Here's the latest chapter. My beta should be rejoining me soon, but this one has gotten a few extra looks to hopefully keep out all the errors. Thank you all for the wonderful reviews.

Disclaimer:All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter 20

The next morning I woke up with a smile on my face. Things last night with Edward had gone so well and I really felt like I had a chance to be happy with him. My ladies didn't arrive before breakfast, so after eating I went in search of Angela so I could give her the news and get her help with my gown.

"Of course I will stay with you, My Lady," she told me. "The prince said that he will make it up to my uncle?"

"Yes, and you will earn a wage of your own as well, though I will have to speak with the Queen to figure out how that will be handled," I explained.

"Well, let us get you ready for the prince." She smiled and got to work on preparing me to meet Edward.

I was late meeting Prince Edward, something that was evident by the way he rushed to my side. "I was about to search you out, I thought you had changed your mind after having time to think about everything."

"No, Edward. I want to be with you, and every chance we have to get to know each other better will be cherished. But I have to ask, why didn't you tell me that you dismissed my other ladies? I can manage with only Angela for a time, but I need to know so she can be ready to aid me in the morning."

"What do you mean? I haven't spoken with my mother yet about the other girls, only Lady Tanya in your room last night." Edward seemed genuinely confused.

"Lady Tanya must have told them that she was dismissed and made it sound like they were as well. I told you she isn't to be trusted. And from what happened at the banquet I don't think anyone in their family is fond of me."

"What happened at the banquet?" Edward asked.

"Well, Lady Carmen was harsh with me when she was instructing me in Genoa, like she didn't believe I would understand what I needed to learn, and then Lord Eleazar made a comment about hoping that I spent the last few months studying what his wife taught me, because I would need it. They've been condescending to me and I don't want to say anything because they're close to your parents, but-"

"Bella, my father trusts him because they are old friends, but I won't let anyone make you feel like you don't belong at my side. Because you feel right there, last night proved that," he whispered as he pulled me close.

"You mean the kiss?" I asked.

"The kiss was magical, but it was more than that. Holding you in my arms, it reminded me of something I'd forgotten about until I tried to fall asleep." He led me to the blanket he had set out on the grass and sat down with me before continuing. "I was four years old when you were born, my father and yours had made an agreement when your mother was pregnant, that if she gave birth to an heir we would continue to support the other, but if you were born a female, or my mother had a daughter in the future, the first pair that could be betrothed would be. When you were born, word was sent to my father with an ambassador that negotiated the treaty on his behalf. After it was done, my mother and I traveled to make the alliance official because my father was worried that leaving for that long would allow anyone with thoughts of overthrowing him the opportunity to do so.

"I remember thinking it was a gloomy country, and when we arrived at the castle I was paraded around and put on a small throne next to my mother for most of the proceedings. Once the treaty was signed, you were brought out and they handed you to me. I didn't know what to do and you started crying, I was worried there was something wrong. But then you looked at me and stopped crying, it was the best feeling in the world.

"And last night when I held you again, I felt the same thing. I was worried for you and I wanted to take away your pain. So I need to tell you that if anyone ever hurts you, threatens you, or does anything that even makes you uncomfortable, you must tell me at once." His story was sweet, and the intention of keeping me safe was noble, but I wasn't the baby he'd cradled in his arms and wished to soothe.

"I've upset you again," he whispered.

"No, it's just such a sweet story, and there is one other thing you should know about from the banquet." Edward's hand squeezed mine as I took a deep breath to calm myself. "They didn't say anything specifically to harm me, but they made me very uncomfortable."

"Who?" Edward asked.

"Lord Riley and Lord James. I danced with them and Lord Eleazar around the same time; it was why Lord Garrett interrupted the dance. He saw my reaction to Lord James."

"What did he say to you?"

"He made comments about wishing I'd been at Court when he went to Genoa for a wife, that he could have persuaded me away from you despite the betrothal. I didn't completely understand his implications, but it worried me," I explained.

"Lord James was referring to seducing you, having your virtue so he could have a princess bride," Edward growled. "He is a cad, and no doubt he was trying to intimidate you, but he is married and you are my intended. Lord James cannot do anything to you unless he wishes to die."

Needing to change the subject, I decided to bring up the surprises he had mentioned. "You said that you had surprises for me?"

Laughing at the abrupt change in conversation, he reached beside him. "First, this is not so much a surprise as it is a debt that is long overdue to be repaid. This includes your expenses on your trip here, everything you've paid Angela so far, and your shopping trip to the market. From now on, charge anything you need."

He held out the sack of money to me. "I can afford to buy my own things, Edward."

"I know you can, Bella, but it is another way of me taking care of you. You brought funds with you but the majority of your money, along with your dowry will arrive with the Genoan Queen when she attends our wedding," Edward explained.

"Very well," I agreed before something about his last sentence confused me. "You said that my mother is coming for the wedding, but is she the only member of my family? I had hoped my brother would attend as well."

"Prince Emmett will be here for our wedding, but that is another part of the surprise. I wrote the prince before your arrival to ask if there were any ways to ease your transition, and he sent me a response that I received just after I returned to the castle the other evening. Your brother said that you would likely have a hard time because of how you were isolated, and that I should be patient with you. The prince also offered me a surefire way to make you happy." Edward smiled as he said it.

"What is that?" I asked.

"He will arrive in two weeks, giving you a month together before our wedding," Edward revealed and I gasped, throwing myself into his arms before I'd realized what I'd done.

"I'm so sorry, Edward, that was terribly forward of me. But I haven't had much time to get to know him, so this is the greatest gift you could have given me," I said, pulling back slightly only to have Edward hold me to him.

