Louisa stood at the window of her hotel room gazing outside but seeing nothing at all. Her bags were already packed and sitting beside the door. She had barely slept at all last night. The violent scene of Yuri pummeling her father in the cemetery had played on a constant loop in her head. The shock and fear had waned hours ago, giving rise to something else. Relief for sure and awe maybe? Someone had finally put her father in his place. For once it was her abuser's blood that was shed and his bones that were broken.

She adjusted her shoulders and rubbed her neck in an effort to work out some of the knots. Yuri's eyes had held that same expression her father's always had when his fists flew: blank, emotionless, but determined, displaying the intent intent to kill. His eyes had no longer glowed with a gentle heat like the embers of a warming fire. She would swear they turned blood red, gleaming with the desire to kill, fueled by the anger that had ignited his violent temper.

A cold tingle raced up her spine and burst across the base of her skull. Shaking her head rapidly to dispel the image of Yuri's wrathful eyes. Still shiver, she hugged her arms around her waist in an attempt to comfort herself. She found herself wishing it was Yuri's arms embracing her. Heat rushed up her neck and spread across her face.

"Oh, my," she gasped, pressing her cool, clammy palm to her heated cheek. "What am I going to do with that man?"

How could that cute, extremely awkward and sometimes goofy man instantly transformed into an instrument of death bent on annihilating her father with his fists? Yuri had come to her rescue. She knew would never hurt her. His only desire was to protect her.

"Oh, mom," she sighed, tears welling in her eyes. "I wish you could have met this wonderful man. I'm sure you would have really liked him."

The knock on the door startled her out of her rumination and sadness before she could begin crying in earnest, mourning for her mother.

"Yes?" she sniffed, swiping at her eyes when her fast blinking inadvertently squeezed out a tear.

"It's me," Yuri said, his soft voice making her smile while warmth radiated from her chest to fill her insides.

Louisa never would have imagine two simple words, a declaration of his presence, could fill her with such a sense of comfort and safety. And happiness.

"Are you ready to go? We should be getting to the train station."

"I'm ready," she replied, striding toward the door.

Her breath caught in her throat when she opened the door to see him standing there, a pleasant smile on his face. Her heart beat faster while looking at the face of the unusual man she had unexpectedly fallen in love with. Their relationship was only supposed to be pretend; a mutually beneficial ruse. But then they both found themselves in something unexpected. Accidentally in love.

"Here," he said, reaching for her suitcase. "Let me take that for you."

"No, I - " The words froze on her tongue when his hand touched hers. His slightly calloused fingers pushed under hers to wrestle the handle away from tight grip. She decided not to protest, not to insist on doing it alone when she did not have to anymore. "Thank you."

"I'm surprised you didn't smack me and tell me you could do it yourself," he said, giving her a bashful grin, a light blush on his flawless porcelain cheeks.

Louisa chuckled self-consciously, pushing her hair behind her ear.

"I'm not accustomed to having someone to take care of me," she admitted.

"Well, get used to it. I'm not going anywhere."

"I hope not," she giggled, hooking her arm through his when extended his elbow from his side like a wing. When he lowered his arm, he pulled her in close to walk beside him.

"I always want you by my side, Lulu."

Louisa bit her lower lip to avoid having her smile spread from ear to ear and look just plain silly. She pushed at the band of the engagement ring on her finger, twisting it around her finger.

"So are we going to make the big announcement to your family at dinner tonight?" she inquired, squeezing his arms to her side.

"To our family?" he corrected with a sidelong glance at her and a smile on his face. "I thought we should. I mean, I'm sure they will ask questions once they see the ring. We should stop by the florist to buy flowers for Yor. A cake! We need a cake too. Get a bottle of champagne maybe?" he suggested causing her body to stiffen at the prospect of him drinking. "Only one glass for me, I swear. We have something important to celebrate."

"You're right. It is something very important."

Once settled into their private compartment on the train, Louisa sat beside him on the seat covered in burgundy fabric embroidered with gold thread. She felt like a queen traveling in such lavish style. If she had made the trip by herself, she would have bought a general ticket sitting in a regular car packed with people. Her tummy grumbled and groaned reminding her they had not yet eaten breakfast.

"Oh, dear," she gasped, pressing her hand to her fussy empty belly.

"Shall we go to the club car once we get going?" Yuri asked, taking her other hand in his.

"That would be great. I should have packed snacks," she murmured, silently berating herself for not planning ahead. But this had been a spur of the moment trip, and he had helped her by planning everything when she could not even think straight due to shock and grief over her mother's death.

"Don't worry about that," he said, pushing her hair behind her ear while looking at her with gentle eyes. "I'll take care of you."

