Her reflection showed as an insubstantial figure, broken up by dark wavelets. But she did not feel insubstantial. She had never felt so alive as during these past few weeks. The sale of her works at the exhibition meant she could take care of her mother, and no longer felt weighed down with the responsibility of caring for Annabelle. While she would always feel concern when her sister experienced frail health, Annabelle had shown herself to have a spirit and determination Sophia had not credited her with. People can change, she thought now, staring down at her reflection which had settled as the breeze had lessened. I have changed, or at least I have unfolded a piece of my personality that is vital to how I desire to live the rest of my life.
She caught her lip between her teeth. If only she could make Bruno adjust his inflexible attitude towards Freddy, her life would be complete. Her first step would be to make it clear to Freddy they were no longer betrothed. She turned to speak to him and found herself talking to his retreating back as he raced off after his dogs who had dashed away to scrutinize one of the duke’s autocratic deer hounds some distance away.
By the time Sophia had almost caught up with him, Nanny and the maids, along with Mama and a trail of guests were sauntering down the gentle slope towards the level meadow at one side of the lake. Workmen had erected a striped marquee under which they were arranging tables and chairs, scattering rugs and cushions onto the grass. Others hurried backwards and forwards with baskets, trays and platters laden with a variety of food and liquid refreshments.
Looking up, Sophia saw Vanessa and the three men higher up the incline, where his grace appeared to be having difficulty negotiating a clump of rough ground. The smell of roasting meats from the spits behind the marquee filled the air. It should have been a lively scene but the pewter sun gleaming behind the clouds lent an eerie cast to the landscape and the smell from the spits made Sophia’s stomach turn.
She picked up her pace, eager to catch up with Freddy before they were absorbed into the rest of the crowd and the opportunity for a private conversation was lost.
She did not see how it happened; she was only aware of a blur of movement on the hillside and a distressed cry that sent her attention flying in that direction. What she saw wiped all thought of Freddy and even Bruno Cavanaugh out of her mind.
Nearing the bottom of the slope, Nanny, maneuvering the baby carriage, simply dropped to the ground, her dark blue skirt pooling around her like spilled ink. As she fell, her fingers slipped away from the curved bars of the carriage. Pansy and the other maids seemed frozen in place, rendered incapable of movement.
A raised piece of turf blocked the vehicle’s escape and for a heart-stopping moment it looked as if it would topple over and the baby be thrown out onto the grass, but the carriage bounced away and began to roll downhill, gathering momentum as it lurched towards the lake.
For a single moment Sophia stood immobile, aware of Nanny’s body sprawled on the grass, the panicked expressions of the maids, Vanessa’s scream and the shout from the duke who had already begun limping downhill, swiftly overtaken by Mr. Cavanaugh and Gabriel. Vanessa had by now also picked up her skirts and was flying downwards but Sophia knew none of them would reach the carriage before it tipped into the lake.
She sprang forward, knowing she had only seconds before the little vehicle plunged into the water. The baby earl’s hands waved above the carriage like pink butterflies; his panicked cries tore at Sophia’s heart.
The carriage gathered speed. She would be too late! Lungs bursting, every fiber of her being totally focused, dread consuming her, she leapt towards her target, bent down and scooped the baby out just before the carriage plummeted into the water.
But she was too late. Her own momentum sent her sideways and although she tried desperately to regain her balance and spin away from the lake’s edge, she plunged shoulder-first into the water with the baby clutched in her arms.
He screwed up his face and opened his mouth wide to draw in the breath he needed to scream; the breath that would also fill his mouth and lungs with the water that would drown him.
Driven by some primal instinct, for conscious thought had deserted her, Sophia sucked in a frantic, painful breath from already-depleted lungs and clamped her lips over his mouth and nose. She kept one hand across his arching back while the other gripped his face tightly against her own just before the water closed over their heads.
