Cinders and Ashes (13 page)

“
Talk to me?” he pleaded softly. He hated to see her so upset,
and it disturbed him greatly to see her physically withdraw from
him.
It would have been better if she
screamed and shouted at him again,
Sebastian thought. Her anger he could deal with. This wounded
silence left him feeling helpless, and he hated it.

“
I’m tired, Sebastian,” Amelia choked out, drawing her thin
cloak around her tightly and burying her face in her
knees.

Stilted
silence settled between them as the carriage tumbled through the
night.

Sunlight
was breaking through the clouds when the carriage jerked to a stop
in front of Tingdale House. The sudden jolting movement snapped
Sebastian out of his doze. With a yawn, he eyed the vast stone
edifice of the house he called home with an enormous sense of
relief.

“
Thank God,” he murmured, briefly glanced at Amelia who was
still curled against the opposite door.

At least she hadn’t jumped out while he had been
asleep
, Sebastian thought ruefully,
opening the door and jumping down. He almost cried with the sheer
relief of being home again. Even the air tasted better here, he
mused, as he took a deep breath of the crisp October morning. He
was just turning to drop the step to call softly for Amelia, when
the banging of the front door made him turn.

Moments
later, chaos ensued. Men piled out of the front door and ran down
the steps towards him.

“
Good God, man, where the hell have you been?” Dominic
demanded. He tore down the stairs with his hair wildly tousled, and
breeches half-fastened. Sebastian barely had time to say ‘hello’,
when he was swept into a bear hug by his elder brother.

“
We thought you were dead!”

Moments
later, Edward joined them. After much back-thumping, Sebastian was
finally released, feeling somewhat stunned by the sheer jubilation
on his brothers’ faces.

“
I damned well nearly was,” Sebastian muttered with an abrupt
shake of his head. “Let’s go inside and I’ll explain.”

He eyed
Dominic’s broad, naked chest ruefully. “You must be getting
cold.”

The men
watched curiously when Sebastian turned towards the door of the
coach, beckoning with his hand until Amelia emerged from the dark
recesses of the carriage. Despite her wariness, her instinctive
movements showed an elegant grace that contradicted the cheap,
threadbare clothing she wore.

“
Let me introduce Amelia,” Sebastian murmured, loving pride
ringing clearly in his voice. “Amelia is the lady who saved my
life.” He handed a hesitant Amelia forward as if she were a
princess.

Amelia
shot him a wary glance, and was about to curtsey when she was
immediately swept into a hug by the man beside her.

“
On behalf of all of us, thank you, Amelia. My name is Edward.
You’ll have to excuse the lack of formality in the family. When
there are just us around, we don’t bother with the bowing and
scraping. Most of the time, we do wear clothing though.” His blue
eyes twinkled ruefully down at her.

Amelia’s
senses reeled. Although rumpled and clearly fresh out of bed, he
had partially laced his loose shirt which hung over his low riding
breeches. The man looked so much like Sebastian, it was
startling.

“
Sorry.” Amelia turned at the mumbled apology, and found
herself facing the half-naked male who had greeted Sebastian so
enthusiastically. “Edward is quite right, my dear. We do usually
wear clothing. Please accept my apologies.”

“
This is Dominic, my elder brother.” Sebastian was unable to
prevent a teasing smile at Amelia’s shock. She had yet to say
anything, but her usually pale cheeks were stained a tantalising
shade of pink with embarrassment.

“
Let’s go inside, Amelia is getting cold.”

Without
further hesitation, Amelia was swept into the vast hallway of
Sebastian’s home.

A butler
held the door open for them, beaming with joy as the small party
swept through. Despite her appearance, he bowed deeply at Amelia
before practically bursting with happiness at the sight of
Sebastian.

“
Sir, it is so
very
good to have you back.” Emotion laced the
butler’s voice as he practically bounced from one foot to another
with enthusiasm.

“
Thank you, Hodgkiss,” Sebastian replied with a grin, as he
clapped the older man on the shoulder. “It is indeed good to be
home.”

