"Well, that could have gone better," Gaston said once the Golds had left. Ruby had to agree with his assessment of the situation, but she wasn't entirely sure what had happened. She had the distinct feeling that she was missing something big.

"I don't understand," Lord Maurice said, sounding more than a little dazed. "She was better. The last time I saw her she was better."

Nobody spoke for a long time, and finally Ruby exchanged a look with her grandmother, prompting the older woman to announce she needed to lay down. Lord Maurice excused himself soon after and Ruby was finally left alone with her fiance.

"You lied to me," she said simply. "Or at least, you didn't tell me the whole story about your cousin."

"I didn't lie," he replied defensively. "I told you she had a nervous disposition."

"You didn't tell me she couldn't handle loud noises," Ruby said. "Or that she couldn't carry on a conversation. And her husband hardly took his eyes off her the entire time. He knew something was wrong, and so did you and your uncle. And while we're on the subject, how does a Viscount's daughter - a young and pretty one at that - end up married to an untitled man old enough to be her father? You didn't tell me something."

He didn't argue; he simply sat there looking guilty for a few minutes.

"I need to know what is going on," Ruby continued. "Whatever it is can't be too terrible, can it?"

"You're right," he said with a sigh. "I did hold something back, but I'd hoped once you met Belle she'd make such a good impression that you wouldn't judge her."

"Judge her for what?" Ruby said, frustrated. Were men always so difficult?

"You know I was engaged to Belle before her marriage to Mr. Gold," he replied and she nodded. "But the reason it was broken is that Belle, well, she was compromised about six months before the wedding."

That made some sense - it certainly explained her choice of husband at least - but it didn't explain her jumping at shadows and the way everyone else had known to watch for it. Ruby wasn't naive; she had been in business a long time and that had brought her into contact with people she otherwise might not have known and she had never seen a compromised bride who had that same haunted look in her eyes.

"What precisely do you mean by 'compromised?'" she asked, already beginning to suspect.

"We were at a house party," he said slowly as though dreading what came next. "And a man forced himself on her when she was alone. She's been a little...erratic ever since."

Suddenly, the entire situation made sense. Everything from his fishing for a bride in the States (and his obvious discomfort in doing so) to his easy acceptance of her prior engagement to the broken plate still on the floor of the parlour.

"So you were afraid I'd say no to your proposal if I knew about your cousin," Ruby said before he could admit it himself. Not that she particularly blamed him for trying to cover it up, but his fear had been entirely unwarranted.

"Are you very angry?" he asked her, and a part of her was, but mostly she just felt pity for him for having been so afraid of this and for his cousin who had obviously been seriously damaged by the whole affair.

"I'm annoyed you kept it a secret for so long," she said. "And maybe I should be angry, but honestly I hadn't been interested in the social benefits of marrying you to begin with, I was only ever going through with this so I could be married to you, you silly man."

He smiled and went to take her hand but she snatched it away playfully.

"I'm still peeved at you," she scolded him teasingly. "And you're going to have to make it up to me before I let you back into my good graces."

"Of course," he replied gallantly. "Whatever you like, it shall be done."

"Oh shall it?" she replied. "Well, first things first, I'm going to need you to introduce me to the horses because I am in dire need of a ride. And on the way, you're going to tell me about every other with a tragic past you have."

He smiled and this time she let him take her hand and tuck it into the crook of his arm so he could lead her to the stables. At least now all his cards were finally in the table, and if this was the worst skeleton her fiance had in his closet, then she was going to count herself lucky.

oOo

Belle almost felt silly by the time they got home. Rhys' reassurance that he had no intention of having her locked up in the attic like a madwoman had given her an intense feeling of relief. When the carriage had stopped, Rhys stepped out to help her down.

"Would you like to take a nap?" he asked her.

"Will you come with me?" she replied, not wanting to be apart from him just yet.

"Anything you like," he said, following her up the stairs and waiting quietly by the door while she sent Lizzie out of the room.

"Can you help me with my dress?" she asked, turning to let him see the row of tiny buttons running up her back.

Rhys nodded and came behind her and she felt him work on the closures carefully.

"How in the hell does Lizzie manage these?" he asked at length. "There are so many of them!"

"Very carefully I'd imagine," Belle replied cheekily. "Though if you're nice to me I may show you where the buttonhook is."

