Chapter 24

Chapter Twenty-Four

A REFRESHING DIP

A s Charlotte hit the water, she had time to reflect that she had chosen a most inopportune moment to return to her seat. This reflection was followed closely by a gasp as the cold hit her.

She kicked her way to the surface, coughing and spluttering. She wiped the water from her eyes and glanced around.

"Charlotte! Are you okay?" Dominic called, his face white.

"I am fine," she called back, remembering the panic that had settled in a moment before.

"Stay there, I am coming to get you."

"Of course, Sweetkins," she called back, trying to sound teasing and nonchalant which was somewhat undermined by her chattering teeth.

A moment later, she felt a strong hand on her wrist, and Dominic pulled her out of the water. The boat swayed ominously, and for a moment, Charlotte thought they would both fall back into the freezing lake. Thankfully, they did not.

"You are freezing!" Dominic exclaimed.

"I-I-I- am f-f-f-f-innnne," Charlotte tried to say, but her teeth were chattering too badly.

"You will catch your death." Dominic shook his head and hastily took off his own coat. "Here, wear this. It will at least keep you warm until we can get you back to the house."

"But what about the event?"

"Dash the event. I am not risking your health for this competition. We need to get you warm and dry and settled with a good cup of tea."

"But…"

"No buts." Dominic shook his head and began to turn the punt around and head back the way they came.

As they did, Charlotte was aware of a few of the other participants calling to them, and her cheeks reddened further as she realised just how silly she must look.

"Did Dorson dunk you, My Lady?"

"You'll be in the doghouse tonight, Dorson."

"Oh, Charlotte!" The last voice was Cecily's, and it was coming from the shore. "Honestly, Dominic, I cannot believe you dunked your fiancée in the water."

"It was not on purpose," Charlotte tried to say, but her chattering teeth made it all but impossible.

"Come, let us get you to the house and out of those wet clothes."

"That is where we were heading."

"Make yourself useful, cousin, and run to the kitchens, and have them arrange some soup and tea for Charlotte."

Dominic looked between Cecily and Charlotte, apparently reluctant to part from her side. It tugged at her heart strings, but she nodded to him.

"I will be fine. Cecily will help me back to the house, and I am sure something hot will be most welcome."

"If you are certain."

"I am, Sweetkins," Charlotte said, using the nickname to tease him.

Dominic smiled at her. "All right, Precious Plum."

He sprinted away, and Charlotte found herself smiling despite the cold. Cecily fretted over her as she escorted her back to the house, and Charlotte was glad that her stepmother was otherwise occupied. She did not think she could cope with her disapproval at that moment.

"I shall lend you one of my dresses," Cecily said as she beckoned Charlotte into her room.

"What? But I have plenty of my own."

"Yes, but my room is closer, and we have a fire lit. Besides, if your stepmother is anything like my own mother, I suspect you will be in for an earful, and that is the last thing you need."

"That is true."

"So that settles it. Cecily handed her a dress. Here, wear this green one. It will bring out your eyes."

Cecily's dress fit surprisingly well, and Charlotte was immensely grateful for the opportunity to avoid her stepmother. Perhaps Lady Bellmore was not the ogre she'd supposed, but Charlotte did not desire another complication to confuse her.

They tried to dry her hair as best they could and eventually deemed that Charlotte was presentable enough to make the journey to the dining room where Dominic was waiting with tea.

He was pacing the length of the room when they emerged, and Charlotte felt her stomach swoop. His hair was mussed, and she could tell he had been worrying at it with his hands.

"There you are!" Dominic exclaimed moving towards her as though he might hug her and then stopping himself.

"It has not been that long," Cecily chided.

"We were trying to dry my hair."

"Well, I think the tea will still be warm." Dominic gestured to the tea set on the table and pulled out a chair for Charlotte.

She sat down gratefully and took a sip of the hot liquid. It was not quite scalding, but it was welcome after her dip in the lake.

"This is perfect. Thank you."

"Of course."

Dominic looked as though he would say more, but at that moment, two women entered the room, talking loudly. Charlotte did not recognise either of them.

