Read A Forbidden Love for Free Online

stretching silence, Anthony responded on the patient’s behalf with a confident, “She’ll recover,” then strode into the adjacent bath, reemerging with a pitcher. He dispensed the water into the basin.
    Her attention back to her brother, Ashley indicated to the bottle. “Pour in about two ounces of the brandy.”
    With a soft clink, the glass stopper was plucked from the decanter and Anthony added what he estimated to be the correct amount of spirit.
    Ashley gathered the utensil and measured two teaspoons from one of the smaller vials. As the fumes drifted over to where Sabrina lay, she detected the potent scent of vinegar and wrinkled her nose.
    The gaji , as of yet, had not demanded she leave her brother’s bed, and little by little, Sabrina’s heartbeats returned to a somewhat steady pace.
    “Now for the salt.” Ashley tended to the last ingredient before handing her brother the spoon. “Stir until the salt dissolves.”
    And so Anthony swooshed around the bowl, as Ashley resealed all the bottles, and Sabrina closed her drowsy lids, abandoning the siblings to prepare their mysterious concoction at their leisure.
    Chapter 4
    W ith a furtive glance, Ashley captured sight of the dozing gypsy, then looked back to her brother, whispering grimly, “You couldn’t avoid causing a scandal this one time?”
    He raised a brow. “Did you expect me to leave her in the woods?”
    “Well, of course not.” She lightly smacked his arm. “But the ball is in two days, the house is already in a state of uproar, and if our parents were to learn that a gypsy was now sleeping in their son’s bed, heads would roll, yours and mine among them.”
    “Be easy, Ash. No one is going to lose their head.”
    “Why did you bring her here?” she insisted in quiet reproof. “Why not take her to the local physician instead?”
    “I have a duty to take care of the girl and keep her assailants at bay.”
    “But to hide her in your room?”
    “Where else was I to put her? The spare rooms will be occupied by guests on the night of the ball. Besides, no one is going to barge into my chamber without my permission. She is safe in here with me.”
    He glanced up at the sound of her huff and connected with her glare.
    “Safe?” echoed Ashley. “With you?”
    “Certainly.”
    “Really, Anthony, do you expect me to believe mere duty brought about this carte-blanche arrangement? That you had no other motive in bringing a beautiful girl to your bed?”
    Up went another startled brow. The allure of a fair lady may be his Achilles heel, but to suggest he’d machinate this entire rescue just to seduce his vulnerable gypsy was a blow even to a man as jaded as Anthony. “You think me such a scoundrel?”
    “I know you such a scoundrel,” she corrected tersely. “Do you suppose I ignore all the accusations I hear from irate fathers and brothers and husbands and—”
    “No need to continue,” he quickly cut in before a tirade ensued. “I get the point, Ash. My reputation is deplorable.”
    “Then you understand my distress,” she went on. “There is Cecelia’s happiness to consider, and I intend to make sure her début is a smashing success.”
    “It will be a smashing success. Do you honestly think I would devastate my own sister’s evening by announcing I have a gypsy in my bed?”
    “I don’t know what you intend,” she grumbled warily.
    “Really, Ash, I thought you would be more supportive of my efforts, always dictating I need more responsibility, and all.”
    “Hiding a nude woman in your bed is hardly the kind of responsibility I had in mind.”
    Indeed. Anthony knew perfectly well it was the responsibility of a husband his sister was referring to. And to counteract that dampening thought, he turned to a more wicked one, imagining himself caressing his nude gypsy in soothing ministrations. Now there was a responsibility he would greatly enjoy.
    Ashley gave a short, fretful sigh. “How are you going to manage as