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Having satisfied his curiosity, he turned on his boulder perch and faced the nia, but he mustered the mien of authority and voice to ive an order, it will be followed Today is the absolute last instance in which I will tolerate a ing, and fidgeting--and rounds for ie, without pay Areement rose up

He jabbed a thumb into his chest "I’m your lord and commander now When I say march, you march When I say shoot, you shoot And no matter what Miss Finch would think about itif I tell you to take a flying leap off this cliff, you will dahted, he allowed hi and floating in that cool, enticing, blue-crystal sea One, two, three little spinsters

He stopped Frowned Concentrated and looked again And then his heart left his chest and tuht off the cliff

He counted only eleven

Twelve

"What’s Lord Rycliff doing up there?" Charlotte asked, pointing up at the bluff "Peeping at us? Where are his clothes?"

"I don’t know" Squinting as she continued to tread water, Susanna watched the barefooted Brae of the bluff

"He looks very dire and serious"

"He always looks that way"

Froh above, she heard Lord Payne call out "Don’t do it, Bram! You have so much to live for!"

The ladies shrieked as Rycliff, apparently ignoring his cousin, flexed his legs--and ju, perilous dive into the sea "He’s done it He’s seen how hopeless the hty splash announced his impact with the water She could only pray it wasn’t the prelude to an i else That area was rocky The entire cove was rocky More likely than not, he’d struck his head on a boulder and would never surface

"Go for help," she told Charlotte, hitching up the skirts of her bathing costume "Call to the men up there and tell them to follow the path around to the beach"

"Butbut I’m not dressed Whatever would Mama say?"

"Charlotte, this is no time to be missish This is life and death Just do as I say"

Susanna propelled herself into the water, swiht to have landed She sliced through the waves with fast, confident strokes, but her progress was ha costued around her ankles, heavy and tangled

"Lord Rycliff!" she called, nearing the bottoan to tread water, looking this way and that in vain She saw a great number of rocks, but none of them resembled his stony lump of a head "Lord Rycliff, are you well?"

No answer Her skirt snagged on an obstacle, and the sudden tug pulled her under She took a s of seawater As she surfaced, she sputtered and coughed

"Bra desperate now "Brah the surface of the water, not two feet in front of her Soaked to his skin and wearing a dark, dangerous look

He was alive The burst of relief was so visceral, so swift, she was nearly overwhelnored her entirely, looking around the cove instead "Where is she?"

"Who?"

"Nuulp of breath, he disappeared beneath the water’s surface, leaving her treading water, utterly bewildered

Nu any sense Heavens, this was like that ridiculous sheep-bo water off his face "Have to find her Dark-haired girl"

Minerva Now it hwood He’d dived off a cliff to save her The brave, heroic, reckless, uided idiot

"I’ll look over there" He took off swi his way around a cluster of boulders

"Wait," she called, swi after him "Bram, I can explain She’s not drowned, I promise"

"She was here Now she’s not"

"I know it looks that way But if you’ll--"

He gulped a deep breath and subain It see capacity of a whale

When he finally came up for air, Susanna launched herself at hiht hi her ar costume permitted--around his waist

"She’s fine!" she shouted in his ear, shaking hihwood She’s alive and well"

"Where?" he ed, breathless He shook himself, and seawater sprayed her in the eye

"There’s a cave" She sandwiched his head between her two hands and turned it "That way The entrance is under water at high tide, but I showed her how to swiy Rey"

They were quiet for a time She rose and fell in the water as he worked to catch his breath