"Are we going somewhere fun, Daddy?" asked Reese as Louis drove along.

"Wait and see," her father replied in a mysterious voice.

Anne smiled as the sign for the Carousel Gardens Amusement Park came into view. Louis parked the car, and the three of them got out and entered the park. When she saw the rides, the little girl squealed with delight.

"I wanna ride the merry-go-round!" she cried, pointing to the carousel.

"We have to buy the tickets first," her father told her. He bought them, and then the three of them boarded the ride together. Louis stood beside the horse on which his daughter sat, and Anne sat in a seat right behind it.

"George and Mary and I always loved carousels," she remarked. "We'd always wave to our parents every time we came around."

Next they rode the Scrambler, then the Ferris wheel, and then the roller coaster together, and then Louis and Anne watched as Reese rode a couple of kiddie rides.

"Are you getting hungry?" Louis asked Anne after awhile.

"I was just wondering when you'd ask!" she replied. He laughed.

They walked to the concession stand, where Louis bought hot dogs, French fries, and soft drinks for the three of them.

While they were eating, Louis and Anne began feeding each other French fries and laughing.

"You're silly, Daddy!" giggled Reese. Louis fed her a French fry, and then Anne did. She ate them and then giggled some more.

When they were finished eating, they walked around looking at the sculptures in Storyland. Reese was thrilled to see life-sized versions of her favorite fairy tale characters.

They stayed in the park until it was almost dark. Louis was quiet on the way home. Knowing what was on his mind, Anne wished there was something she could say to comfort him.

Instead of taking Anne back to her apartment, he drove straight to his own house. "Do you mind?" he asked her. "I really don't feel like being alone right now."

"Of course not," she replied. "That's fine."

Reese had fallen asleep in the back seat. Louis took her into the bedroom and gently laid her on the bed, then went to the refrigerator, took two wine coolers out, and took them into the living room, where Anne sat on the sofa.

"Thank you," she said as he handed her one, then sat down beside her. Both of them sat there in silence for a few minutes, sipping their wine coolers, until Louis finally spoke.

"You are still coming to the airport with me tomorrow, aren't you?"

"Of course I am. I said I would."

Louis heaved a heavy sigh and stared at the floor. Anne placed a caring hand on his knee.

"It's just going to be so hard to say goodbye to her."

"I know," said Anne.

"Marie loves her and will take good care of her, but still, I'll miss her."

"I'll miss her, too."

Louis was silent for a minute or two. "I'm so glad I met you, Anne," he said at last. "I was so lonely before, but ever since I met you, I'm not lonely anymore."

"It's the same way for me," Anne agreed.

Louis was silent for another moment. "I want you to always be with me, Anne, for the rest of my life. I don't ever want to be alone again. What I'm trying to say is - " He gave an exasperated sigh. "Shoot, I'm no good at this."

Anne felt her heart began to beat faster. Was he going where she suspected he was?

"I want us to be together forever, Anne. Will you - will you marry me?"

Anne's heart soared on wings. "Yes, Louis, I'll marry you."

"I, um, I don't have a ring."

"That's all right."

"But don't you want one?"

"Sure, it would be nice, but there's no hurry about it."

"Good." Louis smiled in relief. "I want to wait until Christmas because I want Reese to be the flower girl."

"I think that's a wonderful idea, Louis," said Anne. "She'll make a lovely flower girl."

"Thank you for being so nice to her," said Louis.

"That's no problem at all!" Anne replied. "She makes me think so much of - never mind."

"What?" Louis's voice was soft as he held both her hands and gazed into her eyes.

She gave a ragged sigh. "For a long time after my miscarriage, I dreamed every night of the child I'd lost. It was always a little girl with red hair, and her name was always Elizabeth."

"Anne." He pulled her into his arms and held her, and she laid her head on his shoulder. They stayed like that, neither of them saying a word, for the longest time.

The next day, Anne accompanied Louis to the airport to say goodbye to Reese. Louis hugged and kissed the little girl before handing her over to her guardian, and she allowed Anne to hug and kiss her, too. They waved until she disappeared from their sight.

"I would stay over, except that I have to get up early for work tomorrow," she told him as they were walking out of the airport.

"That's all right," he replied. "Soon we'll be spending every night together."

That's right, Anne thought to herself. Where we're married, of course we'll move in together, but will it be into his house or my apartment? Neither is really large enough for two adults. Maybe we can get a bigger house. I'll have to start checking the ads, and just wait until I tell George. He'll be thrilled for me.

A darker thought crept into her mind. She'd have to tell her parents as well - and how would Thomas Boleyn react to the news that his daughter planned to marry a locksmith?