The Forgotten Duchess

Chapter Fifty-Two | Rescue

THE WATER WAS cold, but he disregarded the feeling, using his arms to stay afloat. Meanwhile, his eyes scanned the ocean, looking for Vivienne's small frame. He couldn't see any sign of her above the water, which only meant that she was below. Taking a deep breath, he pulled his body under. The ocean was murky and dark, and he struggled to see Vivienne; but that wasn't going to stop him, not when he'd made it this far.

Breaking to the surface, he took in another gulp of air before returning underneath. He swam further away from the ship, guessing that her body would have travelled in the direction of the waves. James could feel the tightness in his chest, indicating that he would need to break for oxygen again. Just as he was about to swim back up, his eyes caught sight of a blue dress.

Blinking once, he focused on the dress as it fell deeper towards the ocean floor. His heart beat rapidly, it was Vivienne. He longed to grab her right then and there, but his throat tightened. He swam to the surface and quickly took a deep breath, before diving below the waters, towards Vivienne. His eyes stung from being open underneath the water for such a long time but just like the temperature, he ignored the burn. All his heart cared about was saving Vivienne. 

Her body was sinking but James would not let her go any further. With determination bursting in his veins, James swam faster. It was difficult to do so against the currents, but he managed it. His fingers reached out to grab a hold of Vivienne's arm. Relief swept through his body when she was secured in his grasps. James clutched her close to him and began swimming upwards.

When they broke to the surface, he gasped, taking in a deep breath of air. Coughing, he spit out the water that had gathered in his mouth. He focused on Vivienne, trying to place her head above water, but her dress kept trying to sink them both down again. She was extremely pale, skin pruned from the time spent in water. Her eyes were closed, blonde hair plastered to her like a second skin.

James needed to get them both out of the water or they would freeze and catch a cold. He glanced up to see the ship was quite a distance away. Alarm registered in his brain. James had not realized he'd swam so far away. It was too far from him to swim back to the ship with Vivienne's unconscious body. If his eyes were not deceiving him, the ship seemed tilted, and unstable. It would sink soon.

James momentarily closed his eyes  to focus. Water splashed across his face, but he disregarded everything around him. There was only one solution. He had to gather strength and swim towards the ship. It didn't matter if the ship was going down. James could not see any other ships in the open waters and that was their only choice. He was also unsure of Gilford position, but it would be impossible for the Bow Street Runner to spot them in the open waters.

James moved Vivienne so that she was laying on her back. He wrapped an arm around her neck, making sure it was secure enough that she wouldn't slip but not tight enough that her breathing would suffer. Taking a deep breath, James began the journey, swimming on his back. He would ignore his exhaustion; he could do this, save them both.

It was even tougher than James expected. He was only able to swim a few meters towards the ship with Vivienne in his arms. He was a weak swimmer on his back, but he had no other option. His fingers stumbled as Vivienne's head nearly bobbled underneath the water. His grip on her tightened. At this rate, they would never reach the ship.

Water rushed past him, and he heard a faint noise. Ears perking up, James opened his mouth, "Over here!" he screamed, repeatedly.

He wasn't sure if he was hearing someone, or the ocean was playing tricks on his mind. Hopefully, it was the former and someone would be able to hear him. A few meters later, in the corner of his vision a small boat appeared. He spotted a man who seemed to be rowing towards them. James waved his arm wildly to grab the man's attention. As the boat came closer, James realized that it was Gilford.