Page 29 of His Stolen Duchess
Lysander had already been waiting for her. He stood barefoot on the grassy slope, having shed his coat and shirt with military precision. His trousers were rolled up to his knees, revealing strong calves, and the crisp lines of his shoulders and back bore the unmistakable mark of someone long trained to endure discomfort without complaint.
Georgina looked away before her gaze lingered too long. This wasn’t about admiration—it was about trust. About learning to face something she feared. But still, something stirred low in her chest, some unsettled flicker that had little to do with water.
She focused on the lake instead.
She could not avoid looking at it any longer. The surface was like a mirror, flipping the trees on the opposite bank upside-down and reflecting the blue sky above.
What will it reflect about me? My cowardice?
“It will be cold,” the Duke warned gently. “I want you to brace yourself.”
Georgina didn’t reply. She only gripped his arm again and fixed her eyes on the serene surface. She longed to shatter that mirror, to prove it wrong—but didn’t know if she could.
“Step down here,” Lysander instructed, motioning to the edge. “This is the shallowest point, and as soon as you step down, you’ll feel solid ground under your feet. Do that now.”
She hesitated but did as he said, pushing one foot forward into the water.
A sharp gasp escaped her lips as she jerked it back. “That’s cold!”
“It is,” Lysander said with the ghost of a smile. “But you will get used to it. It’s something you can easily grow accustomed to with more exposure. Not everything is like that,” he added, his tone quieter now.
Georgina didn’t look at him; she didn’t respond to his jab. She only looked at the rippling water where her foot had touched.
Come on, you can do this. It’s only cold water. That’s all it is. One small step.
Georgina tried again, pushing her foot through the water until it touched the soft ground below. She gasped again as the cold bit at her foot and ankle, but she didn’t jerk back this time.
“Good.” The Duke placed a hand on her back. “Now that you know what the cold feels like, you’ll know what to expect as we go in more.”
“Oh, do we have to go in more?” She wrapped her arms around herself as the cold snaked its way up her body.
The Duke still had his hand on her back, and that brought some warmth. Without being prompted, she slowly brought her other foot down and into the water. It was cold, but not as cold as when she put her first foot in.
“You’re doing well,” Lysander said.
Georgina had expected him to make fun of her or tease her more about not being able to swim and being afraid of the water, but he was a perfect gentleman. He only encouraged her.
“When you are ready, we are going to go fully into the water.” The Duke held out his hand this time instead of his arm. “I must warn you that some parts will feel colder than others.”
Georgina wasn’t thinking about that. It wasn’t the cold that scared her, but the loss of control. She could still feel the way the rocks had grabbed at her when she was at the bottom of the lake. There was nothing she could do about that part. The only thing she could do was learn to swim, so that she didn’t find herself at the bottom of a lake ever again.
Her chest rose and fell rapidly at the thought of going deeper. Still, her feet were on the ground, and she was fine with that for now.
The Duke held her hand tightly and walked forward. She had no choice but to follow, even as her heart trembled with fear. The water moved up from her covered calves to her knees, then to her thighs. The Duke paused briefly to allow Georgina to regain her breath. He still held her hand.
“How are you doing?” he asked.
“I’m doing all right,” Georgina admitted. “Just…”
“I won’t let you go unless you ask me to,” he reassured her as soon as her voice faltered.
She nodded at him gratefully. They moved forward again. Georgina looked over her shoulder to see the bank slowly slipping away, then gasped as the water came up over her waist. She looked at the Duke, but he remained stoic and unsmiling.
“Keep going,” he instructed.
His voice sounded louder, deeper, and more commanding against the surface of the water as they pushed through it.
Then, the water touched her neck, but he continued to hold her hand under the water. Georgina tilted her head up, feeling exposed. She did not want to take another step in case there was no more ground underfoot, and she plunged into the lake’s inky depths. Her breath was slow and shaky as she inhaled, then quick on the exhale.
