Colin’s leg. Everyone else understood they were to ignore the affliction.
“Caine, Princess Alesandra is the most delightful young woman.”
His wife made that remark as she came strolling into the salon. She paused on her way to her husband’s side to give his father a kiss in greeting, then stopped again to kiss Colin on his cheek.
“Are you enchanted by Alesandra, Dolphin?” she asked Colin, using the nickname he’d earned from his days on the seas.
“Where is she?” Colin asked.
“In your father’s library,” Jade answered. Her green eyes sparkled with amusement. “She caught sight of all his books and almost swooned with joy. When I left her, she was looking through his journal on the latest shipping innovations.”
Gweneth immediately turned to the butler and requested that he go upstairs and tell Alesandra dinner was waiting.
Jade linked her arm through her husband’s. She was dying to ask him what had been decided at the family conference, but couldn’t because Colin and their parents were standing so close.
Caine brushed his wife’s deep red hair back over her shoulder and leaned down to kiss her.
“I believe we should go on in,” Gweneth announced. She took her husband’s arm and walked by his side out of the salon. Colin followed until Caine called out to him. “I want to talk to you in private later,” he requested.
“There isn’t anything to talk about,” Colin countered. He could tell from his brother’s expression he wanted to discuss Alesandra again.
“I believe there is,” Caine countered.
“Do forgive me for interrupting,” Jade said then. “But I’ve just come up with a wonderful suggestion for a suitable husband. Have you considered Johnson? You remember him, Colin. He’s Lyon’s good friend,” she reminded her brother-in-law.
“I remember him,” Colin agreed.
“And?” Jade prodded when he didn’t continue.
“I can tell you right now he won’t do,” Caine drawled out.
“Why not?” Jade asked. “I like him.”
“So do I,” Caine agreed. “But Colin will find something wrong with him. Besides, the matter has already been settled.”
Caine shook his head at his wife when she started to protest, added a wink so her feelings wouldn’t be injured, and then whispered, “Later,” to let her know he would explain everything when they were alone.
Colin turned around and walked out of the salon. He didn’t go into the dining room however, but started up the steps.
“Go ahead without us,” he called down to Caine. “I must speak to Alesandra for a few minutes.”
Colin didn’t think it would take him any time at all to explain to Alesandra he was going to marry her. No, that announcement wouldn’t take more than a minute. The rest of the time would be spent on expectations. His.
The library was down at the end of the long corridor. Alesandra was standing in front of the window, looking out. She held a thick book in her hands. She turned when Colin walked inside.
He shut the door behind him and then leaned against it. He frowned at her. She smiled at him.
“You are finished with your conference?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“I see,” she whispered when he didn’t continue. She walked over to the desk and put the book down on the ink blotter. “What was decided?” she asked then, trying desperately to sound only mildly interested.
He started to tell her he was going to marry her, then took Caine’s advice and put the decision into a question.
“Will you marry me, Alesandra?”
“No,” she answered in a whisper. “But I do thank you for offering.”
“After the wedding, you and I . . . what do you mean, no? I’m going to marry you, Alesandra. It’s all been decided.”
“No, you aren’t going to marry me,” she countered. “Quit frowning, Colin. You’re off the hook. You asked and I turned you down. You can start breathing again.”
“Alesandra . . .” he began in a warning tone of voice she completely ignored.
“I know exactly what happened downstairs after I left,” she boasted. “Your father cleverly manipulated you into agreeing to have me. He told you about the gift my father gave him, didn’t he?”
Colin smiled. Alesandra was really very astute. “Yes,” he answered. “It wasn’t a gift, however. It was a loan.”
He moved away from the door and walked toward her. She immediately started backing away.
“It was a loan only in your father’s eyes,” she argued.
He shook his head. “Forget the loan,” he ordered. “And start making sense. You need to get married, damn it, and I’ve agreed to become your husband. Why are you being so difficult?”
“Because you don’t love me.”
She’d blurted out that truth before she could stop herself. Colin looked astonished. She was so embarrassed now she wished she could open the window and leap out. That ridiculous notion made her want to scream. She really needed to get a better hold on her emotions, she told herself.
“What does love have to do with anything? Do you honestly believe any of the men on your list would love you? Hell, whomever you chose wouldn’t even know you well enough to form an opinion . . .”
She interrupted him. “No, of course he wouldn’t love me. I wouldn’t want him to. It was going to be a purely financial arrangement. You, however, have made it perfectly clear you won’t touch my funds. You told me you were determined to make it on your own, remember?”
“I remember.”
“And have you changed your mind in the last five minutes?”
“No.”
“There, do you finally understand? Since you have nothing to gain from marrying me, and since you don’t love me, which would be the only other reason for marriage, then there really isn’t any point to your noble sacrifice.”
Colin leaned on the edge of the desk and stared at her. “Let me get this straight,” he muttered. “You actually believed you could buy a husband?”
