Dominic's Nemesis (35 page)

“Thank you, Nell. That will be all.” Ethan
excused the maid, who scurried away as was her custom.

Eden stared at the reflection in the
silver-handled mirror Kathleen had given her. The layer of powder
had leeched the two striped plaits to an impossibly pale white
blonde. Thankfully she was supposed to be recovering from a
terrible shock, because little else could account for her hollow
cheeks and death-pallor. Her eyes seemed different, darker, more
almond-shaped. Or, was her mind playing tricks on her again.

Looking away from the ghost woman
she
’
d become, she handed
the mirror back to Kathleen without comment. She was dying by
degrees, but at least she
’
d regained a measure of mobility in the last twenty
or so minutes. When the faint knock came at the chamber door, she
was sitting up on her own, tense fingers gripping the
counterpane.

Kathleen
laid a quelling hand atop hers.
“Easy, lass. Remember ta
keep ya bandaged hand beneath tha counterpane.”

Eden nodded and did her best to calm her
rioting fears.

Stephan entered first, ushering in a tall,
scholarly-looking gentleman and the stout balding Montgomery. Her
jaw nearly dropped in shock when next Dominic strolled forth…sans
his spectacles. Her slack gaze did not leave his face until the
taller gentlemen addressed her directly.

“May I present Drs. Ethan Raine and Cael
Atherton. My sister-in-law Mrs. Kathleen Raine, and of course, Miss
Prescott.” Dom gestured lastly to her.

“Gentleman. Mrs. Raine.” The tall one
inclined his head. “Lady Prescott.”

“I much prefer
Miss
Prescott. I am
American at heart.” She met his apologetic expression, and relaxed
a bit more at the non-threatening manner.

“Tha sight of
her
is supposed ta prove
dat there
’
s been no
breech of morals ‘ere?” Montgomery stalked closer to the bed,
curling his lip at her. “Tha chit couldn
’
t pass for a week-old corpse. People ‘ould
swear she
’
d been dead a
fortnight at least.”

Eden flinched.

“
Miss
Prescott does not
care for your tone…and neither do I.”

Montgomery ignored Dom
’
s polite reproach. “
Gads, Ambrosi,
‘ave the decency ta feed tha
gel.” A note of relish crept in his voice like a secret lover. “Or,
is dat how ya control’er, huh? Deny’ er food until she denies ya
nothin’? Though why anyone ‘ould bother ta spread dat bag of bones,
I
’
d—”

The Asylum Keeper never got to finish his
thought. Stephan had him by the throat in a grip that put pressure
enough on his spine to cause a yelp of pain.

“I don’t care for your tone either, Mr.
Montgomery.” Stephan delivered the words with quiet menace. “Either
conduct your inquiries in a seemly manner or I shall relocate your
jaw and let the other one ask the questions.”

Face etched in fear, Montgomery managed to
choke out a plea despite the strangle hold. “
Pull
‘
im off me, Ambrosi.
”

Tension griped the room. A bead of sweat
rolled down her temple. Eden had suspected the Sphinx possessed a
dark side, but never in her wildest imaginings did she glimpse even
a shadow of the contained fury she saw lurking in the depths of his
eyes. She found herself breathing hard, pulling at the collar of
her gown. Suddenly, she felt uncomfortably warm. The room itself
seemed…realization hit hard. Her eyes flew to the grate in the
fireplace, still a small flame, but it shone white-hot.

Both doctors made a move to defuse the
situation, while panic sparked her into action.

“No.” She stayed them with a word, knowing
she alone could pull him back from the brink. “
Let me.
” Out of instinct, she looked to
Dom, but he wasn
’
t where
he had been just seconds before.

“Stephan.” His grip tightened at the sound of
her voice. “Stephan, please, I cannot reach the pitcher and
I
’
ve grown thirsty.”

His head tilted toward her. “We
can
’
t have that.” He
dropped his hold on the Asylum Keeper with the nonchalance of a
youngster tossing aside a toy that had cease to amuse him.

As he neared, Eden heard the sizzle of the
water and hoped that it wouldn
’
t throw off steam.

