The Reluctant Suitor

  The difference between her initial impression and what she saw before her now was as sharply dissimilar as midnight from noon. Only a thin layer of wrinkled flesh seemed to cover Edmund’s skull. His hair was gone, and his hollowed cheeks bore a strange, whitish hue. Beneath parchment-thin lids, his eyes gave every appearance of having retreated back into his head. Or perhaps the dark shadows encircling them was partly to blame for that perception. His mouth hung agape, and his gauntness made the previously narrow space between his badly stained teeth far more pronounced. Dried saliva had left a whitish trail where it had earlier drooled from a corner of his lips and trickled down the side of a badly emaciated cheek.

  “Papa Edmund . . . are you awake?” she inquired diffidently, not knowing what to expect. If her father’s warnings were justified, she was probably endangering her life, yet the debility of the man could not be denied. If he weren’t already at death’s door, then he was close enough to smell the netherworld.

  A flicker of movement behind an eyelid assured her that her inquiry had at least been heard, but whether it had actually penetrated the invalid’s awareness, she could not determine.

  “Do you want anything? Perhaps some cider or even a little tea?”

  “Wa . . . ter,” he rasped in a whisper so faint she could barely make it out.

  Turning to the bedside table, she poured a small amount of liquid into a glass from a carafe a servant had left there. “Here, I’ll help you,” she offered, slipping an arm beneath the man’s frail shoulders as he tried to lift his head. His breath was foul, and in sharp repugnance she averted her face. Still, she had recently discovered there was within her a sizable measure of her mother’s fortitude. She was a married woman now, and she had come to realize in that brief, month-long marital hell she had been forced to endure that she would have to look to the security of her future . . . and to that of her offspring. Although Roger was the father, she considered the growing entity within her womb entirely hers. She wanted the child; her husband did not. In fact, there were times when he was so rough in his lovemaking that she could believe he was trying to make her miscarry. If that ever happened, she had already promised herself that she would leave him and plead with her family to shelter her until she could find a haven far from his vindictive revenge.

  Edmund’s condition was far more serious and repulsive than her grandfather’s. That was clearly evident. Yet there were things she had to find out for herself, and to get to the truth of the matter while there was still time, she had to go to the only likely source who had that knowledge. If the man expired, her chances of obtaining the truth would be sharply reduced, if not altogether negated.

  Edmund revived ever so slightly after taking a deep sip and, upon collapsing back into his pillows, stared up at her in bemusement. “ ‘Oo are yu? From what I can recollect, I’ve ne’er seen yu ’ere afore.”

  “I’m your new daughter-in-law, Felicity. I’m here to help you get well, Papa Edmund.”

  His ashen lips quirked upward in a frail smile. “ ‘Tis a cer . . . tain . . . ity yu’re not Mar . . . tha Grim . . . bald.”

  “No, Papa Edmund, I don’t even know who she is.”

  “Just . . . as . . . well. Ye . . . would . . . na . . . be . . . impressed.”

  “Was she someone Roger was supposed to marry?”

  “I’ll leave . . . ‘at . . . for ‘im . . . ta be . . . sayin’, girl. Just . . . know . . . yu’re . . . a . . . damned . . . sight . . . prettier.”

  “How are you feeling? Is there anything I can get for you? Some food perhaps? A little port?”

  “Don’t . . . agree . . . wit’ . . . me. I’ve ‘ad too many spirits in me life, an’ they’re eatin’ away at me innards.”

  “What about some food? Perhaps some medicinal herbs from the apothecary.”

  A thin finger fluttered upward weakly, drawing Felicity’s attention to the fact that the nail was strangely streaked. The hand itself seemed scaly, as if the skin were actually in the process of drying . . . or dying.

  “Mayhap . . . a . . . bit . . . o’ porridge . . . or puddin’ . . . just ta . . . soothe the . . . misery in me . . . gut. ‘Tis . . . so . . . unbearable . . . at times . . . I . . . yearn . . . ta die.”