“Of course,” she cried out in exasperation. “Women do it all the time.”
“You aren’t buying me.”
He sounded furious. She let out a sigh and tried to hold on to her patience. “I know I’m not buying you,” she agreed. “And that puts me in a weaker bargaining position. I can’t allow that.”
Colin felt like shaking some sense into her. “We’re talking about marriage, not contracts for hire,” he snapped. “Were you planning to sleep with your husband? What about children, Alesandra?”
He was asking her questions she didn’t want to answer. “Perhaps . . . in time. Oh, I don’t know,” she whispered. “It doesn’t concern you.”
Colin suddenly moved. Before Alesandra had time to guess his intent, he pulled her into his arms.
He held her around her waist with one arm and forced her chin up with his other hand so she would look at him.
He thought he might want to shout at her, but then he saw the tears in her eyes and he forgot all about arguing with her.
“I’m going to be touching you all the time,” he announced in a gruff whisper.
“Why?”
He took exception to the fact that she looked so surprised. “Call it a benefit,” he drawled out.
He probably would have only given her a chaste kiss to seal his commitment to wed her, but she goaded his temper again when she whispered her denial.
“Yes,” he whispered
back just seconds before his mouth descended to hers. The kiss was meant to gain her submission. It was hard, demanding, thorough. He felt her try to pull away with the first touch of his mouth on hers, but he ignored her struggle to get free by tightening his hold on her. He forced her mouth open by applying pressure on her chin with his hand, and then his tongue swept inside to rid her of her resistance.
The kiss wasn’t at all gentle. But, Lord, it was hot. Alesandra didn’t know if she struggled or not. She was having trouble thinking at all. Colin’s mouth was so wonderfully thorough, she never wanted him to stop. Alesandra had never been kissed before and had therefore never experienced passion. She was overwhelmed by it now. Colin was certainly experienced, though. His mouth slanted over hers again and again while his tongue rubbed against hers in intimate love play.
Colin realized he should stop when he heard her sexy little whimper. He growled low in his throat and kissed her again. Damn, he wanted her. His hand brushed against the swell of her breast and the heat and fullness he felt under his hand through the material of her gown made him ache to make love to her.
He forced himself to pull away from her. Alesandra collapsed against him. She didn’t realize she had her arms around his waist until he told her to let go.
She was so confused by what had just happened to her, she didn’t know what to say or do. She tried to back away from him, but she was trembling so much she could barely get her legs to support her.
He knew he’d rattled her. The grin on his face was extremely telling—arrogant, too.
“That was my first kiss,” she stammered out as an excuse for her sorry condition.
Colin couldn’t resist. He pulled her back into his arms and kissed her again. “And that was your second,” he whispered.
“Begging your pardon,” Jenkins called out from the doorway. “The duchess is most insistent you join her in the dining room.”
Alesandra jerked away from Colin. She acted as though she’d just been scorched by the sun. Her cheeks turned pink with embarrassment. She peeked around Colin to look at the butler. He smiled at her.
“We’re coming, Jenkins,” Colin called out. He kept his gaze on Alesandra, smiling over her embarrassment.
She tried to skirt her way around him. He took hold of her hand and wouldn’t let go. “I’ll make the announcement during dinner,” he told her as he pulled her through the doorway.
“No,” she countered. “Colin, your kisses haven’t changed anything. I’m not going to marry you and ruin all your carefully laid plans.”
“Alesandra, I always win. Understand me?”
She let out an unladylike snort. He squeezed her hand and started down the steps. She had to run to keep up with him.
“I dislike arrogant, think-they’re-always-right men,” she muttered.
“I do too,” he agreed.
“I was referring to you.” Lord, she felt like screaming. “I’m not marrying you.”
“We’ll see.”
He wasn’t going to give up. The man was sinfully stubborn. But then so was she, she reminded herself. Her guardian had given her his word she could choose her own husband and Colin’s intimidating tactics didn’t matter.
Dinner was a nerve-racking affair. Alesandra’s stomach was tied in knots and she could barely swallow anything. She should have been hungry, but she wasn’t. She kept waiting for Colin to say something, and was praying at the same time that he wouldn’t open his mouth.
Jade drew her into conversation. “I understand the prince regent called on you,” she remarked.
“Yes,” Alesandra answered. “I wouldn’t have allowed him entrance into Colin’s home if I’d known he’d cheated Colin’s partner out of an inheritance, however.”
Jade smiled. “His partner is my brother,” she said. She turned to the duchess to explain what they’d been talking about. “The prince regent was holding my brother’s wife’s inheritance while the fighting was going on between the families, but once it was all resolved, he decided to keep the gift for himself. It was a sizable sum.”
“You really wouldn’t have let the prince regent in?” Caine asked.
“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 intim
ate,” 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.”