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'sdeath 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 inevery 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.

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 astranger. 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 asmemories 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 whynot? 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 tohis 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 histhigh. 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."

"You may know the man better by the name of Riordan Kendrick."

"Colonel Kendrick who gained fame as a hero in our confrontations with Napoleon?" Colton asked in amazement.

"The very same."

"He is kin to Lord Harcourt?"

"Riordan Kendrick was Lord Harcourt's grandson before the elder passed on. Riordan is about your age … or somewhere thereabouts," Philana explained. "His father, Redding Kendrick, assumed the duchy when the old man died, but he rarely comes to this area except to whisk in and out on brief visits with his son. On the other hand, Riordan seems to enjoy the family's country estate and has acquired it from his father who really has shown no interest in being this far away from London. But then, perhaps Riordan chooses to remain in the area because of Adriana."

Colton paused to take a sip of tea before offering the conjecture, "Obviously there has been no match made between this Riordan Kendrick and Adriana. Otherwise Roger wouldn't seem so hopeful of winning the girl."

"From what Samantha and I have ascertained from thosewho know the man, Riordan is definitely interested in changing those circumstances."

Colton traced the tip of his finger over the teacup's delicate handle. "And Adriana? How does she feel about the man?"

"Oh, I believe she likes him very much. Of all the young men who come around, he has been the only one she will sit and converse with for hours on end. The man has a good head on his shoulders. Your father said as much. Of course, there are always others here vying for her time, trying to thwart Riordan's attempts to win her. It's a wonder some of those gallants didn't show up here today, but then, many of them have been reluctant to intrude upon us after your father died. Frankly, prior to Sedgwick's passing, I wouldn't have put it past a number of them to have had spies watching Wakefield Manor to see in which direction Adriana would ride after leaving home, because it wasn't long after she appeared that they'd begin arriving on some pretext or another."

"Considering the rarity of the prize, Roger has certainly set his sights high, too high in my opinion." Frowning thoughtfully, Colton posed a question to his mother. "Can Adriana not see the apprentice for what he is?"

"Adriana isn't necessarily thinking of marriage when she allows the apprentice to join her and her companions. She has merely been reluctant to send him on his way because she believes he has suffered terrible hardships throughout his life. You know how she and Samantha always were as children, taking in stray animals and coddling them until they were healed and able to fend for themselves." Philana lifted her slender shoulders, finding no need to explain their compassion to one who had seen it for himself. "In the face of Adriana's gentle empathy, Roger has just presumed too much."

"I thought she'd be married by now. One look at her leaves me wondering why she isn't."

"She will eventually," Philana replied after a lengthy space and lifted her gaze to peer at her son over the rim of the teacup. Pensively, she sipped the brew again and, after a long silence, settled the cup back upon its saucer. "Your father certainlydidn't care for Roger. As much as he tried to treat the young man with kindly deference, Sedgwick couldn't ignore the underlying tension between them. For one thing, Roger didn't appear to like the way Adriana doted upon your father or, for that matter, the converse. Call it jealousy, if you will. It seemed that way to me whenever I'd catch Roger watching the pair of them together. I suppose on the reverse side of that, Sedgwick considered Roger an interloper. You know yourself that your father always held the girl in high esteem, far above her sisters. She never made any pretense of being prim or skittish, and I think Sedgwick admired that about her, among other things. In fact, when Adriana left him behind in a horserace to the manor, he boasted about it for days on end. No one had ever beaten him before, not even Gyles. But then, your father admired her mind just as much as her courage. Even with all those qualities, she is still quite beautiful, is she not?"

A slow grin crept across Colton's lips as he leaned back in his chair. "I'm totally astounded by the changes that have occurred in the girl since I left home. Never for an instant would I have guessed this afternoon that the lady who bolted into the foyer was Adriana Sutton. Without question, she has become a rare beauty."

"Quite so," Philana agreed, managing to curb a pleased smile. "Of course, your father never wavered in the belief that she would come into her own one day, but there were other, more important reasons he had for securing her as your future wife."

"I know Father had my best interests at heart," Colton reluctantly admitted. "But, at the time, I just couldn't accept at face value what he was proposing. For a young man to be betrothed to a mere chit leaves much to chance, and I wasn't willing to let fate fall where it would. I had to be certain that I wouldn't come to regret the betrothal…."

"Are you saying you would now be more amenable to such a contract?"

A casual shrug prefaced his reply. "I think it would greatly behoove me to get to know Adriana better ere I make any serious considerations along those lines. In one respect, she is right. We are strangers."

"Even though she was the only choice your father ever made for you?" Philana gently prodded.

"I prefer making my own selections when it comes to a wife, Mother. I haven't changed at all in that respect."