He growled a little and she caught a long suffering look in the mirror that had her smiling at him. She took pity and retrieved the tool from its place on her vanity.

Once he was properly equipped, he made quick work of her dress and corset, leaving her in her chemise and stockings. From there, she turned around and unbuttoned his jacket and waistcoat, draping both over the changing screen along with her gown. He removed his own cufflinks and she guided him to sit on the stool of the vanity so she could help him take off his shoes. It was a quiet sort of intimacy to help him undress, even if it was just down to his shirtsleeves.

Belle led him into her bed without a hint of anxiety, and she marveled a bit at the realization that she harbored no fear of him. The past few days since they had finally consummated their marriage had been filled with so much emotion that she hadn't even had time to notice it but here she was, sure of her safety and her love of him in spite of everything else.

Once they were under the covers she curled up to him instantly. Even from the beginning, she had always found Rhys' scent soothed her, and she needed soothing. He was warm and comfortable and she loved him so much it felt like her heart might burst with it sometimes.

"Will you tell me a story?" she asked once she was comfortably settled. "I like listening to your voice."

And he comforted her, and she was still a little on edge.

"I don't know any stories, sweetheart," he said softly, rubbing her back slowly.

"Didn't you ever read to Neal when he was a boy?"

"Of course," he replied. "But I hope you understand why I might not want to tell my wife about Goldilocks or Red Riding Hood."

She hummed a little in acknowledgment of what he'd said, but another thought had come to her now.

"Do you want more children?" she asked him.

"Why do you ask?"

"You've never really given me a straight answer about them," she replied honestly. "And I'm your wife, I feel like I have a stake in the matter."

He sighed deeply, pulling her tighter to him.

"I'm much older than you," he said at last, as though she hadn't realized that.

"So?"

"I won't be here forever, my love."

"I know," she said, although it was something she tried not to think about as much as possible. "But I'm not sure what that has to do with children."

"I just hate the idea of you being left to raise them by yourself," he said. "Or of them being left alone if something were to happen to you."

"I wouldn't be alone," she replied. "I have my family and we have enough money to support them regardless. And I'm sure Neal wouldn't let his siblings starve anyway, even if I did die."

He seemed to be casting about for an argument to give to that, so she continued.

"And in any respect," she said as she sat up on her elbows to face him. "Do you really think I'll miss you less when you're gone if we never have any children?"

"I don't," he admitted. "But they certainly won't make it easier."

"I'm going to be devastated either way," she replied. "But I want to have children with you. I like the idea of them - of us, really. I like the idea of being a proper family and of a baby who's a mix of the two of us. In any event, I'm not saying I want a dozen of them or even to have them tomorrow. I just want to know that maybe at some point in the future we could have one or two. I'm sure you were a wonderful father, and I'd like to see that."

He nodded but didn't reply beyond wrapping her in his arms and pulling her back into his chest.

"If you don't want to, just say so," she continued. "I just want to know where we stand."

"I'm not saying no," he replied. "If you want children and understand my concerns, then I won't second guess you."

"Really?" she asked. "You're sure?"

"I am," he said gently. "I certainly won't be the oldest man to ever father a child at any rate."

She smiled and snuggled into him again.

"I do understand," she replied. "But knowing you won't be here someday just makes me want to make the most of whatever time we do have, because I know it won't ever be enough."

He tipped her chin up and leaned down to kiss her tenderly.

"Let's not rush, though?" he said softly. "I do like just having you to myself for right now."

"I can wait," she replied. "Though I'm not entirely sure how you plan to go about doing that if we're going to be...intimate. Don't children just come when they come?"

He smiled at her indulgently and kissed her again.

"There are things we can try," he said at last. "Different devices, or me not finishing inside of you. We can discuss them later, though. For now, I believe I was promised a nap."

She sighed and grumbled and pretended like she was put out by the request before settling her head against his shoulder and letting the sound of his breathing lull her to sleep.

oOo

Rhys didn't sleep as Belle dozed. Instead, he watched over her and thought about what she'd said. It was strange to think about having children again. It hadn't been something he'd really thought about before Belle, but now that the idea had been presented to him he was becoming more and more attached to it. He didn't want to get his hopes up, because Belle did have a tendency to react to moments of fear or stress by trying to push forward with some other aspect of her life, but this wasn't the first time she'd mentioned wanting children and if she was really serious about it then they would decide on that in a few months or so when it came up again.

