Lord, please deliver him from the firestorm. Bring him out safely with the child in hand. Amen, she prayed reverently, never allowing her gaze to leave the cottage. The sizzling and crackling of the fire filled every particle of her body as the woman continued to weep and mumble at her side.
Suddenly, the flames jumped higher. The air filled with a large crashing sound. A horrid scream reached Amelia’s ears as she stood to race toward the collapsed cottage. Whether it originated from her own throat or the peasant woman’s, she could not say. She ran as fast as she could before she collapsed near the burning structure. Her shoulders shook as she lay crumpled and sobbing on the ground mere feet from the destroyed cottage. Tears blazed hot trails down her cheeks while she stared at the crumbled facade.
“Lady Amelia, what are you doing? Stand up! Get away from the fire!”
Richard’s voice came to her like a song. Bolting to her feet, she stepped backward and searched the surrounding area for him. He appeared from beside the desecrated cottage, soot coating every inch of his magnificent body. Amelia flew into his arms and wrapped both of hers around his neck. “Oh thank God you are alive.” She nuzzled her head into his chest, smashing the infant he held between them. “I thought I lost you.”
“You still might if we do not move.”
She allowed him to lead her away from the cottage, her hand tucked under his arm. When the babe’s mother saw them, she stood up, but did not move. She appeared like a statue, silent, stiff, and unyielding. Then, almost at her side, the baby let loose a ferocious cry that brought its mum quickly to their side.
She took the bundle from Richard and studied the child for a moment before cradling him near her bosom. “Thank you, me lord. If not for ye, he would surely have perished in the fire. I owe ye a great debt.” She clumsily curtsied.
“No thanks required, ma’am. I only did what I knew to be necessary and right. You owe me nothing.”
Before more could be said, Amelia wrapped her free arm around him. She stared deeply into his eyes and welcomed the now-familiar sensations that washed through her. “Hold me.” The shakiness of her voiced surprised her.
He obliged, wrapping her in his safe embrace. All of her previous anxieties melted away as his warmth infiltrated her. The hammering of his heart below his well-muscled chest filled her ears, comforting her soul. He smelled of smoke and soot and his clothes were filthy, but none of it mattered. She snuggled closer, meshing their bodies together. She had fallen in love with the duke.
“Is there some place we can take you, ma’am?
His words were like a comforting hug to her soul. She looked at the woman. “Perhaps a friend or relative lives nearby?”
The woman never took her eyes from the child. “My sisters, her cottage is about a mile up the road.”
Amelia rode with Richard, relishing every moment of being in such close contact as they escorted the woman and her child to a relative’s home. Still, a small part of her wanted distance and clarity. She needed to think, to figure out her future. It simply wasn’t possible to do so while seated across the duke’s lap, all the while fighting her old desires and new revelation. How could she think of marrying an English lord when the Scottish lord her body and soul cried out for was pressed against her? Did she even want to marry an English lord now that she had fallen in love with Richard?
* * * *
Upon their arrival, the woman’s relatives extended an offer for supper and a room for the evening. Richard declined in favor of trying to regain some of the time they had lost. They did, however, accept fresh clothing and the opportunity to wash away the soot from their faces and hands. Amelia embraced the opportunity to shed her mourning weeds. She liked the idea of the duke seeing her as more than a woman in mourning. After much ado, they departed in commoners’ garb and made haste toward the horizon. Richard hoped to reach Sheffield by nightfall.
She hardly recognized herself draped in a common dress of low-quality burgundy fabric and swooning over a Scotsman. Her hungry eyes drifted down his form as she admired the angle of his waist, rounded bottom, and strong thighs. She could no longer deny she wanted him. Falling in love with him complicated things further. If only she were a different person with different responsibilities, then she would be free to pursue him, but alas, she could not change a thing. He did not want her at any rate. He certainly did not love her.
Ripping her gaze from his backside, she urged Ruby into a trot. Realizing the rogue had stolen her heart changed nothing. The sooner she married an Englishman, the better. She could forget the duke and move on with her life.
She studied him once again, her heart and mind locked in battle. How had she been so careless as to fall for him? There was no use in pondering it. She would enjoy what time she had with him, and do what she must when he sent her away. A mischievous grin curved her lips.
“Do you suspect we will make Sheffield before nightfall?”
“Do not worry, my dear. It is but a few miles down the road.”
“I am not worried, just curious.” She flashed a flirtatious smile in his direction, anticipation tickling her spine. He would not deny her tonight. She would not allow it.
The wind freed strands of her hair and whipped her skirts around as she nudged Ruby into a fast trot. She glanced over her shoulder at Richard, who rode a few paces behind.
“What is Scotland like?” she yelled over her shoulder.
“That depends on where you go. My castle is near the English border and so my area of Scotland is very much like your beloved England.” He winked roguishly.
Heat spread through her as she looked away. Scotland like England... Could it be?
SCANDALOUS ENDEAVORS
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Every muscle inAmelia’s body ached and the long ride contributed nothing in the way of helping her decide what to do about her future. The only thing she knew with certainty was she had fallen in love with the duke of Goldstone.
“My lady.” Richard held out his arm in invitation.
