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The other brains behind this venture are Sunflower Fran & Alice's White Rabbit, who lend their talents to editing this.
RobsmyyummyCabanaboy and Deh are my pre-readers, plot coaches, shoulders to cry on, you name it, they do it.

We made it through the big revelation about Lady Whitlock's past and left our Mr Cullen at the gate of Bella's estate in Somerset. Let's see how they get on there, shall we?

DISCLAIMER: I still don't own any of it.

CHAPTER 18

After a lively and delicious dinner, we all retreated for the night to the guestrooms that had been prepared for us at Cygnus Court. Being family, Jasper and Lady Holcombe had their own preferred quarters; Bella, of course, had her own suite of rooms—which had been her mother's; Alice occupied the room right next to Lady Holcombe's; Rosalie and Emmett were given a stately room with a majestic view of the walled garden, and I was accompanied by Bella and her housekeeper to a room next to Bella's—not without some frowning on Jasper's part.

When I opened my mouth to protest in an attempt to appease Jasper, Bella silenced me. "This is my house. He can hardly expect to order me about here. And this was my father's room—I wish to imagine he'd be happy to know I found someone like you, Edward."

Fully comprehending the thoughtfulness and honour behind that gesture, I acquiesced. "As you wish, my love. Good night then," I said, placing a chaste kiss on her forehead.

"Good night. I'll see you in the morning."

The next morning, I woke refreshed and ravenous. Bella had assigned one of the footmen to my service for the duration of my stay, and I suspected she'd imparted similar instructions with regard to the other guests. The footman in question—a tall, gangly, and jovial lad not yet in his twenties—assisted me in my morning ablutions and helped me with my clothes and luggage before I went downstairs for breakfast.

As he brushed some lint off my shoulders, I suddenly thought of my own staff in Jamaica and what they must all be doing this time of year, almost the height of summer. My impending nuptials implied I wouldn't be travelling back to the West Indies any time soon, and for all that my steward was a capable, trusted man, a plantation of that size needed a master's eye and care. Time for me to concoct a solution to this quandary. Quite unbidden, a ghost of an idea took shape among the haze of my morning thoughts. The scheme could have some merit but needed further pondering.

Another thought had been plaguing me since arriving at Cygnus Court the previous evening. This estate—the size of the grounds, of the house, its elegantly appointed rooms—spoke of a vast patrimony. I couldn't gauge what its annual yield might be without taking a look at the books or at the land itself, but experience told me it would be in excess of Cullen Manor's yearly returns in an exceptionally good year. I'd known Bella was wealthy—just not quite how much. The subject required some discussion with Jasper, who would certainly wish to negotiate her marriage articles sooner rather than later.

When I came to the end of the staircase, I met with my brother and Jasper, who both appeared ready to walk into breakfast.

"Good morning, gentlemen." I addressed them both, and they turned to look at me.

"Edward, just in time. Come in and have some sustenance," offered Jasper.

"Gladly. What happened to the ladies?" I asked, looking around for my Bella and the others.

"Let's see"—Emmett began enumerating on his hand—"Rosalie isn't ready yet, Lady Holcombe is taking breakfast in her room, and Alice is with Bella whispering about I don't know what. That should sum it up."

"Oh. Should we wait for them?"

Jasper waved my concerns away. "They shouldn't be long. They know we need to be on our way. They'll join us soon enough. Mrs Higgins?"

A short, portly lady in housekeeper's clothes appeared at the dining room door, announced by the tinkling of keys that dangled from the chatelaine tied to her waistband. "Good morning, your lordship. Would the gentlemen care for some breakfast?"

"As a matter of fact, we would."

Mrs Higgins—whose features looked familiar, all of a sudden—nodded and pushed the dining room door wide open to let us in before ringing the bell for service. When two footmen appeared with platters of hot food, I had no doubt she'd had them ready to appear as soon as someone arrived.

"You, Mrs Higgins, are a treasure," Jasper thanked her just before she disappeared from the room.

Once we were all seated and equipped with tea, toast, and sundry food items, I voiced my suspicions. "Mrs Higgins seems so familiar. Why?"

Jasper chuckled but obliged. "You noticed, didn't you? Well, as fate would have it, she is Mrs Padmore's sister. And young Higgs, the footman assisting you, is one of her sons."

"Well, I never …" Leave it to Bella to keep an entire extended family employed.

"Both sisters were employed by my uncle, and Bella would never dream of parting from either of them. And she shouldn't either. They keep both houses in tip-top shape, whether she lives there or not."