* * *
Bruno’s head filled with a disbelieving roar. In the space of a heartbeat he watched Sophia reach for the baby and plummet into the water. He’d leapt forward instantly but knew with total despair no matter how fast he ran he would not reach them in time. If he sprouted wings he would not reach them before they entered the water.
He was aware of Gabriel’s hard breath at his side and Vanessa close at his back, despite the skirts that must have hindered her progress. The Duke’s agonized inhalations goaded him on, but his heart was screaming in protest as the dark water closed over Sophia’s head.
Freddy stood near the spot Sophia had leapt from as if he was rooted to the ground, his face white as paper.
“Freddy!” shouted Bruno in an attempt to galvanize his younger brother into action.
Instead of throwing himself into the water after Sophia and the baby, Freddy put two fingers to his lips and whistled.
Bruno couldn’t believe it. He’d seen Freddy swimming only the other day when Ash had invited them to go fishing on the lake, and the afternoon had been so hot Freddy had taken to the water. Now, instead of diving in to rescue the woman he supposedly loved, he’d called his fucking dogs!
“You fucking numbskull!” Bruno bounded forward, calling on every last scrap of energy he possessed. His long-held fear of the water didn’t even enter his head. He tried not to look at Freddy and the dogs milling around him in a frenzy now. If he could have got his hands around Freddy’s throat at that moment he would have strangled him.
Instead, immediately his feet touched the walkway, he filled himself with images of seabirds and dolphins and flying fish, drew in a controlled breath—the deepest breath he’d ever breathed—and launched himself high into the air, hurled himself forward and downwards, arms thrust out until his fingertips slipped through the surface, until the lake peeled up his arms and over his head and he was immersed in the cold black waters.
* * *
Sophia sank down feet first, her entire being concentrated on breathing life into the tiny earl. She could not obey the natural urge to flail her arms for if she did she would lose her limpet-life clasp on the baby and her last breath could be the one he needed to survive.
Puff by tiny puff she breathed for him, emptying her lungs by increments until they began to burn with the effort. She cursed her bonnet strings for they tangled around her throat and threatened to choke her.
The cold water dragged at them, the metallic sun vanished as they descended into gloom. As her breath drained away, her attempts to kick grew weaker. They had been in the water for only seconds, but it seemed an eternity. Despair filled her as she released another agonized puff. Just as she had discovered her life, is this how it would end?
When she had only the most ragged fragments of air left she became aware of a violent surge of water. A dark shape streamed towards her. At first the blurred form filled her with panic but then she realized it was Bruno, his white undershirt billowing back from his broad shoulders. His face was indistinct but his eyes blazed through the dark water. With a leap of unutterable joy, she knew he had come for her.
He dived beneath her then came up in a rush, his hands thrusting her feet, his momentum like a spearhead forcing her upwards. Then the water was all turbulence and there were other hands grasping her, hauling her towards the surface. They were not gentle, but this was no time for gentleness.
She could not be certain whether the rays of light she began to perceive came from the sun, or from some inner part of her, desperate to uncover light where a frightening red haze had begun to prevail.
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They broke the surface and through her lashes she caught the gleam of the ducal ring. With her last ounce of will power she lifted the baby into the hands held out for him.
* * *
“Breathe, Sophia, breathe!” Bruno’s breath brushed her cheek like hot coals.
Gravel scraped her face as his hands grasped her waist and dragged her upwards until she was on all fours, her head hanging, water streaming from her hair. She felt him shaking her like a dog with a rat until her entire body convulsed and water spilled from her innards. Her heart stumbled painfully, once, then twice, coming to life like a rusted millwheel.
Instead of the nothingness of death, she tasted the glorious bile of life and smelt its acrid stench as the contents of her stomach splashed onto the ground. She heard its sweetness in the screams of baby Ash and knew its agony in the blood fizzing through her veins.
She dragged in air, gulp after painful gulp. At last her breath steadied and Cavanaugh lifted her until she came to her knees. Her teeth chattered against each other, her body shook so violently she thought her bones would break.
