The Reluctant Suitor

  His hand moved in a slow, circular motion between her shoulder blades. “I have every confidence that I’m here, hale and hearty, because you and our dear mother proved faithful in offering entreaties on my behalf,” he rasped near her ear. “I must thank you from the bottom of my heart for your petitions, for there were indeed many close calls in this latest campaign against Napoleon’s forces.”

  Adriana was reminded of her own fervent supplications whispered in the night-borne shadows of her bedchamber. She had lain awake many a night, unable to endure the thought of Colton lying dead, wounded, or perhaps even abandoned on a battlefield somewhere. He was the only male offspring of parents she had loved almost as much as her own. Once he had even been the hero of her girlish fantasies, more than enough reason for her to offer countless prayers for his safety.

  Samantha couldn’t ignore the inquiry burning within her heart. Leaning back against her brother’s supporting arm, she searched his features with an intensity that encompassed the full sphere of her concerns. “Does your presence here at Randwulf Manor mean that you intend to assume the responsibilities of the marquessate?”

  Colton met her dewy-eyed gaze unwaveringly. “As the one upon whom the title rightly falls, dear sister, I’d be remiss in my duties to the family if I allowed it to be bestowed upon our cousin, Latham.”

  Struggling against a confused blend of thankful tears and jubilant laughter, Samantha relented to both, vividly evidencing her overwhelming relief and joy. Latham’s latest visit had set her at odds with their cousin. He had arrived on the pretext of attending her father’s funeral, but had entered the manor with the air of a pompous lordling, single-mindedly intent on inspecting his newly acquired domain and the furnishings therein housed. Indeed, he had barely paid proper respect to the dead before insisting that Harrison take him on a tour of the mansion and then had grown annoyed when the steward, out of his fierce loyalty to the family, had asked his mistress if she’d permit the man to look about. Considering the galling height of Latham’s arrogance, Samantha had almost expected him to demand an immediate accounting of the family treasures. In spite of her own enforced restraint throughout most of his visit, near its conclusion she had answered him rather caustically when he had asked where her mother would live in the coming months. Quite aloofly she had informed him that Lady Philana would remain at Randwulf Manor as mother of the heir.

  “Latham will be disappointed,” she murmured with a radiant smile. Although her elation was entirely due to Colton’s willingness to accept the marquessate, which had been a heartfelt desire of their father, she was grateful that she wouldn’t have to choke on the bitter bile of resentment while making an apology to their cousin. “I’m sure Latham thought you were dead when you failed to return from Waterloo. If not for assurances offered by men in your command, Mama and I would’ve certainly lost heart. Yet it seemed you were gone so long after most of the officers had returned home that we had begun to fear you were opposed to giving up your commission and taking on the responsibilities the title demanded. But now you’re home, and all is well. In fact, if I had known you’d be here, I would’ve insisted that we ride over after collecting Adriana and our guests and have you join our outing.”

  Chuckling softly, Colton shook his head, denying the possibility. “I’m afraid after traveling so far by coach I was immensely relieved just to have it behind me. Then, too, my leg would’ve prevented me. It still pains me when I ride or when I’m physically confined, as I was on the trip here. Unless I’m able to walk out the stiffness that comes upon me, the discomfort doesn’t relent. As it happened, Mother and I were able to spend some time talking together. I left her resting upstairs a few moments ago and thought I’d just ramble about the old place, get reacquainted with the older servants, and have a look around the grounds with Leo and Aris. I had barely begun my tour when Harrison opened the door to let in your guests.”

  Samantha’s lips curved mischievously as her eyes swept him from the top of his head to a finely booted toe. “You left here hardly more than a lad and have returned here a man. . . .”

  “To find you a woman,” Colton countered with a chuckle. “You were a wee chit of eight when I left. Now look at you, a real beauty you are.” Retreating with the aid of his cane, his granite gray eyes sparkled with delight as they swept over her. “Mother sent a lengthy letter describing your wedding a couple of years ago, and I must confess at the time it caused me a great deal of shock. I’m still having trouble believing what I’m actually seeing . . . my little sister all grown up and married.”

