“Ian – sweetheart – give me your hand,” she called out, trying to keep her voice calm so as not as to upset the red-headed infant.
She reached forward, trying to balance on the steps, but she just could not reach into the dinghy, it was bobbing around too violently in the rough water.
Ian turned and gave her a wide grin.
He was plainly not the slightest bit concerned and had no intention of climbing out of the little boat.
“Ian! Come out of there at once. Oh, what shall I do? Where is everyone?”
Viola made up her mind.
No one was going to come to her aid.
Being careful not to slip into the water, she stepped into the dinghy.
She would have to pick up the little boy before she could climb back out onto solid ground once more.
The child laughed and clapped his hands playfully as she took a tentative step forward and then groaned as her foot slid on a coating of fish scales and she sat down with a bump.
For a second a sharp pain shot through her left foot as she struggled onto her knees and reached for Ian.
Just then the thunder rolled again, the storm sent a vicious gust of wind and the dinghy bucked and rolled like a wild horse.
Viola reached out and pulled Ian into her arms.
She turned to climb out of the boat and then gave a little groan of despair.
The last lurch of the tossing boat had loosened the rope that moored it to a large iron ring set into the harbour wall.
Even as she looked in horror, the rope end slipped through and splashed down into the water.
Like a horse freed from its tether, the boat turned right round and within seconds was yards away from land, heading out across the harbour and towards the open sea!
CHAPTER TEN
Viola moaned as the dinghy rocked violently in the rough water.
She hunted frantically for the oars, but realised that the little boat had none.
Waves were already beginning to slop in over the sides and young Ian was suddenly beginning to sense that his adventure was not so much fun any more.
Viola could see that his bottom lip was trembling and she was terrified that the child would start to panic.
Swiftly she leant straight forward and picked him up, cradling him in her lap, trying to protect him from the worst of the wind and rain.
“Hush, Ian. Don’t cry, sweetheart. Everything will be all right. Sit quietly, there’s a good boy.”
She stared around in horror.
The dinghy was heading slowly but surely towards the harbour entrance, carried there by the turning tide.
Viola cast frantic glances back at the shoreline, but there was no one in sight.
Except – yes, through all the spray she could see a figure running headlong down the cliff path and, even as she watched, the rain eased for a moment and she could see it was a man.
It was the Duke!
Even as she watched, the Duke flung off his jacket and without hesitating dived into the choppy grey water.
‘Oh, Robert! Oh, my love! Be very careful. Oh, God please, please take care of him, in your infinite mercy, take care of Robert Glentorran!’
Viola prayed desperately as she had never prayed in her entire life.
She watched in growing despair as the Duke’s dark head disappeared again and again beneath the water, until his strong arms lifted him up once again above the white crests of the raging waves as he battled on towards her.
She knew that she dared not even try to help.
It was all she could do to keep the boat on an even keel as it was thrown around by the waves.
And she had to protect Ian.
How could she ever face Heather and Fergus if she let anything happen to their precious son?
But, oh, Robert was in such danger.
How could she go on living if anything happened to him?
Then just as the Duke seemed to be losing his battle and she feared that the sea was about to swallow him up, an answer came to her prayers.
The black clouds broke apart – just for an instant – a beam of sunlight touched the sea like a golden finger and the wind dropped to a gentle breeze.
It was enough for the waves to calm and for him to make one last desperate surge forwards towards the little dinghy.
The Duke caught hold of the mooring rope floating behind the dinghy and with that to help him, he managed to edge himself alongside, his hands tightening over the side of the boat that contained everything he held so dear.
He looked up at Viola and to her astonishment, she realised he was smiling!
“Lady Viola, may I presume? May I make so bold as to enquire, what is this passion you have for immersing yourself and your friends in seawater at regular intervals?”
“Oh, Robert, I was so frightened you were going to drown!”
The Duke grinned again, looking so very handsome with his black hair plastered against his forehead.
“In this harbour? I don’t think so. Fergus and I used to race across it every time I came to Glentorran when I was a lad. We even swam across here on Christmas Day last year when we had to break the ice!
“Now listen, Viola, I want you to sit on the far side of the boat and hold Ian very still.
“And you, young man, you just go on being a brave wee laddie and we’ll soon have you back home.”
Viola edged carefully along the wooden seat and, as the sun vanished once more behind the clouds and the wind began roaring wildly again, the Duke heaved himself into the dinghy, his shirt sticking to his body like a second skin.
For a moment Viola forgot that she and the Duke were no longer friends and she reached out a hand to brush the soaking wet hair from his eyes.
At the same time his right hand was raised to do the same and their fingers touched and entwined.
Viola felt her breath catch in her throat as she gazed into those dark eyes she loved so much.
But this was no time for talking or to say what was causing her heart to feel so heavy.
The dinghy lurched wildly sideways as another gust of wind caught it in its grip.
