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.’
