Chapter 84 - The Heat

Like their days in school, Delaney, Cora, and Constance strolled through the shops in the village, excited by the things they saw. They found a dress shop where the woman also made hats and that took up most of their time.

When they left, Constance had actually purchased a lovely cream-colored dress with green ivy vines embroidered around it. The dressmaker agreed to have it delivered to Edgewood once the adjustments were made.

The three women wandered down the stone cobbled streets, laughing and talking, their visit with Violet pushed happily from their minds. Miles followed them around and Delaney was pleased to see how enamored he was with his future wife. Cora was so clearly in love with him as well.

The little pang of sadness snuck back into Delaney's heart as she imagined being here with Vincent and sneaking away to kiss him in a corner as her future sister-in-law was doing with Miles. She wondered how much longer it would be until he arrived home.

The next day, the summer heat dropped down on Edgewood Manor like a terrible cloud. Delaney woke up already feeling hot even though she'd slept with the windows open. There was no breeze, no air moving at all. So the sun just beat down on the world.

Arriving in the dining room for breakfast, the group of friends were all wearing their lightest clothing, the men wearing only breeches and tunics with their boots.

The kitchen sent up a breakfast of fresh chopped fruit, toast, and jams. It was too hot for much else. Delaney noticed even the servers had their collars loosened and were having a hard time hiding their discomfort.

Once they'd finished eating, Delaney found their butler and cornered him. As the mistress of the manor, she decided everyone should be able to try to escape this terrible heat. She ordered that anything that didn't absolutely have to be done that day was to be put off for tomorrow. Everyone was to drink plenty of water and try to keep cool.

The friends went outside in an attempt to find cooler temperatures or catch even the littlest of breezes that might blow-by. They ended up sitting in the shade beneath the big tree beyond the gardens. Delaney looked down the hill in the woods and relaxed when she saw no trace of anything there watching them.

Even in the shade, the temperature wasn't noticeably lower. The men sprawled out on the grass and the women sat against the trunk of the tree fanning themselves. They were all sweaty, sticky, and miserable.

"What did you and Vincent used to do here to escape the heat?" Cora asked Miles, closing her eyes as she fanned.

"We wouldn't stay here," Miles groaned, "Edgewood would be closed up for the summer and our parents would have taken us to the beach house by the ocean. We'd swim in the cold seawater all day and at night we'd leave the windows open so the salty breeze could keep us cool in our beds."

"That sounds lovely," Constance sighed, "Why aren't you at that house for the summer Delaney?"

Delaney glanced down at Miles and found him watching her closely. She had known the Adairs owned a fine-sized house by the ocean and employed a few fishing boats to keep it profitable. She hadn't considered going there for the summer.

It was clear why Vincent wouldn't have taken her of course. The trip was long, taking more than four days. Traveling all that way would put her husband through such pain. Not only that, but the trip would take them through the most populated areas of the land. He wouldn't be able to avoid seeing many, many people.

"I wanted to spend our first year of marriage here at Edgewood," Delaney lied easily to save her husband from embarrassment and saw a tiny smile flash across Miles's lips before it was gone, "I suppose I didn't think about how hot it can get here."

"Well we're going to have to think of something to do," Cora said seriously, sitting up, "We can't just sit around until we die."

"That's a bit dramatic dear," Miles chuckled at her.

"It does feel like we're going to die," Constance defended her friend.

"Miles," Delaney looked down at him again, "Vincent once told me about a lake nearby where you would sometimes ice-skate as children. What about that?"

"What about it?"

"Well, could we go swimming there since the ocean isn't available?"

Miles looked surprised, "I don't know that it would be proper."

"Who cares about what's proper in this heat," Cora said with a snippy tone before standing, "How far is it, Miles? Can we walk or will we need to ride horses?"

The man seemed unsure but Delaney and Constance were both standing now as well, peering down on he and Bernard expectantly. The two men looked at each other. Bernard shrugged so Miles sighed.

"Let's go to the stables."

In no time, five horses were saddled and the riders were on them. Miles had called for a few guards to accompany them. Delaney had started to argue that that wasn't necessary but remembering her possible sighting of the thing in the woods just the day before, she stopped herself.

Miles led the way through the woods on the far end of the manor. The guards stayed back a ways where they could see the group of friends but didn't disturb them.

Delaney had always liked riding horses and would have been happy to do so today if not for the temperature. The heat of the horse against her skin was almost unbearable. It made her think of her husband though and his overly warm skin.

If Vincent had been home with her she knew she wouldn't mind the feeling of his skin against hers even with it being so warm.

She made herself push thoughts of him away to keep her heart from aching more than it already was as tears sprung to her eyes.

The horses made their way through the dense trees, down into a valley where a lake spread out before them, beautiful with its still, mirror-like surface. Arriving at its edge, they dismounted and left their horses in the shade of the trees.

Miles and Bernard had their shirts peeled off and their boots kicked aside as soon as they'd made sure the horses were secure. In just their breeches, they dashed into the water, splashing until it was high enough they could dive in, heads popping up again farther out.

Delaney, Cora, and Constance laughed at them but were quick to remove their shoes, stockings, and layers of underskirts. Constance called for the men to look away and they did so, leaving the girls to help one another from their dresses until they were left in just their underdresses.

Walking into the water together, it was warm along the bank but the further out they got the cooler the water became. When they were deep enough the water kept them properly covered, the men turned around and swam back to them.

Coming out from under the water, Miles splashed Cora and she gasped in shock before glaring at him in mock anger and splashing him back as hard as she could. In doing so, she somehow managed to splash Bernard who laughed and splashed back. Soon, the whole group was laughing and squealing as they splashed one another.

Delaney smiled fondly as she watched Miles chase Cora before catching her and plunging her under the water with him. When they came up, her arms wrapped around him and they kissed.

Bernard and Olive laughed and teased one another too, splashing and joking about things. Delaney found herself easing towards the bank, sitting down on the sandy bottom with the water coming up to just below her shoulders.

She smiled as she watched her friends for a while, happy, their joy making her happy. They were being saved from the baking summer heat by the cool lake water. Delaney dug her toes into the sandy bottom and felt the mud beneath was even colder.

The horses stirred where they had been standing half asleep in the shade. Hearing their snorts and quiet noises, Delaney sat up and glanced back over her shoulder. Somewhere in the trees, she heard a snap of a twig breaking.

Cora, Miles, Constance, and Bernard were still out deeper in the water laughing and splashing and carrying on. Delaney knew they wouldn't have heard the noises. She stiffened as her eyes scanned the woods. Was she being paranoid?

The memory of the eyes watching her from the trees flashed into her mind again and her heart began to speed up. Still looking over her shoulder, she began to ease herself back out into the water.

Another branch snapping sounded by the time she was far enough out to crouch in the water and keep herself mostly covered.

"Miles," she hissed, "Miles I think there's something in the woods."

Her brother-in-law had been whispering something to Cora but hearing her words he stopped and they both joined Delaney in studying the trees. In no time, Bernard and Constance had noticed their seriousness and Miles had whispered to his friend what was going on.

Delaney's heart was now about to burst from her chest as she looked but the trees were so thick, something would have to be very close before it would be seen.

They all waited in silence, straining to see or hear anything.

At last, a flash of black appeared between the trees. It was running towards them. Delaney stumbled backward and screamed as it plunged into the water.