The desire to beat the old cavalry man became a driving force in her life, and she didn't notice the days passing. Until she woke up one morning and her maid had put out a new dress for the princess. The contestants for the tournament were arriving today.
Squeezed into the pale blue gown, and with hair piled in an arrangement which the maid had taken hours to make look casual, Alexandra made a mental note to tell the royal seamstress to take new measurements. She was not the same shape as she was a few months ago.
She sat in the great hall nodding and smiling at an unending line of hopeful young and noble sons. It was strange how they all looked at her as if she was some kind of prize. As the day passed, she noticed that all these eager young men were single and un-fiancéd. During one br
