Following dinner, everyone once again eschewed etiquette and gathered in the library to discuss their individual findings.
As she entered, Amelia eyed the strange object sitting on a small table in the centre of the room, loosely wrapped in a piece of cloth.
“Is that it?” she asked Sebastian warily. The small hairs on the back of her neck rose just looking at the shrouded object, and she instinctively shifted closer to his reassuring bulk.
Sebastian nodded. “That’s the death mask. You don’t have to stay while your father takes a look at it, if you don’t want to. We will call you back when it is covered up.” He eyed her pale cheeks with concern. There were dark smudges under her eyes that hadn’t been there before, and despite her healthy appetite at dinner, she looked exhausted.
Amelia shook her head and squared her shoulders. “No. I want to see it too. I want to see if it resembles the Penny Dreadful.”
“If you are absolutely sure. I have to admit, I would feel better if you don’t look at it.” Sebastian looked across at Isobel. “If neither of you looked at it.”
“Oh rubbish, Sebastian. It is a mask of a dead man, that’s all. There is nothing threatening about it. We need to know if it is Hawksworth. The only way we will find out for certain is to take a look.” With a quick nod of her head, she motioned for Peter to remove the cloth.
Despite her bravado, Amelia gasped. The face that stared back at them was unnerving to say the least. The detailing on the mask was eerie. Cast entirely in bronze, it looked almost peaceful, and so lifelike, Amelia wouldn’t have been surprised if its eyes had opened. She leant forward to study the eyelashes and thick ridge of hairs of the eyebrows with rapt horror.
“It is Hawksworth,” Eastleigh muttered, moving to stand beside his daughter and study the face closely.
“Are you sure?” Sebastian walked slowly around the object, studying it carefully.
“I’m positive. He had a cut above his brow. See here?” Eastleigh’s finger traced the haphazard line of a cut above the right eye. It was so small; it was almost imperceptible unless it was pointed out.
“He got this on a hunting trip when he rode straight into a branch. The stupid man was out hunting full to the gills with brandy. He could barely sit atop his horse, much less stay on.” Eastleigh’s voice was laden with disgust. “He was a raging alcoholic from his teenage years, and got worse as he got older. Thankfully, I only did business with him a few times, and was glad when our agreement came to a conclusion.”
“What agreement did you have?” Amelia asked, thinking about the times she had seen the man in the hallway of Eastleigh House.
“I purchased some paintings and furniture off him when he found himself strapped for cash. Each time he wanted to get rid of something, he visited his father’s old acquaintances and struck a deal. He delivered the items personally, and took away the cash. I have no doubt he drank the proceeds before he got home.” He shot a rueful look at his daughter. “I hoped he took it home to pay some of his debts, and tried to persuade him to break away from his acquaintances. Despite knowing that the furnishings would eventually run out, and he would have to account for his debts, he seemed unable to help himself. He always seemed contrite and convincing. Always agreeing with whatever was suggested, but never following it through. If it wasn’t for my old friendship with his late father, I would have no compunction against throwing his worthless hide out on his ear.”
Amelia stared at the bust. “What connection did he have with Ballantyne? Do you know?”
“I am almost certain he was hanging around with Ballantyne on the very edges of society. He could have made acquaintance with the wretched man at one of the dubious gatherings.”
While talking, he casually placed his hand upon his daughter’s shoulder, inwardly delighted when she didn’t shake him off and move away. He would have loved to give her a hug, but knew there was still a wariness that warned him not to push. Still, he had gotten further in a day than he had ever considered possible, and he was overjoyed with progress.
“Is it possible that he was associated with Ballantyne?” Sebastian shot, with a look at Eastleigh.
“Oh, I think it is inevitable. They moved in the same circles. Dissolute gamers and whore-mongerers the lot of them. Apologies, ladies,” Eastleigh mumbled, with an abashed look at Isobel and Amelia.
“That doesn’t explain how Hawksworth came to be hung for the murder of a servant. Surely he couldn’t have been so drunk that he couldn’t remember killing someone, or wouldn’t even try to explain who he was?” It sounded too incredible to consider.
