Dominic began, “Mother—”
“She’s not and never will be. I told you not to bring this viper in here.”
The older woman might be making her feelings quite clear, but her words were slowly uttered, some even wheezed. She’d been helped to sit up halfway in bed. Her eyes were fully open now. Amber eyes like Dominic’s.
Brooke thought she ought to leave. Her presence was upsetting the older woman. She started to, but Dominic put a hand on her arm to keep her there before he said to his mother, “She’s here to help you at my behest. I already told you this and how quickly she was able to mend me with her knowledge of herbal remedies. Her brother might be despicable, but she can be trusted. However, when you are well, we will both leave if that is still what you want.”
“She putpepperin my water!” Anna said accusingly. “Or did you not know that’s what cayenne is?”
“It does sound odd. But maybe you should see if it does what she claims before you refuse it?” He handed the glass to his mother with a quelling look.
She took it but didn’t put it to her lips. Brooke hoped she would when she was done complaining, but she wasn’t done yet. Anna told him in a half-beseeching, half-commanding tone, “You can’t marry her, Dom. She’s a blatant reminder of what we lost.”
“You no longer make my decisions, Mother. That burden is on me. And you have gotten worse, not better, according to your doctor. He has given up on you. I will not. So youwillfollow Brooke’s instructions and you will cease your complaints about it. Or do you not want to survive this malady?”
“To see you leg-shackled to her? No, I would rather not live for that.”
He swore, quite foully, and stalked out of the room, telling Brooke to come with him. But she didn’t move right away, having noticed the tears that came to Anna’s eyes when he walked to the door. She understood Anna’s point of view. The woman wanted the best for her son. In her eyes, Brooke was the worst.
Dominic was waiting for her at the door. As soon as he closed it, she said, “My presence upsets her too much, when she needs peace and quiet to recover. She won’t get that if I go in there again.”
“So you’re not going to help her?”
“Of course I am. The nice thing about the regimen to combat pneumonia is that I’m not needed to deliver it, merely to do the mixing and steeping. You can make sure she drinks every drop, or her maid can.”
“Thank you. I will leave you to it then and return shortly. I need to dispatch that money to those miscreants we spent the night with.”
The look he gave her clearly told her that he was remembering what they had done that night. It left her blushing.
Chapter Forty
“AND NOT EVEN Anote to say you’re back in London?”
Dominic swung around, surprised to see his two closest friends outside the bank, but he had to chuckle at Archer’s aggrieved expression. “I rode in late last night. Have you even been home since last night to see if I sent one this morning?”
“Oh,” Archer said contritely.
Benton elbowed Archer before saying to Dominic, “Good to see you, old chap. I’ve got wonderful news, but we hear you do as well. This calls for another celebration.”
Dominic raised a brow. “Is that what you two have been doing?”
“I don’t know about him,” Archer elbowed Benton back, “butI’msober by now.”
“Only because we slept with our heads on the table,” Benton insisted.
“I would never,” Archer said, aghast. “But I did watch you sleep. Quite boring. I surely would have left you there to snore it off if the serving wench hadn’t kept me entertained. But this does call for another round. Shall we?”
Each taking one of Dominic’s arms, they steered him across the street to one of their favorite taverns. He knew from experience that there was no point in protesting. Besides, he’d missed these two friends, had known them most of his life, having attended school with them.
Archer was the tallest of the three by a few inches. He was often called the golden boy not just because his family had such deep pockets. Blond and green eyed, too handsome by far, he was considered theton’s most eligible bachelor and was at the top of every hostess’s invitation list. Benton, while just as handsome with his brown hair and eyes, had developed a bit of a reputation as a gambler, so he didn’t receive nearly as many invitations, which might be why he’d been seeking a wife outside London.
It was a shame they didn’t see one another more often. Benton had been in the west courting a duke’s daughter, had apparently started wooing her before she came of age to get his foot in the door. Now that was dedication, Dominic thought, to court a woman that long, but he hadn’t seen Benton often since his friend had decided on that path, to know if he’d succeeded. But he guessed that was what they were celebrating. Archer visited Rothdale occasionally, so Dominic got to see him more often.
Getting a table, Archer ordered drinks. Dominic felt compelled to note, “You look tired.”
“I am tired. Did I not mention I’ve been up all night making sure Benton didn’t get robbed while he slept?”
“You could have taken us home,” Benton pointed out. “I would have appreciated a bed instead of a table.”