“Ya address an unmarried gent by ‘is
Christian name? How odd.” Montgomery massaged his throat, brows
draw together in thunderous hatred. If he had wanted to cause
mischief before, he would most likely be out for blood now… judging
from his expression. Eden saw him glance around the room, pinning
each occupant, including his companion with a look that promised
they would all pay for his humiliation and pay dearly.

“Better to leave well-enough alone.” Greyson
murmured the words, but Eden heard them still. He turned to
Dominic, who had reappeared right where she
’
d last seen him. “Conte Ambrosi, I can see
that all is well with the young miss. The citizen who made the
report was obviously misinformed. Have no doubt, I shall relay as
much to the board. I
will
trouble you no longer then. Montgomery, let us
go.”

“Not just yet. ‘Tis somethin’ going on ‘ere.
I can smell it. Where does he sleep, then? If dat one
’
s in ‘is bed. And ‘ow tha devil
did she get locked in tha wine cellar anyway?”

Greyson’s elegant shoulders slumped, as if he
himself had suffered a personal disappointment. “Mr. Montgomery let
me remind you.” He eyed his companion pointedly. “We agreed that
you were not to speak unless I or Conte Ambrosi addressed you
directly and gave you leave to do so. That was the condition of
your accompanying me.”

“Its alright.” Dominic gestured. “You may as
well know—I want no repeat of
this
—Miss Prescott and I are
hand-fasted. She uses a familiar address because she and I will be
wed before All Hallows. We have agreed on a six-months handfast
instead of the traditional year, you see. I prefer a proper
engagement, but the rules of mourning forbid it. And, too, the sad
state of affairs with her English relations. I was unwilling to
subject her or myself to the publicity of town, a season, bans and
all that nonsense. I need hardly add that my privacy is of extreme
importance to me.”

“Is that true?” The taller man
questioned.

Eden felt color rise under the weight of
Greyson
’
s scrutiny, and
the scorn of Montgomery
’
s skepticism. She deliberately avoided catching
anyone else
’
s eye lest
her blush deepen.

“Yes, we are… betrothed.” Greyson seemed to
accept her answer and returned his attention to Dominic.

“Might have done better to inform the
household at least.”

“I value my privacy, Professor, and I did not
think it decent to expose Ms. Prescott to any further social
difficulties. My household is very fond of the young lady and I do
not believe one numbered among them requested
this
inquisition
…eh, or, whatever it is.” Dominic turned to his
companion. “This was, no doubt your handiwork. There is no use
denying it, Mr. Montgomery. You have been on the estate previously,
then too as an unwelcomed guest. Isn’t that so, Kathleen?”

“Aye, ‘tis him…frightened tha wits out of
myself and tha wee lass, here.”

Dominic cleared his throat. “Professor
Greyson, I have been as gracious as it is within me to be under the
circumstances, but my patience is at an end, I’m afraid. Stephan,
you will please see the gentleman and his…
acquaintance
out.
Now.”

Stephan spoke, darkly sarcastic, as he
gestured for them to precede him to the door. “Always a
pleasure.”

“Where the devil did you go? Do you have any
idea how reckless that was?”

“Aye, one of ‘em could’ve noticed.” Kathleen
agreed, though she put a quelling hand on her
brother-in-law
’
s
shoulder. “Cael-”

“For a man who
’
s spent a lifetime protecting himself and his
secrets from the world you certainly chose an odd moment to become
adventurous.”

“Stephan had everyone
’
s attention. There was no danger. I
glanced at their souls. The opportunity might not have arisen
again.” Dominic watched Cael morph from annoyed to intrigued.

“Well…What did you see?”

“Montgomery
’
s lifeforce was a tumult of ill feelings.”

“That
’
s nothing we didn
’
t already know.” Stephan injected from his perch by
the windows. “The man is not subtle.”

“It
’
s more than that. His essence was not under stress.
It appeared as though his natural state of being is a frenzy of
rage and hatred. I would not be surprised if he had a history of
violent deeds. Greyson, unfortunately, proved more difficult to
read. No overt emotion. Nothing unique or identifiable about his
essence.”

“Enough about Greyson an’ dat misanthrope.”
Kathleen waved them away, and squared her eyes on Dom.
“‘
Tis high time we speak of
practical matters. I did no’ care for tha way dat one carried on
but he makes a point. What of dis engagement? Do ya intend ta honor
it?”

