The day’s light was fast disappearing. She had to move.
She yanked up her waterlogged skirts and struck out toward the most accessible point of the rocks, gasping as the murky water gushed above her knees. Her legs were already numb, making her stumble as the river’s current tried to drag her down with greedy hands. She staggered and fell, tasted the brine of the Thames. Choking and wheezing, she thrust herself up again. The water swelled to her waist. The cold of it sapped her strength.
Clenching her jaw, she forced herself to move toward the craggy boulders which were mere shadows now on the embankment.
“Kendra!” Alec’s voice came to her over the rush of water.
“Here!” she shouted, using her hands to slice through the freezing water and propel herself forward. One foot. Another. “I’m here!”
She focused on each movement, determination gritting her teeth.
Then Alec was before her, his hands clamped around her waist. She found herself floating as he towed her toward the shoreline, barely visible in the rain and darkness.
“I-I can w-walk,” she said through chattering teeth as they reached shallow waters.
“Of course, you can.” He swung her up into his arms, carrying her up the rocky incline.
Once they were clear of the rising tide, Alec set her down and whipped off his greatcoat. Grim-faced, he wrapped the wool coat around her, then ran his hands up and down her arms to warm her. Stones clattered as Sam and Muldoon skidded down the incline toward them. Both were carrying lanterns.
“God’s teeth, lass, you gave me a fright when you disappeared and the tide came in,” Sam said when he stopped in front of her.
“I g-gave myself a fri-ight. T-tried to follow k-kids. They d-disappeared in a tunnel. Couldn’t c-catch them.”
“Those little devils are fast.” Muldoon held up his lantern and studied her face. “Your lips are blue, my lady.”
“T-thanks for the o-observation. D-did you get any-anything?”
“We’re not going to have that discussion now,” Alec snapped, and hauled her up again. “You’re going home and into a hot bath before you catch your death.”
Kendra scowled at him. “I-I’m fine.”
“I could use a hot whisky meself,” Sam put in. “Me bones are brittle with wet and cold.”
“W-we need t-to have a brief—a b-briefing.”
“Two hours. She’ll be ready for you then.” Alec didn’t wait for Sam to respond, carrying Kendra up the rest of the incline. Spotting them, Coachman John rushed to open the door and pull down the steps.
“Get us home,” Alec ordered, climbing into the carriage and lowering Kendra to the seat.
Reaching into a small cubbyhole under the seat, he withdrew a heavy wool blanket, which he tossed over Kendra. Between the blanket and Alec’s greatcoat, Kendra felt marginally warmer.
Alec settled in the opposite seat, and Kendra raised her eyebrows when he leaned forward and pushed up her wet skirts.
“I-I’m really not in the m-mood, darling,” she managed to say through her chattering teeth, and tried to smile at him.
He leveled a grim look at her. “Rest assured, I shall not be exercising my husbandly rights at this precise moment. You don’t exactly smell of roses, sweet.”
She sighed. “You’re pissed.”
Alec said nothing as he lifted her legs across his lap and worked to untie the soaked shoelaces.
“Bugger it,” he muttered, and produced a small knife from his pocket. In a deft move, he sliced through the knots, then tugged off her boots and tossed them to the floor. Next, he stripped her of her stockings and garters.
Kendra allowed herself to burrow down in the blanket and coat while Alec massaged her feet and kneaded her calves.
“That feels . . .shit!” She sat up straighter as the sensation of sharp needles seemed to score her flesh. “That feels like I’m in a medieval torture machine.”
But the pain was already receding, replaced by glorious warmth. After a tense moment, she relaxed. “Okay. Okay, this is good.”
