Chapter 16
The damp, soft ground beneath Irene’s feet failed to support her wavering balance.
“Eek!”
She was falling.
Squeezing her eyes shut, Irene instinctively twisted her body.
Splash! She hit the pond shoulder first, then her back. Ridiculously enough, the first thing she did was yank the broom toward herself.
Even with her cumbersome dress completely soaked through, she reached for the hat caught on the end of the broom!
“I got it!”
“Miss Irene!”
A shrill cry burst from Chloe’s lips — a sound Irene had never heard from her before Seeing Chloe frozen in shock, Irene belatedly realized what she’d done and quickly called out,
“I’m fine! The pond isn’t that dee—?”
The pond floor she’d been standing on only moments before suddenly turned slick beneath her feet. Then, as if it were swallowing her whole, it gave way.
The water, which had reached only her chest a moment ago, surged abruptly to her chin. Irene sucked in a sharp breath.
This is bad. She’d assumed it was just a pond, but it might be much deeper than she’d expected…
A chill raced down her spine. The instinct she’d been suppressing began screaming at her in warning.
Covering her mouth with one hand, Chloe stood frozen in place. Looking straight at her, Irene shouted.
“Miss Chloe! Please, call for help”
“W-What do I…”
“It’s okay! Just… just bring a maid or someone! They can pull me out with the broom!”
Tilting her chin up to keep her head above water, Irene cautiously edged backward. She hoped her feet would find higher ground, but whether the muddy bottom had collapsed or not, there was nothing to brace herself against.
“As long as I stay still, I’ll be okay. So hurry and get someone!”
“O-Okay. Please be careful.”
Finally regaining her composure, Chloe nodded and broke into a run. Irene stared blankly after the black hair fluttering behind her.
Still, since this was a pond, this was about as deep as it got, right?
Clinging to that hope, she cautiously probed around with her toes, searching for somewhere to plant her feet. There was nothing but water. She lowered her gaze toward the pond, now churned into murky brown by her own struggling. Then, without warning—
Splash! Her foot dropped even farther. Instinctively, Irene drove the broom she was gripping in her right hand hard toward the pond bed beside her. The broom, only about half a foot shorter than she was, sank beneath the surface.
A cold shiver ran through her.
How many years had it been since Chloe had run so hard that her breath burned in her throat?
I should’ve brought a maid with us. I should’ve held on to the hat instead of the book. We never should’ve come out here.
The memory of the head maid’s worried expression flashed through her mind, and Chloe was overwhelmed with regret.
She didn’t want to watch someone close to her die…not again.
One memory after another came flooding back: hearing news that her close friends had passed away, learning that her nanny who had taken an extended leave to care for her own family would never return, and being kept from her parents’ side because it was too dangerous.
Don’t get close to people. Don’t grow attached. I’m not the only one who’s suffered.
‘Because the world is full of misery.’
Having chosen loneliness for herself, she found an odd comfort in the characters of those sensational novels, who mirrored the world so perfectly.
They were ridiculous, foolish, and reckless. In the end, almost all of their misery was of their own making. Just like that kind-hearted governess.
‘It was only a hat! If it sank to the bottom of the pond, we could’ve just asked the groundskeeper to fish it out!’
Then she saw him. A man who stood out for his exceptional height The moment Chloe saw her brother — the one person she had left, the steadfast presence who always tried to shelter his emotionally fragile sister — tears welled up in her eyes.
“Brother! Brother!”
“Chloe?”
The instant Dominic saw how deathly pale his sister had become, alarm crossed his face.
She was supposed to be enjoying a picnic by the pond. Seeing her suddenly running toward him in tears was shocking enough.
But what she said next was worse.
“Miss Irene fell into the pond!”
“What?”
What kind of nonsense is this?
“We have to hurry!”
Chloe grabbed her brother and tried to pull him along. Unable to refuse his frantic sister, Dominic headed toward the pond, asking in bewilderment:
“What are you talking about? Why would someone fall into the pond? Better yet, why was she even in it?”
“I’ll explain later. You’ll understand when we get there. You can pull Miss Irene out, can’t you?”
Dominic gently pried Chloe’s hand off his arm.
“Go tell Mrs. Lidden what’s happened.”
“But you—”
“You said someone fell in, didn’t you?”
“What if she’s already gone under? She suddenly—”
“The pond isn’t that deep. Tell Mrs. Lidden to bring some towels.”
Having someone calm beside her gradually steadied Chloe’s breathing.
After giving his sister a gentle push on the back, urging her to go, Dominic quickened his pace with an incredulous expression.
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