“Peter and I can head over there tomorrow with some of the staff. They can take a cart and bring back everything that looks interesting. You can then decide what to do with it. Are there any hiding places uncle used to use?” Edward frowned, trying to remember.
“I emptied them when Bertram died. Everything hidden is already here. There was nothing interesting anyway, except for jewellery and I don’t consider for a moment Ballantyne would be interest in stealing jewellery. The items are nice, but old and unfashionable.” Sebastian considered the numerous boxes of jewellery now tucked away in his own safe. At some point, he needed to show Amelia, and let her choose the items she wanted to keep or have reset.
“What do we do?” Amelia asked, feeling somewhat useless.
“You, your father and Sebastian all remain here. You are under threat because of your association with Sebastian and, unfortunately Lord Eastleigh is under threat because of his knowledge of Hawksworth. It is safest if you remain indoors and out of sight for now,” Dominic replied briskly.
“Then here we shall stay,” Eastleigh added with a nod. “I am sure we will find something to keep us busy.” He clearly hoped to spend the time getting to know his daughter a little more, and relished the possibility of forming a closer bond with her.
As the clock chimed midnight, Amelia smothered a yawn. “Oh, please do excuse me. I am so very tired.”
“It has been a difficult day,” Sebastian reminded her gently. “Why don’t you head off to bed? We will reconvene here when everyone has returned with their news.” With heartfelt agreement from the rest of the group, they all headed off to bed.
As she entered her room and began to undress, Amelia thought over the events of the day. Her delight in seeing Sebastian again, countered with the shock and initial horror at seeing her father, topped with the staggering revelations he had shared with them, left her feeling bruised and uncertain of anything.
She was still reeling from the revelation that her parents’ marriage had been a complete sham. The thought of them being tied into a loveless marriage broke her heart. The knowledge of the lifestyle they were both forced to live, confirmed she was indeed right to want Sebastian to love her in return before entering into marriage. She couldn’t bear it if he ended up taking a mistress, because he was married to a woman he couldn’t love.
She was busy contemplating how to secure knowledge of his affections without asking him outright when she climbed between the sheets. She still hadn’t found a solution to her problem by the time sleep claimed her.
Amelia awoke the next morning to brilliant sunshine riding high in a cloudless blue sky. Quickly dressing, she ignored the insistent rumbling in her stomach and headed to the breakfast room, surprised when she got there to find her father sitting at the table munching toast.
“Good morning, my dear,” he murmured with a delighted smile, putting his newspaper down onto the table and rising to his feet. He was about to hold the chair out next to him, when the footman immediately tugged out the chair opposite, assisting Amelia with her napkin and pouring her tea without prompting. He also gathered a piece of toast, and Eastleigh was certain would have spread jam on it for her had she not smiled up at him and murmured a gentle, “Thank you, Jeremy,” making the man blush to the very roots of his hair in pleasure.
“How is your mother today?” she asked Jeremy the footman, casually. She was too busy spreading her toast to notice the look of delight that swept over the footman’s face briefly before he remembered his position, and resumed his staunchly vacant footman’s visage.
“Much better today, ma’am,” he intoned politely.
“Excellent,” Amelia replied with satisfaction. “How did you sleep, Father?”
Eastleigh fought the urge to flush with pleasure himself. Joy swept through him at her calling him ‘Father’. Suddenly the world seemed a much more pleasurable place to be.
“I slept very well, my dear, thank you,” he replied, watching his daughter spread jam liberally on her toast before taking a bite.
“No Sebastian today?” she queried, after a sip of tea.
“He was here earlier, but had to go to settle some sort of problem with one of the farmers. He said he will see you later.” He watched as Amelia seemingly accepted the news without question.
“Do you have any plans for today?” Eastleigh queried.
“Now Isobel has gone, not really,” Amelia replied with a frown, taking the newspaper he offered her with a smile.
“Excellent, then if you are not otherwise occupied, would you care to show me around this wonderful house?”
Amelia raised her eyebrows. “I haven’t really been around it completely myself. But I am sure the staff will help us if we get lost. Sebastian won’t mind if we wander around and take a look,” she replied thoughtfully. “Yes, I think that is a most excellent suggestio
n.”
“Then when you are finished,” Eastleigh replied with satisfaction, leaning back to sip his tea and waiting while she finished her meal.
“Could we have some more tea please, Jeremy?” He watched as the footman jerked to attention at the use of his name again, and smiled when the man immediately scurried away.
“The staff here are most excellent,” he replied with a smile at the door. He had witnessed enough of the behaviour within the house to realise that etiquette was rarely adhered to.
Years ago it would have offended him, but now? He was just so pleased to be a part of it, etiquette didn’t seem all that important any more. Happiness and contentment practically hovered in the air, and immediately made one feel welcome and at peace.
Sebastian and his family appeared to have accepted Amelia, and indeed him, into their fold unconditionally. It was refreshing to just be oneself, without the pompous niceties required by so called ‘polite’ society.
“Tell me, Amelia,” he began sometime later, when they had returned from their lengthy tour of the house. Taking a seat in the study, they had availed themselves of the tea and cakes on the tray between them and settled back to rest in companionable silence.