  Carefully avoiding contact with the man’s skin, Felicity laid a hand gently upon his arm where the nightshirt covered it. “I shall ask Cook to prepare you some porridge and pudding immediately. Is there anything else I can get for you in the meantime?”

  “Where’s . . . Roger?”

  She watched the man closely, wondering if she’d see anything in his reaction that would be indicative of his concern over the mill’s accounts as she led him on. “I believe he’s looking over the books. There seems to be a discrepancy somewhere. Just where, I can’t imagine. I can only repeat what I’ve heard, that there are apparently more coins going out than coming in.”

  Edmund struggled to push himself up on his elbows, but quickly collapsed upon the mattress, too weak to leave it. Rolling his head on the pillow, he gulped as he sought to take a breath. “Roger’d . . . do better ta manage . . . the mill . . . an’ leave . . . the books ta me, girlie.”

  “But, Papa Edmund, you’ve been too ill even to know what day it is, much less tally the mill’s accounts.”

  “Tell ‘im . . . ta leave off . . . till I’m . . . on me feet . . . again.”

  Leaning over the man, Felicity offered him a smile as she patted his arm in a motherly fashion. “I will tell him what you said, Papa Edmund. Now rest yourself. There’s certainly no need for you to get in such a dither about the accounts. ‘Twould seem like such a small matter for Roger to worry you about . . . unless, of course, you happen to know why they can’t be balanced. If so, you should consider letting him know . . . to save him endless searching.”

  “Just tell ‘im ta leave off, girlie. ’E has . . . no head . . . for tallyin’.”

  Eighteen

  * * *

  Colton Wyndham swept his bride into his residence overlooking Hyde Park in London, and promptly became mindful of the fact that Seward, the small, wiry, elderly butler, who had been elevated to the status of head steward of the house long before Sedgwick Wyndham had ever started having a family, was grinning like a wizened monkey. The thin man snapped his fingers and, amazingly, a flood of people, mostly garbed in black, others from the kitchen wearing only white, seemed to scurry from every nook and cranny to form a lengthy line for the new mistress’s inspection. Even Cook was there, having been hired a score of years earlier to round out the staff for the mansion. Now she reigned supreme over the kitchen and the preparations of the food. It seemed every one of the servants wore a smile as broad as the butler’s and was eager to greet the newly wedded Wyndhams immediately upon their return from their two-month honeymoon spent in warmer climes, which had indeed proven advantageous to the master’s recuperation. By the time the last smiling maid was introduced, Adriana’s head was nearly reeling with a blur of names. Imagining the difficulty she’d likely encounter remembering which name went with what face, she laughed and clasped her hands to her pinkened cheeks.

  “In all my past visits here, I never realized there were so many servants on the premises. I shan’t be able to recall everyone’s name at first, so, please, please have pity on me.”

  Laying an arm about her waist, Colton squeezed it affectionately as he drew her against his side. “Aye, they’ll do that for you, my dear. After all, they’ve no other choice since you’re the new mistress of the house. Yet, as much as they’ll be learning your preferences, I doubt they’ll be expecting to lose their hearts to you. Having experienced that very thing myself, I should warn them to be on their guard, or they’ll be scampering around here, ignoring my demands while they’re eagerly doing all they can to please you.”

  The amiable chortles evoked from the servants readily evinced the possibility of that occurrence. Of all the past visitors to the Wyndhams’ London manor, it had been Lady Adriana who had always evidenced a viv
acious charm and caring thoughtfulness that had evoked their fondness. They couldn’t have been more delighted now that she was mistress of the manor.

  “Dinner will be served at the usual hour, my lord,” Seward informed the marquess, unable to contain his own grin. “Considering your lengthy jaunt in the carriage today, I thought perhaps you and madam would enjoy having your meal served in the warmth and privacy of your chambers. No doubt, after your extensive travels these past two months, you’ll welcome an opportunity merely to relax.”

  “An excellent idea, Seward,” Colton replied with enormous enthusiasm. “Lady Adriana and I are indeed weary after such a tedious ride today and would like nothing better than to soothe our spirits in such a manner as you suggest.” He paused as if a thought had just occurred to him and held up a forefinger. “One more thing, after our dessert, I would very much enjoy a hot bath. It seems to soothe my wound.”