Amelia’s senses whirled. She had expected Sebastian’s house
to be large. He was, after all,
Ton
. The size was everything she had
expected. Larger than most houses, there must be over thirty rooms
within.

Despite
her expectations, she was still stunned by the luxurious splendour
that greeted her. The entrance hall was huge, and the study she had
been led into was furnished quite elegantly. Oak panelling appeared
to be practically everywhere. The darkness of the wood contrasted
with the lush fabrics of the brightly upholstered furniture and
thick curtains. Glittering crystal chandeliers and porcelain
ornaments finished the tasteful decor to perfection.

It was a
clear statement to anyone who visited, that they were in the house
of a lord of the realm, and a wealthy one at that.

“
Amelia?”

She
jerked out of her daze to find Sebastian holding a delicate cup of
tea in front of her nose. Woodenly she took it from him, shaking
her head slowly when she was offered milk. Instead she sat
perfectly still, and held the fine china in her hand as though it
was about to grow horns and run off.

Memories
she had spent years burying, were suddenly bursting to life once
again. Memories Amelia wanted – needed - to remain
buried.

She
hadn’t been to Tingdale House before, but its luxury was so similar
to the house she had grown up in, it was unnerving.

“
You must be exhausted.” A soft murmur in her ear snapped her
out of her reverie.

“
I’m sorry,” Amelia replied with a sad smile to Dominic who,
now fully clothed, had moved to sit beside her. “It must be all of
the travelling. Please accept my apologies for my
rudeness.”

“
Nonsense, my dear, we understand,” Edward replied. He was
intrigued by the dishevelled beauty his brother had returned home
with.

“
Should I prepare the green suite, sir?” Hodgkiss appeared so
silently that Amelia jerked at the sudden question, spilling some
of her tea with a frown.

“
No, the Countess suite please, Hodgkiss. Could you also draw
a bath for my lady and I’ll have one too,” Sebastian replied, fully
aware of the status he had elevated Amelia to by his simple
instructions. A status that at the moment was lost on Amelia.
Everyone else knew the truth of their relationship. He shot them a
warning glare to remain quiet.

“
We will catch up with what happened later,” Sebastian added,
in a voice laden with hidden meaning. “For now, let Amelia and me
have a drink, and something to eat. Once we are cleaned up, we will
update you on what has been happening.”

“
You had better,” Dominic warned, with a frown at his younger
brother. If he wasn’t mistaken, there was much more to the
relationship between Sebastian and the beautiful woman by his side
than saviour and victim.

“
Sebastian!” The delighted squeal was accompanied by a flurry
of movement as a stunning auburn-haired woman launched herself
across the room at Sebastian, landing in his arms with a
thud.

Amelia’s
heart twisted in her chest at the sheer delight that lit
Sebastian’s face as he lunged to his feet, barely catching her in
his arms before swinging her around.

“
We thought you were dead, you oaf,” the woman scolded,
smacking his upper arm lightly when she was set back on her feet.
“Don’t you ever do that to us again, Sebastian, we have been
frantic.”

“
Let him up, Izzy, the man needs air.” Dominic’s scolding was
accompanied by a rueful smile as he met his wife’s haughty
look.

“
He’s back, are you not happy too?” Izzy knew the answer
already. She had spent many nights trying to comfort her distressed
husband over the past few weeks.

“
Of course, but you might want to say hello to Amelia.”
Dominic nudged Amelia. “Please excuse my wife’s enthusiasm. This is
Isobel.” He winked at his wife. “This is Amelia. The woman we have
to thank for bringing Sebastian back to us.”

“
Oh, I didn’t really,” Amelia mumbled, feeling her cheeks
flush with embarrassment. She could feel the curiosity shimmering
in the air.

“
Yes she did,” Sebastian interrupted. “If it wasn’t for
Amelia, I would be dead by now. She saved my life. Unfortunately,
she has had to leave her home to reside here while we get to grips
with Ballantyne.”

