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He went to the river and waded in, going in up to his waist after passing the dip in the riverbed. Isabel watched as he cupped his hands and lifted the tiny animal out of the water, cradling it against his chest as he came back to the bank.
Only to trip and fall flat on his face in the water.
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Richard came up spluttering, trying to shake the water out of his eyes. Some water ended up in his mouth, and he found himself coughing hard as he shuffled onto his knees, still clutching his hands to his chest. He hadn’t thought the underwater step was as steep as that. It had to have eroded since he went swimming in the river.
Still trying to get the water out of his eyes, Richard sat in the shallows and opened up his hands. The dormouse was squeaking, looking very wet and pitiful. It was also shivering in his hands, trying to find any part of his palms that was warm and dry. At least he hadn’t squashed the poor thing.
And this was what Isabel had been going after. That was just typical of her; she would help any animal in need. Richard remembered her trying to help a snake trapped by the tail, and she had been bitten in the process. It wasn’t poisonous, but the pain in her hand hadn’t gone for nearly a week. Didn’t matter how dangerous the animal was; she wanted to jump in.
At least it was a dormouse he was helping to save, not a mouse.
“Are you all right, Richard?”
Richard looked up to see Isabel standing on the bank, her dress below the knees soaking wet and sticking to her legs. Her long golden hair was loose about her shoulders, pinned back over her ears, starting to become dislodged on one side. The ends of her hair were dripping trails of water down her dress. Her blue eyes were wide, and her cheeks were flushed.
How had he not recognized her to begin with? Richard had thought he would know Isabel the moment he laid eyes on her, but all he saw was a fair young woman reaching into the river with her hat and in danger of falling in. If he hadn’t caught her, she would have fallen flat on her face.
Isabel Moore had grown up. A cute little thing before, she had blossomed. Now Richard couldn’t stop himself from staring. His little friend had grown into a beautiful woman.
“Richard?” Isabel was frowning at him. “You’re squeezing the dormouse.”
“What? Oh.” Richard had almost forgotten about the mouse. And the fact he was sitting in the shallows of the river, still fully clothed. He stood up and squelched to the bank. “I think it’ll live. Probably won’t want to go for a swim anytime soon.”
“He’ll need to get dry and be in a warm place.” Isabel held out her hat. “Put the little thing in here. I can take it home.”
“You’re going to nurse this one back to health as well?” Richard chuckled as he put the dormouse into the hat. “You haven’t changed. You’re always trying to help and put everyone and everything first. Even little animals.”
“Well, someone has to look after them.” Isabel cradled the hat against her chest, careful of the mouse. “And I think I have changed. You didn’t recognize me just now.”
“It has been four years. Give me some slack with that, Isabel.”
Isabel grunted. She looked him up and down.
“Aren’t you cold? Your clothes are ... well, they’re sticking to you.”
“I know. I can feel it.” It felt like someone had moulded his clothes onto his body. It wasn’t nice, and it was cold. Richard picked up his jacket, discarded on the grass. “At least my jacket’s dry. Although not for long, I’m sure.”
“You didn’t have to go jumping into the river.”
“I think I would’ve got wet, regardless.”
Richard allowed his eyes to drift over her face. She looked so familiar and yet so different at the same time. There was still that disheveled, absent-minded girl with an intelligent disposition and a quick wit in front of him. But the face had changed; the way she carried herself was different. This was not the girl he had left behind four years ago.
Isabel was very different.
Not only that, but he could also detect a hint of sadness. It seemed to be under the surface, barely held back as she maintained her composure. And it was in her eyes, something that looked close to tears shimmering before disappearing. What was she upset about?
“I’m glad to see you, Richard.” Isabel gave him a smile and a slightly arched eyebrow. “Although I am a little annoyed that you didn’t maintain contact with me when you promised.”
Richard winced.
“You went for that immediately, didn’t you?”
“Well, I am annoyed that you didn’t keep me abreast of your channels. And I presume you wrote in your journal every day.”
“You know me too well, don’t you?”
