Mrs. Meyer owns Twilight. I own a Chevy minivan. I think she wins…

~EE~

Chapter 13: Fallout

Sunday passed without incident which in itself was a miraculous event after the excitement the first week of the Evermore Experience had enjoyed. Bella spent most of the day outside under a large oak tree, enjoying the sunshine, writing furiously in her journal and earning a hand cramp from going back and forth between inkwell and paper.

Someone should invent a device that would require less work to put ideas to paper, she thought ruefully, rubbing her sore knuckles. Something like a printing press but with keys or buttons or something easy to work on, she mused, flexing her sore digits. That certainly would be an improvement.

L stayed in her room, begging off on public appearances with the excuse that she was feeling ill and possibly coming down with the grippe, though every now and then, Bella would swear she heard talking but shrugged it off due to her aunt's idiosyncrasies. She would never put it past L to be so addicted to a good conversation that she conducted both sides of the debate just to get her personal fix.

Monday morning, the sky was once again dark with low-hanging gray clouds. As she walked down Meyer Lane, Bella felt as if every eye was on her and people were whispering behind her back yet after the third person passed her on the street without so much as a how-do-you-do, she realized her fears were completely irrational. Perhaps Mr. Cullen had been able to convince Lord Masen to conduct some sort of damage control and that the town realized her engagement was a hoax. She brightened at the idea and stood a little straighter, a little more bounce in her step as she turned the corner.

Bella arrived at the Newton household, anxious to commence week two of tutoring Jane and Alec but not without a sense of trepidation. She was looking forward to seeing the children again but not relishing the thought that word of her supposed engagement had spread to her employers. The Newtons and the housekeeper, Mrs. Stanley, were odd enough birds that the truth may not be enough to set her free from accusatory looks and stares.

How would she explain to Jane and Alec that it was just a simple misunderstanding and what if the adults refused to believe her? But then, Jane and Alec had much better heads on their shoulders than any of the adults in that household. Bella took a steeling breath as she ascended the front steps to the Newton household and knocked on the door.

After the third round of rapping on the door, Mrs. Stanley threw open the portal and gave Bella a good open-mouthed stare. Bella instantly drew parallels to gaping codfish and stifled the giggle that threatened to escape.

"Didn't expect to see you today," Mrs. Stanley announced, dropping into a quick curtsey.

"Are the children ill?" Bella asked, stepping into the house and removing her hat.

"No. We just didn't expect you to continue working seeings how you're 'bout to be a Lady."

"I do believe I was born female, Mrs. Stanley. Being a lady is what comes naturally."

"I mean you're pledged to Lord Masen. You won't need to work."

"Mrs. Stanley. I am not pledged to anyone. It was a misunderstanding, and I am sure if you were to ask Lord Masen himself, he would tell you that he did not propose and has no intention of doing so." Bella straightened her back proudly.

"Well, that's a relief to hear. Found it hard to believe he'd go after a rather mousy tutor when he could have his pick of any other woman in Evermore. I certainly know they would jump at the chance to wed and bed him. I'm sure he could more than make up for any physical deficiencies with a few pricey baubles." Mrs. Stanley brushed past a shocked Bella, leaving the lingering scent of cedar and soured milk.

"Some people find other traits more important than a large wallet," Bella muttered, hanging up her hat and shawl. "Some people actually like a good conversation, sharp wit, and maybe a touch of romance before agreeing to marry. But nooooo…that would be too radical for these small minds."

Bella climbed the stairs to the classroom where she found Alec and Jane sitting silently in their seats, waiting for her she assumed. She stood silently at the door, watching the two children remain at attention at their desks. Bella gently closed the door behind her. Upon hearing the door creak, Jane jumped up, turned to face Bella, her face breaking into a huge grin before she bolted across the room and threw her arms around Bella's waist, hugging her fiercely.

"Well, good morning to you, too, Miss Jane," Bella smiled, trying to remain on her feet.

"Mrs. Newton said you left us!" Jane cried, not releasing Bella from her grip.

"No, my dear heart. I enjoy seeing my two favorite students too much to stay away," Bella soothed, gently caressing Jane's hair.

