She filled her lungs with fresh air carrying the evocative tang of freshly cut grass and the scent of flowing water. Birds sang from the branches of the trees overhanging the stream and flitted in the rushes. A dragonfly appeared and hovered before her face, as if staring into her eyes, then darted off, skimming over the water’s gleaming surface.
Under Julian’s direction, the punt glided slowly eastward, then the lazy current slowed even more, and they floated out onto the so-called lake, formed by a widening of the stream in the southeast corner of the castle grounds. The lake was perhaps two hundred feet at its widest and twice that in length. The stream entered at the western end and flowed out at the easternmost point.
Peace, bucolic and pervasive, wrapped about her.
She lowered her gaze and drank in the sight of her handsome husband, standing on the platform at the punt’s stern. He’d left his coat and waistcoat in the boathouse and had rolled up the sleeves of his shirt to his elbows. Lean muscles bunched and released as he wielded the long pole with practiced ease.
Only now that the danger had passed could she appreciate the tension that had previously afflicted them, since well before their wedding; its sudden absence made its previous existence starkly obvious. For both of them, that heightened awareness had become such a persistent habit that being able to relax and let it go, allow it to fade, felt rather like setting down a physical burden—a tangible relief.
The punt angled, and she raised her hand to shade her eyes as she continued to allow them to feast on Julian. His gray gaze idly scanned the water as he poled them slowly along. She smiled. “Are there fish in this lake?”
He looked at her, and his lips curved in appreciation and simple happiness. “Most definitely. Felix and I often fish here and in the stream. There are roach and tench, and we get the occasional pike as well, so don’t trail your fingers in the water.” He grinned. “Pike bite.”
After glancing up and checking their progress, he returned his gaze to her. “Did you ever go fishing when you were a girl?”
“No. There never was anywhere to try it, but I wouldn’t mind learning. It seems a very soothing activity.”
His smile deepened. “It is. And it certainly teaches one patience.”
That was one virtue that came to neither of them naturally; any patience they exhibited was a learned skill.
The sleepy silence rolled over them again, and they let it.
Melissa’s thoughts rambled, touching on how much more at ease the whole household had become after Mitchell had been locked in the dungeon. Veronica and Frederick were patently relieved and, yesterday, had organized a family outing to the monthly market in nearby Wirksworth. Along with Felix, Damian, Veronica, and Frederick, Melissa and Julian had spent a very pleasant morning strolling among the market stalls, admiring the local craftwork, and Julian and Felix had spent some time chatting with the local farmers who had brought livestock to sell.
Later, the family had lunched in a private parlor at the Wirksworth Arms, then as a group, had diverted to admire the fabulous designs created out of flowers by the village women in dressing the local well head—an early June tradition in Derbyshire. After that, she, Veronica, and Frederick had climbed into the landau and been driven back to the castle, while Julian, Felix, and Damian cantered in their wake.
Smiling, she refocused on Julian. “It’s so peaceful around here. Even in Wirksworth, everyone was at ease, genial and happy. For someone who’s lived most of their life in London, it’s quite eye-opening.”
He arched his brows. “Wirksworth might be larger than a village, but its roots lie in all the surrounding families and their rural endeavors. You’ll find Derby more like London. I’m sure Mama will suggest she take you to Derby soon, if only to introduce you to the local shopping.”
His resigned grimace made her laugh. “I have to admit I’ve never stopped in Derby long enough to gain any real sense of the place.”
He studied her face. “Do you miss town—the bustle and undeniable amenities of London?”
She thought, then shook her head. “To be perfectly truthful, I’ve been utterly content wandering the gardens and going out with you, exploring the estate, getting to know the various tenants and farms, and seeing the land, the valleys and hills.” She smiled up at him. “It’s home to you, but it’s new to me, and in a way, that newness—the novelty in all I see—feeds my eagerness to work out a future that embraces it all!”
She spread her arms on the last words, smiling up at him, and he smiled back. “I’m glad. I’m looking forward to our joint future, too.” He leaned on the pole and pushed them onward.
Still smiling, she drew in her arms and resettled, shifting her feet. Her heels made a small splash.
What?She frowned and sat up. The sudden shift in her weight made the punt dip and wallow.
Julian bit back a curse and swayed, but managed to keep his balance.
After confirming he had, Melissa returned her gaze to her sandals—and the inch of water sloshing about in the bottom of the punt. “Is there meant to be water inside the boat?”
Julian frowned. “What?” He drew up the pole, set it down along the length of the punt, then stepped down from the raised platform at the stern. Immediately he did, the punt wallowed again, and a second later, the water covering the base rose, wetting the bottom inch of his boots. He crouched and stared, then grimly stated, “No. There shouldn’t be any water at all.” He dipped his head and felt around under the middle bench. “There must be a hole…”
They searched and found a neat round hole about an inch in diameter underneath the platform on which Melissa had been lounging.
He swore. “They plugged it with wadding so it would take a little time for the water to soak through, but now the wadding’s saturated, the water’s pouring in.”
“So we’re sinking?”
He nodded and swiveled to survey the nearest shore, which happened to be the edge of the south lawn. He bent, snatched up the pole, and stepped back onto the raised stern. “The lake’s not that deep, at least not between us and the south lawn. Let’s see how close I can get us.”
He turned the punt, but with the water in the boat rising, his initial push only moved them a yard closer to shore. He tried again, getting a little farther as the punt sank lower.
