Ruby frowned as she peered through the small window of the carriage. The Soldier beside her, who was tasked with escorting her through the gates, said, "They had been here for three days." She stole the woman a look before returning her eyes to the crowd of people shouting, pumping their fists in the air. "Sheridan Garmont is still missing and they are all blaming Belcourt. They think we did something to her after she released incriminating articles against us."

Ruby did not comment. The Soldier knew Sheridan was her mission. She yelped as the crowd pushed and slammed their palms against the carriage. "They are demanding that we free the women. But they had been freed."

"Not all left. Majority still chose to remain," the Soldier replied. "And these people think we should free everyone."

"It was our choice to stay."

The woman looked straight ahead, face hard and determined. "They refuse to believe that, of course." The carriage driver picked up pace as the gates opened. Ten or so Soldiers were holding their bows and arrows, ready to defend should the crowd choose to force entry.

Ruby bent her head over the copy of the Sutherland Post in her hand. Sheridan still corresponded with her writers secretly, and they were not stopping. How long would it take for Belcourt to find out that she was still alive? And if they did, what would they do to Ruby?

*****

The only good thing the articles by the Sutherland Post had ever brought Belcourt was the common agreement of everyone that the king was useless. He could not enforce his own power to free the women in Belcourt. Either that or he simply did not care.

If they did not have a spineless king, Arielle would have to deal with more trouble. For once, she was grateful to her father. The man was not capable of doing what the protesters outside wanted. He relied on his advisors, majority of whom were fearful of Belcourt.

However, she could not just sit quietly and wait for the protests to go away. These people wanted to free the women? They did not appreciate Belcourt when it opened its gates for those who wanted to leave? And what would they do for the ones who stayed should Belcourt bend to their wishes? Would they feed these women and children? Shelter them? Give them warm clothes? All from their own pockets? No, of course not. They would demand for more things from the kingdom to care for the people they freed from Belcourt's clutches. They would abandon their moral mission and find more things to fight for. Who cared what happened to the women and children once they left Belcourt so long as they were free? It would not matter if they lived in the streets so long as it was not in their neighborhoods.

Arielle did not care what the people outside wanted. They did not know what would happen in the future. They just wanted something to be done now simply because they believe something wrong was being done. They could not see beyond the walls of Belcourt—the vast fields, the hospital, the warm beds and food. They did not understand that these things would be deprived from the women and children if they ever joined their society outside.

"Ruby has arrived, Your Highness," an Elected announced.

Arielle stood and turned around to find Asa waiting for her in the doorway, head straight, but eyes cast downward. "The French soldiers are on their way and the House of Lords has agreed to welcome them into our ports," she said to Asa. "I want the Court of Flowers to prepare the Belles. We need to have eyes within the French army before they could even step foot on Sutherland soil. Every high-ranking official has to have a Belle."

"Yes, Your Highness," Asa said, walking just slightly behind her as the Elected led them down the marbled corridors of the Palace.

She smiled to herself. They had eyes everywhere, even the king. He was still looking for his daughter, and the queen was not even around. She was still in Calbridge to offer her condolences to the duchess. Knowing the woman, and with her desperation to regain the Vandenberg power in Belcourt, she may be planning something with Prince Emory. They should have known better not to leave the king alone.

The Circus had withdrawn to the shadows, perhaps making new plans. They had captured some of their Soldiers in the ship where Reginald was supposed to be. But what could Reginald do now? He did not hold any kind of power. His son was on the run with the daughter of his enemy. And they, too, shall be captured soon.

Everyone was slowly being eliminated. Once Napoleon and his men arrived, it would be a new era. A new beginning. Belcourt would be free at last.

No more Reginald. No more Luis.

*****

Esther was uneasy. She should not be. Their hired carriage was finally approaching the large estate of the Earl of Ross. After their narrow escape from the men he tricked for a few gold coins, Leo had been acting different. He was more... silent. And he was not the quiet kind. In the last tavern they stayed at, he barely left their room for the duration of their three-day stay there. Once, she asked just how much he took from those men for him to afford their lodging. He said, "Enough, princess," with a charming smile. Then he went back to reading.

And now, he was still reading. He was in the last pages when he closed the book and pocketed it, raising his head to prepare for arrival.

"Should you not check if we are welcome here?" she asked, apprehensive. She was itching to get into a proper bath, to have a large bed and decent food, but she could delay those for safety. And every fiber of her being was telling her something was not right in this estate.

"We will be welcome here. The butler knows me."

"How?"

He just scoffed. His hair was longer, tied in a greasy bun at the nape. "Circus business, princess."

Esther prepared to disembark as the hackney rounded the large driveway. When it stopped, her heart thudded faster. "This might be a trap," she told him.

"No one would dare," he said. "You should feel at home here. The earl is a Vandenberg," he said, smile taunting.

She glared at him. "The traitor side of the family."

He shrugged. "His twin was taken away from him. That's good enough reason to betray the rest of the family." He pushed the door open, paused, and looked at her. "Behave."