"She said you were getting married," Alec said accusingly, hanging back at his desk. "And you would sooner eat glass than come back and see us ever again."

Bella gasped in shock at this revelation, her face turning bright red in anger that anyone would ever say such a thing to a child. She could tell Alec was fighting with himself as whether or not to approach her. She shuffled over toward him with Jane still attached around her waist and patted him reassuringly on the shoulder, receiving a big smile in return.

"I promise. I will not leave without discussing it with you two first," Bella smiled gently. "What are the two of you doing sitting in here if you thought I would not return?"

"Mrs. Newton said we had to stay in here at our seats for the entire morning if we wished to have supper," Alec said simply.

Bella shuddered at this revelation, closing her eyes for a moment to re-center herself. The Newtons were absolutely the most vile people she had ever met and wondered briefly if Evermore had a Department of Child Welfare Services. After a few deep breaths, she opened her eyes and smiled thinly at Jane and Alec.

"Well, now you won't have to worry about that, will you? I am here, and we can begin our day together."

Jane relaxed her grip enough for Bella to extricate herself. She straightened her pale blue dress and took a deep breath. For one so small, Jane certainly had knocked the wind out of her.

"Now," Bella continued, "let us take our seats and pull out your mathematics. I assume you completed your homework over the weekend?"

"Yes, Miss Swan," both children chimed in unison as they returned to their seats.

"Then please pass your work forward to me to grade and turn to page eighteen and begin recitation of the times table you find there."

And to the monotonous droning of the sevens, eights, and nines multiplication tables, Bella quickly graded their papers. Of course, they were perfect and Bella smiled with pride at her young tutelages.

The rest of the morning sped by filled with more mathematics, a sprinkling of possessive nouns, and soon it was time for French.

"Répétez-vous après moi, s'il-vous plaît," began Bella, judiciously ignoring the small, disgruntled sigh from Alec when it was announced which lesson would be next. "I am…Je suis."

"Je suis," the children parroted.

"You are…Tu es." Bella paced slowly around the room as she spoke.

"Tu es."

"Très bien," she smiled, patting Alec encouragingly on the back, earning a small smile in return. "He is and she is…Il est et elle est."

And so they continued through the rest of the irregular conjugation.

"What the blazes is all that?" a shriek pierced the air, causing Bella and the children to jump. All eyes turned toward the door where Mrs. Newton stood, mug in one hand, doorknob in the other, swaying slightly.

"Jesus in a petticoat, give me strength," muttered Bella to herself before turning fully toward the door, a fake smile plastered to her face. "How may I help you, Mrs. Newton?"

"What are you doing here?" Mrs. Newton demanded, taking a drink from her mug.

Bella's eyes quickly scanned over the garish lime green empire-waist dress Mrs. Newton wore. At least she was in a modern fashioned dress even if it did remind Bella of a psychedelic Saint Patrick's Day parade gone horribly, horribly wrong.

"Teaching irregular French verb conjugation," Bella answered coolly.

"Why?"

"Because it is part of the curriculum your husband and I set up last week."

"No, no, no. Not why are you teaching Irregular, whatever country that is spoken in, but why are you even here? Shouldn't you be planning a wedding or something?" Mrs. Newton swayed even more on her feet. She took a few steps forward before plopping down into Bella's chair, narrowly missing landing on the floor. Mrs. Newton loudly slammed her mug onto the corner of Bella's desk and atop the textbook laying there, sloshing a little of the contents upon the book and thereby earning a glare from Bella.

"No."

"No?"

"No." Bella crossed her arms over her chest, silently daring Mrs. Newton to continue the discussion.

"But I heard…"

"You heard what?" Bella unblinkingly met the shorter woman's gaze.

To the outside observer, the play back and forth would have been quite comical with Alec and Jane's heads turning from speaker to speaker. To the two women having the confrontation, it was anything but. The tension between Bella and Mrs. Newton was palatable.

"I heard you were engaged to Lord Masen and having his bastard."

The quick inhale of breath from Bella as she stood even straighter caused Mrs. Newton to scoot back in the chair, her eyes wide with fright.

"Children, gather your literature texts and go read whatever story appeals to you in the garden. We will discuss them when I come downstairs. I will be there momentarily," Bella requested coolly.

