Castles Page 3

  Princess Alesandra was stunned by the news. She gripped her hands together in a nervous gesture and kept her head bowed so the mother superior wouldn’t see the tears in her eyes.

  “Do sit down, Alesandra. I don’t wish to talk to the top of your head.”

  “As you wish, Mother.” She sat on the very edge of the hard chair, straightened her posture to please the superior, and then clasped her hands together in her lap.

  “What do you think of this news?” the mother superior asked.

  “It was the fire, wasn’t it, Mother? You still haven’t forgiven me that mishap.”

  “Nonsense,” the mother superior replied. “I forgave you that thoughtlessness over a month ago.”

  “Was it Sister Rachael who convinced you to send me away? I did tell her how sorry I was, and her face isn’t nearly as green anymore.”

  The mother superior shook her head. She frowned, too, for Alesandra was inadvertently getting her all riled up over the reminders of some of her antics.

  “Why you believed that vile paste would remove freckles is beyond my understanding. However, Sister Rachael did agree to the experiment. She doesn’t blame you . . . overly much,” she hastened to add so the lie she was telling would only be considered a venial sin in God’s eyes. “Alesandra, I didn’t write to your guardian requesting your leave. He wrote to me. Here is the Duke of Williamshire’s letter. Read it and then you’ll see I’m telling you the truth.”

  Alesandra’s hand shook when she reached for the missive. She quickly scanned the contents before handing the letter back to her superior.

  “You can see the urgency, can’t you? This General Ivan your guardian mentions sounds quite disreputable. Do you remember meeting him?”

  Alesandra shook her head. “We visited father’s homeland several times, but I was very young. I don’t remember meeting him. Why in heaven’s name would he want to marry me?”

  “Your guardian understands the general’s motives,” the mother superior replied. She tapped the letter with her fingertips. “Your father’s subjects haven’t forgotten you. You’re still their beloved princess. The general has a notion that if he marries you, he’ll be able to take over the kingdom with the support of the masses. It’s a clever plan.”

  “But I don’t wish to marry him,” Alesandra whispered.

  “And neither does your guardian wish it,” the superior said. “He believes the general won’t take no for an answer, however, and will take you by force if necessary to insure his success. That is why the Duke of Williamshire wants guards to journey with you to England.”

  “I don’t want to leave here, Mother. I really don’t.”

  The anguish in Alesandra’s voice tugged at the mother superior’s heart. Forgotten for the moment were all the mischievous schemes Princess Alesandra had gotten involved in over the past years. The superior remembered the vulnerability and the fear in the little girl’s eyes when she and her ailing mother had first arrived. Alesandra had been quite saintly while her mother lived. She had been so very young—only twelve—and had lost her dear father just six months before. Yet the child had shown tremendous strength. She took on the full responsibility of caring for her mother day and night. There was never any possibility her mother would recover. Her illness destroyed her body and her mind, and toward the end, when she had been crazed with her pain, Alesandra would climb into her mother’s sickbed and take the frail woman into her arms. She would gently rock her back and forth and sing tender ballads to her, her voice that of an angel. Her love for her mother had been achingly beautiful to see. When at last the devil’s torture was finished, her mother died in her daughter’s arms.

  Alesandra wouldn’t allow anyone to comfort her. She wept during the dark hours of the night, alone in her cell, the white curtains surrounding her cubicle blocking out none of her sobs from the postulants.

  Her mother was buried on the grounds behind the chapel in a lovely, flower-bordered grotto. Alesandra couldn’t abide the thought of leaving her. The grounds of the convent were adjacent to the family’s second home, Stone Haven, but Alesandra wouldn’t even journey there for a visitation.

  “I had thought I would stay here forever,” Alesandra whispered.

  “You must look upon this as your destiny unfolding,” the mother superior advised. “One chapter of your life is closing and another is about to open up.”

