Chapter 56
Chapter Fifty-Six
The moment they hit the surface, a part of him was carried into the depths of the river alongside his wife.
Perry’s heart lurched as he scanned the surface, watching for either of them to rise in between breaths of air as he swam toward the rowboat.
Before, they hadn’t seemed so far away. Now, each precious second he knew his wife was without air was too long.
The drumming of his heart in his ears only intensified as he attained the rowboat, floating vacant and haunting on the surface of the water.
Diving without much visibility, he waved his arms around as he searched beneath the water, the murky water making it difficult to see.
Suddenly, a glimpse of bright yellow drifting to the river bottom caught his eye, and he surfaced for a gulp of air before diving as fast as he could toward that glimpse of what he hoped was his wife’s dress.
There was no time to overthink.
She needed air.
He couldn’t breathe without her.
Twining his arms beneath her limp form, he dragged her up to the surface. His lungs burned with lack of oxygen, and he could only imagine how close his wife was to death.
Fear pulsed through his veins as he begged her silently to hang on.
For him.
For Aurelia.
He adjusted her so that she would breach the surface first. She looked so deathly pale in his arms as he dragged her to the shore, each movement a struggle as the bulk of her clothing dragged behind her.
She wasn’t struggling against him.
She wasn’t fighting for breath.
Beau and Michael waded into the water to meet them, soaking their breeches as they took her from Perry’s arms. A sob tumbled from his lips as he watched her being carried and carefully rested on the grass.
Barely catching his breath between ragged breaths, Perry closed the distance between them. Though fighting off exhaustion, he rushed to the shore, racing to Charlotte’s side.
“She’s ingested water; we must do something,” Perry shouted, as servants bustled around with blankets for the countess. Someone cut the ropes at her wrists. He waved away the fretful hands reaching to help them.
Touching his hand to her cheek, he willed her to awaken. He prayed he had arrived in time.
Why was she so still?
Silence surrounded them as everyone paused their frantic movements and watched with bated breath to see if the countess would awaken. He lowered his ear to her mouth, watching her chest for signs of breath.
“Please, Lottie. Please,” Perry begged, tapping her cheek with his palm. He wrapped his arms around her, tears beginning to fall as the hopelessness crept in. She needed to breathe. It had been too long. Gathering her in his arms, he cradled her head in his shoulder and rocked back and forth.
“You cannot leave me now,” he whispered in her ear. “I have only just found you. Please, Lottie. Please, my love. You must breathe.” He buried his face in her neck as sounds of weeping floated around them. The world disappeared and it was only the two of them.
Tears flowed unchecked as his heart pleaded with hers to keep beating.
A strong hand pressed between his shoulder blades, attempting to distract him, but he shook his head.
No distance would ever separate them again.
Not even death. He would follow her to the gates of heaven and pull her back.
He needed more time. God had no need for this angel when she belonged here on earth.
With him.
With Aurelia.
“Perry, perhaps we should bring her inside. The doctor has been summoned,” Beau spoke in a hushed tone.
Shaking his head, Perry continued to rock her in his arms. His sobs were muffled by the cold, wet fabric of her gown as it clung to her body.
“My lord, she needs to be warm. The countess will catch a chill,” Aamina begged softly, sobbing uncontrollably.
Perry shook his head, unable to let go. If only he held her longer, his warmth, his vitality, his strength, all might be infused into her, bringing her back to him. It was all he could believe. There was no other option.
He pulled back with sudden alarm as Charlotte’s chest heaved, making a dreadful sound as a deep-throated cough tore through her. Water came from her mouth, spilling between them, and her body began to tremble violently.
“S-s-so cold,” she muttered from stiff lips tinged with blue. Her eyes were wide and pleading as she clutched his soaking shirt.
The feel of her hand on him was pure bliss.
Perry brushed her hair from her face and watched her, tears streaming down his cheeks as he continued to hold her. “There you are. You gave me quite a fright, my Lottie.”
Releasing his shirt, Charlotte collapsed in his arms, the act of coughing up water seeming to have depleted all her strength.
The earl stroked his palm up and down her back, grateful to feel the movement of her back as her breath resumed. It was rough and shallow, but it was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard.
“Perry. She’s cold,” Beau insisted. “Let us bring her inside and warm her by the fire.”
Snapped out of his muddled haze, Perry nodded, releasing her only to lift her into his arms and hold her to his chest with tender reverence.
The earl inhaled. He had been holding his own breath while waiting to see if she would revive.
But of course she had.
He insisted upon it.
And God seemed to heartily agree.
His angel belonged here on earth, in his arms and wrapped in all the love he could possibly muster.
The precious weight of his wife against his chest reminded him of how far they had come.
He found her in her castle of solitude, where she had been locked away all those years.
In return, she saved his life with her tender care and boundless love.
His heart, beating steadily under her palm, would always find hers.
The love binding them together, though unseen, was the most powerful force he had ever encountered.
It would weather any storm, no matter how great.
* * *
“Shall I lift her eyelids? Just to see if I can awaken her?” Aurelia asked, blinking her wide eyes as they gazed eagerly upon her father.
