Bella's POV
I tried to push the Captain and his Baroness from my mind as I started to get ready for bed. I had already slipped into my nightgown when a knock resounded on my door. I glanced down, if anything my sleep wear was nicer than the dress I had arrived in this afternoon.
"Come in," I responded as I hustled to shut one of my bedroom windows. It had started to storm, and now the rain was coming down in fierce sheets. "Frauer Stanley," I greeted as the elderly woman walked through the door. My heart was both relieved and disappointed. Who else could I have been expecting. Surely the Captain was busy packing.
"For your new dresses, Fraulein Isabella." Frauer Stanley sauntered across the room to me. In her hands she held three bolts of cloth. Nothing extravagant, mostly browns and other natural hues. Good cloth for working dresses. "The Captain had these sent out from town."
"Oh, how lovely!" I took the cloth in my hands. I had never felt anything so soft. Despite its practicality, it was clear the Captain had not skimped on his purchase. Nor did it escape my notice that the fabric perfectly matched my eyes. Not that I should spend even a second on that thought. He was off to visit his Baroness in the morning. I was her for the children, not him.
"Oh, I'm sure this will make the prettiest clothes I've ever had!" Frauer Stanley gave me a sympathetic smile. "Tell me, do you think the Captain would give me more material if I asked him?"
"Oh, many dresses does a governess need?" Frauer Stanley was clearly taken back by my request.
"No! Not for me," I explained quickly. "For the children. I want to make them some play clothes."
"The Cullen children don't play, they march." The Frauer said in finality, marching over to close my second bedroom window.
"Surely you don't approve of that." How could anyone refuse to allow children to play?
"Ever since the Captain lost his poor wife, he runs this house as if he were on one of his ships again. Whistles, orders, no more music, no more laughing. Nothing that reminds him of her. Even the children he keeps at a distance."
"But it's so wrong!"
"Oh well, how do you like your rooms?" It was clear that Frauer Stanley was done with the topic at hand. At least for now. "There will be new drapes at the windows-"
"New drapes? But these are fine!" Sure, the fabric was a tad outdated, but the fabric was in good condition. There was no reason they needed to be replaced. I wasn't picky, and the room was much nicer than any other I had ever stayed in.
"Nevertheless, new ones have been ordered."
"Oh, but I really don't need them." I insisted. Had I given any indication that I valued material possessions in the least? It was the Captain, not I, who had insisted on the new dresses. I didn't want to be seen as a burden.
"Goodnight now," Frauer Stanley smiled as she headed out the room. "If the Captain wants to spoil you by getting new drapes, let him."
I ignored her remark, and any meaning it held. "Frauer Stanley, do you think if I asked the Captain tomorrow about the material he would get it for me?"
"Wel he is leaving first thing for Vienna tomorrow morning." She frowned.
"Oh yes, how long do you think he will be gone?" I certainly didn't want the children's lack of play clothes to keep them from playing, nor did I want to be blamed for soiling their, well… their uniforms.
"It all depends," Frauer Stanley replied cryptically. "The last time he visited the Baroness, he stayed for a month." She dipped her head in obvious disapproval.
"Oh." My stomach dropped. A month. Any hope that the Captain and the Baroness had a casual, friendly relationship was instantly washed away. A month.
"I shouldn't be saying this," Frauer Stanely responded, looking all too pleased to continue, "at least not to you, I mean I don't know you that well. But if you ask me, the Captain is thinking very seriously of marrying the woman before the summer is over."
"Oh that would be wonderful!" I forced a smile on my face. "The children will have a mother again."
"Yes," Frauer Stanley smiled at me, a knowing look in her eye. "Well good night." She turned and left as if she hadn't dropped a bomb on my world. If the Captain remarried, where would that leave me? I hadn't been here long, but something about this place felt right. I wasn't ready to return to the Abbey, I realized. Not until I discovered what about this house made it feel like, well like… it could become a home.
"Good night!" I called out as she sashayed down the hall, perhaps to her quarters. I closed my door as a loud boom of thunder shook the very walls of the house. We were in for a good, long storm if the dark, cloudy sky was any indication. I had one window still open, but didn't want to close it quite yet. The smell of rain reminded me of my early childhood spent in the mountains. It was a small comfort.
I gazed out the window and took a deep breath. The Captain might be getting a new wife, but I might still be able to find a place here to belong. Suddenly, a dark shadow moved by the front door. My breath caught, a burglar? No, in the lantern light I recognized the dress. Alice. She pulled at the front door. She seemed to have gotten herself locked out.
I noticed the trellis along the house leading up to my room. I hiked my window open a little further and pulled back my drapes fully so that my bedroom light would shine out into the night. If Alice was as spirited as I thought she was, and if she was out meeting with who I suspected, a little climb wouldn't scare her. Nor was a trellis the least of her worries.
I shrugged out of my robe, and knelt to pray. "Dear father, though it will be hard, I know now why you sent me here. To prepare these children for a new mother. I pray that this will become a happy family." The Lord knew they needed a little more joy in their lives. "God, bless the Captain. God, bless Alice and Michael, Jane, and Angela, Heidi, and little Bree. And- oh! I forgot the other boy's name." Oh shoot, I thought I was doing so well.