Jane and Alec obediently shuffled out the door, unable to get away from their aunt fast enough. Bella closed the door behind them before taking a deep breath and turning toward Mrs. Newton. Fire flashed in her eyes as she slowly released her breath.

"Mrs. Newton," Bella started calmly, taking a single step toward the obviously petrified woman. "I will not have you undermining my authority in my classroom."

"I…"

Bella cut her off with a sharp wave of her hand and a glare that would have cut steel.

"Not. A. Word." Bella placed both hands flat on the desk and leaned over it, enunciating each and every word as she spoke. "You may think what you will of me. You may thrive on misinformation. You may even feel you are a better woman than I am, but you will not come into my classroom and spread lies about my person and my friendships in front of Alec and Jane."

"The entire town knows you're engaged!" wailed Mrs. Newton, standing quickly and scurrying around the teacher's desk, trying to put the children's desks between herself and Bella.

"Then the entire town is misinformed. And I only arrived a week ago. That is hardly enough time to conceive a child."

"Conceive?" Mrs. Newton cocked her head to the side like a puppy trying to figure out where the noise outside was coming from.

"To make a baby," Bella groaned, exasperated at the complete lack of firing synapses she was in the presence of. Through the back of her mind, she almost thought she could hear the poor things dying off one at a time, preferring to dive lemming-like off of a cliff than to be housed for one more second inside such a vapid head. She could not say with a clear conscience that she blamed them one bit.

"Oh!" Mrs. Newton said brightly. "To fuck. I know all about that. I was voted most popular in school…"

"That's quite enough!" roared Bella, as she shook her head back and forth, trying to erase the image from her own mind of just how popular Mrs. Newton had been. "It is physically impossible for me to be carrying Lord Masen's child."

"Why? Does he a have a tiny pe…" started Mrs. Newton innocently.

"Enough!" Bella tightly closed her eyes. She took a few calming breaths, thinking of peaceful images. She remembered a certain bronze haired gentleman as he played The Moonlight Sonata and felt the stress ease from her body. When she opened her eyes, she discovered Mrs. Newton attempting to escape the room, recovered mug in one hand and her free hand on the doorknob. Bella watched as Mrs. Newton tried to push the door open but to no avail.

"Please! I just want to leave!" Mrs. Newton howled pitifully, still gripping the knob and pushing with all her might.

Stifling a giggle, Bella marched to the door, lightly batted Mrs. Newton's hands away from the doorknob, and pulled the door open.

"I knew that!" Mrs. Newton announced, trying to avoid eye contact with Bella as she flounced down the hall and to her own bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

Bella shook her head as she watched the personification of insipid disappear into the pink abyss, counting her blessings she had been born with a decent head on her shoulders. She spent a few minutes straightening her desk before peeking out the window to check on Jane and Alec in the garden below. She found them sitting under a sprawling oak tree reading contently. Bella smiled to herself in the knowledge that these two young minds were not at all like their aunt and uncle.

She exited the classroom and quickly descended the steps, stumbling only once. As soon as she reached the main floor, Bella heard voices floating from Mr. Newton's study.

"So what are you going to do about Miss Swan?" a female voice demanded.

"What should I do? If she truly is engaged to Lord Masen, then we have a fabulous opportunity to move up into the upper echelon and secure a place within his financial interests," Michael Newton's voice stated firmly. "She owes us for hiring a woman with no experience, no social standing, no recommendations. It will be easy enough."

Bella felt herself flush with anger at hearing how little her employer thought of her and quickly looked toward the front door to see if the words "Abandon hope all ye who enter here" were above it. Sadly, they were not for it would have cleared up quite a bit of her questions as to why certain things happened in this household.

"And if she is not as she claims?"

Bella recognized the voice as that of Mrs. Stanley.

"Then it is no skin off our noses. Mr. Hunter will return in a few days and we can continue that business venture with enough profit coming in to make it worth our while."

Bella could tell by the tone of voice that Mr. Newton had dismissed Mrs. Stanley and hurried back up the stairs. She hid around the corner until she heard Mrs. Stanley walk down the hall before descending the steps.

