His Obsession (2 page)

Kate shook her head in disbelief. “You can’t
be serious, Mother. It’s so cold blooded. The poor man will wake up
the morning after the wedding and -”

“He will be grateful he’s wed one of my two
beautiful girls, and that will be an end to it,” Penelope
gushed.

Penelope began fussing over Helen and
Dorothea, straightening their curls and pinching their cheeks to
bring on a pleasant blush of youth. Their happy chatter quickly
turned toward their new gowns and all of the necessary
accoutrements for finding both of them suitable husbands.

As usual, Kate was left out of the attentions
her mother bestowed upon the older Overton girls. Kate’s arrival
had been unexpected and unwelcome. After several disappointing
miscarriages, Penelope Overton had apparently been delivered of
another child, but it was not the long awaited son her parents had
longed for. Following the delivery, the physician had declared
Penelope to be in too ill health for the Overtons to try again.

Kate was much younger than her two sisters,
too. The four or five years separating them often seemed an
enormous distance and Kate was frequently excluded from their more
mature amusements.

For some strange reason, Kate didn’t resemble
her sisters, either. She’d never understood why. Kate had reddish
brown hair and green eyes that changed to a lighter hue in the
sunlight or when she was happy. Her sisters were tall and slender.
Kate was much shorter and had a petite body. She could not compete
with their willowy figures and the new fashions only looked
ridiculous on her.

Nevertheless, at her father’s knee, Kate had
found the love she craved. Edgar Overton doted upon his youngest
daughter. Sensing her keen mind and ready wit, Edgar coached Kate
in her studies. When Kate showed an interest in learning more,
Edgar hired a tutor to teach her mathematics and several languages.
Edgar even taught Kate how to manage the estate, treating her like
the cherished male heir he had always desired.

Kate had little use for feminine frippery.
She was more delighted with a book than with a set of new ribbons.
Her gowns were mostly modest and plain, usually made from subdued
tones of serviceable material. Quite frequently, Kate’s only
function while attending parties was to chaperone her two older
sisters, thus leaving her mother free to socialize as she
wished.

Indeed, Kate was as invisible as a gray
little mouse at dusk. Unnoticed and virtually unwanted, Kate
languished at the endless rounds of parties and balls. She was
miserable in the role she’d been forced to play, but she never let
on. Throughout it all, Kate bore happiness and adversity with equal
aplomb.

Nevertheless, this willful enslavement of her
two sisters to save their fortunes upset Kate. Although her sisters
seemed to be delighted with the new gowns, gloves and slippers that
went with their serious pursuit, Kate balked at the idea of
securing a suitable mate merely for the size of his fortune.

Kate rose and went down on her knees beside
her father’s chair, hoping that she could appeal to his good sense
and decency. Slowly, Edgar raised his eyes.

“Father, please,” Kate pleaded. “I cannot
believe that you support this. Just listen to them!”

“Ah, Katie. What would you have us do, eat
bread and water or worse, go to debtor’s prison?’ Edgar sighed. “I
don’t especially fancy sharing a cell with a dozen rats or a tinker
arrested for cheating the public.”

“No, but there has to be another way,” Kate
reasoned. “There must be.”

“If there is, I’d be happy to hear it,” Edgar
readily agreed, folding his hands across his stomach. “However,
until that time, let’s see what your sisters make of themselves.
They may yet surprise us.”

The Faversham’s ball was the gala event of
the season. Every noble and wealthy family for miles around
attended the party. The house was brilliantly lit with the warm
glow of hundreds of candles and the cacophony of voices at the
entrance was nearly deafening.

Edgar and Penelope flanked their older
daughters as the family entered the ornate house. Kate followed
along behind them almost like a servant, nearly losing sight of
them in the crush of people at the head of the receiving line.

“Lord Faversham! Lady Faversham! What a
delight!” Penelope gushed, her face flushing with excitement.

“Lady Overton,” Lady Faversham calmly
acknowledged.

“May I present my daughters, Dorothea and
Helen?”

The two girls curtsied awkwardly to the older
woman, but Lady Faversham seemed not to notice their lack of
polish.

