The Green Remains Read Free

Thursday through Saturday and a Sunday brunch. The small staff bustled with efficiency under the watchful eye of Agnes and the Ramseys.
      Nora looked for Darby, the siblings’ Lakeland Terrier, who usually pranced up to join her on her walks. He must be in the kitchen, begging Agnes for scraps. Nora slipped out through the heavy lodge door and strode down the flagstone walk as briskly as her advanced pregnancy would allow. Crossing the road to the path that wound along the eastern shore of Lake Windermere, she rubbed her lower back. The ten-and-a-half mile lake stretched out to the north and south horizons, and the impossibly blue sky was filled with downy, white clouds. Directly across the lake, on the western shore, she could see peaks of stone houses breaking through the trees, often boasting elaborate matching boathouses or gazebos at the end of their docks. The trees lining the fell were lit with autumn colors of gold and reds; higher up, the firs remained green. Clusters of boats swayed at docks along both sides of the shore, accompanied by noisy personal watercrafts and quieter windsurfers. Lines of brightly colored canoes, kayaks and sculls waited to skim over the clear water.
      Overhead, a squawking flock of Greylag geese broke the quiet. Nora recognized them from a guidebook that she’d almost memorized over the last few months. The geese whirled overhead. Nora had seen them bathing and roosting in the area’s tarns and lakes. It had been windy last night, and now she wondered where they went in poor weather. Farther up the shore, the huge, white steamship Swan stood tethered to its dock, too early for the crew or for the strings of tourists who eventually would cram on board. Nora decided she would ask if Kate would take the cruise with her later this week, as the boat passed Belle Isle on its way up and back to Waterhead. That island in the middle of the lake was home to her imagined fairy family, and seeing it again from all sides would be stimulating and help in her story planning.
      Across the road, the back door to Ramsey Lodge opened, and Nora slowed her steps. Darby darted out followed by Kate, with a basket slung over one willowy arm. Simon followed, and the siblings made their way down the remaining rows of their extensive vegetable garden, stopping at times to confer, making selections of squash and late greens that would appear on tonight’s menu. Nora admired their energy and determination to keep the lodge running after their parents’ deaths. Kate had been a set designer in London and now enjoyed decorating the lodge rooms according to different themes. She refinished most of the furniture and gathered objects that fit each room’s motif. Simon continued painting in the studio in his part of the lodge. An Oxford gallery was the lucky recipient of most of his landscapes and portraits. Now, Nora thought, he had the additional pleasure of illustrating her books. Life had a way of presenting change when you least expected it, but these two seemed to roll with the punches. Resilient, she decided.
      Nora turned back to the water and continued her walk, swinging her arms to loosen up. Kate had recently become engaged to a local detective, and Nora was excited for her friend. Simon, she knew, would be overjoyed if Nora would be willing to pledge herself to him in the same way. His affection stirred feelings that Nora found comforting at times and overwhelming at others. He was so creative and patient, very kind and understanding. Sometimes his perfection grated on her. She didn’t understand her convoluted feelings toward him and wasn’t ready to explore them.
      Nora heard Kate’s raised voice and looked back to see Simon playfully throw a carrot at her before returning to the lodge. Lately, Nora had sensed friction between the siblings—not open confrontation but more of a dissonance. Kate was in favor of expanding the lodge, but Simon feared expansion wouldn’t allow time for his art.