His Obsession by Ann B. Keller Page B

here to join us,” Richard
noted. “I trust he is well?”
    “Unfortunately, no. My husband is a little
under the weather and sends his apologies,” Penelope quickly
supplied.
    “I see,” Richard gravely replied. “I hope
that it is nothing serious?”
    “No, no,” Penelope assured him with a smile.
“Just a stomach ailment mingled with a cold.”
    “Has he seen a physician?”
    “There’s really no need,” Penelope
determined. “Cook’s mustard plaster and her famous chicken soup
usually work wonders.”
    “Good. Then I wish him a speedy
recovery.”
    “Thank you.”
    Richard sipped his tea thoughtfully. This was
a turn of events that he hadn’t expected. He was used to dealing
with men. Negotiating with a woman could be a treacherous and
difficult task. Not that Richard wasn’t up to the challenge, of
course. Fencing wits with a female amused him, although few
measured up to his intellect.
    “Well, now that we’ve dispensed with the
pleasantries, my lord, please allow me to proceed with the business
at hand,” Penelope began.
    “Very well,” Richard agreed.
    Penelope retrieved a piece of paper from the
table beside her and passed it to Richard.
    “This is the marriage contract. My husband
wrote out the provisions himself, as he remembered them,” Penelope
informed him. “I trust it meets with your approval?”
    In an odd way, Richard was disappointed. He’d
expected a battle. It couldn’t be this easy. As he read the
document further, he saw that it wasn’t.
    The sum named as the yearly stipend for
Penelope and Edgar Overton was three times what Richard would have
offered. In addition, Dorothea’s dower portion could have launched
one of his own daughters in style – that is, if he had any.
    The earl’s eyes narrowed. If he wasn’t
mistaken, he saw Lady Overton’s hand in this. The woman was proving
herself to be a worthy opponent. Very well. So be it. Richard
dropped the paper onto the side table.
    “I refuse,” Richard finally declared and
lowered his tea cup.
    Penelope’s eyes widened and her cup noisily
rattled back onto the saucer. “But – but you can’t do that.”
    Richard rose to his full height. “Thank you
for the tea, Lady Overton, but I have a few more calls to make.
Please give my regards to your husband, to Kate and to your other
daughters.”
    “You can’t leave now,” Penelope protested,
half rising from her chair. “We have so much to talk about.”
    “Good day.”
    “But – but --” Penelope stammered.
    Richard barely had time to close the library
door before something hard struck the portal from the other side.
Porcelain shattered on the floor as a feminine shriek of
frustration pierced the quiet afternoon.
    Richard grinned as he accepted his hat and
coat from the butler. Without further ado, he calmly departed.
    The next day, another creditor came to call
at the Overton household, then a second odious little man joined
him. Penelope instructed Jacobs to say that they weren’t home. That
worked for a day or two, but the men lurking outside were
persistent and creative in their attempts to corner the family.
Eventually, the determined creditors scaled the garden wall,
catching the family out walking. From then on, there was no
stopping them.
    Helen was concerned, but her mother’s
explanations placated her for a time. Kate, however, was
suspicious. Kate tried to speak with her father, but the man
claimed that he was too ill to answer or refused to tell her what
was really happening.
    On Wednesday, the Overtons’ cook packed her
bag and departed without notice. Both of their maids returned to
their families in the village. On Thursday, their butler, Jacobs,
who had been with the Overton family for years, quietly resigned
his post. Since no one else was qualified to take over the tasks
normally assigned to their small staff, Penelope and Kate began
cooking for the family. Cooking in the hot kitchen exhausted Kate,
but she was pleased that she could at