For now, though, he was content to just have her safe and sound and the hope of another child. He'd loved being a father the first time, and this time Belle would be there, too. The thought of her as a mother was lovely. She was affectionate and patient; he'd seen her with Grace. She would be amazing at it if this was what she really wanted. He wouldn't delude himself into thinking that Belle was better by any means - she had been sobbing in his arms on the floor of a carriage for fear he'd have her committed not two hours ago - but she was better than she had been when they had first married, and for right now he was satisfied with that. She didn't have nightmares every day anymore, and her bad days didn't seem quite as bad as they had been. If all that ever happened was that she began to get better, that would be enough.

The news that she'd been locked away after she'd been hurt hadn't been as surprising as it should have been. It made a fair amount of sense given her agoraphobia and the way she paced incessantly when she was nervous. He hated to think of that happening to her, because she had such an active mind and the idea of her being trapped away in a room somewhere with no books or any access to the outside world...the fact that she'd tried to kill herself was hardly unexpected. He didn't think he'd have had her emotional fortitude in the same position. He'd never let that happen to her again. If he couldn't promise her anything else, he could promise that. She'd never be locked away as long as he had any say in the matter.

There was a strand of hair that had fallen across Belle's lips in her sleep, and he brushed it away. She stirred a little and opened her eyes drowsily.

"Hey," she said. "How long did I sleep?"

"Not long," he replied. "Maybe half an hour."

"Oh, well I feel a lot better," she said. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For being here," she said, resting her chin on his chest to look at him. "And taking care of me when I'm sad."

"You don't have to thank me for that," he said, brushing her hair back from her face again. "I believe there was something in the vows about love, honor, and protect."

She sighed languidly and gave him a smile that was so pretty he felt his heart skip a beat.

"You are truly splendid," he said. "Absolutely entrancing."

"Fascinating?" she said teasingly, letting her fingers trace along the column of buttons on his shirt.

"Radiant," he replied. "Transcendent."

She giggled and rolled on top of him, kissing him sweetly before sitting up so she was straddling his hips.

"What else?" she asked, her fingers beginning to work the buttons of his shirt open.

His mouth went dry when he realized what she wanted, and he was about to ask her if she was sure this was what she wanted, but she'd had enough of people refusing to accept her choices. He wouldn't be yet another person telling her that she didn't know her own mind.

"Dazzling," he said as she began working his shirt off. "Stunning, exquisite, graceful…"

"I have the names of several dance instructors who might argue that last one," she replied before moving down to work his trousers open.

"It's a different kind of grace," he tried to explain through the distraction of his trousers coming off and his cock deciding to spring to attention. "You're graceful like a bird or a river. Like a breeze."

"Do you even know what you're saying?" she said with a laugh that lit up her face.

"No idea," he admitted. "But I do love watching you."

Belle was straddling his hips again and he felt the silk of her stockings against his sides and he was so in love with her. He had his hands pressed against the headboard, but she ran her hands up his arms to pull them down, setting his palms on her legs.

"I want you to touch me this time," she said, blushing and not quite meeting his eyes. "I'm not afraid of you."

He slid his hands up her thighs to caress her hips. She was caught in a beam of light and she looked ethereal as she traced her fingers across his chest and his belly, seemingly fascinated by him for some reason. He massaged her thighs gently, finding her garters and picking at them gently until the ribbons came undone.

"Will you take off your shift?" he asked, and she nodded and cast it off quickly. He didn't think he could ever get tired of looking at her, especially as she rose up on her knees and lowered herself over him slowly.

He couldn't believe his luck that she'd somehow decided there was something in him worth loving and wanting. It defied all logic, and yet here she was. He moved his hand tentatively towards her center and when she didn't flinch or startle, he started stroking her as she rode him. He drew her towards her peak even as he came closer and closer to his own climax. It was all he could do to hold on as she shook over him and collapsed at his side, leaving him to finish himself by hand.

When they were both spent and satisfied, he held her in his arms and kept the world away for just a little bit longer. He didn't know how many years he'd have with Belle, but he didn't intend to waste any of them.