She pressed her lips together and nodded again. “Yes, I forgive you, Alexander. But please, no more secrets.”
“No more secrets,” he agreed. “I will tell you everyth—”
His words were cut off by the crash of wood and Charlotte’s scream of panic, as their boat hit a structure on the water. Charlotte reached out in panic and Alexander tried to steady himself, grabbing hold of her, but it was too late. The boat tipped, and the pair of them cascaded into the water with a splash.
Chapter 23
Alexander gulped as he resurfaced, his hair stuck to his head with water, his top hat lost to the river.
“Charlotte?” he called as she, too, came to the surface.
She blinked away the water, then shook her head, pushing her hair back off her forehead.
“Good Lord, Charlotte. I’m sorry. Here, let me help.”
But to Alexander’s surprise, Charlotte wasn’t upset nor angry. In fact, she threw her head back and laughed, her delight shining in her eyes.
“I don’t need your help, Your Grace,” she teased, then she spun in the water until she was on her front and swam quickly to shore.
Alexander watched her, amazed at how lighthearted and fun she was. He’d known it, of course. She’d demonstrated it often enough, but it seemed there were no limits to it. Her gown billowed in the water as she went, the shape of her lost as the water caressed her fine bare flesh beneath.
But as she crawled onto the grassy bank, it clung to her, the water embracing her tightly. Alexander licked his lips at the curve of her waist, her hips, and he longed to put his hands on them, to be the water that trickled down her body.
She fell onto her bottom and turned to him. “Are you planning on staying in their all day?” she called. “I wouldn’t have thought a tailcoat much good for swimming in.”
Stupidly, Alexander looked down at himself, as if he had quite forgotten what had happened. He chuckled to himself, then dove into the water and swam to meet her, leaving the boat to rock its own way back to shore. He’d send a footman out for it later if need be.
“Did you arrange for that to happen?” Charlotte asked as he landed on the bank beside her, his clothes soaked through and his eyes stinging from the river water.
“Arrange it?” he cried indignantly. “Why on earth would I do such a thing?”
Charlotte shrugged. “Anything to get me in the water, perhaps. Or maybe you were simply looking for a bit of adventure. I’ve heard all about men like you. Father warned me often enough before he died.”
Alexander choked on his words, not quite believing what she was saying. “Even if Iwasthat sort of man, which I am not, how could I possibly arrange for our boat to crash into a stationery pier? Honestly, Charlotte, what must you think of me to—”
Her laughter made him halter, and she pressed her hand against his arm. The touch made him inhale, imagining all the possibilities that might one day come to be.
“I am teasing you, Alexander. But if anything, I would have been impressed by your ingenuity.”
“Really?”
She giggled. Alexander’s lips twitched into a smile, and he straightened his back.
“Well,” he continued, “in that case, yes indeed. I planned the whole thing. Anything to get you in the water, as you say. I suppose I wanted a reminder of that first day we met at the lake.”
The pair sat on the sloping back, looking out over the water. Alexander hugged his knees to his chest, while Charlotte leaned back, resting her weight on her arms.
“Oh, you mean the time you were spying on me as I was swimming?”
“Yes, that’s the day. When you were behaving entirely inappropriately in a public place. Do you remember?”
Charlotte pouted, turning to look at him. “Inappropriate it may have been, but you liked it.”
“I’m not denying that,” he agreed. “In fact, I’d say some of my favorite moments with you have been when you’ve behaved inappropriately.”
Charlotte gasped in mock horror, playfully slapping him on the arm. “Goodness, Your Grace. Is that really any way to speak to a lady?”
He looked at her and raised a single eyebrow. “It is when she is a lady as unconventional as you. Has anyone ever told you that you look like a drowned cat?”
