Amala had long ago become accustomed to the way marriage was treated as the most important factor in their culture and society. She assumed it was the same in any culture, even if the process through which it was achieved might vary greatly from one culture to another. But here in this society, all men and women of marriageable age were either preoccupied continually with putting themselves into the path of anyone of the opposite gender who was considered a suitable match, or they had to tolerate other people pushing them into that path. Once people were married, society seemed to constantly be interested in assessing whether or not it was a good marriage, which—as far as Amala could see—was based on evidence that seemed entirely superficial. A great deal of gossip could be nurtured out of any indication of infidelity in a marriage. But the measurement of a good wife seemed to be how well she added grace and support to her husband socially and whether or not she gave him children—especially a son who could carry on family titles and traditions. Amala rarely if ever heard any assessments of whether or not a married couple was happy or content with their choice. It was only here, within the walls of her own home, that such a thing seemed to matter. Oliver and Viola were obviously very happy in the relationship they shared. Amala and Kit had both seen evidence of many disagreements between their parents, and what they shared was certainly less than perfect. But their trust and commitment and mutual respect were evident. Still, among society in general, such priorities in making a suitable match in marriage were never discussed. She only heard about whether or not each party could bring wealth into the marriage, and exactly how much. Love was only mentioned now and then as something that wasn’t necessarily important but that perhaps would grow after marriage, and if it didn’t that was fine as long as the match was proper and suitable. And those were words Amala had come to hate, mostly because she knew that she was considered completely improper and unsuitable in every way.