Winter Garden

Vera opens her eyes slowly and finds herself looking up at the most handsome boy she has ever seen.

Prince Aleksandr. Every girl recognizes his face.

His clothes are perfectly made and decorated in golden beads. Behind him stands a gleaming white carriage, drawn by four white horses. And in his hand, two roses.

She responds with the poem’s next line, grateful that her father has made her read so much.

“You are young to know poetry,” he says, and she can tell that he is impressed. “Who are you?”

She straightens, sitting up, hoping he notices her new breasts. “Veronika. And I am not that young. ”

“Really? I’ll wager your father would not let you go walking with me. ”

“I don’t need anyone’s permission to go out, Your Highness,” she lies, feeling her cheeks redden.

He laughs, and it is a sound like music.

“Well, then, Veronika, I will see you tonight. At eleven o’clock. Where shall I find you?”

Eleven o’clock. She is supposed to be in bed by then. But she cannot say that. Perhaps she can feign an illness and put blankets in her place in bed and climb out the window. And she will need some kind of magic to find a dress worthy of a prince. Surely he will not want to go walking with a poor peasant girl in a worn linen gown. Perhaps she can sneak over to the Alakee Swamp, where the witches sell love for the price of a finger. At that, her glance shoots to her sister, who has noticed the prince and is walking this way.

“On the Enchanted Bridge,” she says.

“I think you will leave me standing there alone. ”

Olga comes closer, yells her name.

“No. Honestly, I won’t. ” She glances at Olga, wincing at her approach. “I won’t. Go, Prince Aleksandr. I’ll see you then. ”

“Call me Sasha,” he says.

And just like that, she falls in love with this smiling young man who is all wrong for her. Above her station. And dangerous to her family, as well. She looks down at her pale, slim hands, seeing calluses from washing clothes on rough stones, and she wonders: Which finger would she lose for love . . . and how many will it take to make the prince love her in return?

But these are questions that have no answers and do not matter, not to Vera, anyway, for already love has begun. She and her handsome prince sneak away and fall in love and get married, and they live happily ever after.

Mom stood up. “The end. ”

“Anya,” Dad said sharply. “We agreed—”

“No more. ” Mom smiled briefly at her granddaughters and then walked out of the room.

Honestly, Meredith was relieved. Against her best intentions, the fairy tale had sucked her in again. “Let’s go, girls. Your grandpa needs his rest. ”

“Don’t run away,” Dad said to her.

“Run away? It’s almost ten, Dad. The girls have been traveling all day. They’re exhausted. We’ll be back early in the morning. ” She went to his bedside, leaned down to kiss his stubbly cheek. “Get some sleep, okay?”

He touched her face, let his dry palm linger on her cheek as he stared up at her. “Did you listen?”

“Of course. ”

“You need to listen to her. She’s your mother. ”

She wanted to say she didn’t have time for fairy tales and listening to a woman who rarely spoke wasn’t easy, but instead she smiled. “Okay, Dad. I love you. ”

He pulled his hand back slowly. “Love you, too, Meredoodle. ”

The fairy tales had always been among Nina’s best childhood memories, and though she had not heard one in decades, she remembered them well.