  Alesandra lowered her head again. “I wish to have all my chapters here, Mother. You could deny the Duke of Williamshire’s request if you wished, or stall him with endless correspondence until he forgot about me.”

  “And the general?”

  Alesandra had already thought of an answer to that dilemma. “He wouldn’t dare breach this sanctuary. I’m safe as long as I stay here.”

  “A man lusting for power will not care if he breaks the holy laws governing this convent, Alesandra. He certainly would breach our sanctuary. Do you realize you are also suggesting I deceive your dear guardian?”

  The nun’s voice held a note of reproach in it. “No, Mother,” Alesandra answered with a little sigh, knowing full well that was the answer the nun wished to hear. “I suppose it would be wrong to deceive . . .”

  The wistfulness in her voice made the mother superior shake her head. “I will not accommodate you. Even if there was a valid reason . . .”

  Alesandra jumped on the possibility. “Oh, but there is,” she blurted out. She took a deep breath, then announced, “I have decided to become a nun.”

  The mere thought of Alesandra joining their holy order sent chills down the mother superior’s spine. “Heaven help us all,” she muttered.

  “It’s because of the books, isn’t it, Mother? You want to send me away because of that little . . . fabrication.”

  “Alesandra . . .”

  “I only made the second set of books so the banker would give you the loan. You refused to use my funds, and I knew how much you needed the new chapel . . . what with the fire and all. And you did get the loan, didn’t you? God has surely forgiven me my deception, and He must have wanted me to alter the numbers in the accounts or He never would have given me such a fine head for figures. Would he, Mother Superior? In my heart, I know He forgave me my bit of trickery.”

  “Trickery? I believe the correct word is larceny,” the mother superior snapped.

  “Nay, Mother,” Alesandra corrected. “Larceny means to pilfer and I didn’t pilfer anything. I merely amended.”

  The fierce frown on the superior’s face told Alesandra she shouldn’t have contradicted her, or brought up the still tender topic of the bookkeeping.

  “About the fire . . .”

  “Mother, I have already confessed my sorrow over that unfortunate mishap,” Alesandra rushed out. She hurried to change the subject before the superior could get all riled up again. “I was very serious when I said I would like to become a nun. I believe I have the calling.”

  “Alesandra, you aren’t Catholic.”

  “I would convert,” Alesandra fervently promised.

  A long minute passed in silence. Then the mother superior leaned forward. The chair squeaked with her movement. “Look at me,” she commanded.

  She waited until the princess had complied with her order before speaking again. “I believe I understand what this is really all about. I’m going to give you a promise,” she said, her voice a soothing whisper. “I’ll take good care of your mother’s grave. If anything should happen to me, then Sister Justina or Sister Rachael will tend to it. Your mother won’t be forgotten. She’ll continue to be in our prayers every day. That is my promise to you.”

  Alesandra burst into tears. “I cannot leave her.”

  The mother superior stood up and hurried over to Alesandra’s side. She put her arm around her shoulders and patted her. “You won’t be leaving her behind. She will always be in your heart. She would want you to get on with your life.”

  Tears streamed down Alesandra’s face. She mopped them away with the backs o
f her hands. “I don’t know the Duke of Williamshire, Mother. I only met him once and I barely recall what he looked like. What if I don’t get along with him? What if he doesn’t want me? I don’t want to be a burden to anyone. Please let me stay here.”

  “Alesandra, you seem determined to believe I have a choice in the matter and that simply isn’t true. I too must obey your guardian’s request. You’re going to do just fine in England. The Duke of Williamshire has six children of his own. One more isn’t going to be a bother.”

  “I’m not a child any longer,” Alesandra reminded the nun. “And my guardian is probably very old and weary by now.”

  The mother superior smiled. “The Duke of Williamshire was chosen and named guardian over you years ago by your father. He had good reason for naming the Englishman. Have faith in your father’s judgment.”

  “Yes, Mother.”

  “You can lead a happy life, Alesandra,” the mother superior continued. “As long as you remember to use a little restraint. Think before you act. That’s the key. You have a sound mind. Use it.”