"Never apologize for being spirited; your enthusiasm is greatly appreciated. And the last thing I want is for you to bow down to me as if you were anything less than my equal in all things. Though I'm afraid it will make the other two gifts seem trivial in comparison." Edward's reference to my drawing and the note that accompanied it made me smile, because it meant that he truly meant what he said.

"Nothing you give me could be seen as trivial. Now what else could you possibly have for me?" I questioned because it already seems like too much.

"The first thing is your horse, which we will see tomorrow when we go for a ride. The other surprise is a trained guard dog. I found a breeder that has the perfect dog for you, and it is nearly done with its training. The beauty of this dog is that you'll get it young enough that it will bond with you and it will obey you before anyone else once you've trained with it and developed its command words. This way even when I can't be with you, there is something to keep you safe." I looked up to see just how worried he was about something happening to me, and it was truly touching.

"Thank you for everything, Edward," I spoke as my hand reached up to touch his cheek. It was sweet how he leaned into my palm, as if he was seeking the warmth from my skin. His skin was still smooth from his shave and it reminded me of the smoothness of his lips last night, no doubt staining my cheeks an embarrassing shade of red.

"You're blushing, Sweet Girl. What is happening in that mind of yours?" Edward murmured, leaning closer to me still.

"I was remembering last night, and how perfect my first kiss was," I answered in a whisper.

"I'm so happy that I will be the only man to know you. As for that kiss, you don't need to remember it, we can relive the moment now." Edward's words had barely left his mouth before his lips covered mine.

It was amazing how he made me feel. The kiss was better than I remembered, but it was also short lived.

"My word, it seems that you've worked things out here." Queen Esme's voice caused me to pull away from Edward as far as his arms allowed.

"I'm enjoying the morning with my betrothed, Mother, I thought you would be pleased," Edward joked.

"I am pleased, especially considering the conversation I had with the princess after you deserted her." Esme sent a barb at her son and I felt him stiffen beside me.

"I overreacted, but we've sorted out our differences and after I handle the staffing changes we'll be fine," Edward explained but the queen sat down.

"What staffing changes?" Queen Esme asked.

"Lady Tanya was incredibly rude to Bella the entire time she was in her employ. Her actions were completely unacceptable so I removed her from the princess' service and sent her back to her father's estate until I feel she deserves the privilege of being at Court," Edward told his mother.

"The Count and Countess will not be pleased," Esme chided him.

"They're on thin ice with me as well," Edward growled. "I know father is fond of them but they condescend to her like she's a servant and not their future Queen. When I fired Lady Tanya she went to Bella's other lady's maids and told them they were no longer needed. I was making plans to get her maids like Angela, but to leave her with no one because she was being spiteful was unacceptable."

The queen's face became severe as she listened to her son speak. "I will handle this. Do you know of anyone specific that you wanted to bring on as a lady's maid?"

"Maggie Drowe, she's the daughter of Captain Liam Drowe. He's the captain of one of the king's merchant ships. I believe it's called Siobhan," I told her.

The queen squeezed my hand before standing up. "If you can get her to the castle, I will handle everything else. This will work to set up Isabella's pet project early by showing the nobility just how well it can work. I will leave you to your mid morning excursion and see you both later."

Once we were alone again, I looked at the prince with a bashful smile. "As lovely as I believe it would be to remain here for the rest of the day, do you think it's wise for us to be so affectionate in public?"

"I think many of the men can understand my draw to you, Princess, but I must think of your name and your honor, so we will go for a walk through the garden so I can show you my favorite parts. Then I can leave you while I have my lesson with Jacob and write the letter that will go to Captain Liam about his daughter joining your service," Edward explained as he helped me up.

"Is your lesson a private thing?" I asked, suddenly interested to see what he did in that room. I'd only been in it the one time, but I wasn't ready to leave him yet.

"You want to watch me train? Aren't there more productive ways to spend your time?" he asked.

"You're right; it was silly of me to think that you'd want me there," I whispered, but Edward stopped me.

"It isn't that I don't want you there, but when I'm training I have to focus or I will get hurt. Having you there will make we want to impress you and Jacob will work me like a dog if he sees me showing off," Edward said, making me laugh. "I will walk you to your room and you can do what you might need to and I will find you after."

After our walk through the garden, Edward led me to my room and I was left with time on my hands that I didn't know how to fill. Thankfully, Esme came in with a man I hadn't met yet and two servants carrying a load of fabric.

"Queen Esme, what is all of this?" I asked.

"There is a tradition that I found out you were not made aware of by the Countess of Denali, so I've arranged to take care of that now." The queen motioned for the servants and the man to enter the room. "Now, are you skilled at sewing?"

"Yes, and if it is a more involved it might be better to move this to my sewing and craft room," I offered and Esme agreed.

Once we had the fabric set out on one of the tables, Esme explained why she was here. "It's a tradition for wives to make their husband's shirts. We have his measurements and a pattern, so we can begin to show you what you'll need to know."

"I actually know how to construct clothing," I admitted, earning four shocked looks.

"You do?" Esme asked.

"Yes. My father wasn't pleased with my clothing expenses when I was younger, so I learned how to sew. Now most of my undergarments and chemises have been made by me, and I also grew out of the need to waste money on clothes to get back at my father." This was another thing about Alice that I was glad we had in common, and since I wasn't as fashion crazed as she was, my more conservative shopping habits could be explained away as another sign of my maturity.

"Well, I will leave you to it then," Esme said as she left with the others.

Having a purpose for the time I was away from Edward was nice and by the time I had to prepare for dinner I had made some definite headway. It seemed I was fitting in better than I had expected.