CHAPTER 14

It was incredible to think how ill Carlisle had been only two weeks earlier. Apart from feeling slightly more tired than usual he was fine and Mrs Cope seemed to be much more concerned about Bella, who she said was looking worn out and in need of a break. She insisted on keeping Melanie on for a few hours a day and between the two of them fussing over Carlisle and waiting on him hand and foot, Bella found she suddenly had very little to do.

As for Carlisle, now that he was feeling so much better and realising there was no time left to waste, he'd started on a memoir about Esme that he'd been planning for months and Bella and Carlisle had gone back to their old habit of quietly working together in Carlisle's study. But the anticipation of her trip to London was making Bella restless and on Wednesday, the day before she left, she decided to kill some time by going into the village.

She'd already picked up a few things for Carlisle and Mrs Cope and before she went home she thought she might as well look in on James at the Sailor's Rest. She had no idea if he would be there, but she could always stop for a quick drink and say hello to Jessica if he wasn't around.

It was still early, so there were only a few customers in the bar, plus one rather bored looking member of staff, who perked up a bit when Bella walked in.

'Good morning, what can I get for you today? I'm afraid the lunch menu isn't quite up and running yet, but I'm sure we can find something to tempt you.'

'I'm really sorry, but I'm not actually here for lunch. I was expecting Jessica to be in… you don't happen to know if Mr Romano is available, do you?'

'Mr and Mrs Newton are out at the moment, but I can show you to the private sitting room Mr Romano and his friends have been given the use of. Hold on for a sec and I'll come round, it's just through the door there '

'Thank you, that's kind.'

All smiles, the barman ducked under the counter and opened the door to the corridor that Bella remembered only too well from her own stay at the Sailor's Rest. Her eyes drifted to the corner where Edward had trapped her and kissed her all those months ago and she felt a small shiver of remembered excitement, before realising her helpful companion was pointing to a room further along, which might have been the very one Edward had emerged from that night.

'Sorry, I can't leave the bar unattended, but it's the second door on the left. If Mr Romano's not there, come back and I'll get someone to try upstairs for you.'

'Thank you.' Bella smiled in gratitude, but he'd already turned away to greet a new customer.

Once the door to the bar had banged shut behind her, Bella was left in complete silence. She couldn't hear a sound from inside the room James was supposed to be in. Perhaps there was no one there after all? She hesitated before deciding to knock, but almost immediately the door handle turned and James appeared in the open doorway.

He looked surprised to see her and from what Bella could see through the half open door, he'd been in the middle of a game of cards. The room behind him was untidy and littered with overflowing ashtrays, empty bottles and dirty glasses, and. an assortment of mismatched chairs had been dragged around a coffee table in front of a large sofa, where Demetri and a half dressed woman, presumably his girlfriend, were sprawled, looking very much the worse for wear.

Alec and another girl, with the suggestion of a black eye beneath her smeared make up, were slumped together in one of the armchairs and someone Bella didn't know looked up and smiled blearily at her from another. They'd obviously been up all night drinking and the room had a fetid stale smell, as if no one had left it for days.

Bella felt slightly shocked. She had no particular objection to how James spent his time, after all it was nothing to do with her and she'd seen worse, a lot worse, given her mother's rootless and hand to mouth existence. It was just that the squalor seemed so at odds with the James she knew. She remembered the fuss he'd made about everything being perfect when his friends came to stay at the Lantern House. Surely that hadn't all been for Aro's benefit?

But Bella really only had a quick glimpse of the room, before James stepped out into the corridor and shut the door firmly behind him. Unlike his friends he looked completely immaculate as usual, although Bella noticed his pupils were slightly dilated and he was rather pale. He hadn't shaved recently, but it suited him.

She tried to forget the rather sleazy scene she'd just witnessed and concentrated on what James was saying.

'Bella, what a lovely surprise. How is Carlisle? Making good progress I hope?'

'Umm…yes, he's doing really well. How are things going with you? Have you heard anything from the planning office yet?'

'No, unfortunately. We have a meeting on Friday. But I hear you're going to London tomorrow. And as you're here, I wondered if you would do me a favour?'

