Dominic's Nemesis Read Online Free PDF Page B

Your throat is on fire.”
    Eden wondered how he knew that, as she
allowed herself several soothing swallows of the spicy-sweet
elixir.
    “How do you feel?” The dark-haired gentleman
asked.
    “Groggy, I-”
    Eden stared to answer when something stirred.
Her eyes collided first with a floor-mounted avian roost adjacent
the window. Then, she gasped as the olive-skinned Adonis uncoiled
from the window seat into her line of sight. The gentleman at her
side might as well have vanished, so arresting was the
other ’ s presence. His
attire, complete with coat, matching waistcoat and trousers,
conveyed a stiff formality belied by his lithe movements and unruly
wavy locks. He remained silent, seeming content to impress upon her
the knowledge of his existence. Tinted glasses obscured his eyes,
but Eden still felt their piercing stare. Though she was sure she
had never met the man, he was the one thing in the room acutely
familiar to her.
    “What is your name?”
    Eden snapped back to the man at her side.
“What?”
    “Your name, do you remember it?”
    “Yes.” Her eyes darted back to the window
seat before she identified herself. “ Eden Prescott. ”
    He smiled back at her with eyes that reminded
her of warm chocolate. “Good to make your acquaintance Miss…or is
it Lady Prescott? ”
    “Lady, however, I prefer Miss . I am
American and unmarried.” The silent one stirred at this revelation,
but he neither spoke nor moved from his perch.
    “Dr. Ethan Raine, and that is my brother
Dominic Ambrosi. Aside from the sore throat and lead chest, how do
you feel?”
    Making a concerted effort to keep her eyes
from straying, Eden did her best to describe the rung out feeling
in her limbs. A well-placed growl from her stomach announced her
hunger. When she glanced down at her hands, she was embarrassed to
find them wrinkly and pale from her ‘swim ’… more pale than normal even for her.
    She hadn’t gained her weight back from the
three-month bout of seasickness from the crossing and now she had
nearly drowned. Cringing, she realized she must look ghastly. No
wonder the silent one stared at her so. He probably had never seen
a more pathetic creature in all his life.
     
    * * *
     
    His spectacles in place and the length of the
room between them, Dominic watched Ethan tend to the woman. His
thoughts ranged from the perverse to the profane. Despite the
visceral reaction her presence claimed on his senses, even she was
a welcome reprieve from his grandmother’s dominating ways. Ahhh,
hazel. Her eyes were hazel, he realized with a burning satisfaction
he did not understand. If she knew the true direction of his
thoughts then she would probably cringe.
     
    * * *
     
    “Do not worry.” The doctor was saying. “I
have already sent for a light soup. Now then, can you remember what
happened? Were you alone? How did you land here?”
    Her throat felt better, less scratchy, when
she spoke. “Where is here?”
    “My brother ’ s country estate.”
    One quick glance, then Eden took a deep
breath and launched into her story, her lungs not so heavy anymore.
“I went for a walk on my cousin’s grounds back of the house. I
suppose it must border this estate. Perhaps you know him, Reginald
St. James, Marquis of Linley. My cousin is…” She trailed off, not
able to finish.
    “I am familiar with the family name, yes. The
wife recently died in childbirth. A physician friend of mine
attended the…birth.” The doctor paused awkwardly as if just
realizing something. “Please allow me to convey my condolences on
your loss.”
    “Thank you.”
    He eyed her, brow arched for her to
continue.
    “Eh…” Eden faltered, not sure how far she
wanted to take her explanation. She wasn ’ t sure she knew what happened to her at
the pond or why she’d jumped in. “I, eh…lost my way and then dusk
began to settle. The clearing seemed a god sent, but then I saw…a
woman, in the water. She was drowning, I think.”
    The doctor exchanged a