"Oh, believe me, I know how capable Bella is when it comes to running a household. I would never dream of interfering with her decisions." I couldn't tell if Jasper's statement was meant as a warning to me, but I chose to convey my own words of caution anyway. "Jasper, once we're settled in at Cullen Manor, I believe we've other … things to discuss."

Emmett, who sat beside me, alternated an inquisitive gaze between Jasper and me. "You're not going to have … words again, are you?"

"I believe words are required for a discussion, Emmett."

"Don't you be flippant with me, little brother. You know what I mean," he added with a serious expression.

I shook my head before answering. "I have no quarrel with Jasper, you know that. Just … there are financial matters to settle before I marry Bella, and he's still her legal guardian."

Emmett regarded me with an unreadable frown. "And mind you, I'm only telling you because you're my brother, and we're all friends. Bella's fortune is her own business."

"Hardly, Edward. Once you're married …"

I thought best to head off Jasper's comment at the pass. Granted, under the law, all of it would become my property, but I didn't want greed and convention to rule my actions, not where my wife was concerned. Bella deserved better. "Once we're married, it will be our business. I know the law, but my intended is an intelligent woman with spades of common sense. It'd be foolish of me to administer the whole lot without consulting her."

Emmett raised a properly impressed eyebrow in my direction. "Well, little brother. You certainly don't need my counsel on how to maintain marital peace."

From the other side of the table, Jasper bestowed on me an appreciative nod just before the door opened.

"I'm sure everything will turn out fine, Alice. Do not fret," Bella murmured with an affectionate pat to Alice's forearm.

"But what about …" Alice replied, frowning.

"Not now," Bella interrupted her as they approached the table while Jasper and I stood to help them to their seats. "Remember what I told you, will you?"

"Yes, thank you. I shall do that."

Bella's words of reassurance and advice immediately piqued my curiosity. What had my two favourite ladies been discussing?

"Good morning, my love," I greeted my Bella when she took her seat beside me.

"Good morning to you too. Emmett, Jasper," she added, almost as an afterthought.

Jasper nodded at her, after helping Alice into her chair, and turned to ask her, "Where is Rosalie? Is she quite all right?"

"Yes. She will be downstairs in a minute, I believe," Bella explained.

Emmett, on the other hand, seemed quite unperturbed by his wife's absence at breakfast. "Let me guess. Was it the dress or the style of her hair this morning?"

"Emmett, that sounds unkind, even for you," Alice chided, wielding a buttered slice of toast in his direction.

"I just know my wife, sister," he replied, smirking, just as the lady herself came through the door looking like the picture of perfection.

"Good morning, everyone. My apologies. I hope I didn't keep everyone waiting."

While Emmett reassured her that we'd all just sat down and the ladies struck up a conversation with her, I chanced a sidelong glance at my Bella. She'd chosen a long-sleeved, dark blue dress in a delicate flower print, which complimented her figure beautifully and seemed practical enough for travel at the same time. Mindful of my brother's earlier comment about Rosalie, I took in her appearance. In a white and purple striped shimmery silk gown, she looked ready for high tea at St James, which reinforced my previous assessment of her—she valued looks over practicality and probably hadn't considered the labour of the maid who'd have to launder mud stains off her dress after one day of travel.

My musings over the ladies' fashion were brusquely interrupted by raised voices wafting in from the hall.

"What's with all the palaver?" asked Jasper with a concerned look when the arguing voices didn't seem to abate.

"I'll call Higgins. She'll know," Bella said, ringing the bell.

A frazzled Mrs Higgins appeared in an instant. "I was about to come look for you, ma'am. A gentleman demands to be received." Her tone and her expression belied the very words she used, so much so that I clasped Bella's hand and wordlessly beseeched her not to vacate her seat. At least, not alone.

"Nonsense, Higgins," countered Jasper. "No gentleman demands to be received. Much less at this hour. Who is it?"

"My sentiments exactly," I added, grateful that Jasper agreed with me. Perhaps if we presented a united front, Bella wouldn't contradict us. Perhaps.

An irate voice I knew all too well filtered in again from beyond the door. "I have it on good authority that Miss Swan is in residence. Escort me to her directly, lad."

"He wouldn't dare," whispered Bella, grasping my hand tighter.

"Apparently, he does." Jasper rose from his seat, angrily throwing his napkin on the table. "I'm going to have a word with this gentleman, Higgins. Do not show him in under any circumstances."

Bella cleared her throat. "You seem to forget, cousin. This is my house. I will speak to the gentleman."

