Amelia glanced quickly at the dark scowl on Sebastian’s face, and knew he was about to ask questions she didn’t want to answer. Hurriedly, she continued. “I don’t know how his face came to be on the Penny Dreadful, but if anyone knows of the Hawksworth family and is able to meet with them, it might help to identify the man on the Penny Dreadful.” Amelia knew she had caused considerable consternation by her declaration, and waited for the axe to fall.
“From memory, I think there was some scandal surrounding Hawksworth,” Isobel murmured, frowning as she searched her memory for the exact details.
“Didn’t he go to the Americas?” Dominic asked, taking a seat beside his wife as he opened the Penny Dreadful to stare at the roughly drawn picture of the convict.
“Yes. He sold his family home right out from under his family’s nose. His mother had to go to live with a cousin of theirs, or something,” Isobel added, practically fidgeting in her seat as details returned.
“I remember now.” Dominic looked at Sebastian. “His estates were sold suddenly a few days before he sent a missive to his relations that he was moving to the Americas, and wouldn’t be back. Nobody heard anything from him after that.”
“I only met Hawksworth once or twice. I don’t know much about him, but I know that some of the effects were removed from the house by the family. Most were left in the house because they simply didn’t have time to remove them before the new owner took possession.” Edward turned the Penny Dreadful to study it closely. “You know, I do believe you are right, Amelia.”
“Do we know who the new owner was?” Dominic added.
“Ballantyne,” Sebastian muttered with an oath, ignoring the gasps and silence that filled the room. Although the information Amelia had imparted had to
be confirmed, Sebastian knew there was likely to be much more Amelia wasn’t telling them.
“Tell me something, Amelia,” Sebastian asked softly, unable to hide the hard edge to his voice as it dropped to a menacing growl. The tone made everyone pause. “Do you know Ballantyne?”
His heart pounded and he fought the urge to shake the truth out of her.
Amelia’s gaze was steady as it met his almost defiantly. “I have never met the man before in my life. I never had a come out or anything of the type, Sebastian, so the names are merely that. Names.”
“So how come you can identify Hawksworth?” He watched the guilty flush steal through her cheeks with a small tinge of frustrated satisfaction.
Just how much did Amelia know? Was she in league with Ballantyne?
Amelia felt her stomach tighten nervously, and she fought the urge to fidget under the assessing scrutiny of everyone within the room.
“I have seen him at the Earl of Eastleigh’s estate. Only at a distance, but I understand it was Hawksworth.” Amelia’s voice was weak as she tried hard to keep herself from lying entirely. She wasn’t being dishonest. She really wasn’t. It had been on the Earl of Eastleigh’s estate.
Desperately, she tried to get the focus of attention from herself and back onto the Penny Dreadful. She could feel the anger and distrust practically bristling from Sebastian, who was standing near the fireplace, and knew he would push her further unless distracted. She began to feel cornered and didn’t like it.
“If I were you, I would go and check Hawksworth’s family for any portraits they may have kept.” Amelia kept her eyes on the Penny Dreadful, waiting until someone accepted her mute appeal for a change of subject.
“I think you had better tell us the truth, Amelia.” Sebastian’s voice was gravelly with suspicion.
“I have told you the truth,” she protested, knowing very well what he was asking but was unwilling to confide in him. Not yet. Not until she had her future a bit more secure.
As soon as he found out, he would high-handedly take decisions about her future into his own hands, and she couldn’t bear that.
“I have seen this man, or someone very similar, and his name was Hawksworth.” She tapped her finger on the Penny Dreadful for emphasis, her own voice biting as her temper and fears grew.
“I think Amelia is right. It does look like Hawksworth. Although this is a poor sketch, the more I study it, the more familiar the man looks,” Peter added, aware of the shimmering tension between Sebastian and Amelia.
“We need to clarify if it is him. Then we need to discover why he allowed himself to be hung for murdering a servant. Does anyone know this Martha Bainbridge?” Dominic lifted the Penny Dreadful to read out the name. Everyone shook their heads.
“Then we need to find out more about her as well.” He raised his eyes to stare intently at Amelia, who shivered at the cold menace in his gaze. “Unless Amelia knows Martha Bainbridge also?” His voice was hard.
Amelia could have wept for the distrust she saw clearly written there. From her first arrival at Tingdale only a handful of days ago, the family had welcomed her with open arms. It hurt to find herself suddenly cast under suspicion.
“I don’t know her,” Amelia murmured softly, feeling a pang of loneliness well up. Her gaze turned in mute appeal towards Isobel, only for Isobel to smile softly at her but make no move to change the subject.
An uncomfortable silence settled around the room, as everyone studied either her or the Penny Dreadful. Suspicion and anger shimmered in the air between them. It broke her heart.
“I have a headache,” Amelia mumbled, pushing to her feet when she could no longer stand the awkwardness. Suddenly she needed to get out of the room and be by herself for a while. Their distrust hurt. A lot.
She wasn’t keeping secrets to herself to be spiteful or out of any personal gain. She just didn’t want to open up the Pandora’s Box of painful memories, or let Sebastian take over her life. Or her father for that matter.