*Michael*
I secure the punt to a low-hanging bush, deliver the blanket and wicker basket to a spot beneath a willow tree, and return for Leah.
She looks like sunshine in her yellow dress, like a she-wolf of quality with her white parasol, and like a country girl with her straw bonnet.
With one foot in the boat, I seek to steady it as I offer her my hand. "Hold on to me to balance yourself."
As she places her hand in mine, I close my fingers around hers and become the support for her as she gingerly rises to her feet, the punt rocking slightly with her movements. "It's all right," I coo. "I'm not going to let you go over into the water."
"I have absolute faith in you." She say, smiling at me.
I am completely taken aback by how much her words mean to me. When she begins to wobble sli
