Cinders and Ashes (25 page)

He added
that at first he hadn’t considered anything amiss when Amelia
hadn’t responded to his letters. To begin with, he thought she had
been too angry with him for being sent away. Then he had put her
lack of response down to her enjoying her new lifestyle too much to
remember her father, and the bad memories that were linked to him.
After a while, he became suspicious but had to wait until winter
had cleared, and the roads had become passable again, to make the
journey to Bath.

When he
had arrived at Bath, Amelia had already gone. The altercation with
his sisters had been unpleasant, and he had resorted to threatening
the staff with prison before they relented enough to tell him she
had left several weeks before.

He had
been searching for her ever since. Never giving up hope that one
day she would be found.

Amelia
was so wrapped up in the pain clearly evident in her father’s
voice, she wasn’t aware of the tears that coursed down her cheeks.
She didn’t know what to think. The sisters were greedy and
manipulative. It didn’t surprise her that they had blatantly lied
to her father to keep Amelia under their roof.

“
Amelia?” Eastleigh’s soft voice broke through her thoughts,
and she jerked in surprise. She glanced upwards with a raised brow
so like his own that it brought a small smile to his
face.

“
I know there is a lot to absorb, my dear, but I sincerely
hope you can find it within you to allow me a small period of time
to make amends for all of the pain I have caused with my
blindness.”

“
I think there is a lot to think about, and consider,” Amelia
whispered, unsure where to begin.

“
I think your aunts have played you both for fools,” Sebastian
said, handing her a handkerchief with a soft smile. “They are the
ones who should be held responsible for the things you endured both
at their home, and afterwards in Glendowie.”

“
Glendowie?” Eastleigh queried, raising his brows.

“
It was where Amelia was working for a Sir Hubert. He knew who
she was, and agreed to give her a home and food, in exchange for
her being his housekeeper. Amelia informed him that she had nowhere
else to go, so he offered her a home of sorts. It was there that
she lived, until I landed half-dead on her doorstep.” Sebastian
glanced ruefully at Amelia, remembering that tiny cottage in the
middle of nowhere, with something akin to reluctant
fondness.

“
Housekeeper?” Horror filled Eastleigh’s eyes, as he stared at
his daughter.

“
It was fine. Sir Hubert was a wonderful old man who struggled
to live by himself. He wasn’t very demanding, and afforded me what
he could. If it wasn’t for him, I don’t know where I would have
been.”

“
Was?” Sebastian repeated with a frown, his heart sinking as
Amelia’s eyes welled up with tears again.

“
He died, Sebastian. A few days after arriving at his
brother’s house.” Her voice quivered with surprised
emotions.

“
Oh darling, I am sorry,” he murmured, tugging Amelia against
him.

“
I never got to say goodbye, or thank you,” Amelia whispered
through her tears.

“
You missed the funeral,” Sebastian sighed regretfully. “I’m
sorry.” He was only grateful she still held enough affection for
him to allow him so close.

For a
moment there, he seriously considered he had lost her.

“
By the sound of it, there is much we have to thank Sir Hubert
for,” Eastleigh offered from across the hearth. He was disturbed by
Amelia’s affection for the unseen Sir Hubert, but was pleased to
see for himself, Sebastian’s clear devotion to his
daughter.

“
I think, when you feel strong enough, you should pay your
respects at his grave. You should consider taking a few days of sea
air while you are there.” He didn’t add that it could be a very
suitable honeymoon destination. “I know someone who has a hunting
lodge there you may borrow. When you feel the time is
right.”

“
Thank you,” Sebastian replied, his own thoughts running along
the same lines. He had already secured the man’s agreement to marry
his daughter. If only getting Amelia’s agreement was as
easy.

“
I think you are right. But it is up to Amelia.”

“
I should like that,” Amelia whispered softly, drying her
cheeks. All she seemed to do lately was cry.

“
Let us deal with Ballantyne first. Then we shall all go to
Devon to pay our respects. I think all of us, in our own way; have
a lot to thank Sir Hubert for.” Sebastian’s eyes met and held hers.
“If he hadn’t have given you the cottage to live in, you wouldn’t
have been there to save my life. I would have died, cold and alone
by the side of that track and probably not be found until
spring.”

“
Don’t,” Amelia chided with a shudder.

“
It is the truth, though. Sir Hubert didn’t venture out
anywhere. It was on the edge of the Bestwick estates, far away from
where the ground staff ventured. I wouldn’t have been found.” The
thought made even Sebastian wince.

“
It sounds like there is much I have yet to learn about what
happened between you two,” Eastleigh muttered ruefully, with a
smile. He should have been outraged at the obvious intimacy between
the two unmarried people, but seeing the clear adoration on
Sebastian’s face, could only find himself happy for
them.

“
When you are ready, I think I should like to hear what you
have not seen fit to inform me of yet,” he added with a knowing
look at the couple.

“
You already know a lot of it,” Sebastian replied ruefully,
smiling down at Amelia.

Amelia
felt her cheeks heat at the hidden meaning in the exchange, but
refused to apologise for it.

“
There is a lot to catch up on,” she replied softly, a hint of
reconciliation in her voice. She watched in surprise when Eastleigh
lifted her hand off Sebastian’s shoulder, and kissed the back of it
tenderly before giving her a small bow.

“
We shall have time, my dear. If I have anything to do with
it, there shall be no further secrets between us. There is much
more you need to know.” He glanced at Sebastian to include him in
that statement. “But for now, I think we could do with a brief
respite. With your permission, I will go to my room now and get
settled. I do believe you may have a death mask for me to look at.”
With that, he quietly left the room.

“
I apologise for crying all over you,” Amelia said, carefully
moving away from Sebastian’s distracting embrace.

