Dominic's Nemesis (34 page)

Eden became increasingly alarmed at the bend
the conversation took. She recognized the name Montgomery as
belonging to the fellow who
’
d turned up on the grounds and frightened her. Was
he back to cart her off to Bedlam then? Now that she lay helpless
in bed, unable to put up even the tiniest fight. A desperate sort
of fear seized her.

“Dom?”

He motioned for Renfred to carry on and came
back over to sit beside her on the bed.

“Do not worry, cara, I will not let them take
you from here.” His hand rested on her cheek as he spoke.

“
But
he
’
s come
back…with reinforcements just as he threatened to. How do you mean
to stop him if he has the law on his side? You yourself do not
think I am sane.” She snatched a fistful of her zebra-esque hair.
“Now, I
look
the part of a lunatic.”

He tilted his head, studying her appearance
gravely. “Is there anything that can be done about your hair? I
will try to avoid it, but it may be necessary for them to see for
themselves that you are unharmed, and properly chaperoned.”

“I meant to powder it before you returned,
but it will be a laborious endeavor. Someone needs to fetch the
vanity case from my chamber and—”

“Have Nell assist you with whatever. And make
haste.” He leaned in to plant a lingering kiss on her mouth before
he stood to leave.

* * *

Dominic arrived at the bottom of the main
staircase eyes shaded, freshly-shaven and coifed to face a
bickering horde, Kathleen neck-deep in the fray. The foursome
parted as he approached.

“Kathleen, Eden has need of you
upstairs.”

“
Oh, no
ya don
’
t.
I
’
ll not be sent ta tha
tower rooms like a weak-willed ninny. Tha wee one—”

Dominic scoffed. Kathleen…weak? He would have
howled with laughter had the present situation not been so serious.
“Madam, I do not now, nor have I
ever
considered you
weak-willed or a ninny. At the moment though, Ms. Prescott is in
need of a proper chaperon, as she is
allegedly
at the mercy
of several lecherous noblemen. I do not mean to belittle, but
please go to your charge. After our guests have departed, you may
impugn me with whatever profanities fancy you.”

“Humph!” The wisdom of his words must have
penetrated her ire because she murmured something abrasive in her
native tongue and stalked off up the stairs.

Cael arched a brow akin to a salute.

Ethan stared in awe at his retreating wife.
“You know, Dom, for a recluse, you handle people very
efficiently.”

Stephan inclined his head in the direction of
the study. “Have you a mind to send the pair on their way.”

Though he delivered the words in a
devil-may-care tone, Dominic sensed that his youngest brother
championed unceremonious eviction as a solution to the two
muckrakers.

Dominic directed his gaze to the hallway
struck off from the foyer, leading to the study. “I would like
nothing more than to evict them, Montgomery especially, but we
cannot afford to alienate Greyson. The man has an agenda or he
would not be this determined to have an audience with me.
What
’
s more, he is in a
position to make life very difficult for all of us.”

“A defensive move implies we have something
to hide.” Cael stated.

“We
do
.” Stephan countered, his liquid
amber clashing with his brother’s warm amber.

“True, but I have found the best place to
hide is in plain sight.”

“How do you aim to handle them?” Ethan aimed
at Dominic.

“I
’
ll talk to Greyson, see if I can discern what he
really wants. This nasty business with Eden is obviously a
ruse.”

“Maybe not.” Cael suggested with a thoughtful
expression. “What I mean to say is, maybe coming here wasn’t
Greyson
’
s idea. Until
now, his bid for your attention has been non-threatening. Why would
he switch tactics and throw in with a brute like Montgomery?
Casting a murky light on an innocent woman
’
s virtue as well as her sanity in the
bargain…Unlikely, and a conflict of interest.”

“Wasn
’
t Montgomery recently under investigation by
Greyson
’
s own board?”
Ethan fell in line with his reasoning, turning to address Dominic
and then Cael. “Cael, didn
’
t you say that Greyson took a dislike to Montgomery
that night at the lecture, ‘gave him the cut direct
’
was your exact description of
their parting exchange.”

