Natalie, Simon, and Ellise left Birth two days after the wedding to provide the new couple more time to be alone. It was Simon's idea. Natalie only said yes when she realized that Ellise had gown fittings scheduled that week and a few balls to attend to in Coulway.

Aliya, of course, was only happy to be rid of her new family. She did not abhor their presence, but she would rather have her husband for herself for now before she faced the pressing problems that awaited her outside Birth.

During the first week of their marriage, Aliya also realized that Oliver had been deprived as much as she was. It seemed that he had been holding out, too, and had struggled greatly more than he let on before the wedding, for it was he who would grab her at every chance, steal kisses whenever he wanted, and make love to her wherever he thought they had a semblance of privacy.

And making love to Oliver St. Vincent was not just purely sensual and erotic. It was also fun. Aliya had never spent too much time laughing while watching a man strip in full daylight with the sunlight spilling behind him; she had never had to break from the heady, steamy desire of being consumed by him just to laugh out loud at a remark he rumbled against her ear; and Aliya had never been tickled mercilessly in bed until she was weeping.

Then, there were moments when hilarity and waywardness would leave him, and he would just look at her with tenderness and passion. She often found herself searching for him at the most unexpected moments whenever the picture of him silently unbuttoning his shirt would flash in her mind. Those rare moments when he would allow her to see the different side of him—the solemn, enigmatic Oliver St. Vincent.

When they were not naked or hiding behind closed doors to ravish each other, Aliya and Oliver spent their time walking along the beach during the morning after his run and at night after they had their tea.

For five days, they did not discuss anything but the number of moles he counted all over her body, or how he would wake her up at night and start to slowly make love to her until she was wanton with desire.

She also witnessed him grab a drink whenever he could. He would do so after they made love when he thought she was asleep; he would steal a few moments to be alone in the study where she knew he was emptying a bottle of brandy. Aliya knew he was aware of the problem and she wanted him to willingly figure out on his own how to address it. And so she let him. She did not distract him as she was initially inclined to do. No, distraction was never a good strategy. Perhaps in the future, when she could no longer stand the uncontrollable habit, they would find a way to reach a compromise.

With Aliya choosing to be temporarily blind to Oliver's drinking, the five, glorious days they shared alone were free of any serious discussions. No secrets were shared, and no plans for the future were brought up.

Ultimately, it was Oliver who finally broke the spell during one of their nightly walks. The water was quite harsh that night, the wind blowing harder than it did the previous day.

"We have to discuss our married life now, Ali," he said, eliciting a chuckle from her. "I am very serious, wife."

"I know, but you must hear yourself. You address the matter as if it is one of your many experiments."

"Any relationship is an experiment. There are tests and trials to go through. There is an ultimate result. And in our case, I wish for this experiment to be a success."

She looped her arm around his. "Then what do you wish to discuss? Both of us are new to this."

"For one, how is this supposed to work?"

She frowned. "Well, I do not know. My father was a killer."

"And mine sawed limbs."

"Your mother might have an inkling."

"My mother is a dead woman."

"But Ollie, surely you must have witnessed how they managed to make their marriage work!"

He did not answer for a long while and when he did, Aliya's jaw clenched. "They never kept secrets." Noting her reaction, he said, "But we are different, darling. We are a different breed, the two of us."

Aliya paused in her tracks and her husband did the same. Facing her, he ran his fingers through her hair and push them to the other side before he cupped her face with his large hand. "Now that you are out of Belcourt, I assume that there is something you must do."

She smiled, leaning into his hand. "Yes."

"And you could not have done it while you were a Belle?"

"No."

He leaned his forehead against hers. "Because if Belcourt finds out, you will be punished."

"Sometimes, I wonder if I can even keep you safe by keeping my secrets. You always seem to know how to draw them out of me."

Laughter rumbled out of his chest and he sighed, pulling her closer. "Do you know what else I wish to draw from you?"

