West was aware that Belcourt hid many secrets.

He never thought that it hid something as humongous as this.

Tanner was the last person he would believe when it came to certain facts about Belcourt, but did his friend not once say that Belcourt had two gates?

Rider and West never believed the man, but as West had just passed the first gate and had now been traveling a road, nearly a mile long, he could see the second one in the distance.

Hating for Sasha to see the surprise in his eyes, he nonchalantly looked out of the window. Beside him was a vast plantation of winter wheat. He turned and saw the same plantation on the other side of the carriage.

Sasha was quiet as they approached the second gate and when the carriage drew to a stop and four green-cloaked women approached, she spoke, "Your carriage driver will have to be escorted to a designated place. We shall be taking another carriage upon entry."

"Lady Sasha, welcome back to Belcourt," a woman's voice greeted Sasha when the carriage door opened.

West barely had time to react, more so ask his question as to why they would need another carriage into Belcourt.

One green-cloaked woman took the reins from the driver. Giving his driver a reassuring nod, West followed Sasha inside another carriage driven by another woman wearing the same cloak.

He stared at Sasha as the carriage pulled away from the gates, his own carriage taking the opposite direction. Driving on, his question was soon answered as they passed by a large manor.

His eyes followed the view outside the window. They had just driven past the driveway into the manor when he expected them to stop.

Sasha's voice filled the small carriage. "We call it The Manor, formally known as the Common Court." He turned to look at her. She recognized the inquisitive look on his face. "The orphanage," she answered his unspoken question with a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "I have given you warning. Belcourt is not what you think it is."

As they were just passing by the side of the manor, West caught a glimpse of a few young girls playing in a pile of snow, their laughter ringing in the cold winter air. A few of the girls were carrying little ones in their arms as they talked and laughed.

"It is where we all have to spend most of our days until we reach our eighteenth birthday." His gaze returned to hers. She was looking out the window at the now disappearing manor, a reminiscing look in her eyes. "It is where all Belcourt girls are taught on subjects such as arithmetic, science, housekeeping, economics, physics—even astronomy. Geography was my favorite before I stumbled upon the science of the mind."

West hesitated to ask for he would have wanted her to believe he cared not about a woman's life in Belcourt, but the curiosity had already taken over him. "And once you turn eighteen?"

The mocking smile on her lips returned. "Wouldn't you want to know now, would you?"

His eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

She sighed, turning to the window.

West's gaze followed.

He ground his teeth. Whoever had been telling Tanner things, that person must have been to Belcourt. There was indeed a lake.

And beyond, he could see buildings with walls mostly hidden by trees that lined the road. Further down west, he was certain he was looking at a bloody forest.

"The Common Court seems to be the only thing that people outside Belcourt are aware of," Sasha's calm voice broke the silence. "Very few are aware of the four other courts scattered in the estate."

West frowned. To feel anger was indeed petty, but he could not help it. The longer he was here, the more Belcourt was slapping him with the truth—that he had been naught but an ignorant bastard. "Other courts?"

Sasha nodded. "The very moment a girl from the Common Court turns eighteen, she will have to transition into one of the four main courts." After a small pause, she added, "And we are on our way to one, sir—the Court of Flowers."

"The bloody court of what?" he demanded, frozen and dumbfounded.

Sasha's soft chuckle reached his ears. "The Court of Flowers is the home of the Belles. At the very least, the people outside of Belcourt had gotten the title correctly." She stared at the lake again. "Do you know why the Manor is located far from the rest of the other courts?"

"I can barely grasp the information you are giving me to even think of an answer, Sasha."

She looked at him with a smile. "Belcourt was sparing the children from the realities of Belcourt. Such as any society. Because that is what Belcourt is. We are a society."

It seemed it was impossible to frown more, but his brows dipped even lower. She was enjoying this. She reveled at his confusion and ignorance. "Any moment now, we are to pass by the Village."

From a distance, West saw a brick wall with a wooden gate. It was not too high, but it was high enough to keep anyone from seeing the entirety of what it was trying to hide. He could see a few roofs scattered everywhere within the walls.

"It is home to the ladies of the Court of Service. You will soon realize that they are the women in the black cloaks. They provide everything Belcourt needs. They are the foundation of our society. Without them, we shall cease to exist. It is also where we learn most of the things we need to learn to survive such as tilling the land, sewing, cooking, and others."

