“Margaret?” I called out. Perhaps I had been wrong in my suspicions. But why then was my stomach still sick with dread?
I gasped when I caught a flash of blue fabric farther down the beach. Margaret was already halfway in the water, facing the sea with her legs submerged.
She didn’t appear to be in immediate danger, but I ran with all the strength I had, my boots heavy as they sank into the sand. Margaret took another step into the water, but turned in my direction when I shouted her name. I struggled to catch my breath, sweat and rain dripping down my hairline as I finallyreached her. How had she even known how to find the beach on her own? She must have been here before. She bent over, splashing her fingers in the water. It broke my heart that a girl who loved the sea so much had to make a grand escape in order to touch it.
“Margaret—” I moved quicky toward her.
At my approach, she took another step into the water. A wave struck her legs, nearly knocking her down. She looked startled for a moment, but then turned to me in delight, as if I should be pleased that she had found her way out here alone.
My heart pounded as I picked up my skirts and trudged forward into the water behind her. I took her arm softly, but she jerked it away, lunging deeper into the sea. “Swim,” she said in a firm voice.
“No, my dear, you cannot swim today. The water is far too dangerous. Come back to the beach with me.” I tried to keep my tone calm.
She blinked fast, ignoring my request.
I reached for her arm, but it only drove her farther away again. Panic tightened my chest.
A large wave coiled up in the distance. It was larger than the others—and it looked like it might break directly where Margaret stood. I made a quick decision, diving forward and wrapping both my hands firmly around her arm. I tried to tug her back, but she fought against me with surprising strength. I gripped her again, but the wave had already reached us.
The force of the water knocked me backward until I was completely submerged. My back dragged across the sand until I found the surface again. I sat up in the shallows where the wave had deposited me, sand all over my gown and hair. Salt burned my eyes as I searched frantically for Margaret. Thankfully, she had been washed up beside me, coughing and gasping for air.She rubbed at her eyes with a shriek, kicking against the water that rushed toward us.
I scrambled toward her, pushing the wet hair away from her face. My throat burned as I coughed out the last of the gritty water from my lungs. I took her arm, and this time she didn’t fight against me as I helped her to her feet. We trudged out of the water, but the moment we were free, she darted a few feet away from me on the sand.
“Does the salt burn your eyes?” I asked in as calm of a voice as I could manage. She still rubbed them, blinking hard. Her lips quivered.
I took a step toward her. “Let us go back to the house together. The sea is far too dangerous.”
She stopped rubbing her eyes for long enough to focus on something in the sand. She crouched down, picking up a small white shell. The distress in her features faded, a smile overtaking them.
I sighed, willing the rate of my heart to slow. “We cannot collect shells right now, Margaret. We must return to the house.”
She didn’t listen, following the edge of the water with fresh determination. I followed closely behind her, my legs still shaking from the terror of the past few minutes. What would have happened if I hadn’t noticed she was gone? I didn’t dare imagine. At least now I knew where she was, even if I couldn’t convince her to listen to me. Where was Susan? Had she not followed me out of the house?
I trudged behind Margaret, my lungs still burning.
In the distance, down the same path I had taken to the beach, I caught sight of a man. I rubbed my stinging eyes, squinting at his form as he drew closer. It was Jonathan, running across the sand in our direction.
I sighed with relief, increasing my pace to keep up with Margaret. I shivered, wrapping my arms around myself.Jonathan’s face came into clear view, his skin flushed from the exertion of his run. How had he found us?
I opened my mouth to explain what had happened, but his voice cut through the crashing of the waves. “Why the devil would you bring her out here?” His baffled look reminded me of the day he had found me swimming in Brighton.
I faltered back a step.
The wind pushed his hair back from his forehead, his raw frustration on full display.
Margaret continued walking down the beach, stooping over to collect another shell. Jonathan moved in front of her, blocking her path, but his eyes never left my face. “Margaret cannot swim, Alice! Putting yourself in danger to swim in the sea is foolish enough, but endangering my sister?—”
“I rescued her!” I cut him off. I could hardly believe how quick he was to accuse me. My heart sank, yet I felt close to bursting with sudden anger. “She was already on the beach when I found her.”
His hard gaze took me in from head to toe before examining Margaret. “You have both been underwater. How do you expect me to believe?—”
I marched toward him, hot anger galloping through my body. “All you ever do is doubt me! You doubt my intentions, you doubt my character, and you doubt my judgment. I will not endure it a moment longer.” My hands curled into fists at my sides. “You may think what you want of me, but I will not waste my breath attempting to explain myself to you. I already know you will not listen.” I glared up at his face, angry tears burning in my eyes now. “You claimed that you wanted to honor me, but I don’t know how you expect to do that if you cannot take me at my word.”
His expression faltered.
I stormed past him, but I heard his footfalls on the beach as he followed me. “Alice, wait.”
“No!” I whirled around, arms wide. I felt like a madwoman, dripping wet with seawater and sand, but after my fight with Charlotte, I had learned not to hold my tongue. “I have waited long enough for you!” I sniffed, my throat tight. “I have nothing to prove.”