  “Aye, my lord, I shall see that one is prepared for you and that your wishes are carried out as you have stated. I shall also caution the servants not to disturb you after the dishes have been collected.” The elder’s lips twitched ever so slightly. “Travel does seem to weary a body, and of course, wounds do need leisured time to heal properly.”

  “Very good, Seward.”

  Smiling warmly at his bride, Colton offered his arm. “Shall we go up now, my dear? I would enjoy getting comfortable. What about you?”

  Adriana curbed her own smile as she tucked a slender hand within the crook of her husband’s elbow, knowing well what they’d be doing soon after the servants had been dismissed for the night. She had come to believe her stalwart husband could be nigh dead and still be desirous of copulating. Their honeymoon had been proof enough of that. “That does indeed sound inviting after a lengthy trip.”

  Colton’s grin widened as he gently patted her hand. “I was certain you’d agree, madam.”

  Colton stripped away the last of his garments beneath the warmly admiring gaze of his wife and motioned for her to make room for him as he stepped near the oversized tub.

  “I thought I’d like to take a bath alone for a change,” she teased, her teeth tugging at a bottom lip as she sought to curb a grin. Deliberately reclining against the rounded end of the copper tub, she leisurely soaped her breasts, taking puckish delight in teasing him with her nakedness. She flicked a glance upward toward his boldly displayed passion, secretly pleased that he was already desiring her. “You haven’t let me do that since we’ve been married.”

  His devious chuckle was well contrived. “Make room for me, wench, or I’ll have your hind-part in my hand. I’m coming in whether you want me or not.”

  Heaving an exaggerated sigh, Adriana lifted herself upright and scooted forward. “I’ll never get clean if you keep insisting that we take our baths together. You always seem to have other purposes in mind rather than merely bathing.”

  “That may well be, madam. After all, you have such luscious places upon which I enjoy feasting, yet I can’t see what difference it makes who actually bathes you as long as you get clean.”

  Settling into the water behind her, he laid an arm around in front of her, capturing a rounded, soapy breast in one hand as he thrust his free hand underneath her, just forward of her buttock. Lifting her back within the spread of his thighs, he snuggled her closely against him.

  She tossed an impish glance over her shoulder. “Comfortable?”

  “Not entirely,” he breathed as he nuzzled her ear.

  Wiggling her hips, Adriana resettled herself, but hardly expected the jolt of scintillating excitement that spiraled upward through her as her womanly softness came in contact with his manly flesh. Her husband’s breath caught, assuring her that he had also been affected. She shivered in rapturous bliss, and her dark eyes were soft and warm with desire as she turned her face in profile to him. “Better?”

  He nibbled a dainty earlobe between his teeth as he made her keenly aware of his excitement. “Do you have any doubts, madam?”

  Adriana smiled as his fingers brushed across a soft nipple. “Perhaps we wouldn’t have so much difficulty fitting together if you didn’t get so carried away before you got into a tub.”

  Leaving a trail of kisses across her shoulder as he progressed inward toward her nape, he cajoled softly, “You could consider facing me, in which case we’d fit together perfectly.”

  The luminous eyes closed dreamily as he taunted her once again with his maleness. She rolled her head slowly upon his shoulder, luxuriating in the languid caress of his mouth. “Knowing you, I fully expect that event will follow shortly.”

  “You’ve come to know me through and through, madam.”

  Considering he was always surprising her with new and exciting experiences in the world of sensual pleasure, Adriana rejected his conjecture as anything holding merit. “Not in a thousand years.”

  Leaning forward over her shoulder for a fresh view of her creamy breasts, Colton lifted a saturated sponge and stroked away the whitish foam adhering to the womanly fullness, causing his wife’s breath to halt and then ease outward in a blissful sigh as he gave first one delicately hued peak his undivided attention before moving on to the other.

