His Obsession (20 page)

The servants had laid out a hearty repast of
scrambled eggs, kippers and bacon, muffins, toast with butter and
jam, sweet tiny tarts and pastries, fresh fruit, coffee and tea.
Lady Drummond stood with her back to the door as she filled her
plate with small pastries.

When Richard closed the door to the room,
Lady Drummond whirled to face him. Quickly, she shoved a purloined
pastry into the side of her mouth, hiding it like a guilty
chipmunk.

Richard’s former lady love had once been a
real beauty. Although her blonde hair had retained its youthful
curl and luster, her face certainly had not. Today, she had
apparently applied her face paint with a small trowel. As she
grinned at him, Richard could swear he saw cracks develop in the
coating.

Lady Drummond appeared much older, too. The
skin along her jaw drooped noticeably now, piling up in undulating
rolls along her neck. She also seemed to have gained considerable
weight since he’d last seen her. It seemed life had been treating
her well.

Claudia’s morning gown was a flashy creation
of violet taffeta. The weave of the material was interspersed with
threads of silver, which shimmered as she moved. Styled in the
latest fashion, Claudia had done as much as she could to display
some of her remaining assets. She wore the cap sleeves of the gown
off her shoulders and the neckline of the dress dipped scandalously
low over her bosom. From his height, Richard could clearly see the
mysterious shadow between her full breasts, which was, of course,
exactly what Lady Drummond had intended.

Normally, Richard might have been somewhat
stirred by such a blatant display of feminine charms, but in the
light of day, Claudia’s revealing gown seemed gauche and hopelessly
scandalous. It would have been much more appropriate to come
calling in an understated frock certain not to offend the new lady
of the house. As it was, Lady Drummond appeared to be little more
than a light o’ love in a fine London brothel.

“Richard, darling!” Lady Drummond cried,
flashing him an enticing smile. “How I have missed you.”

Claudia flung herself into Richard’s arms.
Boldly, she pressed herself against him, allowing him to see and
feel the fullness of her breasts. Her heavily applied perfume
wafted over Richard in a heavy cloud, making it difficult to
breathe.

“Lady Drummond,” Richard stiffly
acknowledged.

Richard firmly detached her arms from around
his neck and stepped back a pace. Swiftly, he reached for a plate
and began to fill it, all but ignoring his female guest. Claudia
took the opportunity to chew the rest of her pastry and quickly
swallowed.

“Oh, you poor dear!” Claudia cried, laying
one hand upon Richard’s arm. “You never were much of a morning
person, were you?”

“Kippers?” Richard offered, extending one of
the fish toward her.

Claudia curled up her lip in distaste.

“No, thank you,” she croaked.

Claudia watched in amazement as Richard
heaped his plate high with scrambled eggs and bacon. She’d always
admired a healthy appetite in a man. It usually indicated the
gentleman had a matching interest in other, more sensual delights,
as well.

“You certainly seem to have worked up an
appetite,” Claudia softly noted.

“How is your husband, my lady?” Richard
inquired, abruptly changing the subject.

“Reginald?” Claudia sighed. “Hale and hearty,
more’s the pity. If I’d known he’d live this long, I never would
have accepted his proposal in the first place. It’s so
confining!”

Richard smiled politely and reached for the
coffee.

“I remember Reggie was quite taken with you,”
Richard recalled. “He considered himself a very fortunate man when
you accepted his suit.”

“Yes,” Claudia softly agreed. “But that was
long ago.”

Claudia’s stomach rolled into knots as she
thought about her aged husband. The wretched Lord Drummond
outweighed her by at least four stone. None of it was muscle,
either. Reggie was as round as a billiard ball, with a florid
complexion and a disgusting affection for snuff.

“Yes, I remember it well,” Richard mused
aloud. “What was it, four years ago?”

“Five,” Claudia corrected.

Claudia remembered every single year in
horrible detail. She’d hoped that Reggie would go to his reward
within a few months of their marriage. He was terribly overweight.
It would be no surprise if his heart simply gave out one day. As
his rich widow, she could dispose of the estate as she saw fit,
then travel all over the Continent. The prospect of that still made
her mouth water.

