Valerie (Part 2)

I saw her to her dorm room, and asked if I might have the pleasure of her company later for dinner. She coyly accepted my invitation.. One hour later I picked her up. She looked enchanting... We drove out to Woodstock, home to Blenheim Palace, the ancestral seat of the Churchill family. There we enjoyed a casual meal, laughing again over the misadventures of the afternoon. As the sun was beginning to set I led her outside the restaurant and down the lane to the corner. I told her to keep her eyes closed. When she opened them she saw a vista she would never forget; the palace, high on a hill, a fairy-tale vision, with pastureland sloping down to a lake in the foreground dotted with swans, all bathed in the glow of the setting sun. She stood there, speechless for a moment. I squeezed her hand and we gazed into each other's eyes. Not a word was spoken. We were both grateful for the day we had spent together. It was just the two of us. Time had stopped, and only that moment mattered.