overlooking an enormous lawn outstretched to a lake.
I sat down on a green velvet sofa next to Charles, unable to take my eyes off the breathtaking body of water, soft like the gray velvet wingback chairs in the lobby of the Olympic Hotel.
“You look as if you’ve never seen water before, Miss Ray.”
“Well, it’s the first time I’ve seen Lake Washington, ma’am,” I said, before considering the implication.
Opal held a hand to her mouth. Laughter escaped. “Why, that’s like saying you’ve never seen the moon.”
“Mother,” Charles said protectively, “Vera lives in the city.”
“Why, of course, dear,” Opal said quickly. She offered me a cup of tea, and when I lifted my arm to take it, my limbs felt leaden. Why am I so stiff, so awkward in this place?
Opal set her cup on the saucer and held up her index finger. “I know,” she said. “You could take her out for a boat ride, Charles.”
He looked skeptical. “I don’t know, Mother. It’s awfully windy today. It might not be the best time for—”
“Nonsense,” Opal countered. “The young lady says she’s never seen the lake. You must show it to her.”
“But isn’t it almost time for supper?”
“I’ll tell the cook to hold off for a half hour,” she said. “That should give you enough time to take her around.”
Charles turned to me. “What do you think?”
The gray clouds overhead loomed, and the wind shook the tree branches outside the window with such force, I could only imagine what it would do to my hair. But not wanting to disappoint Opal, I obliged. “It sounds grand,” I said, hiding my apprehension.
“It’s settled, then,” Charles said, standing up.
I followed him out to the back deck, and together we descended the stairs that led to the lawn. I had been too captivated by the lake to notice the spectacular sight below the house, a veritable zoo of animals clipped out of hedges. Rabbits. Dogs. A turtle. A mare and her foal. I stopped to admire a hedge carved into the unmistakable shape of an elephant.
“These are remarkable,” I said, running my hand along the elephant’s scratchy trunk. “The precision, it’s uncanny.”
“Joseph has a gift with boxwood,” he said. “Father would rather have them all cut down. But Mother loves them. She spends a great deal of time out here. They bring her comfort.”
I imagined Opal petting the boxwood giraffe to my right in her extravagant way. “I don’t think your mother fancies me much,” I said. A cool breeze rolled off the lake, and I wished I hadn’t relinquished my shawl.
“Of course she fancies you,” Charles said, pulling me toward him. “How could she not? You’re lovely in every way. Just be yourself, and they’ll see the woman I love so.” He kissed my cheek lightly. “And she’s going to love you even more when I announce our news tonight.”
I stiffened. “Do you really think we should tell them tonight?”
Charles nodded. “I can’t bear to keep it a secret any longer.”
“But,” I said, fumbling, “I worry they’ll think it’s so sudden. I mean, won’t it be jarring to hear we’re getting married moments after meeting me?”
Charles shrugged. “Vera, don’t you see?” He pointed up toward the house. “That’s my past, and you”—he tucked a lock of hair behind my ear—“are my future. Telling them is inconsequential. There’s nothing to fear.”
I exhaled. “All right,” I conceded.
I followed him onto the dock, where two boats lay overturned. “Now,” he said, examining both, “which one has the hole?”
My eyes widened. “Hole?”
“The last time I was here, Joseph mentioned that one needed repair.” He ran his hand along the hull of one. “Aha, here it is. Found the hole.”
“Good thing,” I said. “I don’t swim.”
“I can swim for both of us,” he said with a smile, kneeling down on the splintered, sun-bleached planks of the dock to untie the rope that secured the second small boat to a rusted cleat. When Opal had mentioned a boat ride, I had pictured something a little more substantial. The small craft hardly passed as a dinghy, not unlike the ones my father had taken me out in as a child on the Puget Sound. We’d capsized in one, and I’d almost drowned. I hadn’t been in a boat since.
“There,” he said, reaching for my hand.
“I don’t know,” I said, suddenly feeling unsure.
“Come on, don’t be scared. You’ll love being out on the lake. There’s nothing more peaceful.”
“All right,” I said, taking his hand. He steadied me as I stepped inside and