Page 26 of An Earl's Christmas Seduction
“Goodnight,” he said, smiling at Amelia, before she turned and hurried off along the corridor towards the stairs.
The house was quiet, the other guests having gone to bed, and the servants having made their rounds of the doors. She made her way upstairs, expecting to meet her mother, or one of the others, at any moment.
But on arriving at the door of her bedroom, she had met no one, and she breathed a sigh of relief, shutting herself in, and turning the key in the lock. It had been an extraordinary evening, and the thought of her encounter with the earl lingered in her mind.
“What was I thinking?”she asked herself, sitting down at the dressing table and gazing at her reflection in the mirror.
But what she was thinking was very simple. She had done what came so naturally to others. She had encountered a man for whom her feelings had been aroused, they had flirted, they had kissed. There was no harm in it, and it felt good to have done so, even as she knew she had broken every social convention her mother had ever instilled in her.
“But why shouldn’t I? Why shouldn’t I be happy?”she asked herself, and fixing herself with her own reflection, she took off the locket, wanting only to leave the past where it belonged and look to the future instead.
Chapter 9
Amelia slept late the next morning, awaking only when a gentle tap at the bedroom door signaled the arrival of Elsie, who brought a tray of tea by way of breakfast.
“You’ve slept late, Lady Amelia,” she said, setting the tray down on the bedside table.
“What time is it?” Amelia asked, yawning and rolling onto her side.
She had slept a deep and dreamless sleep, tired after her exertions of the previous day. But now, the memories of the previous evening returned, and she thought back to the moment she had shared with Nicholas in the library.
It had been the briefest of passions, but a moment she would not forget. There had been such moments with Rupert, but never as pronounced in their passion. Nicholas was different. He made her feel different. She felt desired and she desired him. Now, she smiled as she sat up, taking the cup of tea as Elsie pulled back the curtains.
“The other guests are having breakfast. But no one’s going anywhere today,” the maid said, tutting, as she looked out over the snowy gardens.
A blizzard had set in, and the sky was gray. They were snowed in, and like it or not, Ashworth House was to be their home for sometime, for the roads were surely now impassable.
“No, it certainly doesn’t look like it. Is my mother up?” Amelia asked, and Elsie nodded.
“She is, yes. I’ve just been to see to her, but I thought I’d let you sleep. You were late up last night, Lady Amelia. I’m sorry I wasn’t here to wait for you. I was asleep on my feet. I hope you didn’t mind,” she said, but Amelia shook her head.
She did not know what time she had come to bed, but she and Nicholas had talked late into the night, and now the thought of what they had spoken of returned. She had promised to help him in his search for the truth. She wondered if there really was any chance of discovering who his mother was or if any of the guests really knew.
“I can make a list of suspects and work out which ones are connected to him in what way. Apart from myself and my mother, any of them could know something,”she thought to herself, as Elsie helped her to dress.
She was still pondering the matter as she made her way downstairs, the smell of breakfast wafting in the hallway, where she found Clara and Isobel talking to one another.
“Amelia, we were just coming to find you. We were snowed in. A carriage couldn’t even get along the drive, let alone out towards the village or the road across the moor. Thank goodness everyone arrived when they did,” Clara said, coming to greet Amelia at the bottom of the stairs.
“It’s all very exciting, isn’t it?” Amelia replied, for she rather liked the idea of them all being snowed in together.
The previous evening had been jolly with all the singing, parlor games, and delicious food.
“And the yule log’s still smoldering. Let’s hope it doesn’t go out. They’ll bring it back to life later on. Have you had breakfast?” Isobel asked, and Amelia shook her head.
“No, just some tea. I’m going to have it now. What will you do this morning?” she asked. She did not want to be left out of the excitement, if there was to be any.
“A walk in the snow, perhaps? We could build figures…one for each of the guests. Mrs. Bennett’s would be the biggest,” Clara said, and Amelia laughed.
“What a pretty dress you’re wearing, but you’ve forgotten your locket,” Isobel said.
Amelia blushed. It was true. She was not wearing the locket. But she had not forgotten it. When she had taken it off before going to bed, Amelia opened it, kissing the miniature of Rupert and placing the locket safely in her jewelry box. It would remain there. It was a reminder of the past, but not a seal.
She had laid aside her memories, preferring, instead, to make new ones. Amelia knew it was what Rupert would have wanted, even as she still felt some guilt for her decision. The locket was still there, but its mastery over her would no longer continue.
She felt guilty for kissing Nicholas while wearing it and guilty for entertaining any thoughts of a romantic nature. Without it, she felt a new sense of freedom, and a desire for what had seemed forbidden, now foremost in her mind.
“I just didn’t feel the need to wear it today,” Amelia replied.
