The Heiress of Winterwood - By Sarah Ladd Page 0,37
and squeezed her eyes shut.
Her body shivered from cold, and her wet cape clung uncomfortably to her limbs. Was this really going to happen? Renewed excitement surged through her body, dancing in her stomach. She would marry Captain Sterling and be free from Edward. Most importantly, Lucy would be with her always. She whirled around in the shadowed vestibule and allowed her hood to fall to her shoulders. Not even the dampness of her clothes or the chill in her bones could quench the joy in her heart.
Faint moonlight slid through a tiny window on the staircase. She gathered her skirts and started up the stairs, pausing at the narrow window and peering through the wavy glass. She watched the captain’s black silhouette stride toward Sterling Wood and disappear into the night’s murky mist. A strange sensation danced in her stomach. Despite her protests, Captain Sterling had insisted on seeing her back to Winterwood. Never before had she walked alone with a man, let alone in the quiet of dark. She knew it was improper. But it didn’t feel improper.
As quietly as she could, she continued up the servants’ staircase. Every creak in the ancient wooden stairs made her pause. Amelia considered climbing higher still to Lucy’s chamber. How she wanted to scoop the child in her arms and never let her go. Now she could be certain that Lucy would never be alone and would be loved always. She would not know the pain of a motherless childhood. Amelia just had to wait a little longer, until the captain returned from obtaining the license for them to wed. But she reminded herself to remain cautious. Much could happen in that time.
Deciding against waking the baby, Amelia stopped at the landing next to her bedchamber and peeked down the hall. Quiet. All of Winterwood was asleep. She moved to her door and cracked it open just far enough to slip through. The fire the maid had laid earlier had died down to embers, and she blinked, allowing her eyes to adjust to the faint glow. Tossing her cape on the chair next to the door, she turned around toward the bed and jumped to see a dark form sitting there.
“Where have you been?” hissed Helena. “I had a devil of a time trying to come up with a believable excuse for you. Are you even aware of the hour?”
Amelia jumped. “Helena, you frightened me. What on earth are you doing in here, sitting in the dark? You should be asleep.”
“As should you, dear Cousin.” Helena’s dry tone hinted at emotion simmering just below the surface. She crossed her arms over her chest. “You failed to answer my question. Where have you been?”
Amelia’s elation faded to discomfort. She reached for a candle on the small table next to her bed. A halfhearted excuse would not satisfy Helena, and the captain had asked her to keep their agreement secret until they could speak to her family together. “I needed some air.”
“Air?” Helena prodded. “It’s raining. It’s cold. You have been out in the weather this entire time? Alone?”
Awkward silence hovered between the women. Amelia leaned down to the fireplace to light the candle from its dying embers. “Damp air is the best.”
A flame flared on the tallow candle’s wick, and Amelia rose. As she turned to place the light on its stand, Helena lifted her hand. A small parchment letter rested between two fingers.
The captain’s note!
Amelia lunged forward and snatched it. “Where did you find this?”
“It appears you weren’t entirely alone.”
Amelia could not mask the defensive tone of her voice. “I don’t know why you act so surprised. I made you fully aware of my intentions, and now you are surprised that I am following through with them.”
“Yes, you told me your intentions, but I never in my wildest dreams expected you to act on them, especially after what happened in the drawing room the first day Captain Sterling arrived. Have you no shame, Amelia? How could you do this to Edward? He loves you, and this is how you acknowledge his regard?”
“Loves me? Quite the contrary, Helena. Edward loves Winterwood, and the fortune that goes with it.” She paused, carefully choosing her words. She’d been mistaken to take Helena into her confidence on this matter. How she missed the old Helena, her beloved companion. “This situation, and whom I choose to marry, is not your concern.”
A pained expression flashed across Helena’s delicate features, but she straightened and lifted her chin. “Is