Page 54 of The Wordsworth Key (Regency Secrets #3)

Chapter Thirty-One

U sing the telescope borrowed from the owner of Elleray, Alex scanned the lake. It was proving invaluable. It stopped them several times from wasting their effort chasing down innocent fishing and pleasure parties.

‘There’s a capsized boat towards the western side,’ he reported. ‘Can you see it? Over by that dip in the hills?’ He stood at the prow to point, the wind whipping his golden hair so that he looked in that pose like a classical deity come down to aid in the rescue.

Jacob’s gut told him that an upset boat was exactly the kind of mayhem that a living and breathing Dora would cause. He adjusted course.

‘There’s someone clinging on the side– and I think I can see someone swimming away. They’re heading out deeper rather than to the shore. That doesn’t make sense– head for the shore, you fool!’

‘It does make sense if you only know how to swim in a straight line and are just thinking of getting away.’ Jacob squeezed every knot of speed out of the little boat. How long could Dora last in the water? She’d only swum for about five yards when he’d given her a lesson.

‘I can see now. Yes, it’s her. She’s tiring though. She just went under’—Jacob’s heart missed a beat—‘but she’s now up with a lot of panicked splashing. Damn, Sandys: she’s in trouble. Can’t you go any faster?’

The contrary wind meant Jacob would have to tack again to reach her. ‘Can you sail?’

‘Yes, I can.’

‘Take over.’ Without giving Alex time to reply, Jacob took off his jacket, kicked off his boots and dived over the side.

He struck out with swift efficient crawl strokes, ignoring the swearing behind him as Alex quickly had to scramble down the planks to take over the rudder and wrestle the boat back under control.

The only goal in Jacob’s mind was to reach Dora, an urgent pounding in his chest, a focus that made each stroke slice and drive.

He used the bigger target of the capsized boat to guide him on the choppy water, then he was close enough to see a dark head floundering some twenty yards away.

He adjusted his course slightly to meet up with her.

She went under and came up with a splutter, a desperate look on her face as she went back to the doggy paddle she’d first learned.

He kicked and went slightly under to lift her up as he got her in a lifesaver hold.

His own panic subsided once he had her in his embrace.

She was warm, alive and every inch of her his Dora. She would be safe now.

‘What happened to frog arms and frog legs?’ he said, scooping her to his chest.

Her coughing prevented her giving him the retort that comment deserved.

‘Just lie back, love. Alex has the boat. Let me do the rest.’ He towed her with strong kicks to the approaching skiff.

‘Jacob?’

‘Yes, darling?’

She coughed. ‘What took you so long?’

‘Ah. Sorry about that. I was detained.’

‘Your brother?’

‘He lives.’

She sighed. ‘Thank God– and thank you for rescuing me.’

‘Looked like you’d done that yourself already.’ He could see Alex steering to bring the skiff alongside them.

‘I rescued myself from Langhorne, but the water was getting the better of me.’

‘Then it’s my pleasure. By the way, will you marry me?’

Her chin dipped in surprise, water going up her nose, and she spluttered. ‘H-have you lost your mind?’

‘I thought you might be feeling grateful so it might be my best chance.’

She gave a watery chuckle and relaxed. ‘I’ll think about it.’

Progress. Alex slowed the vessel by turning to lose the wind in the sails.

It glided up and he reached down. With a boost from Jacob below, they helped Dora into the boat.

She lay flat as Alex leaned over the far side to compensate for Jacob levering himself up into the skiff.

With an anxious survey of her body, Jacob saw that she was unharmed apart from a bruise to her forehead that might produce black eyes later, and an unbuttoned shirt that exposed her stays.

That was worrying. What had the scoundrel done to her?

He reached under the bench seat and pulled out a picnic blanket.

He crawled to her side and wrapped it tenderly around her.

‘Where’s Langhorne?’

Dora shrugged and shivered. ‘He was holding onto the boat last time I saw him.’

Alex steered their skiff towards the capsized vessel.

‘I can’t see anyone,’ he said once they’d made a circuit.

‘Did the bastard swim to shore?’ asked Jacob.

Holding the rudder steady with one hand, Alex scanned the trees with his telescope. ‘Can’t see anyone there either.’

‘Damn him to the deepest circle of hell!’ He hugged Dora hard, scared stiff how he might’ve lost her. ‘He won’t touch you again, I promise.’

‘He won’t get far, Sandys. We’ll put out an alert,’ said Alex.

‘I think…’ Dora coughed then took a steadying breath. ‘I think he might be dead– drowned.’

‘You think he killed himself?’ Jacob couldn’t believe that of the man.

‘No, you see, I stuck a knitting needle in his thigh. The blood was pumping out when we capsized in the struggle.’

‘An arterial bleed,’ Jacob said in understanding. ‘Stuck by a knitting needle– the final revenge of the shepherds.’

She wrinkled her nose. ‘I hadn’t realised how apt my weapon was. He lasted a little while with a tourniquet, but I don’t think he could’ve swum to shore.’

‘Likely not– though we should search the woods in case he dragged himself to dry land. Alex, take us in.’

While Dora huddled in the boat wrapped in a blanket, Alex and Jacob made a thorough search of the woods on the margins of Windermere at this point. There was no blood trail, nothing to suggest the man had pulled himself to safety.

‘That man is such a fiend I won’t be convinced he’s dead until his body floats to the surface,’ said Jacob as they climbed over the tree roots to get back to the boat.

‘But drowning is a good result.’ Alex probed under a bush with a branch and found nothing. ‘If Dora was the one to land the killing blow, it saves her the notoriety if we put out the story he drowned trying to escape justice.’

‘That’s a good point, even if I would’ve preferred to see him face trial for everything he did.’

‘He would’ve ended up on the gallows– this just hastens the same conclusion.’

That was indubitably true.

They got back into the boat. Pushing off from the shore, Jacob took over the rudder, Dora huddled beside him. Alex went to the prow to help balance the boat.

‘Where do you want to go now?’ he asked her.

She yawned and leaned against his arm, exhausted by the events of the past hour. ‘We must get Mr Barton. He’s very sick.’

‘I’ve sent word for the doctor from Bowness to tend him. He needs something to bring down his fever and good nursing, but he is best left while he sleeps. There is no rush to move him.’

‘Knotte was giving him willow bark. You saw what happened to him?’

Jacob gave a grunt of assent. ‘He wouldn’t have felt any pain. It was instant.’

‘He was trying to help his friend– and Langhorne just shot him!’

‘Langhorne was a vicious killer– he wouldn’t have stopped. You did the right thing stabbing him.’

‘Trust me: I don’t have any regrets about that. It was him or me.’ She sighed. ‘I should tell you I got close enough to do it by pretending to be the whore he thought me– and all women. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s left a trail of female victims in his past.’

‘Then he got his comeuppance.’

‘You’re not disgusted at me?’

‘What? Why? It was brilliant. You played the role you had to assume. It’s no more you than Lady Macbeth.’ He let a moment pass. ‘Do you want to set a date?’

‘Oh, Jacob.’ She patted his leg affectionately. ‘I’m still thinking about it. We’ve only known each other four months.’

‘But we’ve packed more into those four months than many people do in whole lives.’

‘That is true.’

‘I won’t press you for an answer to that, but I do want to know where you want to go now.’

‘What are our choices?’

‘I suppose it’s Elleray with my brother, or home.’

‘Then let’s go home.’