"Your maid and your driver are from that court."

She nodded. "You are starting to understand, I see." As the carriage drove beside the wall of the Village, Sasha turned to the other window at the opposite side of the road. West saw a bent path with a lamp post at the junction. "That road is toward the Court of Libraries."

Making conclusion, West said, "The place where everything about Belcourt is kept."

Sasha smiled. "You are smart, after all. I am impressed."

He scowled.

She chuckled.

Then her smile slowly disappeared as she looked at the trees lined at the side of the road. "The Library hides behind these trees." West heard the longing in her voice. "It is not easy to be courted into the place. And one would have to have a good reason for visiting it, one which is rarely done. The Librarians, you see, do hate it when someone distracts them from their work."

"Their work? And what is their work?"

She smiled. "Oh, many things, most of which I am in no liberty to tell you."

"And how are you ladies courted?"

"We prove ourselves, of course. We work hard for the court of our desire and if Belcourt sees it fit, we land into one."

"And if Belcourt does not see you fitting the court of your desire?"

"We are courted into the court where we are expected to flourish."

Her answer did not sit well with West. Were these women forced into situations they did not want?

She leaned back against her seat and crossed her arms over her chest. "We should wait a little while for the next court."

He blinked and frowned. "Why? How far is it?"

Her thinking face returned, one West had grown familiar with. Narrowed eyes, pursed lips. "The Flower Garden is nearly two miles down the road."

"Two miles—are you bloody serious?"

Sasha shrugged. "You must now start to realize what I was trying to say when I said it is not easy to do the task," she said in a low voice only for him to hear. "The very fact that I would have to walk the two miles from the Court of Flowers every time I go to the Library should be enough reason."

"But a carriage is—"

"Not always at our disposal."

He looked out the window. He could see the edge of the woods, but not a sign of any building nearby. From the distance, he could see a few black-cloaked women walking down the road, taking the same direction as them.

This was bloody outrageous. Who would have thought—

Well, did Tanner not tell him about Belcourt? Had his friend not said there was a lake within? Had the bastard not told him that Belcourt was a society in itself?

He wondered how his friend would react now.

But Tanner did not have to know.

Part of his contract with Belcourt was to keep everything about Belcourt a secret.

A bloody drawing room. He had pictured the Flower Garden to be a bloody drawing room!

West spent the good of the fifteen-minute carriage ride reconstructing the Belcourt he had in his head, for this was not it.

In his mind, it was naught but a large building with hundreds of rooms filled by young girls and grown women. He had imagined the place to be hiding secret rooms for the gentlemen to visit their Belles. In fact, he imagined a bloody brothel.

Still in quiet disbelief, West could now make out a large building at a far distance.

Sasha noticed him staring.

"How large is the place?"

"You mean the Flower Garden?"

He did not reply. He just stared at her.

"Large enough to fit thirty ladies with their own bedchambers. There are two parlors, two drawing rooms, a gaming room, a dining hall, and a kitchen. I can say that it is not the largest of all courts, but it definitely is the most luxurious.

"And what is the largest of all courts? The Village?"

She shook her head. "No."

He frowned. "The Manor?"

"No, not the Manor." She lifted her shoulder into a shrug.

He blinked, realizing something. "You said there are four courts. You mentioned only three."

"There are five, including the Manor."

"Then you only mentioned four."

She smiled, enjoying his impatience. "The Palace."

"The Palace?"

"Not Sutherland's palace. The Court of Arms."

His brow cocked high.

"The women in the green cloaks."

"And it is also safe to say that I cannot ask what they do, is it not?"

"Well, of course, you can ask, sir," she said with a wicked smile. "But the answer will depend on your question. All you have to know is that it is the last place you would want to go to in Belcourt. You would not like the consequences."

The carriage made a turn. He watched as Sasha looked out the window, looking uncomfortable.

"You do not like it here."

"I am not comfortable in the Flower Garden, yes," she admitted, her hands restlessly fixing the skirts of her dress. "I am not dressed for the occasion, you see?"

West ignored her unnecessary worry over her dress and veered his eyes back to the court they were destined to go to. The carriage slowed down, entering a curving driveway that slowly revealed a building that arched in half a circle. In the middle was a circular garden that was currently half-covered in snow.