“
I’m getting used to it,” Sebastian teased somewhat ruefully,
as he eyed the damp patch on his jacket. “Talk to me,
Amelia.”

“
There is a lot to think about,” Amelia replied with a frown.
“There is a lot I hadn’t considered, and need to
understand.”

“
You are not angry with me?” Sebastian didn’t like the sudden
distance he could feel between them. As he had feared, she was
mentally and emotionally withdrawing from him.

“
No,” Amelia replied softly, with a gentle shake of her head.
“I should be, but right now I am not sure what to think about my
parents’ marriage, and everything. It was all a sham. I don’t know
where to start.”

“
Why don’t you just take a day at a time and let things
happen. Spend a bit more time with your father. I am sure there is
much more he has to tell you. There are three years of lost time to
make up.”

Sensing
her lingering disquiet, he changed the subject. “Peter has just
returned with news from Derby Gaol. Not only about the death mask,
but also about Jemima.”

Sebastian settled back in the seat with a sigh. He was tired
from days of riding, but relished just sitting and chatting amiably
with her. He wanted to ask if Sir Hubert had left her a reference,
but given her raw grief at the mere mention of his name, decided to
wait for now.

“
Jemima?” Amelia’s curiosity was piqued.

“
I don’t believe you know about Jemima,” Sebastian replied
ruefully. “That’s Peter’s scandal,” he added, with a full blown
smile that made Amelia’s knees tremble.

“
More scandals?” she murmured weakly, with a shake of her
head.

“
Come on, let’s join the others. We will see if we can combine
what we have all learnt about Ballantyne and Hawksworth.” He held
out his hand, pleased when she hesitantly took it and allowed him
to guide her to the library.

Amelia
wondered just what the future held in store for all of them. More
importantly, if they were all strong enough to deal with the
changes that appeared to be upon them.

Following dinner, everyone once again eschewed etiquette and
gathered in the library to discuss their individual
findings.

As she
entered, Amelia eyed the strange object sitting on a small table in
the centre of the room, loosely wrapped in a piece of
cloth.

“
Is that it?” she asked Sebastian warily. The small hairs on
the back of her neck rose just looking at the shrouded object, and
she instinctively shifted closer to his reassuring bulk.

Sebastian nodded. “That’s the death mask. You don’t have to
stay while your father takes a look at it, if you don’t want to. We
will call you back when it is covered up.” He eyed her pale cheeks
with concern. There were dark smudges under her eyes that hadn’t
been there before, and despite her healthy appetite at dinner, she
looked exhausted.

Amelia
shook her head and squared her shoulders. “No. I want to see it
too. I want to see if it resembles the Penny Dreadful.”

“
If you are absolutely sure. I have to admit, I would feel
better if you don’t look at it.” Sebastian looked across at Isobel.
“If neither of you looked at it.”

“
Oh rubbish, Sebastian. It is a mask of a dead man, that’s
all. There is nothing threatening about it. We need to know if it
is Hawksworth. The only way we will find out for certain is to take
a look.” With a quick nod of her head, she motioned for Peter to
remove the cloth.

Despite
her bravado, Amelia gasped. The face that stared back at them was
unnerving to say the least. The detailing on the mask was eerie.
Cast entirely in bronze, it looked almost peaceful, and so
lifelike, Amelia wouldn’t have been surprised if its eyes had
opened. She leant forward to study the eyelashes and thick ridge of
hairs of the eyebrows with rapt horror.

“
It is Hawksworth,” Eastleigh muttered, moving to stand beside
his daughter and study the face closely.

“
Are you sure?” Sebastian walked slowly around the object,
studying it carefully.

“
I’m positive. He had a cut above his brow. See here?”
Eastleigh’s finger traced the haphazard line of a cut above the
right eye. It was so small; it was almost imperceptible unless it
was pointed out.

“
He got this on a hunting trip when he rode straight into a
branch. The stupid man was out hunting full to the gills with
brandy. He could barely sit atop his horse, much less stay on.”
Eastleigh’s voice was laden with disgust. “He was a raging
alcoholic from his teenage years, and got worse as he got older.
Thankfully, I only did business with him a few times, and was glad
when our agreement came to a conclusion.”

“
What agreement did you have?” Amelia asked, thinking about
the times she had seen the man in the hallway of Eastleigh
House.

“
I purchased some paintings and furniture off him when he
found himself strapped for cash. Each time he wanted to get rid of
something, he visited his father’s old acquaintances and struck a
deal. He delivered the items personally, and took away the cash. I
have no doubt he drank the proceeds before he got home.” He shot a
rueful look at his daughter. “I hoped he took it home to pay some
of his debts, and tried to persuade him to break away from his
acquaintances. Despite knowing that the furnishings would
eventually run out, and he would have to account for his debts, he
seemed unable to help himself. He always seemed contrite and
convincing. Always agreeing with whatever was suggested, but never
following it through. If it wasn’t for my old friendship with his
late father, I would have no compunction against throwing his
worthless hide out on his ear.”

Amelia
stared at the bust. “What connection did he have with Ballantyne?
Do you know?”

“
I am almost certain he was hanging around with Ballantyne on
the very edges of society. He could have made acquaintance with the
wretched man at one of the dubious gatherings.”

While
talking, he casually placed his hand upon his daughter’s shoulder,
inwardly delighted when she didn’t shake him off and move away. He
would have loved to give her a hug, but knew there was still a
wariness that warned him not to push. Still, he had gotten further
in a day than he had ever considered possible, and he was overjoyed
with progress.

“
Is it possible that he was associated with Ballantyne?”
Sebastian shot, with a look at Eastleigh.

“
Oh, I think it is inevitable. They moved in the same circles.
Dissolute gamers and whore-mongerers the lot of them. Apologies,
ladies,” Eastleigh mumbled, with an abashed look at Isobel and
Amelia.