She rolled her eyes. "The worst you can do is kill me."

"I'm itching to, but I rather like your company. Remember, I still have my eyes on that proposal."

She just arched her brow and waited for him to climb down. He did with a loud groan, as if he had been in pain the entire journey. She could not blame him because she was aching all over as well.

The giant doors opened before they could reach the top of the stairs, and an old butler bowed at Leo. When he said, "This way, Your Highness," Leo turned to her with a smug look on his face. She scoffed, although the fact that he was still considered a prince by some did not really bother her. It was the way the door closed behind them that caused alarm. It sounded like it would be the last time she would ever see the outside world again.

Mayhap it was because she had been kept prisoner in a manor as big as this one in Calbridge that stepping inside brought back ugly feelings. If she had not trusted her brother or Tanner Macmier, she would not be here right now. She would not have been captured in the first place.

The weeks she spent on the run with Leo had been different. The feeling of urgency and survival played a big role. The rooms they stayed in were smaller than any chamber she had been her entire life that she felt somehow safe, knowing the corners were closer to each other and no one would have enough space to hide. But this manor was just like Calbridge. She could see the large hall, the giant staircase, and she could picture the hundreds of rooms on the next landing. Anyone could be hiding anywhere here. The doors were closed, and she had nowhere to run. She almost laughed when her eyes flew to the nearest window.

The butler was leading them somewhere, perhaps a parlor. She would be meeting her cousin soon, she thought.

But of course, it was not August Shaw, the Earl of Ross.

It was Tanner Macmier.

Her jaw hardened when the man stood, face impassive, far from the charming lover who tricked her into this mess. If Leo did not turn to block her view of the man, she would have crossed the distance between them and tried to murder him. The surge of anger was replaced by confusion when she transferred her gaze to Leo.

He was trying not to look guilty, but he was. His dark blue eyes could not look at her for long. At that moment, Esther knew she was trapped again.

"When we arrived in the first village we stayed in, I sent word to the Circus. We had been in correspondence since then."

That's why he was always away.

"Why?" she asked.

"We have a plan," Leo said. "And you will not like it."

Her eyes flew to Tanner. "Do I even have a choice?"

"No, but it would be good if you cooperate."

She glared at Leo. "I have been cooperative since you first asked me to climb out a bloody window."

He slowly nodded. "Soldiers are on their way here to take you to Belcourt."

Her heart stopped for second, the room stilling around her, sending a ringing echo in her ears. "You bloody bastard."

"Arielle is keen on meeting you, Esther," Tanner said, stepping forward.

"Do not come near me, Tanner. You betrayed me." She looked at Leo, then back at him. "Who are you working for?"

"None, but I am loyal to just one side," Tanner said. "I gained your trust for one purpose—to solidify Arielle's trust."

Her eyes darted to Leo. "This was your plan."

"Yes."

"The attack in Calbridge?"

"I led Arielle to you in Calbridge," Tanner said, "but she has to think it was not a plan. So you and Leo had to escape."

"And now you are finally giving me to her?"

Leo cleared his throat. "Yes."

Tanner spoke before she could erupt. "The Circus wishes to extend you an offer."

"Let the Soldiers take you to Belcourt," Leo added.

She looked at them incredulously. "Why?"

"Because you will let us in," said another voice, this time a woman's. Esther whirled around to find two people behind her. A woman with dark brown hair and bluish gray eyes and West Blackwood himself. Blackwood's woman stepped forward. Esther had heard about her, how she had been a Belle who betrayed Blackwood, then betrayed Belcourt. And now she was back with the Circus. Maybe Tanner's story had not been all false, she thought. If he had been telling the truth, Esther was facing the new Duchess of Eaton. Another Belle who got lucky. Just like her father's former mistress, West Blackwood's mother.

Arielle's mother.

"I will die the moment those Soldiers get their hands on me," she told them, eyes darting from Sasha to the rest and back. "I would rather let the Circus kill me now than die in the hands of my father's bastard."

"Arielle will not kill you," Blackwood spoke for the first time. His voice was low and clear. Esther heard nothing that showed any emotion about what she just called his sister. "She needs you as leverage against the king."

"We need your help," said Leo, stepping closer. "There's a reason she has not stopped looking for you. She needs you to get to the king. Or to get the king to her."

She shook her head, denying their logic. "And why would I help you?" she demanded.

"Because we have your mother," said West.

*****

Patience was taught to them in the Court of Arms, but there was simply something about Rider Fairborne that pushed Gabrielle at the edge every time he came in to see her.

She was back in his estate in Keene. Not in the same hidden room they kept her before, but in a much nicer bedchamber. Of course, there were no windows. There was only one door, and that was being guarded by men all the time. The ceiling was too high, the room almost bare of anything she could use as a weapon. They gave her clothes and books to read. Her food was delivered on time.

A livestock waiting for slaughter, that's what she felt like.