"Is that you, Miss Swan?" Mr. Newton called from his office.

Bella sighed, hanging her head slightly as she approached the door. Just before reaching the doorway, she straightening herself up, plastered on a fake smile and came into Mr. Newton's line of sight.

"You wanted to see me, Sir?" Bella asked, remaining one step outside the office. She internally shuddered at the lime green suit with a burgundy cravat and plain white shirt Mr. Newton wore that matched Mrs. Newton's dress. Apparently the people in this house were completely colorblind.

"Come in, please," he motioned to the chair across from himself at his desk. Mr. Newton stood slightly as Bella started to sit, making at least an effort at showing some decorum, a stark contrast to his wife upstairs. She was instantly on high alert for ulterior motives an warily took the offered seat.

Bella sat primly at the edge of the red velvet armchair, her hands clutched together and resting in her lap. Her mouth was set in a tight line, belying the tension she felt coursing through her.

"Are you enjoying your time with us?" he asked casually, leaning back slightly in his chair.

Bella watched as he lost his balance and started to tumble out of his chair, catching himself quickly but knocking a large pile of papers over, sending them in a shower all over the floor. She tried her best to remain placid and provide an outward image of the professional tutor that she was but internally, Bella was rolling on the floor.

Mr. Newton scooped up the papers and threw them on the table, his face red with frustration and embarrassment. Once satisfied with the jumbled stack on his desk, Mr. Newton stared expectantly over at Bella.

"Oh! Yes. Alec and Jane are pure delights," Bella started.

"Really? Jessica keeps telling me what terrors they are."

"Oh, no. I have never taught children who are more obedient, more eager to learn, more respectful…"

"Are we talking about the same children?" Mr. Newton laughed disparagingly.

"I do believe so," Bella responded, arching one brow at Mr. Newton who ceased laughing immediately, harrumphed quietly and straightened in his chair.

"So you have no reason to be leaving our employment any time soon?"

"No, sir. No reason at all."

"Well, I had heard…reasons…that you might be no longer needing this position." Mr. Newton stood and walked over to the sideboard. He picked up a crystal decanter and removed the cap before taking a quick sniff of the contents. He poured a healthy three fingers worth of amber liquid into a cut crystal glass and returned the decanter to its resting place.

"I have every intention of remaining Alec and Jane's tutor, Mr. Newton," Bella insisted, watching in minor horror as Mr. Newton drained his glass in one long swallow.

"I am very glad to hear that." He placed his glass on the table, barely stifling the belch that consuming several ounces of brandy in one swallow elicited. "Very glad."

Bella bit back the shudder that threatened to over overwhelm her, turning slightly away from Mr. Newton. She listened to the ticking of the carriage clock for a few beats, staring at the paperweight on Mr. Newton's desk, trying to decide how she could make a graceful exit from Mr. Newton's study. Suddenly, he was before her, crouched down, his hands on either armrest. Bella's eyes began to water at the strong stench of the brandy combined with an overly liberal drenching of toilet water.

"So, what is your relationship with Lord Masen?" Mr. Newton demanded, his watery blue eyes boring into Bella's.

"My relationship?" she squeaked, trying to sit as far back in the chair as possible.

"Yes. Yesterday all I heard was how you were his fiancée. Now, you say you are not leaving my employ and if you were to marry, there would be no need for you to work." He leaned even closer to her and whispered in her ear, "So which is it? Are you his fiancée or just a plaything?"

"Neither."

"Really?" He cocked one eyebrow in disbelief.

Bella felt an overwhelming need to slap that disbelief off his face but wisely restrained herself.

"It was a misunderstanding. I am an acquaintance of Lord Masen and nothing more," she stated calmly.

"I find that very hard to believe. You are quite attractive." Mr. Newton placed one hand on her thigh, earning a shudder. "And he is a man of discerning tastes." His voice took on what she assumed he felt was a seductive purr but in reality, came across similar to ungreased gears grinding upon one another. "Perhaps I can convince you to use your influence with him to view favorably upon some of the business ventures I have proposed to him, hmmm? A little I scratch your back and you scratch mine?"

"I have no itches that need attending," Bella said bluntly, removing his hand from her leg. He quickly replaced it, a little higher than before.