“I think he was set up,” Peter added. “I spoke to the gaoler at Derby, who said he could remember the man quite clearly. He was different from the scourge they usually accommodate. Apparently, the man spoke with a cultivated tone and kept asking for his friend, but the gaoler couldn’t remember the friend’s name. Someone did visit him in the family room the day before his hanging, but nobody knew what was discussed. They had to drag Hawksworth to his cell in the end, as he kept protesting that they needed to know the truth. Began shouting and fighting them as they dragged him back to the condemned cell. They put it down to the mad ramblings of a man facing death, and ignored him. Right up until he was taken to the gallows, he kept screaming and kicking, insisting he wasn’t Jack Cunnington.”
“The poor man,” Amelia whispered, looking at the mask with renewed eyes. “He took his secrets, and the truth, to the grave with him.”
“Hawksworth hasn’t been heard of since. He supposedly departed for the Americas, but took the family coffers with him and disappeared,” Edward added. “Hawksworth’s family did confirm the maid who died, Martha Bainbridge, was a maid at the Ballantyne residence.”
Dominic swore. “The bastards set him up.”
“But I don’t understand why they are trying to kill Sebastian. He didn’t know Hawksworth. Did you?” Amelia turned to look at Sebastian.
“Never met the man before in my life. I don’t think he was after me per se, I think he is after Edenvale Manor. Or something in it,” Sebastian replied, trying to recall the details of his time in the cellar, in case he missed something.
“He wanted to kill you for the Penny Dreadful?”
“There is something we are missing,” Dominic added with a frown. “What’s at Bertram’s that Ballantyne needs to get to, and is willing to get you out of the way to get access to it?”
“If what we suspect is true, he has killed before and gotten away with it. There is no telling what is going on in his mind, or what he thinks he can get away with.” Amelia shuddered. “He has already tried to kill you once, and very nearly succeeded. He also knows you are alive and well. You have to be careful, Sebastian. Given what happened at Edenvale Manor, we all need to be careful.”
Eastleigh frowned at the assembled group. Sensing his curiosity, Sebastian quickly recounted events, ending with their return to the safe confines of Tingdale.
“Then we need to act, and act quickly,” Eastleigh stated decisively.
“We need to visit the maid’s family and see if she can tell us any more,” Amelia added.
“You can’t go.” Dominic frowned at Sebastian. “You are too much of a risk.”
“I can’t just sit here and do nothing.” It went against everything within him to just sit back, and let everyone else take action on his behalf.
“You need to remain here and take care of Amelia, and the mask.” Dominic studied his wife for several moments. “Isobel and I will go.”
Isobel looked askance at her husband as he turned back to Amelia and Sebastian. “She kept the long trousers she used to use. We can pose as man and son, and go to the village undetected.”
Amelia almost clapped at the cleverness of the idea.
Isobel looked delighted. “Don’t you think they will think it slightly odd that we are sharing a room?”
“There is no way on this earth you are going to share a room with other men,” Dominic stated bluntly in a tone that brooked no argument. “If they hear the bed going in the middle of the night, then we will have to leave them with raised eyebrows.”
That earned him a slap on the arm from his flushed wife, who carefully ignored the smothered sniggers from the room’s other occupants. “What?” Dominic asked his wife with a smothered smile. It didn’t hurt to throw the unexpected at her occasionally, he mused with a sly grin.
“We need to go through Bertram’s house again to check for anything else that may be hidden,” Peter mused, carefully covering the death mask back up.
“But we already checked all of the books,” Amelia protested, thinking of the hours and hours of endless and futile searching.
“Yes, but we didn’t check the papers for letters or anything.”
“I think that instead of anyone spending any more time there for the moment, it is best if the papers are packed up and brought here. The house needs to be emptied of all personal effects, anyway,” Sebastian added.
“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 suggestion.”
“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.
“When Ballantyne has been dealt with, what are your plans?”
Amelia paused and considered her response carefully. “I don’t know. When I first arrived, I was going to request a reference from Sir Hubert and take up a position of nanny or companion somewhere. Since his demise, I am not sure what I am going to do.”
“Would you like to stay here?” Eastleigh tried not to show how important her response was, but was on edge as he waited for her reply.
“I think it would be folly to do so as things stand,” Amelia replied carefully.
“Oh?”
Amelia thought of the raw honesty her father had shown her yesterday, and felt he deserved nothing less than the truth himself.
