‘George was a gem and he played along. He was so good to us. We could never have had our time together if it wasn’t for his help, but there was no way I could get out of my arranged marriage. I couldn’t have disrespected my family.’

‘And where is your husband now, Charlie?’ Ella could see Charlie’s eyes tearing up.

‘He passed away ten years ago, and I know we could have seen each other sooner but…’

‘You don’t need to explain, you have your family, your children and I know you wouldn’t have done anything to hurt any of them,’ Dolores said, looking tenderly at Charlie.

‘And now all my children have grown up and I have grandchildren too. But when you called,’ she looked towards Ella, ‘I just knew it was time. I told my children about Dolores that same day.’

Ella was in awe as she looked between them both. The combined age of the two women must be around one hundred and eighty years, and they both still looked in the prime of their life.

Dolores squeezed Charlie’s hand. ‘You were brave.’

‘It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but they held me tight and told me they loved me. They encouraged me to come today and said I deserve all the happiness in the world.’

‘Thankfully times have changed, and people are a lot more honest and open about who they are. Hamish has always known that Charlie was the love of my life. As soon as he asked questions about who his dad was, I couldn’t lie. I wanted a baby but didn’t want a man… George had contacts, and I adopted Hamish.’

Ella’s eyes widened. ‘I need more champagne!’ This was a story of true love. Charlie and Dolores had started their lives together in secret but now could quite openly enjoy the time they had left together. This was the fairy-tale ending for both of them, and Ella knew that they were going to live every second to the max.

‘I always had a deep sense of hope that we would be reunited one day, and here we are.’ Charlie held up her glass. ‘To us and life.’

They both watched as The Lakehouse came into view. Charlie and Dolores gasped at the same time. ‘That view still gets me every time,’ exclaimed Charlie. ‘Just look at it.’

‘All this, your story, has made me hold on stronger to what I’ve found.’ Ella looked across towards Roman who must have sensed he was being watched and glanced over his shoulder.

‘Here we go, ladies,’ he said, cutting the engine of the boat. ‘What have I missed?’

‘Way too much, I’ll fill you in on the ride home.’ Ella slipped her hand around his waist. ‘I know how lucky I am to have found you.’

Roman planted a soft kiss on the top of her head.