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“Owen, have you seen—”
The genteel voice of his mother woke him from a pleasant dream of Lily and him in the gazebo enjoying a picnic. I’ll have to make that a reality. Zinnia and Rascal’s claws dug into him at being disturbed, before they hopped onto his desk, curling up in the corner by a lamp.
“Oh, I apologize, dear. I didn’t think you’d be sleeping at this hour.” Gliding forward, she adjusted her skirts before taking a seat and caressing a hand over Zinnia’s fur. “I was looking for Lily and thought you might know where she’s gotten off to.”
“No, I haven’t a clue.” He patted his cheek in an effort to eradicate the lingering vestiges of sleep. An afternoon nap hadn’t been on the agenda, but after receiving another mysterious note with no clue as to its sender, a headache had formed. And he’d allowed himself to doze off in order to forget—for a moment, at least—his problems.
Sinister messages. Various estate accidents.
It occurred to him that they might be connected, but for what purpose, he couldn’t decipher. Searching for the tossed sheet of this last message, a frown tugged at his lips. Where the devil is it? He crushed it in his fist. Thrown it to the floor. But it was nowhere to be found.
“Hmm... perhaps I’ll ask a maid.” Rising to her feet, she turned to leave before noticing her son’s peculiar behavior. “Have you lost something, dear?”
“Just a letter.”
“None of those are the one you seek?” She gestured to three pieces of parchment on his desk, and he stilled at the appearance of the one he sought.
“Yes, actually, it is.” Jumping to his feet, he hurried to the hall. “If you’ll excuse me, I think I might need to speak with Lily first.” There wasn’t a clue to suggest Lily moved the paper, but a feeling of dread slithered down his spine.
She imagined fate held a vendetta against her.
She’d guessed at his father’s feelings toward her.
Now, his wife had seen proof in the letters that there was indeed some trouble brewing due to their union. What she’d do with the knowledge was anyone’s guess. But based on what he knew of her past decisions, it couldn’t be good.
Catching a dawdling maid in a blue sitting room, he asked, “Have you seen my wife?”
“Oh, yes, my lord. I tried to warn her, but she didn’t listen—”
Apprehension locked around his shoulders. “Where is she? What happened?”
“She raced outside like the hounds of hell were at her heels, my lord. And with it kicking up a storm out there.”
“And you didn’t think to notify me or another member of staff to go after her?” Rain smacked against the windowpane in a rush of power while thunder echoed overhead. And his pregnant wife was somewhere in it, unprotected.
Leaving the gaping girl a stuttering mess, Owen ran past his mother who’d followed him to see what the fuss was about, and sprinted through the front doors to Marvin’s consternation.
“My lord!”
The words whipped away as quickly as they were uttered. Coatless and already soaked to the bone, Owen prayed to find Lily on her way back home as he headed toward the one place he knew she’d go—the lake.
***
CROWS’ CAWING PIERCED the sound of bending branches in the windswept forest—a prophetic backdrop considering her mood. It spoke of haunted woods and witches’ curses and ghostly apparitions. All things she ordinarily wouldn’t give two figs about except the idea that some supernatural force could be the cause of all her misfortune didn’t seem too outlandish anymore.
Was she destined to live a life marred by tragedy?
An unlucky traveler on the road of life?
A particularly gusty breeze whipped against a tree to her left, the snap of a gnarled branch preceding a crash to earth. It wasn’t safe to walk this path. Not at this time. But she didn’t dare return home.
Home.
A bitter laugh scraped against her vocal cords.
What was home? A husband who cared for her when she didn't deserve it, a man she only brought trouble upon.
And the baby within her—a poor child who’d be stuck with her as a mother—a terrible destiny.
The drum of rushing water rose above the howling wind as she neared the river, careful to keep a distance from its treacherous tides. She’d decided to take the roundabout path to the lake, passing Shoreham Bridge, instead, as a sort of punishment. Swelling past the embankment, the overflowing river was a marked contrast to the rocky bottom where her parents died a few years ago.
Head tilted back towards the sky, Lily released a strangled shout of despair. Emotions whirled inside her as if the storm outside had manifested inside her body. It wouldn't surprise her if a strike of lightning was drawn to her chaotic energy.
Suddenly, one of the branches overhead snapped under the force of the wind, crashing with deadly force towards the ground. Lily attempted to avoid the falling bough, but her slippered feet slid in the mud, and she tumbled down the steep embankment into the roaring waves of the river. Ice cold soaked through her dress and dragged her deeper into the dark abyss.
Lily remained still instead of fighting to the surface, wondering if this is how it was all supposed to end. Fate would drown her in the same river that killed her parents.
Chunks of debris brushed against her skin, and she accepted the little bites of pain. Isn't that what she'd always done? Accepted what life gave her, only letting the bitterness build and build until her life had come to this. A mortal struggle in the gnashing jaws of a storm-swept river.
No.
A pointed declaration, one that fought its way into her mind.
This is not how I end.
Not how my baby’s life ends.
I am tired of taking and accepting what life throws at me as if I have no choice in the matter.
I get to choose. To fight back. I am not leaving Owen; I am not harming my child.
I am not leaving my family.
Determined energy swelled from deep inside as her legs began to kick strongly against the waves, arms waving haphazardly in the water as her lungs were about to burst in need of air. Breaking through the surface of the river, she heard a faint shout of relief and her name carried over the shrieking wind and roaring water.
“Lily! I'm here! Swim to the side!” Owen's words reached her as she caught a glimpse of him running along the river bank trying to catch up to her.
“Don't jump in!” she tried to yell, terrified that he would try to save her. If he jumped and perished... She couldn't bear the possibility. Her head dunked under the water, brackish water flooding her mouth as she prepared to warn him away again.
Fight, Lily. Fight.
Renewed strength filled her aching body—allowing her shaky limbs to kick and paddle—until she surged forward, her toes finding purchase in the slick muck below. Strong arms wrapped underneath hers and tugged her further away from the killer water. “Thank God, you made it.”
Frantic hands roved her body, cupping her belly, her face.
“I love you, Owen.” Lily choked out, afraid she’d lose her chance to tell him her true feelings out loud as strength quickly left her tired limbs. “And I love our child. I’m so sorry.” Soon the dark overtook the last piece of her consciousness, and she fainted in his arms.