“Mama,” she whispered, as she saw her mother, white-faced, wringing her hands, too strained to shed tears.
A few feet away the duke crouched beside the duchess who cradled the screaming Ash in her arms.
“Sophia,” Vanessa whispered. The aquamarine eyes in her ravaged face were flooded with tears.
Northbridge turned, stood and strode across the path. Sophia began to scramble to her feet but the duke put a hand on her shoulder and held her in place.
He dropped to one knee. “It is I who should kneel to you.” His gray eyes burned with emotion.
Sophia shook her head and tried to speak but her voice came out as nothing more than a series of croaks.
“I have no words to thank you,” continued Northbridge. “If you were a man I would have you knighted. Suffice it to say whatever in this life I can give you or do for you, I am entirely at your command. What’s mine is yours. You saved three lives today, Sophia. If we had lost Ash, my wife could not have borne it and I could not have borne life without her. We are forever indebted to you.”
Devastated by his haunted expression and the horror of the past few minutes, Sophia could not keep her tears at bay. In one movement Cavanaugh hauled her into his arms and stood.
He lowered his face and kissed her on the mouth. “I thought I had lost you,” he breathed against her lips.
“You will never lose me,” she said, lifting a hand to touch his face. “No matter how hard you try.”
“Cavanaugh. Take her up to the castle,” she heard the duchess order. “Patience and Mary, go with Mr Cavanaugh. Take Miss Cranston to my own bedchamber. Fetch bricks and hot water. Make tea. Put her to bed. Make sure she is warm and comfortable and send for the physician immediately. And see that Nanny is looked after as well.”
Turning her face, Sophia saw Nanny, sitting now, supported by two of the maids, her face a peculiar shade of green, bewilderment etched across her features.
“I do not know what happened,” said Vanessa. “a seizure perhaps, but I know Nanny would give her life for the baby. Make sure the physician sees her too.”
Having given these orders she held out her hand to the duke. “Northbridge,” she implored brokenly.
He was beside her in an instant, gathering her and the baby into his arms, barking for men to bring materials to erect a barricade between the lake and hillside immediately.
Sophia looped her arms round Bruno’s shoulders, tangling her fingers into the damp curls at the back of his neck. Behind him she caught sight of Freddy, shifting from foot to foot, distress written across his features.
“Wait!” She halted Bruno, who was already moving towards the castle.
He turned, and she felt his body tense when he caught sight of his brother. “Freddy,” he said tightly.
“Freddy,” said Sophia, her heart going out to him.
He took a halting step forward. “I…I’m dashed sorry I didn’t come in after you, Sophe. Just couldn’t think straight. Thought the dogs might be able to bring you out but…” His voice faltered helplessly.
Sophia took a hand away from Bruno’s neck and held it out to him. “It doesn’t matter, Freddy.” She put her hand on his cheek. “But would you mind terribly if we do not get married after all?”
She wished the baby earl’s carriage hadn’t fallen into the water; she wished that both he and she hadn’t almost drowned, but her heart sang because she knew a turning point had been reached. By the desperate way he’d held her, by the way he’d breathed life into her and the way he drank her in with his eyes, she knew beyond mistake that Bruno Cavanaugh would not let any other man, including his brother, keep her away from him ever again.
Freddy’s expression lightened. “Not married?”
“You know we would make each other miserable. I would complain and whine about all the time you spend with your dogs and horses—”
Bruno stopped her from saying more by the simple method of kissing her hard on the mouth. Then he set her down reeling, sent her a fierce stare, gripped one of her hands to keep her by his side and turned to Freddy.
“Freddy,” he said, clasping his brother by the shoulder. “I love Sophia with every breath I breathe. Waking and sleeping, she is never out of my mind. I cannot imagine a life without her… or without you.” His voice shook. “The idea of hurting you pains me beyond belief. But the idea of losing Sophia makes me feel like death. I will not live without her.” He wrapped his palm around the back of Freddy’s neck and bent his forehead to his brother’s. “Will you give us your blessing?”
