Dominic's Nemesis (11 page)

Dom avoided her for months after he learned
that she knew. Once he
’
d
gotten over the initial horror, he and Kathleen had come to a sort
of truce. He
’
d become
familiar with her essence. She possessed a strong life force of
dazzling blue-azure…loyal to a fault and filled with a tumult of
love. Dominic could not have wished for a more perfect match for
Ethan. With time, he found that he could be at ease with his
sister-in-law in a causal way, but he wasn
’
t yet comfortable enough with the brass
Scottish woman to actually
show
her such an intimate piece
of himself. Astral travel was his haven, his secret self, and his
soul
’
s savior.

On the other hand, if he exited into
invisibility he could avoid Kathleen but Eden would sense him as
she had before. He was ill prepared to handle her knowledge of
his…uniqueness, as Cael would term it. His essence wobbled, like a
scissor-legged drunk. He couldn
’
t delay much longer or he would lose consciousness,
which always plopped him from the astral onto the corporeal. He
slipped back to monitor only Cael. Ahh, his brother was once again
alone and safe and probably annoyed with him for absconding without
so much as a by your leave. But Dom would deal with that later. For
now, the ethereal blonde reclaimed his full attention.

Dominic paced back a ways, he
estimated…spatial arrangements such as depth, foreground, and
background meant nothing on the astral. Everything—which was
nothing, black space—existed on the same plane. Right blended with
left, up blurred into down, front was back and visa versa. Hopeful
that he stood a chance of shimmering outside of which ever room
they occupied, Dom shed his astral self and his invisible cloak.
Legs shaky at first, he leaned heavily against an end table outside
one of the lesser-used sitting rooms.

He
’
d had several extra parlors and sitting rooms and
of course bed chambers aired out for Ethan, Kathleen and Eden. The
two women must be within one adjacent the portrait gallery. Dom
hadn
’
t been in the room
in years, keeping to his private suites. Drained, physically and
mentally, he slid along the wall to the door, which stood ajar. He
could hear Kathleen making soothing cooing noises as if she spoke
to a child.

“Eden.” He thought only of her as he kicked
the door out of his path.

Both women snapped around to stare at him.
His spectacles were in place. His clothes were their usual sober
eloquence: black coat, silken vest, and trousers, over-starched
white shirt, and impeccable cravat. Only his unsteady gait
confessed exhaustion. Dom did his best to compose himself,
stiffening his spine.

“Dominic.” Her voice was a breathy whisper.
She drank in his form like a dessert dweller guzzling from a
life-saving spring.

“Dom?”
Kathleen
’
s crimson brows peaked. “We thought ya in
town.”

“I was. Now, I
’
m here.” He stated flatly, eyes falling on Eden.
She was reclining atop a brocade curb-back chaise, piled high with
ridiculous little pillows that spilled out onto the floor. Her
shining hair tumbled around her shoulders, attractively disheveled.
One hand fluttered near her chest, the other clutched a teacup with
white-knuckled fingers. Kathleen stood over her, in full mother-hen
stance.

“What the hell happened? Why does she look
so…distressed?”

“Why assume somethin’ more has happened.”
Kathleen countered, shifting so that her wide skirts obscured her
charge from sight.
“‘
Canna it be delayed reaction from tha numerous
other tragedies tha lass has suffered.”

“She was perfectly composed when I took my
leave.” He leveled. “Now she
’
s trembling and white as a sheet.”

“‘Tis naught a sip of hot tea and a good
night
’
s rest canna
cure.”

He stepped further into the room. To keep his
balance, he touched each and every piece of furniture he passed on
the precarious trek to the chaise on which Eden sat. “You do not
look yourself either.” This, he noted with renewed unease. His
sister-in-law was not one easily ruffled.

Kathleen
humphed.
“I think ‘tis safe ta say dat no one in dis room is
quite themselves tonight.”

