Cinders and Ashes (Cavendish Mysteries 2)

“Sir Hubert is leaving,” Amelia murmured, fighting back the panic that threatened to overwhelm her.

“Leaving?” He frowned when Amelia nodded slowly, and rested her forehead against his chest as she cried.

Surely this was good news, Sebastian thought silently, wondering why the news was upsetting her so. “When?”

"His brother has already arrived. They are leaving for Devon in the morning.” Amelia’s voice was husky with tears. Selfishly, she was so very glad Sebastian was there.

“Sir Hubert apparently received word of his brother’s imminent arrival the day before the storm hit. Now the roads have cleared, his brother is here and they are preparing to leave.”

“Has he asked you to go with him?” Sebastian was so tuned to her that he knew the answer before she spoke.

“No. He has asked me to clean the house once he has gone, and close it down.” Amelia hiccupped as another wave of devastation swept through her.

What was she going to do? How was she going to survive? If Sir Hubert left, the job would go. The money would go, and she would be left without a home. The pennies she earned mending the Bestwick House laundry weren’t enough to live off, even if she could find another cottage.

“He has said I can remain here for as long as I want to, but he isn’t certain he is going to return to Glendowie.” It was all she could say at that moment. She could only hope Sebastian would understand, and not ask further questions for now.

Sebastian mentally thanked Sir Hubert for his excellent timing. Although it distressed him greatly to see her so upset, it couldn’t have worked out better for the plans he had made with Bestwick earlier that afternoon. With the option of remaining with Sir Hubert eradicated, she would be more malleable to going with Sebastian, wouldn’t she? Sebastian liked to think so.

In reality, if he was totally honest, he wasn’t so sure.

He held her tightly against his chest, waiting patiently until her hiccupping sobs subsided. Gently tipping her head backwards, he looked down into her tear-stained face, and felt his heart flip at the misery staring back at him.

“It will be alright, Amelia,” he reassured her softly. “Trust me.” He didn’t wait for her answer. With his gaze firmly locked on the tempting curve of her delicate lips, Sebastian gave in to temptation and lowered his head.

The delicious sensation of having his lips caressing hers was just too tempting for Amelia to resist. Willingly returning the insistent pressure of his lips, she made no move to protest when she was drawn tighter against the solid wall of his chest.

His broad hands tenderly cupped her face to hold her still, as he deepened the kiss in the way his wayward body cried out for.

She learnt quickly, and within moments was copying the movements of his marauding lips and tongue. Her willing acceptance astounded him. When her thin arms stole around his neck, pulling him tighter to her, he groaned and gave himself over to the passion burning within.

The silence within the room was broken only by the hissing and crackling of the logs on the fire, as Sebastian and Amelia gave themselves over to the passion engulfing them.

He was driven by his fear for her safety. She needed the comfort of his strong arms. The mutual attraction neither felt able to acknowledge, drove them to deepen their embrace.

Sebastian shifted, pulling her tighter against his masculine length. He moaned low in his throat at the delightfully arousing sensations of her soft breasts pushing against his muscled chest. His manhood surged beneath the cloth of his breeches, and he groaned against the roughness of the material against his sensitive tip. He knew she could feel him, but did little to hide the evidence from her. He wanted her to know just what she did to him.

Despite the numerous layers of material between them, Amelia felt a thrill of feminine delight that she had aroused someone as wonderfully debonair, and startlingly handsome as Sebastian, Lord Torrington. Amelia knew she should be shocked, and should pull away. But her body yearned for the closeness he offered her, and she wanted to feel as though someone cared - if only for a while.

Gasping in delight at the wicked curls of sensation unfolding deep within, she tilted her head backwards to allow the tender ministrations of Sebastian’s mouth, as he slowly nipped and suckled down the long curving arch of her neck.

“We need to stop.” It took every ounce of her self control to utter the words she really didn’t want to say, but felt that she had to make a token protest at least. If she was to have any liveable future at all, she couldn’t allow herself to succumb to his ardour.

“Amelia,” Sebastian groaned in protest. Everything within him screamed at him to ignore her request, but despite his rakehell background, he was too much of a gentleman to force his attentions upon her.

For the sake of their future together, he had to make sure that she was completely comfortable with allowing him into her bed and her body. Because there was one thing he was certain of. He was definitely going to be the man; the only man; to enter either.

Reluctantly, he placed one last, tender kiss on her lips before easing his aching body away from the tempting comfort of hers.

“I’m sorry, Amelia; I didn’t mean to offend you,” Sebastian mumbled, gritting his teeth against the aching in his groin.

“You haven’t.”

Tenderly, Sebastian cupped her almond-shaped face with his palms, reluctant to break all contact with her completely. “You are so beautiful.” Satisfaction surged at the blush that stole over her cheeks, and he smiled teasingly at her. She was clearly not used to displays, or declarations of affection, and he loved to see her b

lush.

If he had anything to say about their future, displays of verbal and physical affection were something she needed to get used to. He had every intention of spending his days telling her, and showing her, just how beautiful she really was.