  “I suppose you were still imagining me as that scrawny little girl who followed in your wake, but whether you realize it or not, brother mine, I’m twenty and four now, which, of course, makes you positively ancient.” Beneath his contrived glower, she danced away, merriment rippling in musical waves behind her. Upon facing him again, she clasped a hand behind her ear, as if straining to hear. “Forsooth, I do believe I hear your bones creaking from old age.”

  Her brother burst into hearty laughter. “If they are, dear sister, I can truthfully attest ‘twas entirely due to the rigors of war, not old age.” Much like a rooster strutting before a hen, he limped about in a circle, smoothing a lean hand down the side of his blouse. Whether intentional or not, he drew the ladies’ attention to the sleekness of his waist. “If you haven’t yet noticed, I’m exceptionally well preserved.”

  Although in full agreement with his claims, Samantha rolled her eyes, as if to convey her skepticism. “No one would ever believe that merely looking at you.”

  Thrusting up a hand to halt her criticism, Colton struck a commanding pose, yet he made no attempt to curb the amusement shining in his eyes. “Enough of this nonsense, minx! I’ve been waiting hours to meet everyone.”

  The statement was barely out of his mouth when, to his sibling’s surprise, he pivoted about on his good leg and approached the tall, dark-haired beauty he had had the pleasure of encountering moments earlier. It had been some time since he had felt the intriguing softness of a womanly bosom pressed against his chest. As for the lady’s long, sleek limbs, he was led to think that he had never caressed any that had evoked his imagination as much as those he had recently felt sliding against his own. The lingering impression of those trim thighs entangled with his own had done much to awaken a manly craving that had gone unappeased for some months. Although it was fairly safe to say Gyles Sutton’s daughter was an innocent and likely ignorant of her affect on him, he could believe she had branded her very image upon his mind and body.

  Years ago, he had resented his father’s prediction that one day he would come to savor the company of Lady Adriana. Little had he guessed after his lengthy absence that at their very first meeting he’d be taken aback by the uncommon pulchritude of the very one he had adamantly rejected. Search as he might, he could find no lingering evidence of that thin little thing with huge, dark eyes who, along with his sister, had once tagged behind his heels whenever her parents had visited.

  For a young girl whose looks had once been so uninspiring, Adriana Sutton was now no less than a rare gem. The enticingly slender nose, the elegant cheekbones, and the delicate structure of her winsome face in its entirety were admirable enough to bestir the heart of many of his gender, but it was her large, silkily lashed dark eyes, slanting ever-so-slightly upward beneath gracefully sweeping brows, that revived images of the young, gangly sprite she had once been. Still, after so long a time, those memories seemed as fleeting and whimsical as the wind rustling through the trees.

  As a young girl, Adriana had always been thin and tall. Even now, she was nearly half a head taller than his sister. Although slender still, she had more curves than he would’ve ever supposed possible for one he had once likened to a twig. Perhaps his lengthy abstinence had much to do with the fact that he was still keenly aware of the lingering impressions her soft bosom and slender limbs had left upon his frame.

  A few curling wisps had escaped from underneath her ra
kishly slanted top hat and the heavy chignon at her nape, leading his gaze to delectable little areas a man might be tempted to stroke with his tongue. The long, ivory column of her throat, visible between her jabot and dark hair, might well prove a delicate sweetmeat that his parted lips and nibbling teeth could leisurely savor. So, too, her dainty, pearl-adorned ears. The tantalizing fragrance that had wafted from these areas as well as the smooth temple even now, in recall, seemed to twine like silken vapors through his very being. A natural rosy hue had imbued her cheeks even before she had become aware of his presence, yet the places where her skin had been fair and smooth as creamy silk, he now detected a deeper color, giving him cause to wonder if his close inspection had stirred forth a blush from the lady.