Bella was surprised. How did he know she was going to London? 'Of course, if I can.'

'Would you be so kind as to bring me back a wristwatch Edward's father left me in his will? I understand it has recently been released into my solicitor's possession and I know it will be safe in your custody.'

'Oh ok, I should have room in my bag if that's all there is.'

'Thank you, I shall inform my solicitor that you are coming and text you the address later.'

James smiled at her before adding, 'You must let me take you out to dinner when you get back. I have discovered the most delightful restaurant, in St Ives. You will love it. But for now, I am sorry but I am late for an appointment and I must get changed.'

He walked back along the corridor with her and stopped at the bottom of the stairs which led to the bedrooms above. 'Please take care, my darling. Give my best wishes to Carlisle and I look forward to seeing you on your return from London.'

Bella watched James disappear up the stairs, then she walked through the bar, not forgetting to thank the barman again, and out into the street. She couldn't get the picture of the room James had emerged from out of her head and for some reason she suddenly thought she'd seen a small plastic bag of white powder lying among the dirty glasses and ashtrays on the table. It was still none of her business, but again it made her wonder why James kept the company he did. Surely there were other people he could do business with?

Still wondering about what she'd actually seen, as she walked down the street she bumped into Jessica and Mike. Jessica greeted her with a squeal and a hug, then waved Mike on, explaining that one of them had to get back to the pub before the lunchtime rush started. Then already talking nineteen to the dozen, she dragged Bella into the post office with her while she queued up to buy some stamps.

'Bella, how nice to see you. How is Carlisle now? I hear Mrs Cope's back, so that must be a relief for you? Is it tomorrow you're going up to London?'

How did everyone know about that? Bella just managed to smile in agreement before Jessica rattled on.

'I still can't thank you enough for putting Mike straight that night at Carlisle's. He's really been trying to clean up his act since then. He's cut back on the booze and started to eat more healthily, plus he's paying me a lot more attention. He's even taking me out for a meal on our anniversary next week instead of throwing a party at the pub to get more customers in like he usually does. It's almost like having the old Mike back.'

Jessica paused to nod at someone who'd joined the queue behind them as they inched forward. Then she started off again, 'If we could just get away from here and get a new start, I think we'd have a better chance, you know? I'm trying my best to persuade Mike to put the pub up for sale, so we can move to somewhere with a bit more life. Maybe even London.'

Her eyes were shining at the thought. 'It's a shame the sale of the restaurant depends on James though. Those friends of his give me the creeps and most of the female staff are refusing to go anywhere near them. At this rate I'll end up waiting on them myself and doing the cleaning as well.' She pulled a face.

Bella broke in cheerily, 'Actually, I've just been to see James. I hear there's a bit of a delay with planning permission for the restaurant?'

Jessica rolled her eyes, 'Yeah, Aro and his friends just don't seem to understand how things work around here. They almost tried to bribe the chair of the planning committee and James has got a hard job trying to convince them they need to downscale their plans a bit,' she looked at Bella as if she had more to say, but didn't quite know how to put it.

She took the plunge anyway, 'Bella I know it's hopeless trying to keep anything secret around here, so I suppose you already know James isn't only talking to the planning office about the restaurant?'

'Umm, no, everyone's been away, so I'm not up to date with the gossip.'

'Well I've heard he's already busy trying to raise money against his inheritance and he's been sounding out the council about knocking down the Lantern House and building luxury holiday flats there instead. According to a friend of mine who works in the planning department, he's got quite a good chance of the plans going through too.'

Bella blinked. She wasn't shocked exactly; she knew James didn't have the same feelings for The Lantern House as Carlisle and Edward. It just seemed a bit callous and calculating to be making plans for after Carlisle's death, when despite his recent setback he was still very much alive at the moment. She was also surprised at the suggestion that James might be short of money, when he'd always given her the impression that he was really well off. It was all rather perplexing to say the least.

-ooo-

As she walked up the drive later, James's plans were still on her mind and Bella couldn't help looking at her surroundings from a slightly different perspective. She loved the house, not just because it was so old and beautiful, but also because she'd never had any family apart from Renee and from the moment she'd arrived it had felt like home.

