Anne stooped to eye-level with her niece. “We won’t ask him. I’ll ask Mr. Ford to acquire one for me, and we can share.”
“I sense collusion,” a deep male voice said, and Anne’s attention jerked toward Lord Grump.
Where did he come from? Could she not get a moment’s rest from that man? It had been such a nice, peaceful afternoon. Well, peaceful running after a rambunctious puppy.
Ellie peered up at her father, her eyes as big and pleading as the puppy’s she held. “He’s so sweet, Papa.” She kissed the pup on the nose again.
Lord Grump’s lovely sea-foam-green eyes grew so wide, Anne feared—or was it hoped?—he would keel over from apoplexy. Well, in all honesty, she didn’t hope so. The girls had already lost one parent.
“Ellie, that dog’s nose has been sniffing in the most unsavory places!”
Anne couldn’t really disagree, but the least he could do was not yell and frighten the child.
“I’m afraid your father is right, Ellie.” Anne shot the grump a glance.
“You’re agreeing with me?”
“Why does that surprise you? I’m not going to disagree simply for the sake of disagreeing.”
He muttered something that sounded suspiciously like“I wouldn’t put it past you.”
The nerve!“I’m sure your father is concerned for your health in the event Flash has sniffed something that would upset your tummy.” She bent low and whispered in Ellie’s ear about how dogs liked to smell their own droppings.
“Oh!” Ellie released the poor pup and wiped furiously at her mouth.
Anne soothed the girl, fighting the smile tugging at her lips. “I’m sure it will be fine, Ellie. My brother said I must have eaten a peck of dirt when I was little, and I turned out just fine.”
The grump actually chuckled. “Perhaps it accounted for your stunted growth.”
Anne straightened to her full height, which, granted, wasn’t extremely tall. “Must you always be so insulting! I cannot believe you are even related to Honoria. I think I shall go inside and find more agreeable company.”
“Oh, please, Miss Weatherby. Please, Anne.” Ellie grasped Anne’s wrist. “Don’t leave us. We were having such fun. Papa didn’t mean to be rude.”
Tears welled in the child’s eyes, and Anne peered at the grump, eager to witness his expression of regret that he’d caused his own daughter such distress.
Concern creased the corners of his eyes, and he stooped to his child. “I’m so sorry, Ellie.”
A tear trickled down Ellie’s cheek, and he wiped it away with his thumb.
Instead of the evil satisfaction she expected to rise in her bosom at causinghimshame and unease, compassion nudged its way forward.
Such tenderness nearly knocked Anne off her feet. Even more so when he turned those lovely green eyes filled with regret on her. “And to you, Miss Weatherby, I owe the sincerest of apologies. Forgive my callousness. My daughters have had little joy in their lives as of late, and here I am intruding and stripping it away from them yet again. I should leave you all in peace.”
When he turned away, the urge to stop him overwhelmed Anne,and she stepped to the side, reaching out to grasp his arm the same moment the puppy decided to weave itself through her legs.
She stumbled, and her ankle twisted as it slid into a depression in the lawn. Arms windmilling, she fell, only then remembering how close they were playing to the water’s edge as she rolled into the lake.
Noxious water seeped into her mouth and nostrils as she flailed about. Deeper than she imagined so close to the shoreline, she struggled to touch bottom. Layers of material from her skirts and petticoats became sodden and heavy, pulling her farther under as she fought against the weight.
After surfacing once, and spewing the water from her mouth, she gave a feeble cry for help before the water pulled her under again. Good grief! Would she really drown in the duke’s lake?
Silt from the lake’s bottom swirled around her, and something large splashed into the water beside her. Someone’s hands grasped her about the waist, but her body wouldn’t budge. As blackness crept into her vision, she saw the panicked face of Lord Manning as he pointed below her, then disappeared.
The cad! Did the foolish man want her to go farther under? Wasn’t it enough he was leaving her to drown?! Her lungs burned. Her eyes stung, and her final thought before her impending death wasNot yet. I haven’t even been kissed.
Colin wantedto laugh as Miss Weatherby rolled into the lake. But as she tried to right herself, rather than gaining her footing and standing in what he’d presumed was only several feet of water, she disappeared beneath the surface. His amusement turned to panic when she surfaced and uttered a mournful cry for help.
Stripping off his coat with lightning speed, he raced into the lake. Only then did he realize how it dropped off precipitously, and even at his height, he sank underneath the water.