"Oh, my dear, all women have itches I can scratch. You just need to loosen up a little and enjoy the wonders of Michael Newton."

Bella felt the beginnings of retching begin and swallowed back the bile that threatened to escape her throat.

The sound of the garden gate slamming shut startled Mr. Newton enough that Bella was able to push him out of the way and dash for the door.

"Mr. Newton! I am sincerely hoping that your behavior is due to the brandy and not part of your normal demeanor! As far as you are concerned, there will be no scratching but if you ever approach me in such a way again, I can guarantee there will be some rather damaging cutting!"

Without waiting for a response, Bella fled to the garden to find Alice sitting between Alec and Jane whose attention was firmly held as the tiny woman recited from John Newbery's A little pretty pocket-book. The image was so very sweet that Bella could not help but smile and feel the tension in her body relax just a little.

"The ball once struck off, / Away flies the boy to / The next destin'd post, / And then home with joy," Alice chimed, using proper hand motions to mimic someone playing baseball.

"Bravo!" Alec smiled, his face shining. "Miss Swan, you never said poetry could be about fun stuff! We're always reading about stodgy old men fighting overseas or fairies searching for their lost loves. Girl stuff." He winced and stuck out his tongue at the idea.

"I like the poetry we have read," Jane said defensively.

"Girl stuff!" insisted Alec.

"Alec, Jane," warned Bella with a smile. "There are many types of poetry in the world and as long as it speaks to you, there is nothing to say what is good. What I may enjoy, you may not and what you enjoy, I may not. My purpose as your teacher is to open the world to you so that you may make your own selections as you mature."

"Oh," Alec said, instantly deflated. Had Bella not known better, she would have sworn that Alec had been hoping for an altercation with his sister. Being an only child, Bella did not know that it was exactly what Alec had been aspiring toward because that was what siblings do best—annoy each other to death.

"And thus ends the poetry minute for the day!" chirped Alice, jumping to her feet. "Now I am going to steal away your teacher!"

"But…" started Bella before being pulled toward the garden gate. "What do you say, children?"

"Thank you, Miss Cullen!" Alec and Jane chimed, waving goodbye to the two women as Alice dragged Bella to the street.

"What do you think you are doing, Alice?" Bella demanded. "I don't have my bonnet or shawl! I'm supposed to be here for another two hours."

"I'm kidnapping you, dear Bella," Alice grinned as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"But why?"

"To shop, dear Bella. If you are attending Lord Masen's party on Saturday, you will need a proper dress and a proper dress requires shopping."

"Alice, I have not even decided if I am going to attend the party after Saturday."

"So tell me what happened Saturday as we go to your aunt's shop." Alice gently tugged Bella toward McCarty's on the square.

"You haven't heard?"

"I was visiting my fiancé and have been quite out of the loop."

Bella retold her entire day in excruciating detail as the two headed toward L's store.

"So you are the not really fiancé of Lord Masen," Alice stated sympathetically.

"And the entire town probably thinks I am," Bella replied, shaking her head.

"Do you want to be?"

"I hardly know the man. I'm not the type of woman that just leaps at the opportunity to marry for money. I don't believe in love at first sight, either."

"Why do I think you aren't entirely truthful with that last bit of information?"

Bella sighed in frustration. "I never did believe in it before. I just…there have been too many…" She growled and threw her hands up in the air, giving up on trying to verbalize what was going on inside her head.

"You never believed in finding your soul mate and instantly realizing who they were instantly until coming to Evermore and now that you're here, there are two gentlemen that you have feelings for and it is irritating the snot out of you," Alice replied with a wan smile.

"Exactly!" Bella felt a bit amazed at how succinctly Alice had summarized her internal battles.

The two continued on their way to McCarty's in silence. Just before arriving, Alice recommenced their discussion of Saturday's events.

"And so my brother actually was considerate when you came into the house after running through the rain." Alice opened the door to the shop, ushering Bella in.

"More than considerate," Bella said, remembering the gentleness and kindness Mr. Cullen had showered upon her. A small smile played on her lips.

"Bella?" L asked, rounding the corner of the service counter. "Is everything alright? Aren't you supposed to be at the Newton's?"

