Atwood and the viscount, wishing they would get back on their horses and ride on. She felt awkward and unsettled. The major, however, appeared to be pleased at their unexpected arrival.
Dorothea blew out a sigh and told herself all would be well the moment the two uninvited guests departed.
She forced herself to smile at the viscount. He was a handsome devil, with dark, daring looks. He returned her smile with a devastating one of his own. Oh, dear. The very last thing she needed in her life was another handsome rogue flirting with her.
She very deliberately lowered her chin and turned her head away. Benton did not appear to be a fool. He would easily understand her message.
Dorothea’s gaze was now fixed in the distance, centered upon Lady Meredith and the girls. She watched with curiosity as Lady Meredith settled the three girls in a rowboat that was nestled on the shore. With the help of the girl’s governess, Lady Meredith pushed the small boat off the bank, then hopped inside. Taking up the oars, she began to row in an uneven line toward the other side of the lake.
Dorothea could see the girls smiling and giggling at their mother’s antics. She smiled, too. It looked like they were having a grand time.
“I see that Lady Meredith has taken the girls for a boat ride. Perhaps we can go next, Major Roddington?” Dorothea asked, deciding that if the viscount and marquess wouldn’t leave, then she must find a way to escape. There would only be room in the boat for her and the major.
“What?” The major jerked his head toward the small lake, his eyes widened.
“I heard Dardington’s wife was a plucky kind of woman,” Lord Atwood said with admiration. “I’m sure she knows what she is doing.”
The words had no sooner left the marquess’s mouth when a sharp, splintering sound echoed up from the lake, followed immediately by a chorus of female screams and loud splashes.
“Oh, my goodness, they’ve all fallen into the lake!” Dorothea shouted.
All three men turned, then started sprinting down the hill, pulling off their coats as they ran. Hastily, Dorothea grabbed the reins of Lord Atwood’s and Viscount Benton’s horses before the animals could bolt. Tugging on the reins, she too ran down the hill, the horses obediently following.
Lord Atwood hit the water first, with the major a few seconds behind. There was so much splashing in the middle of the lake, Dorothea could barely distinguish Lady Meredith’s adult form. She appeared to be holding at least one, perhaps two of her daughters as she struggled to stay afloat. There was no sign of the boat. It must have sunk to the bottom after taking on too much water.
“Hurry, hurry,” Dorothea whispered frantically.
It was quickly apparent that Lord Atwood was by far the strongest swimmer. He reached the center of the lake well ahead of the viscount and the major. It was then Dorothea saw two female heads bobbing distinctly above the surface-Lady Meredith and Stephanie, her oldest daughter. The two younger ones were missing.
Without hesitation, Lord Atwood dove under the water. He quickly resurfaced, a child in his arms. He passed the little girl to Viscount Benton, then dove under again. This time he resurfaced alone.
Dorothea tensed, fear pressing heavily on her chest. Her lips began moving in silent prayer.
There was a sputtering sound and then a lusty cry as the child he held began to shriek. Dorothea, along with the servants and bystanders who had gathered on the shore, let out a loud cheer. Slowly, they all began to swim toward shore, the men assisting the children and Lady Meredith.
It was a tearful, relieved reunion as Dorothea and the servants gathered around the drenched group. Dorothea snatched a picnic blanket from the ground and wrapped it around Lady Meredith’s shoulders, giving her a fierce hug. She then hugged each of the girls, who were also wrapped in blankets, huddled close to their mother.
“Gracious, we shall have quite a tale to tell Papa, won’t we, girls?” Lady Meredith smiled shakily down at her daughters, who regarded her with wide, solemn eyes.
“I think he shall be very angry with us,” Stephanie replied as her teeth began to chatter.
“Perhaps.” Lady Meredith vigorously rubbed her daughter’s arm. “That’s why we must smile and laugh when we tell him of our adventure, to let him know that we were not afraid. All right, girls?”
Three soggy heads nodded in unison. Dorothea lifted her gaze from Lady Meredith and the children and turned to regard the three men who had risked their lives to save the females.
They were equally wet, though seemingly unconcerned as murky water steadily dripped from their hair and clothing. Caught in the jubilation of the moment, they were joking and laughing with each other, a trait Dorothea had observed was common among men after victoriously escaping peril.
“Christ, Roddy, it seems as if danger likes to follow you around,” Viscount Benton declared.
“Truly,” Lord Atwood agreed. “’Tis hard to believe you survived the war.”
Major Roddington grinned sheepishly, then pushed a lock of wet hair off his forehead. “It must be this English soil. I too am starting to feel as though it is safer for me to be battling the French.”
After taking Miss Ellingham home, a still damp Major Roddington entered his bachelor apartment. His servant, Parker, emerged from the small sitting room, took one look at his master, and smiled.
“By the looks of you, it seems that things went as planned,” Parker said, his grin widening.
“Hardly.” The major gritted his teeth in frustration. He shrugged out of his damp coat and flung it on the floor, then nearly groaned when he caught a glimpse of his best boots. They were stiff and waterlogged, ruined, most likely beyond salvation, and he certainly did not have the necessary funds to replace them. “What the hell did you do to that damn boat, Parker?”
The servant’s face turned ashen at the major’s rare show of temper. “Exactly what you asked, sir.”
“I think not,” Roddy snapped. “The boat was supposed to spring a sizable leak almost immediately when it was put in the water, so it would not be taken too far from shore. Instead, it was rowed to nearly the center of the lake before it splintered into dozens of pieces.”
Parker’s brow knit together with worry. “Was Miss Ellingham injured?”
Roddy slapped his hand down on the table. Hard. “No, you bloody idiot, she wasn’t injured. She wasn’t even in the damn boat.”
“What happened?”
“Lady Meredith and her daughters took the boat out on the lake. I was too far away to even notice. It broke apart when they were far from shore.” Roddy raked his fingers through his hair. “Christ Almighty, they could have easily drowned. The girls are so young, I swear the oldest can’t be more than nine or ten.”
Parker’s face lost any remaining bits of color. “Were they badly hurt?” he asked.
Roddy let out a ragged breath. “Not really. More frightened, I think. The two younger ones were wailing something awful when they were pulled from the water, but their mother managed to calm them down.”
“You were able to save them.” Parker’s tense face collapsed with relief. “Then you’re still a hero.”
“Atwood saved them,” he replied with great resentment, antagonism flowing through his veins. Truly, could it have been any worse? All this careful planning and in the end it was Atwood who garnered all the glory. Fate really was a harsh, unkind master.
“The marquess pulled all four females from the water?” Parker asked.
The edge of admiration in Parker’s voice made Roddy want to scream in frustration. “No. He rescued the two youngest girls, the ones who actually needed the most help. The older daughter managed to keep her head above the water and while frightened, was not in any real danger. Benton assisted her.”
“And the marchioness?”
Roddy grunted. “She swims like a fish. I made a grand show of lending her assistance, but clearly it was unnecessary.”
Roddy pulled out a chair from his small dining table and sat as a sudden exhaustion overtook his agitation. In his mind he could hear the frightened cries of those innocent young girls, could see the panic and terror on their mother’s face. Maybe he should just give up and walk away. Before some other innocent bystanders were truly
