Disclaimer: Ms. Meyer owns the original copyright. I own these characters & a survival badge after DD1's 10th b'day party with 7 girls. Oye.

Welcome to all of my new readers from my Under The Radar article on The Twilight Awards!

Another special thank you to Georgeygirl who urged me several months ago to write. I've spent a lot of hours on my laptop thanks to you, bb!

~EE~

Chapter 10: Rumors and relations

Bella turned in her half of the courting bench to face Lord Masen with an incredulous stare.

"Were you serious?" she whispered, all of the color draining from her face.

Bella knew that the moment Becca returned to the house, the entire staff would think he had proposed to her and by all rights, any sane woman in her position would have accepted. She was as good as wedded, bedded and with six children. How dare he pass this off so casually when it was her reputation on the line!

"About not caring what she tells the staff? Of course. I have no time for idle gossip and pay it no attention whatsoever."

"Of course not. You're male. You're a lord. You have a comfortable life with a steady income. You're beautiful. You're rich and you have huge tracts of land. Who cares what people say about you. Why should you give a shi…"

Lord Masen gently grabbed the hand Bella had been waving wildly while berating him, effectively stopping her tirade.

"Did you just paraphrase Monty Python to me?" he asked, tilting his head slightly. Bella would have sworn she heard him chuckle beneath the mask. His grip on her hand lessened slightly but neither made a move to pull away.

"I…I think I did." A deep crease furrowed her brow as she tried to remember who Monty Python is and what he had to do with anything. "Is he the prime minister or speaker? Where do I know that name?"

Bella shook her head as if it were an Etch-a-sketch she could clear and turned back toward the impassive mask of Lord Masen.

"What I mean is," she started with a squeak before clearing her throat and beginning again, "are you sincere with your proposal?"

"I…" started Lord Masen.

"There you are!" L exclaimed, bouncing down the walk with Mr. Lawrence following at a much more relaxed pace. "I was afraid you had gone on without us. Becca's doing just wonderfully, Lord Masen. Just needed a little faith and pixie dust, and she's now right as rain." L practically beamed at the couple who both seemed to be guilty of muttering choice words under their breath.

"Now, Lord Masen, Will here was so looking forward to you showing your stables. He said they made him homesick for Virginia," L smiled, looking up admiringly at her beau.

"I thought you said he was a Yankee, Auntie," Bella blurted out, secretly wishing the ground would swallow up her aunt so she could continue the conversation with Lord Masen. The proposal needed to be cleared up and damage control conducted immediately as far as she was concerned.

"Darling, where I'm from, anyone from further north is a Yankee. Ask Jasper. He'd agree with me. To him, I'm one! Isn't that the silliest thing? And most of Florida is as well, but that's another story. And since they don't become a state for another few decades, I'll let them worry about it."

L grabbed Bella by the arm and yanked her to her feet. "Come, come. Lots to see, lots to do." She pointed toward a gathering dark cloud. "Besides, getting in out the elements may be prudent. I don't think either of our dresses are particularly waterproof and we certainly don't want a wet t-shirt contest, do we? Chop chop, Lamb Chop."

L took Bella by the arm and marched her out of the garden and over the hill to the massive barn that housed half a dozen fine horses. Bella cast a pleading look over her shoulder as her aunt fairly dragged her down the walk.

Will and Lord Masen lagged behind, talking quietly to each other.

"She is a headstrong one, is she not?" Will smiled.

"Bella or L?"

"Both, actually, but in this case, L. Fine woman, L is. Bit silly at times, but quick witted. Kind. And Jesus in a petticoat, she's a control freak."

Lord Masen nodded knowingly as Will continued on, "I'd worry about a heart attack with her type A personality, but I don't think halvsies have those, do they? I've asked Carlisle about…"

Lord Masen waved Will off and lightly motioned toward Bella who was looking back at the two of them with another look of desperation as L talked and talked and talked some more. Thankfully, it was on safer, more stomach friendly topics than hog killings.

"It should work just fine," continued Will once Bella's attention was otherwise occupied. "L doesn't like the notion of hurting Bella. But I don't think we can wait any longer."

