The Secrets of Darkling Manor

Nineteen: Aleksander Morozova

Nineteen 

Alina recuperated. She took her medicine, and he had her lay low several days. Finally, when it had been nearly two weeks since she arrived at the manor, they went into the city to his doctor and had her checked over again.

"Well Mrs. Morozova," Doctor Minsk said, "you seem to be all clear."

"All clear?" Aleksander said, hardly daring to believe it.

"All clear. There's no sign of trauma, you finished your prescription, and you said the headaches seemed to have stopped?"

Alina nodded with a smile on her face. "Everything's been going very well. Aleksander's been staying home and taking care of me. It's actually helped bring us all closer together as a family."

"Yes, I've gotten to play the doting husband," said Aleksander, "it's been the best role of my life."

Doctor Minsk smiled. "Well, I'm pleased to hear that. And there have been no other incidents?"

Aleksander coughed. "What do you mean, incidents?"

"I mean," Doctor Minsk said, "no falling, or----"

"I know exactly what you mean, Doctor," he hissed, "and how dare you imply that I would do anything to hurt my wife! She has healed from her injury, I took care of her, and you have no reason to try to accuse me of this."

Alina glanced at him. "Aleks, it's alright. The doctor was just trying to make certain that I was okay."

"He was insinuating something I didn't like," said Aleksander, "an idea clearly put into his head by that country doctor that he's also partners with. Thank you, Doctor. We'll be leaving now. Come on, Alina."

He took her by the hand and the two of them stormed out of the doctor's office together.

"Aleks, slow down," she said as they walked to the car, "are you alright?"

He sighed. "The doctor is impertinent."

"He was only worried," Alina said, "he didn't mean any harm. We're a young, newly married couple and I came in with a head injury several days after getting married. Twice. It was only natural."

"How can you be so calm about it?"

She shrugged. "I was bounced around from foster home to foster home. People have called the agency for less. They mean well, but sometimes bumps and scrapes just happen. Anyway, I'd rather have people err on the side of too cautious than those that see things and don't say anything."

Aleksander frowned. "Did anything like that happen with you?"

Alina shook her head. "No. I was one of the lucky ones. Mal was around a lot even when I didn't get adopted, and no one wanted to risk pissing his family off. He usually showed up at least once if he was able to early on in my stay to make sure I was being treated well."

"Why didn't his family adopt you too?" Aleksander said. "I know my cousins. They've money enough. Not my kind of money, but money."

She shrugged. "I don't know, to be completely honest. There was some talk in the beginning of us being adopted together. Everyone at the orphanage knew we were close, but for some reason, they just decided on him. Never did figure out why."

"And you didn't ask?"

"There isn't much point on dwelling on something like that. It will drive you crazy. Besides, what does it matter what didn't happen in the past? Everything turned out exactly the way that it should. I met you, and married you didn't I?"

He smiled. "Yes, you did." He took something out from his pocket. "Oh, I meant to tell you. I got your name changed on your driver's license. And your passport. Everything happened so quickly with us, I thought that we could go on a trip somewhere. A real honeymoon. Would you like that? Now that you're all healed, and I can spend days having my way with you just the way we want?"

She let out a little shriek of excitement. "Aleks, are you serious?"

"Of course," he said, "and then when we come back, I thought we could get to work on the renovations for the manor. Make it our own, instead of that grim shell that it is right now."

"Yes," she stood on tip toe to kiss him, "yes, yes, yes to all of it."

He smirked. "Good. I'm looking forward to our honeymoon then. I can't wait to make you say that for an entirely different reason, Mrs. Morozova."

"I look forward to that, Mr. Morozova," she said with a smile, "but, what about Genya? Will she be coming with us?"

He shook his head. "Absolutely not. We'll take her on another trip somewhere else, but no. She'll stay with Baghra and be taken care of."

"Are you sure that's wise?" Alina asked. "She's quite old, and Genya might be a handful for her."

Aleksander laughed. "Baghra's tough. She'll be fine. And Genya's been doing better."

"I suppose so," she said, "although I don't want her to think this means we're going to start doing this all the time to her."

"I'll talk to her," said Aleksander, "and we'll bring her back a nice souvenir."

"Well, if we're bringing her back a souvenir then, everything should be splendid."

"Exactly," he said, "splendid, indeed."

Then he kissed her again, and the two of them went home.