Actually, none of their marriage had gone
according to plan, Claudia thought. Reginald was still very much
alive and, if it was possible, had gained even more weight since
they wed. Claudia couldn’t even stand to look at him across the
dinner table.

While his guest was wool gathering, Richard
settled himself at the head of the polished table and began to eat.
In between bites, he observed Claudia as she picked up a plate and
began to fill it with eggs and pastries.

The sun was behind Lady Drummond and Richard
could see just how much weight Claudia had put on since he’d last
seen her. No amount of whalebone could completely smooth over her
thickening waist and broad hips.

From the amount of food that Lady Drummond
was piling on top of her plate, it was relatively easy for Richard
to guess the reason for her sudden increase in appetite. Claudia
was most likely carrying a child. Richard doubted that it was
Reggie’s son or daughter, either. She needed a way out of her
predicament and Claudia was apparently hoping that Richard would
provide her with some sort of refuge.

As Richard watched, Lady Drummond set her
plate at the opposite end of the table, the end typically reserved
for the lady of the house.

“My, isn’t this cozy and nice?” Claudia
merrily chirped, lowering her blossoming derriere into the padded
seat.

Lady Drummond had apparently dispensed with
her ladylike manners and now ate like a horse. Gone was her
delicate way of picking at her food. Instead, she ate with gusto.
Her serviette never left the side of her plate, either, and the way
she smacked her lips after each bite was very irritating. Why
hadn’t Richard noticed these things about Claudia before?

“It really was quite a conquest for a man of
Reggie’s advanced years,” Richard recalled. “How old is he now,
sixty-seven?”

“Sixty-nine,” Claudia countered, daintily
licking butter off her fingers. “My husband will be seventy in
March.”

The Drummonds were certainly no love match,
at least as far as Claudia was concerned. Richard supposed that the
only thing the woman thought appealing about her husband was his
forty-thousand pounds a year.

“Must we talk about him now, Richard?”
Claudia whined. “I certainly didn’t come all this way just to
discuss my husband.”

“Ah, then perhaps you came to offer your
felicitations on my recent marriage?” Richard prompted.

“Er – yes. Of course,” Claudia told him,
smiling weakly. “Congratulations.”

“Thank you.”

Claudia frowned in confusion.

“You told me you never wanted to get
married,” Claudia reminded him.

“Apparently, I changed my mind.”

Claudia stared at Richard, hardly recognizing
him. The serious and almost gruff Richard she remembered had been
replaced by a handsome gentleman with a twinkle in his eye and the
ghost of a smile curving his lips. He appeared happy and content,
even at this early hour of the day. Normally, Richard wasn’t even
civil until after luncheon.

“You’ve – you’ve changed,” Claudia noted,
frowning at Richard.

Claudia had practically begged Richard to put
a ring on her finger countless times, but he had refused. The Earl
of Devonshire had no intention of marrying any woman in the near
future. So, Claudia had set her sights elsewhere – much to her
regret. Claudia’s blue eyes simmered with jealousy and envy.

“And where is your little wife?” she asked,
glancing toward the doorway. “Still snoring in her bed, no
doubt.”

“Dressing, I believe. Kate should be down
directly.”

“Her name is Katherine then?” Claudia
scoffed. “How very ordinary.”

As luck would have it, Kate entered the
dining room at just that moment and inadvertently overheard
Claudia’s words. Kate paused in the doorway, surprised to find her
new husband not dining alone.

Thankfully, Richard rose at once to welcome
Kate, his brown eyes warm with approval. This morning, Kate wore
one of the gowns he’d had made up for her. It was a stylish
creation of copper colored satin with an overskirt of sheer black
net. The smooth fabric hugged Kate’s tiny waist and lovingly molded
the delectable curves of her bosom. A froth of black lace
contrasted vividly with the pale skin at her throat, making Richard
want to kiss and caress the place where her pulse beat wildly.

Instead, Richard contented himself with
taking Kate’s hand to lead her into the room.

“May I present my wife, Katherine? Lady
Claudia Drummond,” Richard proudly declared.

Kate curtsied to the blonde haired woman,
although Lady Drummond did little more than nod to her.

“Lady Drummond,” Kate murmured politely.

“Countess,” Claudia sourly acknowledged.

