Chapter 9: What He Heard

Nobody spoke for a long moment.

Cora got to her feet slowly.

"Ansel," she said.

"Don't."

He came in and shut the door behind him.

The room was small, and with the three of us in it, the air felt used up.

He didn't look at me.

He looked at my sister.

"I have one question," he said.

"Anything."

"Three years ago, in the boathouse."

His voice was steady, and every word cost him.

"Right at the start, when she was shaking. I said something to her."

"Tell me what I said."

Cora's lips parted.

I watched her search for it.

She looked at his face, and at the floor, and at the window, and a sound came out of her that was half a sob.

"You said something kind," she said.

"What did I say?"

"You said I was beautiful."

"No."

"You said you'd never felt like that before."

"No, I didn't," Ansel said. "I asked you that a month after you took the ring, and you gave me those two. They're both lovely."

"I made them up."

"I know you did."

"I'm so sorry."

"Say what I said, Cora."

"I can't," she whispered. "I can't, I wasn't there."

The word hung in the room.

Ansel closed his eyes.

"Hold still," I said. "I've got you."

He opened them.

I was standing in front of the window with my arms wrapped around myself, and my voice came out shaking.

"I knew it was you the moment you said it," I said. "My whole body knew."

"And then you laughed, and you said, give me ten minutes."

Cora had both hands over her face.

Ansel looked at me for the first time since the boathouse.

It wasn't forgiveness.

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