“I love Sebastian,” she began, choosing her words carefully.
“That’s good, isn’t it?”
“Not when he doesn’t love me back.” She sensed her father was about to interject, and hurried on. “He cares about me, but I think he feels beholden to me for saving his life. It isn’t love. In all of the time I have known him, he hasn’t declared any feelings for me whatsoever. You, of all people, should understand that I simply cannot remain here knowing he doesn’t hold me in the same regard.”
Eastleigh felt a pang of sympathy for the hurt in his daughter’s voice. “I think you should know, my dear, that Sebastian has asked me for your hand in marriage.”
Amelia gasped and stared at her father. “Did you give it?”
“I said that he had my full agreement, as long as you agreed and it was something you wanted to do.” Eastleigh leant forward in his chair, and placed his tea cup on the table between them. “He does hold you in high regard.”
“But it isn’t love, and I won’t - can’t - settle for anything less.” Amelia’s voice trembled with hurt that refused to be ignored.
“Neither should you. You need to understand something, my dear.” Eastleigh looked directly into her gaze, his eyes serious. “You are independently wealthy in your own right. When your mother passed, the money she had inherited herself, but not spent, was passed on to you. While we were married, I provided for her so she had cause to use very little of it.”
He named a sum of money that made Amelia gasp. “So you see, if you do choose not to marry Sebastian, then you can decide where you want to live. You are always welcome to reside at Eastleigh Hall, which will always be your home, but having had your independence now, I will fully understand if you choose to purchase your own home.”
Amelia blinked back tears, as she contemplated the last. “I am not sure I can go back to Eastleigh. It doesn’t hold good memories.”
“I can understand,” Eastleigh replied. “But you could at least return for a visit. You need to lay the old ghosts to rest, before you can settle into whatever future is in store for you.” He picked up his tea cup again, and sat back in his chair to study his daughter closely. “I do feel I should warn you, though, that Sebastian doesn’t strike me as a man who will give up very easily. I don’t think you will find it as easy to leave here as you think.”
Moments later the door opened, and Sebastian sauntered in. His hair was windswept, and his cheeks ruddy from the biting wind. Striding across the room in his riding clothes, he was the epitome of the country gentleman.
“Good afternoon, both,” Sebastian murmured, placing a gentle hand on Amelia’s shoulder briefly as he passed, before nodding to Eastleigh.
“Good morning. Did you resolve your problem at the farm?” Amelia gestured towards the tea, and poured when Sebastian nodded.
“Eventually, yes, but it took longer than I had anticipated,” Sebastian replied, as he took a sip of hot tea before his attention turned towards the window. “It seems I am back in good time as well. Unless I am much mistake, Edward and Peter have returned.”
Amelia shared a brief look with her father, as they rose to peer out of the window at the four riders accompanying the cart full of boxes down the main driveway.
Their conversation was put to one side for now, but it gave Amelia a lot to think about.
Later that night, Amelia sat beside Edward, Peter, Sebastian and her father, rifling through copious amounts of papers in search for anything that might be of interest to Ballantyne.
“I am sorry, everyone, but I cannot see straight. I have to go to bed.” Eastleigh put his stack of papers to one side regretfully, and pushed wearily to his feet with a yawn.
They had been searching through the papers practically since the moment they had arrived through the door. Everyone’s initial enthusiasm had been dampened by hour after hour of fruitless searching. As the evening had worn on, tiredness had begun to take hold of all of them.
“I think we had all better call it a night. It is getting late, and Dominic and Isobel will be back tomorrow with their news. We can search these in the morning.” Sebastian brushed dust off his hands as he stood.
Peter and Edward quickly followed Eastleigh, leaving Amelia alone with Sebastian.
“Well, I’ll say goodnight too,” Amelia yawned, pushing to her feet wearily.
“Wait.” Sebastian blew several candles out around the room, leaving the golden glow of the fire in the hearth the only light. “I need to ask you something.”
Amelia’s stomach dropped to her knees, and she immediately thought of the conversation she had earlier that day with her father. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to say yes, but wasn’t ready for the confrontation if she said no.
“Does it have to be now, Sebastian? I’m tired.” She yawned, moving towards the door.
“I need to know if you have decided what you are going to do,” Sebastian replied, carefully putting the screen in front of the fire and following Amelia to the door.
