The Reluctant Suitor

by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss

  Upon facing Roger, Adriana felt as if every eye in the ballroom was now fastened on them. The apprentice enfolded her slender hand within his and seemed to hesitate before laying his other behind her shoulder. Adriana perceived the reason when she noticed the direction of his gaze, for it seemed momentarily fastened on her breasts, giving her additional cause to regret that she had ever yielded to the advice of others.

  Much to her relief, Roger’s inspection was cut short by the simple fact that he was expected to dance. His head lifted, and his brows gathered as he concentrated on the task of waltzing her around the room. He did so woodenly, as if it were something he had recently learned and wasn’t too sure about. A moment later, the metal rim lining his sole scraped across her satin slipper, causing such intense pain that Adriana’s mouth flew open in sharp surprise. With a seriously strained facade of poise, she gritted out a smile just as Samantha and Perceval swept near.

  Behind them came Lord Harcourt whose gallantry readily displayed itself as he danced past with Berenice. Although tutored by an instructor, the young lady seemed extremely nervous dancing with the handsome gentleman and repeatedly trod upon his shiny black shoes. His dark eyes met Adriana’s briefly, and in his pained smile she was wont to find some humor in spite of the empathy she felt for him. She was convinced she was experiencing a similar torment and could imagine her own gritted smile conveyed as much distress as she strove to force the corners of her lips upward.

  Roger’s face had taken on a hue reminiscent of scarlet. He definitely felt out of his element amid all the elegantly garbed gentlemen who swept their partners around the ballroom with graceful ease. Even the previously lame Lord Colton had far more grace than he had been able to master since the instructor began the task of teaching him just where to place his seemingly oversized feet in a waltz and other dances. “I’m truly sorry, my lady. I was never trained in any of the social graces. It has only been within the last month that I’ve had the opportunity to learn.” He looked rather sheepish. “I guess I need more practice. Would you prefer to sit?”

  “If you wouldn’t mind,” Adriana replied and tried to ease his chagrin. “But you needn’t fret about your dancing, Roger. Not everyone can learn when he’s young. In time, you’ll become more proficient.”

  His expression brightened. “I’ll try very hard not to make another mistake if you’d grant me another dance now. I do need the practice, and dancing with you is definitely preferable to the instructor.”

  “Later,” she said, wondering if her feet would ever be the same. “Right now, I need to talk with you.”

  Roger let out a muted, agonized groan. “Not now. Come dance with me instead.”

  “A rest would likely do you good, Roger,” she replied forthrightly. “You were dancing on my toes more in the last few moments than you were when you first began. Perhaps some wine would help relax you.”

  “Would you care to join me in a glass?”

  Wine was the last thing she needed to muddle her brain. She had to remain alert to avoid offending the man if at all possible. “Perhaps later.”

  “I’m reluctant to leave you,” he insisted.

  Adriana sighed, frustrated by the clinging tenacity of the man. “Then perhaps we can have our discussion now.”

  His face darkened, and as his eyes moved about the room, he seemed to sulk as he glowered at no one in particular. “I know what you’re going to say, and I don’t want to hear it.”

  “Then perhaps I don’t need to waste my breath since you’ve acquired such keenly intuitive powers.”

  Of a sudden, Adriana felt a presence behind her. Then she saw Roger’s eyes flare, indicating trouble ahead. She was about to turn when a request came over her shoulder.

  “May I have this dance, my lady?”

  Smiling in relief as she recognized Lord Harcourt’s deep voice, Adriana faced the handsome gentleman. “Of course, my lord.”

  She turned back to excuse herself from the apprentice, but his hotly glowering eyes warned her that he was none too pleased by her eagerness to dance with another after she had just refused him. In a low whisper, she chided, “I never promised to spend the entire evening with you, Roger. I only granted you permission to come. Lord Harcourt is not only a guest of ours, but he happens to be a close friend of mine, and I shan’t let your ominous scowls keep me from dancing with him . . . or, for that matter, any other man. Kindly refrain from using such tactics or I shall ask you to leave forthwith.”

