When Marguerite came out through the stage door after performing in tonight's play at the theatre, she was surprised beyond belief to see Percy standing there. She had not seen him for such a long time, and she had given up the hope of ever seeing him again. She had not been able to bear the thought of it, but now he stood here before her, the man who she had come to love.

"Sir Percy!" she exclaimed, staring at him.

He looked just like he used to, dressed in the latest fashion, tall and handsome. His blonde hair was tied together by a black ribbon, and his face was serious.

"I am sorry to disturb you at such a late hour, Madame..."

"Oh no... You do not disturb me at all. I am happy to see you."

"I am glad. I am happy to see you too."

"Where have you been all this time?"

"I will tell you all about it, if you would join me for dinner at Saturday."

"I would love to."

"At seven, at The Golden Lion?"

"I will be there."

"Until our next meeting" he said, and then he reached out her hand and kissed it lightly.

Percy waited for Marguerite outside the restaurant when she arrived there at seven o' clock on Saturday night. He took her hand and placed a gentle kiss upon it.

"My lady."

"Sir Percy."

"Am I late?"

"Oh no, my lady. It is I who am early. Shall we?"

Percy took Marguerite by the arm, and they entered the restaurant and sat down at their table. He felt that he was shy in Marguerite's presence, but he had not expected anything else. It had been a long time since he had last seen her, and he did not know what she felt about seeing him again. At least it seemed that she was having a good time with him, but that was far from love. And he loved her, and he did not understand how his life could ever be complete without her loving him.

"It has been a long time since I last saw you" he said, looking at her from across the table, trying to fathom her mind.

"Indeed it has" she said. "What have you been occupied with all this time? I only heard that you had travelled away, and I did not even get to bid you farewell."

"I left to travel through the Orient."

"It must have been amazing" she said.

"Yes, it really was. But I am glad to be back."

"I am also glad that you are back" she said and smiled.

Percy smiled back, lifting his glass of wine to drink, and then he put it back down on the table and looked at Marguerite.

"I went away to forget."

"To forget about what?"

"My lady... Forgive me for being too open with you... But I cannot hide my feelings from you any longer. I left to forget about you."

"Why is that?" Marguerite asked, although she had already guessed the answer to that question.

"I could not stop thinking about you. I decided that I would try to forget you, and I tried to escape the thought of you, the memory of your beautiful face... But I could not. You were always there during all this time. I thought that it would hurt less if I forgot about you, but I realised that nothing would take away my pain if you did not come to love me. And I I wished that I could show you all the beauty that I saw during my travels. The oceans and the deserts, the cities..."

He became quiet, looking down into the table.

"Percy, what are you saying?"

He looked up at her.

"I love you. I have loved you ever since I left you, and I came back for you, because I could not give up the hope that you would eventually come to love me. I hoped that the despair I felt in your presence would turn into happiness. And I thought that I at least had to tell you how I felt, whatever the outcome of my confession may be."

The silence was unbearable. Marguerite just sat there, shocked by his words. Percy looked down into the table again, his hand nervously playing with his napkin. At last, he looked up at her again, and he felt his heart beating faster as she looked at him in return. How he loved her! And now his courage almost failed him, despite that he had faced danger many times and sometimes even death during his heroic adventures. Although he had only known Marguerite for a short time before he travelled east, she meant the world to him. He could not imagine a life without her. He loved her desperately, and he wanted to be all hers, forever.

"Marguerite... Could you ever love a man like me?"

Marguerite smiled, looking into his completely honest and open face, and he smiled back, at last believing that his feelings were answered.

"How could I not?" she asked. "You are everything I have ever dreamed of to find in a man... Handsome, kind and noble."

She leaned over the small table to kiss him. His lips were gentle and yet demanding against hers, and it was the most erotic thing she had ever experienced, however innocent it might seem. She was overwhelmed with the desire to feel his naked skin under her hands, to get to know him more intimately, and his kiss seemed to promise her that she soon would. He kissed her with such a heat that it made her feel intoxicated, and she gave up a soft moan into his mouth that only he could hear.

"You do not know how happy you make me" he whispered to her as they parted. "I have dreamed for this for so long."

"So have I. But I did not realise that I loved you until you were gone. I was devastated when I found out that you had left."

"I am sorry that I did not bid you farewell before I left, but I thought that it would be too painful."

"Yes, it may have been. But if you had, I may have realised that I loved you and that I could not bear to see you go."

"I do not know. But the important thing is that we are together now."

"Oh yes, my love..."

"I love to hear you say that. And I will do anything that is in my power to make you happy."

"And so will I."