“
Ballantyne?” Dominic leant forward, all traces of softness
gone.

Sebastian puffed out a deep put-upon sigh and reluctantly
admitted, “I think Ballantyne was behind my disappearance. Because
of the risks, I made Amelia come with me. She didn’t have time to
pack.” He rubbed an uncomfortable hand through his hair. He didn’t
want to admit he had kidnapped her. Even to save her life. “She
needs to borrow a wardrobe until we can get a modiste
here.”

He could
have kissed Izzy when, after the briefest hesitation, she accepted
the situation without question and turned to Amelia.

“
Well then, while you have a bath, I’ll sort you out some
dresses. We are about the same size. I am sure we can find you
something that would fit.

“
Oh please, don’t put yourself out. Really, I can manage,”
Amelia replied hastily, only for her protests to be firmly quashed
as she was led from the room.

The door
had no sooner closed behind them, than Sebastian found himself the
object of close scrutiny by the others in the room. Instinctively
he knew he wouldn’t get out of the room without explaining
everything.

With a
deep sigh, he poured everyone a brandy and sat down to explain the
events that had happened to date.

Upstairs, Amelia slipped down into the luxuriously warm water
with a deep sigh. As she relaxed, the significance of the changes
the past day had brought finally hit her.

The
Countess suite was simply divine. Decorated in pinks and creams, it
had a bright and airy feel to it that was very feminine. Despite
the pleasant surroundings, Amelia still felt she didn’t
belong.

She
wondered if she should ask Sebastian to move her to the servants’
quarters. Would the servants understand? She didn’t want to
encroach on their space and make them uncomfortable. It was after
all their living accommodation, but she didn’t belong in such
luxurious splendour of the Countess suite either. Whatever
Sebastian wanted, it all came down to one thing. Amelia had spent
the last two years of her life living and working as a servant. Her
upbringing was a long-buried memory, and had no bearing on her
current situation, or future. That left her with a predicament. She
didn’t belong upstairs with the Lord and his family, and she didn’t
fit in below stairs either.

“
You look worried.”

Amelia
squeaked and sank lower in the water. She turned toward the door
next to the bed she hadn’t noticed before, and Sebastian now
standing in the doorway.

“
What are you doing? Get out!” Amelia snapped, very much aware
of his casual scrutiny, and his own fully clothed state.

Sebastian leant nonchalantly against the doorjamb. He ached
to sweep her out of the bath tub and enjoy the delights of the
large, soft bed beside him. Instead, the worry and sadness he had
just seen on her face kept him still. Despite the hardness of his
manhood at the delicious sight of her wet and naked body surrounded
by steaming water, he kept his distance and defiantly remained
where he was.

“
Is Izzy not here?” He casually scanned the room, knowing that
Izzy was discussing dresses with her maid, in the room he had just
passed.

“
She is sorting through her wardrobe,” Amelia replied, looking
around for a towel or something larger to cover herself with.
Sinking down to her chin, she glared across the room at Sebastian,
standing so arrogantly aloof that she wanted to throw something at
him.

“
I see you have already bathed,” she mumbled, taking in his
pristine appearance. He was so elegantly handsome. The rumpled
shirt and stained breeches had undoubtedly been relegated to the
fire. In their place was a neatly starched shirt and cravat, tucked
elegantly into clean breeches, topped by a waistcoat that, unless
she was much mistaken, appeared to be silk. He screamed
Ton
, from the very top
of his neatly combed and fashionably cut hair, to the tip of his
highly polished hessians. So unlike the Sebastian she had come to
know and love that it was heartbreaking.

“
Just finished,” Sebastian replied briskly, smiling cheekily
at her. “Want me to scrub your back?” He wanted, no needed, to
erase the sadness that lurked in the shadows of her eyes. Pushing
away from the doorjamb he ignored her protests and casually
sauntered over to her, plucking a towel off the end of the bed as
he passed.