About five minutes later, Tegan returned from the backyard.

She was wearing a light gray wool coat and carrying a large bouquet of fresh flowers, which were all picked from the garden and looking vibrant.

Margaret had already brought a vase the size of a large bowl.

“Are you done with work?” Tegan asked Lorian the same way any newlywed wife would do. Her tone was warm and polite.

Her politeness seemed a bit too formal in Lorian's eyes. He watched her as she arranged the flowers she had pi