And it was true. Since Mr. Lawrence's arrival, L had been happier and as a result, the prior effects of her enchantments were disappearing at a mind-shattering rate. What had once been an overweight middle-aged woman with half-moon glasses and graying frizzy curls was rapidly morphing into something very, very different. Genetics would ensure that no one would call her petite by any means, but L was quickly approaching healthy weight status and her locks were turning back to their original golden brown, though they always would be a foreteller of weather to come. A curl-ometer, if you will. People were going to notice and since 1827 was long before the age of Weight Watchers, Botox, Restylane and fast-food style cosmetic surgeries, something had to be done before too many questions could be asked.

"I guess with your talent, we don't even need to be having this conversation out loud, do we?" Will continued.

Lord Masen shrugged, still carefully watching Bella and the sway of her hips as she walked carefully through the stable, lifting her pale blue dress ever so gently.

"'Twould seem odd if I were to answer you without them hearing the question unless reading minds is part of your talents as well," Lord Masen stated.

"No. Dabbling with the weather, yes, but mind reading, no thank you. I prefer some secrets, especially when it comes to a certain young lady."

"I can't hear Miss Swan."

"What?"

"Her thoughts are silent to me."

"No wonder you're so tied in knots over all of this. You have no idea how she feels about you, do you?"

The silence that met Will's question told more than any answer could.

L leaned over to whisper something into Bella's ear. Both women cast guilty glances back at Lord Masen and Will before laughing loudly, causing Will and Lord Masen to look over at the two who promptly covered their mouths with both hands and blushed bright red.

"Are you sure they aren't truly related," Lord Masen murmured.

Will shrugged with a shake of his head.

"L said that she just recently started learning about her family tree, but that she was certain of what she knew and then changed the subject. Rather quickly, too. Woman does keep her secrets, I've learned."

"She cannot lie," Lord Masen explained. "It is just part of her makeup. So she has gotten very good at partial truths or evasive answers."

"Makes sense, I suppose. As much researching as she does, I figured she knew something and that she avoided answering me intentionally."

"The woman who raised her was quite abusive. And with her being half-vampire, L cannot forget what was said and done," murmured Lord Masen, closely watching Bella scritch Twilight on the nose.

"I imagine it has been quite difficult for her."

"She has a very hard time letting anyone too close. Once you're in, though, she'll have your back to the bitter end. It just takes her a while to completely trust anyone."

"Good qualities to have."

"And yet, you appear in one day, and she is head over heels." Lord Masen did not even attempt to hide the jealousy from infiltrating his tone. "I can see you and L are going to be quite the couple."

"As long as she'll have me."

"She deserves to be happy. She has been alone a very long time."

Will nodded in agreement. "That makes two of us. Rather funny that we lived so close to each other at one time. Then came Lexington, and I moved around a bit helping take out the Redcoats. Twice. Fucking damn fools." Will continued to stare at L who cast him a quick look, smiling broadly upon catching his eye. "At least you did not have to wait two centuries to find your intended."

"What are you talking about? I haven't…"

"Please. Save the denials for someone younger and less experienced in the world. I have over two hundred years of watching people pair up, hook up, and make all sorts of long and short term connections. I have been here one day and can see how she has you ensnared. Instead of worrying about the what ifs, get your head out of your fucking ass and go ahead and enjoy a little happiness."

Lord Masen's posture stiffened slightly, causing a smile to overtake Will's face.

"Truth hurts, does it not?"

"I don't have my head up my ass as you so bluntly stated."

Will laughed loudly at the rather pathetic sounding denial, causing both L and Bella to look their way before L grabbed Bella's arm and pulled her toward another stall.

"Then quit trying to make decisions for her and act on your own feelings," continued Will. "L's mentioned Bella's quite fascinated by you in either incarnation."

Lord Masen appeared to ponder the statement silently.

"Why are you doing this dual bit, anyhow?"

"Oh, some romance novel L read back in the '80s. She thought it would add a bit of glamour to the experience." Lord Masen's tone told Will of his lack of faith in L's vision.

"Huh…"

"Maybe now with a little romance in her own life, she'll leave mine alone."

"Wouldn't count on it."

"One can dream."

"She cares about you. No denying it, they all do. They just want you to accept Bella's your singer and take action. I'm not saying to go caveman on her and toss her over your shoulder or anything. That would be more Emmett's style from what I've heard. But this hot and cold attitude you throw at her cannot be good on her self-esteem."