Amelia took a deep breath and turned to face him, digging deep for the strength to get through the next few minutes.
“I think that I need to return to Eastleigh with my father. He is right in that I have ghosts I need to lay to rest before I can decide on what I want for the future.” Weariness clouded her voice at the dreadful thought of leaving swept through her.
“Is that what you want?” Sebastian felt the void open up between them. He was frustrated that he didn’t know how to stop it, or bridge the growing divide. Right now he would offer her anything to keep her with him.
“Right now, we have to deal with Ballantyne. But I have to return to Eastleigh, if only to meet my future step-mother,” Amelia replied softly.
“Your father has already told me of your wealth, Amelia. I know that financially you are beholden to nobody now, but I had hoped that you could consider becoming my wife.”
He sensed her hesitation, but couldn’t identify the cause of it. “You are Lady Eastleigh, and are Ton, whether you want to acknowledge it or not. As such, you have been thoroughly compromised by being alone with me both in Glendowie and here. You cannot bring such scandal upon your father and his new bride, by refusing to marry me.”
Amelia frowned. “I won’t marry because I have to, Sebastian, whatever gossip is being spread about me. If there is any scandal, I will make sure it isn’t visited upon you or your family.” She sounded stiff and formal. “My father has made it clear that he will support any decision I make.”
“Amelia-.” Sebastian briefly considered seducing her into accepting his proposal. He wanted her to marry him because she wanted to, damn it, not because he had pushed her into it, but it didn’t seem like there was any other choice.
Amelia moved away quickly, when Sebastian tried to place his hands on her shoulders.
“Good night, Sebastian.” Without looking back she quickly left the room.
He didn’t visit her that night. Instead he remained in his own room, waiting for sleep that just wouldn’t come. It astonished him just how quickly she had become a necessity in his bed. Not just for the sexual pleasure, but for the simple physical presence of her lying next to him.
If only he could fathom why she was so reluctant to agree to marry him. He wasn’t after her money. One only had to look at the size of Tingdale house to know he was a considerably wealthy man. She was attracted to him. Enough to tie him down to the bed, and use him for sensual experimentation. Her enthusiasm and willingness in bed humbled him, and he knew she enjoyed every second. She was a lady. He was a lord. What could be holding her back? Did she not love him?
Sebastian knew that even if she didn’t love him to begin with, after a few months of marriage, she could grow to hold deep affection for him. He wasn’t a cruel man. The decisions he had made for her, had been taken with her best interests at heart. So what could be wrong? He simply refused to countenance the possibility that she didn’t hold any affection for him at all.
With a sigh, he tossed and turned as the quandary burned through him.
He was still staring at the canopy above his bed, when dawn began to break over the horizon.
The tension within the house was palpable throughout the day.
Sebastian climbed out of bed, tired and grumpy, having had no sleep at all. The dark scowl on his face was fierce, and so unlike him that everyone stepped back as he neared.
Desperately trying to ignore his dark scowls, Amelia sat with Peter and Edward later that morning, idly sifting through papers again.
Edward suddenly tipped a piece of paper upwards to read it closely. “I think we have something.” He coughed and read out a missive from Hawksworth to his cousin Edwina, Bertram’s wife.
“They were cousins?” Amelia’s brows rose in astonishment. “Did you know?”
Sebastian shook his head, peering over his brother’s shoulder to read the letter.
“I had no idea.” He read the note aloud to the assembled occupants. Despite his bitter pain at her refusal to marry him, he simply couldn’t remain mad at her and had lapsed into a quiet contemplation.
Hawksworth had written to Edwina, pleading for her assistance in proving his innocence. He had been set up by Ballantyne, although didn’t say which of the two brothers were involved in the murder of the maid. He couldn’t approach his mother and sister, because he didn’t want to bring any more shame upon them, but he desperately needed help as he was about to be hung and nobody would believe his real name, or innocence. They thought he was called Jack Cunnington, and he was about to be hung for a murder he didn’t commit.”
“She didn’t help?” Amelia gasped, horrified at the thought of anyone ignoring such a plea.
“She may have tried, but she clearly didn’t succeed. The gaoler did say he could remember someone visiting the day before the hanging, but couldn’t remember the name. Bertram never mentioned it, so I am not sure what happened.”
