Cinders and Ashes (Cavendish Mysteries 2)

“It’s Sir Hubert,” she whispered softly, dropping her head into her hands and weeping openly. “He’s dead.”

Several moments later, Amelia glanced at Hodgkiss and Izzy with a watery smile. Wiping tears from her cheeks with the handkerchief Hodgkiss offered her, she folded the small square cloth around her fingers over and over, as she talked. “It’s just a shock, that is all. He was a kind man who gave me a chance. I am not certain where I would be now, if it wasn’t for his help.”

“Do you want to go to the funeral?” Isobel patted her hand comfortingly.

Amelia shook her head. “He has already been buried. His brother wrote to inform me of Sir Hubert’s death three weeks ago, but unfortunately sent the letter to Glendowie. With Sir Hubert being away, Lord Bestwick was handed the note. He forwarded it on to me. Sir Hubert died a few days after arriving in Devon,” Amelia replied softly. “What do I do now?” she whispered, suddenly wanting the reassuring warmth of Sebastian’s comforting embrace.

“You need to remain here, and wait for Sebastian to return. Ballantyne still poses a threat. We cannot forget that fact,” Isobel replied, buttering some toast and pushing it into Amelia’s hand. “Until then, you need to try to come to terms with the latest news, and not worry about anything. Once Ballantyne has been dealt with, you can decide what you want to do.”

Although she didn’t say as much, Isobel knew that Sebastian would definitely have an opinion in that regard. She was fairly certain that his determination to visit Eastleigh had more to do with informing the man of his intention of marrying his daughter, than discovering Eastleigh’s connections to Hawksworth.

With a shaky smile of thanks, Amelia took the toast from Isobel and sipped her tea.

Sebastian felt tension creep through him when the small procession of horses turned onto the sweeping driveway of Tingdale House later that day. The sight of the large stone edifice lying in resplendent tranquillity in the evening sunlight looked even more inviting with the knowledge that Amelia was waiting inside.

“Don’t worry, it will be fine,” Dominic murmured as he rode alongside.

“She threatened to leave if I returned with him.”

“He insisted on coming with us,” Dominic reasoned. “He offered us assistance in identifying Hawksworth from the death mask. He can hardly do that from Kent, now can he? Propriety demands we accommodate him while he is here.”

Behind them, Edward and Peter rode alongside the Earl of Eastleigh, who had insisted on accompanying them back to Tingdale on horseback. His eagerness to reacquaint himself with his daughter was tangible in the man’s enthusiasm and ready acquiescence to anything they suggested.

Despite his concern at Amelia’s possible reaction, Sebastian still felt certain sympathy for the Earl. On the afternoon of their arrival at Eastleigh House, Sebastian and Dominic had introduced themselves before recounting events to date. They wasted no time in putting forward their suspicions that the man on the Penny Dreadful may be Hawksworth. Eastleigh was astonished, but in turn confirmed that the drawing did indeed look like Hawksworth. The only way to be certain was to take a look at the death mask.

Knowing the dangers involved, Sebastian had cautiously revealed the possibility that his attacker may be Ballantyne. He had recounted his brutal kidnap and beatings, before reluctantly revealing that he had in fact been saved by Amelia.

After a few moments of stunned silence, the older man had practically crumpled before them, slumping into the chair behind him with a heavy thump.

Sebastian and Dominic had both lurched forward to offer assistance, taken aback by the tears of relief and joy in the man’s eyes.

Immediately, Eastleigh had peppered them with seemingly endless questions about his daughter’s wellbeing, her safety, her whereabouts, before being overcome with emotion. It was evident, even to strangers such as Sebastian and Dominic, that the man had been desolate over losing her. There was nothing suspicious about him. He was simply a parent who was riddled with regrets, and self-recrimination, over circumstances that had changed everyone’s lives. Eastleigh’s anger towards his sisters had been palpable, as he assured both men that his sisters had been cast out for their callous treatment of his daughter.

Hugely reassured, Sebastian had wasted no time informing the man that he intended to take Amelia to wife. The older man had been shaking with joy, when he said he would be delighted to accept Sebastian as a son-in-law, and would give assistance in bringing Ballantyne to justice.

Sebastian had decided not to spare the man anything. Although reluctant to ruin the man’s jubilation, in all conscience he couldn’t allow Eastleigh to be ignorant of Amelia’s threat to leave if Sebastian returned with her father.

After a few moments of thoughtful contemplation, Eastleigh had assured them that she needed to hear the absolute truth of events. He wouldn’t be put off meeting his daughter, or be kept out of her life in the future, no matter how difficult things got.

If Sebastian was entirely honest, he didn’t have the heart to deny the man.

As they drew to a halt in front of the main door, Sebastian jumped down and threw open the front door with a thump. Despite his concern over her reaction, he was eager to see her.

“Sebastian!” Amelia gasped, catching sight of him when he entered the study. Casually tossing her sewing onto the floor, she jumped to her feet with a smile of delight on her face.

“Hello, darling,” Sebastian replied, as he strode across the floor. The delight on her beautiful face was a joy to behold. Despite the presence of his sister-in-law, Sebastian swept Amelia into his arms. “God, I’ve missed you,” he murmured softly into her neck, inhaling the delicious scent of apple blossom that was quintessentially Amelia.

She rapidly blinked tears away as she pulled back in his arms with a smile of relief. His response was everything she longed for, as his lips captured hers for several long moments.

“Ahem.” Amelia jerked in surprise at the interruption. Immediately her cheeks heated as she became aware of the others, now standing just inside the room.

“Hello, Amelia.”

Amelia shivered as the hauntingly familiar voice of her father spoke from the doorway. Everything within her froze. She turned her head slowly, and stared at the grey haired man standing across the room.

A sense of betrayal swept through her so strongly that she swayed on her feet. She tried to pull away from Sebastian, but he wouldn’t relinquish his hold. Instead, he pulled her tighter against his masculine length, tension thrumming through every fibre of his being as he watched her reaction with dread.

“Listen to me, Amelia,” Sebastian ordered, blatantly ignoring the betrayal that filled her eyes. “You need to listen to his side of events.”