"Alice kidnapped me, Auntie. She seems to think I need a new dress for Lord Masen's birthday party," Bella explained, plopping herself down in the chair next to the window.

"Well, that you do," L agreed.

"Way to have my back, Auntie," sighed Bella, missing the smiles passing between Alice and L.

"I think I know the perfect fabric. You two just wait." L disappeared to the back of the store and returned with a bolt of sapphire blue heavy silk.

The gasp that escaped Bella's lips when she saw the material brought a smile to both L and Alice's lips. She silently stood and approached the service desk, watching the bolt closely.

"It's a fancy dress party, Bella. Nothing you have at the house will suffice. I'm even having one made," L smiled, blushing furiously as she unfolded a yard of fabric from the bolt.

"I didn't think you were invited," Alice said, fingering gently the silk.

"I wasn't. But Mr. Lawrence was and has invited me as his guest. We're going as colonials. I hope I managed to talk him out of his original idea."

Bella did not fail to notice the blush that colored L's cheeks.

"And what was that?" Alice said, biting back a grin.

"He wanted to be a colonial at the Boston Tea Party."

"I don't understand what the problem would have been," Bella said, confused.

"He wanted to go as a colonial interpretation of a Native American," L explained. "The only redeeming value would have been he would be shirtless, but I'm not sure how appropriate that would be."

"Oh."

"Maybe you can get him shirtless after the party," giggled Alice.

"Alice Cullen!" L gasped, turning even redder. "I never!"

"And that may be the problem," Alice replied in a sing-song voice.

L stared open-mouthed and silent at the young woman who gazed at her innocently.

"I think this may be the first time my aunt has been speechless, Alice," grinned Bella, enjoying the opportunity to tease L.

"The youth today," muttered L, disappearing in the back.

"I think we offended her," Bella murmured.

"Oh, no. It's just been a long time since she's had a suitor," Alice said airily, waving away Bella's concern. Truth be told, it had been her entire life but Bella did not need to know that just yet. "Everyone deserves someone special to treasure them and make them feel as if there is no one else in the world."

"That is true," Bella agreed, thinking that she had never experienced such a thing but gladly looked forward to that day.

"And if you are quite through discussing my love life," L huffed, plopping down a black hat box in front of Alice and Bella.

"What do you have here?" Alice asked, removing the lid and peering in. "Ooh! How lovely!"

She pulled a highly decorated face mask out of the box and holding it in front of her eyes. The mask was made of heavy gold brocade with black feathers around the top. Small pearls arranged like tears flowed from one eye and a thick black velvet ribbon hung from both sides to tie around the wearer's head.

"Do you really think so?" L asked, smiling proudly.

"They are quite exquisite," Bella agreed, picking up a burgundy mask with black and gold threads laced over it. She toyed with the lacy decorations covering the mask.

"I thought so when I made them," L smiled, pulling a sapphire blue mask with a spray of sparkling crystals across the cheeks that perfectly matched the bolt of fabric laying between the three women.

"You made these?" Bella exclaimed, tenderly picking up the sapphire mask, lightly brushing one finger over the crystals.

"That I did. Have to do something to fill my evenings," L smiled.

"At least until a certain gentleman appeared," Alice piped in teasingly.

"Yes, hopefully my dance card will be filled Saturday." L picked up the burgundy mask by the attached black velvet wrapped stick and held it up to her eyes, blinking coquettishly. "Try it on for size."

Bella hesitantly held the sapphire mask up to her face.

"Oh, that really is quite lovely," L smiled encouragingly.

"I still don't have a dress, L. And there really isn't any time to have one made between now and Saturday," Bella sighed, putting down the mask.

"Have the silk sent to my seamstress, L," Alice announced suddenly, waving at the entire bolt. "You can send the bill to Esme or however you normally do such things."

"It will be a lovely dress for you, Alice," Bella said sadly, watching L refold the fabric.

"Who said anything about it being for me, Bella? That silk was made for you." Alice grinned before grabbing Bella by the arm and dragging her out of the store without so much as a fare-thee-well to her aunt.

