Cinders and Ashes (5 page)

Unfortunately, it also meant that she couldn’t get through to
the main house until the light increased enough for her to forge
another way through the dense woods. She could only hope Sir Hubert
would understand her absence, and be alright fending for himself
for a few days. Reluctantly, she trudged through the deep mud
towards home.

Once
there she quietly she eased the front door open, shoving the wood
through the door before toeing her mud-laden boots off with a sigh.
She didn’t know how she was going to get them and her dress clean.
She watched the small puddle of water gather rapidly around her
feet with a sigh. She hated getting wet, and because of the events
over the past day or so, had already worked her way through nearly
all of the contents of her scant wardrobe.

Her
stomach rumbled loudly in the silence of the room. Glancing quickly
at the bed, she was pleased to see her new guest was resting
peacefully. Taking advantage of the solitary moment, she
disappeared behind the retiring screen and changed into her last
dry dress, before turning her attention to the remainder of her
many chores.

Eventually, exhaustion began to catch up with her. Unable to
take another step, Amelia settled down on the floor in front of the
hearth. Tugging the thin blanket around her, she tried hard to
ignore the cold of the stone beneath her seeping through her dress,
and wriggled around in search of a more forgiving spot on which to
lie.

Her
fitful doze was interrupted sometime later by a long, low moan
coming from the bed. Despite the discomfort caused to her aching
limbs by sleeping on the cold stone floor, she lurched to her feet
and crossed the room.

“
Damn,” she muttered, placing a gentle hand upon the soft pelt
of his chest hair. The skin beneath her fingertips burned as he
tossed his head upon the pillow.

Instinctively she tried to soothe him, tenderly running her
fingers across his forehead and down his cheek.

“
Rest now, you are perfectly safe, Sebastian.” Amelia wasn’t
sure how much he understood, but was fairly certain he had heard
her when he immediately settled.

Her
fingers continued to stroke the soft skin of his brow, over and
over. She couldn’t be certain whether the fever was caused by
unseen injuries, or the chill of being soaked to the skin wearing
nothing but a thin cotton shirt. But there was little she could do
except watch and wait.

Briefly,
she wished she had chosen to live in the village. At least then she
would have a neighbour she could call upon to summon assistance. At
that moment, as she sat in the silence of the tiny cottage watching
him thrash about in feverish confusion, she had never felt more
alone, or more scared, in her entire life.

Well, not entirely
, she reminded
herself with a shake as stark memories returned. This situation,
though, involved someone else’s future.

Social
strictures notwithstanding, there was a very real possibility that
this gentleman of nobility, who was undoubtedly heir to a vast
fortune and estates somewhere, could very well lose his battle for
survival. Alone. With her. In her cottage. Then what would happen
to her? Her life, such as it was, would be left in tatters. His
would be gone completely.

Despite
her exhaustion and worry, Amelia knew sleep would not be returning
any time soon. She didn’t dare rest again in case his condition
grew worse. She didn’t want to be too busy sleeping to
help.

A quick
examination of his wounds revealed them to be unchanged.
Thankfully, there was no sign of infection. Carefully, she ran her
fingers over the soft ridges of his bone on his sides, sighing
deeply at the uneven ripples she found. Her quest for answers was
met with a low moan of discomfort from the man within the bed, and
immediately Amelia stopped her exploration. Undoubtedly his bones
were broken, but could they cause a fever? She wasn’t
sure.

She
settled beside the bed with a yawn, aware that daylight had already
arrived. Tugging the thin blanket around her shoulders with a yawn,
she dragged the high-backed chair beside the bed and plopped down
into it with a weary sigh.

She
should be getting herself ready to go to work, but even if she
could summon the energy, she simply could not leave him on his own
for the day.

Taking advantage of his unconscious state, she studied the
handsome lines of his flushed face. He really was a devastatingly
handsome man. Having spoken to him, it was evident that he
was
Ton
and that
changed matters considerably. She couldn’t afford for him to become
desperately ill, and put his life at risk.

As the
minutes ticked by she made the decision that, should his condition
deteriorate, she would just have to risk her reputation and head to
the village to summon the doctor. When he was safely ensconced at
the doctor’s house, she could head over to Sir Hubert’s and plead
for his understanding and forgiveness for her absence from
work.

As the
early morning sunlight surrendered to a murky, storm-tossed gloom,
Amelia was jolted awake by the thrashing of the man on the bed
beside her. She jumped to her feet and tried to soothe him,
muttering imprecations to herself as her fingers made contact with
his incredibly hot skin. His handsome face was bathed in sweat as
he twisted and turned in feverish confusion.

Outside,
the wind howled its fury. The unrelenting rain steadily thrummed on
the roof. It was a sound Amelia was beginning to loathe.

Swallowing a curse, her heart sank when she tugged the
curtain aside and stared out into the roiling clouds lingering
menacingly in the sky. Clearly the storm was going to be with them
for some time yet.

Heaving
a sigh, she quickly collected a pitcher of water, and began dipping
several strips of cloth. The sheets were already wet with sweat, so
Amelia had no qualms about getting them even wetter as she began to
bathe his heated body with the icy water. Over and over she dipped
the material before stroking his chest, bruised ribs, the torn
flesh of his arms and wrists down to his fingertips, before
retracing the path upwards to the thick column of his corded
neck.

Eventually his body cooled and he settled into sleep, leaving
Amelia with the problem of how she could change the wet sheets.
With yet more heaving and shoving, she finally settled the new
bedclothes around him, before turning towards the hearth, once more
laying the fire to boil water to make a drink and some
broth.

