Colton glanced aside, noticing that Roger had removed himself from their present company. Good riddance, he thought, but then had to wonder just where the apprentice had taken himself, since he was nowhere in sight. It was too much to hope that the lad had left. Wherever he was, one could almost lay odds that he was sulking and devising a plan to claim Adriana for himself.
Relenting to a chuckle, Colton confessed, “I’m afraid I would never have known my own sister had she not recognized me. When I left, she was no more than a child, Lady Adriana a couple years younger. Now I understand from Mother that the eldest of the Suttons’ offspring has children of her own and the second-born will soon be getting married. Considering the length of time I’ve been away, I’m surprised that Lady Adriana is still unattached.”
In spite of the fact that she had been staring at him intently, Colton realized Adriana had likely missed his comments, for she seemed to awaken to the realization that he was smiling at her. Beneath his lingering stare, a blush crept upward into her cheeks, but she quickly averted her gaze. Even so, he found himself astounded once again by the transformation that had taken place in his absence. How could a young chit, whom he had once likened to a scrawny little scarecrow, have grown up to be such an exquisite, indeed nigh flawless, example of pulchritude?
Sensing her stilted aloofness, he managed a wry grin as he cast a brief glance toward the other occupants of the room. “I’m afraid Lady Adriana has never quite forgiven me for being that obstinately brash, headstrong young whelp who, against his father’s wishes, left home to seek his own way in life.”
Though his comment readily drew amused giggles from Felicity and, more reluctantly, a subdued chuckle or two from the other men, Colton hadn’t meant to be humorous. He had merely been trying to express his regret for hurting an innocent little girl so many years ago. The betrothal idea hadn’t been her fault, but when he had stalked out of the drawing room after angrily refusing to consider an agreement involving a betrothal to a thin, lackluster sprig and had found himself facing the wide-eyed stares of the girl and her parents, his cruel words had come back to haunt him. Though the elder two Suttons had been taken aback by his outrage, it had been Adriana’s stricken look that had haunted him throughout the years, for she had seemed completely devastated by his adamant refusal to consider their future union. Well before that event, he had become cognizant of the fact that she idolized him as much as his own sister. She had never had a brother, and perhaps for that reason she had mentally set him upon a pedestal as her champion, for there had been more than a few instances wherein he had rushed to the girls’ defense after they had gotten into trouble trying to save some injured younglings and found themselves facing a formidable stag or some other furious parent instead. A deep regret for his cruel comments had swept over him after seeing the crushed look on her thin face; he hadn’t meant to wound her so severely. In deepening chagrin, he had stammered through a difficult apology, and then had hurriedly taken his leave, unable to bear her obvious misery.
Stepping beside her friend in the protective manner of an older sister, Samantha decided her brother needed to be enlightened for his own good before he became the recipient of the news that awaited him. Perhaps with such a warning, he’d think twice this time before rejecting his options out of hand. “ ‘Tis highly unlikely that Adriana has given much thought to you over the years, Colton. She hasn’t had time with all the handsome suitors vying for her attention.” Ignoring the insistent prodding of her elbow, which no doubt was intended to warn her to veer away from the subject, Samantha pressed on puposefully to give her brother something to think about. She was almost sorry Roger wasn’t in the room; for the apprentice needed to be reminded that he was only one small fish in the stream and, even if he had the nerve to intimidate his aristocratic rivals pell-mell, he’d soon find himself gobbled up for a morsel, for there was always a larger grayling swimming somewhere in the same waters. “Her admirers flock to the Suttons’ stoop with all the eagerness of smitten swains, each vying for the honor of being the one Adriana will eventually choose, but, as yet, their pleas have been for naught.” This time Samantha became the recipient of a menacing glower, but she casually shrugged away her friend’s intimidation, deeming herself totally innocent of any wrongdoing. “Well, it’s the truth, and you know it.”
In spite of the indignant little snort that came from Adriana, which seemed to suggest the contrary, Colton realized his sister had done her best to put him in his place. Even to him, his smile seemed lame. “I can see why bachelors are anxious to win the lady for themselves. She’s truly a beauty, the finest I’ve ever seen.”
Felicity took exception to his declaration. When her own hair glistened like pale gold in the sun and her eyes took their color from the very skies, why would a man of great renown and evidently extensive experience prefer the dark-eyed, dark-haired looks of a peevish young woman?
Adriana didn’t necessarily appreciate the fact that she was being discussed as if she were some unusual artifact a continent away. She faced Colton, managing a trace of a smile. “I’m afraid your sister has been inclined to exaggerate over the number of callers vying for my attention, my lord. You’ll learn after a time that Samantha can go on a bit long over nothing in particular whenever she wants to make a point.”
Percy’s muted chortle affirmed in Adriana’s mind that he had already discovered that truth about his wife. In immediate response, Samantha settled her arms akimbo and gave them both an exasperated look, evoking more chuckles, this time from the pair.