"And me trying to kill her would be any better?"

"Oh, you do have snark. L said it would come out to play if provoked." Will smiled up at Lord Masen, earning him another sigh. "You know she calls to you. Why torture yourself any longer?"

"Because she…"

Will waved off the denials with a glare.

"There is nothing that says you cannot have the same thing any other mated couple you know has if you just let go of this I know best attitude and let Bella decide for herself."

"She's human, Will. It could never work."

"It could," he assured. "When it hits, it hits. You know there will be no one else for you. You just have to decide whether you want to pursue her or leave her to someone else," Will whispered in a voice too low for anyone to hear.

Lord Masen sighed deeply and attempted to run one hand through his hair but was blocked by the leather hood over his head. He flexed his gloved hand in frustration, listening to the slight creaking noises the leather made.

"Carlisle always wondered if L's mate would be human, hybrid or vampire. I'm pretty certain Emmett has a wager placed on it," Lord Masen finally said.

"Changing the subject won't make a difference."

"I'll decide soon."

"Sooner the better, and I say that out of mostly selfish means. L won't leave until she is certain Bella will be alright."

"So happy my love life is interfering with yours," Lord Masen said dryly.

Will laughed freely, slapping Lord Masen on the back.

"Maybe a good fuck will loosen both you and L's need to be in complete control of every situation," Will grinned, earning a deeper sigh from Lord Masen. "Hey, I'm working on my end of the deal. You have to handle your part on your own."

In the far corners of his mind, Lord Masen knew he needed to make a decision. This infernal duality both physically and mentally provided him with an out but what would make him satisfied? He knew the answer. He wanted Miss Isabella Marie Swan in his life in whatever extent she would allow. Now he only needed to decide which aspect of himself did he wish to attempt to woo her with and how to proceed.

"If it were me, I'd go after her in a way as close to human as possible. No masks, no mysterious strangers. But that's me. My sense of romance is more what was done in the Eighteenth Century than Nineteenth or Twenty-first," Will continued, interrupting Lord Masen's thoughts.

Lord Masen made a rather non-committal grunt.

"Any idea what they are laughing over?" Will inquired, nodding his head toward the two women who were quietly talking back and forth.

"Oh, L is making it quite clear." Lord Masen nodded toward Twilight who pranced around his stall in a rather heightened state, showing off for the two ladies. "Apparently she has a somewhat bawdy sense of humor. L has been speculating and asking Bella's opinion. Which has embarrassed Miss Swan to no end."

"Hmmm…" Will smiled, staring openly at a blushing L who was having a great deal of difficulty meeting his eyes. "God, it reminds me of my human time. When the entire family sleeps in one room, it is a bit difficult to hide what is going on. Ne're mind what you saw in the field animals. No real need for faulty and unrealistic public education edicts and then came the damned Victorians and their skirts on chair legs."

Lord Masen coughed slightly.

"Sorry. Forgot you're a product of all that." Will winked, teasing the younger man. "Thank God I just had to see what was in front of me, not what was going on in the minds of everyone around me. The Sixties must have damn near killed you."

Lord Masen shook his head, laughing softly.

"You'll find me rather blunt at the best of times," Will shrugged, completely unapologetically.

"God help us all if you two ever team up with Emmett," Lord Masen said with a smile in his voice.

Bella turned and cast a pleading look over at Will and Lord Masen as she tried to escape her aunt's attentions.

"Help me!" she mouthed plaintively, taking a futile step away from her aunt. L closed the distance between the two and took Bella's arm. Suddenly L began to point out the differences between hay for horses versus hay for cattle, the types of curry brushes and more. "Please!" Bella mouthed again.

"I do believe L has monopolized Bella's time quite enough, don't you think?" Will asked quietly, nodding toward a dark cloud on the horizon.

"That would be a wonderful idea considering how much she hates thunderstorms."

"Does she now? Then I think I can help with this," Will murmured, staring at the black cloud as it slowly grew larger and larger. "Not a word of this to her, mind you, or I'll make sure you see nothing but sunshine until September. I don't want to be in the doghouse before I actually get into the house."

"Wouldn't dream of it. You'll be doing me a favor."

Will smiled broadly as the overcast sky grew darker and darker. A slow rumble rolled through the air. L suddenly stopped her talking and froze in her place.

