The Reluctant Suitor

by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss

“Genevieve?” Pandora arched a brow after Colton had excused himself and, with a condescending smirk, turned to peer at Adriana. “Who thought of that? Please don’t tell me you did. Otherwise, I’ll have to change her name once I root out the little baggage trying to usurp my marriage.”

  Adriana folded her hands in her lap to keep from responding with sarcasm to the woman’s slur. Considering the length of time the actress had been gone, she could only imagine that if Pandora’s union to Colton had been valid, then its continuance went against every precept intended by God and man, especially if she had indeed been involved with a lover. “The child was named by her ladyship, the marchioness.”

  “Colton’s mother, you mean.” Pandora tossed her head and laughed, seeming to revel in a moment of anticipation. “As much as I’ve resisted the lure of the title, I shall be pleased to hear my so-called friends addressing me as the Marchioness of Randwulf. They’ll soon be licking spittle from my shoes and offering me parts they’ve recently been giving to mere chits.”

  “I believe my husband has something entirely different in mind than what you’re presently coveting,” Adriana replied succinctly. “So if I were you, I wouldn’t count on your acquaintances doing obeisance just yet.”

  Pandora chortled derisively. “As much as Colton may resent our marriage, my dear, I’m afraid there’s no escape for him. After all, I have proof. The document he signed will confirm our marriage.”

  Adriana held her peace, not knowing what would follow. She felt equally weak and sick inside, as if her greatest joy had been snatched from her life. She couldn’t even take comfort in the movements of their baby who seemed especially active in her womb, perhaps sensing her distress.

  Colton returned to the drawing room with the announcement, “Genie is being changed at the moment. She will be brought down directly.”

  “We must talk at length about our child and our marriage, Colton,” Pandora responded, moving toward him with a hand outstretched, as if to make another appeal for the judiciousness of her reasoning.

  If a lightning bolt had struck the floor right beside Colton at that instant, he could not have reacted any faster. Clearly conveying a reluctance to be anywhere within close proximity of the actress, he eluded her attempts to approach him and, in the rapidly dwindling space she left him, stepped over the dogs lying at Adriana’s feet. Settling on the settee beside his young wife, he reached out a hand to her lap. Entwining his long fingers through hers, he settled their clasped hands in the hollow of her gown defining the place where her thighs joined as he rested the back of his hand against her softly rounded belly. His bold familiarity would’ve definitely been out of place in the company of others, but in the presence of this visitor, Adriana eagerly welcomed his intimacy and was not in the least bit embarrassed by his forwardness.

  Pandora could hardly mistake the unspoken message Colton had just delivered. He had made his choice; he would have no other.

  Feeling a burgeoning annoyance at the increasing frequency with which she was being uprooted by younger women, Pandora glared back at the couple. Knowing her most recent lover had done that very thing didn’t assuage her pride one meager speck.

  “Does Genevieve favor me?” she asked in an effort to redirect the man’s attention away from where it obviously was.

  Colton’s answer was curt, evidencing his brewing vexation. “Not particularly.”

  “Then you, perhaps.”

  “Absolutely not.”

  “But surely she favors one of us.”

  “I see no resemblance whatsoever. Genevieve is dainty, blue-eyed, and dark-haired. ‘Tis only the last trait either of us can lay claim to.”

  Pandora took exception to his blunt remark and lifted her chin. “Just what do you call dainty if I’m not that very thing?”

  Colton laughed caustically. “Do you even know what the word means, Pandora?”

  “Of course I do!” She flung her hand toward Adriana. “Am I not more dainty than she? Why, she stands nearly half a head taller than I!”

  “And I’d venture to guess that even now, when my wife is far along with child, you must outweigh her by as much as two or three stone.” Sweeping a hand toward Adriana, he declared with pride, “She is what one would call delicately beautiful, not only in appearance, but her character as well. I’ve never been able to say the same about you, Pandora.”

  The actress’s eyes ignited at his audacious insult. She had always considered herself beautiful beyond the measure of most women, and it infuriated her to be compared unfavorably with one of her own gender, especially when that one was younger by six years or more. “You’re only saying that because you’re angry with me, Colton.”

