The Heiress of Winterwood - By Sarah Ladd Page 0,84

Captain Sterling, and Amelia strained to hear their retreating footsteps over the fire’s hiss and the shouts from the courtyard below.

Jane hung her cape on the hook next to Amelia’s and turned to survey the tiny room. “Your Captain Sterling is a very kind man. He seems quite concerned for your welfare.”

Amelia ignored the subtle tease in her friend’s voice. She moved to the small table and sat down. “You’d better eat this, er, stew before it gets cold.”

She eyed the dubious dinner, recognizing carrots and potatoes but not much else. She picked up a loaf of bread, but it was so hard she could barely tear it in two. Sighing, she dropped the loaf back onto the pewter plate and reached for the tea.

It would have to suffice.

Graham exited the stable and crossed the courtyard. With the horses secure and bedded down for the night, Amelia and Mrs. Hammond settled, and arrangements made for tomorrow’s journey, he could try to get some sleep. He would need to be rested for his search for Lucy once he arrived in Liverpool. One of the coachmen had offered to tend to Starboard, but Graham had been unable to rest until he’d checked on the animal himself. He found himself wondering at that. As a captain, he gave orders daily, if not hourly. Why could he not release such a minor chore?

The noise from the pub was louder now than it had been when he walked the ladies in. Laughter and shouts peppered the night air. He shoved his fists in his pockets and forced his gaze on the door. How easy it would be to indulge in a drink or two to take the edge off of his fears over Lucy. What did he have to lose? They couldn’t travel until light broke anyway.

But he knew exactly what he had to lose. It had been a long time since he’d used drink as a means to escape, and his exhausted, susceptible state made it especially important to steer clear of the temptation. But a temptation it remained. He glanced up toward Amelia’s window. Indeed, it was not the only temptation.

After entering the inn’s main door, Graham climbed the stairs with his bag. The key weighed heavy in his pocket, and he fumbled in the dark to unlock the door. A stale stench assaulted him. He kicked the door closed with his foot and leaned against it to turn the lock. The room was identical to Amelia and Miss Hammond’s. Its simplicity did not bother him. He’d slept in much worse. But he couldn’t help but wonder how Amelia, a woman used to the finest surroundings, was faring.

Graham hung his coat and hat on the hook before moving to stoke the fire. It was a cold night, made colder by the dampness clinging to his coat, and he leaned in to let the flames warm his face and chest.

Amelia was so close. Just a floor below. Was she asleep? So much had transpired since their argument after the dinner party. With his concern for Lucy, he’d had little time to give it thought. But now, in complete solitude and relative quiet, he allowed himself to recount her words.

An arrangement, she had called it, reminding him that her interest was in Lucy, nothing more. He rubbed his arm as if to rub away the memory of what her touch had felt like when she had clung to him. He wasn’t sure he could believe her words, for her expression had told him something completely different.

Amelia was a strong woman. Indeed, he’d underestimated her again and again. At every turn they’d taken in these few short weeks, she’d proven loyal, resolute, and resourceful as well as beautiful. And she loved Lucy like the child was her own. Could a man hope for a better companion?

Tomorrow would have been their wedding day. In the days and nights since he’d agreed to marry Amelia, he’d come to believe it was a good idea. But something more had developed during the course of their interactions. His concern for her had deepened. His regard for her had broadened, his affection intensified. He no longer regarded her as a woman using him as a means to an end. She was a person he cared about, and she was slowly but surely becoming the woman he loved.

Amelia had awakened something in him. Denying that reality did not make it any less true. But was it right to love again so soon