Kicking free from the cold depths of the pond, Anthony was actively thinking of all the other, smaller governesses he should have hired. There was the Shropshire woman who was reportedly very well trained. And then there was the Kendalls’ new governess, a linguist with an allegedly uncanny way of teaching watercolors.

If it had been anyone other than Anna Thraxton, he would not now be drowning in his own frigid pond. He untangled himself from her grasp and then grabbed her beneath the arms once again, and hauled her back to the surface.

As soon as she broke free, she began to cough and sputter, clutching his shirt frantically.

“Easy,” Anthony admonished. “I’m treading water and—”

She grabbed his hair and attempted to climb him like a ladder. Water filled his mouth as she desperately attempted to get on top of him, her leg pressing down on his shoulder, her arm slung across his head.

It was true he’d dreamed of her in this exact position—of her thigh against his cheek, her womanhood enticingly near his mouth. Only in his dreams, she hadn’t been screaming for help and he hadn’t been drowning beneath the surface of a murky pond.

He yanked her leg from his shoulder and pushed her away, then grabbed the overturned skiff. “Good God, woman!” he managed to choke out. “Stay still or I’ll let the fish have you!” He pushed the upended skiff forward at that moment, relaxing only when she clung gratefully to one corner. As soon as he got her back to shore, he’d be damned if he wouldn’t exact a complete and thorough apology from her.

She clung to the boat, laying her head against the wet wood, her hair streaming over her shoulders and floating in a russet circle about her shoulders.

Anthony’s irritation dissipated when he saw her pale face. “Are you hurt?”

A shuddering breath ripped from her lips. Her gray eyes appeared almost green as she panted her answer. “I thought…I thought I was…going to drown.”

“So did I. You said you could swim.”

“I can,” she said, gulping air.

“You call that swimming?”

She frowned, her panting already lessened. “I never said I was good at it. And I’ve never had to swim with skirts.”

He made a disgusted noise. “Hold on to the boat. I’m going to pull you ashore.”

She did as she was told and he managed to get them back to land without further mishap. The children crowded around as Anna stumbled onto the bank and sank into a heap.

Sir Phineas bent to peer into her face. “Just breathe,” he said helpfully.

Anna, struggling to do that very thing, silently wished him to Hades.

“Miss Thraxton?” Elizabeth said anxiously. She turned wide blue eyes to Anthony, who had come to stand beside her. “Maybe she needs a doctor.”

“Or a horse,” Selena offered.

“Why would she need a horse?” Desford demanded.

“To take her to the house,” Selena said, obviously annoyed she had to explain such a simple idea. “She’s too tired to stand and I don’t think Lord Greyley could carry her. She’s a very big woman.”