The Reluctant Suitor

by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss

  His eyes never wavered from hers as he lifted the back of her hand to his lips. Stop him! her mind screamed. He’s using you for a plaything!

  “Your visits will always be welcomed,” she murmured as she diligently tried to slip her fingers from his grasp, but, as persistent as always, he would not relent. “As much as our parents were wont to call upon each other while we were growing up, one could almost say that Wakefield is merely an extension of your home.”

  Colton searched the delicate features, yearning to see some evidence of a soft smile. “I liked it far better, Adriana, when you used to call me Colton. Have you forgotten how you’d get so angry at me and kick my shins for teasing you and my sister, and then chant after me when I’d finally relent and start walking back toward the house, ‘Colton’s aboltin’ down the hill; scared o’ his shadow, an’ me, too, I hear’?”

  Adriana rolled her eyes, wishing he’d do her a favor and just forget all those excruciating memories, but she seriously doubted he would, since he seemed to enjoy teasing her about the past. His tenacious grin seemed to bear that out. “Your memory serves you better than mine, my lord. I had clearly forgotten all about that. But you must consider I was but a child then, and of course that was well before you acquired a marquessate. You’ve been gone so long that calling you by your given name would be akin to casually addressing a stranger. If I were to be so bold, my mother would surely take me to task.”

  “Then I shall have to speak with your mother and convince her that the familiarity has my complete blessing. Until then, Adriana, would you kindly consider my request?”

  Adriana felt as if he had just backed her into a corner from whence she could find no escape. His perseverance was beyond belief. Barely had she begun to think she had won the battle of wills when she was again faced with the prospect of having to relent merely to erase the notion that she was harboring a grudge against him. “I will consider doing so . . .”—she waited until his grin widened to convey his triumph, and then added puckishly—“in good time, my lord.”

  Colton rolled his eyes skyward, realizing there was still a bit of the minx in the lady, but he couldn’t help but chortle in amusement. When he lowered his gaze again, those gray orbs warmly glinted into hers, and as his lips slanted into a grin, he did his best to pay her back full measure with a madrigal.

  My love in her attire doth show her wit,

  It doth so well become her;

  For every season she hath dressings fit,

  For Winter, Spring, and Summer.

  No beauty she doth miss

  When all her robes are on:

  But Beauty’s self she is

  When all her robes are gone.

  Adriana’s mouth descended forthwith, and much as in the days of her youth when she had become annoyed with him, she hauled back an arm, intending to give him a good wallop, but amid his uproarious laughter, her sanity made a timely return, forestalling the exacting of her revenge.

  “You’re a devil, Colton Wyndham!” she cried, and then clapped a hand over her mouth as she realized he had gotten exactly what he had been after. Shaking her head at his antics, she lowered her arm and relented enough to give him a grin as memories of the fun that Samantha and she had once had with him came flooding back upon her.

  Colton didn’t leave off his teasing, but made much of savoring her name. “Adriana Elynn Sutton. Beautiful, to be sure.”

  She eyed him suspiciously, much like a chick scurrying to find cover from a circling hawk, curious to know what he was up to now. “ ‘Tis a simple one, nothing more.”

  “It has the flavor of sweetmeat upon my tongue. I wonder if you would taste as sweet.”

  Adriana wished she could fan her burning cheeks without evidencing the fact that he had been successful in unsettling her. “No, my lord, I fear I’m rather tart and sour. At least, that’s what my sisters aver when they’re angry with me.”

  “I assume that’s when they’ve tried to manipulate you into doing what they want, and, in return, you’ve snubbed them with your fine, dainty nose in the air.”

  That was close enough to the truth to give Adriana goose bumps. “Perhaps.”

  Colton leaned near to tease. “So, Adriana, who will be there to challenge you once Melora leaves the nest?”

  Her delicately boned chin raised a notch as a smile flitted across her lips, and she met his gaze with a brow pointedly raised in a challenging mode. “I assumed that was the reason you came home, my lord. As I remember, you were quite fond of doing that very thing ere you went away. You seem quite adept at it still.”

