Cinders and Ashes (Cavendish Mysteries 2)

“We’ve got you, Sebastian,” Dominic shouted. “Pull!”

But Amelia was too cold, and too wet, and began to slide through his grip.

Sebastian’s eyes met and held hers in a breathless moment, as she gazed helplessly up at him. She knew she was slipping and he wouldn’t be able to save her. The realisation shone in her eyes as she stared up at him.

“I love you, Sebastian,” she whispered, hoping he could hear her over the rushing water. “I want you to know that I will never regret anything that happened between us. I didn’t want you to be tied into an unhappy marriage to a woman you cannot love.” Despite her dire situation, Amelia needed him to understand.

“Don’t you give up on me,” Sebastian ordered, watching with horror as she slipped lower, until only their fingers were joined. “I need to be lower, I’m dropping her,” he shouted, but was too late. He stared in horror as Amelia’s fear-filled face disappeared into the black void below. Her scream of terror ended abruptly with a huge splash.

Silence settled over them for several seconds as everyone froze.

“Sweet mother of God,” Dominic swore from behind him.

“There she is,” Edward shouted, as he pointed downstream at the glimmer of white appeared briefly in the raging waters.

“She may still be alive,” Peter yelled, as he took off after Edward. They all ran downstream until they drew near to Amelia’s floating body.

Without hesitation, Sebastian dived into the murky waters, popping up mere feet away. It took all of his strength to reach her against the strong current, only just managing to capture her ankle and tug her towards him as the waters threatened to pull him under.

He gasped as his hand came into contact with her icy flesh. She felt colder than the water she was floating in. He managed to turn her over and get her face out of the water before turning back toward the bank.

The next few minutes were a battle for both of their lives, as he kicked and fought to reach safe ground. The men on the bank formed a human chain, each holding on to the other as they pulled and heaved Sebastian and Amelia to the safety of the dry bank.

Sebastian was shivering more with fear than cold as he hauled Amelia’s body onto the bank, quickly covering her over with the thick cloak Edward handed him.

“We have to get her warm,” Dominic panted, lying on the ground beside them for a few moments as he tried to get his breath.

Unable to speak, Sebastian merely nodded and swept Amelia into his arms. He took off towards the graveyard at a near run, heading towards his horse.

At first he couldn’t get into the saddle. It took too many precious minutes before he was mounted with Amelia perched precariously before him. Panic blurred his thoughts and it was only when he was mounted that he cursed. There was nowhere but Tingdale to go, and that was at least two hours away.

The cool winds whipped around them in raging fury, as he kicked his mount into a fast gallop, and took off across the fields towards Tingdale. She was so deathly pale. Her tangled and sodden hair hung lifelessly around her still shoulders. Her lips were a pale blue. She wasn’t even shivering.

“Is she breathing?” Dominic shouted, as they galloped past the roaring bulk of the burning house.

“Just,” Sebastian replied. “But we have to get her warm.”

“If we each take it in turns to ride with her in front of us, we can share the burden of two riders and spare the horses. We will get there faster.”

Sebastian didn’t stop to consider what had happened to Peter and Edward who weren’t following them.

They were so intent on racing Amelia to warmth and safety, that none of them remembered Rat, who was lying in the burning embers of the house he had torched.

Later that afternoon, Sebastian watched the doctor disappear through the gates at the end of the driveway with a sigh, and turned back to stare at Amelia.

Although she had woken up earlier, she was suffering from extreme cold and exhaustion. The doctor had stitched the cut on her shoulder, left a tisane and some laudanum for her battered feet, and ordered complete bed rest.

Sebastian quietly sat beside the bed, and dropped his head into his hands.

He couldn’t remember much about the journey home. He could vaguely remember stopping several times while he and Dominic swapped her from horse to horse, but arriving home remained a horrifying blur.

He had no sooner placed Amelia on the bed in his suite, than a steady precession of maids had come and gone. They had dried and dressed her in a clean night rail, before packing the bed with hot bricks and blankets. No sooner had they left, than the doctor had arrived and pushed him out of the room.

While paci

ng the floor of the library helplessly, Edward and Peter had arrived. They had brought news about Ballantyne, who was now sitting in the cellar of the tavern awaiting the magistrate and his men.

Covered in smoky grime, Peter had fallen into an exhausted heap on the chair beside the fire and reported that someone had noticed the fire and summoned the villagers. Despite their best efforts, the house was beyond help and had been raised to the ground. While banking down the embers, Ratchett’s body had been found.