“The letter is enough to prove Hawksworth’s innocence, and Ballantyne’s guilt. If only we knew which one of the Ballantyne brothers was the murderer.” Peter tossed the last sheaf of paper down in disgust.
“Or how they set Hawksworth up,” Amelia replied.
“What do you mean?” Sebastian stared at her.
“I mean, what happened to leave Hawksworth thinking he had murdered the woman at the beginning? Why had he been taken to gaol under the name of Jack Cunnington, if he knew he didn’t do it? He didn’t just turn up at the gaol and confess. How did he get to gaol under an assumed name?”
Sebastian frowned as he considered. Once again, her logic was faultless.
“One of them, or probably both of them, set him up and made it look so realistic that even Hawksworth thought he had done it. The shock of finding himself in a compromising position would explain why he allowed himself to be taken to gaol. The scandal would be enough to persuade him to accept an assumed name.”
“Only once he got to gaol, and sobered up, he realised he would be going to the condemned cell. The reality of his likely fate would become evident, even to him.”
Sebastian shuddered at the horror. “This evidence would be enough to take Ballantyne to the gallows.”
“Ballantyne must have learnt of the letter somehow. It proved the Ballantynes were culpable in the maid’s death. It would take one, if not both to the gallows. It’s enough to kill again for.” Amelia shuddered with revulsion at the sheer inhumanity of the Ballantynes.
“To gain access to Edenvale Manor would give Ballantyne time to search thoroughly for the letter, and anything else that could implicate him or his brother in the murder. When the possibility of obtaining the house was eradicated.....” Peter’s voice faded.
“They decided to kill Sebastian to get him out of the way. While the estate was changing hands again, they could access the property and search it, knowing nobody would be moving in for a while. There would be no staff to interrupt them.” Amelia shook her head in disgust and stared in horror at Sebastian.
“Unfortunately, it makes Ballantyne a very dangerous man,” Eastleigh added from his chair. He briefly wondered if he should suggest taking Amelia away from the threat of Ballantyne altogether, but knew that Sebastian was too protective to allow her to be removed without a fight.
“I thought the elder Ballantyne died in a carriage accident a few months back? Didn’t his wife die with him?” Edward frowned at Sebastian, who shook his head and wondered how he managed to miss all of the gossip so frequently.
Eastleigh nodded. “Yes, I can remember something about that. I think the younger brother took over the estates, and lost a lot of business because of his dubious connections and dissolute lifestyle.”
Mindful of Amelia’s presence, he chose his words carefully. “The reputation of the younger Ballantyne for regularly attending orgies and gambling dens was rife amongst the Ton. He was on the verge of being cast out by the family for his wastrel ways, when the older brother died suddenly on his way home from one of the said orgies.”
“So in order to prevent his ghosts from the past coming back to haunt him, Ballantyne needs to erase anything that could implicate him in the murder.” Amelia stared thoughtfully into the fire.
“I think we have a murderer who is more than happy to strike again to maintain his current lifestyle,” Sebastian added, wiping his hands wearily down his face.
They were interrupted by the arrival of a dishevelled Dominic and Isobel. At first they were almost unrecognisable, until Izzy took off her cap and shook her long hair free with a sigh of relief.
Dominic followed close behind her, looking somewhat frazzled and worse for wear.
“Are you alright?” Sebastian lurched to his feet with a frown, as he caught sight of his brother’s distressed state.
“Don’t ever ask us to do that again,” Dominic growled at Sebastian, with a fierce glare at his wife.
“Why? It was fun!” Izzy protested, pushing her husband’s arm happily before heading for the tea tray.
Dominic shook his head and rolled his eyes, pouring himself a liberal dose of brandy and downing it in one gulp.
“My wife should tread the boards,” he muttered, with a glare across the room at the woman in question, who promptly stuck out her tongue at him.
“You are just jealous because you can’t blend in like I do,” she mused, sipping her tea carelessly.
“Blend in! Damn it, woman, I should have put you on a leash.”
Sebastian winked at Amelia, who was looking at their outburst with a mixture of mirth and concern.
“Ha! You could try. You are just put out because I got more information out of the sister than you, and nobody looked at me twice. You,” she pointed across the room with an elegant, but dirty finger, “You stuck out like a sore thumb.”
