His Obsession (23 page)

Kate sighed in frustration. Her husband of a
week and a day had apparently abandoned her to the quiet of the
countryside, while he enjoyed the sights and sounds of the big
city. Kate had never been to London. She’d been hoping that Richard
might take her there, proudly squiring her about the gardens, parks
and museums. With any luck, they might even attend the opera and
perhaps a ball or two.

Kate could almost imagine herself in one of
the large ballrooms filled with elegantly clad men and women. The
crush of people would be both oppressive and exciting. The ladies’
gowns would be a gay rainbow of silks and satins and around their
necks and wrists, their diamonds and precious stones would wink and
glisten in the brilliant candlelight.

The men would all be dashing in their black
cutaway coats and elaborately tied cravats. Kate could almost feel
her heart pounding as one nobleman after another bowed before her
to beg a dance.

Kate supposed that she was hopelessly
inexperienced when it came to dealing with men. However, she was
learning fast. She now knew what it felt like to have a man hold
and kiss her. She’d been intimate with her husband, too, and with
that brief coupling had come a wealth of knowledge.

Although the joining of their bodies had
hardly equaled the numerous sonnets and poems attributed to love,
the exciting, mind stealing moments leading up to it had stirred
Kate greatly. She longed for Richard to kiss her again. Kate wanted
to feel Richard’s warm arms around her, boldly claiming her as his
as he kissed away her doubts and fears.

Did all men kiss so passionately, Kate
wondered? She didn’t know. She’d never been kissed by any other
man. Even the polite distance one maintained during dancing was
nothing compared to the way her husband held her. It was so
exhilarating!

At last coming to her senses, Kate drew rein
and looked around her. Already, she’d ridden very far from the
manor. She could see nothing of the earl’s house and grounds from
the edge of the dense forest.

The steep hill before Kate was unfamiliar,
too. Its stark outcroppings of gray rock looked cold and dismal in
the late morning light. At the summit, the trees grew so thickly
that daylight hardly penetrated past the first few tree trunks. The
woods were dark and mysterious. What manner of secrets were
contained within such a place? What mysterious and perhaps
dangerous creatures dwelled within its darkened recesses?

Kate shivered with foreboding. She was about
to turn back when she saw a rider crest the hill. Immediately, Kate
saw that the equestrian was a woman. Her brilliantly red riding
habit stood out boldly against the green hillside and Kate held her
breath as the woman began to descend the steep incline. It was so
dangerous. Kate wanted to call out a warning to her, but was afraid
that she might frighten both the horse and rider if she did.

The pale horse descended slowly, once going
back on its haunches before finally stepping over a rather tricky
outcropping. However, the female rider never once lost her seat.
She maintained complete control over the animal during her descent,
at last arriving at the bottom of the slope completely unscathed.
Kate heaved a sigh of relief as the woman bent over to praise her
horse.

“Hello!” the woman suddenly called to Kate,
raising one slender arm.

Kate squinted into the distance, but failed
to recognize the rider. Kate’s eyes widened as the strange woman
urged her mount forward.

Kate’s mare wasn’t too certain about the
large stallion approaching her either. The docile little mare
backed away several paces in a futile attempt to maintain some
distance between herself and the approaching threat.

“Hello!” the woman called again, bringing her
horse parallel to Kate.

“Hello,” Kate shyly bid her.

“You must be the new Countess of Devonshire,”
the woman began. “I’ve been so anxious to meet you.”

Kate stared at the lovely woman beside her.
She was beautiful. Her features were elegant and Patrician. Her
high cheekbones offset her long straight nose and her red lips were
lush and full. Her mane of jet black hair had been swept back into
dozens of curls at the back of her head and a jaunty little riding
hat rode the crown of her head like a ship on a calm sea.

Abruptly, the strange woman thrust out one
hand.

“I’m Elizabeth Brighton,” the woman said.

“Kate Overton – er – Warwick,” Kate replied,
taking Elizabeth’s hand. “I’m happy to meet you.”

Elizabeth chuckled with understanding.

“Being married takes some getting used to,
doesn’t it? I was constantly getting my name wrong for the first
several months after I wed,” Elizabeth explained.

Kate chuckled and smiled warmly.

“You ride very well,” Kate noted.

