Page 18 of The Reclusive Earl’s Scandal (Vows and Vanity #1)

Ice-cold water flooded Rebecca’s mouth as she plunged beneath the river’s surface, still screaming. It streamed into her throat, and she spluttered under water, her arms flailing. Her legs kicked out at her skirts, dragged down by them.

She had splashed around in enough water when she was a young girl, and her siblings had definitely gotten giggles out of shoving her into the lake on their countryside property.

There had also been the time she had tripped and tumbled head-first into the fountain in Thornshire Hall, only to be rescued by Edward pulling her free with no hesitation, but this was nothing like that.

Rebecca had never learned to swim.

She had never learned how to navigate such a situation, especially laden down with a heavy skirt. She tried to peel her eyes open slowly, but they stung, and she quickly squeezed them closed again. Her lungs ached as she panicked and kicked.

Her body twisted as she tried to find the surface. The river had looked peaceful from above. Had she moved from the bridge? Heavens, she needed air. Her chest burned as she fought not to breathe in the water. It bubbled from her as she cried out and cried out, hoping she would be saved.

Rebecca frantically flailed once more—only to strike out accidentally at another body in the water.

Arms wrapped around her waist, but she couldn’t stop struggling, and then she surged to the surface, breaking into air, finally.

Panic still gripped her tightly, and she floundered, splashing about.

Her hand caught the side of her rescuer’s face, and it shocked her enough that her panic stopped suddenly.

She stilled, realizing arms still held her, hidden beneath the water’s surface.

“Edward,” she whispered, her eyes widening. Water still blurred her vision, but that was his face, his strong mouth and nose, and the worry marring his soft features.

And then voices trickled in, three of them, all at once, high and alarmed.

Immediately, Edward jerked away from her, releasing her enough that she began to sink, realizing he had held her aloft.

Edward scooped her around the waist once more, and pulled her towards the shore.

She panted for breath, trying to ignore the stinging in her throat.

Once they dragged themselves onto the muddy embankment, Rebecca collapsed alongside Edward.

He staggered to his feet, tugging his cravat off to wring it out.

“You… you saved me,” she murmured, her voice hoarse from the water and screaming.

Edward paused, offering her a hand to help her up. She took it, and he quickly pulled away once she was on her feet. Her face burned as she realized he’d taken off his outerwear and stood before her in a pale shirt soaked transparent from the river. She averted her gaze.

“Of course, I did,” he told her, keeping his voice quiet.

“You did not even hesitate.”

“Just like years ago.”

Something heavy weighed in his voice, and she had another second to gaze at him before her attention was broken by her friends and Lady Elena hurrying to stand parallel to them on the path.

Lady Elena’s face was slack in shock, while Mary looked horrified, looking between Edward and Rebecca.

Rebecca tried not to notice how Lady Catherine didn’t look at all concerned, but angry .

She didn’t linger on her friend’s expression, not as she dragged her wet, muddied skirts up the embankment, and onto the path.

“Heavens, it is a good thing Lord Thornshire jumped right in,” Mary said, awed. “We have already sent for the carriage, Lady Rebecca. We must get you home and out of the wet attire at once.”

“Brother,” Lady Elena cut in, sounding impressed. “You saved Lady Rebecca from quite a bad fall. She is lucky to have had you so close by.”

After a while and before Rebecca could say anything, two figures hurried down the path, and a blanket was offered to her.

Her father came with a footman, who draped the blanket over her.

Notably, nobody had brought anything for Edward, and she opened her mouth to protest before she was ushered away, out of the riverside park.

Only when she glanced back when they reached the exit did she notice that Edward hadn’t seemed to move, even if he was further away, in the distance. Catherine, however, walked ahead with Lady Elena and Mary, the drama of Rebecca’s fall forgotten.

But Edward lingered, watching the way Rebecca had left, and he didn’t turn away from her for as long as it took her to bundle into the carriage and pull away to return home. Shivering in the carriage, her father peppered her with questions.

“What were you thinking, Rebecca, falling in such a way? You could have been hurt! I ought to have the bridge assessed. Somebody will pay for such poor craftsmanship. I could have lost you.”

He gripped her hand tightly, and she peered up at him, her teeth chattering. For once, she noticed how clear his eyes looked.