  Throwing back his head, Colton laughed again in hearty amusement. “Aye,” he admitted. “I definitely have recollections of having teased you unmercifully a time or two.”

  “More like a few hundred or more,” she countered, yielding him a brief glimpse of a grin.

  Becoming aware of his mother’s close attention, Colton shifted his gaze to her and found a troubled look in the blue eyes as well as a perplexed smile gently curving her lips. He had no way of discerning what thoughts were being formed behind that gentle mask of concern, but he rather suspected that it was not for him she fretted, but for Adriana. And why not? Considering the strict upbringing of young, wellborn ladies, he could only assume the girl was an innocent, ignorant of the wiles of men. Such an idea didn’t displease him. During his years as an officer, he had experienced enough of the wayward life to know that he didn’t care to marry a woman who was easy game for rutting bachelors. If duty demanded he beget a lineage worthy of the marquessate, he didn’t want to suffer any doubts as to their sire.

  “I shall be here when you return, Adriana,” Colton confided in a warm murmur as he smiled down at her again. Once more he lifted her thin fingers to his lips and bestowed a lingering kiss upon them, yet he had cause to wonder at the slight tremor he detected. About then was when he noticed a blush infusing her cheeks. In some surprise, he asked, “Do I upset you, Adriana?”

  His breath was like a soft, warm breeze caressing her brow, and though Adriana would have hurriedly retreated, the advance of metal-clad soles coming upon them very quickly brought her around in surprise, just in time to see Roger lunging toward Colton with a fist drawn back with mean intent. A startled cry escaped her, and just as quickly the walking stick went skittering across the floor again as the marquess caught Roger’s extended arm and drove his own hard, clenched fist into the apprentice’s belly. Roger doubled over instantly with a loud groan that was promptly silenced by a second blow, this time against his lean jaw. The force of the slanted, upward thrust sent Roger flying backward until he came to earth again some distance away. There, in total oblivion with nary a moan escaping him, he lay with arms and legs splayed upon the marble floor.

  Harrison had quickly emerged from the back, having heard a muted scream. He didn’t need anyone to tell him what had happened; he had foreseen the likelihood of the confrontation between the pair after witnessing the apprentice’s initial advance upon his lordship. Hurrying to fetch the marquess’s cane, he picked it up and held it as Colton flexed his hand.

  “Shall I have a groom from the stables return Mr. Elston to his home, my lord?” Harrison asked in a barely audible tone. Feeling no sympathy for the unconscious man, he peered down at him as he offered the conjecture, “Mr. Elston will likely be out for a while. He can sleep more comfortably in his own bed.”

  Colton finally accepted the walking stick from the steward. “Take care of it as you see fit, Harrison. If the decision were left to me, I’d kick the lad out and let him come around when the dew falls on his face.”

  Harrison allowed a twitch of a humorous smile to show. “ ‘Twould be his just due, my lord, but with the ladies leaving and Lady Adriana returning here for dinner . . .”

  Colton clasped the smaller man’s shoulder and squeezed it fondly as he grinned. “You’re right, of course, Harrison. We can’t fret the ladies nor should we have a blight on this evening’s festivities.”

 
Adriana stepped forward with a scarlet hue infusing her cheeks. “I’m sorry this happened. ‘Twas clearly not your fault. Roger can be quite volatile at times when there’s no cause.”

  “He’s anxious to preserve you for himself, but I assume that will never come to fruition. . . .” Colton lifted a brow questioningly as he dared to delve into those dark, shining orbs. “At least, I hope not.”

  Adriana did not dare imagine that he was probing for an answer because he was interested in her. Perhaps he was only hoping to see Roger’s purposes defeated. Lowering her gaze, she hurriedly retreated.

  “It’s getting late,” she stated breathlessly.

  Feeling the presence of another nearby, Colton glanced around and was surprised to find Felicity standing close beside them. Her lips curved winsomely as she extended her hand, obviously expecting the same degree of attention as he had bestowed upon Adriana. Gallantly he complied, causing the young woman to catch her breath in excitement.