“Doing a bit of hunting tomorrow, Edgar,”
Lord Faversham noted, soundly clapping Edgar on the back. “I trust
you’ll be able to come?”

Kate’s father positively glowed at the
invitation.

“Of course, Herbert!” Edgar eagerly agreed.
“I wouldn’t miss it.”

“Good, good! I’ll expect you tomorrow then,”
Herbert replied.

Delighted by their apparently swift
acceptance into the Favershams’ intimate circle, Kate’s family
moved on, leaving their youngest daughter to fend for herself. Kate
met Lady Faversham’s gaze for only a moment before quickly lowering
her eyes. Kate then sank into a deep curtsy, the skirt of her
silver satin gown pooling around her in a lustrous cloud of flowing
material. The older woman cocked her eyebrow with interest.

“You may rise, child,” Lady Faversham kindly
acknowledged. “These old bones don’t bend very well any more. What
is your name, dear?”

“I – I am Kate, the Overton’s youngest
daughter, my lady,” Kate softly explained.

Lady Faversham glanced at the backs of her
departing guests.

“So, they left you, did they?” the older
woman queried, shaking her head.

Kate blushed, but wisely held her tongue.
Lady Faversham nodded with approval.

“You have good manners, I’ll grant you that,”
the older woman noted. “Come here, child. Stand beside me.”

Kate’s eyes widened as she realized the scope
of the honor Lady Faversham had just bestowed upon her.

“We’ll show them, won’t we? Herbert, step
aside a little. Lady Overton is joining us,” Lady Faversham
directed.

“Eh? Oh, very good, Winny,” Lord Faversham
acknowledged.

Kate allowed herself to be drawn between the
older couple. She couldn’t help but blink in shocked surprise as
Lady Faversham proceeded to introduce her to her other guests as
her “dear friend, Lady Overton”. The rest of Kate’s family stared
at her with envy. They couldn’t understand what Kate had done to
achieve her coveted place in Lady Faversham’s receiving line.

Kate curtsied and nodded her head politely to
the new arrivals and after a while, she began to relax. For some
unknown reason, Lady Faversham genuinely seemed to like her,
chatting amicably with her young companion in between the arrival
of each guest. It was nice to allow herself a few moments to bask
in the powerful lady’s glow of approval.

Kate was introduced to dozens of noble ladies
and gentlemen as they proceeded through the receiving line.
Unfortunately, one gentleman unnerved her a little. His name was
Lord Charles Lawton. The nobleman was only a little older than Kate
and he had a pleasant enough face and manner, but for some reason,
just being near him made her skin crawl.

“Lady Overton,” Charles acknowledged with a
smile, lifting Kate’s gloved hand to his lips.

“Lord Lawton,” Kate breathed. “I’m pleased to
make your acquaintance.”

Kate quickly withdrew her hand and stepped
back a pace. There was something about the man’s beady little eyes
that she did not like, something strange and dark.

“I’m glad to see that Lady Faversham is
introducing a few new faces into her little group,” Charles noted.
“I think it makes the dancing so much more interesting. Don’t
you?”

“Oh – yes. Indeed,” Kate added, already
glancing to the next couple in line.

“Perhaps you’d be kind enough to save me a
dance later on, my lady?” Charles smoothly inquired.

“I - I’m sorry, but I seem to have
temporarily lost my dance card,” Kate lied, resolutely tucking the
card into the folds of her gown.

“That is unfortunate. Lady Faversham, your
young friend here appears to have misplaced her dance card,”
Charles informed the older woman. “Do you think a second one could
be obtained post-haste?”

“Oh, of course, my dear. Just see one of the
servants. They’ll be happy to provide you with another one,” Lady
Faversham graciously replied. “I should very much like to see you
dancing.”

“There. You see?” Charles asked, once more
turning toward Kate. “It’s all been arranged.”

Kate barely managed a weak smile at the
odious man. She nearly heaved an audible sigh of relief as Lord
Lawton finally turned away and moved further down the receiving
line.

When it was finally time to begin the
dancing, Lord Faversham took Kate’s arm as well as his wife’s to
lead them in. Kate had never felt so honored, nor so self-conscious
in her life. All eyes rested upon them as they entered the
ballroom. Hundreds of well-dressed men and women gazed expectantly
at their host, hostess and their special friend, Lady Katherine
Overton.