"Not alone, my love. Please. Not after what happened in London."

She seemed poised to object, but then a fearful frown marred her features, and her shoulders sagged in defeat. "Fair enough. I suppose you're not going to sit back and wait either?"

"You suppose correctly," I confirmed. "Jasper, shall we?"

"With pleasure."

Emmett made to rise and go with us, but Bella stopped him. "No, Emmett. Stay back, please—I think I'm sufficiently guarded. I am in my own house, after all."

With reluctance, and after a long, steady look in Bella's direction, Emmett acquiesced and resumed his seat. "Very well. But I will keep my ears to the ground."

Bella nodded in turn and fell into step with me; ahead of us, Mrs Higgins led the way through the door into the hallway where two footmen and Jasper's own manservant stood as a barrier around none other than Lord Blackwood.

His lordship appeared to have just jumped off his horse. Spatters of mud dotted the hem of his heavy traveling cloak, his neckcloth hung loosely from his shoulders as if it'd been hastily undone, and a conspicuous burgundy stain marred the laced cuff of his shirt. Blackwood not only seemed worse for wear but also deep into his cups. It didn't bode well for a civil discussion. I chanced a glance in Jasper's direction, and he silently nodded to the stained shirt cuff in response. He'd reached my same conclusion.

At the commotion of our arrival, the blackguard straightened his spine and trained his regard towards Bella. I surmised his tactic would be to intimidate her and rile Jasper and me up at the same time by pretending to ignore our presence.

There was no misconstruing the sneer he threw in my direction, but when Blackwood's gaze landed on Jasper, who stood with his fists almost vibrating by his sides with his mouth pressed into an unforgiving line, Blackwood's bravado vanished in a puff of smoke. At that moment, though I wished to be Bella's protector in all things, I decided to let her and Jasper have the floor—he shared a long acquaintance with this sack of vermin and might well know how best to handle him, and Bella had already proven she could hold her own in a confrontation. She would not appreciate me coddling her and speaking for her—not a woman with her keen sense of independence. I would intervene if she needed me.

"Ah, Isabella. Just the person I wished to see."

"I assure you the feeling is not at all mutual, Lord Blackwood. I don't take kindly to people intruding on my breakfast." Bella delivered her opening shot with enviable calm despite her earlier discomfiture.

Jasper, on the other hand, made no effort to hide his disdain. "Blackwood, I thought I'd made myself clear in London."

"Well, my invitation to the engagement party must have been waylaid somewhere along the route from Grosvenor Square, so I had to see for myself if the rumours were true."

"And you rode more than a hundred miles to do so?" asked Jasper. "A note would have sufficed."

"Oh, but that would have deprived me of this wholesome spectacle—both of you gentlemen rising to defend the damsel."

Bella huffed, clearly irritated with Blackwood's improper display. "That hardly makes one sympathetic to your plight, Lord Blackwood. If you have nothing else to say, we will return to our guests and our breakfast. Higgins will show you out."

Her harsh words seemed to rattle him for a second, probably reminding him that if he got kicked out too soon, he couldn't deliver any message whatsoever. "Well, Miss Swan, that's awfully unkind of you. I remember a time when we were friends. And, of course, it's not too late to change one's mind, with the right inducement," he said, titling his head in my direction, the meaning of his statement crystal clear.

He had the gall to accompany those indecorous words with a lewd leer and a step towards Bella, and it angered me to such lengths that my Bella herself had to pull on my hand to stop me from conveying my opinion to Lord Blackwood with actions rather than speeches. With my fist. Repeatedly.

"That's enough, Lord Blackwood. I will not tolerate such ungentlemanly behaviour in my house, from anyone."

He took another step, but Jasper raised his arm to stop him, effectively forming a barrier between Bella and Blackwood. His stone-faced countenance brooked no refusal, but still, that scum of a man wouldn't budge.

"So it's true. You really are choosing this … country bumpkin instead of me. I cannot believe it. This is an outrage …" he said, defiant, almost spitting his resentful words in Bella's direction.

It occurred to me, consistent with Bella's earlier reasoning, that Blackwood's spitefulness wouldn't help him one whit in pleading his case, especially not with someone like Bella, who didn't value social stature or wealth as a guaranteed means to attain matrimonial bliss. Not to mention the fact that his horrid behaviour alone would disqualify him even from addressing Bella, never mind contemplating to marry her. What a pompous, deluded piece of human refuse this man was.

