The Reluctant Suitor

  Invited to stay for supper later that evening, Colton had assured her parents that it would not only give him great delight to do so, but would also please his mother who was no doubt hoping and praying that he’d enjoy his visit. He had sat across the table from Adriana, from whence he had seemed liberally disposed to peruse her for the better part of the meal. Much later that evening, as he was preparing to leave, they had stood together outside the front door of Wakefield Manor and held hands as they spoke of family and other things. Then, after snuggling the hood of her cloak close about her face, he had kissed her in a way that had set her heart to fluttering. It had been a sweet little morsel that had united their lips and threatened to engage their tongues as his own whisked tantalizingly across her mouth and slipped briefly inward. Quite abruptly, however, he had set her from him, cleared his throat as he overlapped his redingote in front of himself, and then had briskly taken his departure, leaving her smiling in secret pleasure as she wandered back into the house and up to her bedchamber. Long after snuggling beneath her bedcovers, she had still been reveling in the fact that their kiss had affected him in ways she would never disclose to anyone.

  Since that first visit, her parents had been encouraged by Colton’s apparent eagerness to get on with the courtship and had remarked numerous times on his suave, impeccable manners. Adriana didn’t dare tell them that when it suited his purposes, Colton Wyndham could also be a devilish rogue and a bit of a roué at times.

  Properly chaperoned by the Burkes, they had spent several days of the following week in Bath where they had shopped, attended plays, musical events, and other social gatherings. By the end of that same expanse of time, nearly everyone in England had become aware that they were a couple, or so it had been bandied about by numerous rumors.

  As for Roger, her father had come close to killing him the night of his attack on her person. When the young man finally regained consciousness well after the guests had left, the elder had pressed a cocked pistol very close to the tip of Roger’s nose as he voiced his indignation. Such a display of paternal rage had left the apprentice quailing in terror and pleading for his life amid a profusion of frightened tears. It had only been her mother’s wise counsel that had caused Gyles to concede that killing the man would only arouse the curiosity of the gossips. Nevertheless, her father had warned Roger that if he dared approach within close proximity to her ever again while she was unattended that he’d well rue the day. For that offense, he would either be chased down and gelded on the spot or be forced to face far more serious consequences, which would come upon him when he least expected it. For the time being, however, he would allow Roger to go about his affairs without bringing charges against him. It wasn’t that Gyles had felt the least bit merciful toward the man; he had just had a sharp aversion to his daughter’s name being sullied by an avaricious band of talebearers who’d make much of her near-ravishment.

  Concluding his apprenticeship shortly thereafter, Roger had assumed management of the mill and proved his potential by bringing in profits purportedly equal to those once reaped by the original owner, Thomas Winter, a feat Edmund Elston had failed to accomplish in spite of his inclination to laud his own ingenuity. After cruelly maligning his son over his failure to win Lady Adriana, the elder had evidently received his just due, or so some of the mill’s employees had whispered, for shortly thereafter the elder had suffered a seizure that had left him bedridden and in something of a confused stupor. The fact that the rebuke had taken place in front of the workers had all but severed the tenuous rapport that for the last year had existed between sire and son. Still, there were those who had been cognizant of the fact that Edmund Elston had written out his will well before their rift and, because he had no other next of kin or close friends, had named his son heir of all his possessions and properties. Some had even predicted upon the man’s demise that Roger Elston would become a fairly rich man. Edmund’s constitution, however, had soon negated all the morbid predictions he would soon die. His housekeeper even went so far as to say that she saw daily improvement in the man.

