Awakening Amelia (Paperback) Book 3

Do you ship worldwide?

We currently ship to the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.

How much does shipping cost?

Shipping costs are calculated at checkout, as it depends on what you order.

How long will it take to receive my book?

It depends on where you live. I’m an independent author, so I can’t offer next day delivery. Please be patient with our delivery partners.

All of my books are printed and shipped on demand by BookVault, who are based in the UK, US, Australia and Canada.

At busy times, delivery may take up to 14 days.

Chapter 1

Highcliff Village, England 1815

Amelia stopped outside the milliner’s and stared across the dusty village street. On the other side of the road, a man lay sprawled face down in the gutter, his dark head turned away from her, one hand stretched out as though he was reaching for someone or something. For one horrible moment, she imagined it was Matthew.
“Don’t stare, dearest. It’s not ladylike.”
She turned to her aunt who was looking remarkably flustered.
“Why can’t I stare? He’s hardly in any state to harm us.”
Aunt Betty brought out her handkerchief to dab daintily at her nose. “He is probably drunk and deserves his fate. I’m so tired of seeing all these soldiers returning from the wars and loitering in our streets. Now, let’s go into the shop and find a new trim for your bonnet.”
The sun emerged from behind the sullen clouds and glinted on something bright on the man’s arm. Ignoring the shrill warnings of her aunt, Amelia crossed the muddy thoroughfare and, heedless of the state of her gown, knelt down beside the unmoving man.
He was, as she had suspected, a soldier. His military colors, faded by harsher climates than those of England, were ragged from repeated washing. A solitary scrap of gold lace gleamed on his arm, but the rest of the evidence of his rank and regiment had either been cut off or discarded.
Taking off her glove, Amelia felt the man’s throat and detected the faint erratic pulse of his heartbeat. He was still alive, and he definitely wasn’t inebriated. She gently rolled him onto his back, but his eyes remained closed. His skin was quite tanned, but his cheeks were hollow and his lips parched. She touched his forehead, which was burning hot.
“Amelia! Not again.”
Her aunt’s voice finally penetrated her senses, and she glanced back over her shoulder to see Betty waving violently and almost dancing on the spot with agitation.
“Come away, dear, before anyone sees you!”
Amelia wondered what anyone could complain about as she did her Christian duty, but her aunt was frightened of gossip and lived in terror of being the subject of it.
But she couldn’t leave the man lying there. She just couldn’t…