9 8 0 ▁as ▁a ▁wid ower ▁and ▁cont rolling ▁ex - lo ver ▁of ▁hero ine ▁Barbara ▁Ryan ▁( who ▁was ▁pre gn ant ▁with ▁his ▁child ), ▁he ▁quickly ▁st aked ▁his ▁claim ▁on ▁his ▁family ▁and ▁caused ▁Barbara ▁to ▁break ▁her ▁eng agement ▁with ▁Tom ▁Hugh es . ▁James ▁and ▁Barbara ▁married ▁that ▁as ▁she ▁gave ▁birth ▁to ▁his ▁son ▁Paul ▁Ryan . ▁However , ▁the ▁marriage ▁turned ▁out ▁to ▁be ▁James ' ▁only ▁means ▁to ▁an ▁end . ▁His ▁role ▁as ▁the ▁first ▁St en beck ▁husband ▁and ▁father ▁of ▁his ▁generation ▁secured ▁his ▁place ▁as ▁the ▁right ful ▁he ir ▁to ▁the ▁family ▁fortune ; ▁and ▁he ▁began ▁purs uing ▁other ▁women ▁outside ▁of ▁the ▁marriage , ▁which ▁included ▁his ▁mist ress ▁Mar go ▁Mont gom ery ▁and ▁De e ▁Stewart . ▁The ▁St en beck ▁family ▁was ▁very ▁wealth y , ▁seeing ▁as ▁how ▁they ▁were ▁he irs ▁to ▁the ▁Swedish ▁throne . ▁ ▁In ▁addition ▁to ▁his ▁ad ul tery , ▁James ▁also ▁d ab bled ▁in ▁dru gs ▁and ▁st olen ▁goods ▁sm ugg ling , ▁using ▁Barbara ' s ▁business ▁F ash ions ▁Ltd ., ▁which ▁he ' d ▁purchased ▁for ▁her ▁as ▁a ▁front ▁for ▁his ▁illegal ▁activity . ▁When ▁Barbara ▁found ▁out ▁about ▁all ▁this , ▁the ▁marriage ▁was ▁put ▁at ▁risk , ▁though ▁James ▁managed ▁to ▁calm ▁her ▁down ▁for ▁a ▁time , ▁by ▁having ▁Mar go ▁s idel ined ▁and ▁trying ▁to ▁be ▁more ▁of ▁a ▁husband ▁to ▁her ,