The next morning, Eleanor woke up feeling refreshed. She saw Michael had gotten out of bed but was sitting fully dressed on one of the couches reviewing the paperwork he'd set down last night. When she sat up, he looked over at her.
"Good morning, Eleanor. Did you sleep well?"
She nodded with a faint smile. She glanced around the room, but didn't see Lucas anywhere.
"He had to go attend to his duties. What happened last night... can't... happen again," stated Michael.
She nodded. Michael sighed then motioned for her to come to him. Eleanor got out of bed and approached where he was sitting on the couch. He extended his hands to her, which she took, and he pulled her into his lap. He picked up the papers again, and started reading them. Eleanor sat there uncertain what to do. Eventually her eyes landed on the paper that he was reading. 'Oh, he's reading about one of the new pieces of land that have been added to the duchy.' She continued reading what was on the page.
