She had not spoken to Paul in twelve of the last twenty-four hours, and their marriage was little older than this. Her whole delicate and beautiful world had been rent asunder it seemed, and for hours she had actually contemplated thoughts of leaving him forever. Dear God! What a horrible first night together! The way he had come at her! It was just inconceivable for her to imagine that her gentle and lovable Paul could have transformed into such a brutal sex animal; yet, he had, and as she continued her quickened step toward the quarters of Doctor Leduc, the ship's acting physician, the shockingly repulsive nightmare flashed through her pain-filled mind again and again.

What had done this abhorrent thing to him… brought on such a vile metamorphosis? She tried to think, to put events together prior to their little embarrassing departure from the lounge when he had hustled her off to their stateroom. He had been so sweet, so gentle, so loving all day, constantly touching her, his handsome smile almost a perpetual expression when he looked at her. Dear God, she had never been so happy in her entire life.

She recalled that they had just met Doctor Leduc and joined him with some of the other passengers to toast a glass of champagne in celebration of their embarkation, when suddenly Paul had whisked her away with hardly an apology, the group's knowing little smiles and winks following after them and causing her to blush. Even so, she had gone with her new husband readily, filled with the excitement of anticipation her own self.

The time had come and she trembled with elation inside. She had truly looked forward to this first night with him, preparing herself mentally for weeks to make certain she entered the marital relationship with the proper attitude. She loved her Paul so very, very much. She knew that he resented her not giving herself to him before marriage, that he insisted it just wasn't being done anymore, but she had vowed that theirs was going to be a canonically ideal union in the true time-honored tradition. It was that important to her… that they should share a mutual respect and understanding for one another from the very onset, and above all, that he entertain no doubt but what he alone was the only man ever to possess her.