Page 34 of Tamed By a Passionate Lady
“How do you know my name?” he whispered, to the beautiful woman. “Who are you?”
Her beautiful dark eyes widened in alarm. He saw her pale, but she gripped his hand tighter.
“Do you not know me at all?” she said, in an anguished whisper.
“I would like to know you,” he said slowly. “But no, I am sorry, I do not recognise you.”
She looked shocked. For a moment, she turned away, gazing out of a window. He studied her more. She had a classic profile, the lines of her face so beautiful that he felt his flesh starting to stir. Being so close to her, in such an intimate way, was affecting him in an alarming way.
She turned back to him, fixing him with those bewitching brown eyes. He felt a tremble of anticipation.
“My name is Adaline,” she said, slowly. “And I am your wife. I have been your wife for the past two years.”
***
He gazed at her, stunned. How was this possible?
She claims to be your wife. She claims that you have been married to her, for the past two years of your life.
He kept staring at her, waiting to see if she was going to smile, and claim that she was joking. That she had crept into this room – wherever it was – and decided to play some kind of trick on him. But then, why would a beautiful woman like this do such a thing? And why was he even lying in this bed?
“I do not understand,” he said, stammering slightly. “I do not understand anything. I do not recognise you. Why am I here?”
She took a deep breath, seemingly at a loss for words. She was frowning, obviously grappling with what she would tell him.
“You had a very bad accident,” she said eventually. “You fell, from a cliff, onto rocks. You have been unconscious for days. We were very frightened that you were going to die…”
He gasped, his head spinning. He tried to sit up, but suddenly a searing pain went through his leg. He tried to move it, but it was so painful that he could not manage it.
“Please, do not distress yourself,” she said, gripping his hand tighter. “You are injured. You have broken one leg, and the other is suffering a wound. You will not be able to get up yet.”
He did as she commanded, sinking back into the bed gratefully. It seemed that what she said was true. Now that he was fully awake, everything was starting to hurt. His whole body was throbbing with pain, but particularly his legs.
There was a dull pain in the back of his head, as well. His vision clouded for a moment, before clearing again.
“James,” said the woman, her voice pained. “Do you remember the accident at all?”
He shook his head slowly. “No, I do not. The last thing I remember…”
She waited, patiently.
He gasped again, groping, trying to think. It was all murky, like black ink, in his mind. Everything.
“I do not remember much,” he admitted, fear slicing through his heart. “When I heard your voice, speaking to me, some memories came to me.” He took a deep, shuddering breath. “My mother, on the day she died…and then, watching my father being buried…a house, on the top of a cliff near the sea, that I wished to make my own…”
She nodded, her eyes shining. “That is Birkenhead Lodge. That is your home.Ourhome.” She bit her lip. “It is where you are now, James. A white house, at the top of a cliff, overlooking the sea, in Lancashire.”
“Our home?” He frowned. “Why, then, cannot I recall living here?”
She shook her head, tears springing into her eyes again. “I do not know! Dr. Brown told me that you may be changed if you woke up.” She hesitated. “He told me that your mind may be affected. It seems that it has been, that your memory has not returned properly…”
Another stab of fear entered his heart. His head started to spin again.
He gazed around the room, noting the bed, and the furniture, willing himself to remember it. But there was no spark of recall at all. He did not remember ever seeing this room in his life.
He felt all the blood drain from his face as he grappled with the awful truth.
He was injured. He knew that the woman spoke the truth. He could feel his whole body aching with it, particularly his legs. And his head hurt, as well. He remembered that awful darkness, swirling in his mind, and knew it was the place that his mind had gone when he had been unconscious.
