Cinders and Ashes Read Online Free PDF Page B

herself, watching the steady sheets of rain
splash onto the muddy puddles lying in the middle of the cart
track. How she was to find dry wood now, heaven only knew, but at
least it would give her something to do. She heaved a sigh, and
headed into the woods.

CHAPTER TWO

    Sebastian watched the door close behind her and muttered a
dark curse. She shouldn’t be heading outside in weather like this
for any reason. He should have gone, and would have if it wasn’t
for the cursed injuries he now carried.
    Where
had they come from? What was he doing here? Amelia hadn’t told him
where she had found him, and when, and he hadn’t thought to ask.
How long had he been asleep?
    He could
feel exhaustion claiming him and, having seen to his most pressing
need, carefully eased himself back down onto the bed with a deep
sigh.
    “ Amelia,” he murmured softly, considering the intriguing
bundle of femininity who had been his saviour. She had undoubtedly
saved his life, but who was she?
    As sleep drew him down, his mind latched onto the one nagging
question that wouldn’t go away. Whoever Amelia was, she was living
in bleak deprivation with no protector, and no guardian. Although
her clothing was rough and work-worn, she glided like a lady, spoke
in cultured tones rather than local dialect, and lived in desolate
exile rather than a country house somewhere. He was almost certain
she was gentry of some sort, if not Ton . So, why was she there? Who was
she?
    As the questions swirled around him, Sebastian made a promise
to himself that whatever happened, before he left the tiny,
ramshackle hovel Amelia called home, he would learn all of her
secrets.
     
    Amelia
had been so preoccupied with the presence of the man in her bed
that she had forgotten to feed herself. A fact her empty stomach
reminded her of frequently, as she trudged through the woods
looking for the driest sticks she could find. The steady pile of
timber she had collected would be enough to get them through the
next few days if they were lucky.
    The
woods were nearly impossible to get through. During the storm, the
relentless winds had torn down several large branches that now
blocked the path she usually used to get to Sir Hubert’s house.
Luckily, that meant there was fresh wood now available if she
snapped off the smaller branches she could carry.
    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