Richard was not pleased by Claudia’s
attitude, but he chose to ignore it. Instead, he gathered Kate’s
fingers in his large hand, leading her around the table to sit
beside him.

As Kate gracefully lowered herself into the
chair, Richard possessively rested his hands over her slender
shoulders. Kate was entirely too thin, almost fragile, Richard
noticed. No doubt that before their marriage, the Overton family
had some difficulty keeping the household running and food on their
table. Richard silently vowed that Kate would never suffer the same
fate while she was his wife.

“Thank you,” Kate murmured, as Richard pushed
her chair in.

Richard ignored his own food for the moment
and walked to the sideboard to get Kate some coffee.

“Cream and sugar, I believe?” Richard
asked.

“Yes,” Kate answered with a warm smile. “You
remembered.”

Claudia noticed the sweet exchange between
the couple and angrily speared one of her eggs. The earl treated
Kate as though she were some priceless gem. In all of the time that
Claudia had been with him, he’d never served her like that. It
really was quite nauseating.

“I – I’m sorry that I wasn’t here to attend
the wedding ceremony,” Lady Drummond interposed. “Unfortunately, I
didn’t know. Richard is so fond of keeping secrets, you know.”

Kate glanced over at Richard as he prepared a
plate of food for her, but he showed no sign of responding.

“It was a small ceremony, I’m afraid,” Kate
explained. “Very lovely and intimate.”

“I see.”

“It was my request, you see,” Kate added.
“I’m not overly fond of large crowds and Richard was so kind to
understand my feelings on the matter.”

It was amazing. The lie dripped off Kate’s
tongue like warm butter. Still, Kate saw no reason to tell the
unpleasant woman sitting at her table the intimate details of her
marriage. Richard certainly didn’t seem so inclined. In this, Kate
agreed that it might be best to follow his lead.

At last, Richard returned to the table,
placing a pleasantly full plate of food in front of Kate. Although
there was more food in front of Kate than she could possibly eat,
she didn’t object.

“Thank you,” Kate murmured. “It smells
wonderful.”

“You’re welcome. I like a woman with a
healthy appetite,” Richard admitted.

Richard gently squeezed Kate’s shoulder. The
double meaning of Richard’s words was not lost on Lady Drummond,
whose eyes narrowed in rage. Richard seated himself beside his wife
and began to eat, apparently oblivious to Lady Drummond’s changing
mood.

“I’m sure you know that Richard was once
considered quite a catch,” Lady Drummond added. “Before your
marriage, I think he left a trail of broken hearts over half of
London.”

“Indeed?” Kate inquired.

“Of course, he was always very discreet.
After all, it wouldn’t have been good for their husbands to get
word of any scandal,” Claudia chuckled in delight.

Kate attempted to ignore the unhappy woman
sitting at her place at the table, but it was difficult. Despite
the front she showed to Lady Drummond, she was very curious about
what her husband had done before they wed. If only a fraction of
what Lady Drummond said was true, Richard Warwick had been every
inch a rake and a rogue.

Everyone knew such goings on weren’t unheard
of in the ton. Dallying with a married woman was actually deemed
relatively safe by some, unless the woman’s husband learned of the
liaison, of course. Often, married couples exchanged partners for a
brief time, each finding in their affairs the excitement and joy
their own arranged marriages lacked. The ton frequently tolerated
such occurrences, turning a blind eye to their clandestine
activities.

Sons and daughters born of such strange
unions sometimes looked nothing like their parents. Although
questions regarding their true parentage might be whispered behind
closed doors, society accepted them to a certain degree.

Kate, however, couldn’t approve of Richard
joining the ranks of wandering husbands. To her, the marriage vows
were sacred. Both of them had promised to remain faithful to the
other until death parted them. She could only hope that Richard
felt the same way that she did.

“Did you know that Richard was once known as
the Stallion?” Claudia queried.

Kate’s eyes widened and she glanced at her
husband, her lovely green eyes filled with questions.

Richard fumed. Despite her polished
appearance, Claudia was acting like a jealous harridan. Their
affair had ended poorly and it seemed that she was still smarting.
Richard would have preferred that Claudia battle with him in
private, but she completely ignored him. Instead, Lady Drummond had
turned her attention to Richard’s new wife.