By the time he reached her, she had already tossed her shoes to one side and was standing barefooted among the reeds that lined the edges of the pond. She didn’t speak when he stood beside her, but stared out over the water with a wistful expression on her face that softened the line of her mouth.

She murmured, “It is quite lovely here.”

Anthony followed her gaze. Deep green grass surrounded the crystal water. Dragonflies hazed over the water, while the wind touched the reeds and made them dance.

“Did you add the pergola yourself?”

He nodded. “Sara is very fond of the water. I added the pergola when she was staying with me.”

She rewarded him with a brief smile. “You are a good brother. When we were in school, I was always jealous of her. She had all those brothers to write her letters and come and visit, while I had none.”

“She didn’t appreciate it.”

“Only when you became overly bossy. Which was most of the time.”

“We took care of her the best way we knew how.”

“I daresay you did.” She lifted her skirts and stepped neatly over the high grass toward a small skiff that was tied among the shallows. “Desford uses this boat to fish, so it must be sound.”

“I wouldn’t trust it.”

“Nonsense,” she said, nimbly scrambling into the boat, only the edge of her skirts getting wet. It tipped unsteadily, but she quickly sat and took the oars. “Stay where you are and let me see if I can find your shoes. They cannot have tossed them far from shore.”

Anthony frowned. “Anna, wait—” But it was too late. She was already rowing from shore. Damn all independent women. “Come back here.”

“In a moment,” she said, holding the oars up so that she could peer over the side of the skiff. The boat tilted precariously with her movement.

“Miss Thraxton, if you do not give a care, you will fall in.”

“Nonsense. I will be back to shore in a moment.” She leaned over the other side, the boat tilting even more. “I can’t see your shoes at all. I hope they haven’t sunk into the muck.”

“And I hope you can swim,” he returned hotly, a curious weight in his chest. Bloody hell, but the pond was not a place for foolery. It was treacherously deep, the bottom covered with thick slime.

“Oh, I can swim,” she replied cheerfully, her gaze still fixed on the water. “But it doesn’t appear to be more than a few feet here, just like the pond at our old house in Milford.”

“Row ashore now.”

“And leave your shoes to rot in the water? Ledbetter would have my neck in a noose.”

“Not even Ledbetter will be able to find you should you fall in. The water is deeper than it looks.”

“Don’t worry. I don’t plan on overturning the boat so…” Her voice trailed into nothingness, her gaze fixed on her feet. “Oh dear.”