It was true that almost everything was slightly scruffy and worn around the edges, but to Bella every scratch and scrape on the paintwork and well-used piece of furniture, was part of the house's history and evidence of all the people who'd lived out their lives here for generations and whose lingering presence made the place even more special.

All the old-fashioned quirks and inconveniences didn't matter to her either, but even she could see that the size and layout of the house was impractical and the cost of upkeep alone must be horrendous. The varying size of the rooms, from enormous to really tiny, didn't lend itself to being easily converted, so it was really no surprise that James wanted to knock the whole thing down and start again, rather than sell The Lantern House on and let someone else potentially make a lot of money out of it.

She knew it was no use getting upset about that and when James inherited the house he would be free to do whatever he wanted with it. But Bella hoped Carlisle didn't know what was going on. It was one thing to be vaguely aware of what might happen after you died, but to be absolutely certain was an entirely different matter and Bella couldn't help feeling angry with James on Carlisle's behalf.

And when she let herself in through the kitchen door to begin preparing Carlisle's lunch, the house seemed to be in a bad mood too. Despite several attempts the fire absolutely refused to light, the oven was sluggish and when Bella turned the taps on to do some washing up she was sprayed with water. To add to her discomfort, when she took the tray in to Carlisle she thought he looked rather pale and ill again and she wondered whether running off to London for the weekend was really a good idea.

But Carlisle seemed almost as excited about her trip as she was and after they'd both spent an hour on the internet, looking up maps and information and planning her itinerary for Friday, Bella decided she was being silly and put her earlier unease down to last minute nerves.

Mrs Cope appeared at teatime with some pasties she'd brought for supper and while she was busy going through the weekly shopping list with Carlisle, Bella decided to go and start packing her bag. Her phone rang when she was halfway up the stairs and as always her heart fluttered a little when she saw it was Edward.

His voice was warm and affectionate, 'Hi, how's it going? I just wanted to double-check when your train's due in tomorrow, so I can remind my PA to leave me enough time to get there.'

'Sorry, I forgot about the rush hour when I bought the ticket. I should be arriving at Paddington at 5.24 to be exact.'

'No problem. We'll get a takeaway at some point then, if that's ok? I was going to book a table at a restaurant, but I think I might want to have you all to myself, for a few hours at least.'

Bella could feel her cheeks going red and she suddenly felt rather flustered, 'Ok then. it's a date….call me later as usual?

'You bet. Oh by the way, tell Carlisle I found that bottle of Scotch I mentioned – if you could take it back with you?'

'Yes, of course.'

'Oh sorry, that's a call coming in I've been waiting for. I'll ring you again later. Bye for now sweetheart and see you soon.'

Bella wondered if she should have said she was also bringing something back for James. But even mentioning his name seemed to be like a red rag to a bull as far as Edward was concerned and she thought better of it. She wasn't going to risk ruining her weekend by causing an explosion, but she had to find out exactly what had happened between James and Edward soon - she hated this feeling of constantly walking on eggshells.

Later, as she sat working at the desk in her bedroom, she was still puzzling over what James could possibly have done. She knew from her own experience that Edward could be judgemental and unforgiving, but underneath the rather cool and controlled exterior he presented to the world, she'd come to realise he was also passionate and even hot-headed, which wasn't necessarily a good combination.

And if someone had told her a month ago that James had ever done anything wrong she would have taken a lot of convincing, but after the last couple of weeks and especially today, she really wasn't so sure anymore.

Perhaps it was a just a case of childhood rivalry which had got out of hand? Or perhaps Edward had taken an instant dislike to James when they first met? Bella knew what that felt like. Some of Renee's boyfriends had been obviously violent or creepy and she'd quickly learned to avoid them, but she'd absolutely detested one or two for no reason she could identify and she knew that if she met them now that feeling would be just as strong. Maybe that was how Edward felt about James?

