She needed to explain so Bentford would not think her a complete ninny.
“Large bodies of water to be specific. Especially the sea. Any body of water that would be over my head and in which I could drown.”
“Have you always been afraid?” he asked.
At least he wasn’t laughing at her, though he could still consider her silly but was too polite to say anything.
“No. It happened when I was ten,” she answered. “My younger sister, Adriana, has always been drawn to the water. She liked to be on the beach and would wade in when nobody was looking. I used to go with her, and we’d remove our shoes and stockings, walk along the beach, and run from the waves to keep our dresses from getting wet.” She smiled at the memory of when she was innocent of the dangers. “One day Adriana decided that she was going to swim, not just go only as deep as her knees, but further out. I told her not to, but she didn’t listen to me and went in the water anyway.”
“Did she know how to swim?” Bentford asked.
“Yes. We were taught as we were learning to walk, but we were still forbidden to go in the water unless my grandfather or servants were present.”
He nodded as if he understood.
“The sea was rough that day. It didn’t look rough, but it was, underneath, and it pulled Adriana out, away from the beach and then under. I called for her, but she didn’t come back up and I was too afraid to go after her.”
“What happened?”
“I started screaming and ran back to the manor, but my grandfather was already coming down because he’d been watching. When he got there, she was on the shore and alive.”
“How?” Bentford asked in surprise.
“According to Adriana, a merman saved her.”
“Merman?” he questioned.
“Yes.” Cordelia chuckled. “I am certain that it must have been a fisherman, or anyone for that matter, but not a merman.”
“What did your grandfather say? Does he know who saved her?”
Cordelia frowned. “I never asked.” In fact, they never discussed the incident again.
“It must have been terrifying to watch your sister disappear like that and be helpless.”
“It was,” she admitted. “Even though Adriana had survived unscathed, I suffered nightmares and panicked every time she or Edward was near the water. Then I began to fear that the caves would flood while my family was down there with cargo, and everyone would be swept out to sea and I’d never see them again, or that the cliff would collapse, and our manor would fall into the sea, and we’d all drown. I was afraid all the time until the new governess taught me how to calm my fears.” Cordelia stopped as they reached the terrace at the back of Hollybrook Park and turned to Bentford. “I know that it is not rational. The caves are not going to flood because they never have. I also know that our home is not going to fall into the sea. I know all of this, but I am still deeply terrified of the sea. Therefore, I never go into the water, nor have I been on a boat.” Her face heated. “You must think me silly.”
He stared down at her, his brown eyes warm with understanding. “No.”
Her breath hitched in surprise at his understanding. Even Adam and Edward dismissed her concerns. As for Adriana, she still felt the pull to the sea and could not understand Cordelia’s fear when she hadn’t been the one who had nearly died. In Adriana’s mind, if she wasn’t afraid, then Cordelia shouldn’t be either.
“Thank you for seeing me home,” she finally said.
“It was my pleasure,” he returned as he started to smile. “Especially since you admitted to your secret. Why else would there be cargo in the caves?”
She certainly had not…Cordelia groaned. “I assure you that I am not usually so careless with my words.” Was he now going to worry that she could not be trusted?
Bentford chuckled. “I am not concerned.”
Cordelia frowned up at him. “You are not?”
The smile slipped as he studied her with a seriousness that should cause concern and she feared what he may say next.
“No, Miss Cordelia, I am not.” His brown eyes darkened as he looked into hers. “For an inexplicable reason, I find that I trust you completely.”
Her heart hammered in her chest. He did not know her, yet he trusted her. Those may have been some of the most important words any gentleman had ever said to her. “I won’t betray your trust, Lord Bentford. On that you have my word.”
He continued to study her, and anticipation swelled in her chest, though she had no idea why. This had never happened to her before.
