Cinders and Ashes (Cavendish Mysteries 2)

“Sebastian,” she whispered, sensing the sensual tension rise between them with a shiver of feminine anticipation.

“If I command you, would you allow me to make love to you again?” Sebastian already knew the answer to that question.

“No. Not if you command me to,” Amelia replied pertly.

“There you go. You deny me. If I asked you to let me make love to you. As my equal, not my servant, mistress or whore, would you?” Sebastian was hard as a rock again, as his body waited with anticipation for her answer.

“Yes,” Amelia whispered, watching the surprise enter his eyes as he gazed at her. “As your equal I would deny you nothing.”

Sebastian leant over her intently. “Are you sure?” Hope and anticipation brightened his gaze as he stared down at her, his erection already throbbing in readiness.

“Yes, I’m sure. Make love to me, Sebastian,” Amelia murmured tugging his head down to hers. At the last moment before their lips met, Sebastian paused, his eyes holding hers steadily. “No regrets afterwards?”

“No regrets, Sebastian.” Amelia kissed his lips softly. “Make love with me.”

Later that evening, Amelia sat somewhat awkwardly at the dining table, certain that everyone knew Sebastian had spent the day in her room. Although they hadn’t said anything, she had been aware of the knowing looks that had passed between Peter and Edward when she took her seat at the table. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment, certain that she had a sign around her neck proclaiming ‘harlot’. She looked toward Sebastian who, seemingly oblivious, gave her a wink of reassurance.

“Tonight we need to look at that Penny Dreadful more carefully and see if anyone can remember anything about the murder. I think it has some significance or else why would it be hidden in a book?” Sebastian announced to the assembled group, once the meal was finished. “Let’s retire to the library and we will decide what we need to do.”

With everyone’s agreement, within moments they were ensconced in the library. Tea was served to the ladies and brandy to the men, as they opened the Penny Dreadful and placed it on a low table in the middle of the room.

“It looks so much like Lord Hawksworth,” Edward muttered, staring at the haunting drawing on the top of the Penny Dreadful with a shudder. “We need to visit the family and find out if it really is him.”

“We then need to find out how he came to be hung for murder. Did he really kill the maid?” Amelia added. “How do we find out?”

Sebastian frowned. “We need to discover if Hawksworth ever went to this maid’s workplace. Carshalton Hall. Does anyone know who owns it?” Everyone shook their heads negatively.

“I think I know,” Amelia declared.

“How?” Dominic replied with a frown. He quickly glanced at Sebastian and wondered where this was going.

“The face on the Penny Dreadful looks familiar, but not for the reasons you think.” She hadn’t told Sebastian of her thoughts yet, but continued regardless. Somehow, she knew he would understand. “My father is the Earl of Eastleigh,” Amelia announced into the silence.

“Good God, it’s you!” Dominic declared, after several moments of stunned silence.

“Pardon?” Sebastian asked. He stared nonplussed at his elder brother.

“Eastleigh,” Dominic replied, studying Amelia closely. “He has been looking for you.” His tone softened at the look of alarm on Amelia’s face. He glanced warily at Sebastian who was staring at him intently.

“I think you had better tell us more, Dominic,” Sebastian declared, taking a seat beside Amelia and squeezing her hand reassuringly. Her beautiful face had gone deathly pale.

Dominic saw for himself the worry she couldn’t hide. “I can remember about two and a half years ago, I was at White’s. Eastleigh was just leaving. He looked old and worn. Very unlike his usual debonair self. He had apparently been asking questions about investigators who looked for missing people. Rumour at the time was that he was looking for his daughter. Nobody knew much as she hadn’t come out, but word was that she had disappeared and he was trying everything possible to find her.”

Amelia fought the urge to run but knew that if she wanted these people to accept her, she had to be honest with them. She knew at that moment the folly of not confiding everything to Sebastian earlier, while they had been in bed.

“My mother was ill for some time.” Amelia clasped the reassuring warmth of Sebastian’s palm gratefully, as she opened the Pandora’s Box of painful memories.

“She was alright one day, then the next, something happened. I am not sure what. She refused to get out of bed, saying she had a headache and needed peace and quiet. It was a couple of months before I was due to move to London for my coming out. Unfortunately, as the weeks progressed she refused to get up and seemed to withdraw from life. She never seemed to recover.”

Amelia frowned as the memories bubbled like molten lava to the surface. She couldn’t suppress them. Despite the reassuring warmth of Sebastian sitting beside her, she shivered as memories rose to batter her senses.

“I got quite cross with her because she appeared quite well but refused to leave her room. Her behaviour didn’t make sense. She was eating healthily. At times she was up and moving around her room quite nimbly. At nights I could hear her arguing with my father, but not loud enough to hear the details. By morning she was too ill to leave her bed. One day, my father announced that my coming out was cancelled, and I was instead to go to live with my aunts in Bath.” Amelia’s voice quavered as she remembered those days of confusion and uncertainty.

“I argued, and tried to get him to reconsider but he refused repeatedly, insisting that I was to leave immediately. I tried to plead with my mother, but she became argumentative and insisted I go. Neith

er of them wanted me in the house anymore, and declared it would be better if I was introduced to the social circuit in Bath, rather than London. Despite everything, I argued with my mother. Begged and pleaded, but got nowhere.” Amelia took a deep breath as she remembered that last encounter.

“You don’t have to carry on, Amelia; it’s alright if you want to take a break,” Sebastian murmured, ignoring everyone seated around the room and drawing her closer to him. He slid his arm around her back in mute support.