She looked behind her and groaned in horror to see the harbour entrance coming closer and closer.
The sea was certainly rough enough here inside the sheltering arms of the cliffs, but what a brutal maelstrom it would be outside the harbour.
“Robert, what shall we do? How are we going to get back to the shore?”
The Duke scowled.
“Look, over there – that’s Fergus’ fishing boat. He always moors it in deep water when there’s a storm. He’ll be on board. If we can reach his boat, we’ll be safe!”
“Dada!”
Ian shouted suddenly and pointed.
True enough, they could see Fergus standing by the rails, staring in anguish to where his son was being carried away by the wind and tide.
“If only we had oars!”
The Duke swore under his breath and then reaching forward, he smashed both his fists down hard on the other wooden seat.
Viola screamed as splinters flew in the air, but the wood, which was obviously half-rotten, broke away easily and he seized the plank to use as an oar.
His powerful shoulders sent the boat flying through the water towards Fergus.
“Robert, well done. You have saved us!”
He shook his head grimly as he paddled furiously, trying to keep the dinghy on a straight course.
“Not yet, my darling girl, not yet. Look! You can see the currents swirling round the fishing boat. The water is deep there and treacherous. I fear we will only have one chance to get Ian on board.”
Viola’s lips set in a firm line and she held the child tightly in her arms.
She recognised that they were in grave danger, but her heart was dancing because the Duke had called her his ‘darling girl’!
“Just tell me what to do.”
“Look now, Fergus has dropped a rope ladder down over the side. As soon as we reach i
t, I will try and hold the dinghy still. He will climb down as far as he can. Hand Ian to him and then Fergus can help you up.”
“But what about you. Robert, I am not leaving you. I shall never leave you!”
His gaze pierced her through to her very soul.
“Viola, my dearest, you must save yourself. Trust me. If you have any feelings for me at all, please do now exactly as I ask.”
“I will trust you for all eternity,” whispered Viola and then there was no more time for speaking.
The dinghy swung on the current and slid alongside the fishing boat.
There was Fergus, balancing himself at the end of the rope ladder with the skill of a man who spent his whole life at sea, holding out one arm.
Before Viola could think, she was standing up and, swaying violently, she managed to lift the child and thrust him into his father’s welcoming arms.
With a sob of relief, Viola watched as Fergus ran up the ladder and placed his son down somewhere on the deck.
Then he scrambled back down the ladder, reaching out towards her.
“Quickly, Lady Viola. Take my hand!”
“Viola! You must jump. Now!”
The Duke’s voice was anguished with concern.
But as she readied herself to leap onto the swinging ladder, a vicious blast of tumultuous wind sent the dinghy spiralling away from the fishing boat.
And with a scream she tumbled backwards into the cold water that was now fast filling the little boat.
The next few minutes always lived in Viola’s mind as a terrifying nightmare.
It was as if the storm, now cheated of one victim, was determined to do its worst and the wind and rain blew the dinghy, spinning like a top, out of the harbour entrance where the giant waves took hold of it.
Viola felt the Duke’s strong arms fasten around her, holding her safe against him.
She was aware that his lips grazed her forehead and just as a vast wave turned the dinghy over, she heard him whisper,
“I shall love you to the end of days.”
The Duke struggled to the surface, gasping and choking.
“Viola!”
He swam a few yards and stared around in despair.
There!
With her golden hair floating around her head like a silken halo, Viola was floating in the sea.
“Viola!”
With a few powerful strokes the Duke reached her side.
She was unconscious and there was a raw mark on her dear forehead and he thought that she must have hit her head as the dinghy capsized.
‘Oh, my Lord God, let me save her!’ he prayed and supporting her limp body, he began to swim towards the distant shore, letting the current take him to what he hoped was safety.
All he knew for certain was that whatever happened in the next few seconds, he would never ever let go of his beloved again.
*
Viola was dreaming.
It was winter and she was skating on a frozen loch. She could feel the icy wind in her face, her feet and hands ached from the cold.
But she realised she was happy because at her side, holding her hand, was the man she loved.
And she knew that if she skated just a little faster, she would ultimately reach a safe haven where nothing and no one could harm her – Viola’s eyelids fluttered open.
She was lying shivering on a stony beach, her head pillowed on the Duke’s arm.
She coughed, groaned and tried to sit up, trembling violently as the cold cut through her soaking wet clothes.
Immediately the Duke’s anxious face bent over her.
“Viola! Oh, sweetheart, are you all right? Don’t move. You hit your head when you went overboard. Dear Lord, Viola, I thought I had lost you!”
She felt his strong arms close round her as he lifted her aching head towards him.
Their kiss was everything she had ever dreamed of, a declaration of their deep true feelings for each other.
“Robert, my own love, where are we?”
The Duke gazed round him stroking the wet tangles of golden hair back from her temples.
“On a little beach along the coast from the Castle. I know it well. I played here often when I was a boy. The current swept us here when the boat capsized.
