Cinders and Ashes (Cavendish Mysteries 2)

“They are in a carriage,” Peter reasoned, shaking his head at Sebastian’s clear devotion to the mysteriously alluring Amelia. “It is going to take them longer to get here as they are coming by road. Just relax, Hughes is driving. He is the most experienced coachman in the county. They couldn’t be in better hands.”

Despite his words, Peter knew he was talking to himself. Sebastian was busy pacing around the room like a caged lion, muttering dire imprecations to himself for allowing the ladies to travel alone. Dominic had taken to staring moodily out of the front windows, watching the drive avidly for any sign of movement.

Dominic understood Sebastian’s tension. He knew Isobel well, and her penchant for going gung ho into dangerous situations. He could still remember the palpable fear he had felt when they had searched her uncle’s house in the middle of the night. She hadn’t seemed all that perturbed by the experience, while he had been left a quivering wreck.

If Amelia was anything like Isobel for her adventurous spirit, heaven knew what they were up to.

“We’ll give them half an hour. If they are not here by then, I’m going out to look for them,” Dominic declared, already planning the lecture he would give his wayward wife the next time he saw her.

“Here they are,” Edward exclaimed with a sigh of relief, when the coach turned into the driveway. He briefly considered making himself scarce while Dominic and Sebastian berated the women for their, well, lateness? Shaking his head, he was only glad he hadn’t got a troublesome female to tie him into knots.

Dominic and Sebastian had already left the house to stand at the top of the steps to wait for the carriage to pull to a stop. They practically bristled with masculine fury.

“Missed us?” Isobel asked with a careless smile, ignoring her dark scowl on her husband’s face. Nudging the step down with an elegant foot, she stepped out of the carriage, dragging the huge basket of food with her, which she deposited with a thud at her husband’s feet. “Be a love and take that inside, would you? We have more.”

She moved away as Amelia emerged from the carriage, dragging another heavily laden basket with her.

“I only put one basket into the carriage this morning,” Sebastian snapped, not willing to let go of his worry until he had them safely inside. With the door shut and locked tightly. With him holding the key.

“We stopped off in the village. It was market day, so we bought some more fruit and some wonderful game pies. They smell just heavenly,” Amelia replied, still astonished at the veritable feast Isobel had casually purchased in the village. She was certain they had bought out most of the contents of the food stalls there.

Copying Isobel, she pushed the basket at Sebastian, who immediately relieved her of the heavy burden and followed her as she swept inside without a care.

He wasn’t sure whether to be angry or bemused. He had been worrying himself until he was practically grey, and she had been on a shopping expedition for food they didn’t need. He should be angry for the stress and worry she had caused him.

But a small voice inside reminded him of the dire way she had been living. He really couldn’t find it within him to begrudge her, if she wanted to sample the delights of a well-stocked food basket. There must be foods in there that Amelia had not had in years, if ever.

His worry simply vanished as he dropped the basket beside Dominic’s equally large burden. Instead he watched the ladies remove their cloaks, discussing which rooms they would open, and which dust sheets they would remove.

“Come on then,” Isobel commanded as she marched towards the main staircase beside Amelia. “Let’s get some of the bedrooms ready, and then we will eat while we plan where to start the search.”

Like a general marching to battle, she motioned towards the stairs leading the group of bemused men, who followed her without question.

Together they opened five of the bedrooms, just enough to be habitable overnight. The dust sheets had been removed and fresh sheets put on the beds, before candles were replenished and water jugs filled.

“There,” Isobel announced proudly, as they emptied the last of the baskets onto the kitchen table. There was enough food to provide them with a veritable feast for the next few days. Amelia had never seen so much food in all of her life.

“Let’s eat.”

They had decided to eat around the kitchen table where it was easier to clean up, and they could leave the food out until morning.

Amelia remembered she hadn’t eaten since an apple in the carriage, many hours earlier. She tucked in to a piece of pie hungrily, closing her eyes as the delicious flavour of the meat and gravy exploded in her mouth.

While she had learnt to cook passably for herself and Sir Hubert, nothing tasted better than food cooked well, by an expert. As she swallowed the delectable pastry, she slowly ran the tip of her tongue around her lips in search of crumbs and stray gravy, before slowly taking another bite, her eyes still closed.

Sebastian sat mesmerised, his own food forgotten in his hand as he watched her. He was aware of the silence that had settled over the table, but couldn’t drag his eyes away from the sensual onslaught of watching Amelia savour her pie. He knew she had a sensual side to her. Despite her newness to making love, she had willingly given herself over to sensual bliss time and again. He just hadn’t realised how naturally sultry she was. Without trying, apparently.

She simply had no idea what she was doing not only to him, but to every other man around the table.

Reluctantly he dragged his gaze away from her pink tongue and alluring lips, to glance at Peter and Edward who were blatantly watching the siren-like display with rapt attention. Even Dominic wasn’t immune as he watched, transfixed, as Amelia took another bite of her pie.

He jerked and coughed uncomfortably when his wife nudged him with a scowl. It was enough to snap everyone out of their trance.

Including Amelia, who opened her eyes and looked down at her plate, completely oblivious to the effect she had been having on the male occupants of the table.

“Pie nice, Amelia?” Sebastian asked, his voice husky with arousal. He almost groaned when Amelia’s lambent green gaze met his, and she smiled in supreme delight.

“It’s wonderful,” Amelia replied, her voice soft. “I had forgotten how nice meat pie was.”