The Endless Forest
Page 80
Martha was digging in with the heel of her free hand and her knees when she caught a movement out of the corner of her eye. A pale flickering in the dark water, like the flexing of a great fish.
She moved back instinctively, but too late. A hand punched up out of the depths and grabbed her wrist so that she let out a small scream and dropped the jug. She tugged, but her balance was a frail thing. Another scream, louder, but not loud enough to be heard over the waterfall.
She was going to fall in; she was going to be pulled in, pulled down and down into the cold and dark. Martha began to struggle in earnest but in that split second a head and shoulders broke the water.
“Daniel Bonner!” she roared his name in her surprise and outrage. “What—”
Another pull and she was tilted forward as though she were about to dive. In the flickering light of the bonfire the water in his curly dark hair glimmered, and she saw that he was laughing. Laughing.
“You—” The things she wanted to call him were unladylike. That was the last coherent thought Martha could summon, and then he was kissing her. He let go of her wrist and settled his wet palm against her throat, fingers spread, to hold her where he wanted her, and he kissed her full on the mouth. His skin was cold and his mouth shockingly hot. Martha felt it like a blow to the chest, a blow that traveled to the deepest part of her where something only vaguely imagined sparked into sudden life.
A kiss that lasted three seconds, no more, and then he was smiling at her. She opened her mouth to say something but he pressed his fingers there, gently, and shook his head.
“I’m sorry I scared you,” he said, still smiling. “Go on back, I’ll be there shortly.”
She hesitated for the merest second, her thoughts were tumbling so; a mistake.
“Or if you want to wait—” He made to climb out and she stood abruptly. Daniel looked up at her like one of the selkies in Jennet’s stories, sleek and dark. In one movement she pivoted away and then remembered the jug, stopped her movement but too suddenly. One boot lost its purchase on the wet rocks and then she was falling, aware of the tangle of her skirts as she kicked, aware of the wave of cold air off the waterfalls and of Daniel, a quick view of his surprised expression and then she was in the water, the cold shutting out everything else.
A strong hand grabbed at her and missed, grabbed again. Martha would have reached up but her arms were suddenly so heavy she couldn’t lift them.
An arm closed around her waist and with a great upward thrust her face broke water.
“Easy,” Daniel said. “Easy.”
He wasn’t smiling anymore, at least there was that much. As Martha caught her breath she could see that he had been as scared as she was. And still her fist came up of its own accord with every intention of cuffing him over the ear. Daniel caught it easily, but he had to let go of her to do it and with that Martha realized a few startling things. First, he was standing on an outcropping of stone that served as a step beneath the waterline, so that he had footing, while she had none. Second, he had not a stitch of clothing on. Daniel Bonner was stark naked.
She stood pressed against a naked man in a mountain lake on a spring night and the only thought in her head was that he was going to kiss her again, and she wanted him to.
“We weren’t planning on swimming,” boomed a voice above them. “But you always were one for the unexpected, Daniel.”
Martha closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. When she looked she saw that they were all there. With the light to their backs she could not make out the faces, but she could name them every one, anyway. Hannah, Ben, Jennet, Luke, Annie and Gabriel, Ethan. Ethan, who had been her teacher and should be outraged, but she was sure he was smiling. The others, the ones she had just met were definitely smiling, though they were trying not to.
All that took no more than a heartbeat and then Susanna was coming forward.
“Blue-Jay,” she said in a no-nonsense tone. “Help Martha out of there. Daniel is in no position.”
“Oh, I see his position all right,” Blue-Jay said. He leaned over and extended a hand, and Martha took it. He pulled her up onto dry land with a flick of his wrist, as if she weighed no more than a trout.
There were a dozen conversations going on, but Susanna had her by the shoulders and was propelling her toward the house. “Dry clothes, hot tea,” she said. “Quickly.”
Martha tried not to hear the teasing Daniel was taking. At least he was responding with an easy humor, something she herself could not have done. She wondered if he was going to climb out of the lake as he was, in front of everybody. If nobody would mind him walking across the glen naked.
Suddenly she stopped and turned.
“He did not pull me in!” she shouted. “He didn’t! I fell!”
There was a split second of silence, and then Jennet called back.
“Och, aye. I fell right here mysel, lass. Most Bonner women do.”
For the second time since her return to Paradise, Martha found herself being put to rights in front of a blazing fire, stripped of her own clothes. At least this time there was no mud and no LeBlanc daughters to come in and glare at her.
Susanna and Hannah wrapped her in blankets and put her in the good rocking chair, which was positioned as close to the hearth as they dared. Then Hannah took up toweling to rub her hair and head dry, and if she were honest, Martha would have to admit what a wonderful thing it was to be tended to this way. She had nothing to do but sip her tea and study her surroundings.
