Read Obsession for Free Online Page A

face, that he did not thank the good Lord for allowing him to find her, and for her willingness to marry him. He had no doubt that they were the most blessed and happiest of couples.
    ‘As you know, I was in London last week,’ he said, ‘and I suppose I should have told you on my return that things are not going well with my plantations. It seems the sugar cane is not producing as it should; but, even more worrying, there is ongoing trouble with the workers. My London agent told me that the fellow he’d despatched to look into the trouble last autumn returned saying the fault almost certainly lies with Herbert Banks, our estate manager. He feels unable to take responsibility for what is occurring.’
    He paused for a moment, unhappily aware of the look of distress on Harriet’s face. ‘My father wishes me to go out there as soon as possible,’ he resumed quickly. ‘Much as I shall hate leaving you, my dearest, I cannot refuse to do so. I hope very much that it will not be for long. The sea voyage will be ten days, and I trust I shall be able to deal with the problems within a month.’
    He paused once more before taking Harriet’s hands in his. ‘I hate the thought of our separation as much as you do, but as the only son who will one day inherit the properties, I have no alternative but to take my father’s place as he has requested.’
    Harriet’s expression was one of dismay as she whispered, ‘Oh, Brook, I shall miss you so much. I miss you even when you go to London for a few days!’
    ‘And I you, but every cloud has a silver lining, as my old nanny so often said. Father intends to increase my allowance again on my return. We live quite happily on what I now receive, but if we are to have the large family we both desire, then we will have many more expenses, will we not?’
    Too close to tears to trust her voice, Harriet nodded.
    ‘The time will pass, my darling,’ Brook continued. ‘Perhaps you could arrange to stay with one of your sisters? Or might you invite your father to visit you here? I do not like to leave you here entirely on your own.’
    Harriet sighed. ‘Have you forgotten, Brook? Papa is now confined to his bed. As to my sisters – Hope, as you know, is married to an army officer and has accompanied him to India. My sister Charity has been forbidden by her doctor to have visitors – not even the vicar – because her three children have scarlet fever. That letter which arrived last week was from her. The children are being given quinine and mutton broth and beef tea to swallow, as well as twice daily baths and a mixture of ammonia and ether. Richard, the eldest, is recovering slowly but the youngest, Vaughn, is very ill. As you can imagine, the last thing she would want was a visitor – even a sister.’
    ‘I’m sorry to hear of this,’ Brook commented, ‘but did I not meet your other sister at our wedding? Una, is it not?’
    Harriet nodded. ‘Yes! She is married and lives in Ireland. But I would not want to travel so far lest you could return earlier than you now expect.’
    Much as Brook wished to comfort her, he was honest enough to say that there was very little – indeed, no hope – of that happening. The sea voyage to Kingston would take at the very least ten days; the journey up into the hills another day. If, as he suspected, he would have to replace Herbert Banks, he might even have to go back down to Kingston to find a suitable fellow who would be better able to cope with the problems. Even the English newspapers had referred to the severity of the unrest in Jamaica, and not a month passed that his worried London agent did not warn him that the situation was worsening every day.
    Longing to comfort his young wife, he said, ‘Then why not invite Una to enjoy a sojourn here at Hunters Hall? If she cannot leave her children, I would suppose that Bessie could manage to look after them. Did you not tell me once that she looked after a large number of her younger brothers