"Alice, there's no way…" Bella started, stumbling slightly on the uneven cobblestones as Alice pulled her across the street.

"Careful!" Alice sing-songed, righting Bella without bothering to pause in her mission to cross the street at an inhuman pace.

"Alice, where are you taking me?" demanded Bella, trying to keep up without tripping further.

"To my house, of course, silly. Where else would I be able to take your measurements in privacy?"

"Measurements?" swallowed Bella, turning pale at the idea.

"Just a few. Don't want the dress too long or anything. Come, come!"

Before she knew it, Bella and Alice were in front of the Cullen home.

"Alice, I know you cannot have a seamstress finish a dress in less than a week," Bella insisted.

"Shows how much you know!" Alice grinned, ushering Bella upstairs and in a matter of moments had taken at least a dozen measurements without writing a thing down.

"Don't you think you should make notations, Alice?" Bella asked, trying to stop her spinning head.

"Photographic memory," Alice blurted out, tapping her temple. "Comes in handy quite a bit." She spun Bella around again, taking another measurement.

"I can imagine." Bella tried to steady her spinning head.

Downstairs, the front door flew open with a thud. Alice winced at the sound. She peeked out the window and nodded as she saw Twilight tied to the hitching post.

"Alice!" a male voice roared from downstairs.

"Upstairs, Edward," Alice called sweetly, patting Bella on the shoulder as she felt her friend stiffen. "I'll be down in a minute."

"What was so important you had to see me?" Edward muttered as he began to ascend the stairs.

"I'll be down in a minute! You stay downstairs!"

Alice giggled as they heard muttering as he marched back down the stairs and started pacing in the sitting room, the floorboards creaking with every third step.

"He's really rather put out, wouldn't you say?" she smiled.

"I can leave if it is an inconvenience," Bella said, stepping down from the footstool in the middle of the room.

"Don't you dare. Edward forgets he wanted to ask me a few questions. He just wants to know the name of a good bookstore."

"And he comes to you for this?"

"When it comes to shopping, Bella, I am the all-knowing goddess." Alice bowed up slightly in pride at this assessment.

"So what would be the name of the best bookstore in Evermore?"

"Flourish and Blotts, of course. If you cannot find what you are looking for there, you probably do not really need it. Absolutely fabulous papers selection. Everything from plain old plain old to linen. And a truly wonderful pen display."

"Perhaps I should pay them a visit sometime."

"Not today, though," Alice said suddenly. She paused and got a momentary blank look over her face. "No. Friday after you leave the Newton's. Late afternoon. Yes, I think that would be best for all concerned."

"Okay," Bella said slowly, not knowing what to think of this declaration but deciding it was easier to just give in than to fight. "That is if I still have a job with them."

"Why wouldn't you?" Alice wound up the measuring tape and tossed it into a brocade sewing basket.

"Mr. Newton made a pass at me," Bella whispered.

For a moment, Bella thought she heard a growling coming from downstairs.

"Do you have a dog, Alice?" she asked.

"No."

"Must be hearing things." Bella shrugged. "Anyhow, Mr. Newton was very interested in whether or not I was engaged to Lord Masen and made overtures that we could come to a mutually beneficial arrangement."

"He did not!" Alice was properly shocked or at least appeared to be.

"He did. Fortunately, the garden gate slammed shut and distracted him and I was able to make my escape."

"That must have been when I arrived," Alice mused.

"Must have." Bella stole a quick glance at the carriage clock on the small table next to the door. "I really need to be getting home to help L with supper. Thank you for all your help this afternoon."

"Don't mention it, Bella." Alice grinned as she began to head out the door. "Just give me a few minutes to distract Edward and you can scoot out the door without him ever knowing you were here."

"Thank you."

"See you tomorrow!" Alice gave Bella a quick hug and dashed downstairs.

~EE~

AN: I hope to keep up the weekly updating (with the exception of Thanksgiving week here in the US. I'm to be out of town and the fam thinks I should spend time with them instead of in Evermore. The nerve!)

This week's rec: Parachute by KitsuShel (AU-H). Bella finds an abandoned boy, Jack, one fateful night. What happens 5 years later when his birth family is found?

I'm blowing out another candle on 11/18 and would love a review!