"You asked your question in London and were given an answer. That answer is unchanged and would not change were you the only man in England. Please leave before I have you forcibly removed."

Bella's words appeared to have a minute effect on Blackwood, but he hid it quickly. He turned towards Jasper, who was still shielding Bella from the scum.

"You heard the lady, Blackwood. I've been magnanimous enough towards you so far because of our long acquaintance. It ends now—let's see how solicitous the Duke of Bolingbroke and his circle will be when they hear certain things about you."

"There's nothing you could say to Bolingbroke …"

It was Jasper's turn to sneer at his former friend. "Nothing? Shall we test that theory, Blackwood? There's a rumour I heard at the club last week … What was it? Gambling debts?"

Blackwood shrugged, but the grimace that took him one second too long to suppress gave away his game. Jasper was on the right track to have the upper hand on him.

"Or what about the other rumour I heard at your ball? A failed betrothal for your sister …"

That sounded like news to me, but what did I know? Jasper had much better connections than I did, and he'd just spent two days in a carriage with my sister and his great-aunt. He'd probably been kept abreast of all the London gossip he'd not yet heard.

Blackwood scoffed in annoyance. Jasper's taunts were chipping further away at his hectoring.

"Or this … Bolingbroke took quite a shine to my cousin that night. I wonder what he'd say if he knew of your present antics? And of your earlier display of ungentlemanly behaviour towards her?"

The threat of exposure to his acquaintances in the upper echelons of the ton finally broke him. The fiend blanched and stepped away from Jasper. "You wouldn't, Whitlock."

"Try me." Jasper faced him with a steely countenance, his arms crossed in defiance.

Without another word, he stormed through the front door, muttering a string of abuse, no doubt to our detriment. I had no interest whatsoever in hearing his complaints.

"And good riddance again," Bella said in an exasperated huff.

I longed to comfort her and hold her, but the three footmen and Mrs Higgins still hovered.

"Higgins?"

"Yes, Miss Isabella? May I bring you anything?"

"I'm fine. Thank you. Just pass along that Lord Blackwood now belongs on the undesirables list. Send word to your sister in London too."

The housekeeper nodded her assent, curtsied, and corralled the other servants to follow her after ordering them to keep their mouths shut about the incident with the rest of the staff.

When they left, I gathered Bella in my embrace. "My love? Are you all right?"

She nodded and raised her head to look at me. "Yes, Edward. Thank you. I'm just supremely irritated, and I abhor confrontation. I detest having to be disagreeable to people, but with some, there really is no alternative, is there?"

"No, my love. But I'm proud of you for how you conducted yourself."

She burrowed farther into my chest and wound her arms around me. "Thank you for letting me deal with him. I think it would have just provoked him to be more horrible if you'd stepped in."

"I agree, Bella," Jasper finally said, patting a comforting hand to her shoulder. "Are you sure you are quite well, little one? No one will blame you if you need a moment to yourself."

She turned to him, a distraught grimace still marring her beautiful face. "I know, but all I need now is the company of friends and family. Plus, he interrupted our breakfast," she added with a petulant stomp of her delicate foot. For a moment, she looked innocent and childlike, and I couldn't help myself—without even thinking, I touched my lips to hers, relishing the soft, velvety texture of her skin. Jasper's presence be damned.

"Well, that's easily remedied. Shall we?"

Jasper's surreptitious cough prevented me from taking things any further, and I remembered I had a question for her. "Undesirables list, Isabella?"

Bella relinquished my embrace but didn't let go of my hand as she turned to follow her cousin. "Any objections, Edward?"

"None whatsoever. Just wondering who else might be on it, my love."

Jasper opened the door, throwing Bella a questioning look as he let her pass. "My mother, no doubt."

"Wouldn't you like to know, cousin?"

When we entered the dining room, Emmett rose immediately to approach Bella. "Bella! Are you all right? Did he leave?"

"Heavens above, Emmett! Yes, I am quite all right, as you can see. I will not be, however, if anyone else asks the same question again."

"Well, forgive a man for being concerned about his sister-to-be, will you?" He opened his arms for her and snatched Bella away from me. I didn't begrudge him the gesture—I could never resent his brotherly concern for my beloved.

"He's gone?" he asked, assessing Bella's appearance from head to toe. She nodded. "For good?"

Jasper answered in her stead. "If he knows what's good for him, yes."

"That's all I needed to hear. Shall we get back to breakfast?"

Bella's sigh of relief devolved into an ill-restrained chuckle. "That, my dear Emmett, is a capital idea."

