by Laura Martin
Still, there was that occasional hesitation in his eyes, the fleeting expressions of guilt that Amelia thought might always be there in the background. His near-death encounter had shown him he wanted to live, but that didn’t mean he would be able to leave his guilt and memories behind him easily. And of course he’d never said that he loved her. Having Edward care for her should be enough, but already Amelia was craving more.
* * *
They walked back to the house in the late afternoon sunshine hand in hand, stopping before they entered the courtyard to straighten their clothes and brush the last pieces of grass from their bodies.
‘Can we check on Milly?’ Amelia asked as they passed the barn.
Inside it took a few moments for their eyes to adjust to the gloom before they could make outMilly and her foal curled together in the hay. For a long while they stood side by side, watching mother and baby, and Amelia felt an unfamiliar maternal tug on her heart. She realised that she wanted this, this instinctive and natural bond between mother and baby. She wanted to cradle her and Edward’s child in her arms and know she would love the baby she held for eternity. With a small smile she warned herself not to get too carried away. They’d shared a few kisses, nothing more at present, and there had been no mention of marriage.
Glancing sideways at Edward’s profile, Amelia felt a surge of hope. There had been no mention of love or marriage, but perhaps one day there might be. A girl was allowed to dream.
‘Tom,’ Edward called out to the groom as they crossed the courtyard. ‘Gather the servants. I want to speak to everyone in my study in ten minutes.’
They went inside and straight to Edward’s study. Amelia recognised the determined look on his face as he sat her down in one of the chairs and began pacing up and down, murmuring to himself as he did so.
‘Thank you for coming,’ he said to the assembled servants ten minutes later. ‘We have a problem and we need your help.’
Amelia thought she saw the servants standing slightly taller as Edward called them to action.
‘Miss Amelia is in trouble. A dangerous man from her past has tracked her down and is intent on causing her harm. He knows where she is and he is determined to find a way to hurt her.’
The servants glanced at her, but nobody said anything, turning their attention back to Edward as he continued speaking.
‘Now I know there are not many of us and I don’t propose this is a job for such a small band, but I wanted you to know exactly what was going on. Tom, once we’ve finished here I want you to ride into the village and round up as many young men as you can. Tell them what’s going on and tell them I will pay the first eight men who turn up to help guard the house.’
Tom nodded, looking eager to set off on his mission.
‘Everyone else, I need you to be vigilant at all times. If you notice a window open that wasn’t open before, raise the alarm. If you hear a noise in a room that should be empty, raise the alarm. Anything out of the ordinary, raise the alarm. This man is dangerous and we need to apprehend him.’
All the servants nodded seriously and Mrs Henshaw moved closer to Amelia and squeezed her arm.
‘Don’t you worry, ducky, we’ll find this scoundrel and keep you safe. I will send a message to Mr Guthry, I’m sure he will want to be on hand to help.’
Amelia nodded. She just wanted this to be over. For weeks she had lived in purgatory, at first convinced she was a murderer and then scared beyond belief about what McNair might do to her if he found her. She still wasn’t sleeping properly, and whenever she did close her eyes she imagined the letter opener slipping into McNair’s soft flesh and the blood seeping through his clothing. Now the images had evolved and often it was Amelia’s abdomen the small blade was plunged into and her blood oozing from the wound.
Edward waited for the servants to leave and then gave her a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder. ‘We’ll find him,’ he said softly. ‘And then we can get on with our lives.’
Chapter Twenty-Two
For three days men from the village had been positioned around the outside of the house and Mr Guthry had more or less moved in to one of the larger servants’ rooms up in the attic, adding his calming presence to the household. Edward had accompanied Amelia nearly everywhere. Even when she had asked to take a bath he’d sat dutifully on the other side of the screen, much to Mrs Henshaw’s absolute indignation. Amelia had caught his frown of displeasure as the housekeeper had taken up position firmly between him and the screen and couldn’t help but giggle.
She had never been very good at being alone and spending time with Edward was never tedious, but Amelia was beginning to feel as though there were eyes watching her everywhere she went. Part of her wished McNair would just appear now so they could have their confrontation and the men of the village could see him off.
Edward seemed strangely calm. He was sitting across from her in his comfortable armchair, happily reading a thick book. Every so often he’d glance up, check the room and smile. She wished she could be so content to sit and read.
A light tap on the door made Amelia and Edward look up in unison and Amelia felt her heart racing, but it was just Betty one of the maids who slipped into the room.
‘There’s a Mr Pollard here to see you, sir,’ Betty said with a deferential curtsy.
Amelia immediately sat up straighter. Mr Pollard was the young man Mr Guthry had sent to London to warn Lizzie about McNair.
‘Good afternoon,’ Edward said as the tall young man entered the room.
‘Good afternoon, Sir Edward... Miss Amelia.’
Edward motioned for him to sit down and Pollard awkwardly manoeuvred his lanky form into one of the free armchairs.
‘Tell us,’ Edward said simply. ‘What did you find out?’
‘Well, sir, I travelled to London as instructed and headed straight to the address Miss Amelia had provided. I could see as soon as I arrived that there had been a fire and the building looked to be damaged beyond repair.’
