Eliora jumped a little bit and looked up from the page.
Zarek stood beside the bench, looking down at her with loving eyes. His dark hair was slightly messy from the long meetings, but his shoulders relaxed the moment he saw her face.
Eliora closed the book and smiled at him. "Zarek. It's you. Just learning about plants," she answered.
He sat down beside her and moved the veil covering the lower part of her face, just enough to place a kiss on her cheek.
"Did you sleep well?" He asked, his hand resting on her shoulder. "Did the maids take good care of you?"
"I slept very well, Zar," Eliora replied, leaning her head on his arm. "And Clara and Tess were wonderful. But I missed you."
Zarek smiled and wrapped his arm around her to pull her closer. "I missed you too," he whispered. "Come. Let's get away from here and eat. You must be hungry."
Eliora placed the book neatly back on the stack. Then she stood up, smoothened her gown and took Zarek's hand which he had stretched.