"Honestly, it really is true that money cannot buy taste," the larger of the two women said, wrinkling her nose.

Her companion said nothing, simply nodded.

"If I had this kind of money, I would surround myself with things of such beauty and elegance that I would be the envy of every woman in the land," the larger woman continued.

Charlotte decided that she did not like her. "Perhaps that is what the Dowager Duchess feels she has done. I, for one, quite enjoy the décor."

"Oh, I did not realise there were people in the room." The woman cast a dismissive look over Charlotte and her companions. "You are some relation of the Dowager Duchess, I take it?"

"I am, and this is my fiancée," Dominic said, his eyes narrowing at the stranger. "Duke Verimore at your service. This is my cousin, Lady Cecily Nightingale, and my fiancée, Lady Charlotte Nettle."

"I am Lady Lydia Grey," the woman replied turning from them and back to her companion.

"Charmed," Charlotte muttered, wishing that Lady Lydia Grey would leave the room.

To her frustration, the woman sat down and gestured around them. "You cannot really approve of this décor. I mean just look at that tea set."

The woman shuddered, and Charlotte examined the tea set in front of her. It was made of fine china, and if she did not miss her guess, it was a Wedgewood.

"I think it is stunning. Just look at the colours and the pattern. I would love to own something like this." Charlotte took a deliberate sip of her tea.

"Ha! I doubt it. It is truly one of the most ugly things I have ever seen. I would not be caught dead using such a thing. In truth, I think I would die of embarrassment if I owned anything quite so ugly."

"Then it is a good thing you do not own it," a cool voice said from the doorway.

The colour drained from Lady Lydia's face, and she turned to look at the Dowager Duchess, stammering out an apology. "Your Grace, I … I am so sorry. I was just…"

"Speaking your mind?" The Dowager Duchess swept into the room and looked at the tea set before Charlotte. "That tea set was a wedding gift from Josiah Wedgewood himself. It is a one-of-a-kind gift, one of his earlier works."

"Oh!" Lady Lydia coloured. "I did not recognise it."

"He is a little experimental, it must be said, but he does make fine work."

"I…"

"I think I will ask you to leave. I cannot abide judgement and gossip. I do more than enough of that myself."

"But —"

"Leave." Dominic moved towards the woman, who fled.

The Dowager Duchess stared after her, eyes narrowed in dislike. Then she turned to Charlotte and said, "You are rather accident prone, Lady Charlotte."

Her cheeks reddened, but before she could say anything, Dominic interjected, "It was my fault grandmother. Charlotte was helping me, and I… well, I lost my grip on the pole, and in my haste to retrieve it, I unsettled the boat."

"I would have thought you would have taken much greater care with your fiancée. Cecily, come with me. I want you to help me pick out my necklace for this evening. If you pick well, I shall give you fifty extra points."

"Of course, Grandmother." Cecily glanced at them once before she followed her grandmother from the room.

"She is right," Dominic said after a moment.

"Who is?" Charlotte frowned.

"My grandmother. I should have taken greater care with you." He clenched a fist and shook his head.

Charlotte shrugged. "It was an accident."

"I would never have forgiven myself if anything had happened to you." He sounded wretched, and the strength of his reaction surprised her.

"Nothing did happen to me. I just got a little wet and cold; that is all." She laid a hand on his hand without thinking.

Dominic yelped. "Your hands are freezing."

"Sorry." Charlotte made to pull her hand away, but Dominic cupped it in his own and gently blew on her fingers.

"This will help," he murmured as he gently rubbed her hands between his own.

"Thank you," Charlotte replied, her voice slightly breathless.

"It is the least I can do." Dominic smiled at her. "After all, I need you."

For a moment, his words took Charlotte by surprise, and then she realised that he must have been talking about the competition. She smiled, ignoring the slight stab of disappointment in her chest.

"I know you do," she answered. "We need each other."

Laughter trickled in through the door, and Dominic slowly released her hands. "I should leave you to finish your tea and see if I can find out what the next event is."

He inclined his head towards her and left before she could protest. A sense of loss stole over her chest, and she shook her head. She was being ridiculous. He is not mine to lose.