Page 1 of Singing For His Kiss

CHAPTER ONE

Elizabeth gazed over the mid-winter ocean, drinking in the steel grey of the water, shrugging aside recent, less than pleasant memories in favour of the here and now. They were what had prompted her to leave the safety of the bus on this stretch of nowhere. The deserted beach had called to her, offering a sanctuary in which to ponder her many mistakes. The storm on the horizon that matched her mood. Bleak. Heavy. Bitter.

A thin, faint yell over the sound of the wind caused her to look out over the waves to a nearby pier. A dog’s tongue lolled from its mouth, its long hair unfurling in the wind, the empty end of the lead trailing behind. It was having the time of its life; the little girl dashing frantically after it was not.

The dog reached the end of the pier, its tail beating back and forth, its backside swinging from side to side with each movement. The girl bent for the lead, and as she did, the dog bounded in an awkward sideways lope and knocked over the child. She toppled from the pier into the freezing ocean and disappeared below the surface.

Glancing frantically about, there was no sign of a parent. The beach was empty. There was no sign that anyone but her had seen the girl fall. Elizabeth sprinted towards the water, flinging off her jacket. Her jumper followed; the heavy wool would be too heavy to swim in. Her toes dug into the damp sand before she charged through the water until it was deep enough to dive in. Cold constricted her lungs, made her body shriek in shock, but she pushed past it, swimming as fast as she could towards where the girl had fallen. She tread water for a moment, whipped water from her face, searching desperately for the child.

A dip in a wave, and the girl appeared, her face barely visible above the choppy surface. She spluttered, a hand slapping the water, clutching at it as if it would provide substance. She then disappeared.

Elizabeth kicked with a powerful surge, plunged through the waves and dove. She grabbed at a shadowy form, pushed upwards with a strength beyond which she knew she had, breaking through the surface.

“It’s okay. I’ve got you,” Elizabeth said.

The girl grabbed her, mindlessly clutching her neck with frigid hands and fingers, threatening to drag Elizabeth down in her panic. “I’ve got you. Just relax. Lean your head back on my shoulder, and I’ll take you back to the shore.”

She cupped the girl’s chin, forcing her to face upwards and, making sure her mouth was free of the water, began to sidestroke towards the shore. Kick. Stroke. Kick. Stroke. Waves broke over her head, water splashed in her mouth. Gag. Keep going. Forget the cold. Forget the current clutching at legs, feet, arms. Fight. Just fight.

Something soft crashed against her knee. Sand. The water was shallow enough to walk. Staggering on watery legs, she heaved the weight of the child and wet clothes from the grip of the ocean.

Elizabeth collapsed on the sand, folded the girl in her arms and rested the child’s head against her chest. “Hey there. Open your eyes, little one.” She tapped the girl’s cheek. Her skin was so chilled, it was a pale blue, her lips tinged by a line of white. “Come on, sweetheart!” Sludgy dread balled in her gut. She tapped her cheek again, the movement more sharp, hitting a little harder.

The girl’s eyes fluttered like weak butterfly wings. Her lashes rose, revealing deep blue eyes that hadn’t focused yet.

“Hey there. Can you hear me?” Elizabeth cupped her cheek with a shaking hand.

The girl’s gaze found hers and blinked into a lazy focus. She coughed, water spilling from her mouth. She quickly turned the girl onto her side so she might expel any water in her lungs and tapped her back.

A foot scattered sand as a man crouched over the girl, hands fluttering over her form. “Madeline!” His voice was a dry rasp.

“Daddy!” The girl trembled, cried harder and reached for him.

The man tore off his jacket, wrapped the girl, and cradled her in his arms. She seemed even smaller held against such a wide chest and broad shoulders.

“She… she’s okay. She’s coughed out some water, but she’s breathing.”

The man seemed to notice Elizabeth for the first time. He turned eyes the colour of the sky onto her. She was caught in a deep, anguished stare. “Thank you.” His hand moved on Madeline’s shoulder, so large it covered half the child’s back.

“She’s also very cold. She needs to get warm. Quickly.” Elizabeth rubbed Madeline’s arm as though she might rub in a little heat. It wouldn’t be enough, but she needed to do something.

He hitched the girl further on his chest. “God. I… I didn’t see her fall in. If you hadn’t have saved her…” His gaze lowered to look at his daughter, but not before Elizabeth recognised the raw pain in them.

“You can only deal with what did happen, not what might happen. I saw her. I was able to save her. That’s what matters,” Elizabeth said.

A large ball of sand and fluff raced in front of Elizabeth and poked a cold, sandy nose into her chest, forcing her to collapse on her backside. The little girl wiggled her hand from beneath the jacket and patted its head. “Toto. You’re okay!”

Elizabeth sighed. “That’s the thing that pushed her off the pier.”

The man dropped his gaze to look at his child. “Were you on the pier, Madeline?”

Madeline nodded. “Toto went out there. I thought he was going to fall off.”

“I told you, you’re not allowed on the pier on your own.”

“He chased some sea gulls and I couldn’t hold him and he got off the lead. I tried to catch him before he ran too fast.” She turned her face into her father’s chest. “Don’t be angry, Daddy.”

He rested his cheek on her head, stroking her back. “I’m not angry with you, Maddie. I should have been watching better. I should have been walking Toto with you. That’s what we came down here to do.”

---