The viscount braced himself on the rowboat seat, growling in pain. Perry knew that pain well.
Dropping the pistol, he strode into the water, wading toward the rowboat. There was no time to waste. He was a strong swimmer and needed to get to the boat before Newbridge had the opportunity to do anything else.
Michael and Beau got to work behind him, shouting at the servants for rope and blankets, organizing the crowd to prevent total hysteria. The unconscious maid was carried away by two footmen to the house.
“Don’t come any closer, Spencer!” the viscount shouted.
The viscount lifted Charlotte with a painful effort.
His wife screamed, struggling within the confines of the ropes. The boat rocked. Perry hesitated between heeding his enemy’s threats and being there to catch her if she fell. When she fell. The danger of her going into the water was very real.
The river grew deeper as Perry continued to wade into the murky depths. He suspected what Newbridge’s next move would be, the thought chilling his blood. A bullet would not stop the need for revenge. It only stoked the fire to burn hotter and brighter. If Newbridge had nothing to lose before, he had even less now.
“No, no, no,” Perry breathed.
Shoving aside tangles of lily pads and water weeds, he dove into the water, swimming as fast as he could toward the small rowboat. The water was deep enough that if Charlotte was held down by ropes and heavy clothing, she would drown if he didn’t get to her in time.
“Stand down, Newbridge. We will come rescue you both,” Beau shouted over him, the lies floating toward the rowboat.
A final maniacal laugh reached his ears as Perry dove frantically into the depths of the river. He lifted his head out of the water to orient himself, only to see Newbridge jumping into the river with his wife clutched in his arms.
Her scream echoed through the air, sending a chill up his spine.
Their bodies hit the surface of the water in a haunting, thunderous crash.
His last hope flickering in his chest, he swam toward the sound.
Chapter Fifty-Five
Charlotte gasped as they hit the water. Darkness overcame her senses as she was fully submerged in the breathtakingly cold river. Water rushed in her ears, the deafening silence beneath the surface of the water surrounding her. The shock of the impact loosened Newbridge’s grip slightly, giving Charlotte the chance to kick her legs against his body and break free. Her legs moved as though through molasses, tangled in her skirts, weighed down by the soaked fabric. There was no time to panic, though she cursed her inability to swim. She needed to fight.
Fight for love.
Fight for her daughter and the taste of happiness they had only just found with Perry.
Fight for the future they could have together as a family.
Newbridge’s grip found her again, squeezing her arm tightly. She kicked him, struggling to put more distance between them. Arms heavy and tired from being restrained, she opened her eyes beneath the muddy brown waves. Though hard to see, she could barely make out the details of where she was and where she needed to move. If she was to survive.
Newbridge drifted further away, his grip loosening as thoughhe had given up the fight. Streaks of blood painted the water, flowing from his wound. Using her energy reserves, she used all her strength to move as far away from him as she could. They only had minutes until they would both succumb.
Dragging her slow gaze above her, she perceived how close she was to the surface of the water, the light dancing on the waves. Despite her struggle, she sank deeper. Her lungs screamed for breath. The fire burned within her, desperate for one more precious lungful of air.
Moving her legs to propel herself toward the surface, her skirts dragged her down faster than she could progress forward. Closing her eyes, she focused on the reasons she had to fight, to find that precious air. Sending a silent prayer that Perry would find her, she moved furiously toward the light.
Her thoughts drifted to Perry and Aurelia.
Why was she moving so slowly? How could her treacherous body betray her when she had at last found the love of her life? Closing her eyes, she surrendered to the stillness. The rush of water turned to silence. A soft ticking off in the distance was the only sound that drifted into her mind as she watched the surface of the water, shimmering under the rays of the sun, dim to black.
Chapter Fifty-Six
The moment they hit the surface, a part of him was carried into the depths of the river alongside his wife. Perry’s heart lurched as he scanned the surface, watching for either of them to rise in between breaths of air as he swam toward the rowboat. Before, they hadn’t seemed so far away. Now, each precious second he knew his wife was without air was too long. The drumming of his heart in his ears only intensified as he attained the rowboat, floating vacant and haunting on the surface of the water.
Diving without much visibility, he waved his arms around as he searched beneath the water, the murky water making it difficult to see. Suddenly, a glimpse of bright yellow drifting to the river bottom caught his eye, and he surfaced for a gulp of air before diving as fast as he could toward that glimpse of what he hoped was his wife’s dress.
There was no time to overthink.
She needed air.