  Purportedly Roger was now wooing Felicity. For some unknown reason, Stuart had lost interest in the miller’s granddaughter shortly after the Autumn Ball, and, to everyone’s surprise and Adriana’s immense delight, he had begun courting Berenice Carvell, whose proportions in the recent two months had diminished by a noticeable degree. As a result, her comeliness was becoming more and more apparent. As for Riordan Kendrick, he had been rather reclusive since that same event, seeing no lady at all, only intimate friends, or so the rumors had gone. Hearsay had it that he was supervising repairs currently being made to his own private chambers at his estate on the far side of Bradford, and that both London and Bradford woodwrights had been engaged to create paneling beautiful enough to please a discriminating marquess. His housekeeper, Mrs. Rosedale, knew only that he had wanted to make some changes in the manor, for what reasons she wouldn’t even speculate. No one had been able to obtain further information, as much as the overtly curious were wont to query many of his household servants whenever they’d venture out to shop. They only repeated what Mrs. Rosedale had volunteered, and nothing else was forthcoming. Their inability to discover his lordship’s reasons left gossips all the way from London to Bath in a veritable quandary for fear they were missing some juicy tidbit.

  It was upon Riordan Kendrick and his aspirations to have her for his wife that Adriana sought to turn her thoughts as she made her way from her bedchamber. To some degree, Riordan’s proposal of marriage served to reassure her that she was honorably desired by someone. Still, upon nearing the central hall where her escort awaited her, she hoped that just once she wouldn’t be able to liken Colton to some gorgeous phantom being who had come down to earth for the express purpose of stealing her heart and perhaps even her very soul.

  “Good evening,” she greeted, forcing a cheery smile as she approached her handsome courtier and their chaperones. If truth be told, she yearned to return to the privacy of her bedchamber where she’d make a desperate attempt to forget that Colton Wyndham had ever returned to disrupt her life. Much to her regret, she had fallen in love with the man, and she despaired of the moment wherein he’d coldly kiss her cheek and terminate their parents’ agreement. It certainly didn’t help the pace of her heart to discover that her frivolous wish of an earlier moment had been to no avail, for he was the very epitome of a tall, flawlessly handsome, aristocratic gentleman.

  Samantha hurried forward and fondly pressed a kiss upon her friend’s cheek. “You took your own sweet time getting down here,” she teased with a grin. “Why, if I were at all suspicious, I’d be inclined to say you have no wish to attend Mr. Gladstone’s Christmas party.” As her eyes searched the dark, luminous depths and found no hint of joy, she queried more pointedly, “Or is it that you wish to avoid Roger and Felicity, who’ll certainly be there?”

  Though her closest friend and confidant had hit close enough to the truth to make her almost flinch, Adriana feigned surprise as Charles brought her velvet cloak. “Why should I wish to avoid them?”

  “Because, you goose,” Samantha replied with warm, chuckling laughter, “Felicity is wont to claim to every sympathetic ear that you led Roger merrily along until Colton came home. Of course, dear Roger, bless his black heart, magnanimously nods in agreement.” She clasped the thin fingers and, finding them trembling and as cold as ice, searched the dark eyes with growing concern. “We don’t have to go to Stanover House at all if you’d rather not, Adriana.”

  “We’re going,” the younger woman declared resolutely, taking herself firmly in hand. “We’ll be visiting Samuel Gladstone, not his granddaughter. After that, whether we stay or go will be entirely up to the three of you.”

  As much as Colton sought to maintain a gentlemanly serenity in Adriana’s presence, he felt his vitals once again being turned inside out. It happened each and every time he laid eyes on her, for she was the very fabric of every lofty vision he had ever formed
of the ideal woman. There had been many times while in her presence when he had felt like a simple lackey before a queen. This evening she looked no less than regal in a dove-gray, silk-lace gown that clung sublimely to her slender, curving form.

  Having halted Charles with a hand upon his arm, Colton silently claimed the lady’s cloak from the butler and stepped behind her. Leaning near as he spread the garment around her shoulders, he murmured above her ear, “Your perfection leaves me besotted, my sweet.”

  The warm, mellow tones of his voice undermined Adriana’s efforts to remain distantly detached from the man. His words seemed to resonate through her being, much like a lover’s caress stroking vulnerable areas. She felt doubly defeated when his lean knuckles brushed her bare shoulder. Although nearly dissolving in bliss, she managed a wavering whisper in spite of the tremor he evoked within her. “You’re very gallant, my lord.”