“I could not stand to lose you,” he told her firmly before releasing her and turning towards the window, muttering under his breath about investigating such terrible matters.

***

Despite the early spring, the fire had been lit in the parlor, word sent ahead of Rebecca’s fall and her return.

She was quickly taken into the parlor and placed in an armchair.

She felt rather dazed, her thoughts peculiarly lingering on the speed of which Edward had dived in to save her, and the softened tone of him declaring just like years ago .

He remembered saving her in the fountain, then.

She flushed when she thought of his arm around her waist, of how readily he’d steadied her, and how he’d just as quickly pulled away when they were interrupted.

With great effort, Rebecca attempted not to think of Catherine’s anger rather than concern or compassion.

Deep down, she sympathized, for she knew Catherine had turned an eye on Edward since the first ball of the Season, but it had merely been a rescue attempt, nothing more.

There had been no scandal, no indecency, nothing to draw his attention away from Catherine.

If only she knew his thoughts about her.

Rebecca was jolted from her thoughts by her mother all but running into the parlor.

“Rebecca!” Her broken cry made Rebecca startle, turning to face her mother as she pulled the blanket tighter around herself.

“Heavens.” Her mother sank to a crouch before her, bracing herself on the footstool near Rebecca’s feet.

“When we heard of what had happened—oh, your father was out the door in an instant.”

She could only nod, still unable to claw the ability to talk through her shock.

Her thoughts were still in the river, still tangled in the feel of Edward holding her.

Looking at her mother, her thoughts shifted to her father declaring himself miserable.

Of marrying for comfort, then falling in love, only to fall out of it again.

But then she realized what her mother was saying.

“... a daring act to garner his attention, well done to you.”

That finally pushed words into Rebecca’s mouth. “What?”

Her mother beamed. “I had thought you would have to wait for another ball to get his attention. Perhaps the Farrens’ one tomorrow, seeing as His Lordship was not at the last one.

But this… oh, Rebecca, you are ever so clever.

I must have taught you well! It was very drastic, of course, but daring nonetheless. ”

The words struck her with disgust, and she cringed back into the armchair. “Mama, you think I… staged my fall?” Her lip curled, an ugly sight she was sure, but she couldn’t help it. “That is a terrible thing to think about! It was truly an accident.”

“But it does not have to be. Tell me, did he feel strong when he hoisted you from the river? Did you feel safe? Did he steady you tenderly?”

Rebecca’s eyes pinned just past her mother, blushing furiously, and she could only hope the red of her face could be blamed on the cold.

She hated that all of those things were a yes .

Any other mother would be scandalized to think a man had laid hands on their daughter so intimately, even if it was to save her, but her own mother’s eyes glinted with plans.

“As I have told you, we are merely friends,” Rebecca mumbled. A deep cold was settling into her bones. She leaned closer to the fire.

“It does not have to stay that way,” her mother countered. “I saw how he protected you against the Maudley boy. I have always had great respect for the Maudleys, but I do condemn his behaviour. Yet…”

“I know,” Rebecca whispered. “If he announces anything untoward, I must marry him.”

“Not unless you secure a proposal. Darling, you have had enough visitors. You even have had Lord Thornshire agree to call upon you. Do you know that he did not visit anybody else?”

Rebecca couldn’t hide her surprise at that, and her mother smirked, knowing she had caught her interest.

She added, “not even Lady Catherine got a visit.”

“I am certain that had nothing to do with me.”

“No, but it could be, if you play your cards correctly. Even Lady Thornshire approves of this match.”

“Mama, I have known him since we were children! There ought to be no match.”

“Fine,” her mother said, quick enough that Rebecca knew it would be a taunt. “Fine. Then choose another suitor before the week’s end.”

“But none have proposed.”

“The Maudley boy, then.” Even as she said it, her mother’s lip curled in a sneer. “Be a commoner and denounce us as your family, if that is the case. If you wish to be foolish.”

“We never had any sort of arrangement! I… Mama, it was so light of a thing that I did not even know you were aware of anything. We had childish into adolescent flirting, indeed, but we were not committed. As I explained to Papa, I once humored it briefly, but this is my life. I do not want Harry Maudley. He came into the drawing room to confront me. He attacked me when he knew all along what my duty is to my family.”

“Rebecca...”