Aliya shivered when she felt his hand furtively work on the buttons of her back. "What?" she inquired, chuckling at their wickedness, looking over his shoulder and hers to see if anyone was about. Her hand slid down to unclasp the band of his trousers as soon as she realized that nothing but the harsh waves and the open night sky stood witness.

"I want to draw the loudest cry from you," he said in between soft, light kisses.

"Do not dare me, Ollie," she said, slipping her hand inside his trousers, biting his lower lip as he groaned. "I howl like the wind."

*****

Their arrival back in Strait was respectively reported on the Sutherland Post, followed by the arrival of Natalia and Ellise, much to Aliya and Oliver's disappointment.

"We thought you said you will be staying in Coulway for the season?" Oliver asked.

"We were," Natalia said wryly.

"And Father?"

"Coulway, where else? He takes every chance to announce that his son is now married."

"And why are you here again?"

"Your sister is proving to be rather difficult."

"Being difficult was not my goal. I meant to be impossible," Ellise droned from the corner of the room, dressed in a white shirt and a pair of buckskins.

"If you have the time, Aliya, will you be her companion?" Natalia asked. "Show her how a season should be enjoyed."

"Now, mother, my wife has things to do—" Oliver started to protest, but Aliya stopped him, saying, "I will be happy to do so, Natalia. I may be visiting Coulway soon."

"Thank you. We are also here because of a more pressing concern than Ellise's inability to enjoy the season in Coulway," Natalia said, ringing for Jason. "The two of you should change for the afternoon. We have callers on the way. Unless you have not noticed, you are the talk of the town again. It is best we feed these people's curiosity and have them move on to the next big gossip."

The days that followed were busy. Aliya had to endure afternoons with Natalia's friends and she also grew to understand why Oliver insisted for Lady Jane's two granddaughters to be called the dogs. On the second afternoon that she had to suffer the two young girl's wrath, she told Oliver that she 'would rather suffer watching him open a cat than spend another hour with the two dogs!'—her very own words.

Ellise was often inside her bedchamber doing whatever it was that interested her, and Aliya would either find that a convenience or a frustrating situation, depending on her mood.

By the third week of April, Aliya and Oliver had their first argument.

It was all because her mother-in-law made a trip to the modiste.

It happened while Aliya was doing her accounting in the library when he suddenly burst inside, clearly in rage.

"My mother had a trip to the modiste, Ali," he said, eliciting a groan from her.

"I do not see it as a problem, Ollie."

"Ah, but I do, darling, most particularly when Natalia St. Vincent is privy to your activities."

She closed her notebook and sighed. "They are just gowns, Ollie."

"Yes, they are, but my mother does not see it that way. She is enraged that you found the need to sell your gowns and demanded if I am giving my wife enough allowance!"

"You give me an allowance."

"And clearly, it is not enough—and that was Ellise who said that." He paced around the study, brushing his fingers through his growing hair. And then he stopped and turned to her sharply. "I will not question why you need more money, Ali, but I wish to express my concerns."

She slowly nodded, unsure if she wanted to hear his sentiments. He carefully walked closer; his eyes boring into hers. "Although I do accept you have secrets, Aliya, and I do have feelings for you, I still abhor Belcourt. Your secrecy does not help either, but I do understand for it is to keep us safe—for now. And although I do trust you, I still have my moments of doubt."

"Ollie, I told you that my loyalty lies with you." She raised her hand to show her ring. "This is proof of that."

"You are loyal to me, yes, to a point. But why do I get the feeling that you are still loyal to Belcourt? Your friends send you missives—your Belle friends—and you respond in kind. You go out for tea with Sasha whenever you get the chance. I know you take trips to Maple Row and God knows what you keep there. And as much of a rational being as I am, I still cannot help the questions—Why did you want to get out? I know what Belles do. Am I a mission? Am I your mission?"

"You said you will be patient."

"I am trying to be, which is why I try to answer those questions myself. They are not for you." He added the last statement with frustration.