Amelia held her breath as he continued, wondering if McNair had decided to target Lizzie, to injure the woman Amelia thought of as a sister.
‘I talked to some of the servants and it seems as though the fire was started by a candle being left burning by the curtains in one of the bedrooms. Luckily no one was hurt and there was no question of there being an intruder involved. What’s more there had been no sightings of anyone fitting Captain McNair’s description.’
Amelia felt herself begin to relax a little, ‘And Lizzie, did you find her?’
Mr Pollard shook his head. ‘The servants informed me she, along with the two women she had been staying with, had been taken to the countryside to recuperate from mild smoke inhalation by a gentleman, the Earl of Burwell.’
‘Do you know him, Amelia?’ Edward asked.
She shook her head. ‘Maybe he is a friend of Aunt Mathilda.’
‘I travelled to Cambridgeshire after satisfying myself Captain McNair was not involved in the house fire and approached a member of Lord Burwell’s household. By the time I got there it seemed Miss Lizzie had left.’
Amelia frowned, wondering where Lizzie would have gone to next. Her cousin didn’t know anyone else in England so she didn’t have many choices.
‘I bought one of the grooms a few cups of ale and he told me he thought there had been a lovers’ row between Miss Eastway and Lord Burwell.’
‘Lizzie, involved with an earl?’ Amelia found herself smiling. If anyone deserved to find love it was her cousin, but she just hoped this Lord Burwell was good enough for her kind and generous cousin.
‘I could not pick up her trail after that, miss, but I got the impression Lord Burwell is not the sort of man to leave your cousin stranded without anyone to turn to.’
Amelia felt some of the worry she had been carrying over the las
t few weeks begin to dissipate. At least it looked as though McNair hadn’t decided to target her cousin, but she would feel much better if she could just lay eyes on Lizzie and reassure herself she was well.
‘Thank you, Mr Pollard,’ Edward said, standing and shaking the young man’s hand. ‘I am sure you understand what a matter for concern this is for Miss Amelia and you have done a wonderful job in reassuring us so far. I wonder if you would be against returning to Cambridgeshire and approaching Lord Burwell on our behalf.’
The young man’s eyes widened and he looked from Edward and Amelia and back again.
‘I would give you a letter explaining our predicament and I feel confident you will be able to impress the importance of our queries on this Lord Burwell.’
Amelia held her breath, hoping Mr Pollard would agree.
‘I am sure you understand how important it is that we find Miss Eastway. And you will be remunerated for your time and effort, of course.’
‘I am honoured that you trust me with a matter of such importance, Sir Edward,’ Mr Pollard said.
‘Go to the kitchens and ask Mrs Henshaw for some refreshment and I will write the letter for Lord Burwell whilst you wait.’
‘Thank you,’ Amelia said as Mr Pollard left the room.
‘We’ll find your cousin, Amelia, even if we have to scour the whole of Cambridgeshire ourselves.’
He sounded so sincere, so concerned for the safety of a woman he hadn’t ever met, that Amelia wanted to wrap her arms around him and kiss him. She took a step towards him, and then another, but before she could turn her face up to meet his the door burst open and Tom the groom came rushing in.
‘We’ve caught him, sir,’ he said, bending forward slightly and resting his hands on his thighs as he caught his breath.
Edward stiffened and immediately put a protective arm around Amelia.
‘Where?’
‘Sneaking through the gardens by the old gazebo.’
‘Have you restrained him?’
‘William and Big Peter are holding him, and I sent some of the other men to join them on my way over here. What do you want us to do?’
‘I’ll come at once.’
Amelia made to follow, but Edward placed a firm hand on her shoulder, pressing her back into the chair.
‘I should be there,’ she said quietly, knowing she needed to face her tormentor, but not really wanting to.
‘There’s no need. I’ll have a quiet word with him and send him on his way,’ Edward said with a stony expression on his face.
Amelia doubted it would be just ‘a quiet word’, but she saw the determination behind Edward’s eyes and stopped fighting to stand up. Maybe it would be better if she never had to see McNair ever again.
‘I’ll be back soon.’ He kissed the top of her head and strode out of the room, closely followed by Tom.
Amelia stood up and stretched, feeling suddenly free. In no time at all Edward would be back by her side and they would no longer have the threat of McNair hanging over them. They would be able to plan for the future and enjoy a proper life, not one just confined to the walls of Beechwood Manor.
‘Hello, Amelia, my sweet.’
Amelia screamed, but the sound was cut off by a firm hand being clamped over her nose and mouth.
‘There’s no need for that. I thought you’d be pleased to see me.’
Amelia felt herself being dragged backwards towards the middle of the room, her feet tangling in the heavy rug on the floor.
‘Now, if I release my hand, do you promise to be a good girl and stay nice and quiet?’
She nodded her head. At this precise moment in time she would agree to anything to get the oxygen her lungs were screaming out for.
McNair slowly released his hand and Amelia sucked in a few deep breaths.