“G…given.” Freddy smiled eagerly. His pale hair flopped over his brow. “Tell you the truth, I didn’t much like the idea of being married—sorry, Sophe,” he said with an awkward grin in her direction. “Just thought I should go along with everything given I was the heir, but being leg-shackled seems not something I’d be very good at. Much rather spend time with the dogs and horses, to be honest.” His face reddened. “But I think I’d be a jolly good uncle.”
“Oh, Freddy, I do love you!” Sophia took her hand out of Bruno’s, threw her arms around Freddy’s neck and hugged him hard. He let her for a moment or two before slipping out of her grasp and turning with a happy grin to caper with his chaotic pack of dogs who were only too eager to surround him with their waving tails and joyous howls.
Followed by a cavalcade of servants, Bruno carried Sophia into the great hall of Ashton Castle where a covey of maids led the way to the duchess’s spacious bedchamber on the second floor.
“I’ll see to her,” he commanded when two housemaids came forward with towels and clean, dry clothing. He reached out for the towels.
“Sir!” protested one of the maids, her eyes sparkling indignantly.
Bruno scowled. “I’ll turn my back while you take care of Miss Cranston, but I will not leave her. Not for an instant,” he said grimly.
He stared out of the window while the maids bucketed hot water into a porcelain bath set beside the bed. His wet shirt still smelled of the lake and he tugged the garment off with a shudder. He heard splashes and knew Sophia had stepped into the bath. A jolt of arousal kicked inside his breeches. Sophia, rosy and pink and wet all over! With a muffled groan he shifted his legs to ease the discomfort of his rising erection.
At length he heard rustling and the women’s soft murmurs and he knew she was being dressed. How long could this blasted process take! At last, after what seemed like hours, Pansy came behind him and said, “Sir, Miss Cranston is ready now.”
Bruno turned to see Sophia sitting up with mountains of lace-edged pillows behind her. Her cheeks were pink from the warm water, her eyes bright. She wore something white trimmed with lace that fell open to reveal the delicate line of her collar bone and the swell of her breasts. The rosettes of her nipples showed beneath the fine fabric.
“Thank you,” Sophia said to the maids. “You may leave us now.” A
t their shocked stares, Sophia shooed them away with a smile and a motion of her hands. “You have taken excellent care of me, but go now.”
When they were alone she held out her hands and Cavanaugh strode forward and took them and kissed her fingers.
Then he brought her hands to his chest and pressed her palms against his bare skin. His eyes burnt into hers. “Feel how my heart beats for you. Sophia…” His voice deepened. “Know how I love you. When I saw you go into the water…”
“Do not think of it,” Sophia whispered. After all these weeks of uncertainty and longing, she felt powerful, as if she, at long last, had command of her destiny.
“When did you know you loved me?” she asked, pushing his hair away and holding his face in both hands.
He sighed. “From the beginning. When I came across you in that ramshackle coat with that colored scarf around your hair; your clear, honest shining eyes and your cloud of hair and your scent… God, the scent of you. I tried to tell myself it was pure lust, but I knew I was lost.”
He lifted the hair from the back of her neck and trailed his fingers over her skin. “We’ll have to get a special license. I don’t think I can keep my hands off you for very much longer.”
“Please don’t,” said Sophia, bringing her hand boldly down to his groin where his erection made her draw in her breath. Since the day in her atelier she had longed for this connection, knowing what she had experienced thus far was merely a taste of something much more elemental.
A brisk tap at the door made her tuck her hand back into her lap and had Bruno stepping away from the bed with a low growl. The duchess stepped into the room with Mama close behind, her eyebrows arching in disbelief when she caught sight of Bruno’s half-clad figure.
“My dears.” Vanessa’s smile encompassed them both. “What an ordeal. You must be exhausted, the pair of you.”
The Beaumont Betrothal: Northbridge Bride Series Book 2 Page 22