This journey was farther than the last time he had taken her to the pond to see the Cygnus, and her unease accumulated with the distance.
But when the ribbon over her eyes was untied, her surprise was doubled as well.
The King of Babylon had built the Hanging Gardens to please his queen. The greenhouse of her dreams had a dome like the crown of the Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute, along with glass conservatories spreading open like wings.
She had originally expected a steel-frame structure, but she had not expected him to use Roman columns. It looked even more like a palace.
"Do you like it?" he asked with a smile.
"Is this a reward?" she asked.
"A wedding gift." He wrapped an arm around her waist. "After Hortense and Louis, it is our turn."
She did not want to call it a wedding. It was merely the opening ceremony for a project, nowhere near as Luxury as a wedding. The higher her expectations, the greater her disappointment might be.
Yet she still could not help running excitedly into the greenhouse.
Like the Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute, it had a circular hall surrounded by six small rooms. They were all empty for now, and she could arrange them however she liked.
One of the doors led into the conservatory, where many plants were displayed. Hot water flowing through copper pipes would provide it with heat.
There were no magical plants inside, but she was still deeply satisfied.
"See if anything is missing," Leon Sterndale said, looking around the conservatory. "I do not know the first thing about this."
"One thing is still missing." She looked at the translucent glass roof, through which the autumn sunlight poured down softly.
"What?"
"A hammock." She smiled mischievously. "Have