"Then you're still opposed to the idea of taking her for your bride?"

"For the present moment, yes, but that doesn't mean I won't come to desire her as my wife in time. Unquestionably, she is difficult to ignore."

Philana considered her son closely. "I can imagine that Roger Elston would go to great lengths to have the girl for his wife."

Colton flicked his brows upward and, with a half-angry snort, lent emphasis to the derision detectable in his tone. "A blind man could see the fellow was keen on having her … as if he has any rights at all where she is concerned. At every turn of the hand, he seemed eager to challenge me for even daring to talk with her until he went too far, and I have no idea why."

Taking in a deep breath, Philana braced herself for the moment ahead and then, after a brief uncertainty, plunged headlong into the quagmire of the situation. "Perhaps that is because Roger is aware the two of you have been promised to each other."

The hand Colton had lifted to his brow slowly lowered as he stared at his parent in astonishment. "What are you telling me, Mother?"

Percy and Samantha turned in surprise at the harshness of Colton's tone and looked from mother to son before exchanging a worried glance with each other. Sensing his wife's rapidly mounting concern, Percy reached across the table and squeezed her thin fingers, silently reassuring her that all would work out well.

Philana folded her own slender hands in her lap, trying to subdue their telltale trembling as she searched for the appropriate words to explain what had been done. The last thing shewanted was to drive him away from the family again. "Your father was convinced that, given enough time, you'd change your mind about Adriana and come to see her as a potential asset to the Wyndhams … the way he always saw her … even at the very beginning … and continued to see her for the rest of his life. Sometime after you left, he and the Suttons signed the nuptial agreement, pledging her to you."

Try though he might, Colton couldn't subdue the sneer in his tone. "Leaving home didn't profit me in the least, did it, Mother? I'm still committed."

"Not altogether," Philana replied, her voice losing its strength under the strain and at the possibility of opening old wounds with what she was about to reveal. "If you abhor the agreement so much, you can free yourself from it. Your father went to great lengths to make allowances for such a provision in the contract. They were there at the very beginning, but you refused to listen. You have only to pay earnest court to the girl for ninety days, and if, after that length of time, you still wish to avoid marriage with her, you can nullify the agreement. It's as simple as that."

Colton stared at his parent, reading the tension in her face. Only now did he realize how much she had aged during his absence. Although still very lovely in a priceless, elegant way, she had allowed the burdens of her family and her concern for him to etch her face with tiny lines. His breath eased outward in a long sigh. "Ninety days, you say?"

"Ninety days of earnest courtship." Philana stressed the point. "That is the stipulation your father required in exchange for your freedom."

Thoughtfully Colton sipped his tea. It was the standard practice that if he refused to consider the terms of the contract, even the three-month tenure, then he'd be forced by his own recognizance to compensate the Suttons for his offense, but he wasn't worried about that. Even without the largesse of the marquessate, he had managed to save enough in his career as an officer to accomplish that feat. Still, by so doing, he'd be closing off future access to Adriana as her suitor, and that wasprecisely where his manly instincts rebelled. He'd be wiser by far to test the susceptibility of his own heart in a compatible relationship ere he severed his association with the lady completely. It was a simple fact that she was far too beautiful for any man to turn his back on, much less one who had grown tired of the tawdry women who had frequented the encampments of the soldiers, or the others he had visited off and on.

"I suppose if I can endure the stress of endless skirmishes for sixteen years of my life, I can suffer through three months of courtship with an utterly beautiful young woman." He allowed a meager smile to convey his scant attempt at humor. "But after my lengthy experience as a bachelor, I'm afraid I'll have to relearn the art of chivalry. There wasn't much need for it in our encampments."

Philana lowered her gaze to hide the suspicions that flared within her mind. At times, her husband had voiced his concerns about the kind of life their son was mayhap leading when he wasn't battling the enemy. Each camp had its share of harlots and loose women, he had fretted, and after so long a time, and no matter how much a father might wish otherwise, a man far from home would have difficulty remaining indifferent to temptations constantly at hand. Carousing with strumpets was hardly the way of life one expected of an exemplary existence, but, as parents, they had been unable to hope for anything better.

Colton cocked a querying brow at his mother. "Does Adriana know about this agreement?"

"Yes, of course."

All too clearly he remembered the coolness in the girl's tone at odd and sundry times. "I take it that she's none too thrilled by the arrangement."

"Adriana will fulfill her part of the bargain to please her parents."

"You mean that she'd actually agree to marry me just to satisfy them?"

"The girl will do the honorable thing…."

"Though she may thoroughly loathe me?"

"She doesn't loathe you…."

"Pray tell, why not?" he demanded, and then couldn't help but scoff. "Don't tell me she has forgotten the vehement protests I made the day I left. If I discerned anything in her manner today, then I'm willing to wager that Adriana is still bristling over the incident."

