The Reluctant Suitor
Page 62
Moments later, Philana swept in, waving her arms excitedly as she fairly scurried to the door of the drawing room. “Finally, at long last, I’m a grandmother! I rushed here to be the one to deliver the news to everyone. I now have a grandson.”
“ ‘Tis wonderful news, Mama Philana!” Adriana cried with a joyous laugh and accepted Colton’s smiling assistance as she scrambled to her feet. Running to her mother-in-law, she embraced her affectionately before leaning back to ask, “Is Samantha all right?”
“Of course, dear child. She’s happy as a lark,” Philana declared lightheartedly. “But I must confess, I’m feeling a little spent after all the pacing Percy and I were doing outside their bedchamber while Dr. Carroll was with Samantha. I can definitely assure you that no one in this house has had such a traumatic day as I. Very happy I am that it’s over, and I can finally relax.”
The hearty laughter made the woman stop and stare at family members and servants in some bemusement.
“Well, I am!”
Epilogue
* * *
Adriana gently jiggled her wailing son in her arms, trying desperately to shush him long enough for the rector to conclude the christening ceremony, for which they had returned from London to see accomplished in the same church in which Colton had been dedicated. The baby had slept through his earlier feeding, refusing to be awakened, and was now thoroughly incensed that he couldn’t have what he demanded. Try as he did to latch on to something familiar as he nuzzled his mother’s bodice, he just couldn’t seem to find what he wanted.
The pained expression on Reverend Craig’s face clearly evidenced the fact that the infant’s lungs were in good working order. Even Gyles Suttons’ eyes seemed to water when his grandson’s shrieks pierced the level beyond that which he could easily tolerate. Philana and Christina stood together with proud smiles, as if luxuriating in the moment. As for Colton, he gave every indication that he was highly amused by his son’s display of temper. Smiling broadly with fatherly pride, he stood beside his wife as the good rector arduously went through the motions of christening Gordon Sedgwick Wyndham.
When Adriana was finally able to retire to a private room to nurse her son, she was pleased to be joined by Samantha who was on the same maternal quest, that being to find a quiet spot to nurse her own son. The two babies looked very much alike and seemed to eye each other rather speculatively after being laid side by side. It was fairly safe to predict that these two, like their mothers, would grow up to be inseparable friends.
Later, the two women found their husbands standing with Riordan and his bride, the most radiantly happy Felicity Kendrick, who seemed to relish her husband’s gentle consideration. It was a stark, but thoroughly welcomed contrast to the abuse she had received from Roger. With the assistance of a manservant, Jane Fairchild had brought her father, Samuel Gladstone, in a chair on wheels. Jarvis Fairchild was noticeably absent, but that didn’t seem to bother the industrious woman, for she conveyed a vivacious wit as she chatted with her new son-in-law, daughter, and other aristocrats who had become close friends with the Gladstone family throughout the years.
In bed that evening, Adriana lay nestled against her husband’s side as Leo and Aris slept not too far away, indulging in the warmth radiating from the fireplace. Gordon had just received nourishment from his mother’s breast and was sound asleep in his tiny crib. As for Genevieve Ariella Kingsley, she was ensconced in her own room a short piece down the hall, with Blythe in the bedchamber next door and, as always, ever eager to see to the needs and care of the beautiful little girl, who would grow up with full knowledge of the wonderful couple who had been her real parents.
“It’s hard to believe that Riordan and Felicity are already expecting a child,” Adriana mused with a smile. “She must have been caught on the very first night, too. Two months already, and as radiant a bride as I’ve ever seen.”
Colton stroked a hand over his wife’s thigh, admiring its sleekness. “Felicity seems quite happy and content now that she’s married to Riordan, and I can certainly imagine why she should be after what she went through as Roger’s wife. Jane’s ecstatic over the idea that she’ll soon be a grandmother. She’s very fond of Riordan, and of course, he’s very fond of his mother-in-law, as I am of mine.”
Adriana giggled. “You’d better be. You have no other choice.”
Her husband grinned down at her. “Now, I wouldn’t say that. I left home once when I didn’t like the arrangement that had been laid out for me.”
