When the summer heat becomes oppressive, Miranda and Nicholas ride up the Hudson to Pine Orchard Mountain House. She had hoped that they would travel more extensively, but he is not receptive to the idea. On the way, she thinks about how much she has changed since she made the trip to Dragonwyck two years earlier.
When they reach their destination, Miranda finds that the hotel's most outstanding feature is the impressive view it offers of the entire Hudson Valley. She also feels a sense of spiritual renewal, along with a tinge of guilt because she has wandered away from the religious practices of her childhood. For his part, Nicholas adopts his remote persona and the other guests assume that the Van Ryns keep to themselves because they are on their honeymoon. He tells.....