Amelia fought the urge to smile as Dominic’s ears turned pink with temper. She shared a rare smile with Sebastian, who was listening with equal interest.
“I take it you learnt something worthwhile?” Sebastian asked his brother, who had begun to pace around the room like a caged tiger. “Besides the fact your wife can adopt a disguise better than you?” He grinned when Dominic growled at him.
“We learnt that my wife should not be allowed out in public without having an armed guard with her at all times. Damned near started a bar brawl we barely got out of alive! Then,” Dominic raised a shaking finger at Sebastian, who was looking at his sister-in-law with renewed admiration, “Then, having reduced the entire inn, including the stable lads outside by the way, to a cacophony of fist fighting and arguments, she calmly walks out, and everyone parts for her like the parting of the red sea! Waiting until she had left the room to start fighting again.” Dominic refilled his glass and downed the contents quickly. “Unfortunately, I was left on the other side of the room, and had to literally fight my way out of the bloody building to get to her.”
Sebastian chuckled, and patted his brother on the shoulder consolingly. “But you are back now safe and sound, and there isn’t a scratch on her.” He eyed his sister-in-law’s smug expression ruefully.
“We got what we wanted,” Izzy announced, suddenly becoming serious. “Ballantyne murdered the maid.”
“Are you certain?” Sebastian asked, with a quick look at Dominic who was still downing brandy as though it was his lifeline to sanity.
“Definitely.” Isobel glanced at Amelia. “It seemed that the depths of depravity to which Ballantyne and his associates sank was worse than anyone anticipated. Both brothers were hated by the servants. Especially the maids. The prettier ones were singled out, and used for sexual services with the threat of being cast out hanging over them, if they didn’t comply.”
“Oh, dear God,” Amelia gasped in horror.
“Unfortunately, they singled out Martha. She revealed the truth to her sister a few weeks before her death, when she made her monthly visit home. She told her that the brothers were becoming more and more menacing. One girl they had been using had simply vanished.” Isobel accepted the brandy her husband offered her with a small smile before continuing. “Martha was really scared. Her sister wasn’t sure if she was expecting and tried to persuade her to leave, but she refused. Her family never saw her alive again after that.”
“Do you think the sister will speak in court, if Ballantyne is arrested for murder?” Sebastian asked looking at his brother.
Dominic removed a sheaf of papers from beneath his jacket and handed them to Sebastian.
“She recounted her story for Isobel to write down. Knowing we were after Ballantyne, she signed it before we left. It will be enough to implicate Ballantyne. Rumours are that he is still at it with his current servants. God knows how many he has involved. The servants aren’t the only ones who hate him. Most of the village hate him.”
“Quite understandable.” Sebastian took a deep breath. “I think we have enough to arrange for his immediate arrest.”
“I already called in on Lord Montague, who was sending men out to arrest him. Apparently he was already aware of Ballantyne’s activities, but could get few of the villagers to talk to him. With little evidence, there was little he could do until he found someone prepared to reveal the truth.”
“So that’s it? Ballantyne is no longer a threat?” Amelia asked in astonishment, feeling somewhat deflated. She was vastly relieved for the maids that Ballantyne’s days of debauchery and murder were over.
“That’s it,” Peter replied, with a smile of satisfaction. “Now we can all resume our normal lives, and hopefully they will be peaceful ones for a while.”
“Amen to that,” Edward muttered, pushing to his feet. “I don’t know about you, Peter, but after all of this talk of murder and death I feel like a game of billiards, and some of Sebastian’s finest brandy. If I spend much more time in the saddle, I will start to walk bow-legged. Care to join us, Eastleigh?” At Eastleigh’s ready agreement the three men left, leaving silence in their wake.
“Well, I am going to take a long bath, and put my dress back on. These long trousers chafe something terrible.” Isobel rose, tugging at the knees of the dark brown material ruefully. As she passed, she tugged on her husband’s jacket, dragging him with her.
“You have been cooped up in this house for days, Amelia. Would you care to take a turn around the gardens with me?” Sebastian stood and held out his arm to her.
Now Ballantyne was safely behind bars, he wanted to settle their future together.