“Oh, I know!” Adriana feigned a heavy sigh. “You’ve always been stubborn about having your own way.”
“Madam, be honest. Would you have been confident of my love had I agreed to my father’s edict at the very beginning and gone to the altar out of duty?”
“Well, Samantha and Percy are very much in love, and they did that very thing,” she reasoned.
“I’m not Percy, and you’re not Samantha, and I’d say that we’re every bit as happy as they are, if not more so. At least, you needn’t worry about my ever straying. I’ve indulged in that kind of life enough to know I prefer the one I now have with you. If you’re not aware of it, madam, I’m very much in love with you.”
She snuggled her head contentedly upon his shoulder and brushed her fingers admiringly over the neat feathering of hair covering his chest. “And I you, milord.”
It was some moments before Adriana rose up on that formidable expanse and peered down into her husband’s smiling eyes. “I believe Gordon is going to look exactly like your father.”
“Me, madam! He’s going to look like me,” Colton corrected with a gritted grin.
Smiling, she seemed to mull over his answer for a long moment as she glanced about the room. Finally, she lifted her shoulders in an impish shrug. “Well, if it bothers you so much not to get all the credit, then I suppose I can allow that he does look very much like you. But . . .”
Colton held up a hand to halt any further argument. “I know, madam! I’ve heard it all my life. I look just like my father before me.”
Smiling, she pressed her slender nose against his cheek. “I’m glad you do. If you’re not aware of it, sir, you’re an admirable specimen of a man, and I’m so very, very glad you’re mine.”
Another long moment passed before she lowered her chin upon the arm she had braced on his chest. “Did Riordan say anything to you about witnessing Roger’s hanging?”
“He did.”
“And? What did he say?”
“He said he felt it necessary to assure himself—and Felicity—that she would be safe from that monster forevermore. In spite of all the people he killed, Roger proved to be a full-fledged coward when he faced death himself. He wept and pleaded for mercy all the way to the gallows, but of course he never extended any compassion to any of his victims, so he received none in return.”
“Mr. Fairchild is certainly pleased by the fact that Felicity is now married to Riordan,” Adriana said. “According to Jane, he predicted a gentleman of the peerage would ask her to become his wife. Since Edmund passed on, and Jarvis bought the Elston mill, his attitude toward Samuel Gladstone has changed for the better. He seems to admire the elder much more now and, from what I’ve heard, he has repaid all the funds he directed into his coffers after laying off Creighton and others, who’ve now all been hired back. Felicity said her father is even courting her mother now, as if she weren’t his wife at all. Of course, the fact that they’ve been living apart for some months may have had much to do with his repentance. Perhaps he finally realized what a jewel of a wife he had and that he was going to lose her if he didn’t make amends.”
Chuckling, Colton rolled to his side to face his young wife and slid a hand down her naked back, settling it fondly over a tempting buttock. “As Shakespeare wrote, madam, all’s well that ends well.”
Adriana’s eyes gleamed with merriment as they warmly melded with his. “Lecher.”
Happy-Ending Oriented
An Interview with Kat
hleen E. Woodiwiss
Q: Some people credit you with being the “inventor” of the Historical Romance as it is known today. What prompted you to write a book [The Flame and the Flower] with so much more historical detail than anything else that was being written at that time?
KEW: I love history, historical settings, and the fashions of bygone eras. It was much easier to escape into the realm of fiction when I allowed myself to imagine what it was like centuries ago. To build a firm foundation for my first books, it seemed necessary to create a vivid picture of what life was like back then and to settle the stories’ roots deep in the history taking place at those times.
Q: Your early novels, The Flame and the Flower and The Wolf and the Dove among them, were among the raciest novels ever published in the Romance genre.
KEW: Would you consider Valley of the Dolls in the Romance genre? If so, then I’d have to say that was the raciest novel I had read prior to becoming published. I also found it a most depressing book. I didn’t finish reading it but gave it back to the friend who had loaned it to me and started writing The Flame and the Flower instead — but I never imagined I’d get it published. If not for Valley of the Dolls, I doubt I would have made any serious attempt to write a book of my own. I just wrote it for myself. I was definitely tired of searching for a romantic book that had a satisfying conclusion ... and I am most certainly a happy-ending-oriented person. Then, after finishing The Flame and the Flower, I allowed some people to read it, and they encouraged me to make an attempt to get it published.
