Chapter One
“He’s going to drown! Someone save him!”
The words slipped out of Marina’s mouth before she could think better about it.
The small crowd of ladies and gentlemen looked at her for a moment, some with confused expressions and others with occasional chuckles. Everyone was enjoying the garden party that was meant to celebrate Marina’s older sister Amelia, as she got betrothed to Lord Heeway. No one was looking in the direction of the nearby river, where a little brown dog appeared to be struggling for its life against the current.
A countess came forward, approaching Amelia, who was sitting next to Marina. “Congratulations on your betrothal?—”
The lady fell silent as Marina grabbed her arm. “The dog in the river is going to drown,” she said, pointing to the poor animal.
The woman pulled her arm away, staring at her. “I beg your pardon?”
Marina’s mother, Lady Shirley, put her hand on Marina’s wrist with a pained smile. However, her eyes looked positively murderous. “You will behave yourself for once in your life,” she hissed.
She had to fight the urge to shrink back at her mother’s tone. Usually, she would just fall in line to keep from causing trouble, but she could not do any such thing now, not when there was a life at stake. “There is a dog in the river,” she said.
“I do not care,” her mother whispered. “You will not ruin Amelia’s big day.”
Marina tugged her hand away from her mother and stood up. Was she speaking a foreign language? Or was she simply going mad?
No. There is definitely a dog, and I see it. If no one else is going to save it, then I will have to.
She ignored her mother’s death glare as she kicked off her shoes, picked up her skirts, and started jogging to the river.
Whispers followed her as she left the small crowd of people.
“What a peculiar lady,” one of them whispered.
“It is such a shame that a respectable family like the Shirleys is burdened with such a strange girl. But I suppose every family has … odd relations.”
Marina gritted her teeth, even though the words stung a little bit.
Let them talk. They will just forget me in a few minutes anyway. Everyone always does.
She ran to the river, her eyes fixed on the spot where she saw the little dog dive into the water. When she reached the shore, the dog was nowhere to be found.There is no time to lose.Without another thought, she jumped into the river.
Despite the warm summer day, the water was cold and quickly soaked through her dress. Marina dove below the water, looking for any flash of brown fur beneath the rushing water, but all she saw was the rock-covered riverbed.
With frustration and alarm, she pulled her head out of the water and cleared the water from her eyes. As she caught her breath, she saw the little dog on the shore, shaking its fur off. “There you are!” she gasped. “Are you aiming to kill me, sweetheart?”
It looked at her and wagged its tail as it picked up a slightly muddy ball. Its expression was expectant.
She shook her head, even as a small smile tugged up the corners of her lips. “How dare you betray my trust like that? I thought you were about to die!” She made her way to shallower water,where the current only slightly tugged at her skirt. Her dress was heavy from the water, and her hair had lost its careful updo and now flopped on the back of her neck in a messy clump.
A knot entered the pit of her stomach as she looked down at herself. At the moment, she was hidden from view at the party by some bushes, but people certainly saw her start to run to the river. They would certainly get a good look at her when she reluctantly made her way back, soaking wet.
Marina gave the pup a mock stern look. “You have no idea what I sacrificed for you,” she said. “My reputation was not exactly glistening before, but it will definitely be in ruins now.” She struggled to wring some of the water out of her heavy skirt, already dreading the conversation with her mother over this spectacle.
I can only hope that Lord Heeway does not notice or care about this little mishap. I would hate to have ruined Amelia’s engagement over this foolishness.
The dog trotted closer to her and dropped the ball at her feet before looking up at her expectantly. Marina gave an unladylike snort. “I will certainly not be throwing that for you, you little troublemaker. You will only get yourself in the river again and …”
Her voice trailed off as a large shadow loomed over her, blocking out the sun.Maybe it’s a big, dark cloud. Please just be a cloud.
Her thin hopes were dashed when she heard a deep voice.
“You should not be swimming here.”