The next day, well on our way into Cornwall, Bella and Rosalie had both dozed off for a necessary but rather uncomfortable nap while Emmett and I discussed yesterday's unsavoury incident between ourselves.

"And she said those exact words to his face?" my brother asked.

"You've known her longer than I have. Is it so hard to believe that she'd defend herself adeptly?"

He threw an affectionate glance her way and smiled before answering. "No, not at all, but that doesn't mean I'm not in awe of her. I love Rosie with the heat of a thousand suns, but she'd never be able to …"

I waved him away, perfectly aware of the turn his thoughts had just taken. "Don't, Emmett. Don't start comparing them. They're two different people, with different dispositions, who've had entirely different upbringings and lives. There's no way in hell they'd ever react to anything the same way. Especially not something like this."

"She did collapse as soon as we settled into the carriage, though," he added.

I nodded. She had tried to keep up some conversation but had quickly given in to her exhaustion. "I have a theory about that."

"A theory, you say?" he replied with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes. She abhors confrontation, as she told me this morning. And yet, as we've learned from Jasper, she's had to put up with more than her fair share of it throughout her life, thanks to Lady Whitlock's interference. Jasper's father wasn't far behind in his nagging, if my understanding is correct. I think she's had to steel her resolve, so to speak, to cope with them, but it's not in her nature, and it takes a toll on her. She was still magnificent …"

"That she was, but I understand your logic. It makes perfect sense—and comports with her eminently practical nature. She'll do it because she has to. Doesn't mean she has to like it."

I ventured a look outside the carriage window, and my gaze landed on a rather familiar sight. "Isn't that Treverva Lodge we just passed?'

Emmett nodded. "You have a good eye, brother. I sent our servants ahead to open up the house since the Hales are still in town. We'll ride over tomorrow. It will be … quite something to be staying at Cullen Manor for the night though. Thank you for your hospitality."

I knew he meant to thank me for more than providing him and his wife with shelter for the night. To him, it was a welcome home of sorts after his long estrangement.

"Don't even mention that. It's your home too. Old Jenks will be pleased as punch to see both of us together."

He snickered at my mention of the old man. "Pshaw. Once he sees Bella, you and I will be utterly forgotten."

I shook my head, unable to suppress my chuckles. "Appropriately prophetic." Then those flashes of an idea I'd had back at Cygnus Court resurfaced in a corner of my mind. I still hadn't had the time or occasion to discuss it with Bella, but I figured that sounding out my brother's opinion wouldn't be a bad idea in the meantime.

As it turned out, he offered me the perfect opening for it. "You must be glad to be home at last, Edward. Or do you miss Jamaica?" he added when I hesitated to answer.

"I miss having structured days of work more than the idea of Jamaica itself. I've been back in England for almost three months, and I'm growing lazier by the day, or so it seems. I'm used to waking up well before sunrise. This life of a gentleman of leisure doesn't agree all that well with me."

"I miss that too," he confessed after a while in a tortured whisper I barely heard. "I miss riding through the estate with father, working with him. I've been helping out Mr Hale with his business, but it's … less action, more bookkeeping. I'm not ungrateful for the opportunity, but it's not … it's not me."

"Would you ever consider living, making a home, anywhere other than Treverva?"

He took a serious, level look at me, almost as if he were scrutinizing my intentions. Then, before long, he replied firmly. "If I could? In a heartbeat. I long for Rosalie and me to have an establishment we can run to our liking, away from her parents' influence. Don't misunderstand me, brother … they have welcomed me with open arms, but sometimes I feel …"

He seemed conflicted enough, so I decided to help him along. "… That she would benefit from flourishing on her own?"

He heaved a relieved sigh. "Yes, exactly that. They love their daughter to distraction, and goodness knows everything they've done has been to ensure her a comfortable future, but you and I have been raised with different principles, and while Rosalie is a lovely person in her own right, their influence has made her frivolous and conceited at times. If she had room, and time, to come into her own away from them …"

I nodded, taking his comments to heart. Maybe my proposal would not be abhorrent to him. Maybe.

Bella's voice, still heavy with sleep, startled me out of my musings. "Are we there yet?"

I sensed she might be right but had to peek out the window to check our surroundings. Sure enough, we were about to turn into the driveway leading to Cullen Manor.

"We're home, my love."

"Home."

Back to where we started-Cornwall.
The tale is winding down, my friends. Fran and Sally have signed off on the epilogue a few weeks ago.
There are three more chapters after this and an epilogue.

Thank you all for coming along on this journey, and see you next Friday.