Allowing Percy the privilege of dealing with his wife’s challenging questions, Adriana returned to the business at hand and served swift death to the notion that she hadn’t heard Colton’s earlier comments. “You made some reference to my sisters a few moments ago, my lord, and I’d like to take this opportunity to verify that Jaclyn is living in London now and has two children, a boy and a girl. Melora’s wedding is swiftly approaching, at the end of this month, in fact, and although invitations have ceased to be necessary between our two families, I shall see that you receive one. Melora would certainly be disappointed if she didn’t get to see you before she and Sir Harold leave on their honeymoon. They’ll be making their home at his estate in Cornwall and won’t be returning to Wakefield until the latter part of October, at which time my parents will be giving a ball to celebrate the advent of the hunting season. I’m sure you recall how our fathers always enjoyed getting together with close acquaintances after the adjournment of Parliament to plan their hunts and talk of old times. Naturally their wives and daughters will be attending as well, and of course there’ll be lots of food and dancing, perhaps even a witty game or two for those who enjoy such things. It probably has been some time since you’ve indulged in similar diversions.”
Colton grinned down at her. “I’ve been away so long I’m afraid you’ll have to introduce me to your parents.”
A smile curved Adriana’s lips as she elevated a brow. “You have been gone a long time, my lord. I certainly didn’t know you.”
“For a moment there, I thought you were merely going to slap me for past offenses,” he quipped, his lips twitching with ill-suppressed humor. “In the future, I shall be more wary of the way you take your revenge.”
The intense heat infusing her cheeks made Adriana immediately thankful the miller’s granddaughter stepped forward to reclaim the marquess’s attention. One could almost imagine the blonde had become infatuated with the man . . . or perhaps his title.
Curious about his availability, Felicity Fairchild did indeed desire a moment of his time to appease her curiosity. “Will we have the honor of meeting your marchioness fairly soon, my lord?”
Colton would’ve been convinced of the woman’s diffidence if not for the nervous little smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. It was as delightful as some witty tale, assuring him that he had awakened the lady’s interest. “Except for my own mother, Miss Felicity, no other lady presently claims that distinction
in the family.”
Struggling valiantly to curb her elation, Felicity managed a demure response. “I must have been mistaken about such matches being made in one’s youth.”
Unnerved not so much by the woman’s speculation but by the threat of the truth slipping out, Adriana held her breath for fear that it would. Though the woman’s conjecture was an accurate assessment of the state of affairs, in this case Colton Wyndham was the last to know just what had taken place in his absence.
Samantha noticed that her friend was looking unusually apprehensive, no doubt with good cause. She, too, remembered how vehemently her brother had protested their father’s attempts to arrange his life and could only wonder if he’d react any differently to the news awaiting him now that their sire was dead. If he hadn’t yet realized their father had wanted the best for him, then she surely had. Adriana was the sister she had never had, and she was reluctant to lose her to some other man’s family.
Three
* * *
There you are,” Samantha said with a gently welcoming smile after catching sight of her mother descending the stairs. A month earlier, Philana Wyndham had passed fifty and three years, and though her tawny hair had become frosted with white over the passage of time, she could have easily passed for a woman ten years her junior. Still slender and very striking, she bore herself with an elegance that seemed ageless. In spite of the fact that at the moment her vivid blue eyes bore a telltale wetness, they were her greatest asset.
A wealth of inexplicable emotions swept over Colton as he watched his mother approach, forcing him to swallow against a gathering thickness in his throat. In his eagerness to find his parent soon after his arrival, he had limped through the front door without pausing to herald his entrance by way of the heavy wrought-iron door-clapper. His abrupt, disquieting invasion into the vestibule had caused Harrison’s jaw to plummet forthwith, but after the steward had settled his widened eyes upon the intruder, his qualms had instantly vanished. The resemblance between sire and son had been too close for a loyal servant to mistake. The aging man had fought a difficult battle with encroaching tears as he spoke of his late master’s death and then had wept unabashedly when Colton laid a comforting arm about his shoulders and mourned his father’s loss with him.
Upon leaving the butler, Colton had hastened up the stairs as quickly as his hindered gait had allowed. When his mother had responded to the knock upon the door of her chambers with a muted bidding to enter, her knees had nearly buckled beneath her when he had limped into her sitting room. Sobbing with overwhelming joy, she had rushed into his opening arms and then been nearly squeezed breathless by his long, encompassing embrace. Later, her tears had turned to grieving sorrow as she reminisced on the relatively short illness that had taken the husband she had so thoroughly adored. Sedgwick had always been so hale and hearty, she had murmured as twin rivulets streamed down her cheeks. Earlier in the day, he had even been out riding with Perceval and Samantha and seemed quite jovial, in spite of the gall of that young upstart, Roger Elston, to come to the manor in search of Adriana, who, along with her parents, had been invited to dinner. Although it had been evident to nearly everyone that the girl had been mortified by the apprentice’s unexpected arrival, Sedgwick had hidden his annoyance with the younger man and bade another place be set at the table rather than allow Adriana to fret for fear she had caused the difficulty. Before retiring later that night, Sedgwick had had his customary brandy in the drawing room, but hardly an hour later, Philana had awakened to find him writhing beside her in a cold sweat as wrenching pains tore at his stomach. His condition had gradually worsened during the next two months until finally he succumbed to the unknown malady.