  Roger’s lean jowls tensed and flexed as he retreated several steps, then he swept his hand before him and bowed deeply as if doing obeisance before a queen. “My lady.”

  Fretting that she had been too harsh in chiding him, Adriana watched Roger plow his way through the guests in a most ungentlemanly fashion, causing people to turn and stare after him in astonished wonder after being shouldered roughly aside by the man.

  “Never mind the fellow, Lady Adriana,” Riordan urged in a low murmur, leaning near her shoulder again. “Obviously he fears his grasp on you is too frail and would hold you prisoner if he could.”

  Adriana faced the marquess with an uneasy smile. “I didn’t realize he’d be so upset. I’m sorry you had to witness that.”

  “ ‘Twas the lad’s fault for imagining that he could monopolize your time tonight. If he did indeed think you’d devote the entire evening solely to him, then I, for one, resent his audacity. The sad truth is that I’m not alone in desiring as much of your time as you’re willing to spare, and though I’d like to dispense with all your smitten admirers so I can have you entirely to myself, I suppose, in lieu of that, I shall have to share your company, at least until a more permanent arrangement comes about.”

  Smiling at his humor, Adriana yielded her hand to him. “Then lead me out onto the dance floor, gallant lord. Only there will we be safe from intrusions.”

  “Your wish is my command, my lady,” he avowed, drawing her hand to his lips for a kiss.

  Riordan Kendrick was as light on his feet as he was easy to look upon, Adriana mentally reaffirmed after several turns about the ballroom. Of all the suitors who had previously been vying for her hand, he had been the only one who had appealed to her. In the past, she had enjoyed dancing with him more than any other. Even now, she found herself relaxing in his arms, but her heart was not the same as it had been even two months ago. If nothing else, she had to be true to herself by admitting that Colton Wyndham had stolen a march on everyone. Yet, Colton really didn’t want her; he was merely going through the motions of addressing himself to their courtship for the sake of his mother and the contract his father had proposed.

  “You’re looking as radiant as the very stars overhead, Adriana,” Riordan murmured, his dark eyes warmly devouring her face as he awaited her reaction to his familiar address.

  “And you, Riordan, are as kind as always.”

  The flash of white teeth against his sun-bronzed visage was no less than dazzling as he accepted the lady’s response as an invitation to discontinue the formality that had heretofore existed between them. “If I’m always on my best behavior around you, Adriana, ‘tis merely that I’m hoping to convince your father that I’m a worthy prospect for a son-in-law. Lord Gyles said he had to consider other proposals before he could answer my petition for your hand. Should he respond in the affirmative, which is truly my heartfelt desire, I must warn you of my wayward side. I’m a disreputable rogue at heart.”

  Adriana tossed her head in disbelief as she chuckled. “Aye, I saw how disreputable you were when you danced with Lady Berenice. So much so I’m wont to contradict you and call you a gallant gentleman.”

  “She has a very pretty face.”

  “She does indeed,” Adriana agreed, having long been of the belief that the only reason Berenice indulged herself with food was out of anxiety. Sadly enough, when she was around her widowed father, who was not only handsome but also fairly persnickety about everything being as close to the state of perfection as possible, she was
tense most of the time, fretting that she’d never be able to live up to his expectations. The elder seemed blind to all the exceptional qualities his daughter had; he saw her as flawed merely because she was plump and, for that reason, was wont to malign her. “If the right man came along, he could probably do wonders for her.”

  Riordan slanted a dubious grin down upon Adriana. “Do you have anyone in particular in mind?”

  She smiled, realizing the nobleman had read too much into her casual comment. “You would be the right man in any case, my lord. In spite of your wealth and incredible good looks, you’re as chivalrous as anyone I’ve ever known.”

  Encouraged by her words, he urged with more fervor, “Then persuade your father to favor my request above all others posthaste and let me commence courting you with all sincerity.”