She sighed and tried again to keep her mind on what she was doing - researching the type of establishment Lady Mary had ended up in. But it was difficult, because a lot of the information she'd found on the internet was quite sad and distressing

Private madhouses had apparently resembled normal homes, where a small number of people were looked after under secure conditions. But there had been no real understanding of mental illness and no proper treatment and as the whole system was completely unregulated and uncontrolled until almost the end of the 18th century, there had been numerous high profile scandals and parliamentary enquiries.

Fuelled by lurid stories in the press and popular novels about swindled heiresses and betrayed wives, the public perception, that they were no better than prisons where inconvenient relatives could be locked away and forgotten, wasn't always so far from the truth and Bella could only hope that nothing so awful had happened to Lady Mary.

-ooo-

Edward phoned later as promised, but after her unsettling day, added to the excitement of going to London and the strange atmosphere in the house, it was no wonder that Bella found it difficult to sleep.

The sea was thundering in the background and after what felt like hours of tossing and turning, all her old dreams of people drowning and wandering around the house and grounds re-appeared. For the first time in months she slept with the bedside light on and it was the last straw when noises from the attic floor disturbed her in the early hours of the morning.

Although she knew very well by now that it was only a rattling shutter, or guttering, or tiles on the roof, which the wind had worked loose, she lay awake for ages listening to every annoying bump. Then eventually, just before dawn, she fell into another restless sleep, only to wake from a final horrible dream in which she'd been transported back in time and was crouched, cowering and terrified, chained up in the corner of a dirty bar-room, while James and some evil looking friends played cards for the last of her inheritance.

She knew she owed that particular dream to her visit to the Sailor's Rest and the internet, but after waking up sweating and panicking, she didn't even want to go back to sleep again and although it was barely six o'clock she decided to get up and got dressed.. But her restless night had taken its toll and by eleven, when Emmett arrived to take her to the station, even her excitement at seeing Edward again couldn't overcome her tiredness completely.

She blamed her lack of sleep for becoming uncharacteristically sentimental when Carlisle pressed several £20 notes into her hand and Mrs Cope handed her a parcel of food and drink for the journey, and there were definitely tears in her eyes when they both insisted on waving her off, with as many good wishes as if she was leaving for a trip up the Amazon not a weekend in London.

Luckily the train was fairly empty and after settling into a window seat and making herself comfortable, Bella finally managed to forget about everything else and catch up on some much needed sleep, until so many people got on at Reading that sleeping any longer was impossible.

Although she felt much better and Edward had texted her to say he was on his way to meet her, the last hour of the journey dragged and she had nothing to do but stare out at the dreary view of the backs of houses, apartments and warehouses, which seemed to repeat themselves endlessly as the train glided through the gathering dusk towards the centre of London.

At some unannounced point almost all the other passengers suddenly stood up and started lining up to get up out of the doors, blocking the aisles and trapping Bella in her seat, so that when they finally stopped at the station, she was one of the last to leave. It was a long train and passengers from the carriages further back were still filling the platform, weighed down by their bags and suitcases and apologising when they accidentally bumped into her.

Clutching her one small backpack, as Bella approached the end of the platform she suddenly felt nervous and her eyes searched through the crowd, anxiously looking for Edward and afraid she'd miss him in the crush. But she needn't have worried, she quickly picked him out standing head and shoulders above most of the other people waiting at the ticket barrier and looking almost as nervous as she was.

She could tell when he saw her because he broke into a huge smile which lit up his whole face and immediately all she could think about was how much she'd missed him. She waved and began weaving through the crowd more purposefully, almost throwing herself at him as soon as she emerged on the other side of the barrier.

His hands and face were cold when he pulled her close and kissed her, while the crowds parted around them and streamed across the concourse towards the exits. Smiling still, he grabbed her backpack and put it over his own shoulder, before taking hold of her hand and leading her towards the escalators, which like everywhere else in sight were jammed with a solid mass of commuters.

He shouted over the noise, 'I hope you don't mind that we're taking the tube. It's only two stops, but it might be a bit of a crush at this time of day.'

'That's fine,' she shouted back, suddenly feeling slightly shy.

The noise and the press of people were overwhelming after the hours she'd spent on the train and she was glad Edward was holding her hand so tightly. She didn't want to get separated from him - she'd be carried away in the crowd and hopelessly lost in seconds.

