Page 29 of The Reclusive Earl's Scandal
Rebecca blinked, surprised. Her lips parted as if she tried to speak, but could not decide on what to say. In the end, she said nothing, and Edward let it drop. Together, they both looked out at the view. He was aware of the murmurings of the ladies to the side, and he didn’t even let himself wonder what his sister or Lady Catherine thought.
“I think the view is beautiful,” Rebecca murmured after a few moments, a private observation just for them.
“As do I,” he answered softly.
For a moment, he felt the brush of something against his hand where it rested on the wooden bench, but right as he realized it was Rebecca’s own hand, and he opened his eyes, he heard a loudcrack. A scream split the peace, and Edward reached out on instinct without even realizing.
His fingers shot out for Rebecca as she fell, the edge of the bridge cracking beneath her. His fingers snagged around air.He was too late, and Rebecca tumbled into the river below with another cry and a blur of lavender skirts.
“Rebecca,” he shouted, forgoing all propriety, even in public, through his panic. But she didn’t surface, not after one moment, or another, and he tore off his tailcoat, yanked off his waistcoat, and dived right in after her.
The last thing he heard was both Elena’s and Lady Catherine’s astounded shouts to him.
Chapter Ten
Ice-cold water flooded Rebecca’s mouth as she plunged beneath the river’s surface, still screaming. It streamed into her throat, and she spluttered under water, her arms flailing. Her legs kicked out at her skirts, dragged down by them.
She had splashed around in enough water when she was a young girl, and her siblings had definitely gotten giggles out of shoving her into the lake on their countryside property. There had also been the time she had tripped and tumbled head-first into the fountain in Thornshire Hall, only to be rescued by Edward pulling her free with no hesitation, but this was nothing like that.
Rebecca had never learned to swim.
She had never learned how to navigate such a situation, especially laden down with a heavy skirt. She tried to peel her eyes open slowly, but they stung, and she quickly squeezed them closed again. Her lungs ached as she panicked and kicked.
Her body twisted as she tried to find the surface. The river had looked peaceful from above. Had she moved from the bridge? Heavens, she needed air. Her chest burned as she fought not to breathe in the water. It bubbled from her as she cried out and cried out, hoping she would be saved.
Rebecca frantically flailed once more—only to strike out accidentally at another body in the water.
Arms wrapped around her waist, but she couldn’t stop struggling, and then she surged to the surface, breaking into air, finally. Panic still gripped her tightly, and she floundered, splashing about. Her hand caught the side of her rescuer’s face, and it shocked her enough that her panic stopped suddenly.
She stilled, realizing arms still held her, hidden beneath the water’s surface.
“Edward,” she whispered, her eyes widening. Water still blurred her vision, but that was his face, his strong mouth and nose, and the worry marring his soft features.
And then voices trickled in, three of them, all at once, high and alarmed. Immediately, Edward jerked away from her, releasing her enough that she began to sink, realizing he had held her aloft. Edward scooped her around the waist once more, and pulled her towards the shore. She panted for breath, trying to ignore the stinging in her throat. Once they dragged themselves onto the muddy embankment, Rebecca collapsed alongside Edward. He staggered to his feet, tugging his cravat off to wring it out.
“You… you saved me,” she murmured, her voice hoarse from the water and screaming.
Edward paused, offering her a hand to help her up. She took it, and he quickly pulled away once she was on her feet. Her face burned as she realized he’d taken off his outerwear and stood before her in a pale shirt soaked transparent from the river. She averted her gaze.
“Of course, I did,” he told her, keeping his voice quiet.
“You did not even hesitate.”
“Just like years ago.”
Something heavy weighed in his voice, and she had another second to gaze at him before her attention was broken by her friends and Lady Elena hurrying to stand parallel to them on the path. Lady Elena’s face was slack in shock, while Mary looked horrified, looking between Edward and Rebecca. Rebecca tried not to notice how Lady Catherine didn’t look at all concerned, butangry.
She didn’t linger on her friend’s expression, not as she dragged her wet, muddied skirts up the embankment, and onto the path.
“Heavens, it is a good thing Lord Thornshire jumped right in,” Mary said, awed. “We have already sent for the carriage, Lady Rebecca. We must get you home and out of the wet attire at once.”
“Brother,” Lady Elena cut in, sounding impressed. “You saved Lady Rebecca from quite a bad fall. She is lucky to have had you so close by.”
After a while and before Rebecca could say anything, two figures hurried down the path, and a blanket was offered to her. Her father came with a footman, who draped the blanket over her. Notably, nobody had brought anything for Edward, and she opened her mouth to protest before she was ushered away, out of the riverside park.
Only when she glanced back when they reached the exit did she notice that Edward hadn’t seemed to move, even if he was further away, in the distance. Catherine, however, walked ahead with Lady Elena and Mary, the drama of Rebecca’s fall forgotten.
But Edward lingered, watching the way Rebecca had left, and he didn’t turn away from her for as long as it took her to bundle into the carriage and pull away to return home. Shivering in the carriage, her father peppered her with questions.
