In Chapter 26 of Anne’s House of Dreams, Owen Ford confesses to Anne that he has fallen in love with Leslie Moore:

“Her beauty is the least of her dower–and she is the most beautiful woman I’ve ever known. That laugh of hers! I’ve angled all summer to evoke that laugh, just for the delight of hearing it. And her eyes– they are as deep and blue as the gulf out there. I never saw such blueness–and gold! Did you ever see her hair down, Mrs. Blythe?” [Owen Ford asks Anne.]

“No.”

“I did–once. I had gone down to the Point to go fishing with Captain Jim but it was too rough to go out, so I came back. She had taken the opportunity of what she expected to be an afternoon alone to wash her hair, and she was standing on the veranda in the sunshine to dry it. It fell all about her to her feet in a fountain of living gold. When she saw me she hurried in, and the wind caught her hair and swirled it all around her–Danae in her cloud. Somehow, just then the knowledge that I loved her came home to me–and realised that I had loved her from the moment I first saw her standing against the darkness in that glow of light.

Danae
Danae is a figure in Greek Mythology. Here is her story, and a painting of her by Titian.

In Greek mythology, Danae was the daughter of Acrisius (Acrisius was the king of Argos). As Danae and Acrisius were members of a royal family, it is not surprising that there should be prophecies associated with the future - and indeed, there was a threatening message for this house. According to the prophecy, the son Danae was destined to bear would be instrumental in the death of his grandfather, Acrisius.

In order to prevent this event from taking place, King Acrisius locked his daughter in an inaccessible tower, thereby removing her from contact with any potential suitors. Or so he thought…

The god Zeus, who always had an eye for female charms, was struck by the beauty of Danae, and desired her. Zeus therefore transformed himself into a shower of gold, and in this form impregnated Danae. The result of this union of human and divine was the great Greek hero Perseus.

But, of course, the birth of Perseus does not signal the end of this story. In ancient Greece, fate was difficult to elude. However, that did not stop Acrisius from trying anyway, for he sent Danae and the infant Perseus off in an attempt to rid himself of the child who would be the cause of his death. Naturally, both mother and son survived, and Perseus went on to achieve fame as a hero. Eventually, Perseus unwittingly fulfilled the prophecy told before his birth.