‘How lovely for us to be together again,’ McNair murmured into her hair. ‘Now, let me be very clear. I have a pistol and I’m holding it against your back. If you make any sudden moves, or if you do anything to displease me, then I will shoot you.’ There was a cold, dead tone to his voice and Amelia wondered how she had ever fancied herself in love with this man. He might be conventionally handsome, but there was no warmth inside him, no capacity to love.
‘You sent in a decoy,’ Amelia said flatly, realising how McNair had outsmarted them.
‘Of course. Your new beau had the house guarded round the clock, I needed some way to get you alone.’
Amelia wondered just how long they had before Edward reached the gazebo and realised the man they had captured was not McNair.
‘I assumed your gentleman would have given a description of me, but it’s not too difficult to find someone who looks vaguely similar in need of a little money.’
‘What do you want?’ Amelia asked, not sure she wanted to know the answer.
‘What do I want?’ McNair mused. ‘Well, my sweet, I want you to realise quite how much you hurt me.’
‘I’m sorry,’ Amelia whispered.
‘I’m sure you are, but that doesn’t change the fact you stabbed me and left me for dead. That broke my heart, Amelia, and so soon after our reunion.’
Suddenly Amelia felt a flare of anger inside. ‘You used me. I fell for you and you used me. If you hadn’t been sent back to England, I would have run away with you and been ruined for ever.’
‘That doesn’t give you the right to stab me.’
He had a point, but that hadn’t been why she’d stabbed him.
‘I thought you were going to kill me,’ Amelia said quietly. ‘That was why I stabbed you.’
‘How did that work out for you? Feel any safer for it now?’
‘What do you plan to do?’
McNair chuckled. ‘Do you know, I’ve no idea? I’ve thought of a thousand different things, of course. Maybe scar your pretty face, or plunge a knife into you at random and give you the same chance you did me. Or maybe I’ll take you away with me and get your father to pay for your return, just as I’d planned all that time ago.’
Amelia wondered if he was a little deranged. She understood he was cruel and she understood he was angry that she’d bested him and left him bleeding, but there was a slight note of hysteria in his voice as he talked through the options.
‘Amelia!’ Edward shouted as the door burst open.
‘Ah, your knight in shining armour. Keep back, Sir Edward, or I might have to harm Amelia.’
Edward froze and took a moment to assess the scene. Amelia could see the second he noticed the pistol. Carefully he stepped into the room, giving both Amelia and McNair a wide berth.
‘What do you want?’ Edward asked bluntly.
‘No niceties? No formal introductions?’
‘No. What do you want?’
‘Has Amelia told you what she did to me?’
‘She stabbed you.’
Amelia felt McNair stiffen a little behind her at Edward’s bluntness, but the Captain soon rallied and continued.
‘We had been involved, of course, which was why her actions were the ultimate betrayal.’
‘You seduced her, planned to ruin her and blackmail her father to avoid any scandal. Then your commanding officer found out and sent you back to England quietly to pre-empt any trouble. When Amelia followed you here you hit her and she stabbed you in self-defence. Have I left anything out?’ Edward asked.
He spoke slowly, and seemed cool and detached, but Amelia could see what was going on under the surface and realised Edward was petrified for her.
McNair shook his head. ‘Quite accurate. At least we can’t accuse Amelia of holding anything back.’
‘What do you want?’ Edward asked again.
‘Why are you here, Amelia?’ McNair asked, completely ignoring Edward’s question again.
‘But why here? Tell me the truth. I’ll know if you’re lying.’
‘I took shelter here from the storm when I was fleeing Brighton.’
‘So you didn’t know Sir Edward beforehand? Don’t take another step, Sir Edward, or we’ll find out just what shade of red Amelia’s blood is.’
Edward had been edging forward, step by tiny step, but it seemed McNair still had his sharp powers of observation, even when distracted by the person he was holding at gunpoint.
‘No, I met him two months ago for the first time.’
‘So why did you stay here?’
‘It was safe and I didn’t have anywhere else to go.’ She didn’t see any point in lying to McNair. Besides, he’d known her for so long he’d probably be able to tell if she was speaking the truth or not.
‘Why did you let Amelia stay, Sir Edward?’
‘To protect her from you.’
‘She was a complete stranger, yet you welcomed her into your home and have gone to a lot of trouble to protect her. Do I detect some deeper feelings here? Have you fallen for Amelia’s considerable charms?’
Edward remained silent, but behind her Amelia heard McNair chuckle.
‘Of course! Two little love birds cooped up in this dusty old house.’
‘I suggest you tell us what you want and then leave,’ Edward said. ‘This is beginning to feel like the ramblings of a senile old man.’
McNair pulled Amelia a little closer to him.
‘Careful, Sir Edward, or you might lose someone you care for. I hear it wouldn’t be the first time.’
Amelia watched the flicker of pain cross Edward’s face before his expression turned inscrutable again.
‘But you’re right, we haven’t got all day. I have decided how we should settle this.’ McNair sounded positively cheerful. ‘Amelia injured me greatly and I demand recompense.’
For a moment Amelia’s heart soared as she thought he was about to ask for money.
‘I propose a duel. Tomorrow morning. Me and you, Sir Edward. Pistols. And only one of us will leave alive.’