Nothing But Time (26 page)

Though his
locked
hands
were still
behind his back, Kate could feel the caress in his eyes that she knew his fingers longed to express more physically.  Swallowing deeply, Kate held back her own impulse to throw her arms around him and kiss him right there amidst the crowd of spectators
even knowing the spectacle they would make
.  Public displays of affection in this place would certainly garner more attention than they would in her time.  “When?”

“Soon,” he promised roughly.  “With Ramble House full of guests…”

“Well just don’t wait too long, okay?” she whispered softly, wavering faintly under the intensity of lust that was growing in his eyes. 
The hottest fires burned with a blue flame and that was what she felt in that fiery gaze, scorching heat licking across her skin.  She could feel it like a physical caress. 
Reaching behind
her, she gripped the mossy brick
of the
inn
to steady herself. 
Never had Kate felt such overwhelming passion as she felt with Brand, certainly without ever having a finger laid upon her.

“I doubt I could even if…”

“Harrowby?
”
A soft voice cut through the cocoon that surrounded them
and the pair jumped back to find Brand’s sister looking upon them curiously.

“Susan
.
”
Brand nodded curtly
,
stepping away from Kate as casually as he could.
  “I
hadn’t thought you would
be here today.”

His sister looked down at her mourning attire.  “I’m not officially.  I had thought since you and Mother would be occupied by the races and the guests that I might…”

Perceptively, Kate saw the hope clearly written in the mother’s eyes.  “Lord Harrowby was just suggesting a more advantageous location from which to watch the remaining races, Mrs. Ralston. 
Would you care to join us? 
Nathan would love to have you join us for the remainder of the afternoon.”

Though Kate knew the woman wasn’t buying her explanation for
Kate’s
long coze with Harrowby, Mrs. Ralst
on nodded.  “I should like that, Miss Kallastad.  Thank you.
”

“I shall
bid you farewell then, ladies.
”
Brand nodded coolly.  “I must return to the club and change anyway.  Susan.  Miss Kallastad.”

Kate watched Brand turn and stride nobly through the crowd feeling his sister’s inquisitive stare all the while.  “Shall we?  Nathan is just there waiting for me.”  Kate pointed to the bridge where Brand had stopped to
pull Nathan off the rail once more and
give his farewells to his nephew before crossing the bridge toward the Leander Club on the other side of the river.

“Kate!” Nathan called
as they approached
, stepping up on the lower edge of the rail once more to lean over the side.  “
Look at the ducks!”

“Oh, for cute!” Kate cooed as the baby ducklings paddled furiously after their mother.  It was a sight she had seen a million times growing up
,
sending another wave of nostalgia for home through her.  This time may have it
s
ups
in the form
of one Brandon Ryder, but it still wasn’t where she belonged.

“Good morning, Mother,” Nathan added as he noticed Kate’s companion.

“Good morning, Nathan,” Susan replied softly.  “Are you
enjoying your day
?”

“Yes, but Uncle Brandon didn’t win the race.”

“Perhaps he’ll win his next one.
”
Nate’s mother turned to Kate
.
“And you, Miss Kallastad,
how are you liking the regatta
?”

Kate could see the curiosity in the woman’s eyes, knew there were questions there that she longed to ask but was simply too polite to do so.  “
I’m having a good time
, Mrs. Ralston.  I think… damn!  Nathan!  Watch out!  Shit.”

Nathan had again been
straddling the railing
.  A
s the crowd back
ed
away from a passing carriage
,
they
crowded the railing
and
jostl
ed
Nathan
. 
Losing his balance and his grip on the railing,
with a squeal of terror,
he tipped
over the side of the bridge and into the Thames below.  Susan screamed as well as they rushed to the rail.  “Nathan! 
Help! 
He can’t swim!”

Shouts sounded from around them but no one acted immediately. 
None of the gentlemen leaning over the rail seemed inclined to get their clothes wet for the sake of an anonymous child. 
“Shit,” Kate
muttered
again
,
lifting her skirts to climb the rail herself
.  With a quick glance down at her student’s floundering form, she leapt off to the side so she wouldn’t hit him on the way down. 
It was a long fall and it seemed to Kate that an eternity passed
before she plunged into
the
rush of cold water.  Exhaling as she worked her way back to the surface, Kate heard the continued shouts
from above
as she broke through. 

“Nathan!” she called
,
glancing around her
calmly
before
see
ing
Nathan
sputtering and slapping ineffectually at the water
close by.
“I gotcha!”

Kate wrapped an arm around the little boy’s waist
as they both went under once more
and kicked hard to bring them both back to the surface.  Looking up, she could see
Susan
leaning over the rail of the bridge stretching
desperately to reach them as she cried her son’s name
repeatedly
. 
Kate proceeded to tow him to the shore aware
that her skirts were tangling around her legs
as she swam.  She
kicked harder
, futilely
trying to
free her legs
,
thankful
that two other men were now jumping in
to come to her assistance. 
F
ast running out of strength, Kate
pushed
Nate
upward, attempting to launch him toward the nearest rescuer.

Rebounding from the upward thrust, Kate was
sucked
back under
by the pull of the river
. 
Using all her strength, Kate clawed her way to the surface once more, gasping for breath. 
Her legs were beginning to
burn
;
the
long layered
skirts of her gown were a heavy weight that was
dragging
her down as her energy flagged.
She looked up through the water, the light of the sun dancing through the
waves,
as she was pulled deeper.
Just as her body begged her to give up,
a strong hand grabbed her arm and pulled her up the rest of the way. 
Brand was there, wrapping a muscular arm around her waist and helping her stay above the water.