"I'm afraid she was very much hurt," Philana admitted. "After all, you were the one she and Samantha looked up to when they were both young. Had you been a god, they could not have adored you more. You must know that, considering the way they followed at your heels. Naturally, Adriana was wounded by your fierce rejection and could only believe you hated her. She blamed herself for your departure and suffered some chagrin until Sedgwick talked to her and explained that some young men like to make their own decisions in life and that your rebellion was mainly due to what he had tried to enforce. In most cases, time has a way of healing old wounds. After all, Adriana was only a child. Many things are forgotten along the path from youth to womanhood."

"While in Africa I learned that elephants do not forget. Though it's true that Adriana was very young at the time of my infraction, I don't think she has forgotten either. I definitely caught glimpses of a coolness in her manner toward me today."

"You'll soon learn that Adriana is far more congenial toward friends than suitors. Sometimes I think the girl is just as averse to marriage as you are, but I believe that will change once she becomes convinced you are serious."

"Dearest Mother, though you may well desire a marriage between us as much as Father once did, you must understand that it may not come to fruition. I'll not bind myself to a woman simply because she's the primary choice of my parents. There has to be something more between us—"

"Before we were married, your father and I were allowed no other choice but to accept the dictates of our parents," Philana interrupted. "And still, not too long into our union, we came to realize that we loved one another deeply. I cannot believe you and Adriana aren't meant for each other. Whatever your fathersaw in the girl initially, he became even more convinced of it after she grew into womanhood. He remained firmly committed to the idea that she'd be an excellent choice for you. Considering how much your father loved you, do you honestly think that he would've wanted you to be miserable married to a woman you'd eventually come to abhor?"

"Adriana was no more than a child when Father arranged our betrothal!" Colton protested. "How in heaven's name could he have imagined that she'd become anything but a gawky little twig?"

"She has good blood and comes from a handsome family," Philana insisted. "Her appearance was bound to improve … as you can see that it has!"

"Father made his decision six and ten years ago, when she looked like a castoff collection of odd parts! Not even an accomplished seer could've foreseen the uncommon beauty she has today!"

"Nevertheless, as you can see for yourself, your father's predictions have proven accurate," his mother stubbornly asserted.

"Thus far," Colton acknowledged tersely. "But that doesn't mean that Adriana and I will come to love each other."

"Only time will establish what your feelings for one another will be."

He threw up a hand in frustration. "As you say, Mother, time will bear that out, but unless I am reasonably convinced that we can share some love or affection for one another, I shan't be asking for Adriana's hand in marriage. I refuse to go through life regretting the fact that I accepted someone else's choice rather than my own."

"Have you … a choice in mind then?" his mother asked haltingly, fearful of what he would say.

A heavy sigh slipped from his lips. "Thus far, I have found no woman to appease me or satisfy the demands of my heart."

"And what are they?"

Colton shrugged, not knowing the answer to that himself. "Perhaps that is merely to fill the abyss I yet feel in my personal life."

Lifting her teacup to her lips, Philana held a steady grip on its delicate handle in an effort to hide the telltale trembling of her fingers. She felt a strong compulsion to suggest that Adriana would likely be the only one who could satisfy that void, but she knew her son would not appreciate such a trite statement, though it could very well prove to be true.

After a long, thoughtful moment, Philana resettled her porcelain cup upon its saucer and announced quietly, "I shall leave you to decide when we should approach the Suttons about this matter, but know this, my son: Adriana's appearance had little sway over your father's judgment. He assumed it would improve, perhaps not to the degree that it has, but more than anything else, it was her character and intellect that he admired. The manner in which she and her siblings were brought up promised commendable behavior and principles, but in Adriana's case those qualities have become jewels in her crown."

Feeling as if a trap were closing in around him, Colton glowered across the room until he realized he was staring once again at the portrait above the fireplace. In a way, it was like looking at a reflection of himself; the resemblance was so very, very close, not only outwardly, but inwardly as well. His father had always had a mind of his own. Only Philana, with her soft, gentle ways, had been able to sway him one way or another. Colton had to wonder if Adriana would be as capable of softening his heart. As yet, no woman had ever succeeded.

Other thoughts intruded, prodding him with spurs that made him mentally wince. How would he feel if he were to have a son as rebellious as he had proven to be? Would the day ever come when he would yield to arguments put forth by an offspring? Or would he hold firm to his own convictions and resolve, just as his father had before him?

An inward honesty prevented Colton from offering dry, empty platitudes in defense of himself. Having been an officer nearly half his life, he knew he wouldn't enjoy the prospect of being faced with revolt, even if it duplicated his own refusal to comply with his father's wishes.