Page 43 of Mayfair Madame
Goddamn it. I bet the fucker couldn’t swim.
The laughs turned to shouts of concern as moments later, he’d yet to re-emerge. His friends were in no fit state to rescue him. What the fuck should we do?
Another splash sprayed water all over me. Ellie was in the water. Of course she would be.
She took a deep breath and dropped below the surface. How she’d see anything in the murky lake, I didn’t know.
I peered over the side of the pedalo into the depths, unable to see a damn thing. Where the hell was she?
There was every reason to worry. Danger lurked even in the calmest of waters. Either of them could get tangled in underwater weeds, or maybe he’d drag her down.
He was a big guy, and my Ellie was short by comparison. I held my breath, searching frantically for a sign. Anything to show she was okay. My stomach lurched, worried neither would resurface.
There was another splash over to my right, quite a way from where they’d both gone under. Ellie held the man in her grasp, his face blue.
“Ambulance.” She panted, struggling to keep them both above water. “He needs an ambulance.”
“Already on it.” A boat approached them. A man leant over the side and struggled to drag the lifeless man into the boat. Ellieclimbed in after him and collapsed on her back, exhausted. I hoped to fuck she was okay.
“Here.” He threw me a rope. “You’ll not manage to peddle ashore on your own.”
I tied it to the front and sat on the edge of the seat while he towed me back to shore. Ellie was now performing CPR. Today had taken a turn, but definitely not one I had expected.
The other guys followed, their faces pale. I doubted this was what they’d had in mind either when they got up this morning.
Two paramedics waited on the shore and took over from Ellie the moment we landed.
She watched as they worked, concern on her face. She raked her fingers through her sodden hair and took the proffered silver blanket.
I jumped off the pedalo and sprinted towards her, my heart in my throat. “Oh my God, Ellie. Are you okay?”
“Yeah, just cold. The water’s fucking freezing.” Her teeth chattered as she wrapped the blanket tighter around her.
“Here, let me warm you up. You need to get out of those clothes. We’ll get a taxi back to my place.” I reached for her, only to be pushed away.
“No. You’ll get wet too, and I have to stay here until the police come.” She swiped at a tear on her cheek. “I need to see if he’s going to be all right.”
We looked over to where the paramedics were still treating him. He was moving, at least. Apprehension turned to anger. It boiled in my chest. How did something like this happen? Weren’t there precautions in place?
She turned to me. “Stupid fucker shouldn’t have been messing about in the first place.” From her tone, she was as enraged as I was.
“I know, but your instincts kicked in, and your quick reaction likely saved him. Never a dull moment with us, is there?” I tried to lighten the mood. The need to care for her overwhelmed me.
“You’re not wrong, but I’d have preferred not to go swimming in the lake today.” She shivered again, her skin pale.
“Sit here. I’ll grab a coffee from the cafe over there. Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be back in a minute.”
I kissed her forehead. It was cool to the touch and ran to the kiosk I’d visited earlier.
“On the house,” the server said before I could pay. “He’d be dead if it hadn’t been for her, but he wouldn’t have been the first. There have been a few over the years.”
“Thank you. She’s something special, isn’t she?” I looked over to where she sat. She leant forward, her head in her hands. “How did the others die?”
“Some were like him. Drunk and messing around. I’m sure some were suicides or accidental drownings. It might be a lake, but there are still dangers.”
I nodded my understanding and walked back to Ellie. I sat on the bench next to her.
Her shivers had worsened. “This should warm you up. Once we’re done, we’re going back to mine. No arguments. I have a deep bath with your name on it.”
