Blast it all, she was going for a moonlight swim.

Abruptly, she scrambled back onto the pier, pulled all the pins from her hair, and loosened the laces at the side of her dress. She hastily rolled off her stockings and, before she could change her mind, hauled her gown over her head. Sucking in her breath, she wriggled out of her stays till she wore nothing but a thin cotton shift.

If she were truly courageous, like Lily, Sophie might have stripped naked before diving into the lake. On the other hand, swimming in her shift was far more daring than anything she’d contemplated doing that night. And it would still give her plenty to write about in her journal.

Her knees wobbled a little as she inched toward the edge of the pier, curling her bare toes around the rough edge of a plank. She was a decent swimmer but had no intention of exploring the dark corners of the lake. She planned to stay within a stone’s throw of the lanterns and the ladder.

Still, taking this plunge was about proving something to herself.

She couldn’t see or hear Reese from where she stood, but she knew he was out there—and that she was safe with him.

All that was left to do was jump in—and she might as well do it properly, without settling for half measures. Determined, she took several giant steps backward and counted down in her head. Three, two, one.

She charged toward the end of the pier, leaped into the air, and hugged her knees to her chest. Her shift billowed and her hair floated around her for one interminable second—before the bracingly cold water swallowed her up.

Heart pounding, she scissor-kicked to the surface, slicked back her hair, and lifted her face to the night air, triumphant.

In the distance, Reese yelled, but Sophie’s waterlogged ears couldn’t make out the words.

“Reese?” she called back.

“Sophie!” This time, his panicked shout carried across the lake. “Hold on. I’m coming.”

She spun around, bobbing and squinting at the darkness. “Don’t worry, I’m fine!”

But he didn’t seem to hear. He swam like a shark on the hunt, cutting through the water with breathtaking power and precision. Head down, he barreled toward her—as though his life depended on it. Or as if he thought hers did.

She swam to the ladder, sat on the top rung, and waved her arms, trying to draw his attention before he gave himself an apoplexy. “Reese!” she shouted.

He paused several yards away and looked up at her, gasping. “What the hell are you doing?”

“The same thing you’re doing.” She rubbed the tops of her arms and shrugged. “Swimming.”

He frowned for a split second—then grinned. “You’re swimming,” he repeated.

“I was,” she corrected. “Till you chased me out of the water.”