When Tara Summer arrived, the palace staff became even more tense, even though she instructed them to go off and rest.
No one dared to actually leave; they all stayed outside the palace gates.
Tara Summer lay on the couch, reading a book for a full three hours. As it neared eleven at night, Liam Yancey still hadn't returned.
Guessing that there might be something important at the Senate, she decided not to wait any longer, got up, and went to check on the children's room. She made sure none of them had kicked off their blankets before returning to her room to sleep.
She slept in a daze for several hours, and around two or three in the morning, the man returned to the sleeping chambers.
Tara Summer slept deeply, genuinely exhausted. After the man got into bed, he held her and kissed her for a long time, but she did not open her eyes.