He was a tall man, his hair as dark as candle soot, his brown eyes calculative. She had no opinions of his looks, but she could tell that the Earl of Keene liked how she looked. He may never say it, but she could tell. She may not be a Belle, but she was a woman. Belcourt had warned them of men who would take advantage of them, but they did not warn them of men like Rider Fairborne. The ones who looked like they could be trusted. Ones who had conviction.

He strode into the room with sure steps and stopped with his hands behind him to stare at her. She did not know what he might bring with him every time he entered. Most days, he would reveal a book. The other day, he brought one elastic band for her hair. This time, it could be anything. A knife or pistol to kill her.

He never asked questions, never interrogated her. He just kept her in that room. And that was the most frustrating of all.

"You have a visitor," he announced.

Her eyes darted to the doorway and she stood from where she sat by the dresser as her brother strode into the room. How long had it been since they saw each other? Since her last visit?

"Gabrielle," August greeted with a warm smile, his pale green eyes slightly guilty. When she did not say a word, Rider Fairborne turned and stiffly walked out of the room without another word, leaving her alone with her brother.

"If you're here to convince me to join your little group of traitors, August, I'm not in the mood," she coldly said. "I can stay here forever and I will never join you."

"Then what do you plan to do?" her brother asked, slowly walking closer. "You know the truth now, Gabrielle. You know what our family has been doing to these women and children."

"You have no right to tell me what these women and children have been through, August. You were not there," she snapped, looking him in the eye. "You do not know where they came from. Or what Belcourt has brought them. You did not live the life I did."

"Yes, and neither should you," he said, tone hard.

She scoffed. It did not matter what August thought now, or even then. Nothing would change the fact that she was the daughter their parents did not need in their little family. She was meant for something else and she was staying there. "If you are trying to convince me to resent the Vandenbergs, you do not have to. I hate them. But Belcourt is Belcourt. With a new High Priestess, it will still be Belcourt." She would continue to protect the unwanted children of society.

August closed his eyes and helplessly sighed. Opening his eyes, he said, "I will not force you to join us. The Circus is not stupid to allow a Soldier to work with us." He stepped closer. "We do not deem Belcourt as our enemy. We want to save it as much as you want to preserve it."

"Then why am I here?"

"Because your current High Priestess is as crazy as the previous ones, that's why."

"She only wants the best for Belcourt."

"Gabrielle, Leila was forcefully taken from our care by Arielle's men."

"Brought back to Belcourt, for certain, where she belongs."

"She belongs with her mother's family. They are still looking for her. She is not unwanted."

"No. She is the—"

"You already know who the High Priestess is, Gabrielle. Reginald told you."

"Arielle is merely acting as the regent."

"No, she is the High Priestess. Just days ago, she opened Belcourt's gates and let everyone who wishes to leave go."

She stiffened. Rider Fairborne did not tell her that news.

"The women who walked out told us who gave them their freedom." She blinked away from her brother, confused. "She let some women go, Gabrielle, but not the ones who we know would want to go out."

"You mean the people who worked with you and still trapped inside? The ones who betrayed Belcourt?"

"The ones who have much to lose if they stayed in Belcourt, yes. A mother whose child is still waiting for her to this day and her other friends. They did not make it out of Belcourt." This time, August walked closer. "We also want them out. We have to give them their chance."

"Belcourt has its own laws we follow. If these women broke them, they deserve punishment."

"Belcourt stands on Sutherland soil, sister. It should follow Sutherland laws."

"No, you do not understand—"

"I understand well enough," he interjected. "We can spend days and weeks arguing about this, but we do not have that at the moment."

Gabrielle looked at her brother and shook her head. "You want something from me," she concluded. "What is it?"

"Arielle has infiltrated the House of Lords. They opened the ports to welcome the French armies."

"And you understandably do not want Napoleon to be king."

"No, because Napoleon as king will mean war on our lands. He does not care for Sutherland, Gabrielle. He only cares for the people he can use to expand his empire. He will pluck out anyone who can hold a sword and send them offshore to fight for him."

"And what do you want from me? Go back to Belcourt and convince Arielle to change her mind? Allow Reginald to regain power and destroy Belcourt just as he planned when he was in power? And do you think she will listen to me?"

"No, of course not. If she trusts you, she would not have ordered Nora to kill you."

Her jaw tightened as she glared at her brother.

"Nora talked. She was given the order to kill you. After all, you are a Vandenberg. Arielle cannot have more Vandenbergs in Belcourt."

Gabrielle shook her head. No, Arielle would not do that. But she knew Nora had kept things from her while they were on that ship. Did she really mean to kill Gabrielle?

"You were sent out of Belcourt for a reason, sister."

"No," she said, turning away.

The door opened. She did not hear him, but she knew Rider Fairborne was responsible for her brother's next words. "I will give you more time to think," August said behind her, followed by his departing footsteps.

And she was alone again.

To think. To wonder.

To choose a side.