“Kate, the water is logging your skirts.  They’re weighing you down!” he shouted into her face
above the raucous noise of slashing water and the continued shouts of the gathered onlookers
.

“
Ya think
?” Kate screeched back at him
with renewed vigor.  Swearing under her breath, she reached
under the water to pull her billowing skirts up trying to get under them
.  The best thing she could do to help him was
to untie the petticoats that were the worst of
the weight
but the waterlogged strings would not come undone
.

Fatigued, Kate did her best to
aid in
Brand’s efforts as he towed her to a public dock in front of the inn and lifted her into the waiting hands of those who had gathered to help.  She rolled onto the dock as Brand pulled himself up beside her.  Cheek pressed to the wood, Kate
coughed up water and
gasped for breath.  “Nathan?”

“He’s here, Kate, never fear,” Brand told her and Kate cracked an eye to find Nathan sobbing in the arms of his mother.  Relieved, she closed her eyes
,
panting hard
and
trying to find her breath as the voices of the gawkers gathered around rose and fell in exclamations and
retelling of the moment to those just arriving.

Geez
, Kate thought,
that is unquestionably not how I want to go in the end!
  She felt strong arms helping her into a sitting position and Kate accepted a handkerchief that was dangled before her
stinging
eyes to wipe the water from her face.  She looked up to find Brand hovering over her looking
desperately
as if he wanted to take her in his arms. 
Kate wanted him to as well.  She was shaken to the core by what had just happened and wanted – no, needed – the comforting strength of his arms around her.  She fought the urge to fling herself at him. 
Wouldn’t that just be a sight to titillate the masses! 
“It’s okay,” she whispered
unevenly
.  “I’m okay.”

“How can you be so calm?”

Kate shrugged with a half-hearted smile.  “It’s what I do.”

Brand ground his teeth, frustration evident, before he turned and began barking out brisk commands to the people around him calling for his carriage and a doctor to be found and brought around.

“That was a very brave thing you did, miss.” 

Kate turned toward the speaker of those gruff words to find the burly, bearded man who ha
d taken Nathan to safety squatting
by her side.

Shrugging off his compliment, Kate said sincerely,
“
I wouldn’t have been able to make it back with him
alone
.  Thank you so much for your help.
”

“Coul
dn’t’
ve saved you both though
.
”
H
e shook his head
regretfully
.  “Good
thing his lordship came to ‘elp
.”

If Brand hadn’t heard the commotion on the bridge and returned… a shudder ran through Kate.  Whether it was Brand’s own heroic nature or merely the earl’s
duty
for the people of Oxford, she was glad he’d been compelled to help.
  A few minutes more, the weight of the skirts would have pulled her down to watery death.  “Yes, it was a very good thing.” 

Susan
looked up
to express her thanks as well when Nathan pulled away to throw himself into Kate’s arms.  She took the sobbing boy into her arms knowing that he was likely terrified by what had happened,
overcome with emotion
.  “There, there,” she crooned cradling him against her.  “You’re al
l
right, I’m al
l
right.  I’d wager that you’re not likely to climb on the railings again
,
are you?”

Instead of comforting him, Kate’s
teasing
words seemed only to
compound Nathan’s panic.  Frowning, Kate gave him another squeeze.  “It’s okay Nathan, really.”

“I don’t want you to die, Kate,” he
bawl
ed.  “Not like Papa did.”

Comprehension dawned.
Of course, a boy who grieved as
deeply as Nathan had would dread the death of another in his life.  Kate was the closest thing he had to a friend right now and she imagined he feared losing her as much as he did his mother or
uncle
. 
She felt
her heart breaking
for him.   Death was hard on children who couldn’t truly understand the loss, wondering if one would lead to another and another until they were left alone.

Looking up, she foun
d Susan looking helplessly
at them
with tears trailing down her cheeks
and Kate could read the
pain
combined with
envy in her eyes.  Whispering into Nathan’s ear, Kate said, “Go to you
r
mo
m now, Nate.  She needs to
know her son
is alive and well, too.
”

Nathan looked up, sniffed and then threw himself back into his mother’s waiting arms. 

Wishing for a strong embrace to squeeze away
her own
lingering fear
s
,
Kate
instead sat at the end of the dock and
wrung out her skirts as best she could
,
waiting until
she heard Brand
’s aristocratic tones
once again commanding the crowd to back away
. 
Just knowing he was back within reach bolstered Kate’s spirit.  She waited as h
e lifted Nate into his arms and helped his sister to her feet before handing
Susan’s
son back to
her
and directing them to the
waiting carriage. 
Then it was her turn.  Brand held out his hand to help her rise and Kate grasped it, held
it, as she stood.  His calloused hands rubbed hers, squeezing surreptitiously under the guise
of
steadying her.
“Do you ne
ed any assistance, Miss Kallasta
d?”

Though Kate would have liked nothing more than to have Brand sweep her into his arms and carry her off, she just
shook her head
and followed Susan to the carriage.  She climbed
in,
taking the
seat opposite Nathan and Susan.  As if
unseen forces were answering
her ardent prayers, after a moment’s hesitation,
Brand climbed in as well.  “You’re coming, too?”