His Obsession Read Online Free PDF Page A

outside.
Spying Kate Overton and Richard Warwick standing close together on
the balcony, she gasped and wildly gestured to her husband.
Obligingly, the gentleman came nearer.
    “What is it, Winny? You look like you’re
having an apoplexy,” Herbert noted.
    “Another waltz. Quickly!” Lady Faversham
directed.
    “What?” Herbert gasped. “We’ve already had
two.”
    “Just do it, and hurry,” Lady Faversham
urged.
    “All right. All right,” Herbert reluctantly
agreed and sauntered over to the conductor.
    As the strains of a third waltz filled the
air, Richard smiled at Katherine Overton. She was certainly nothing
like her two sisters or most of the other females in attendance
that evening for that matter. She was an original, unique in every
sense of the word.
    “You intrigue me, my lady,” Richard softly
noted.
    “Thank you.”
    “Why is it I’ve never seen you before? If we
had met at another party or a concert of some kind, I’m sure I
would have remembered it,” Richard mused aloud.
    Kate knew why the Earl of Devonshire had
never noticed her. Like a chaperone or a governess, she wasn’t
meant to be seen. While her two sisters gushed and simpered with
their gentlemen at countless parties, Kate usually remained quietly
in the background.
    “You’re very kind,” Kate told him. “But it is
beginning to rain. Shouldn’t we go back inside?”
    “I find I am in the mood to endure a little
rain at the moment,” Richard murmured. “The room is a little warm
and I find I enjoy your company.”
    Kate blushed at his praise.
    “You flatter me, sir,” Kate objected.
    “So I should.”
    “I do thank you, my lord,” Kate protested.
“But I really should go back now.”
    Kate turned toward the doors, but in two
strides, Richard caught her elbow, arresting her flight.
    “Don’t go,” he pleaded. “Please?”
    Kate glanced down at the place where Richard
held her. There was much strength in his large hand and elegant
fingers, yet his touch was surprisingly gentle.
    “May I have this dance, my lady?” the earl
requested.
    The earl towered over her, blotting out the
light glowing from the ballroom windows. Kate tried to control her
nervousness, but she found she was trembling all the same.
    “I – I really don’t -” she stammered.
    “Please?” Richard gently asked again.
    The strains of a lovely waltz continued to
waft onto the balcony, filling the night with music. The tune was
one of Kate’s favorites, but they were so utterly alone. Surely,
dancing like this beneath the stars couldn’t be proper.
    “Here?” Kate breathlessly asked, glancing
around the empty balcony.
    “Here,” Richard confirmed.
    Giving Kate no further opportunities to
object, Richard reached for her hand. His other arm encircled her
slender waist, settling at the small of her back so that he could
draw her closer. Kate could feel the warmth of his fingers burning
through her corset and chemise and the intensity of his embrace
startled her.
    Kate’s other hand flew up to Richard’s chest,
stopping herself from moving any closer. The earl’s proximity
unsettled her and Kate felt as though a swarm of butterflies had
suddenly settled into her stomach.
    A soft smile of understanding tugged at the
corner of Richard’s mouth as he gently caught Kate’s chin and
raised her face into the light. Kate was meant to bathe in
moonlight. The soft glow illuminated the delicate curves of her
cheeks and danced merrily in her eyes. Kate’s lips parted in soft
invitation and Richard was hard pressed not to kiss her right where
she stood.
    Taking a more conservative approach, the earl
swept Kate into the waltz with the skill of a man with years of
experience. Kate hadn’t danced much since she was a young girl and
she was terribly rusty. Unfortunately, she stumbled once or twice.
She was absolutely mortified that the earl would find her lacking
in social graces.
    Richard, however, was a strong partner and he
covered Kate’s missteps