“You are so cold! But don’t fret, Fergus will have raised the alarm by now and help will be on its way. We will soon have you safe and sound back at the Castle.”
Viola stared into his dark eyes.
“You saved my life – ” she murmured.
“Your life is my life,” the Duke replied, his voice shaking with emotion.
He would never tell her of the anguished feeling of loss that had swept through his soul, when he had seen the girl he loved drifting away in the waves.
Yes, he had struggled with every fibre in his body to get her to shore and safety, refusing to let the angry sea claim her as its own.
“Viola, can you ever forgive me for my own stupid pride? For spoiling our friendship because of my ridiculous notions of what is right?
“When I saw you unconscious in the water, when I thought I was going to lose you, I knew that nothing in the whole world was worth turning my back on our love.
“How could I have been such a silly stubborn fool? Viola, my darling girl, could you ever love someone who is so foolish?”
The Duke kissed her again and as she drew away, Viola exclaimed with a moan of happiness,
“I am the one who should ask for forgiveness!
“Why on earth didn’t I tell you about the wretched inheritance when we met again after the shipwreck? It was so stupid, so childish.
“David has more sense than me. He wanted to tell you and Meg immediately, but I made him promise to wait.
“I wanted your – friendship – so much. I had come to depend on it as being necessary for my very being. But I didn’t trust you to like me if you knew I was wealthy.
“And then, when I realised I had to tell you because I was living a lie, the opportunity never arose.
“So, my darling man, can you ever love a girl who is so brainless!”
The Duke laughed out loud and for the first time in many weeks, the lines of strain around his eyes and mouth vanished.
“A fool of a man and a foolish girl! Well, I think we make the perfect couple, Viola.
“I don’t believe anyone else would want us, so we had better marry as soon as possible!”
He knelt at her side and Viola smiled.
Soaked to the skin, he was still looking amazingly handsome.
“Lady Viola Northcombe, I, Robert, the sixth Duke of Glentorran, do hereby ask you for your hand in marriage. You are my life and my heart. Please make me the happiest of men and say ‘yes’!”
Viola knelt in front of him, seemingly oblivious to the sharp stones pressing on her knees, linking her hands with his, her great blue eyes shining like stars.
“I, Viola Northcombe, now pledge myself to you, Robert, the Duke of Glentorran, for ever and ever, amen.”
Kneeling together in the pouring rain on that wild windswept beach, they kissed and knew that nothing and no one would ever part them again.
*
Three months later on a glorious autumn day, two riders were cantering over the moor through purple heather, busy with bees collecting the famous Glentorran honey.
The sky above them was a pale eggshell blue and somewhere a lark hovered, its piping song cascading down towards them.
As the two riders crested the hill, they reined their mounts to a halt and stared down into the glen below.
“There!”
The Duke pointed with his whip.
“See, my darling, that is where the new hospital is being built. They have already dug the foundations and by next year the new Duchess of Glentorran Hospital will be up and running.”
Viola smiled in delight, her golden hair escaping from the small, blue close-fitting hat she wore, its feather curling round to touch her cheek.
She had been
so thrilled when the Duke had agreed that she could finance the construction of a hospital for the local district.
She could still remember with great amusement, the horrified look on Lewis Wilder’s face when she had told him of her plans.
“But financing a hospital, Lady Viola! It will take an enormous amount of dough for years and years to come!
“Do think about it – not only the construction work, but paying doctors and nurses and from these plans you’ve shown me, you want an operating theatre as well!”
“Certainly!” Viola had replied firmly.
There would then be no further need for the people of Glentorran and the surrounding district to travel miles and miles for treatment.
No one would die from lack of basic medical care, not while she had a penny left in her bank account.
Lewis Wilder had been bemused and bewildered, but, seeing she could not be moved and most impressed by the glittering emerald and diamond engagement ring on her finger, he had accepted defeat.
He had returned to America and Viola was sure that secretly he was quite pleased to be left in charge of the oil business out in Texas.
The Duke’s business manager had agreed to keep a watching brief on how the Northcombe Oil Fields were run and Viola was certain that she could leave it in his capable hands.
She realised that she could not be involved herself.
She would have far too much to do helping Robert run the estate.
They had such great plans.
The next year would see the building of a second school in Glentorran village so that the older children could continue their education if they wished.
Her money was now being put to good use for the benefit of the district just as she had dreamed.
As their ride ended and they turned back towards the Castle, Viola reached out her hand and the Duke took it in his own.
Even when they were riding out they found every opportunity they could to be close to each other.
Stirrup to stirrup, they rode down the hill and into the Castle grounds that were now a hive of activity.
All the old gardens were being brought back to life and new beds were being carved out of the surrounding land.
A great water feature was being constructed.
A small spring high on the moors would run down through a long series of channels and lakes to cascade over a sparkling waterfall and into a deep pool where great koi carp would swim.
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