He didn’t know where to aim the frustration and resentment that twisted in his gut. At England? At himself?
Not at her. He forced it back.
“You say you’re willing to do anything for Freddie and Lu?” she asked. She was in her stocking feet now, and she seemed smaller, her head tilted farther back to meet his eyes. “Then do this. Take Georgiana’s arm. Walk away. I’ll get the dog.”
He gave her a short nod, not trusting himself to open his mouth.
God only knew what he would say.I want youorDon’t drownorI can’t be who you want me to be.
He watched her go to the bank, watched her quick precise fingers spreading tall grasses, tugging apart some kind of reed.
He made himself walk over to Georgiana.
“Is Lady Selina going after the dog?” she said without preamble.
“Yes,” he said. “She wants us to walk away. So we don’t draw a crowd, presumably.” So he didn’t get caught up in any more gossip.
“Not bloody likely,” murmured Georgiana.
Peter felt his brows lift as he stared down at her.
“I’m not moving,” she said, “until I see that she’s gotten the dog. I’d be out there myself if I thought I could manage it.”
Where was the blinking? Those brilliant smiles and acres of white teeth? She seemed a different person entirely with the pretense of absurdity dropped. Crisp, business-like, perhaps a little stubborn.
“I… see.” His voice came out faint.
“And Your Grace?” She looked up at him. Gave him two rapid flutters of her thick gold eyelashes.
“Yes?”
“I think it best if you cease your attentions toward me after today.”
Surprise caught him with her words, but somehow it made sense. Without that brittle shell of hers, she was a different woman. And now that he’d seen that woman, she wanted distance. From him? Or from the truth of who she was?
He watched Selina, her head dark with damp as she waded into the water toward the dog, which had drifted close enough now for Peter to make out slightly bulging eyes in a head too large for its small body.
“Lady Georgiana,” he said finally. “Do you need some kind of help?”
He felt the sudden press of her fingers squeezing his. “No,” she said. “I just need to make sure this dog is all right.”
So they watched. In a minute or two Selina had gotten close enough to tug at the little raft of branches upon which the dog was perched. She angled her body back toward the bank and towed the dog behind her with ruthless efficiency.
Peter made himself look around as she made for dry land. There were people in all directions—she’d been entirely right about that. She’d probably been seen swimming through the water, but with nothing except her head visible, she likely hadn’t been recognized.
“Lady Georgiana,” he said, eyes tracking back to Selina asshe approached the water’s edge. “Do you know where they rent the rowboats?”
“I do.”
“How quickly do you think you could get there?” He chanced a glance away from Selina’s progress to find Georgiana’s face, bright but somehow steadier than he’d ever seen her.
One corner of her mouth kicked up. No visible teeth. “Ten minutes, if I walk fast. Shall I hire a boat for you?”
“Tell them to bill it to Stanhope—” He hesitated. Devil take it, how did he get Selina out of this and still manage to avoid having his name in the scandal sheets? Absurd, how much he didn’t want to let her down.
“I’ll pay,” said Georgiana. “If you promise to bring me the dog. I want him.”
“I’ll bring you the dog with a giant velvet bow on its minuscule neck if you can get someone to row a boat to this exact spot in less than a quarter hour.”
