laughed. “I admire your sense of humor. Errol is always so dignified.”
“Errol…is that your fiancé?”
“Yes. Sir Errol Blankenship. He’s a knight.”
“Does he have a white horse?”
“What? Oh, you’re joking with me again!”
“A bit. No offense meant.”
“None taken. I may seem serious on the outside, you see, but I like to laugh. I’m frequently filled with flights of fancy.”
“What marvelous alliteration! I solemnly salute your sagacious soliloquy.”
“Aha! I pay homage to the haste of your homily.”
Wesley doffed his derby hat and bowed from the waist. “I’m decidedly defeated by your deft debate.”
“You can’t be defeated until we conquer the castle together,” she said. “Lead on!”
They made their way to the castle and climbed to the observation deck with a view of the reservoir and surrounding park. Belle admired the whimsical gray granite structure, composed of many towers and wooden pavilions.
“It’s like something from a fairy tale,” she said.
“Surely you’ve seen a great many castles before, in England?”
“A fair few, but none so little and charming. Belvedere seems designed to draw people in, whereas real castles are designed to keep people out.”
Wesley fanned himself with his derby hat. “I’m beginning to feel the August heat in earnest. If you’d like, we can go to the Casino for lunch.”
“Casino?”
“It’s a restaurant,” he explained. “We can get refreshments there.”
“Let’s do.”
They retraced their steps over Bow Bridge and turned onto a path alongside the lake to the east. The Bethesda Fountain lay ahead, the focal point of the lower terrace. In the middle of the fountain, a bronze, winged angel stood on a pedestal to bless the water flowing down to the large round pool. Children clustered at the edge of the fountain, trailing little fingers in the cool, refreshing water.
“This is a very beautiful setting,” Belle said. “It looks like a palace.”
“I wonder if anyone would notice if I took off my shoes and waded in the pool?”
“I wouldn’t try it. Rumor has it the palace guards can be quite severe.”
“Capital offense, eh? Then I’ll just have to settle for a cold drink.”
Wesley escorted Belle up the expansive stone steps to the upper terrace, where the concert grounds and mall spread out under a long canopy of trees. Despite the heat, the mall was filled with people from all walks of life, from recent immigrants to American aristocrats.
“This is the place to see and be seen, I think,” Belle said.
“Yes. It’s like a big democratic festival, isn’t it?”
A few feet away, a little girl with long dark hair began to wail. Her parents tried, without success, to soothe her as best they could. Belle couldn’t understand their language, but she guessed they were of Italian descent.
“Excuse me a moment, Belle,” Wesley said.
He hastened over to the family and began to converse with them in their native tongue. The little girl’s tears dried up as he spoke, and the father nodded in understanding.
“Grazie, giovanotto. Grazie mille.”
Smiling, the mother took her daughter by the hand and the family made their way down the mall. Belle stared at Wesley, dumbfounded, as he returned to her side.
“You speak Italian?”
“A little. I’m sure I butchered the language something awful, but the little girl wanted to find the carrousel. Her parents were lost and about to give up when I told them where to find it. At least, I hope that’s what I said.”
“That was very kind, Wesley. How do you know Italian?”
“With so many Italians in Brooklyn, you learn a little of their lingo if you want to get along. I used to be friendly with everybody until I committed an unpardonable sin.”
“Which was?”
“The Irish discovered I was related to royalty. After that, I became an outsider to most everyone except the Italians, who didn’t seem to care. To them, I was paisan— a friend.”
A
“Errol…is that your fiancé?”
“Yes. Sir Errol Blankenship. He’s a knight.”
“Does he have a white horse?”
“What? Oh, you’re joking with me again!”
“A bit. No offense meant.”
“None taken. I may seem serious on the outside, you see, but I like to laugh. I’m frequently filled with flights of fancy.”
“What marvelous alliteration! I solemnly salute your sagacious soliloquy.”
“Aha! I pay homage to the haste of your homily.”
Wesley doffed his derby hat and bowed from the waist. “I’m decidedly defeated by your deft debate.”
“You can’t be defeated until we conquer the castle together,” she said. “Lead on!”
They made their way to the castle and climbed to the observation deck with a view of the reservoir and surrounding park. Belle admired the whimsical gray granite structure, composed of many towers and wooden pavilions.
“It’s like something from a fairy tale,” she said.
“Surely you’ve seen a great many castles before, in England?”
“A fair few, but none so little and charming. Belvedere seems designed to draw people in, whereas real castles are designed to keep people out.”
Wesley fanned himself with his derby hat. “I’m beginning to feel the August heat in earnest. If you’d like, we can go to the Casino for lunch.”
“Casino?”
“It’s a restaurant,” he explained. “We can get refreshments there.”
“Let’s do.”
They retraced their steps over Bow Bridge and turned onto a path alongside the lake to the east. The Bethesda Fountain lay ahead, the focal point of the lower terrace. In the middle of the fountain, a bronze, winged angel stood on a pedestal to bless the water flowing down to the large round pool. Children clustered at the edge of the fountain, trailing little fingers in the cool, refreshing water.
“This is a very beautiful setting,” Belle said. “It looks like a palace.”
“I wonder if anyone would notice if I took off my shoes and waded in the pool?”
“I wouldn’t try it. Rumor has it the palace guards can be quite severe.”
“Capital offense, eh? Then I’ll just have to settle for a cold drink.”
Wesley escorted Belle up the expansive stone steps to the upper terrace, where the concert grounds and mall spread out under a long canopy of trees. Despite the heat, the mall was filled with people from all walks of life, from recent immigrants to American aristocrats.
“This is the place to see and be seen, I think,” Belle said.
“Yes. It’s like a big democratic festival, isn’t it?”
A few feet away, a little girl with long dark hair began to wail. Her parents tried, without success, to soothe her as best they could. Belle couldn’t understand their language, but she guessed they were of Italian descent.
“Excuse me a moment, Belle,” Wesley said.
He hastened over to the family and began to converse with them in their native tongue. The little girl’s tears dried up as he spoke, and the father nodded in understanding.
“Grazie, giovanotto. Grazie mille.”
Smiling, the mother took her daughter by the hand and the family made their way down the mall. Belle stared at Wesley, dumbfounded, as he returned to her side.
“You speak Italian?”
“A little. I’m sure I butchered the language something awful, but the little girl wanted to find the carrousel. Her parents were lost and about to give up when I told them where to find it. At least, I hope that’s what I said.”
“That was very kind, Wesley. How do you know Italian?”
“With so many Italians in Brooklyn, you learn a little of their lingo if you want to get along. I used to be friendly with everybody until I committed an unpardonable sin.”
“Which was?”
“The Irish discovered I was related to royalty. After that, I became an outsider to most everyone except the Italians, who didn’t seem to care. To them, I was paisan— a friend.”
A
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