“Where are we?”
Alex, now back in a chair, rolled over, joining me. It was more compact than the wicker chair he normally used.
“One of Father’s little hideaways. In the warm months, after dinner parties, he entertains guests here.”
I pictured a party of men, playing cards and drinking brandy as curls of smoke and boisterous laughter filled the air. The unusual singularity of the room was enough to make up for the faint whiff of mildew and the damp chill of the air.
Frederick cleared his throat, as if reminding us of his presence.
“Yes, of course. That will be all, thank you, Frederick,” Alex murmured. “We’ll see you soon.”
The manservant turned back up the staircase, disappearing to the top side.
“Where is he going?”
“He’s taking the boat back. I mentioned the storm while on the roof. We’ll take a different way home.”
“A different way?” I repeated. We were underground, on anisland, in the middle of a lake. What other way home could there be?
“I’ll show you,” he said, and wheeled around to a doorway at the back of the room.
It was shaped like a tall teardrop and led down a tunnel molded in the same shape. I caught a glimmer of light at its end but the rest of the passageway was dark with shadows.
“Go on,” Alex prompted.
I hesitated. How far underwater were we? The tunnel didn’t appear to be too long, but it definitely headed away from the island, taking us deeper into the lake.
“Are we allowed to be down here?” I stalled and my voice bounced back and forth against the white stucco walls. “Is it safe?”
Alexander practically danced with excitement in his chair. “Go on, go on!”
The tunnel was too narrow for us to roam down side by side. I wished Alexander would have taken the lead, but he gently urged me to the front. I moved cautiously, fearful of catching my ankle on an unseen dip in the cement floor. My eyes quickly adjusted to the dark, making whatever lit the end of the tunnel unspeakably bright.
When we reached the end, I stopped so abruptly, Alex bumped into me. With a laugh, he nudged me forward.
“Oh my,” I gasped, turning in a slow circle to take everything in.
We were impossibly underwater, in the center of a great glass dome entirely submerged beneath the lake. Hundreds of curved windowpanes rose from the floor to the ceiling’s crest, nearly two stories above us. Thick plaster and metal bands held themtogether, with a little rosette centered at each joining. Sunlight filtered through the water and into the dome, casting an algae-tinted glow. Raised flowerbeds lined the round walls, with an incredible assortment of blooms and greenery. A thick wool rug rested in the middle of the floor, patterned in florals of midnight blue and ivory.
“What is this place?” I whispered, not wanting to break the magic of the moment. I’d never seen anything more enchanting in my entire life.
“Great-Grandfather used it as a music room and dance hall. He actually had an entire grand piano brought in, piece by piece, and assembled here, for parties.”
“Where is it now?” I couldn’t imagine a more surreal location for a concert. My fingers itched to capture the idea on paper, with grand lords and ladies dancing against the hazy verdigris windows.
“It sounds like a wonderful idea until you realize how humid it gets in here. The piano was forever out of tune and its innards started warping. It had to be taken apart and removed. Grandpère used it for his prayers—he was the one to add the Burning Heart statue. Father found the climate perfect for some of his more particular specimens.” He pointed to the boxes. “I promise, none of them are dangerous.”
“I’ve never seen anything so wondrous,” I murmured, tracing my fingertips along one of the windows. The glass was inches thick, distorting the view.
A dark form flashed out of the murky depths and struck the window. I let out a startled cry of surprise, jumping back.
“Oh, don’t be alarmed,” Alex said, immediately at my side. “The lake is stocked with fish. The carp can be rather aggressive.”
“They can see us in here?”
He nodded, drawing close. “Of course. Look.”
He took my hand and pressed it back to the glass, holding it in place. Moments later, the carp returned and another appeared. They jostled against each other, each trying to be the one closest to my fingers. Their great mouths bobbed open, scraping their lips against the window, tails wriggling furiously.
