Lady Laura Ashton's POV

I saw him pass me in a blur of fury, dropped my drink into the lap of the young lady whose luscious mouth had been my past hour's occupation and fled after him. Bosie, seeing the commotion, was rushing to the door but I pushed him back with a hand gasping out that he was to find Isabella. I wanted this talk with Edward alone, Bosie would have defended his oldest friend against me and I thought I might have to give my tongue a free rein if I were to make Edward see sense.

I dashed up the steps, his footsteps echoing back to me from just around the corner. Thank god i was wearing the tight trousers of the highwayman, a skirt would have made this pace impossible. As I burst out into the hall, my hair flying out and my mask slung about my neck, he was already in his cloak and heading for the door.

"Cullen!" I shouted after him my voice sounding hoarse with emotion. "Cullen, don't you dare leave!" At this he spun around on his heel and the expression on his face made my heart stop with fear. His nostrils were flared and his breath was heaving at his chest. His eyes were narrowed and the thick brows jutted over them as he frowned at me, twisting his mouth into a snarl. He took two long strides back to me and grabbed my arm.

"What?" He growled barely moving his lips. "Do you presume to tell me what I should do, Laura? Where I should go? What I should wear?" He ripped the pearl earring from his ear and flung it across the room. It skittered away as though it too was in fear of this tornado of a man. He brought his face level with mine, still gripping my arm painfully. "Whom I should fuck?" The last words hissed out through his teeth. I could not speak. He was aflame with rage and my words were quite gone. With a gesture of disgust he flung my arm away and strode out of the door. After a moment's hesitation I followed him.

"Edward, you don't understand, I'm not telling you what to do. I'm trying to make you see that you might just be about to lose a more precious thing than you have ever had!" I grabbed his arm and then, as he glared at me, I took it away. At least now he wasn't shouting. Instead his face was now a mask of calm, for some reason that frightened me more than his previous fiery anger .

"Precious thing? That...whore?" he actually spat into the gutter at that word. That was it. My final shred of patience gone I reached back with my arm and, god help me, I punched him on the chin. Like a man. Out in the street. My hand flamed with pain and Edward held his chin in his palm and looked at me in wonder. I stared back at him, as surprised as he was by my actions.

"She's not a whore Edward. "His eyes scanned the street for his cab and he answered me as nonchalantly as if I hadn't just hit him in the chin.

"Oh really? And how do you explain her willingness just then? Her..." He shook his head and a spark of hope glittered inside me, he still felt something for her.

"Edward, she wouldn't have been so willing with anyone else. She came tonight, dressed as she was because I told her that she should seduce you. She wants you Edward, not any man!" The cab was rounding the corner and he raised his hand to beckon the driver. The horse drew up before us and Edward had the door open and was alighting before I could speak again. As the carriage began to pull away he put his face to the open window.

"What about Arty's weekend? With Constance? I suppose you're going to tell me that she thought that was me too?" he sneered and the carriage began to move away.

I stood on the pavement, panting and angry and full of the desire to avenge the wounded honesty of my friend. Then I ran at the departing carriage, leapt onto the running board and propelled myself through the window. With hindsight it must have been quite a peculiar spectacle to see a young highway man hurtling at a cab and throwing himself through the window in the fashionable end of town. This was exacerbated by the fact that I only half managed to gain entry to the interior of the cab, my hips wedged in the narrow window frame and my bottom and legs protruding out into the street.

Edward gaped and then began to laugh.

"God's sake man! Pull me in damn you!" I shouted in his face. He grabbed my hands and pulled me indecorously through the window until I was heap on the floor of the cab. The driver, ascertaining that the commotion was over, whipped the horse into a trot. I scrambled to sit opposite Edward who was still laughing. So relieved was I that we were not fighting, and imagining the comedy of the scene, I laughed with him. It was a few moments until we caught our breath. I leant forward, taking his hands in my own and looked into his eyes.

"She knew you were there! That night, with Constance, she knew you were outside! She wanted to show you! She was angry with you after what she saw with Art on the balcony. It was exactly what you would have done Edward! Exactly the same thing! Ah!" i threw up my hands in exasperation. "Stop being so bloody moral and superior Edward, you've no right to either soapbox." He opened his mouth to protest but I didn't let him speak. "Edward, who do you love most, Laura or Lola?" I saw him trying to comprehend how my question bore any relevance to our previous discussion. He opened his mouth to speak and then stopped. He tried again.

"Both, for different reasons. I can do things with Lola that I can't do with...you," he trailed off and smiled, "but I can do things with you that I wouldn't dream of doing with Lola." He concluded rubbing his thumb across my fingers. I removed one of my hands and stroked the side of his face, noticing for the first time that his ear was bleeding from where he had torn the earring.

"Dear Eddie." I whispered soothingly. "And now you have your very own Lola, your very own Laura." He looked up now, frowning. I could see he didn't yet grasped what I was saying. "Eddie, "my voice was earnest now, urgent that he should take in and understand my words. "You can have Isabella and Salome. She isn't some beast or whore that you've created Eddie. She chose your path. She chose to be like you, like us." He dropped his head into his hands and I thought for a moment I had lost him, that he was too blind and arrogant to see the marvellous thing that had happened to him. Then I saw that his shoulders were shaking and I saw the tears splashing from under his hands onto his boots. I reached and ran my fingers through his thick hair, soothing and stroking.

After a few moments he raised his head. His eyes, though red rimmed, were bright and his voice was the excited boy I had loved for so long.

"What can I do now? I have spurned her... I made her cry." His face twisted up again and I saw the pain which this thought brought him writ large in his eyes.

"I'll think of something Eddie I promise. She'll need convincing and we'll have to build her confidence again. She was so brave tonight." He sighed and leaned back against the leather of the seat.

"What an ass I've been, Laura. What a bastard." I nodded and he laughed again.

"Don't worry, I'll think of something to make you pay Isabella back for it!" I banged on the roof of the cab and shouted for the driver to take me back to the house. Edward's hand was on the handle as we approached but I stopped him with my own. "Not tonight Eddie, let me deal with this. I'll let you know what I decide. Be led by me in this." He nodded and I stepped down from the cab, ignoring the gaggle of servants who had gathered outside to watch the lady of the house hurtling through the window of a moving carriage. I swept back into the hallas the cab sped away; hoping that the damage Eddie had done was not irreparable.

Thank god for Lady Laura eh? I think she fought her corner well don't you? So, how CAN he make it up to her? What is Laura's devious and corrupted mind going to conjure which will make Isabella confident enough to believe in Edward's change of heart?

As always, you Roguettes are the cat's pyjamas! Thanks for all the lovely reviews and PMs, you really make my day.