“Tell me what
’
s happened, Kathleen, or I will track down Ethan
and have
him
ring it out of you.” An empty threat, of
course. He could not have astral-ed across the room, much less
brought another person back with him…and he certainly couldn’t
imagine his peace-keeping brother haranguing information out of
anyone, much less his brazen Scottish wife.

“Will ya now?” She challenged.

“I want to know who dared to overset guests
in my home?”

Eden poked her head around Kathleen. “It was
nothing, really.” She declared on the heels of a shaky laugh.

Seeing that he would not be denied, and their
head butting, however innocent, caused her charge further anxiety,
Kathleen conceded. “Tha wee one and I went for a walk on tha
grounds. When we returned, ‘twas a man lurking about. Rattled her,
‘tis all. Renfred and Booth escorted him off tha estate. He
blustered he’d be back with tha district magistrate.”

“Not a thief then?”

“Definitely not.”

He nodded, with solemn understanding.
“
A muckraker. My
uncle?
”

“A muckraker ta be sure, but not yer uncle.
Called ‘imself Matthias Montgomery. Claimed ta be actin’ on
official orders.”

* * *

Eden trembled anew, not liking the turn
events were taking. Preoccupied with a lingering fear,
she
’
d lost the thread of
the conversation. There was one thing she had to know, and she
couldn
’
t wait a minute
longer.

“Dom-inic?”

His shaded gaze shifted downward to meet her
hurt-filled hazel eyes. He ached to erase the angst and caress the
shivering from her limbs.

“You didn
’
t…send that awful man for me, did you? He—”

“Is
that
what he said? Bloody
Hell.”

Eden almost chuckled, even in her shaky
state. She had never known anyone who cursed quite so
matter-of-factly. She watched him come forward, sliding by Kathleen
to seat himself in front of her atop the coffee table. Tree-trunk
legs crowded her.

“
Tell me,
Eden.
” His voice lowered to a beguiling smoothness as he
took the tittering cup from her hand. He meant to put her at ease,
she imagined. He needn
’
t
have bothered. Her name on his lips liquefied her insides. At the
moment, she would do anything he asked of her.

“He said he
’
d been charged to investigate the mental stability
of a resident of this estate. I just assumed he meant me.”

“
No,
lass.
” Kathleen bent to reassure her. “Here now, drink yer
tea.”

“Forget about him. He won
’
t be bothering either of you again.” He
set the cup aside out of both her and Kathleen
’
s reach and took Eden
’
s hands in his, pulling her to her feet
with him. “Tea can wait until morning. I am taking you up to bed.
Kathleen, please wait for me here.”

“‘Tis ‘no proper. Yer accompanying her ta
bed.”

Dom scoffed testily as he turned them both
for the door. “I could have
slept
in her bed for all you
know.”

A conspirator
’
s smile played on the redhead
’
s lips as she watched them exit. “Aye. Ya
haven
’
t yet, but yer
thinkin’ about it. My Ethan will be pleased.”

* * *

They walked to her chamber in silence, though
not an awkward silence, as she would have predicted. Eden needed
only a moment to realize that Dominic was not himself, or at least,
he wasn
’
t himself as she
had come to expect. He seemed troubled, vulnerable somehow, his
movements slothful and over-prudent. Almost like his hand on the
small of her back, the other caressing the tender flesh of her
wrist, the entire act of escorting her to her chamber was more for
his benefit than hers. What had wrought the change? She wished
she
’
d been paying closer
attention in the sitting room. Maybe then she might have gleamed a
clue. But it couldn
’
t be
helped. She
’d
been too
shaken from her encounter to think clearly.

She reached the chamber door a step ahead of
him, and paused, uncertain. Should she open the door, and if so
would he follow her inside? Or should she turn and wait for him to
bid her goodnight? Neither scenario prepared her for what actually
happened.

He never stopped walking until he
’
d backed her up against the closed
door, the hand caressing her palm ventured upwards to lose itself
in her hair. The hand at her back inched around to rest on one hip,
steadying. The nearness and heat of his body caused her breath to
catch…becoming deep and gasping. She felt the brush of his hair, an
exhale of breath, the cold metal tip of the spectacles as he
dipped, resting his forehead for a moment at the junction of her
shoulder….then turned his face to her neck.