Q: What did you like to read, growing up?
KEW: I started out reading fairy tales. From there, I graduated to Nancy Drew mysteries, horse stories, and other books that appeal to young girls. Though I even read Jules Verne. I was an avid reader, and I was always searching for a “wonderful novel.” Of course, I count Gone with the Wind, Jane Eyre, Rebecca, and a host of other classics among my favorites.
Q: Some people feel that romance novels should depict an idealized but realistic portrait of relationships, while others feel that novels should be more escapist fantasy. What’s your take?
KEW: To each his own. I write the kind of books I enjoy reading. It’s as simple as that. I would never attempt to instruct another author on the kind of book she/he should write. It should be their preference. After all, what motivated me may not motivate the next person, and vice versa.
Q: What is your favorite time period to write in?
KEW: Usually the period I’m writing in, whatever that may be.
Q: The Reluctant Suitor is your first novel to be published in hardcover. Does this have any special significance to you?
KEW: Actually, all my other books have been published in hardcover. However, the paperbacks came first; the hardcovers followed. Cart-before-the-horse, more or less. I was somewhat leery of making the switch, knowing in these hard times the difficulty some women will have paying for a more expensive book, but I was told that it was time for me to be published first in hardback. After all, my first book was published over thirty years ago.
Q: Do you have another book in the works?
KEW: Yes, I do. The next one will have a medieval setting.
Q: Do you ever have thoughts of retiring?
KEW: As far as retiring, I really can’t see that happening unless I lose interest in writing. I recall hearing some years ago about a woman still editing books at the age of eighty-two. I’d count myself fortunate if I’m still able to write books at that age. Besides, writing a book is stimulating to the brain. I’d much rather do that than let it molder from disuse.
~
Adapted from a February 2003 interview with Ms. Woodiwiss by Waldenbooks.
About the Author
Kathleen E. Woodiwiss wrote the very first historical romance novel in 1972 — The Flame and the Flower created a genre and made Ms. Woodiwiss one of the world’s most popular writers, with 36 million books in print. In celebration of Ms. Woodiwiss’s new novel, The Reluctant Suitor (2003), PerfectBound is publishing Ms. Woodiwiss’s classic backlist, including the complete Birmingham Family Saga: The Flame and the Flower; The Elusive Flame; A Season Beyond a Kiss. Also available are Ms. Woodiwiss’s Ashes in the Wind; Come Love a Stranger; Forever in Your Embrace; Petals on the River; A Rose in Winter; Shanna; So Worthy My Love; The Wolf and the Dove.
Works by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss
The Birmingham Family Saga:
The Flame and the Flower
The Elusive Flame
A Season Beyond a Kiss
And also:
Ashes in the Wind
Come Love a Stranger
Forever in Your Embrace
Petals on the River
A Rose in Winter
Shanna
So Worthy My Love
The Wolf and the Dove
The Reluctant Suitor
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR
KATHLEEN E. WOODIWISS
“A LEGEND! . . . THE QUEEN OF
HISTORICAL ROMANCE.”
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“A PHENOMENON”
The New York Times
“WOODIWISS REIGNS!”
Life
“THE FIRST LADY OF THE GENRE.”
Publishers Weekly
“LIVE AND BREATHE THE WORLD
KATHLEEN E. WOODIWISS CREATES.”
Houston Chronicle
Credits
Jacket design and illustration by Honi Werner
THE RELUCTANT SUITOR. Copyright © 2003 by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of PerfectBound™.
“Happy-Ending Oriented.” Adapted from an interview with Kathleen E. Woodiwiss by Waldenbooks. The questions are copyright © 2003 by Waldenbooks. The answers are copyright © 2003 by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss. Reprinted with permission.
PerfectBound™ and the PerfectBound™ logo are trademarks of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.
Mobipocket Reader April 2003 ISBN: 0-0607-6850-9
Print edition first published in 2003 by HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.
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