"Ollie, Belcourt has been my home for years. Of course, I will still keep in touch with my friends. Sasha is new in Strait and barely has any friends. Of course, I will be her friend. It is best to hide in plain sight. If I start to cut ties, I will only draw more attention upon myself." His jaw clenched and Aliya sight. He was finding it hard to understand. "You abhor Belcourt. Do you think I feel the same?" she asked.

"Is that not why you wanted to get out?"

"No. I have many reasons why I wanted to leave Belcourt, but hatred toward the institution and the women inside was not part of it. Why would I hate Belcourt? It was I who begged them to take me in. It was I who was rescued by them. Do I find Belcourt bad? No, I do not. Do I agree with their ways? In many ways, no. Then should I also say the same for England and France and the other powerful nations?"

He groaned. "I feel you are going to give me a long thorough speech."

"I will because I do need to make a point. Belcourt is a society, Ollie. Just like Sutherland and the other powerful nations that take care of their own. Belcourt preserves itself by making allies and outwitting their enemies. Just like how other kingdoms invade places that did not want to be bothered. Even Sutherland is sending help to win a war. Why? To help one kingdom win over another? We say we are trying to help and it is for a good cause. But how certain are we that we are not doing so to prove our power? Do we simply believe we are being the good allies because Sutherland says so? Because England says so?

"Hartcaster told me stories during his travels with his wife. They saw how the people the rich countries say they are trying to help suffer. England and the other allies of Sutherland—they tell us we are bringing good to these people and we believe them blindly. We do not know what happens in the war, do we? Yet we still send our soldiers to fight because that is what we are told.

"Belcourt is the same. Most of the women inside believe we are bringing good to the children. And not just the children, Ollie. We also have to take care of the older ladies of Belcourt, the ones housed in different places in Sutherland, now free to live their lives for they had given enough of their years. Belcourt takes care of its young and old in exchange for the freedom of the younger ladies. It builds allies and spy on their enemies, all to preserve their power and protect those under their governance."

Aliya paused, surprised that she was defending Belcourt now. For many years, she had wanted nothing but to get out, and when she managed to do so, the first thing she did was stand for Belcourt.

"Do you blame me for the Gambler?"

"Of course not," he said with disgust.

"Then perhaps my mother? She should have done something, yes? She knew the kind of man she married. But then a woman is powerless in society, even in her own family. Belcourt gives women power, Ollie. We are our own person when we are outside Belcourt and we have qualities not all women in Sutherland have. Yes, we have uncomfortable laws that we even have to follow after we are free. But every society has laws that do not ring well with everyone. Every society cannot please its constituents. I am not the only one who wants a life outside Belcourt, but we are but a minority for the rest of Belcourt believes in Belcourt and they offer what they can. Not with money, but with loyalty and service.

"So, is Belcourt evil? No, I would not say so. Does Belcourt have a problem? Yes, most definitely, but so does every society with a system. Like most societies, Belcourt may have a rotten core, but do not blame the entire fruit when the problem is in the roots. If you are a member of the Royal Circus, you must also believe that Sutherland is suffering the same disease. The kingdom is rotten because you believe we do not have the rightful king and I personally do not care who sits in the throne because I have been raised in a different society with struggles of my own.

"I wanted to get out of Belcourt because I do not believe in some of its ways, not because I abhor it. I still hold Belcourt dear to my heart because it was the only family I had. Is it not the same with those who left Sutherland to seek a better life somewhere else?"

They stared at each other for a long moment, measuring each other's resolve.

Finally, her husband let out a resigned sigh. "Very well, I see your point. You are defending Belcourt as I would my eccentric family whom I would love to disown as much as I would hate to leave."

"Good. I am glad that you respect my point."

But he was not done. He looked into her eyes and said, "But I want to understand, Ali—if you can please tell me—why you need more money."

Aliya blinked and looked away.

"Is it Delaney? I remember you have a sister, Ali. When you went to Belcourt, did you also bring her with you?" He peered down at her. "Delaney is in Belcourt, is she not?"