And as they neared, West realized that another building arched behind the first one.

"The inner building is what the Belles refer to as the bud. The outer building they call the petal."

The carriage had finally stopped outside the open garden.

"You speak as though you are not one of them," he told her.

"Part of what?" she asked, reaching out to open the door.

"The Belles."

She scoffed. "I am one of them."

"But?"

Her eyes held his for a few moments. Then she blinked before he could even decipher the secret she was not telling him. "There is no but, sir."

Sasha climbed out without assistance. West followed. As his feet finally touched Belcourt ground for the first time, Sasha was already waiting for him. "Welcome to Belcourt, West."

*****

She had just given him a very hasty tour of the inner building.

"I suppose you do not wish to be seen by the others?" she asked without waiting for a reply and proceeded to name every room they passed without opening one door. "And I suppose you wish me to do what I need to do?" Again, without waiting for his reply, Sasha led him down the hall that led to the outer building where all chambers belonging to each Belle could be found.

"You shall stay in my chamber while I visit the Library," she informed him as they walked down the east hallway. To their left were the doors for each chamber. The right side, on the other hand, captured West's awe. The wall was lined with windows that spanned top to bottom, giving West the view of the distant lake, the Village, and the woods.

As Sasha walked silently beside him, he thought he finally understood the reason for her aghast when he conveyed his impression of Belcourt.

"You call the gentlemen of Belcourt flowers because of this place."

Sasha's lips curled into an amused smile without sparing him a look. She kept walking, eyes down the hall. Stopping outside the third door to the end of the corridor, she turned to face him. "No, they call the place the Flower Garden because Belcourt sees the gentlemen as flowers."

"I have always wondered why."

She reached for the door and swung it open, revealing a giant four-poster bed in the middle with white lace draping at all sides. Instantly, he cared not that the room was as grand as the place. His mind was not drawn to the giant window that overlooked the winter wheat plantation outside.

His entire body tensed, watching Sasha walk into the room, toward the bed.

Then he noticed something else.

There was hesitation in her steps.

His brows fused.

Surely, she had taken other flowers in this room before. Surely, they did more than just walk in and chat.

"Since you have so graciously dragged me here today, I suppose we should stay the night," she said, turning to face him. Her tone was sure and exact—confident. Yet her gaze and the way her fingers fiddled with the side of her gray dress made her seem like she did not belong in that room.

This was her charm, he thought.

She could make any man think they were standing in front of an innocent woman. She made him feel like he wanted to show her what this room was made for. She made him feel like he wanted to be the first.

A slight feeling of anger flickered in his gut. They both knew she had done this many times. He hated that she acted as though he was the only man—as if he was the first. And he hated that he was having the exact reaction she was hoping for.

The game.

Yes, of course.

He had to remember the game.

She was playing fair and square and he might be losing.

Moistening his lips, West stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. Feigning nonchalance, he loosened his cravat. From the corner of his eye, he saw her staring at his hands. "Very well, I can spare a night here." He smiled, gaze resting on her face. "Why do you look surprised? Were you expecting I demand that we return to Coulway at once?"

She merely blinked.

"You have finally made me understand why you thought my task for you—"

In one fluid motion, she had managed to reach him to cover his mouth with one hand, muffling the rest of his words, whispering, "For someone who bought an entire villa as a precaution, you are proving to be very careless at the wrong places. We are in Belcourt. Need I remind you?"

Before West could begin to react on the fact that she was touching him, or that she was too near, Sasha stepped back.

Moistening her lips, she looked around the room. "Please, do make yourself at home. Should you need anything, ring for one of the service ladies. They will be happy to do your bidding. But you cannot touch them. Is that understood?"

"Why would I touch them?"

A scoff escaped her throat. "Oh, you do not know the number of men who tried. Should you encounter anyone here and they inquire where I am, you simply tell them you do not know. And stay here. Do not wander around."

"And when will you be back?" he asked as she walked to the door.

"I will find a messenger," she said, giving him a meaningful look. She was going to the Library. "It would take me a little more than twenty minutes at a good pace. I shall not be long. A Belle ought not to leave her flower unattended in the Garden, after all, so I will try to return soon." She opened the door and paused. Giving him a fretful look, she sighed. "You shall be fine, I guess."