  He managed a lame smile, as if only tolerably amused by her supposition. “Believe what you will, Pandora. I’ll say no more.”

  Some moments later, Blythe carried in Genevieve and, after giving the child to Adriana, bobbed a pert curtsey and promptly took her leave. The baby squealed in glee as she recognized the man sitting beside her. Smiling at her obvious show of elation, Colton swept the tiny girl up in his arms and rose to his feet. Gently jouncing her in his arms, he approached the actress.

  “This is Genevieve Ariella Wyndham,” he announced to their visitor. “As you can see, Genie favors no one here.” Now able to closely compare the child to the actress, Colton was led to speculate. “In fact, Genie is so completely different from you that I have to wonder if she’s really yours at all. Her skin is fair, yours is not; her mouth is winsome and small; yours is—”

  “Of course, she’s my daughter!” Pandora insisted. “I even died giving her birth, though I’m very thankful to be alive today. I’m also intent on claiming my due, that being my daughter and my husband. You can’t deny we’re married, Colton. I have papers to prove it. As for the child, I remember quite clearly that she bore your ancestors’ mark upon her buttock. If you’ve forgotten that small detail, let me remind you now by showing it to you.”

  She snatched the child from him, wrenching frightened screams from the tiny girl and in so doing bringing Adriana flying across the room in motherly concern. Pandora turned aside, preventing the younger woman access. When Adriana persisted, Pandora raised a shoulder to prevent her from reaching Genevieve.

  “Genie doesn’t like strangers,” Adriana declared, moving around in another attempt to take the girl from the actress.

  Once again, Pandora gave her an ignoring shoulder. “She’s my daughter!”

  “Please let me have her,” Adriana pleaded in rising concern, and then reasoned, “If you must see her backside, I shall uncover it for you myself.”

  Another piercing scream of terror from Genevieve caused Pandora to cringe in pain. That seemed to convince the actress of the expediency of handing the girl over. She did so, almost shoving the baby into Adriana’s arms in her haste to be rid of her. “Here! Take the nosy little whelp if you must! But I would have you show Colton the birthmark of his forebears.”

  Holding the bawling child close against her as she returned to the settee, Adriana rubbed a hand soothingly over Genie’s back as she softly sang a lullaby against the girl’s dark curls. Slowly the sobs were hushed and, in their stead, came the happy gurgling of a baby who felt secure in the arms of a loving, caring, familiar person.

  Several moments passed and still Pandora saw no evidence that her demands would be adhered to anytime soon. Settling a glare upon the younger woman, Pandora asked sharply, “Well, are you going to show us the birthmark or not?”

  Deliberately ignoring the woman, Adriana continued to play with Genie, patting her tiny hands together and gently chucking her chin as she sang a children’s rhyme. Soon the girl was patting her hands together herself and squealing in delight as she wrinkled her nose and lifted a sparse-toothed grin to the woman who nurtured her with as much devotion as a mother.

  Pandora lost patience and, in strident tones, railed at Adriana, “If you’re not going to do as I asked, then I most definitely will!”
<
br />   She stalked toward the pair menacingly, causing the hounds to leap to their feet. The animals’ fangs were promptly bared in savage snarls as low growls issued forth. Just as quickly, the actress stumbled back, a trembling hand clasped to her throat.

  Colton chuckled softly as he moved around behind the animals and settled once again on the settee beside his wife. “ ‘Twould seem you are mistaken, Pandora.”

  Upon espying him beside them again, Genevieve squealed in glee and pumped her tiny arms up and down as if coaxing him to take her. Colton did so, much to her babbling delight.

  The actress assumed the role of a poorly beleaguered mother, hoping to win sympathy from the man. “Are you so cruel, Colton, that you’d actually keep me from my own daughter?”

  Slowly shaking his head at her antics, Colton chuckled in amusement. “Too bad you never learned the art of genuinely weeping on cue, Pandora. Perhaps I’d be more convinced of your sincerity. The simple truth is, even if you are in truth Genie’s mother, she doesn’t know you as such, and I’ll not allow you to frighten her again. If it pleases my wife, she will show us the birthmark . . . when it suits her, not you.”