Colton wished he could erase the lingering sadness still shadowing his mother’s eyes, but he knew she would continue mourning the loss of her husband until the day she died. His parents had been deeply devoted to each other, loving and cherishing one another as if each gave the other the very breath of life. With similar dedication to their offspring, they had carefully brought them up, teaching them honor and dignity and giving them a zest for the wonders to be found in every facet of their lives. During the years Colton had been away, he had often been too busy to think of home and family. In the quiet times, however, he had found himself yearning to see his parents, but he had learned from past experiences that looking back had a way of binding his heart in chains of remorse. The past was behind him, he had oft reminded himself. It couldn’t be rewritten. He had chosen the path he had trod. He had made a life for himself far beyond his sire’s control. He was his own man, had been for more than a decade, and except for having hurt the ones he had left behind, he felt no regrets for his accomplishments.
Philana paused as the steward came toward her. After years of loyal service, there was no need for him to ask her bidding. Philana supplied it readily in a hushed tone. “We’ll have our tea in the drawing room, Harrison.”
“Yes, my lady. As to dinner tonight, Cook would like to know if everyone now present will be staying.”
“Yes, I believe they will, Harrison.”
Adriana moved near to correct that premise. “Your pardon, my lady, but I don’t think that will actually be the case.” Dipping into a respectful curtsey as the older woman faced her, she explained, “Mr. Fairchild kindly bade us to have Miss Felicity back at Wakefield in time for him to fetch her home before the approach of evening. Stuart will be escorting us there, and then the two of us will be returning here before tonight’s celebration. As for Roger, he will not be attending.” She heard the apprentice’s sharp intake of breath and turned slightly to look at him pointedly as he entered from the drawing room where he had obviously taken himself for some moments. Considering his earlier attempt to accost their host, she deemed her announcement justified. Besides, her patience with him had been tested far too much for one day. Facing her hostess again, she offered the conjecture, “Our brief absence will allow your family some privacy to revel in the fact that Lord Colton is home again and ready to assume the marquessate.”
Adriana tried to blank her mind to the presence of the one who had once again awakened a tumult within her, but when Colton stepped near, she knew it was futile to ignore him. Lifting her gaze to meet those darkly translucent gray eyes, she was amazed by the strange fluttering of her heart as his smile brought into play those deep channels in his cheeks. Somehow she managed a semblance of calm in spite of the chaotic drumming in the area where that organ was housed.
“I’m pleased and thankful to know that you’re back, my lord.” She couldn’t believe how breathless she had become, as if he had snatched the very air from her lungs. “Now your mother and sister won’t have to worry or wonder if you’re safe.”
Colton gathered the slender hands within his, giving Adriana no chance to retreat. He had noticed shortly after his sister had recognized him that the lighthearted ambience the brunette beauty had displayed upon her initial entrance into the manor had vanished. He couldn’t much blame her for sobering in his presence, considering the last time they were together he had been in the midst of an angry revolt. In spite of her reserve, he felt challenged to bridge the chasm between them. After all, he couldn’t allow a close neighbor to continue to think ill of him, could he?
Then, too, there was the fact that he was a man who appreciated the friendship of a very beautiful and equally intelligent woman. The first asset she had achieved with stunning perfection during his absence; the latter was the primary reason his father had once been so adamant that she’d eventually become his wife. Intellect had always been a very important issue throughout the Wyndhams’ ancestry, and thus Sedgwick had settled his mind on one who’d do much to fulfill those requirements.
“Please extend my regards to your parents and tell them that I shall enjoy seeing them, fairly soon, in fact, if it would serve their pleasure. I will send a missive over to Wakefield Manor to inquire into the suitability of such a visit and shall hope an appropriate time may be found
.” His eyes delved into hers, seeking he knew not what. “And if you’d permit me a few moments of your time while I’m there, Adriana, I’d be grateful. We have much to reminisce over.”
His voice was a husky murmur, incredibly warm, melting her, Adriana feared, from the inside out. She couldn’t believe what he was able to do to her emotions, and with very little effort. By rights, she should’ve been turning her nose up at his request. As for that, she wished in good manner she could deny it, for she realized he had a way of affecting her that made her leery of future encounters. Yet she could find no viable way of escape without lending the impression that she hadn’t yet forgiven him. That was far from the truth. In spite of his angry departure from home, in her heart she had always held an image of him as her betrothed; after all, it was what their parents had always wanted and had taken measures to bring into fruition.