Page 39 of Sense and Suitability
Nudging Cleopatra into a faster pace, he came to the pond at the same time as Lottie.
“I... I didn’t mean to kill her.” Lottie shook her head, breathless and wide-eyed. “I just—I just wanted to scare her. She was following me from the Deans’ farm!”
The Deans’ farm? That was three miles away. What on earth had Charlotte been doing there?
But Simon had no time for questions. Emme hadn’t surfaced.
Casting off his jacket and boots, he dove into the murky water. It was nearly impossible to see, and his outstretched hands found nothing but mud and reeds. Panic surged. Where was she?
Breaking the surface for air, he realized the pond wasn’t as deep as he’d feared. His foot scraped the bottom—and then he heard it. The most unexpected sound.
Laughter. A familiar, effervescent laugh that reached him even through the mist of fear clouding his thoughts. What in blazes!
Simon blinked water from his eyes. There, waist-deep in the pond, was Emmeline Lockhart, soaked, bedraggled, and laughing with such unrestrained delight that he almost forgot his irritation.
Almost.
“A very clever escape, Miss... Runaway,” she was saying to Lottie. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen something quite so determined in all my life.”
Simon scrubbed his hand through his dripping hair, his chest tightening. Emme stood with her back to him, her focus still on Lottie, and at her praise, his sister had the audacity to almost smile.Smile!After the disaster she’d caused!
As if sensing another’s presence, Emme turned, her radiant grin faltering the moment her gaze met his. “What areyoudoing here?”
Simon waved a hand vaguely toward the pond, still catching his breath. “You... you could have—”
Her brows arched in challenge, her eyes narrowing. “Died?”
The absurdity of his own words hung in the air for a moment as she stood before him, very much alive—and looking far too pleased with herself.
“And you decided to become a hero,” she added with a teasing lilt. “By diving in to save me... in five-foot water?”
He narrowed his eyes at her, pushing through the water to reach her side. With a low growl, he cupped her elbow to steer her toward the shore.
“Oh, don’t be cross. It wasmylife that flashed before your eyes after all.” She tugged her arm from his hold, shooting him a glare. “It couldn’t have been that much of a hardship for you.”
All heat fled him.
She couldn’t believe that about him. That her life held so little value in his eyes?
He leaned nearer, holding her gaze. “That is not true.”
Her frown faltered as her gaze held his. Then she took another step—only to stumble, the weight of her soaked skirts pulling her off balance. He caught her with practiced ease, a self-satisfied smirk tugging at his lips as he righted her—an expression she conveniently chose to ignore.
“I’ve never been properly rescued before, so I think you should feel quite excellent about your... failed attempt.”
He didn’t trust his voice to remain steady, so he drew in a deep breath and said nothing, refusing to let her cheekiness rattle him. He wouldn’t rise to it—not yet. Not until both of them were standing on solid ground. And how dare she presume he didn’t care? The truth was far worse: He cared too much. That was the problem.
She still haunted his thoughts—long past the time she should have faded. And as the fool he was, he didn’t want her to fade. It was the only time he could see her smile, the only time she looked at him the way she once had. When he truly felt like a hero instead of... whatever he had become since then.
Once they reached the shore, Simon released Emme’s arm and planted his hands firmly on his hips. “What, may I ask, areyoudoing here?”
She pushed a tangle of damp curls from her face, lifting her chin in defiance. “If you must know, I was chasing a thief.” With a pointed gesture toward Lottie, who seemed intent on becoming invisible, she added, “That thief, to be precise.”
“A... thief?” Simon’s tone held a dangerous edge as he turned his attention to his sister. Lottie peeked up at him, her lips trembling, before dropping her gaze to the ground.
Drawing a steadying breath, Simon returned his attention to Emme, determined to get her away from Ravenscross—and the chaos of his life—as quickly as possible. “And what, pray tell, inspired you to pursue this thief?”
Emme’s lips twitched, though she held her composure. “What else was I to do, Lord Ravenscross? She’d clearly absconded with someone else’s horse, for that animal is certainly not fit for a girl of her size, and I watched her steal those chickens. So naturally, I followed.”