  Her delicate scent was merely one of the many temptations Colton was forced to confront whenever he was near the lady. She always smelled as if she had just emerged from a swirling sea of rose petals. Although he’d have greatly preferred to limit such delicious assaults on his poorly depleted restraint, he was beginning to suspect that in comparison, standing firm against Napoleon’s forces had been child’s play.

  Although clearly capable of recognizing the folly of lingering overlong at such tasks, Colton couldn’t resist straightening her collar and smoothing the garment over her shoulders. Touching her even casually seemed far more stimulating to his goading desires than anything he had experienced heretofore with other women. So, too, the sights to which his gaze was privy as he stood behind her. His height gave him the advantage, for he could from that angle peruse her creamy breasts to a greater depth, a view he deliberately sought more than he cared to admit even to himself. He was always eager for a fresh glimpse of the pale orbs or their delicate pink peaks barely visible through the gossamer lace trim of her satin chemise.

  From across the room, it had seemed at first glance as if she wore nothing at all beneath the lace scrollwork of her gown. As much as his manly propensities would have been greatly heartened by such sights, he knew Adriana would never have worn anything so risqué. She was a refined lady, after all. Still, whatever hopes he had briefly nurtured were dashed when he realized a flesh-colored silk facing lined her lace gown from shoulder to hem.

  “I overheard Samantha teasing you,” he murmured for her ears alone, leaning near to catch the fragrance of roses wafting from her temple. It always seemed far more delectable in that area than any spot he had yet discovered, leading him to think that she dabbed a tiny drop or two of perfume there as a finale to her grooming. “You needn’t fear Roger while I’m with you. I won’t let him hurt you, Adriana.”

  A smile flitted tentatively across Adriana’s soft lips as she turned to look at him over her shoulder. No one but Colton, her parents, and a few trusted servants knew of Roger’s attack upon her person. Colton hadn’t even told Samantha, which was well, for her friend would never have been able to carry off the pretense of being nice to Roger.

  Though Colton made every effort to resist the appeal of those innocent, doe-eyed looks, he could feel the meager store of his resolve waning. He could only imagine what his heart was doing. At times such as these, he had cause to wonder why he delayed asking for the lady’s hand. If merely for the sake of his pride, then he could believe the only one he was punishing was himself, for he couldn’t imagine a virgin being tormented by cravings of the magnitude he had recently been suffering. And if in a tiny segment of his brain he was still entertaining hopes of seeking his freedom after being so sweetly cajoled by the lady for the whole of their courtship, then he had no doubt that the moment of his departure would be akin to a fool tearing out his own heart and trampling it carelessly underfoot as he walked out the door.

  “We’d better be on our way,” he breathed, endeavoring to curb his unabated longings. He moved around to her side and offered his hand. “Mr. Gladstone will be expecting us fairly early this evening.”

  “I heard it said that Felicity arranged everything in accordance with her grandfather’s Christmas feasts from previous times,” Adriana replied, feigning a bright smile as she tried to rally her enthusiasm. “Considering how crowded Stanover House has been in the past, ‘twill be fortunate if we even get to see Mr. Gladstone, much less chat with him.”

  “I believe that’s exactly why he urged us to come early,” Colton replied, grinning aside at her. “I think the old man is quite fond of you and Samantha and doesn’t wish to miss an opportunity to see you both.”

  A smile curved her soft lips. “Well, we happen to be just as fond of Mr. Gladstone.”

  “I really don’t think you’re aware of your effect on men, my dear,” he challenged. Though his grin seemed to suggest that he was teasing her, he was never more serious in his life.

  Her brows gathering in bemusement, she peered up at him. “What do you mean?”

  He reached out a hand and brushed a stray curl from her cheek as his eyes probed hers. “For my own protection, my dear, I think I’d better keep you ignorant of your winning appeal. It’s becoming more and more difficult to withstand your assaults.”

  Her brows gathered in confusion. “Assaults? What do you—?”

  “Perhaps I’ll explain in time,” he replied, slipping his hand beneath her elbow. “As for now, Percy and Samantha are waiting for us.”