  “Thank you for saying so, Mother.”

  “Quit acting so submissive. It isn’t like you at all. I have one more bit of advice to offer you and I want your full attention. Do sit up straight. A princess does not slump.”

  If she sat any straighter, she thought, her spine might snap. Alesandra thrust her shoulders back a bit more and knew she’d satisfied the nun when she nodded.

  “As I was saying,” the mother superior continued. “It never mattered here that you were a princess, but it will matter in England. Appearances must be kept up at all times. You simply cannot allow spontaneous actions to rule your life. Now tell me, Alesandra, what are the two words I’ve asked you again and again to take to heart?”

  “Dignity and decorum, Mother.”

  “Yes.”

  “May I come back here . . . if I find I don’t like my new life?”

  “You will always be welcomed back here,” the mother superior promised. “Go now and help Sister Rachael with the packing. You’ll be leaving in the dead of night as a precautionary measure. I’ll wait in the chapel to say my good-bye.”

  Alesandra stood up, made a quick curtsy, then left the room. The mother superior stood in the center of the small chamber and stared after her charge for a long while. She had believed it was a miracle the princess was leaving. The mother superior had always followed a rigid schedule. Then Alesandra came into her life, and schedules became nonexistent. The nun didn’t like chaos, but chaos and Alesandra seemed to go hand in hand. Yet the minute the strong-willed princess walked out of the office, the mother superior’s eyes filled with tears. It was as though the sun had just been covered with dark clouds.

  Heaven help her, she was going to miss the imp and her antics.

  Chapter

  2

  London, England, 1820

  They’d called him the Dolphin. He’d called her the Brat. Princess Alesandra didn’t know why her guardian’s son Colin had been given the nickname of a sea mammal, but she was well aware of the reason behind his nickname for her. She’d earned it. She really had been a brat when she was a little girl, and the only time Colin and his older brother, Caine, had been in her company, she’d misbehaved shamefully. Granted, she had been very young—spoiled, too—a natural circumstance given the fact that she was an only child and was constantly being doted upon by relatives and servants alike. But her parents had both been gifted with patient natures, and they ignored her obnoxious behavior until she finally outgrew the temper tantrums and learned a little restraint.

  Alesandra had been very young when her parents took her with them to England for a short visit. She had only a vague memory of the Duke and Duchess of Williamshire, didn’t remember the daughters at all, and only had a hazy recollection of the two older sons. Caine and Colin. They were both giants in her mind, but then she had been very little and they had both been fully grown men. Her memory had probably exaggerated their size. She was certain she wouldn’t be able to recognize either brother in a crowd today. She hoped Colin had forgotten her past behavior as well as the fact that he’d called her a brat. Getting along with Colin would make everything so much easier to endure. The two duties she was about to undertake were going to be difficult, and having a safe haven at the end of each day was really quite imperative.

  She had arrived in England on a dreary Monday morning and had immediately been taken to the Duke of Williamshire’s country estate. Alesandra hadn’t been feeling well, but believed her queasy stomach was due to anxiety. She was quick to recover, for she was welcomed into the family with sincerity and affection. Both the duke and duchess treated her as one of their own. Her awkwardness soon dissipated. She wasn’t given special consideration, and was even allowed to speak her own mind every now and again. There was only one argument of substance between Alesandra and her guardian. He and his wife were going to escort her to London and open their town house for the season. Alesandra made over fifteen appointments, but just a few days before they were scheduled to leave for the city, both the duke and duchess became quite ill.

  Alesandra wanted to go alone. She insisted she didn’t want to be a bother to anyone and suggested that she rent her own town house for the season. The duchess had palpitations over the mere thought, but Alesandra held her ground. She reminded her guardian she was an adult, after all, and she could certainly take care of herself. The duke wouldn’t hear of such talk. The debate raged for days. In the end it was decided that Alesandra would take up residence with Caine and his wife, Jade, while she was in London.