The tube platform was just as packed and when they managed to squeeze themselves onto a train, they were squashed into a corner by the door. By shuffling along a little, Bella managed to manoeuvre herself right into the corner, between the glass screen at the end of the line of seats and the outside wall of the carriage, and standing facing her, Edward braced his shoulders against the swell of people around them, creating their own private space.

'Hi.' The smile he gave her as he said the one word, made her feel as if the floor was melting under her feet.

Badly wanting to touch him, Bella placed her hand on his ribs, as if to steady herself as the train picked up speed. And as always when their bodies made the slightest contact, her skin tingled as the familiar warmth spread, radiating out through her bloodstream like a chemical high. The feeling was almost too intense, a strange mixture of excitement and languor almost and she could feel her heart beating loud and heavy in her chest.

The lights in the carriage flickered as the wheels squealed along the track and the train cannoned through the tunnels, throwing out trails of sparks and illuminating the grimy darkness outside the windows with sudden flashes of blue electricity.

Underneath the slight scratchiness of the woollen sweater Edward was wearing, Bella could feel the heat of his body and the soft steady thud of his heart. She splayed her fingers out wide and pressed her palm flat against his chest, appreciating how solid and unyielding his muscles felt as they automatically tensed beneath her hand.

Although she tried to contain her excitement she knew her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were shining as the exhilaration of being with him and the anticipation of being alone with him soon, swept through her. Cocooned in their private bubble, they swayed in unison as the train sped along the line, talking quietly and drinking each other in, until nothing existed except his smile and the way his eyes looked at her so intensely that she felt as if she would be consumed, eaten up by the strength of his desire and the burning all encompassing hunger of it.

When the train stopped at Notting Hill they were the first out and breaking free of the crowd of people behind them, they ran up the escalators and out into the brightly lit streets. Frowning with impatience, Edward steered her along the busy pavement towards the Bayswater Road, then turned into a quiet residential street lined with trees.

Bella almost gasped. This was serious money. She knew the family's main London house in Grosvenor Square, which had been mortgaged up to the hilt by Edward's father, had been worth many millions, but why hadn't these houses seemed so large and imposing when she'd googled the address? She hadn't fully appreciated before how well-off the family had been and how far and how fast their fortunes had fallen.

She followed Edward up the front steps of a house which she could see from the intercom by the door, was divided into three flats. He swore under his breath when he dropped his keys, then fumbled at the lock, before the door swung open to reveal a large hall with chequered black and white tiles on the floor and an impressively large staircase directly in front of them. But Edward was leading Bella to a lift at one side.

He jabbed at the call button, then swept his hair back from his forehead with one hand before pressing the button again.

'What the fuck's taking so long?' He glared at the offending door, but luckily the lift glided down a moment later and the doors opened with a quiet swish.

He stood back to let Bella through, grinning now, 'Thank your lucky stars for that, I happen to know both my downstairs neighbours are away and you were about to get pounced on right here in the hall, or definitely on the stairs. After the longest couple of weeks, being so close but unable to properly get my hands on you has been just about the most frustrating half hour of my life..'

By now he'd followed her into the lift and he bent and nuzzled into her neck. Taking an audible breath he murmured, 'Mmm you smell like summer sunshine and flowers. So sweet…'

He caught her bottom lip gently between his teeth before moving in for a slow kiss which made her sigh and melt into his arms. With a groan she suddenly found herself pressed flat against the wall of the lift by the weight of his body, which ground against her, already finding a rhythm to die for. Too wrapped up in the kiss to break free even for a moment, with one hand he blindly felt for the panel of buttons on the wall behind them, then the doors shut and with a slight jolt they were moving.

By the time they arrived outside the door of his flat on the top floor, Edward had somehow already removed most of her clothing and within seconds of being whisked inside they were both making short work of his. Unable to tear themselves away from each other, they laughed as they bumped along the wall of the corridor and almost fell through the door to his bedroom, too distracted to switch any lights on or look where they were going.