“Now, Aurelia, you must be patient. Your mother needs to rest in order to recover,” Perry warned, with a teasing tone. He brushed the back of Aurelia’s head with his palm, still marveling at how this lovely young person was his daughter.
His to love and his to treasure.
His to displease when he didn’t agree with her methods of waking the countess.
“Surely she has rested enough now. It has been days,” Aurelia grumbled, crossing her arms before her chest. “Doesn’t Mother know I require some attention, Papa?”
“Perhaps you should read her another story,” Perry suggested, shrugging.
Aurelia scowled. “Again? I have already read her five.”
“Then, it is time for a sixth. I’m sure she will awaken soon for her tea,” he declared.
As though summoned through his words, Aamina stepped quietly into the room, carrying a tray with broth and various treats to tempt the countess.
The maid fretted over Charlotte, staying by her side when Perry needed to rest or eat.
His wife had spent the last two days resting, on doctor’s orders, and recovering from her near drowning.
Though it pained Perry to see her unwell, it gladdened him that she missed all the drama unfurling after she had been taken by Viscount Newbridge.
While she slept, the blackguard’s body floated up to the surface and was discovered downriver. Though it was a satisfying end to the attack on his family, Perry still would have preferred to watch as the life drained from his eyes. To see him suffer as much as he had made his family suffer.
Since the body washed up far away from their estate, a rumor was spread by someone—Perry suspected it was Michael or his agents, The Whispers—that Newbridge had tangled with the wrong people and ended up dead to fulfill a debt.
No one had dared to contradict the story.
Loyal servants who were present did their utmost to protect the countess and were diligent at making sure the new gossip was communicated and spreading like wildfire.
If there was a scandal, it would only be attached to the Newbridge name.
A grin spread over his face as Charlotte blinked awake. Her corresponding smile a flurry of butterflies fluttering in his chest. To see those warm hazel eyes focused on him was a miracle. After almost losing her, each smile was an answer to a prayer.
“Finally, you are awake, Mama,” Aurelia said with a joyous clap, looking back at her father. “Do I need to leave so she can eat now?”
Charlotte reached to touch her daughter’s hand. “No, you mustn’t,” she said, her voice rough from sleep.
Perry helped prop his wife up in bed, adjusting the pillows behind her back, and moved to sit on the other side of her, while Aurelia took a plate from the tray and offered it to her mother.
“I see you have a lot of lovely treats here, Mama, but Aamina says you must drink your broth before having dessert,” Aurelia said, her brows drawing together seriously. With a tight nod, she examined the floral plate, turning it in her hands to inspect each tart.
Charlotte nodded as she blew on the broth and swallowed a spoonful. “How will I ever eat all of those tarts?” she said, shaking her head after taking a sip.
“I wonder if there is someone who could help you with them,” Perry mused with an easy laugh. “Perhaps I will have to eat them.”
Their daughter graced them with her most adorable scowl.
“Papa, you cannot eat them all! There will be none left for me!” She placed the plate back on the tray and crossed her arms, then gave Perry the most chilling glare.
With a hearty chuckle, he reached over Charlotte’s legs and rubbed Aurelia on the back.
“I would not risk your ire for anything. You can have all the leftover treats…as long as your mama has her fill. We want her to regain her strength.”
With a determined nod, Aurelia turned to her mother.
“Yes, you must eat as much as you can, Mama. I am dreadfully bored with just Ann looking after me. And you must come see the garden. I have been inspecting the gardener’s work for you, and it is magnificent,” Aurelia prattled on with a beaming smile.
“They have been working furiously to begin repairs and clear some of the more unruly plants.”
Perry nodded in agreement.
“You must tell me all about it,” Charlotte said, bestowing a loving smile on her daughter, who immediately began a thorough description of the changes she had observed.
Every afternoon, Perry and Aurelia visited the gardens to ensure everything was in order and that Charlotte would be pleased with the progress.
The gardeners worked from her drawings and consulted the countess if there was any confusion.
His daughter had a good knowledge of all the plants and flowers growing in the beds and was glad to teach Perry everything he needed to know about the species in bloom.
Fueled by their desire to please the countess, the gardeners had been working longer hours to make quick progress on her gardens. The servants grew solemn after the countess nearly drowned and were much heartened by news of her recovery.
After the incident, Perry met with the servants to review safety practices and ensure that such an event never occurred again.
Though certain servants had worried they might be dismissed, Newbridge was the only person who deserved to pay for his actions.
Getting rid of loyal workers for their error, regardless of how grievous it was, didn’t feel right.
He suspected his wife would feel the same way.
Newbridge had fooled them all.
Perry blamed himself for not discovering the truth sooner and for letting himself be so easily incapacitated by Newbridge’s thug.
Reaching a hand to affectionately squeeze Charlotte’s leg, he thanked the heavens once more for the countess’s strength and resilience.
While Aurelia described the progress they had observed this afternoon, he could gaze upon the two people who had marked his life forever.
He couldn’t help but think this was heaven on earth.
To be loved by his wife and his daughter, their lives entwined for eternity, there was nowhere else in the world he would rather be.