Page 48 of Persuasions of an Earl's Daughter

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A rough curse ripped from August before he could stop it as the door slammed shut. He banged a palm against the unyielding door. Twisting, he watched the young woman guide her parents through the water then he waded to the window. He peered in but couldn’t spot her amongst the floating debris. More curses burned his tongue, and he eyed the open window. Lilly was a darned sight smaller than him and had still struggled getting through. He’d have no chance.

But he had to get to her. Now.

The water still flowed about him, and he couldn’t tell if the water levels were increasing any further or not. It didn’t matter. He couldn’t tell what happened once the door slammed shut but if she hadn’t made it to the window to escape by now, something was wrong. He attempted to wedge himself through the window until the frame dug into his body.

It was no good. He was never fitting through.

He moved back and eyed the building. His heart thrummed hard in his chest, tension threatening to tangle his throat. He just needed to get to her then all would be fine. Whatever happened, he could fix it, so long as she was at his side. Damned fool woman. He should never have let her climb in in the first place.

Raking a hand through his wet hair, he studied the thatch. It was thick and well maintained but underneath would be just rafters. And enough room for him to slip through. He scanned the debris around him, spied something black bobbing up against the wall and snatched it. Someone had taken pity on him as the scrap of metal would be perfect for what he needed it for.

August gripped the metal in one hand and the thatch in the other then pressed his boots to the window ledge and hauled himself out of the water and onto the roof. He scrambled across it until he found what he hoped was a weaker spot in the roof and he slammed the metal down into the thatch.

His breaths came hard and fast as he dug and tore and ripped at the thatch. He didn’t know how long it took to create a hole. Too long in his estimation. She’d been down there too long. In the cold. Maybe knocked senseless.

Maybe dead.

He shook his head and worked on making the hole bigger. As soon as it was just wide enough for him, he slipped through it and dropped into the water. He swiped the droplets from his face and peered around the shadowed interior. A chair bobbed past him, and picture frames, linens, and various kitchen accoutrements clustered in the corners of the building. He almost mistook her for a sheet, pale against the dark water. She floated on her back like a ghost drifting through the night.

“Lilly!” He worked his way past the debris to snatch her arm and haul her to him. As soon as he touched her, she jerked, and flailed her arms.

He grabbed her tight to him and allowed himself the first deep breath he’d inhaled since she’d vanished from his sight.

“I’m well, I’m well,” she assured him, fingers digging into his arms. “Just a little stunned.”

“We need to get you out of here.” He took her arm and led her toward the window.

“I’m not going anywhere without you.” She lifted her head. “You came in through there?”

“I didn’t have much choice.” He motioned to the open window. “Through there. I’ll be just behind you.”

“Except you will not fit.” She clung to him still as she peered upward. “And how will you climb out there?”

“I can reach.” He wasn’t certain he could and if there was anything for him to climb on it was washed away. But perhaps he could reach and haul himself up.

“You cannot.”

“Lil, just get out of this damned building, for goodness sake.”

“Not without you,” she repeated, her grip tightening on him.

He hissed out a breath. Did the woman have to be so reckless? So bloody courageous? She’d leapt into a flooding building without a single thought for herself. Why couldn’t she be some sweet little woman waiting patiently for him at the cottage?

Probably because he wouldn’t feel the same way about her if she was, he realized grimly. Which meant he’d have to tolerate many more frights from her.

The realization he pictured years of her terrifying him with whatever her latest adventure was slammed hard through him. He set his jaw and looked up at the gap in the roof. He’d be damned if he wasn’t going to give her the chance to scare him at least one more time.

“I’ll lift you up, then you grab onto the roof.”

“August...”

He pushed damp strands from her face. “Once you’re up there, you can reach in and aid me up.”

“August,” she said again, her eyes wide and wary in the darkness. “What if I—”

“Now, Lil. We cannot stay in here forever and I think the water is still rising.” He snatched her by the waist and hauled her up onto his shoulder. She wavered there and he steeled himself against the pull of the water and the weight of her sodden clothes.

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