“I admit I merely provided a convenient
excuse to waylay more speculation with regards to her virtue.
Moreover, Miss Prescott and I have not yet discussed marriage.”

A chortle came from the doorway. Dominic
glanced to find Ethan crossing the study
’
s threshold. “I believe you mean to say
her
lack
of virtue.”

“Aye.” Kathleen seconded her husband’s
sentiment with a sharp nod. “And I wanna know what ya intentions
are towards my charge? You
’
ve let it be known dat Ethan and I are responsible
for tha wee one. So, it
’
ll be our hides when the lass
’
middle starts ta spread before tha
vows.”

Dominic cleared his throat, as he looked down
the barrel of a cocked shotgun. “Yes, that thought has occurred to
me. I am a man of dignity and honor, if indeed a deplorable lack of
propriety. We
will
be married, once she is physically and
mentally fit. In the meanwhile, I suggest we have a cleric of some
sort for a visit to make this hara-kiri hand-fasting a documented
fact.”

“Do not forget to ask her first, Dominic.”
Stephan said. “Eden deserves a measure of consideration in her own
future.”

“And donna make tha proposal as though ya are
duty-bound ta do so.” Kathleen injected. “A woman likes a ‘lil
romance, ya know.”

“But it is imperative that you convey to her
the necessity for a wedding in the very near future.”
Cael cautioned.

Dom
’
s head swam at the myriad of advice. He looked to
Ethan. “How is she?”

“Resting. Nell is sitting with her now.”

“Good. Cael, as soon as she is able I would
like you to have another interview with her. Stephan and I will
look into the possibility of a spiritual disturbance and if need
be, an exorcism.”

* * *

The instant the door had closed behind Dr.
Raine the evil-thing started pounding on the walls of her mind. She
tried to concentrate amid the assault, rebuild the numerous cracks
in her foundation. Instead they broke open wider, letting the
disturbing presence leak in. NO! Her mind screamed. She felt as if
someone was slowly strangling off her air supply.

“
Did you think you could control me
forever?”

Ignoring the taunt, she redoubled her
efforts. But she knew she was fighting a losing battle. The evil
was too strong. It was only a matter of time before the evil would
again possess her mind.

“
Nell.
” Frantic eyes sought the jittery housemaid,
fussing with the bed linens. “You must help me.”

“Would you like a spot to eat now that all
the excitement is over, then?” She quit twittering at the foot of
the bed, and came to place the forgotten food tray before her.

“Stephan, I must… speak with him.” Eden
followed the girl
’
s
movement, trying to catch her eye. But it seemed as if Nell
deliberately avoided looking at her. She didn
’
t half blame the maid for being frightened
of her. She probably would be too if the shoes were on her
feet.

“Mr. Atherton and the others are downstairs
in the study having a chat. I was told not to leave you alone.
Relax miss, one of ‘em will be up to check on you soon.” With that,
she spooned up a steaming heap of something from the bowl. “Shall
I?”

Eden backhanded her hard across the cheek.
The food spilled in a grotesque slash of chunks across the
counterpane and over the side of the bed. “Bothersome chit! Quit
hovering and let me be.”

Eden gave the evil thing a hard mental strove
to dislodge it…with little success. She was a prisoner in her own
consciousness, a passenger in a carriage being driven by a
malevolent force. Nell trembled on the floor, clutching her struck
cheek. The thing sneered into that shocked expression.

“
Get gone
, do you hear me!
” Try as she might, Eden could not
stop her features from contorting in hatred as more cruel words
left her mouth. The shrill command held a note of warning, which
threatened retribution if not obeyed.

“Y-y-y-yes, Miss.” The maid stammered. “I
w-w-won
’
t disturb you
again.”

Poor Nell. Eden made a mental note to make it
up to the girl once she had better control of herself. For now, it
looked as if the entity was about to get her way. Nell, scrambled
off the floor, giving the bed a wide girth, as she made tracks to
the opposite end of the room. To Eden
’
s surprise, the maid sidestepped the chamber door
and instead positioned herself in the furthest corner from the bed
and sat knees to her chest on the floor.