The Favershams had truly outdone themselves.
The ballroom had been converted into a sort of fairy land, complete
with gauze and netting draping each corner like a secluded bower.
Hundreds of candles blazed from chandeliers overhead and the
crystals dangling from each lighting fixture sparkled and shimmered
like diamonds. A small orchestra had been set up on a raised
platform at one end of the room and several long tables lined one
side, filled with all manner of desserts and refreshments.

Lord Faversham wasted no time in taking his
wife into his arms and the music swept both of them away. Kate
couldn’t help smiling, as she retreated back into the crowd. It was
clear that despite the passage of years, the couple was still very
much in love. Witnessing the Favershams’ obvious devotion to each
other made Kate feel warm all over.

Slowly, other couples joined the Favershams
on the dance floor and Kate retreated more deeply into the shadows.
Positioning herself beside an ornate column and a potted palm, Kate
lowered herself into a chair and silently observed the dancing.

A handsome young man claimed Helen for the
first dance. He was blond and not overly tall. Indeed, he was
almost as pretty as her sister. Helen blushed and simpered like a
school girl, but it was clear that her dancing partner thought
Helen was charming.

Dorothea waltzed by in the arms of an older
gentleman and once again, their mother’s words rang in her head.
Dorothea blushed and giggled at something the man said and he
smiled, utterly captivated by his much younger partner. Dorothea
had apparently taken their mother’s advice. If she wed a much older
gentleman, Dorothea need only suffer his attentions a short while
until the gentleman’s heart finally gave out and she was widowed.
Then all of the nobleman’s lands and wealth would pass to her. Kate
couldn’t imagine being so cold hearted or calculating, but
apparently, Dorothea could see the bigger picture.

Suddenly, a gentleman stepped in front of
Kate, blocking her view of the dancers. The man was very tall. His
massive shoulders and chest blotted out what little light
penetrated the gloomy corner and Kate found it difficult to peer
around the gentleman’s tall form for a glimpse of the dancers.
Unfortunately, to Kate’s horror, the man suddenly backed up a pace
and prepared to sit down.

Quickly, Kate squeaked in protest and hopped
over a chair to her left. Regally, the gentleman turned his head
toward her.

“Forgive me, madam,” he apologized in a deep,
resonant voice. “I did not see you sitting there.”

The gentleman’s face was in shadow, a dark
mask silhouetted against the brilliantly lit chandelier behind him.
The crystals and candles seemed to shimmer around his head, making
him seem a little other worldly, almost like a Greek god suddenly
come to life.

“May I?” the gentleman asked, gesturing to
the chair beside hers.

Kate did not protest, but her eyes widened in
alarm as the gentleman sat beside her. The man’s boldness made Kate
nervous. The edge of her silver gown disappeared beneath his
well-muscled thigh clad in black superfine. If anyone asked her to
dance, she obviously wouldn’t be able to escape her chair. Indeed,
he had her well and thoroughly trapped.

Kate was terribly conscious of the size of
the gentleman beside her. His shoulders dwarfed her own, rising
above the level of her head. His arms and chest were massive, too,
but the cut of his clothes was very fine, lending him an elegant
air. A pair of gold buckled shoes winked back at Kate in the
shifting candlelight and a single ruby ring flashed a fiery
invitation as he rested one tanned hand upon his knee.

Who was he, Kate wondered? She couldn’t
remember his name for the life of her. That meant that he had
joined the party before the Overtons arrived. Perhaps he was one of
the honored guests or one of Lady Faversham’s family. If Kate had
the opportunity to speak with Lady Faversham, she might learn the
gentleman’s true identity.

Kate shifted a little on her small chair,
tugging gently at the side of her gown in an effort to free
herself. The silver material held fast, well and truly trapped
beneath the gentleman’s massive frame.

Kate cleared her throat once, but the
gentleman seemed oblivious that there was anything the matter.
While Kate fussed with her gown, the tall nobleman seemed content
to observe the dancers from their quiet little corner.

“Sir,” Kate softly pleaded. “If you don’t
mind?”

To Kate’s consternation, the gentleman merely
inclined his head. “Madam?”