Once inside the room he peeled her out of her underwear, stopping every now and then to caress and kiss the sensitive areas he'd just uncovered, before kneeling to help her step out of her knickers, while she wobbled unsteadily on one foot. She felt light-headed, almost as if she was drunk and had to hold onto his shoulder for support.

'Mmm, totally at my mercy now,' he put his head on one side as if deciding what to do with her, then stood and swept her up in his arms and carried her over to the bed, which was brightly lit by the streetlight just outside the window.

He raised his eyebrows enquiringly as he gently laid her down. 'Is there too much light for you? I can close the blinds.'

'No don't, it's fine. I want to see you.'

He sat down beside her, grabbing a condom from the bedside drawer and quickly putting it on. 'Well you're definitely a sight for sore eyes. You have no idea how pleased I am that you decided to come and visit me.'

'I think I can guess.' She laughed and gestured towards his erection which was impressive to say the least, then reached up and hooked her arm around his neck, pulling him down towards her and sighing with relief when the satisfying weight of his body pressed down onto hers.

She remembered the last time they'd been together like this, on the night of Carlisle's birthday party and how she'd never wanted to let him go. But this time it felt less like a dream, surer, more grounded in reality. He smiled as he leant on one arm and brushed a stray lock of hair away from her face, then rubbed noses instead of kissing her, laughing and burrowing his face into her neck when she turned her head away in mock annoyance.

She squirmed underneath him, play-fighting and attempting to wriggle free when he captured her flailing arms and pinned them to the bed, then lowered his face back to hers, kissing her into submission. His fingers explored her body in earnest now, showing no mercy, while her freed hands restlessly twined through the hair at the nape of his neck and roamed across his shoulders and his back, feeling the smoothness of his skin over taut muscles, as the tension in the room coiled and tightened.

They were both breathless now and no longer playing and she tightened her hold and attempted to pull him closer. 'Please,' she felt almost desperate as she tried to manoeuvre him to where she wanted him to be, but failed to make any impression on what felt like a solid wall of muscle.

He raised his head from where he'd been leisurely licking and sucking at her skin and looked down at her with eyes that gleamed brightly as they caught the light. 'Your slightest wish is my command, sweetheart, always.' And with a wicked grin he reached out and grasped her knee, pulling it up towards her chest, while he shifted his weight, then kissed her again.

Staring into each other's eyes they both took a breath in anticipation, as he held himself poised and ready, then she felt his muscles ripple as he pushed forward, deep and slow, making them both gasp and groan as their bodies finally connected.

She felt as if she was spinning and she closed her eyes as he paused to let the waves of pleasure wash over them. His head dipped towards her chest and his mouth tugged at a nipple, then fastened onto her neck, while both his hands reached down and slid underneath her, holding her still and moulding her body into his, as he rotated his hips and moved slightly higher, searching for the exact point of contact which would drive her wild.

He grinned silently into her neck when she gasped and let out a long shuddering breath 'Bingo!' He nipped at her earlobe, making her groan again, then picked up speed in earnest…

-ooo-

Bella woke later in the night, unused to sharing a bed and confused for a moment about where she was. She half sat up then fell back again, smiling when she realised Edward's arm was wrapped around her waist. The bed was large, but he'd crept closer towards her while he slept and she lay still, trying to match her own breathing to his quiet, even, breaths and fighting the temptation to wake him.

She knew she should try to get to sleep, but the muted sound of the city at night was keeping her awake. She turned her head and looked out at the pink lit sky which hid all the stars from view. Not so long ago the city had felt like home, but now she belonged to another older place where skies were dotted with starlight, or dark with wind-blown clouds, and the only sound at night was the rain or the wind and the ever present swish and pull of the sea.

Edward was a part of that place and somehow he'd got under her skin and buried himself so deeply that she'd never be free now. But it was a sweet and exhilarating possession and when she'd looked into his eyes she'd known he was equally hers, for the present at least. She had no idea where she would be in a month or a year, but she was going to enjoy this unexpected happiness while she could and as the first rays of the morning sun stole across the sky, for the first time in months she slipped into a peaceful and dreamless sleep.

Hi, thanks for reading and a Happy New Year to everyone.

x Sue