Temptations of Anna Jacobs Read Online Free PDF Page A

room. Her heart was also missing.
    Drew sat back and pinched the bridge of his nose.
    He was a monster, the Ripper. Drew had known that, everyone knew that, from the stories in the newspapers, but the details in these notes were worse than he would have believed possible. He suppressed a shudder. It was nothing short of horrifying.
    And people still believed Drew himself capable of such horror, people who had known him since he’d been but a boy. Even though he’d been released from prison and all charges dropped, there were still those who believed him guilty. He took a sobering breath. Alex had tried to warn him, to tell him evidence was mounting against him, but Drew had ignored him. He’d continued to pour brandy into his body, effectively shutting out the world around him.
    He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. A vision of a feisty woman in a curve-molding red dress flashed through his mind. Annabelle Jacobs had to be the most interesting woman he’d met in years, perhaps ever. How was it in a city where most women crossed the street to get away from him, she would storm up and confront him in a room full of people? Soon she would be a lady physician, an act that defied convention in more than one way. She possessed an uncommon beauty, as well—with eyes that saw too much, but held a soft vulnerability.
    He leaned forward. What a fool he was, contemplating her attributes. She was a woman with a purpose that did not include being seduced by the likes of him. He turned back to the manuscripts at hand. Things were different now. His mind was clear, and now he was alert and paying attention. Perhaps a little too late, but he hoped he could still make a difference. Drew made notes of his own as he reviewed everything. He created a timeline, mapped out the locations, and then added in the more recent murders, the ones in Mayfair. The ones he himself had been accused of committing.
    What did Mayfair and Whitechapel have in common besides the Ripper crimes? Little to nothing. The people who lived in Mayfair never even crossed London to see the filth and poverty spilling out of the East End. Well, except for people such as himself and a handful of others like him who went for the cheap drink at the pubs bordering Whitechapel.
    That was where the Ripper had found him, had selected him. The answer was here. Drew merely needed to dig it out.
    ***
    Anna clutched her bag to her as she stepped down from the carriage. She’d always studied at Simon’s townhouse—well, either there or the library. Today, though, the library was closed, so she sought refuge at her brother’s, despite him not being in Town.
    Their mother could not abide her medical books and Anna simply didn’t have the room required to lay everything out in her own bedchamber. Simon’s study, on the other hand, had a perfect table, large enough for her to spread out her books and make notes and drawings and the like.
    She knocked and the butler actually seemed rather surprised to see her. “Rutherford,” she said, “there is no need to make excuses, I know very well where my brother is and why.” She swept past the servant into the entryway. “I simply need the use of his study if you don’t mind. I do not believe I shall require any refreshments, but I shall let you know.”
    “Yes, of course, Lady Annabelle, but . . .”
    She entered the study and stopped short when she saw it was already occupied. By Andrew Foster.
    Her heart did some strange little dance in her chest when he looked up, and she turned around to leave.
    “Miss Jacobs!” He rose from his chair and quickly came to stand in front of the door, blocking her exit. “There is no reason to leave on my account.”
    “M-My Lord. I—” She swallowed. “I certainly did not expect to see you here in my brother’s study.” Had those words truly come out so breathlessly?
    “No, I don’t suppose you did,” he said. “I presume you’ve come here to study.” He took her