Anatomy of a Nightmare by M J Marlow (best pdf ebook reader txt) 📕

building between her cousin and this girl. “We’ll be leaving in two days so there is time…”
“Talbot.” He frowned as he moved out on the porch and answered his phone. “Talk.” He listened and his expression grew darker. “There has been a change of plans, Lily,” he said as he joined them in the kitchen. “We need to leave now.”
“What?” Lily cried as he grabbed her arm and hustled her out of the kitchen. “Let go of me!” she demanded as she watched Esme pick up her purse and bring it. “I’m not going with you!” She looked at Edward, who was being held back by the two other men. “Edward?”
“Claudia and I’ll look after the monster, sprout,” her brother replied. “You go have some fun.”
“I’m sorry, Lily,” Gregory said as he got her into the back seat of the car. “I can’t let you refuse. Everything hinges on your presence at the wedding.”
“This is kidnapping!” Lily protested. “You can’t just take people away from their homes because you want to!” She tried to push past him and he yanked her back. “Let me out of this car!” she demanded. “Now!”
Gregory shook his head and she knew she was in trouble. Her head began to feel like it was floating off of her shoulders and her vision was going blurry. She was too sick to be put in this situation! She tried one more time to get out and collapsed in Gregory’s lap. He smiled and stroked her hair as she lay there.
“I’m sorry, Lily,” he said as he caressed the silk of her hair. “I can’t do this without you.” He looked at Esme as the men joined them. “I want to pay off the mortgage on their home as partial recompense for taking her away like this.”
“Consider it done,” Esme nodded. They arrived at the airport and Gregory carried Lily aboard and laid her on the couch. His twin walked out of the cabin and froze as he saw her.
“She’s an exact duplicate,” Geoffrey said softly as he saw his wife’s twin for the first time. He had chosen to keep his distance just in case Evelyn was in denial. “Did you explain what we are asking her to do, Evie?”
“Of course I didn’t, darling,” Evelyn Grey remarked as she came up behind her husband and hugged him from behind. “Lily is freaking out enough now. Can you imagine what she’d say if I told her she’s being brought to meet her real father?” She scowled at Gregory. “Hello, Gregory.”
“Evelyn,” Gregory nodded his head, scowling. “You asked me to bring her. Can’t you be a bit more grateful?”
“In a few hours Mother and Father are going to meet my twin face to face,” Evelyn said to him. “When I ran across a reference to her in Father’s old files when I was practicing my lock-picking skills, I always dreamed this day would come. They are finally going to have to tell us why Lily and I were separated.”
“We could make this a double wedding,” Geoffrey teased, “and present her to them then.” He looked at Gregory. “Oh come on, little brother; we all know you have a major thing for Lily. You can’t deny it.”
Lily woke up just as Geoffrey was saying that and she looked at Gregory. His expression was one of annoyance, not affection. That was until he turned to see her and met her curious eyes. Then his softened and he was coming towards her. The room suddenly rose up around her and she passed out cold.
“You really are sick, aren’t you?” Gregory said gently as she woke up as he stuck the thermometer in her mouth and got some water for the pills. He pulled it out when it beeped and frowned. “It’s 102 degrees! Lily, you’re not going. I’m asking the pilot to turn around.”
“No,” Lily choked out past an increasingly sore throat. “You went this far to drag me back out into the world. I’ll be fine in a day or so.” She took the pills he handed to her and lay back. “I just need some sleep,” she said as she let her eyes close. She felt him slide the bedspread up over her. She imagined him leaning over to kiss her on the forehead and then she was asleep.
Gregory settled in the chair in the corner and watched her sleeping. He hated bringing this girl in when she was ill. It was going to be bad enough for her as it was. Being ill was going to cause problems for them he might not be able to circumvent.
“Don’t worry, G,” his partner in the agency told him when he called. “Everything is still on. I’m certain Mrs. Ambrose won’t be in any danger.”
“That’s good,” Gregory replied; “because if anything happens to her, I am going to hold you personally responsible. There was really no reason for me to bring a date to my brother’s wedding.” He laughed at his partner’s lewd comment. “You would, too.”
He hung up and went back to watching the girl. She might look like Evelyn, but there was something about her, an innocence and genuineness that set her apart from his sister-in-law. For the first time, he wasn’t quite so certain bringing her here to have her life turned upside down again was the right thing.