“That would be lovely,” Amelia smiled, taking his arm and following him outside.
As they strolled, she took a deep breath of the refreshing afternoon air. There was a slight breeze that took the heat off the sunshine and it felt wonderful against her face. It was blissful to be outside and feel the sunshine once more. She hadn’t realised just how much she had missed being able to walk wherever she chose, when she chose.
“It seems like a chapter is closing.” Amelia glanced at him as they walked.
“I know. It is time to make some decisions on what we are going to do next,” Sebastian sighed, walking her slowly towards the pavilion.
“My father will want to return to Eastleigh Hall as soon as possible.” Amelia felt her stomach tighten nervously.
“He will wait for the wedding though, won’t he?” Sebastian murmured softly, drawing her to a halt just inside the doorway of the wooden structure at the end of the gardens.
“Wedding?” Amelia felt her heart stop as she turned towards him.
“You have to marry me, Amelia, you know that.” Sebastian tried to keep the frustration out of his voice. Did he really have to spell it out to her again?
“I don’t have to do anything. My father has informed me that I am independently wealthy and can do as I please. He did tell me you had already asked for my hand in marriage, but has also said that he will support and assist me in whatever I decide.”
Amelia wanted to move into his arms, but the story of her parents’ fate and the effect it had on everyone, including her, held her firm.
“You could be carrying my child.” Sebastian eyed her small waist. “I want no child of mine being born a bastard.” He immediately regretted his choice of words when Amelia flinched.
“What is stopping you from saying yes? You know I am not after your wealth. We enjoy a healthy relationship in bed, and out of it,” he added, when she made to protest. “Although we still have a lot to learn about each other, we get on very well indeed. Our marriage will be a happy and fulfilling one.”
With each word she heard, Amelia felt her heart break a little bit more. He was completely right in everything he had said. He just hadn’t mentioned loving her, and she could accept nothing less.
“I don’t want to end up with a marriage like my parents’,” Amelia confessed, staring at her feet with a frown.
“But we won’t, Amelia. Not only are we different people, but we have faced adversity and come out stronger. We work. There is really no reason other than your foibles that is keeping us apart.”
“Foibles?” Amelia felt her temper rise as she stared at him. “Foibles? You just don’t understand do you? What I want isn’t a foible. I don’t want to be married to a man who realises he cannot love me as I love him, and takes a mistress. That isn’t a marriage. It is an alliance, and I know firsthand how such alliances can destroy people.”
Sebastian tried to hold her hands, but she pulled away swiftly, needing to put some distance between them. Whenever she stood close to him, she was distracted by his blatant masculinity and had to fight the urge to give in to whatever he demanded from her.
“You really have no choice. You are a lady, and there are certain expectations on you to behave in such a way. Having a child out of wedlock would bring scandal upon your father and his new bride that neither would be able to live down.”
“I don’t know if I am with child yet,” Amelia snapped, feeling cornered. She made for the doorway, holding her hand up when he moved to follow her. “I need time to think.”
She paused, staring blankly out at the gardens below for several moments before taking a deep breath.
“Tell me something, Sebastian. Do you love me?” Her voice was quiet and calm as she asked the most important question of her life. She turned to look at him.
Her heart sank at his look of stunned surprised. She knew the truth. He had never even contemplated the possibility. His shocked silence and the look of wariness on his face was all she needed to know.
“When my father leaves in a few days, I shall be leaving with him.” She didn’t look back as she left the pavilion, and was quietly relieved when he made no move to follow her as she crossed the garden.
At the far side of the house, she spied the hedged wall leading to the rose garden and headed in that direction. She needed somewhere away from prying eyes to just be by herself, and gather the pieces of her torn and bleeding heart. In the morning, she would talk to her father about leaving as soon as possible.
She wasn’t certain how long she sat in the garden listening to the buzzing of the bees, and the chirping of the birds in the trees. Slowly, she became aware of being chilled and reluctantly eyed the dark clouds roiling ahead. Drawing her shawl around her shoulders with a shiver, she began to walk the outer path towards the entrance of the garden.
She didn’t see the menacing bulk lurking in the darkest shadows of the hedgerow until she was suddenly caught from behind. She didn’t have time to scream. A foul-smelling cloth was placed over her mouth, and immediately the world went black.