  “It has been absolutely divine meeting you, my lord,” she said with bubbling enthusiasm.

  “The pleasure has been all mine, Miss Felicity,” he murmured with a cordial smile. “Good day to you.”

  Bracing much of his weight upon his cane, he stepped back a respectful distance. Only then did he turn and shake the hand of the man who had followed her. “I’m pleased that we could finally renew our acquaintance after all these years, Major.”

  “We’re all greatly relieved that you’re home, my lord,” Stuart assured him, smiling amiably.

  “Forego the formalities. My invitation to you is the same as I gave your brother. My name is Colton. You have my permission to use it as a friend.”

  “I shall do so on a regular basis if you will also respond with similar familiarity,” Stuart replied and was pleased when he received an affirmative response. Retreating toward the entrance, the major waved a hand of farewell to the family as he grinningly announced, “Lady Adriana and I shall see the lot of you later.”

  The threesome took their leave, but after servants carried Roger out, several moments passed before Colton turned to find his mother watching him curiously. He presented an arm. “Harrison informed me earlier there’s a nice, cheery fire in the drawing room that will take the chill from our bones. I was on my way there when our guests arrived. Will you join me, Mother?”

  Philana slipped a slender hand within the crook of his arm. “Of course, dear.”

  “Ready for tea, anyone?” Colton asked, lifting a questioning grin to his sister and her husband.

  “I am,” Percy eagerly declared and, taking his wife’s hand, gently squeezed it. “Shall we, my love?”

  “By all means,” Samantha agreed cheerily.

  Upon entering the drawing room, Colton seated his parent at the tea table just as a servant arrived with the silver service. In good manner, he stood back as Percy assisted Samantha into a chair and took a place beside her. Only then did Colton settle himself rather stiffly into his own seat, managing to hide a wince of pain as his muscles twitched uncomfortably in his thigh. Having been admitted back into the house by Harrison, the two wolfhounds found the family and plopped themselves down on the rug near their master’s chair.

  “Look at that,” Philana bade in amazement, indicating the animals. “Leonardo and Aristotle still remember you, Colton, after all this time.”

  Shaking his head as he laughed, he readily denied the possibility. “They have merely accepted me as a replacement for Father.”

  His mother smilingly disputed his claim as she stirred a spot of cream through her tea. “Nay, my son, I think ‘tis something more. You’ve no idea, of course, how deeply the hounds mourned your departure; ‘twas as if they had lost their dearest friend. Only when your father was here within the house did their doldrums ease. After his death, Samantha and I tried everything we could to relieve their misery, but we proved poor replacements indeed. Loyal as Aristotle and Leonardo have been to the family throughout the years, they have never been as partial to Samantha or to me as they were to you and your father. Remember, they were your dogs before they became Sedgwick’s.”

  Leaning down, Colton generously ruffled the coats of each in turn, evoking low, deep-throated moans of pleasure. “You brutish pair, do you actually remember me?”

  As if in answer, Leo, the largest of the two males, lifted his head and rubbed it against Colton’s arm, drawing a chuckle from the man for his display of affection and gaining several more fond strokes along his back. Aris refused to be ignored. Sitting up on his haunches, he placed a massive paw upon Colton’s arm, winning for himself the same loving attention his rival had reaped.

  Lilting laughter floated from Philana’s lips. “And you say they’ve forgotten you. My dearest son, I think you labor under a misconception.”

  “I’ve been gone for sixteen years,” he pointed out with a skeptical chuckle. “It seems beyond a dog’s capability to remember a person who has been absent for that length of time.”