"Is everything alright, Liriope?" Will asked gently, appearing next to her immediately.

"What? Yes, Will. I just…I just don't care for thunderstorms." L's voice grew thinner and thinner until it sounded like a small child's.

Bella looked curiously at her aunt whose already fair skin turned even paler.

"Why don't you sit down for a moment, Mrs. McCarty," Lord Masen offered, pointing to a bench at the far end of the stables. "I am sure the storm will not last very long."

"I will be more than happy to distract you," Will whispered into L's ear, causing her to shiver. "Cold?"

He removed his jacket and placed it around her shoulders without waiting for her to respond while guiding her toward the much darker part of stable. Will smiled as she shook her head in denial but wrapped the coat closer around her upon hearing another low boom of thunder. He could hear her heart beating faster and faster, reminding him of a hummingbird's wings.

"There are fewer windows over here. You won't be able to see the storm."

"But I need to chaperone…" L started before Will placed a finger over her lips.

"They are adults, L. And in the real world, I really don't think she would want you interfering. Agreed?"

L nodded mutely, looking up into his warm caramel colored eyes.

"I much prefer this fashion on you," Will murmured softly, lightly tracing her neckline with one finger while pushing the coat off of her shoulders. "This is a wonderful color as well. And I've so missed corsets and petticoats." He wrapped his arms around her waist, playing gently with the white trim just at her waist. "All of those laces and ties just crying to be undone. All those layers to imagine removing one at a time."

"I know what you're doing," L stuttered, blushing.

A bolt of lightening flashed through the sky quickly followed by a crash of thunder. The storm was growing in intensity and rain cascaded from the sky in sheets. L's eyes darted toward the window nervously.

"What am I doing?" Will whispered, placing a kiss on her exposed collarbone before turning her away from the window. He pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her while pulling her flush against him.

"Distracting me." L's breathing hitched when Will's hands edged up closer and closer to her breasts.

"Is it working?"

"I don't like thunderstorms. They hold very bad memories for me."

"Then why don't we make some good memories during this one?" Will toyed with the dark green ties on the front of her bodice.

"But they are right there!" L whisper yelled. "And I haven't…We can't! I'm not going to … in a stable!" She glared toward the other end of the building, hearing the faint laughter coming from Lord Masen. L growled in frustration.

"Bella can't see back here, and he won't look."

"You are going to be the death of me, William Lawrence. The absolute death of me."

"I've waited too long to find you, Liriope. I'm not letting you go just yet."

"What are you laughing at, Lord Masen?" Bella asked, watching as the rain poured down outside the stable.

"It would be indelicate for me to say," Lord Masen whispered, bending to be close to Bella's ear, smiling at the goosebumps that erupted over her smooth, pale skin. "But I do believe your aunt may be the one needing a chaperone."

Bella glanced back into the dark but fortunately, could not see anything. She could, though, hear whispers and what came too close to sounding like a moan of pleasure. Bella spun around and quickly moved as far away as possible.

"You don't think…Aunt L would…With Mister Lawrence…Here?" Bella's horrified look was almost comical as she tried to blot out the mental image of her aunt and Mr. Lawrence having a tryst in the hay.

"No. Just be mindful that your aunt has a passionate hatred of thunderstorms. And sometimes passion needs to be channeled in more constructive ways. Mr. Lawrence is merely taking advantage of the situation in what I would assume is a mutually pleasurable way."

Bella and Lord Masen stood in relative silence for a few moments, watching the rain beat down on the lawn. Lord Masen stood behind Bella, leaving a respectful distance between the two but close enough to watch her every move.

"You seem to know a lot about my aunt," Bella said cautiously, breaking the silence, keeping her back to him.

"I have known her a long time and Mrs. McCarty has very few secrets. It goes against her nature to either have them or allow anyone else to have them, for that matter."

Something about Lord Masen's tone struck a dissonant chord with Bella, and she instantly bowed up to defend her aunt. She spun around, glaring up into his blank face. For the briefest of moments, the memory of L telling her how little she knew of Lord Masen flitted through Bella's head, and she wondered where the truth lay. Since she was inherently closer to her aunt, Bella felt obligated to believe blood over water.

First, Bella felt confused. And then, the longer Bella pondered the point, the angrier she became, and she decided to vent a bit of her frustration upon Lord Masen, especially after the proposal debacle that had yet to be settled.