  Colton turned, accepted his top hat from Charles, and then presented his arm to Adriana. After whisking her out the front door, he handed her into the landau and then politely waited for Percy to perform the same task for his wife. Only after his brother-in-law had taken his seat did Colton climb in. As usual, the only place left vacant was in the most torturous area, right next to the dark-haired temptress. Though weeks ago he had ascertained that he’d be better off riding atop the coach with Bentley, it still wouldn’t have been far enough away to allow him to banish Adriana from his manly awareness. As he settled into the seat beside her, he almost closed his eyes in ecstasy as her delicate fragrance twined through his senses, entangling his mind like a silken rope. As stalwart as he had once been while practicing the art of war, he could almost feel his own manly determination dissipating whenever he was near Adriana, but then, more likely it was his heart dissolving in her hand.

  Soon after the landau pulled away from Wakefield Manor, Samantha leaned across and rested a gloved hand upon her brother’s knee. “Percy and I have an announcement to make.”

  The exterior lanterns cast enough light into the carriage to readily illumine Colton’s white-toothed grin. “You’re selling your town house in London and moving into a larger one.”

  His sister sat back with an astonished gasp. “How did you know that?”

  “Percy told me tonight shortly after your arrival.”

  Samantha tossed her head saucily as she cut her eyes askance at her chuckling husband. “I don’t know what I’m going to do with him,” she fussed prettily. “He has never been able to keep a secret.”

  “Tell them,” Percy urged, squeezing her hand, “or I will.”

  “Tell us what?” Adriana pressed, exchanging a curious glance with Colton.

  “I am in a family way,” Samantha announced proudly, this time drawing a whoop from her brother who reached across to shake his brother-in-law’s hand.

  “Oh, how wonderful, Samantha!” Adriana warbled, feeling all warm and content of a sudden.

  “Congratulations to you both,” Colton chimed in. “How far along?”

  “Three months or so.”

  He calculated the time in his head. “So the baby should be born about—?”

  “My best guess is the middle of May or perhaps into June,” Samantha hurriedly finished for him before leaning back with a radiant smile.

  “Does Mother know?” Colton asked.

  “I ran upstairs soon after we arrived at Randwulf and told her while you men were enjoying a libation in the drawing room.” r />
  Colton’s broad shoulders shook with laughter. “I’m sure she was absolutely thrilled at the idea of becoming a grandmother.”

  “Of course,” Samantha acknowledged, as if the idea of her mother’s elation was something totally expected. She grinned contentedly. “Considering how long Percy and I have been married, Mama had almost lost hope that such an event would ever take place, but now, merely the anticipation of having a baby in the family has brought a spark of life back into her eyes. She’ll likely want as many as Adriana and I can produce, so you’d better settle this courtship of yours fairly quickly, Colton, so Mama can look forward to another grandchild coming soon after ours is born.”

  In overwhelming embarrassment, Adriana turned her face to the window as she struggled against the onslaught of a scalding blush. She wished her friend wouldn’t be so bold about such things in her brother’s presence. Being constantly pressured to marry her would likely force the man to flee to another part of the world, just as he had done when his father had first presented his proposal for their betrothal.

  Difficult as it was to remain unruffled at the idea of Adriana getting with child, Colton managed a smile for his sister, but he had to wonder how his mother would react if in the very near future he’d dispense with his restraints and step over the boundaries of protocol in his mounting desire to make love to Adriana. His self-control was so badly frayed now that it wouldn’t take much at all to goad him beyond the point of no return. Each passing day saw a further weakening of his will, pushing him toward the narrow bridge suspended over the bottomless gorge. An unwary step and he could well find himself hurtling headlong into matrimony after he took her virginity.

  Jane Fairchild is as warm and gracious as an angel,” Samantha declared in muted tones shortly after the vivacious woman had shown them into the elderly miller’s home. “But frankly, I think her daughter has become something of a witch since we first met her. I swear, as piercing as Felicity’s glare is, I’m sure it’s going to bore a hole right through us, Adriana. She looks like an adder waiting to strike.”