While
she was waiting for the fire to heat the pot, she eased open the
front door. Her heart sank at the sight that met her eyes. The dirt
track outside the door had turned into a muddy pool with the volume
of water that had yet to soak into the soil. Branches had been torn
down from the trees and now lay across the rutted cart track,
cutting them off from civilization completely.

She
could walk through the woods to get help should they need it, but
would have to walk for miles around the outside of the forest, to
get to the wrong side of Glendowie, before attempting to locate the
doctor. She would once again get cold and wet, and even if she
could find the doctor, there was no guarantee he would be prepared
to make the journey to her tiny cottage through the howling winds
and relentless rain.

A
niggling voice reminded her that she was unlikely to be able to
afford to pay for a doctor, even if Sebastian could remember who he
was and afford to pay himself. Indecision warred with concern for
several moments before she reluctantly closed the door, replacing
the chair beneath the latch with a sigh.

Time
passed slowly. Her routine of bathing, changing water, washing,
drying sheets and clothing, banking the fire and boiling water
while eating sparsely eventually took its toll. Each time she
thought she was succeeding, his temperature would soar again and he
would thrash about. Desperation matched the frustration and fear
until she began to doubt there was anything else she could do for
him.

During
one particularly bad bout of feverish thrashing, she knelt beside
the bed. Gently taking his hot hand between her colder ones, she
began to pray.

When
Sebastian woke, his thoughts were immediately of the intriguing
young woman who had put herself at significant risk to come to his
aid.

Blinking
slowly, he allowed his eyes to adjust to gloom, and turned his head
in search of her. The sight that met his eyes made his chest
tighten.

Amelia
lay in front of the hearth, curled into a small ball beneath a
threadbare blanket. The fire had long since died, leaving the room
feeling cold and damp.

God knows how cold the stone floor must be.
Sebastian thought to himself, wishing he had
enough strength in his limbs to be able to scoop her up and move
her to the bed and his warmth.

“
Amelia,” he called softly. He didn’t want to scare her, but
wasn’t prepared to allow her to lie there a moment longer. He
cursed roundly when she didn’t move.

“
Amelia!” His voice, although hoarse, was stronger and echoed
threateningly around the room. A dark frown marred his brow as he
stared in concern at her. Was she ill herself? Undoubtedly she had
been out in the elements, getting cold and wet. Had she caught a
fever too? Or had exhaustion claimed her?

He
couldn’t remember much about the night, but he could recall her
soothing voice easing his discomfort. He wasn’t sure how many times
he had woken up, but each time she had been there, emerging out of
the confusing haze like a guardian angel.

His
heart clenched at the thought of her sacrificing her own wellbeing
for him.

“
Amelia!” His voice was a sharp command, and as loud as he
could make it without being an outright bellow. He was rewarded by
the sudden twitch of her body.

“
Amelia, get up,” he ordered, frustration gnawing at
him.

Amelia
yawned and pushed her riotous curls out of her face, before turning
towards him with a wince.

God, she was stunning
. Sebastian
carefully averted his gaze as his manhood began to twitch beneath
the sheets.

Despite his illness, there were obviously some things that
were unaffected
, he thought ruefully, and
shifted uncomfortably beneath the sheets.

“
Are you alright?” Amelia murmured, shuffling somewhat
awkwardly towards the bed. Her delicate hand touched his forehead
as she searched his face, looking for any signs of fever. Her
fingers felt like ice against his warm skin.

Despite
being in the presence of a lady, he cursed fluidly. He couldn’t
remember her having the dark smudges that now lay beneath her eyes,
in a face that was paler than usual. Briefly, he wished he hadn’t
woken her. She was exhausted and clearly needed to sleep, but the
protective warrior within him refused to allow her to sleep on the
floor a moment longer.

“
You need to rest.”

She
studied his dark scowl in concern. “I was,” Amelia chided softly,
with no hint of censure in her voice. What had angered him
so?

“
I know, but you shouldn’t be sleeping on the floor.”
Sebastian glared at her balefully, clearly disgruntled about
something. He watched as she carefully straightened the covers
around him, seeking to ensure his comfort once more. Frustrated, he
captured her hands in his larger ones to hold them still, valiantly
ignoring the fission of awareness that hung in the air.

“
It’s alright, I don’t mind,” Amelia hastened to reassure him,
trying to loosen his hold.

“
You could lie down beside me. I promise not to make any
advances.” He watched disbelief enter her eyes as she stared at him
cautiously. “I can understand why you don’t want to join me, but
why didn’t you sleep in the chair?” He nodded towards the solid
wooden frame beside the bed. All the while he was talking; his
fingers took inventory of her cold, work-roughened
hands.

“
I was,” Amelia said, somewhat mesmerised by the concern on
his face. Nobody had concerned themselves with her comfort for a
long time. It was somewhat disconcerting to find herself the reason
for his worry.

“
When you were feverish I spent most of the night in the
chair, but it is hard and uncomfortable when you sit in it for too
long.” She watched as Sebastian looked towards the cold stone floor
in front of the hearth. “At least on the floor I could stretch out,
and it is closer to the fire.”

Sebastian thought about the tight ball she had curled into
whilst asleep, and the cold fire, but decided to remain quiet. “You
could stretch out here, Amelia. I know the bed isn’t all that wide,
but I promise you, on my word of honour as a gentleman, that I pose
no risk to you. You are perfectly safe with me.” He was quite proud
of her for holding firm against him, even if it did irk him
slightly. He sensed she was still indecisive, and wondered how much
he should push her. “Besides, you know about my ribs. If I do
anything you find offensive in any way, you could always poke me
there!” His tone was rueful as he watched the small smile curve her
lips.