“Yes…” Dominic mused on this himself. “No
matter. I won’t know what either
’
s ultimate goals are until I field them myself.
Stephan will accompany me. Ethan, you and Cael assist Kathleen
upstairs. If it becomes necessary to prove to the gentleman that
she is not a captive victim, I want it to appear as if she is in
bed recovering from her ordeal in the wine vault, which occurred
last
night. There will be no mention of entities and
visions.”

Dominic hesitated, his palm poised to depress
the elegant brass door handle, knowing he had a daunting task ahead
of him. Here he was, a hermetic eccentric who had always shrank
away from scrutiny, strangers and confrontations. Yet, he was
attempting to play the part…no, not just play the part, but to
assume his rightful role as patriarch of the Atherton-Raine-Ambrosi
brood. Strange, how the brothers had naturally deferred to him,
even Kathleen seemed to acknowledge his authority.

At the moment though, having the respect of
his family wasn
’
t
sufficient. He needed to establish his authority with Greyson and
Montgomery, convince them that he ran a wholesome household, and
put them on edge enough to gain and maintain control of the
situation. He needed a strategy, an approach…then, he remembered
something Eden said. That people’s reaction to him would all depend
on him, his expression and demeanor.

A radical idea struck him. It would test his
resolve and truth be told he wasn
’
t sure he had the polish to carry it off. He turned
to Stephan who nodded his readiness.

They entered the study, where a pair of near
identical footman stood as stoic centuries on either side of the
door
’
s threshold.
Dominic checked his insecurities at the door, along with his
spectacles. The persona he wished to emulate would not hide behind
tinted glass.

Ducking his head, he slid them deftly off his
nose and stowed them in his breast pocket. Intimidation was the
key, he reminded himself. Show no fear, no nervousness, no
hesitation. With Stephan by his side, he stiffened his spine and
summoned all the forgotten rules of protocol and etiquette
he
’
d thwarted over the
years.

The stout figure of Matthias Montgomery
turned to face them from his stance just beyond the barren
fireplace. His already sour face grew sharp and predatory at the
sight of Stephan. Interesting.

At his host
’
s arrival, Greyson rose to a stately height from
the sofa. His intelligent expression remained blank.

“Gentleman, forgive me for keeping you
waiting.” Dom executed a posh bow, for no other reason that to
afford the two men a generous glimpse of his unusual eyes. “I do
not believe we have been properly introduced. I am Conte Dominic
Alessandro Giovanni Ambrosi di Castello, the 26
^th
Earl
of the region. And this is my brother Stephan.”

Stephan inclined his head, keeping his hands
twinned behind his back.

“Davide Greyson.” Greyson strolled forth and
took the hand he offered. His grip was firm and straight forward.
Dominic knew the moment Greyson noticed his uniqueness. His mud
brown eyes shifted back and forth over Dominic
’
s in an accessing manner.

“I am loathe to make your acquaintance under
such circumstances, but I am here in an official capacity on behalf
of the social reform board at the urgings of…a concern
citizen—”

Montgomery chose that moment to clear his
throat, demanding an introduction Dominic knew. The area around
Greysons
’
eyes tightened
infinitesimally. It spoke volumes of Greyson
’
s opinion of the shorter man.

Montgomery reminded Dominic of a greedy child
as he wedged his squat frame between Greyson and himself to proffer
his own hand. “Matthias Montgomery, at yer service.”

As Dominic came away from the ham-fisted
troll, he wished he had taken the forethought to steal a glance at
each man
’
s essence. Of
course, such a feat would have been impossible with both them and
the two footmen in the same room. Not being familiar with
either
’
s appearance on
the astral he wouldn
’
t
have been able to tell which essence belonged to whom, much less
gleam any useful tidbits.

Greyson stepped forward once more, offering
an apologetic mien. “Again, forgive us this abrupt intrusion.
I
’
m only glad I was able
to dissuade the board from a full-scale stopover.”