“You were alone with him like you are with me
now? That
’
s why he
frightened you so.” He demanded in an urgent whisper, delivered
shockingly near her ear. “
Answer me, Eden.
”

Eden
’
s pulse beat staccato, too stunned to do anything
but as he commanded. “Yes.”

“Did he touch you…hurt you? I have to know.
Tell me, or I will strip you naked and search every inch of your
body until I
’
m satisfied
you are unharmed.”

Something in his manner put her in mind of a
child in need of smoothing. “Shhh, Dominic, I am untouched.
Kathleen—”

“I will thank God Ethan married her to the
day I die.” And then his lips were on her. First, worshipping her
neck with hot wetness. His hand tilted and guided her head until he
could capture her lips in a devouring exploration. His tongued her
mercilessly, plundering her mouth at a frantic rhythm born of
passion and fury, robbing her of breath. In danger of melting right
out of his grasp, Eden wrapped an arm around the scorching mass of
trembling muscle pressing into her slender frame. Ahhh, to be
cherished again, touched, needed, she came alive…for him. Accepted
him with open arms and a tarnished heart. She matched his pace,
though she
’
d never been
kissed before, somehow instinct too over.

The fervor eventually cooled. He backed off,
his body giving hers room to breathe, his lips slowed to a
tantalizing stroke…until at last, he pulled back altogether, his
mouth placing a last soft touch to her swollen parted lips.

“
Forgive
me. I
…” He seemed not to know where he was, dropping his
hands from her hair and body. Eden watched him began to retreat
from her. The air around him thick with shame and regret.
“
I am not
…myself.”

“I prefer
this
you.” She grasped the
lapels of his jacket to keep him within reach. “Don
’
t go.
”

“I must. Kathleen…” He glanced down the hall
from whence they
’
d come,
only turning back to face her when she palmed his cheek in her
hand.

“Shhh…you
’
re safe with me.” Eden curled her lips into a
smile, stroking his cheek. “That
’
s it. See, everything is fine. Stay a moment
longer.”

He let her urge him a step closer, placidly
staring down at her. Their roles somehow reversed. She the
caregiver, he the recipient.

“Dominic, I wonder if …” Eden trailed off as
her hand inadvertently bumped the rim of his spectacles. He went
stiff. She could see the outline of his eyes darting back and forth
panicky, behind the tinted lens.

“It
’
s alright.” She reassured him, palming his cheek
again. “Let me see you…I want to know if
you’re
unharmed
…and I have to see for
myself.”

She inched her finger up ever so slightly to
grasp one thin metal arm of the spectacles. Slowly, methodically,
she slid them forward off his nose, revealing—

“
Nooo
…” The word came out on a moan of agony.

And then the strangest thing happened. He was
gone. Vanished. Her arm still hung in the air caressing empty
space.

Dominic descended the grand staircase decked
from heel to crown in pomp and circumstance, spectacles riding
rigid on his nose. A livery-ed Renfred met him at the bottom step
and fell in beside him.

“Master Ambrosi, sir, your brother arrived
some time ago. His became quite agitated at finding his wife
absent. I was obliged to direct him to Mrs. Raine, whom Nell
discovered asleep in one of the upstairs sitting rooms. He
relocated her to their chamber.” If Renfred found the events at all
peculiar, he did not convey as much in his rendition.

“How is Mrs. Raine this morning?”

“Resting comfortably.”

“And Ms. Prescott?”

“
Also
still abed, sir.
”

“I am not certain how much longer our guests
will be visiting. I hope to have them settled elsewhere soon, but
from now until such time as I deem it unnecessary, neither is to
leave the house without an escort, Renfred. Is that
understood?”

“Certainly, sir.”

“Where is my brother now?”

“I believe, helping himself to breakfast in
the dinning room.”