She moved back instinctively, but too late. A hand punched up out of the depths and grabbed her wrist so that she let out a small scream and dropped the jug. She tugged, but her balance was a frail thing. Another scream, louder, but not loud enough to be heard over the waterfall.
She was going to fall in; she was going to be pulled in, pulled down and down into the cold and dark. Martha began to struggle in earnest but in that split second a head and shoulders broke the water.
“Daniel Bonner!” she roared his name in her surprise and outrage. “What—”
Another pull and she was tilted forward as though she were about to dive. In the flickering light of the bonfire the water in his curly dark hair glimmered, and she saw that he was laughing. Laughing.
“You—” The things she wanted to call him were unladylike. That was the last coherent thought Martha could summon, and then he was kissing her. He let go of her wrist and settled his wet palm against her throat, fingers spread, to hold her where he wanted her, and he kissed her full on the mouth. His skin was cold and his mouth shockingly hot. Martha felt it like a blow to the chest, a blow that traveled to the deepest part of her where something only vaguely imagined sparked into sudden life.
A kiss that lasted three seconds, no more, and then he was smiling at her. She opened her mouth to say something but he pressed his fingers there, gently, and shook his head.
“I’m sorry I scared you,” he said, still smiling. “Go on back, I’ll be there shortly.”
She hesitated for the merest second, her thoughts were tumbling so; a mistake.
“Or if you want to wait—” He made to climb out and she stood abruptly. Daniel looked up at her like one of the selkies in Jennet’s stories, sleek and dark. In one movement she pivoted away and then remembered the jug, stopped her movement but too suddenly. One boot lost its purchase on the wet rocks and then she was falling, aware of the tangle of her skirts as she kicked, aware of the wave of cold air off the waterfalls and of Daniel, a quick view of his surprised expression and then she was in the water, the cold shutting out everything else.
A strong hand grabbed at her and missed, grabbed again. Martha would have reached up but her arms were suddenly so heavy she couldn’t lift them.
An arm closed around her waist and with a great upward thrust her face broke water.
“Easy,” Daniel said. “Easy.”
He wasn’t smiling anymore, at least there was that much. As Martha caught her breath she could see that he had been as scared as she was. And still her fist came up of its own accord with every intention of cuffing him over the ear. Daniel caught it easily, but he had to let go of her to do it and with that Martha realized a few startling things. First, he was standing on an outcropping of stone that served as a step beneath the waterline, so that he had footing, while she had none. Second, he had not a stitch of clothing on. Daniel Bonner was stark naked.
She stood pressed against a naked man in a mountain lake on a spring night and the only thought in her head was that he was going to kiss her again, and she wanted him to.
“We weren’t planning on swimming,” boomed a voice above them. “But you always were one for the unexpected, Daniel.”
Martha closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. When she looked she saw that they were all there. With the light to their backs she could not make out the faces, but she could name them every one, anyway. Hannah, Ben, Jennet, Luke, Annie and Gabriel, Ethan. Ethan, who had been her teacher and should be outraged, but she was sure he was smiling. The others, the ones she had just met were definitely smiling, though they were trying not to.
All that took no more than a heartbeat and then Susanna was coming forward.
“Blue-Jay,” she said in a no-nonsense tone. “Help Martha out of there. Daniel is in no position.”
“Oh, I see his position all right,” Blue-Jay said. He leaned over and extended a hand, and Martha took it. He pulled her up onto dry land with a flick of his wrist, as if she weighed no more than a trout.
There were a dozen conversations going on, but Susanna had her by the shoulders and was propelling her toward the house. “Dry clothes, hot tea,” she said. “Quickly.”
Martha tried not to hear the teasing Daniel was taking. At least he was responding with an easy humor, something she herself could not have done. She wondered if he was going to climb out of the lake as he was, in front of everybody. If nobody would mind him walking across the glen naked.
Suddenly she stopped and turned.
“He did not pull me in!” she shouted. “He didn’t! I fell!”
There was a split second of silence, and then Jennet called back.
“Och, aye. I fell right here mysel, lass. Most Bonner women do.”
For the second time since her return to Paradise, Martha found herself being put to rights in front of a blazing fire, stripped of her own clothes. At least this time there was no mud and no LeBlanc daughters to come in and glare at her.
Susanna and Hannah wrapped her in blankets and put her in the good rocking chair, which was positioned as close to the hearth as they dared. Then Hannah took up toweling to rub her hair and head dry, and if she were honest, Martha would have to admit what a wonderful thing it was to be tended to this way. She had nothing to do but sip her tea and study her surroundings.