  Pandora could see no advantage in protesting his decision. If she had learned one thing about the retired colonel, he was not moved by feigned tears or plaintive whining. Her last ploy had achieved nothing. Deeming a more gracious manner favorable to her mission, she retreated with a muted, “Very well.”

  Not in the mood to accommodate their unwelcome guest, Adriana did indeed take her time baring Genie’s backside, but when she finally acquiesced, to the astonishment of both Pandora and Colton there was only the faintest evidence left of what had purportedly been a Wyndham birthmark. Even that had become so faded in areas on the girl’s buttock that it was no longer recognizable as anything closely resembling a bird in flight.

  “Call Alice down here this instant,” Pandora demanded in roiling rage. “I want to know what you’ve used to get rid of that mark. It must be some kind of deviant trick of yours, something you’ve rubbed on to hide it, because it was there clear as day when the girl was born. Alice will probably know what you’ve used and will take it off.”

  Colton was pleased to announce, “Alice was let go some time back, Pandora, along about the time we hired a new nursemaid, a woman to whom Genie has since become attached.”

  “The little brat would grow attached to anyone with a full teat!” Pandora snapped.

  “She didn’t seem that fond of Alice, and I can honestly say from my limited experience, I’ve never seen bigger breasts nor ones bared as freely as Alice seemed inclined to do. If truth be told, Genevieve seemed quite discomforted by the hag’s neglect.”

  “Alice probably spoilt the chit and made her contrary.”

  “Genie was not contrary, but somber and listless. As you can see for yourself, that is no longer the case. What I’m wondering is where you ever managed to find someone as despicable and callous as Alice.”

  “I told you. She cleaned the theatre where I worked.”

  “Then I shall make a point of visiting her there to find out what concoction she applied to Genie’s buttock, no doubt at your behest, so I’d think the babe was my daughter. Obviously since Alice hasn’t been here to reapply it for the last two or three months, the mark has faded to what we now see.”

  As if stricken by an inner fear, Pandora stared at him, her eyes conveying something akin to panic before she managed a laugh. “I doubt if Alice would’ve gone back to the theatre. In fact, you probably won’t ever be able to find her.”

  “Then I shall have to go to Oxford to search out the Reverend Goodfellow,” Colton mused aloud. “I have friends there. They’ll know where his church is.”

  Pandora waved a hand in a vague direction. “The good rector has moved beyond our shores. I’m not sure where. Ireland, perhaps. Somewhere far beyond my ken.”

  Colton managed an abortive laugh. “How convenient for me that he has.”

  The actress seemed taken aback by his statement, yet, at the same time, bemused by it. “What do you mean?”

  “He can’t serve as a witness to our marriage.”

  “Oh, but there’s a license with your signature on it.”

  “Can you produce such a document? You’ll have to, you know, if you intend to verify its authenticity before a magistrate. ‘Twill be a requirement in your claim against me.”

  “No, I don’t have it now, but I know where it is.”

  “Where?”

  “Well . . .” Pandora chewed on a bottom lip, “I’m not sure just where I put it exactly since I’ve been gone for a while. It may take a little searching. It must be in one of my trunks I left with a friend.”

  “Reverend Goodfellow said he’d take it to his church in Oxford. Once I locate his church, I’ll ask the rectors there to search for it, and then have the archbishop determine its legality, just in case it’s a forgery of some kind. He’d certainly be willing to do that for me, considering he signed the license permitting my nuptials to Adriana.”

  “Your high and lofty friends won’t be able to undo our marriage, Colton,” Pandora flung caustically. “You’ll have to face the fact that our marriage is legal and binding. The document will prove that beyond your attempts to deny its validity.”

