We Were Wild Dogs

Chapter 2

Crimson. White. Eyes closed, head back, Charlotte lay in the bottom of the boat as it drifted lazily down the river. The sun filtered through her eyelids, creating a shadow theatre of lights and colours. It was a brilliantly sunny day, the sort of day that seemed to be made expressly for lazing around in the grass or, as Charlotte was doing, drifting slowly down a river. Charlotte's summer skin was in its full plumage; arms and shoulders sinfully dark, nose and cheeks covered in a smattering of freckles and her forehead, she felt, beginning to get uncomfortably burnt.

"Damn." Charlotte said, as the felt the hot skin of her brow. She delighted in the cuss, issuing forth into the solitude of the river and its banks. Out here, carried in the soft waves and gentle tugging of the current, nobody cared or noticed if she swore. And so she did, frequently.

"Damn, damn, damn." Charlotte laughed and sat up from her bed at the bottom of the boat. The sun was starting to get frightfully hot, even for her, and she would have to find a shady spot to rest in for a time. Charlotte lay back down, adjusting her shawl so it covered her forehead, before resuming her reverie.

It had been a marvellous summer, one of the most beautiful of her memory. Long, lazy days in the fields or forest; rampaging through the woods on Bombardier; croquet on the south lawn with her sisters. Her time at Hansley was as it always had been; a dream. Her metamorphosis into the hellion Lottie had been swift and immensely satisfying. Within hours of their arrival she had torn off her bonnet and had let her hair flow down with wild abandon, finally freed from its restrictive bindings. Two days after their arrival her father George had remarked that it appeared she had forgotten how to eat  with polite society.

Now a month had passed, a sublime month of endless sun and books and sports, Charlotte had to begin to prepare herself for her re-incarceration within her societal persona. This was likely to be one of the last days of truly hot weather they would have for the rest of the year, and Charlotte wanted to enjoy every minute of it.

Lifting her arm, Charlotte let it drape over the side of the boat, trailing her fingers in the pristine waters of the river. The water was cold, but felt clean and crisp, like fresh white linen. All around her the cries of the wild birds echoed in the shadowy depths of the forest, as the summer sun broke through the surrounding boughs, joyously tinting the day with a golden hue. The water, the birds, the trees, all combined left Charlotte feeling dazed and sleepy, sun-drunk. Slowly she dozed off, the bird calls and murmuring river a gentle lullaby.

--

"Much better, right Lucky Cat?" Alec said as he stretched out in the grass by the cottage. He had lasted two weeks in London before politely taking his leave, and accepting the offer of a cottage in Derbyshire from an old family friend.

London left him feeling strangled, choking constantly on the bitter air, crowds and noises. Charles and Lucky had been his only refuge from the insanity outside his door. It felt like everywhere he went, every step he took, somebody was there. Strangers constantly around, begging, yelling, screaming, fighting. He had had enough of the crowds and noise, and needed the solitude of the country and the infinite privacy which it afforded. It was purely serendipitous then, to run into Sir Edward Barkley at his club one day. Sir Edward had been his father's closest friend; it was Sir Edward who had written Alec of his father's death while Alec was in India.

He was an imposing figure; hawk nosed, cold blue eyes, thin lips. Yet he was a welcoming man, always friendly, always helpful. His thin frame and hawkish visage belied his kind heart and large appetite, the combination of which made him one of the most respected hosts. Within days of meeting Sir Edward, Alec had dined with him 3 times and had attended the theatre with him 4 times. Sir Edward was a gracious host, and tried his best to involve Alec within his social circle, but he was also observant, and quickly noticed that Alec was not happy in London.