  “And yet, ‘tis obvious they have,” Philana maintained, indicating the animals and the attention he was presently receiving from them. “If they hadn’t known you, they’d have likely gone after you with teeth bared. I doubt anyone has ever told you that we had to keep the pair leashed after you left home for fear they’d run off in search of you. Until then, you were the only one who had walked or romped with them outside. But then, I was of a mind to join them in that quest. The afternoon of your departure, I stood at the window for what seemed an eternity after you had ridden out of sight. I was so in hopes you’d turn back. What is more, your father was there beside me, watching just as anxiously as I for any sign of yielding. But you never once looked back. At times, it seems as if I can still hear the pensive sigh your father heaved when he finally realized his hopes were in vain and turned away from the window. It was the first time I had ever seen him so completely dismayed, as if his heart had been seriously wounded.”

  In thoughtful silence, Colton sipped his tea as he stared at his father’s portrait above the massive fireplace. No one knew how desperately he had missed his family, especially his father, but as much as their separation had beleaguered him, it was far too late to make amends.

  Philana eyed her son contemplatively, wondering where his thoughts had strayed. She ventured a possibility. “Miss Fairchild is quite lovely, is she not?”

  Colton nodded in distraction and then, with a curious frown, turned back to face his parent. “Who is this Roger Elston fellow, anyway?”

  Philana lifted her slender shoulders in a casual shrug as she exchanged a glance with her daughter. “A wealthy miller’s son who for some time now has been following Adriana about, hoping against all odds to win her hand.”

  Samantha took her cue and, settling a slender hand upon her husband’s arm, squeezed it. “What do you want to bet that I can beat you at a game of chess?”

  Percy grinned back at her. “I’ll yield you that decision if I can choose what your penalty will be when you lose.”

  Arching a brow above sparkling gray orbs, she challenged, “Penalty, noble sir? Or mayhap you mean reward since I will likely win.”

  His own eyes glowed into hers as the wavering movement of his hand indicated some flexibility as to the actual outcome. “We’ll see what comes of the game, my dear. Should I win, I may be persuaded to have pity on you. Will you not consider doing the same?”

  The corners of her lips curved upward enticingly. “I suppose I could be persuaded to be lenient.”

  As the couple crossed to the gaming table at the far end of the room, Philana leaned back in her chair and considered her handsome son. When he had swept into her chambers earlier that afternoon, she had been struck with a treasured memory of his father’s equally enthusiastic return home after spending a week in London a mere two months following their marriage. Never had she imagined her son would come to look so much like his sire. The fact that he did eased to some degree the anguish of her loss. “As you saw for yourself, Roger is quite
possessive of Adriana.”

  Colton snorted in irritation as he exercised his hand again. He could tell by the way it was aching that he had hit the apprentice with all his might. Just as he had once rallied every fiber of energy in his determination to stay alive on the many battlefields upon which he had fought throughout his career, so he had reacted to Roger’s attack in the very same way. It was just second nature for one constantly in danger to respond with all the physical forces at his command. “The lad made that obvious. But tell me, Mother, how does Lord Gyles feel about the apprentice’s obsessive pursuit of Adriana?”

  “Although he has never said anything derogatory about the young man in our presence, I imagine Gyles feels precisely the same way your father did. Sedgwick was absolutely convinced that Roger is an opportunist. As beautiful as Adriana is, the fact that she’ll also make some man very rich when she marries has encouraged those of meager circumstance to test their luck, which has likely led Roger to do the same. Gyles has certainly been generous with his daughters in establishing properties and enormous funds for their dowries, but both Jaclyn’s husband and Melora’s fiancé were already wealthy in their own rights before petitioning Gyles for their hands. I don’t mean to infer that there aren’t those of wealth and prestige seeking to gain Adriana as their wife. The Marquess of Harcourt has the looks and wealth to have any lady of his choosing; it’s understandable that he has set his sights upon the loveliest in the area. Occasionally he has joined other besotted swains when they’ve ventured here to be with her, but he has always behaved in a gentlemanly fashion.” Philana flicked her delicately arched brows upward briefly to lend emphasis to her words as she added, “That’s more than I can say for Roger, as you have so recently evidenced.”

  “The only Lord Harcourt I can remember was ancient even before my departure. As I recall he had a son living in London.”