Lily stood next to Gregory, Evelyn, and Geoffrey, in front of the immense mansion they had been driven to from the airfield in a huge limousine. They had been greeted with champagne and a fruit basket and she felt like a princess. Seeing how the other half lived was going to have a serious effect on her behavior and her morals, Lily thought. The door opened and Lily felt Gregory’s arm go around her waist. She turned to look at him and he was gazing adoringly into her eyes. She nearly swooned in delight.
“Enough of that, you two,” a woman’s cultured tones rang out in disapproval. Lily looked up to see an older woman who still had rich blonde hair styled in a French braid. Marina Tarus Grey was a very beautiful woman. “You are not Evelyn.” She frowned and stepped back as she saw Lily, then turned to her daughter. “Oh darling; your little friend is sick!”
“You know full well who she is, Mother,” Evelyn said as she put her arm around Lily’s waist. “This is my sister. The one you and Father abandoned?”
“This is not the time or the place to discuss such things,” Marina sniffed. Lily looked at the both of them in shock. She was this woman’s daughter? Evelyn was her sister? She could feel herself ready to faint again and Gregory was at her side.
“You’re right, Mrs. Grey,” Gregory agreed. He picked Lily up in his arms. “She should be put to bed immediately.”
“Don’t fuss, Geoffrey,” Lily pushed at his shoulder so he would put her down. “I’ll be fine!”
“No, your friend has it right,” a man’s aristocratic voice sounded from the stoop. “You mustn’t push yourself when you are looking so pale. If you are anything like Evelyn, a little bed rest will soon see you right.”
“Very well,” Lily sighed in resignation. She ignored the tall broad-shouldered man with silver-hair and a square jaw and nestled closer to Gregory relishing the feel of his strong arms around her.
Gregory followed the butler up the stairs to the west wing where the bridal party would be staying. He set her down on the king sized bed in the one the butler led her to and a maid was there to unpack the suitcase and pull out a negligee, robe and slippers. Lily remained where she was. She was feeling sicker by the minute and she did not like it one bit. She clung to his arm as he turned to go and he gave her a brief hug.
“I’ll leave you to settle for a nap, darling,” he smiled as he kissed her on the forehead. “I think I’ll have a drink with your father and catch up on the news.”
“Don’t stay away too long, Geoffrey,” Lily begged. “I don’t like being alone here.”
“No fear of that,” Gregory replied. “I am your personal caretaker while we are here. I will wait on you hand and foot until you are feeling better.”
Lily liked the idea of him being at her beck and call. Her fantasy was interrupted by a coughing spell. She lay back with her eyes closed her head aching. “I hate being sick,” she wailed as her eyes began to burn.
“I think we should call a doctor…”
“That has already been done,” Marina said as she swept into the room. “Draw Mrs. Ambrose a warm bath, Violet. That will help take all the aches away.”
“Mrs. Grey,” Lily shook her head and looked terrified, “you don’t need to…”
“Nonsense, dear,” Marina broke in, taking charge, “Mother knows best. You don’t want to be sick on your sister’s wedding day, do you?” She turned towards Gregory. “William is in the Study with my daughter and your brother and sister, Geoffrey. Why don’t you go join them while I see to this sick little angel?”
Sorry, Gregory mouthed as Marina turned away. Lily started to giggle and that just made her cough again. She let the maid and Marina take over and spent the next hour being pampered. She was almost comatose as the massage ended and then the doctor arrived. Lily was sitting propped up in bed; by so many pillows she wondered if they had been borrowed from the rest of the bedrooms; it was like lying on top of marshmallows.
“When and how did this start, Evelyn?” the doctor asked her as he rummaged around his bag for the thermometer.
“She’s not Evelyn, Doctor,” Marina frowned at him. The doctor looked at Lily and blinked. “This is Evelyn’s twin sister. We were told she had died at birth.”
“Well its quite obvious she didn’t,” the doctor smiled. “Although right now you look like you wish you were. So tell me how you wound up so ill, young lady.”
“I’ve been running full tilt for months now,” Lily told him. “It was only a matter of time before I ran down…” The thermometer being shoved into her mouth ended her words and she was glad. She closed her eyes and nearly drifted off.
“Still running a fever,” the doctor said to Marina. “Gregory said it was 102 when he took it six hours ago. Now it is down to 100.5. Persistent but diminishing.” He filled a needle. “I’ll give her a vitamin shot to help her body fight off the illness.” He turned to Lily and gave her the shot. “The best thing for you is a lot of TLC, Evelyn.” He blushed. “I mean Lily. Rest, a proper diet, and more rest. I’m certain that your handsome friend will be more than obliging when I tell him to keep you in bed as much as possible for the next two days.”
“Doctor,” Marina snapped. “There is no need to be crude. Mrs. Ambrose was only widowed three month ago.” She patted Lily’s hand. “I will see the doctor out. You get some rest, dear. Violet will stay with you in case you wake and need anything. I’ll check in on you before dinner.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Grey,” Lily nodded and closed her eyes. Marina had made it more than clear how she felt about her being here. She would probably be wiser to run now before she could get hurt any more than she already had been. She was asleep before the woman had closed the door to the room.

Gregory saw Marina showing the doctor out from where he sat