  As much as his heart rallied in admiration at what he saw before him, conversely his self-esteem suffered from the smarting darts of his erroneous judgment of the past, for it was a simple fact that Adriana Sutton was a strikingly beautiful young woman. Indeed, rarely, if ever, had he seen such perfection. For the first time since his ten-and-six-year absence from home, the full weight of his refusal to accept the betrothal his father had proposed struck his pride a blow that equaled a broadside across the prow of a ship, leaving his heart listing with a sense of regret to the leeward. Had it not been for his limited foresight and his own headstrong obstinacy, by now he’d have already laid claim to the lady.

  “I beg your pardon for not recognizing you at the onset, Adriana,” he murmured warmly. “Your appearance has changed by such an astonishing degree that I’m left in awe. I suppose I was still thinking of you as a little girl, but that is definitely no longer the case.” His eyes twinkled above a lopsided grin. “Father always said you’d be a beauty one day, but I never imagined you’d become a goddess.”

  The vague smile that touched her lips was the best Adriana could manage with any semblance of calm. It didn’t help that moments earlier she had been forced to construct a cool reserve from the ashes of a resentment she had struggled to maintain throughout the uncertainty of war. Even after feeling as if this man had ripped out her heart so many years ago, it was all she could do to carry on with her stilted aloofness. She was so very, very relieved he was home and safe from the hazards of war that she wanted to throw herself in joyful delight into his arms, much as his sister had done. Still, what loomed before them filled her with a consuming dread that he would revile the agreement that had been drawn up in his absence and, in rebellious resentment, leave Randwulf Manor once more, never to be seen again.

  “You’re very kind, my lord, but there is no need to apologize,” she replied, struggling with a tremulous smile. “Your lack of recognition is quite understandable. I was, after all, a mere child of six when you left. I can only guess at the many changes that have occurred in your life since your departure, yet, from all outward indications, you have endured the years very well in spite of the many battles you’ve fought.”

  “I’m definitely older and a bit more scarred,” Colton admitted, casually indicating the tiny nicks that added subtle character to his handsome face, “but in my lengthy absence from home, I’ve learned to appreciate the people I left behind more than I once did. I’ve often thought of the anguish I caused by my departure and have lamented it time and again, but, of course, like wine foolishly spilled, there was no real remedy for the mistakes I made. Once I set my heels to the flanks of my horse, I dared not glance back at the havoc I left behind me; I could only look forward with the hope that someday I would be forgiven for the pain I caused.”

  Considering what had yet to be revealed, Adriana could only wonder if he’d still have regrets when a similar announcement was made to him. Years ago, his reaction to the proposed edict had left such an ominous impression in her mind that she knew with a certainty that she wanted to be far away when the second pronouncement was issued. “I share in the immense relief of your family, my lord, and do take comfort in the fact that you’re back home where you belong. Samantha has been fretting night and day since your father’s death, and I had no idea what more I could say to rally her hopes.”

  “You used to call me Colton years ago,” he reminded her, moving forward a step. “Is it so hard for you to do so now?”

  As he encroached into an area that she would’ve quickly deemed intrusive had it been some other man, Adriana realized that his proximity stirred feelings she had previously considered benumbed. Long ago, when she had been no more than a child, this man had shattered the image she had formed of him in her mind. In every way, he had been an heroic knight to her. To forestall such a trauma from ever happening again, she had to keep herself on an even keel, her sights firmly fixed upon the horizon, for there was no guarantee that the sails that had once been filled by her girlish desires and aspirations would be less susceptible to the freshening breezes of his charm. She couldn’t allow him to fill those vulnerable canvas shrouds with any degree of hopeful expectation ever again, at least not until she was reasonably confident that he’d prove himself more compassionate now than he had then. Only when she had been reassured of his benevolence toward her would she yield him her companionship . . . and perhaps, in time, her heart.

  “Please forgive the faults of my youth, my lord,” she replied, daring to meet his gaze as she retreated a step. “That was a very long time ago when I was naught but a child. I can only hope that among the basics my mother has tried to teach me in your absence, I’ve learn to show proper respect for lords of your noble standing.”

