His Obsession by Ann B. Keller Page B

arranged.
    “Believe me, I shall be a perfect gentleman,”
Richard promised the older woman.
    Leaving Lady Faversham in the capable hands
of the servants, Richard once more assisted Kate into the carriage
and they were off. The driver took them beyond the gates and onto a
country road beyond the estate.
    It was, indeed, a lovely day. It would have
been a shame to miss it. The sun was shining with a warm, yellow
glow and here or there, a stray leaf of flaming red or gold drifted
by on the wind. An arrow of geese crossed over their heads on their
way south for the winter and Kate glimpsed a large yellow tabby cat
sunning itself from the lush grass beside the road. Kate couldn’t
help sighing in contentment.
    Glancing over at her companion, Kate found
the earl was watching her intently. It was difficult to gauge his
emotions and Kate tugged nervously at the edges of her gloves.
    “Why do you stare at me so?” Kate finally had
the courage to ask.
    “Should I not?” Richard asked. “I thought we
were here to enjoy the beauty of nature.”
    “We are,” Kate confirmed.
    “I am merely doing that, Lady Overton.”
    Blushing under his praise, Kate quickly
glanced away. Richard unfolded his long arm along the back of her
seat, neatly trapping her against the side of the carriage. Kate
could feel the earl’s dark gaze burning her with its intensity.
    “My lord, please,” Kate softly pleaded.
“You’re doing it again.”
    “Oh? And what would that be?”
    “The way you – the way you look at me, it
makes me feel as though I’m hardly wearing anything at all,” Kate
whispered.
    Richard grinned roguishly. “Fear not, my
lady. I have no intention of ravishing you. At least, not yet.”
    Kate blushed furiously and Richard
chuckled.
    “You puzzle me, Lady Overton,” Richard said
thoughtfully.
    “My lord?”
    “Why haven’t you married?” Richard
demanded.
    “Sir!” Kate gasped. “You’re being
impertinent.”
    Richard Warwick appeared anything but
apologetic.
    “Besides,” Kate went on. “Dorothea and Helen
must wed before me. Everyone knows that.”
    “Oh, I see,” the earl acknowledged.
    “Yes. They are older than I am, you see,”
Kate explained.
    “And is that the only reason?”
    “They both have the latest gowns, gloves and
shoes made of the finest leather and their hats are all the rage on
the Continent,” Kate noted. “They are much better equipped than I
to find someone with whom they can share the rest of their
lives.”
    “You feel that is all that’s important in
securing a suitable husband?” Richard demanded with a frown.
    Apparently, Kate’s attempt to impress the
earl had fallen short somehow. Most young swains would have been
enraptured by a woman’s new gown or chapeau. They might have
simpered, gushed and glowed with enthusiasm. Not so, the Earl of
Devonshire. Kate stared at Richard in puzzlement.
    “A woman must look her best to attract
suitors, don’t you agree, my lord?” Kate softly asked.
    “Perhaps on the surface,” Richard grimly
replied. “However, a man usually looks for more than that in a
wife.”
    The driver overheard part of their
conversation and turned his head, grinning all the while. At
Richard’s glower, however, the driver quickly returned his
attention to the horses.
    “What would you look for, my lord?” Kate
challenged.
    “Hum?”
    “In a wife, my lord,” Kate clarified. “I
believe you’re still unmarried. What would you look for in a
potential bride?”
    Richard smiled indulgently. “I believe you’ll
find my tastes a trifle unusual, Lady Overton.”
    Kate frowned, then raised her eyebrows with
sudden understanding. “You prefer men, then?”
    Richard coughed and shifted to the other side
of the coach. So much for the shy and retiring Lady Overton.
Apparently, there was more to the woman than met the eye. However,
Richard Warwick liked a good challenge.
    “Very well. I’ll tell you,” Richard began. “I
like a woman with a good head on