  Unfortunately, just the day before she was supposed to arrive, both Caine and Jade came down with the same mysterious ailment currently afflicting the duke and duchess and their four daughters.

  The only choice left was Colin. If Alesandra hadn’t already scheduled so many appointments with her father’s associates, she would have stayed in the country until her guardian had recovered. She didn’t want to inconvenience Colin, especially after hearing from his father about the terrible past two years he’d had. She imagined the last thing Colin needed now was chaos. Still, the Duke of Williamshire had been most insistent that she avail herself of his hospitality, and it wouldn’t have been polite for her to refuse her guardian’s wishes. Besides, living with Colin for a few days might make the request she was going to have to make of him easier.

  She arrived on Colin’s doorstep a little past the dinner hour. He had already gone out for the evening. Alesandra, her new lady’s maid, and two trusted guards crowded into the narrow black and white tiled foyer to present her note from the Duke of Williamshire to the butler, a handsome young man named Flannaghan. The servant couldn’t have been more than twenty-five years of age. The surprise of her arrival obviously rattled him, for he kept bowing to her, blushing to the roots of his white-blond hair, and she wasn’t at all certain how to ease his discomfort.

  “It is such an honor to have a princess in our home,” he stammered out. He swallowed hard, then repeated the very same announcement.

  “I hope your employer feels the way you do, sir,” she replied. “I don’t wish to be an inconvenience.”

  “No, no,” Flannaghan blurted out, obviously appalled by the very idea. “You could never be an inconvenience.”

  “It’s good of you to say so, sir.”

  Flannaghan swallowed hard again. In a worried tone he said, “But Princess Alesandra, I don’t believe there’s room for all of your staff.” The butler’s face was burning with embarrassment.

  “We’ll make do,” she assured him with a smile, trying to put him at ease. The poor young man looked ill. “The Duke of Williamshire did insist I bring along my guards, and I couldn’t travel anywhere without my new lady’s maid. Her name’s Valena. The duchess personally chose her for me. Valena has been living in London, you see, but she was born and raised in my father’s homeland. Isn’t it a wonderful coincidence she applied for the position? Yes, of course it is,�
�� she answered before Flannaghan could get a word in. “Because she’s only just been hired, I can’t let her go. It wouldn’t be at all polite, would it? You do understand. I can see you do.”

  Flannaghan had lost track of what was being explained to him, but he nodded agreement anyway just to please her. He was finally able to tear his gaze away from the beautiful princess. He bowed to her lady’s maid, then ruined his first show of dignified behavior by blurting out, “She’s just a child.”

  “Valena’s a year older than I am,” Alesandra explained. She turned to the fair-haired woman and spoke to her in a language Flannaghan had never heard before. It sounded a little like French to him, yet he knew it wasn’t.

  “Do any of your servants speak English?” he asked.

  “When they wish to,” she answered. She untied the cord at the top of her white fur-lined burgundy cloak. A tall, muscled guard with black hair and a menacing look about him stepped forward to take the garment from her. She thanked the man before turning back to Flannaghan. “I would like to get settled in for the night. The journey here took most of the day, sir, because of the rain, and I’m chilled to the bone. It was horrid outside,” she added with a nod. “The rain felt like sleet, didn’t it, Raymond?”

  “Aye, it did, Princess,” the guard agreed in a voice surprisingly gentle.

  “We’re all really quite exhausted,” she told Flannaghan then.

  “Of course you’re exhausted,” Flannaghan agreed. “If you’ll follow me, please,” he requested. He started up the stairs with the Princess at his side. “There are four chambers on the second level, Princess Alesandra, and three rooms on the floor above for the servants. If your guards will double up . . .”

  “Raymond and Stefan will be happy to share quarters,” she told him when he didn’t continue. “Sir, this is really just a temporary arrangement until Colin’s brother and his wife recover from their illness. I’ll move in with them as soon as possible.”