  Slanting his head at a curious angle, Colton considered her at length and had to wonder why she refused to be so informal with him after he had invited her to. “I must assume by your answer that you’re averse to the familiarity.”

  “If not with the show of etiquette my mother would demand of me were she here, my lord, what would you suggest?”

  His eyebrow quirked with some amusement. “Come now, Adriana, our parents have not only lived near each other for nigh on to thirty or more years, but they have been intimate friends since well before I came into the world. My goodness, I even remember the day you were born and the fuss I made carrying in the flowers Mother had picked from her conservatory when she took Samantha and me over for a peek at the newborn. You were the tiniest, reddest, most outraged little creature I had ever seen in my life. Can you not agree that the close camaraderie of our families allows us some privileges above the usual stilted decorum of strangers?”

  Adriana was convinced that he had plied many light-of-loves with similar persuasive reasoning. As handsome as he was, she could imagine that he had grown quite adept at swaying besotted young maids from the path their parents had urged them to follow. He did seem to have a way about him, and she could not fault any woman for falling under his spell, for she found to her amazement that her heart was not so distantly detached as she might’ve imagined it to be. Even his deep, mellow voice seemed like a warm caress stroking over her senses.

  Shaking off the effects of his winning smile, Adriana took herself mentally in hand and reminded herself of what she’d likely suffer once the truth came out, at the very least the pain of his rejection. Better to remain aloof and save some minute portion of her pride against that coming day, she reasoned. “I’m afraid, my lord, that your lengthy absence has made us that very thing. Strangers we have become, and I fear there’s no remedy to be found in the space of a few moments or even a matter of hours.”

  The tantalizing channels in his cheeks deepened as he offered her a smile that seemed every bit as persuasive as it once had been. “Will you not relent, Adriana?”

  Staring into those darkly translucent eyes that had ensnared her own, Adriana felt as if she were being swept back in time to her childhood. As a young girl, she had absolutely adored Colton Wyndham. He had been the brother she had never had, a hero second only to her father, a knight more worthy than any of whom she had either read or heard. Then had come the fateful day she had learned he wanted no part of her. The question that remained was whether he’
d react any differently today once he realized that nothing had changed during his absence.

  Colton argued his case unrelentingly. “If you insist upon rejecting my plea, Adriana, then I’m left wondering if I must restrict myself to the stiltedness of addressing you in like manner. Considering the close ties of our families, does it not seem ridiculous that we should be held to such rigid reserve?”

  “Far be it for me to presume upon your forbearance, my lord. Whether or not you adhere to a strict code of gentlemanly conduct is entirely limited to your discretion.”

  “Ouch!” Colton feigned a grimace and clasped a lean, brown hand to his scarlet blouse as if denoting the place where she had wounded him. “I must confess that my conduct has not always been displayed in proper form, Adriana. Still, as much as I once deserved to be socially cut from your presence, I thought I had managed to learn a few manners over the years.”

  “I wouldn’t know anything about that, my lord. You’ve been gone half your lifetime and most of mine.”

  “Aye, that I have,” he admitted, “and though I had expected changes in my absence, I never once thought I’d have to be so confoundedly reserved with the youngest daughter of my family’s closest friends.”

  “Your marquessate gives you leave to do as you please, my lord.”

  Colton sighed in vexation and, leaning on his cane, folded his free arm behind his back as he gazed down into the face of the delectable beauty. “My dear Adriana, you look like something a lonely man far from home would dream about in the wee hours of the morning. Had I been able to store such a memory in my heart years ago, it would have surely given me hope in times of need. Your words flow so silkily from your lovely lips and, at the onset, seem as pleasing as the delicate scent of roses that clings to you, but alas, their sharp thorns prick my unwary hide, leaving me to wonder at this deep chasm I now find betwixt us. Can you not forgive the callousness of my youth? I would hope that I am a different man today than the boy I once was.”