*Ella*
“I knew you weren’t a fancy miss,” says an amused voice at my ear. “No fancy miss even knows that word.”
I scream and would clutch at him, but Gabriel is behind me, slipping a strong arm around my waist. He pulls me back against his chest, so I am virtually lying on my back in the water. “Don’t be so loud,” he says in my ear. “You don’t want all those other rescuers to find you instead of me, do you?”
“What rescuers?” I say, spitting out a little lake water. “My godmother told Hathaway to save me and he’s obviously failed to do so.”
“I’d love to say he sank like a stone,” Gabriel says, kicking his legs so we start moving through the water, “but it’s unlikely. My whole boat went over as well, and I expect Hathaway rescued the wrong damsel in distress.”
“I like that,” I say darkl