Dominic caught the asylum keeper
’
s glower out of the corner of his
eye. He waved a solicitous hand urging the twosome to make
themselves comfortable on the sofa. “Now, then, what moral
turpitude is it you suspect me of exactly? Renfred
’
s idea of tact is to be vague
beyond comprehension.”

“Ahem, there has been talk of a gently bred
young woman with a less than steady mind, being held on the estate
against her wishes and subjected to…nefarious crimes against her
virtue.”

“How…theatrical.” Dominic shot the two of
them a winsome smile, the picture of a carefree country gent. “You
believe I have kidnapped a noblewoman and chained her up in my
secret pleasure chamber, or rather in this case not so secret.
Stephan, does it not sound like the plot of some insipid horror
novel.”

“A poorly written one, at that.” He concurred
with a bored air.

“Do ya deny then dat tha Lady Prescott is at
dis very moment ‘oused in yer bed chamber an’ used a’bominably for
yer pleasure?”

“That is a distortion of the truth.” Dom let
the words roll off his tongue like melted butter. “Miss Prescott is
here on a visit and closely chaperoned by my brother
Ethan
’
s wife. Her
presence in my suites while irregular is temporary and due entirely
to an unfortunate mishap that led to her spending a very
frightening hour locked in the wine vault. Ethan and our other
brother Cael are both physicians. They have been looking after her.
My chamber is nearer to theirs and more isolated than the guest
chamber that she normally occupies and thus more suitable as a
sickroom. She is there merely for convenience sake. “

“Why ‘
is
chamber?
” Montgomery persisted, in a tone that rang with
accusation.

“I was away until recently.”

“And how come she
’
s ‘ere at all instead of ‘aving herself a season in
tha bosom of them rich grandparents of ‘ers. “

Greyson obviously didn
’
t care for Montgomery
’
s crass inquires, but his resigned silence
said that he needed a reasonable explanation all the same.

“If you know her background, then you are
also familiar with her circumstances. I sought an audience with the
Duke and Duchess, and informed them of their Granddaughter’s
plight. They suggested I apply for her a place at Bedlam. But by
all means, speak with them yourself if you have any doubt of their
indifference.” He invited generously. “Pray, mention having her to
stay with them if you wish to see the full measure of their
repugnance.”

Dominic did not miss the quelling glance the
taller man shot the asylum keeper before turning to ask, “How did
your brother and sister-in-law become acquainted with the young
lady?”

He strolled about the room as he strung
together a plausible story from fragments and half-truths. “One of
his colleagues attended the birthing and subsequent death of her
cousin, a Lady Millicent St. James. This colleague relayed the sad
tale to Ethan, and well, Ethan and Cael both have rather tender
hearts…cultivated by their profession. When he learned that her
cousin’s widower along with the Duke and Duchess had spurned her,
he offered refuge with he and his wife Kathleen. My sister-in-law
is increasing and much favors female companionship.”

“So ya struck while tha young miss was
vulnerable, alone, out of ‘er head wit grief—”

“She is as sane as you or I.” Stephan
corrected Montgomery, a hint of something lethal edged into his
voice.

“What my brother says is true. Outside of
some lingering malaise over the sudden loss of her parents, aunts
and most recently her cousin, the young woman is quite rational.
One can hardly fault her for needing a period of adjustment. All
that she knew and held dear is gone. She
’
s had to assimilate into a whole new
society.”

“An’ I suppose, we
’
re ta take ya word for dat…as a
gentleman
.” Montgomery openly mocked his credibility.

“Give your oath that you
’
ll do or say nothing to upset her, and I
will allow a short visit with Miss Prescott. You may form your own
opinion as to the state of her well-being.” Dominic made the offer
as graciously as possible considering the idea of Eden being within
a mile of either man raised a tumult of dread and
protectiveness.

* * *

Cael surveyed her from the window. “That
will
have to do. I
can
’
t imagine Dom can
stall them much longer. Montgomery is not the sort to be reasoned
with.”