Louisa threaded her fingers through his as if to get a more secure grip on him in case some unforeseen force tried to pull him away from her. He was one of the few good things life had brought to her, and she did not want anything or anyone to take him away. Lowering her eyes from his before the tender emotion overwhelmed her, she studied the hand she held clutched in hers.

His hand was not exceptionally large but it was warm and strong. The skin on the back was white, delicate, and smooth. His fingers were long and tapered. His fingertips were calloused. Yuri's hands could have been the hands of a piano player or artist - someone meant to bring life and beauty to this world. He could bring pain and death. She hoped only to those who deserved it.

Louisa gulped to push down the lump in her throat. Her fingertips brushed across his knuckles feeling the rough reddened surface of his abraded skin. Light purple bruising extended past the borders the borders of the scrapes he had received when his fists had made contact with her father's teeth.

"Yuri," she murmured, stroking the injured knuckles.

"Hmmm?"

"Will you tell me...honestly..." She audibly gulped again. "Can you tell me? What is it you really do?"

"What?"

Louisa lifted her eyes to meet his, stroking the back of his hand with her fingertips. "These aren't the hands of a diplomatic liaison."

There was no way to miss his visibly blanching at her words. She pressed her other hand to the back of his, feeling the injuries to his knuckles scraping her palm.

"Wh-what do you m-mean?" Yuri stammered, forcing a smile to his lips.

"What is your job really? Why do you need to know how to fight like that?"

"Well, uh..." His fingers flexed around the hand he held while his eyes shifted nervously around the compartment. "Uhm, well, I...uh, you know, I am a political liaison. I frequently travel to foreign countries and often deal with contentious political affairs. Sometimes those become volatile situations that can erupt into a fist fight." He cleared his throat, pulling at his tie. "Or worse. It isn't odd I should know how to protect myself. You know, tempers flare, things out of hand, and I need to take action to protect myself and others."

Her fingers peeled back his forefinger rubbed across the pad then moved down to the knuckle. She repeated the movement with the other three fingers and his thumb. There were pressure callouses worn on all of his fingers as if he often held tightly onto something extremely hard like the handle of a pistol or a knife. The skin on his forefinger was particularly thick, hardened from pulling a trigger. She recognized it because as a police officer, her father had one of those. She had felt it a time or two when he placed his hand around her neck or slapped her face.

Louisa shook her head, smiling at him. "No, that's not it. You're a terrible liar, Yuri Briar. If you're going to be my husband, I need to know who you really are."

"Lulu," he sighed, sadness filtering into his eyes. "All you need to know is I have a very important job. I work for the government. It is my duty to ensure the safety of my country and every citizen in it. I live, I work, I fight, for everyone." He cupped her jaw with his free hand while she squeezed his other between hers. "I will keep you safe. I will never hurt you."

"I do believe that, Yuri. Although I was frightened at first yesterday, I know you would never hurt me," she assured him, cupping his cheek in return while gazing into his eyes. "But just tell me, please. I want to know everything about you."

Yuri smiled, regretfully. He could not and would not tell her what he actually did for a living.

"You know enough. I can't tell you anything more, or I would be putting you in danger. And I can't do that," he said, covering her hand with his to press his cheek more firmly into it. "Please, Lulu, let it go. Just trust that I have our entire country's best interests at heart. I will do anything and everything within my power to protect you and Yor. You both mean everything to me."

Louisa believed him wholeheartedly. Would he often come home with unexplainable injuries? Just as long as he came home alive, it did not matter.

"Do you love me?" he asked, pulling her hand away to hold it in his.

"Of course I do," she sighed, giving him a smile on quivering lips.

"Do you still want to marry me?"

She nodded enthusiastically. "Oh, yes."

"May I kiss you?"

Louisa giggled, sheepishly glancing down to break his intense eye contact. "Are you always going to ask permission?"

"Not always."

She lifted her face, offering her lips to him. Her eyelids fluttered shut when he leaned toward her. His lips touched hers imparting an electrical tingle. Lips like velvet, fingertips like sandpaper but exciting in their contrast. Their slight roughness scratched at her cheek as his finger pressed against her cheek, tilting her head in order to fit her mouth perfectly to his. The pressure of the kiss intensified to convey the sincerity of his feelings.

Louisa resisted the urge to sigh loudly with contentment and a smidge of disappointment when his mouth broke free from hers. She kept her eyes closed, concentrating on regulating her breathing and calming her recklessly beating heart. She inhaled deeply when he pressed his forehead to hers, holding her face between his hands.

"I love you, Louisa Eleazor. You have made me the happiest man in the country by agreeing to become my wife," he whispered to her. "Do you really need to know anything more about me? Isn't that enough?"

"That's more than enough, Yuri."