“Thank you. Although that hill did give us a
little pause, didn’t it, my fine fellow?” Elizabeth asked,
affectionately patting the side of her horse’s neck.

The horse’s skin rippled in response, but the
beast seemed more interested in Kate’s mare. The stallion boldly
sniffed at the flanks of Kate’s mount and the mare sidled away a
little. Kate tugged on the reins to keep the nervous creature under
control.

Elizabeth chuckled. “It must be near her
time.”

“Excuse me?” Kate inquired.

“She must be in heat. Ready to mate,”
Elizabeth explained. “Now, you won’t make it too easy for him, will
you, my girl?”

Kate flushed at the woman’s familiarity and
quickly changed the subject.

“I don’t yet know all of my neighbors. Do you
live nearby?” Kate politely inquired.

“No. I’m just visiting, I’m afraid. I’m Lady
Carlisle’s cousin.”

“Sophia?” Kate asked.

“Yes,” Elizabeth agreed with a warm smile.
“Do you know her?”

“Oh, yes. I believe she was at the
wedding.”

“Ah! How wonderful that you’re friends then,”
Elizabeth assumed.

“Not exactly,” Kate explained. “It was my
husband’s idea.”

Elizabeth’s smile dwindled. “I see. I’d like
to meet Richard Warwick. I’ve heard so much about him.”

“I’m afraid that’s quite impossible,” Kate
informed her. “The earl is not here. He has gone to London.”

“Really?” Elizabeth questioned. “It must be
important business indeed to take a man away from his new
bride.”

Kate straightened in the saddle, pulling
herself up to her full height. “I really couldn’t say.”

Elizabeth peered at the little woman
curiously. There was something odd going on here. She could sense
it.

“Would you care to return to the house for
some tea?” Kate politely asked.

“Oh! That sounds heavenly,” Elizabeth gushed.
“I would. Thank you.”

They rode back to the manor in almost
complete silence. Neither woman seemed to know what to say
next.

Elizabeth’s stallion, however, seemed more
than content to flank Kate’s mount as they returned to the earl’s
manor. He was already nipping at the mare’s neck as the grooms
helped the ladies dismount and finally led the horses into the
stable.

Kate ushered Elizabeth inside, where
Jeffries, the butler, greeted both women formally. He led the way
into the parlor and Elizabeth marveled at the beauty of the room,
gasping with delight at the beautifully upholstered furniture and
magnificent paintings. Jeffries then suggested a light luncheon
might suit her guest and Kate readily agreed. The butler quietly
stoked the fire, then left the women alone.

“You have such a lovely home,” Elizabeth
noted, approaching the fire to warm her hands. “You’re very
lucky.”

“Thank you.”

“But I like this fire best of all,” Elizabeth
cooed.

To Kate’s surprise, Elizabeth then raised her
skirts above her knees and sighed in pleasure. No doubt, the warmth
of the fire felt heavenly.

“Oh, that’s marvelous!” Elizabeth
groaned.

Kate chuckled at her new friend. She couldn’t
help it. Elizabeth readily joined her and they were soon laughing
and talking as though they’d been friends for years. Elizabeth was
typically very brave and uninhibited. Kate asked many questions of
her new friend and Elizabeth gave her direct, truthful answers.
Kate appreciated Elizabeth’s candor and she learned much.

Eventually, Jeffries brought them some
sandwiches and tea. Elizabeth stretched out on one of the settees
with her feet propped up on a pillow, completely at ease in her
strange surroundings.

“I like you,” Elizabeth determined.

Kate chuckled, smiling at her new friend.

“I like you, too,” Kate agreed. “It’s
strange, but I feel as though I’ve known you for years.”

“We must be kindred spirits then,” Elizabeth
suggested. “So, perhaps you won’t mind my asking what you intend to
do about him?”

“Him?”

“Your husband, of course!” Elizabeth cried.
“You don’t mean to say you’re going to let him get away with this?
Why you’ve only been wed a week. What sort of man deserts his new
wife after only a week?”

Kate bowed her head in sorrow. “I don’t
know.”

“Maybe he has a mistress in London,”
Elizabeth prompted.

Kate blanched.

“Don’t look so horrified,” Elizabeth calmly
suggested. “It happens all of the time these days. Actually, that’s
how I lost my husband.”