  “Well, if it’s all the same to you, Pandora,” Colton said almost pleasantly, “I’ll proceed as I see fit.” Canting his head, he gathered his brows in museful reflection. “Which leaves me wondering where I should actually begin my search. I seem to recall a story you told me a few years ago about your brother being so skilled at duplicating certificates that he was able to pass himself off as an Oxford scholar. Forging a marriage certificate would be fairly simple in comparison. Is your brother also an actor? Perhaps he did you a favor by performing the part of the good Reverend Goodfellow . . . for my benefit, of course. I shall have to look into that theory, especially if no one can tell me who this Reverend Goodfellow is or where his church is located.”

  Pandora’s eyes flared with venom. “If you dare mention this matter to anyone outside your family, Colton, you’ll only see yourself disgraced. ‘Twill soon be bandied about that the woman you’re living with is with child. I’m sure you can imagine the shame she’ll suffer after word gets out that she’s going to bear a child out of wedlock. For her sake, you’d better go no further with this matter. Besides, if you intend to seek out all the rectors at Oxford, you’ll find them busy nowadays, what with the returning soldiers having so much difficulty finding work and food.”

  “Too busy to accept a worthy donation for lending their attention to such a matter, an amount that would allow them to help soldiers who can’t find work or food for their starving families? I’m sure they’ll take into consideration what I’ve already done in an effort to ease the hardships of our soldiers and to hire those who can work. Surely, in light of that, a rector of a church would not refuse me. But then, I can understand why you wouldn’t want me to seek their help. If Reverend Goodfellow doesn’t exist, then my investigation will likely lead to your brother’s arrest and, quite possibly, your own.”

  Pandora wrung her hands as she paced about the room, feeling unduly pressed by the man’s insistence. Over the years she had come to know him well enough to realize that he could be damnably persistent when he was inquisitive about a matter or when it came to getting at the truth. Hadn’t her brother warned her about the colonel years ago? He hadn’t ceased his investigation into the disappearance of munitions and gunpowder until those responsible had been hanged for treason for selling large stores of English arms and supplies to the French. The fact that her brother had narrowly escaped with his life and the ragged clothes on his back had thereafter made him wary of trying to dupe the man. Nevertheless, the thought of being able to glean not only revenge but great wealth from the present Marquess of Randwulf had proven a strong incentive.

  Laughing softly, Pandora commended herself on her skill as an actress as she deftly turned the subjec
t away from the marriage certificate. “You needn’t go to all that trouble looking for the document, Colton. If you really want me to remain silent about our marriage, you have only to show some generosity toward me instead of the soldiers. . . .”

  Colton cocked a brow above a bland stare. Her offer was no less than what he had been expecting since finding her in his drawing room. “In what form?”

  “Well, in a sizable payment that would keep me comfortable for the rest of my life.”

  “Extortion, in other words.”

  “Hardly that, Colton. I only ask for a little compassion, seeing as how I’m giving up my rightful place as marchioness and entitlement to . . .”—she swept a hand about to indicate everything within sight and much of what was not—“all this.”

  He grew pensive. “At the moment, I’m not in favor of accepting your offer, Pandora. It has always been my wont never to relent to the demands of those who try to wrest some gain from tragic or difficult situations, but I must consider others who’ll likely be hurt by scandal. I shall give the matter further consideration. Should I agree to your terms, I’ll need to know where you’ll be staying in case I have to reach you. Or are you on your way back to the theatre?”

  “I’m afraid I’m no longer employed there.” Having recently suffered the pangs of bruised pride in her career, Pandora lifted her chin a notch, her feelings smitten by the brutal severing of what had once been a lucrative and, in the world of the theatre, a very prestigious position. “It seems another actress has been found to take my place, someone who’s younger and supposedly more talented—but I’m sure in time they’ll realize their mistake and come crawling after me, begging my forgiveness. But I digress from the pertinent issue. If you must know, I had planned on staying in the area for a time . . . this house, in fact, seeing that I am legally your wife.” She elevated her chin in the guise of a suffering martyr, as if sorely wounded by his rejection. “But I can see you don’t desire that now, since you’ve found someone younger to service your needs. Of course, you know your present love is, at best, only your mistress since I am still legally your wife. You won’t be able to change that unless you obtain a divorce, but to do so would involve a lot of difficulty and notoriety.”