  “I’m afraid I cannot do that, Riordan,” she replied and knew of a sudden that if she confided in him, her secret would be safe. “A contract committing me to another was signed years ago when I was but a child. Should that agreement be dissolved after a three-month courtship, then I shall certainly ask my father to consider your petition.”

  “We could be happy together,” he cajoled.

  Her shining eyes swept his handsome face. “That may well be true, Riordan, but I am honor-bound to the agreement my father signed.”

  A mischievous gleam lit his dark eyes. “Was this agreement put down on parchment that can be easily torched . . . or was it set in stone?”

  His humor evoked another smile. “Both, I’m afraid, at least until the gentleman makes up his mind.”

  Riordan looked astounded. “You mean the man isn’t sure he wants you? Is he a raving lunatic?”

  “I’m afraid he didn’t appreciate his father arranging the matter without consulting him.”

  “Can he not see the precious gem that has been offered him?”

  Greatly heartened by the man’s praise, Adriana smoothed his lapel. “You make me feel as if I were a queen, Riordan. No woman could do better than to marry you.”

  “Then come away with me tonight, Adriana, and pledge me your troth in wedding vows. I swear to treat you like a queen for the whole of your life. Your father would forgive us once he realizes how much I adore you.”

  Adriana feigned a musical chuckle, reluctant to take him seriously though she sensed he was. “I’m afraid I’m bound by the contract my father signed, my lord. I cannot escape it that easily.”

  The spark of hope that had momentarily lit his eyes dimmed forthwith as he heaved a sigh. “Three months, you say?”

  “Aye, three months.”

  His eyes caressed her face as if he sought to memorize it. “I shall pray fervently that you will be freed from all your obligations after that length of time, if not before. Until then, Adriana, be confident of my unwavering desire to have you for my wife.”

  “You honor me, my lord.”

  They halted as the music ended, and though Riordan asked for another dance, Adriana could see Roger pacing impatiently about beyond several guests.

  “I’d better not. I have a matter to discuss with Mr. Elston. I’m afraid he isn’t quite as understanding as you have been about my need to honor commitments.”

  “I’ll stay with you.”

  As much as Adriana wished she could accept Riordan’s comforting presence, she laid a gentle hand upon his arm and shook her head. “ ‘Twould only rile Mr. Elston to have you near, Riordan. If you would, go dance with Berenice again. Perhaps her father would treat her more kindly if he thought she had gained the attention of a gentleman like yourself.”

  She offered him a grateful smile, wondering if Colton would ever be as gallant. Mentally she heaved a dubious sigh and, as Riordan departed, faced the apprentice who rapidly approached with a harsh, angry scowl. She accepted his invitation to dance, and they progressed like wooden sticks around the dance floor until Riordan swept past with the fair-haired Berenice in his arms, evoking a caustic jeer from Roger. “Obviously that dandified jackanapes knows a rich dowry has been laid upon the broad bovine and is merely seeking to pad his purse.”

  Adriana’s temper ignited. “Don’t ever speak so disparagingly about my friends again in my presence, Roger. I won’t tolerate it! And if you don’t mind being the recipient of my criticism, I’d say you have much to surmount before you equal the likes of such an honorable gentleman as Lord Harcourt. As for Lady Berenice’s dowry, ‘tis as vast as you say, but in all likelihood, his lordship’s fortune would make her father’s seem mediocre! If you’re not aware of it, Lord Harcourt will become a duke one day, and a very fine one, I might add.”

  Much humbled by her ire, Roger grudgingly yielded an apology. “I’m sorry, my lady. At times, I fear my jealousy rules my head.”

  Adriana was not so easily placated. “Then I suggest you keep a tight rein on your envy lest I come to regret the day we ever met.”

