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Panic flared

Christian yanked the cravat up over his head The brilliance of the sun’s rays forced him to blink rapidly The white spots disappeared, and then he saw Rose in the lake With ar to keep her head above the water

“It’s not too deep” Christian cried “You should be able to touch the bed”

“I … I can’t swim”

God damn

Jacob teetered on the edge of the bank, his eyes watery and wide, his face ashen

“Jacob!” Christian cried, but he was too late

Without uttering a word, Jacob jumped in, too

Chapter Eight

Rose splashed and kicked about in the water Soed her down, but thankfully she’d landed where the water was shallow enough to stand

The shove in the side had taken her by surprise They’d been darting around Lord Farleigh, dodging his outstretched hands, laughing and screae That’s how accidents happened But in her heart, she knew Jacob had pushed her deliberately

But then, as if the situation were not troubling enough, Jacob jumped into the lake

“I’ll save you, Rose!” the boy cried, but his head disappeared beneath the water

“Jacob!” Drawing on every ounce of strength she had, Rose found her feet The murky ripples lapped around her shoulders, and she pushed forward in an effort to reach hih, as busy shrugging out of his coat “It’s too deep for him”

Alice waved her hand and cried out when Jacob’s head bobbed above the surface He spluttered and coughed before disappearing again