Fenella J Miller by A House Party

held her fast. Instead she smiled into his eyes and
mouthed, ‘I love you.’ Then her lids drooped and she allowed blessed sleep to
take her.
    ‘Wake up, darling. You mustn’t
sleep, you’re too cold. You’ll die if you don’t stay awake.’ He shook her
roughly, forcing her to return to the nightmare that surrounded them. ‘Good
girl – now I’m going to start rotating your arms, try to restore your
circulation.’
    She couldn’t remain comatose with
a maniac shaking her about like a rag doll. ‘Stop it, Ned; you’re hurting me.
You’re pulling my arms out of their sockets.’
    She hadn’t needed to shout, her
words were audible. The wind had dropped and the rain slackened to a drizzle.
‘I feel as I’ve swallowed a bucket of water and it’s slopping about inside me.’
    ‘Stick your fingers down your
throat, bring it up, you’ll feel much better, I promise you.’
    Even in her weakened state such a
suggestion appalled her. She forced herself out of his grasp, intending to
protest, but the sudden movement had the desired effect. He held her head as
she retched helplessly, regurgitating the last of the water that had almost
drowned her.
    ‘You will feel much better now,
my darling.’
    She flopped back into his arms.
‘Well, I could hardly feel any worse. I seem to be making a habit of this.’ She
was tempted to close her eyes, to sleep, but if she did the wretched man would
start his shaking and pummelling again. She prised her salt-sticky eyes apart
and stared upwards.
    ‘Look, the
clouds are breaking. I can see a patch of blue sky.’
    ‘It will start to get warmer
soon, sweetheart, and we’ll both feel better.’ He propped her, unresisting,
against the springy edge, and pulled himself upright. ‘Thank God! Penny,
darling, look, we’re drifting into the shore, the tide’s strong here and it’s
carrying us in with it.’
    She found energy from somewhere
and with his assistance gained the edge and peered into the drizzle. Her heart
lifted. ‘That’s the beach; I’m not imagining it, am I?’
    ‘No, darling, you’re not. We
should be there in about fifteen minutes. We’re saved; somehow we’ve both been
spared.’
    She slipped back down into the
hollow of their odd boat and he joined her, reaching out and pulling her on to
his lap. A feeling of joy swept over her. They had nearly perished, but now
they were safe.

 

     
 
 
 
    Chapter Ten

 
 
    A watery sun emerged from behind
the remaining clouds and they basked in its welcome heat. Too exhausted to speak,
they rested, waiting for the bump that would indicate they had arrived on the
sand. The balloon bottomed, tipping them forward.
    ‘We’re there, sweetheart. Come
along, let me help you.’
    Getting out was considerably
easier. Allowing gravity to do the work they rolled one after the other over
the edge and down to the wet sand. Penny had difficulty regaining her feet, the
weight of her sodden skirts holding her down.
    ‘Up you come,’ he heaved her
upright. ‘We must walk about, try and restore some blood to our limbs and allow
our garments to dry.’
    She stared at him, an unexpected
smile splitting her wan face. ‘You look like a buccaneer, my love. And you have
lost your lovely Hessians. What a shame!’
    ‘Good God, do you think I care
about that?’ He grinned, holding her at arm’s length. ‘We do indeed make a
sorry pair.’ He stepped closer and hugged her hard. ‘But we’re alive and well.
Do you know , I have never felt happier than I do at
this moment?’
    ‘In spite of
being half drowned and scared to death?’ She sighed. ‘Oh, Ned, I do love
you so much, and I feared I would never be in a position to say those words
again’
    ‘My darling; I’m the luckiest man
alive.’ They gazed into each other’s eyes, lost in love and happiness. The sun
shone, warming them, drying their clothes and sending a different sort of heat
surging through their veins.
    ‘Lord Weston. Lord Weston.’ A
shout from