“Abigail?” her voice rang out. “Abigail, are you here?”
No answer.
A flicker of movement caught Cecilia’s eye, barely a ripple on the far side of the lake. She stepped closer, holding her breath, with all hope almost lost. But then, she caught a glimpse of a figure inside the water.
“Abigail!” The name left her lips in a gasp, one part relief, three parts panic.
Abigail was waist-deep in the water, arms folded tightly across her chest, her soaked chemise clinging to her skin. Her back was to Cecilia, hair plastered wetly to her neck.
“Abigail.” Cecilia moved to the edge of the bank, trying to keep her voice calm and steady. “What on God’s green earth do you think you’re doing! How long have you been here?”
Abigail said nothing.
Cecilia’s knees buckled and she crashed onto the ground, scared, annoyed by Abigail’s tactics, but very relieved that she was alright. “Oh, thank God.”
“Go away,” came Abigail’s small voice, petulant and cold. “You left.”
Cecilia blinked, her mouth falling open. “Is that why you did this? Why you made everyone worry about you?”
Cecilia bundled her shawl around Abigail’s shivering shoulders, her hands trembling as she rubbed warmth into the little girl’s arms. “You must never do that again,” she said. “Do you understand me, Abigail?”
Abigail looked up, eyes wide but still stubborn. “I was only waiting for you,” she mumbled.
“But not like this.” Cecilia crouched to meet her gaze, gently gripping both her arms. “You’ve been in that water since morning. It’s almost dark. You might fall ill.”
Abigail turned her face away.
“I’m serious.” Cecilia reached up and cupped her damp cheek, trying to soften the severity in her tone. “You’re cold and you’re shivering. What if something had happened to you? What if no one had found you? Do you know how frightened I was?”
“You left,” Abigail whispered, blinking quickly. “I woke up and you were gone that day. Miss Flaxman reads to me, but she doesn’t read like you. She doesn’t read Goody Two Shoes.”
Cecilia’s heart broke a little more. “I’m sorry. But I wasn’t gone for long I only went to see Emma for a little while. If you missed me, you could’ve told your papa. He would have brought you to me.”
Abigail’s lip wobbled. “Would he?”
“Of course he would. He loves you.” Cecilia took her small hand and held it close. “But what you did today, hiding and scaring everyone, you must never do it again. You cannot punish people like that, not when it’s dangerous. You had the whole household in a panic. I was in a panic.”
Abigail looked up at her then, guilt tugging at her little brow. “I didn’t want to punish anyone. I just…I wanted you.”
Cecilia’s throat tightened. “I’m here now.” She pulled Abigail closer, wrapping her arms around her again, trying to pass her warmth into the child’s freezing limbs. “But next time, tell someone. Ask for me. Don’t go hiding in cold water all day.”
“Promise you’ll stay?”
Cecilia hesitated just for a second. Then she nodded. “I promise I won’t vanish like that again. But you must promise me, too, no more running off. Ever.”
Abigail nodded slowly against her shoulder.
“Good girl.” Cecilia kissed her damp curls. “Let’s get you inside before you turn into an icicle.”
Cecilia rose quickly, too quickly. After hours of panic and the rush of fear finally ebbing, the world tilted sharply on its axis. Her vision blurred. A cold rush of nausea swelled up her chest. She wobbled.
“Wait, ” she managed to say, her hand reaching out for balance but finding nothing but air.
Then she was falling, backwards, her heel slipping on the mossy stones near the lake’s edge, and a splash tore through the quiet. Water closed over her with a shocking chill, swallowing the scream in her throat. She surfaced, gasping, arms flailing, the weight of her gown dragging her down. She couldn’t see. She couldn’t find her footing. Panic surged.
She kicked out blindly, her hands slapping against the surface, but it was no use. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t...
“Help!” Abigail’s voice rang out, shrill and terrified. “Help! Cecilia cannot swim!”