  “I like that,” she sighed tremblingly, deliberately thrusting the sensitive peaks forward to reap as much pleasure to be found from his touch. The sponge was forgotten as his brown hands came forward to gently clasp the pale orbs. He felt a shiver of desire go through her as his fingers plied the delicate nipples.

  “From the moment I wake in the morning till I fall asleep at night,” he rasped against her ear, “I’m besieged with freshly brewing desires amid a profusion of memories we’ve made together in the various beds in which we’ve been ensconced these last months, my love. I even crave you in my sleep.”

  “Yes, I know.” She sighed and then giggled when he canted his head to peer down at her in some curiosity. “Well, I’m not necessarily oblivious to the changes in your body when we’re snuggled up in bed. I enjoy waking up and feeling you hard and eager against me. One day, I may even take advantage of the fact that you’re asleep.”

  Chuckling softly, he pressed his lips into her sweetly scented hair. “I give you leave to wake me anytime, madam. Giving you pleasure always reaps more of the same for me.”

  “I can’t remember a time since we’ve been married, my dear husband, when you haven’t teased, titillated, poked, evoked, intoxicated, ignited”—she paused to catch her breath and then sighed contentedly—“and completely appeased my desires. You definitely have a way about you that bestirs my yearnings and makes me eager to be one with you.”

  Colton grinned at her exaggeration. “For a moment there, I was sure you were going to compliment my rutting talents.”

  Giggling, she wiggled her bottom against him teasingly. “Finish your bath, husband. I want to go to bed with you.”

  “What can we do there that we can’t do here?” he whispered against her ear. Slipping a hand down between her thighs, he plied the silky softness that readily opened to him.

  Soon Adriana found herself writhing with the ecstasy he created within her until she could bear it no longer. Rising to her knees, she turned to face him, her eyes aflame with hungering desire as she searched the smoldering gray orbs. Laying her hands atop his broad shoulders, she moved her body in slow, sinuous, seductive invitation, feeling as if bubbles of delight were bursting within every fiber of her being beneath the delicious caresses he plied to more sensitive areas. When at last he guided the hotly pulsing blade into her warm, moist sheath and pulled her down upon him, a convulsive shiver went through her. Her head fell back, spilling darkly curling tendrils from her loosely confined tresses as her loins began to caress his. The throbbing passion intensified as their bodies cleaved together and their gasping breaths became moans of blissful pleasure until they soared together from the limitations of the universe and began to ascend to galaxies far, far beyond. It was much later when they finally drifted to earth, once again wrapped i
n each other’s arms.

  “I love you, madam, more than mere words can convey,” Colton whispered against her brow, seriously doubting he had any more strength left in his limbs.

  Adriana finally braced up on his chest and smiled in eager delight as she scrubbed her slender fingers through the feathering of hair covering that broad expanse. “Tell me when you first realized you loved me.”

  Colton lifted his head musefully, as if he were having some difficulty remembering back. “Why, if you’re really curious when that emotion began to thwart my bachelor status, I believe it was when you crushed my manly parts.”

  Laughing in amusement, she delivered a playful blow to his chin and then proceeded to recline alongside him. “Well, if it’s any consolation, my husband, I was sure I had destroyed my maidenhead during that same encounter. I couldn’t sit comfortably for a whole week.”

  He canted his head to peer down at her, seeming a bit confused. “I would never have known. It still looked intact when I perused you in the bathtub.”

  His comment wrenched a feigned gasp from her, prompting her to push herself up from his chest. “You didn’t!”

  Chuckling, he lifted his naked shoulders in a casual shrug. “A man always looks when he has the opportunity to peruse at close range a worthy subject, and you are indeed most worthy, madam.”

  Adriana sat back and tossed her head, pretending to be miffed. “You were absolutely despicable, that’s what you were. Ogling me while I slept, you should’ve been ashamed of yourself.”

  “I was too intrigued by the sights to feel anything but overwhelmed by my lust for you, my dear. To that, you can attest.”

  The corners of her lips turned upward enticingly. “Aye, ‘twas a bit shocking at the time, but I’ve grown rather fond of the view.”

  “Oh-oh!” He peered down at himself, drawing her curious attention to the same area.