  When the music finally ended, Adriana’s toes once again felt as if they’d been caught in some cruel device of torture. Gritting her teeth in a stiff smile, she had cause to wonder if her attempt resembled a grimace as several acquaintances passed, for they looked at her rather oddly. Barely able to walk for the pain, she tottered gingerly to a settee at the far end of the ballroom near the place where her family stood. After lowering herself rather cautiously to the velvet cushions, she released a sigh of relief and began to work off her slippers beneath the hem of her gown. Her toes had taken the brunt of abuse; even wiggling them seemed to increase the pain. She decided right then and there that Roger would have to be told forthwith that their friendship could not continue. Even if she weren’t entering into a courtship with Colton Wyndham, she’d never be able to bear dancing with the apprentice again.

  “Perhaps I should go fetch refreshments for you since dancing seems beyond my realm of expertise,” Roger suggested.

  “I believe I could use a glass of wine right now,” Adriana conceded, deciding a small amount would likely relax her and get her through the arduous announcement she had to make. If it proved strong enough to dull her agony, then that, too, would be acceptable.

  “I shan’t be long, my lady.”

  “Please, take your time,” she urged with all sincerity. She definitely needed time to collect her wits for the ordeal ahead.

  Mathilda Maxim approached, and with an exaggerated sigh of her own, plopped herself down on the bench beside her niece. “I don’t know about you, child, but my feet have been trod upon more times this evening than there were Frenchmen at Waterloo. I’m beginning to think the dance instructor hereabouts needs to be taken out and shot to relieve us all from future misery.”

  Giggling at the woman’s dry wit, Adriana nodded in full agreement. “I know exactly what you mean, Aunt Tilly. Believe me, if I were able to hide a large bowl of medicinal water beneath my skirts, I’d be tempted to soak my feet, stockings and all.”

  Tilly winced as she doffed her own shoes beneath the covering of her hem. “I think I’ve been widowed too long.”

  Adriana’s curiosity was sharply tweaked, for it was rare indeed to hear such comments from the feisty woman. “Why is that, Aunt Tilly?”

  The older woman responded with a mischievous grin. “I never knew there were so many gorgeous older gentlemen in the world until I came here tonight. Tell me that I’m not dreaming.”

  Laughing in delight, Adriana nodded. This sounded more like the Aunt Tilly she had always known. Looping an arm through the woman’s, she hugged it affectionately. “Oh, I’m in full agreement. I’d be as befuddled as an ol’ spinster if I had to make a choice between any of them. Still, I do think Lord Alistair is a cut or two above the rest. He certainly comes from good stock.”

  “He is quite handsome, isn’t he?”

  “Oh, indeed,” Adriana agreed with an amused chuckle, admiring her aunt’s effervescent spirit.

  As if making up her mind, Aunt Tilly thrust her slender feet into her shoes and then rose. Patting her niece’s shoulder, she announced, “I�
��m going to make myself available for a dance somewhere within close proximity of the area where I last saw Lord Alistair. If I see any nice young gentlemen while I’m looking around, I’ll direct them over here. I’ve seen several who’d put my own sons to shame.”

  “If it’s all the same to you, Aunt Tilly, I think I’ll just sit here and rest my feet for a few moments more before I try dancing again.”

  “Nonsense, child. You’re much younger than I and far too beautiful to be sitting here contemplating your squashed toes. I believe I saw Lord Alistair’s nephew without a partner not too long ago. I’ll see what I can do for you in that area.”

  “Please, not just yet, Aunt Tilly,” Adriana pleaded desperately, afraid Colton would think she had put her aunt up to asking him to dance with her. “My feet really do hurt and are in dire need of a rest.”

  “All right, child, but only for the time being. If I don’t see you dancing fairly soon, I’ll find some nice handsome gentleman to send over.”

  Relieved that her aunt had acquiesced to her pleas, Adriana released her breath in a long, grateful sigh. Some moments later, she had to smile at Tilly’s engaging ways as she saw the woman being swept about the ballroom by Alistair, for the man seemed no less than delighted to be with the attractive woman.