Page 43 of Fatal By Design
“Very well,” Mr. Henley said, first peering curiously at the valet’s eager response. Then, at Audrey and Cassie. “And are these fetching ladies to be our coxswains?”
“Fellow crew mates,” Audrey replied. Genie stepped forward to make the introductions, and Audrey noted that Mr. Henley’s attention held on her after hearing her name.
“Henley, my good man, you’ve salvaged the day,” Mr. Filmore said. “The duke, Neatham, and Thornton all rode out earlier, depleting our ranks.”
“But not to despair; our arms are equally functional,” Cassie asserted. Tobias snorted, and she slapped his arm.
“Your Grace, do say you’ll join me as coxswain,” Lady Veronica said, having joined them. She took Genie by the arm and directed Mr. Henley a bright smile.
Genie touched her temple. “I will have to decline, I’m afraid. I’m feeling rather fatigued. This heat, I’m sure.” She did appear pale. Audrey hoped she wasn’t unwell. Managing the house party and the upheaval of the last few days had likely taken its toll.
“But, Miss Cynthia,” Genie said, calling over to the other young lady. “What say you to directing the second crew as coxswain?”
Her blue eyes grew wide with delight as she popped up from her chair and left her mother’s side. “That would be such fun. I accept!”
What had been a candid grin on Cassie’s lips now froze and began to melt into a grimace. She turned away toward the lake but not before Audrey noticed her discontent. Did she dislike Cynthia?
Veronica only cleared her throat. She was still latched onto Genie’s arm and beaming at Mr. Henley. Belatedly, Genie understood and made the introduction. However, Mr. Henley only gave a polite nod of acknowledgement. He then turned to Mr. Filmore.
“You say the duke and a few guests rode out?”
“There’s been a great commotion this week,” Westbrook said grumpily. His sour expression had returned in full after last night’s incident in the library alcove. He hadn’t met Audrey’s eyes once all morning, which she did not lament.
“Is that so?” Mr. Henley replied, but Lord Kettleridge waved his arms.
“Let us get on with the race before we all expire from the heat. We shall inform you of the details once we reach the other side.”
A tent had been erected on the opposite side of the lake as well as tables and chairs, and a picnic feast. Servants had already rowed out to prepare and greet them after, and a few more boats would ferry over the ladies after the regatta had been run.
Audrey joined Tobias, Lord Kettleridge, and Mr. Henley in one of the crew boats, with Lady Veronica perching on the coxswain’s seat. Cassie took a middle position between Lord Westbrook, Mr. Filmore, and Mr. Flint, with Cynthia at the fore. The ladies had all removed their hats, not wanting them to fly away into the lake while rowing.
Squinting against the sun, Audrey gripped her pair of oars in the hooks. She had only rowed once before, with Philip, and that had been a languid outing. Nerves suddenly jangled her, as well as doubt over what Hugh would find at Montague Lodge. Mr. Henley’s arrival had as good as stripped him as a possible suspect in Millie’s disappearance. He could not have anything to do with the murders and her abduction if he was here, fresh from London. That left Lord Cartwright then. Perhaps he had staged his own kidnapping after all. A sinking disappointment surprised her; she had judged him as sincere in his affections for Millie.
Seated just ahead of her, Mr. Henley looked over his shoulder. “In my experience, rowing with rings of any sort can cause injury or blisters. Best to leave your wedding band or any other piece off with your maid.” His eyes drifted pointedly to her hands; she had removed her black lace gloves to keep them from ripping on the oar’s handles.
She came alert at the mention of rings. But then pushed aside the prickle of suspicion. As someone experienced with rowing, he was attempting to be helpful.
“Thank you, but my wedding band is quite thin, as you can see,” she replied. “I should think I will fare well enough.”
Besides, Greer had been far too busy to come down to the lake for the regatta.
Mr. Henley smiled and faced forward, and then, as the butler, Munson, waved a flag while standing at the end of the dock, the teams shoved off. Instantly, the good-natured game changed into pure competition. Veronica seemed to embrace it. Though she cheered on the four crew members as their initial dozen rows propelled them away from shore, she also shouted for them to row faster, harder. “Put your backs into it!” she screamed.
Audrey forced her arms and shoulders to row just as rapidly as the others in her boat, to keep pace and not throw off the cadence of the crew’s flight across the surface. Water splashed and whipped from the oars with every upward slice, sprinkling her face. She welcomed the cooling dashes especially as she broke into a sweat. Her heart drummed rapidly as she rowed, her palms, gripping the quickly dampening wooden oars, creating an uncomfortable friction.
Perhaps this had not been the best idea after all. And Mr. Henley had been quite right—the continuous rubbing of her skin around her wedding bandwasgrowing unpleasant.
Nearly parallel to them, though just a little further ahead, the other crew skimmed through the water. Cynthia echoed Veronica’s cheers and instruction, and as Audrey took a few quick glimpses, she saw Cassie doing quite well, her dark blond hair coming loose from her pins and combs. She let out a whoop of laughter, and it fed Audrey’s soul to hear it; she had been melancholy for so long. With a burst of excitement, Audrey regained her flagging strength and cut her oars into the water with renewed vigor.
The opposite shore was fast approaching. Her muscles seared red hot, and she longed to simply plunge bodily into the water to cool off. At the shoreline, Sir’s shorter form was among the others shouting and clapping, and Audrey once more dug into a well of reserved strength to make the final push with the crew. Their boat passed the end of the dock a mere second before Cassie’s boat, and a great cheer went up among the gathered servants. With more relief and elation than she had ever felt, Audrey dropped her oars in their brackets and, despite her aching body, could not stop smiling and laughing.
“Well done!” Mr. Henley shouted.
“Huzzah! Huzzah!” Tobias chanted.
Lord Westbrook was the only one in the other boat not smiling. The others patted each other, and Cassie too, on the back.
“They won by a hair,” Cassie said as she was helped from her boat. Mr. Henley, already on the dock, stooped to hand Audrey up.