"Sir, you make it sound like not having secrets is a curse rather than a blessing. I, for one, find it refreshing that someone like my aunt is brave enough to face the world honestly rather than hide behind a mask be it figurative or literal."

"Do not think for one moment, Miss Swan, that Mrs. McCarty is without her own."

"My aunt has been nothing but open, kind and accepting of me since I came to Evermore and has looked after me when I had no one else to turn to, Lord Masen. She has supported me in whatever decisions I have made and helped me attain employment so that I may financially provide for myself. And at least she had the nerve to stand up to you albeit in proxy when you purchased her debts and insinuated yourself into my life." Bella clutched her hands into fists at her sides, her back straight and proud in her anger.

"Would you rather I have no part of your life?" Lord Masen inquired softly, not quite sure what had awoken the tiger inside of this kitten before him but a large part of him was completely and utterly fascinated. Perhaps this slight young woman could handle more than he gave her credit for. He suddenly felt compelled to learn more and more about this inner strength she had given him a quick glimpse of.

"I did not say that. I only mean that I do not like decisions to be made for me. I am a grown woman. I may not have a fancy title or expensive education but I can guarantee I have handled myself quite well up to this point and plan to continue for many, many more years. I deserve to make my own choices as to who I wish to associate with without worrying about what others may think."

"So what would you like from me?"

"I want to know why it was so important to buy your way into my good graces. Surely you could have simply introduced yourself to me without casting aspersions upon my character. And why you are so adamant at denying how potentially damaging to my good name it is that your housekeeper thinks you have proposed marriage to me!"

"I have my reasons."

"Which are?"

"My reasons."

"Oh, not this song and dance again," growled Bella. "I take it you do not plan to enlighten me any time soon."

"No."

"Nor do you intend to rectify the misinformation being spread as to our fictional engagement."

"No."

Bella looked down at her hands clasped before her. She took a deep breath and slowly released it, attempting to tamp down the fury that brewed inside of her.

"Is there something in the water here in Evermore or are all the men as infuriating as yourself and Mister Cullen?" Bella demanded, glaring into the blank face of Lord Masen.

The silence that met her pushed her over the edge, angering her to the point Bella stomped out of the stables and headed toward the manor house in the rain.

Lord Masen stared after her in stunned silence. Did she always run when her temper reached a boiling point? Was it fear of losing control or was it out of concern for the other person involved? He was curious, fascinated and completely enraptured.

"What the hell did you say to her?" L demanded, suddenly appearing next to Lord Masen, grabbing his arm, wakening him from his ruminations.

"Not now, L," Will stated, removing her hand from his arm. "This is between them and not you."

"But…"

"Liriope," Will warned, casting her a look that brooked no discussion.

L was both offended and thrilled at being spoken to as such and withdrew to sort out her own feelings. Years of being alone had allowed her a certain way of being without care or concern to those around her. Now that Will had entered her life, she was quickly becoming schooled in how to act around others in a way completely unfamiliar to her. It would take time to develop those social skills but when you are basically immortal, you had nothing but time. She shrugged slightly to herself and stepped back from the two men.

"Thank you," Lord Masen murmured with a deep sigh.

"I am giving you the benefit of a doubt, Lord Masen," Will said, gently pulling L a few steps further back. "This is about what we were discussing?"

"Yes."

"Then I assume your alter ego needs to be getting his ass to the manor house."

Feeling thoroughly dismissed, Lord Masen gave quick bow before running out the stable and toward the manor house.

"What just happened?" L demanded, whirling around to face Will. She hastily attempted to straighten the bodice of her dress.

"Just some decisions that had to be made were made, my dearest one."

~EE~

AN: Hope this all made sense…it's been a stressful 2 weeks in my RL but we're all clear until Thanksgiving! I hope.

Oh, and I'm doing EE as my NaNoWriMo challenge next month (what? You don't know what that is? Check out www (dot) nanowrimo (dot) org !) 50,000 words in 1 month…I did it last year (a non-ff work) & hope to do it again.

Have you checked out Jaxon22's A pound of flesh? *fans self* PAW (you'll have to read to find out what that means) and Bella have AMAZING chemistry. It is AU-H & I wait on pins and needles on update days.

Reviews are always appreciated!