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her mistress. Flannaghan hurried forward. He suggested the maid take the last room along the corridor. It was the smallest of the chambers, he explained, but the bed was quite comfortable and the room was really rather cozy. He was certain Valena would find it suitable. After bidding Alesandra good night, he escorted the maid down the hall to help get her settled.
    Alesandra fell asleep a scant thirty minutes later. As was her usual habit, she slept quite soundly for several hours, but promptly at two o’clock in the morning she awakened. She hadn’t been able to sleep a full night through since returning to England, and she’d gotten used to the condition. She put on her robe, added another log to the fire, and then got back into bed with her satchel of papers. She would read her broker’s report on the current financial status of Lloyd’s of London first, and if that didn’t make her sleepy, she’d make a new chart of her own holdings.
    A loud commotion coming from below the stairs interrupted her concentration. She recognized Flannaghan’s voice and assumed from the frantic edge to his tone that he was trying to soothe his employer’s temper.
    Curiosity got the better of her. Alesandra put on her slippers, tightened the belt around her robe, and went to the landing. She stood in the darkness of the shadows, but the foyer below her was ablaze with candlelight. She let out a little sigh when she saw how Raymond and Stefan were blocking Colin’s way. He was turned away from her, but Raymond happened to look up and spot her. She immediately motioned for him to leave. He nudged his companion back to his station, bowed to Colin, and then left the foyer.
    Flannaghan didn’t notice the guards’ departure. He didn’t notice Alesandra either. He never would have gone on and on if he’d known she was standing there listening to his every word.
    â€œShe’s just what I imagined a real princess would be,” he told his employer, his voice reeking with grating enthusiasm. “She has hair the color of midnight, and it’s full of soft curls that seem to float around her shoulders. Her eyes are blue, but a shade of blue I’ve never seen before. They’re so brilliant and clear. And you’re certain to tower over her. Why even I find myself feeling like a giant, a bumbling one at that, when she’s looking directly up at me. She has freckles, milord.” Flannaghan paused long enough to take a breath. “She’s really wonderful.”
    Colin wasn’t paying much attention to the servant’s remarks about the princess. He had been about to put his fist into one of the strangers blocking his way and then toss both men back into the street when Flannaghan had come running down the stairs to explain that the men came from the Duke of Williamshire. Colin had let go of the bigger of the two men and was now once again sorting through the stack of papers in his hands, looking for the report his partner had completed. He hoped to God he hadn’t left the thing at the office, for he was determined to transfer the numbers into the ledgers before he went to bed.
    Colin was in a foul mood. He was actually a little disappointed that his butler had interfered. A good fistfight might have helped him get rid of some of his frustration.
    He finally found the missing sheet just as Flannaghan started in again.
    â€œPrincess Alesandra is on the thin side, yet I couldn’t help but notice how shapely her figure is.”
    â€œEnough,” Colin ordered, his voice soft, yet commanding.
    The servant immediately stopped his litany of Princess Alesandra’s considerable attributes. His disappointment was apparent in his crestfallen expression. He’d only just warmed to his topic and knew he could have gone on and on for at least another twenty minutes. Why, he hadn’t even mentioned her smile yet, or the regal way she held herself. . . .
    â€œAll