“Really?” Kate asked. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Elizabeth assured her. “The man
was a wretch and a scoundrel. I was just too innocent back then to
see it.”

A scoundrel. The word certainly held meaning
for Kate. Hadn’t Richard declared that he was one of those?

Elizabeth tracked her hostess with her eyes
as Kate rose from her chair and wandered over to the fire. Maybe
Richard did have a mistress, Kate thought. Perhaps he was with her
even now, holding her and caressing her smooth flesh in a
determined attempt to eradicate Kate from his mind. The prospect of
that brought tears to Kate’s eyes.

How could Richard betray her like this?
They’d just wed. Must he stray so quickly? Kate knew that the ton
accepted such practices somewhat, but she’d certainly never
expected to be in the thick of a scandal. Before the vicar, Richard
had promised that he’d remain faithful to Kate, too. Did the words
Richard said before God mean nothing to him?

The gentle touch of Elizabeth’s hand finally
drew Kate out of her reverie and back to the parlor.

“Oh, Kate. I am sorry,” Elizabeth apologized.
“My tongue seems to run away with me at times. I didn’t mean to
upset you.”

“No, no. You’re right,” Kate reluctantly
agreed. “Richard shouldn’t have left me. I’ve done nothing wrong,
yet I feel as though I’m being punished somehow.”

Elizabeth produced a lace edged handkerchief
from the pocket of her skirt and Kate accepted it gratefully. The
soft material was sweetly scented with Elizabeth’s perfume, an
enticing concoction of flowers mixed with rare spices from the Far
East.

“You really care for Richard, don’t you?”
Elizabeth softly asked.

“Yes. I suppose that I do,” Kate
admitted.

Elizabeth stared at Kate, eying her up and
down.

“Are you in love with him?” Elizabeth
queried.

“I don’t – I don’t know.”

“Then you must find out,” Elizabeth
suggested. “You must go after him.”

“What?” Kate gasped in horror. “I
couldn’t.”

“Of course you can. You aren’t going to allow
the wretch to leave you all alone in the country like this, are
you?” Elizabeth asked.

“But what you’re suggesting is – is --”

“If you’re a good little wife and wait for
your husband to come back to you, he probably won’t you know?”
Elizabeth wisely advised. “Kate, just think of it! With all of the
excitement and the sights and sounds of London all around him, why
would your husband come back to you?”

Kate stared into the flames in the fireplace.
Elizabeth could be right. Richard might never come back to her. No
doubt he’d find a lady love in London and set the woman up in
style. If he were discreet, he could visit his paramour whenever he
wished, squire her all over London and no one would dare to do more
than whisper of his indiscretions.

“It’s a man’s world, Kate,” Elizabeth softly
advised. “Men can smoke, drink and whore with any woman they
like.”

“Elizabeth!” Kate gasped, shocked by the
woman’s common language.

“It’s true, isn’t it? And all the while, we
good little wives are expected to stay at home and knit,” Elizabeth
firmly declared. “I certainly did. That is, until I became a little
wiser.”

Kate reached out and gently touched
Elizabeth’s hand. “Tell me.”

Elizabeth shook her head and sighed at her
own stupidity.

“I was so young and naïve when I married
Walter. He was handsome and rich. My parents were positively
ecstatic when he proposed. So what if he drank too much, gambled or
had a few dalliances here and there? A young man was expected to do
those things. Everyone thought that he’d stop, of course, once he
married me. Even I.”

Kate lowered herself into one of the chairs
near the fireplace. “What happened?”

Elizabeth chuckled ruefully.

“First, Walter gambled away his entire
fortune in a single year. He went into debt and his drinking became
worse. He wasn’t very nice when he was drunk, either. I think that
he was angry with the world or with himself, at least. Still, he
took it out on me.”

Kate nodded. She knew how that felt.

“Did he hurt you?” Kate asked, fearing the
worst.

“Repeatedly.”

“Oh, Elizabeth,” Kate sadly sighed.

“Walter was very popular with the ladies,
however. He bought his mistresses jewelry, imported Spanish fans
and gowns from the finest dressmakers in Paris. It was all on
credit, too,” Elizabeth told her. “Eventually, the rumors began to
reach me in Wessex, but I chose to ignore them.”