"Well, God, bless what's his name. God, bless the Reverend Mother, and Sister," a noise at my window halted my prayer. "And everyone at the Abbey," I didn't have time to name everyone. God would understand my sudden rush. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a sopping teenager crawl through my window. "And God, about Alice, help her to know that I am her friend, and help her to tell me what she has been up to." I fought a smile.
"Are you going to tell on me?" She walked over to where I was kneeling. I had to stop the laughter from bubbling out of me.
"Shhh.." I whsipered. "Help me to be understanding so that I may guide her footsteps. In the name of the father, the son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen." I made the sign of the cross and then folded my hands to look at Alice.
"I was out for a walk and someone must have locked the doors earlier than usual," she rushed on. "And I didn't want to wake anyone up, so when I saw that your window was open I..." She stopped and took a deep breath. "You're not going to tell father, are you?"
Her eyes were wide open and pleading. "Hmmm," I responded, and lifted myself from my knees to go and shut the window now that it had served its purpose. "How did you get up here," I questioned, playing dumb.
"The trellis," Alice grinned. "It's how we always got into this room. Jane can make it up with a whole jar of spiders in her hand."
"Spiders!" I would need to check my sheets very thoroughly before climbing into bed. Alice looked way too proud that her sister could manage this feat. "Alice. Were you out walking all by yourself?"
She nodded her head quickly. I stared into her eyes. They reminded me of her father. I could tell the moment she saw that I already knew the truth.
"You know, if we wash that dress out tonight, nobody will notice it in the morning." Her eyes began to light. "You can put this on," I handed her my robe. "Go in there," I pointed to my bathroom," and put your dress in the tub to soak in hot water. Then come back here and sit on the bed and we will have a talk."
Alice quickly took the robe and moved to the bathroom. Before closing the door, she turned back to look at me. "I told you today I didn't need a governess." She glanced down at the robe and smiled. "Maybe I was wrong."
She shut the door and couldn't help but grin. In one day, I had not one, but two small victories. As the thunder roared, I moved to my bed and flipped up the sheets to check for spiders. Nothing, Lord have mercy! I flipped my bedding back down.
My door suddenly swung open. Bree rushed into the room, her face pale and full of fright. "Are you scared?" I asked. She shook her head no, but as the next roll of thunder cried out, she sprinted over and clung to my leg. I wrapped my arms securely around her.
"You're not frightened of a thunderstorm are you?" I suddenly remembered the terror I felt as a young girl watching as storms came over the mountains. It seemed the whole world was suddenly coated in darkness. "You just stay right here with me," I lifted her into my arms. My chat with Alice would have to wait. "Where are the others?"
"They're asleep," Bree answered. "They're not scared. But even as she said this, thunder crackled and Jane, Angela, and Heidi raced into my room. They were all as white as their night dresses.
"On no," I smiled into Bree's hair as I held her in my lap and sat down on the bed. "Look." She grinned up at me.
"Alright everybody, up here." I motioned with my head to my bed.
"Really?" They all cried out in delight.
"Just this once." I didn't want to turn them away. Not with the progress that I had made at dinner. "Now all we have to do is wait for the boys."
"Oh you won't see them," Jane stated. "They're brave."
"Brave enough to climb up a trellis with a jar full of spiders?" I grinned at Jane, who immediately flushed and looked down.
Another crack of thunder, and I glanced up to see the boys sprint into the room full speed. They slowed as soon as they saw me, trying to hide their rush. " You boys weren't scared too, were you?" I asked, lifting an eyebrow.
"Oh no," said Michael. "We just wanted to be sure that you weren't." He stood tall and puffed out his chest.
"That's very thoughtful of you, Michael."
"It wasn't my idea." He burst out. "It was Jake's." He pointed at his younger brother, who looked up at him in indignation.
"Jake! That's who I forgot! God, bless Jake." The thunder roared again and all the children ducked and dove onto my bed.
"Why does it do that?" Heidi puzzled, a frown on her little face.
"Well, " I thought back to the story my mother had told me. "The lightning says something to the thunder, and the thunder answers back."
"The lightning must be nasty," Heidi concluded.
"No really, " I smiled.
"Then why does the thunder get so angry! It makes me want to cry." Oh, the mind of a child.
"Well, when I'm unhappy," I explained. "I try to think of nice things."
"What kind of things?" They all wondered.
"Oh let me see… nice things, nice things." I stopped to think, but all I could think of was two gleaming green eyes and the soft fabric they picked out for me. The way the corner of his mouth picked up as he tried not to laugh with me as his children cried at the dinner table.
"How about skies full of stars?" Alice came out of the bathroom, a dreamy look on her face. I was sure it wasn't the skies full of stars she was thinking of, but who she had been with under those stars. None of the other children seemed to register her sudden appearance.
"And whiskers on kittens!" Bree added.
"Bright copper kettles, and warm woolen mittens," Jane piped up. Weird, but okay. I saw Alice and Angela send her a sympathetic smile. Maybe it had something to do with their mother.
"Brown paper packages tied up with string! Heidi shouted, obviously thinking about her upcoming birthday.
"These are a few of my favorite things," I agreed. The thunder continued.
"Cream colored ponies," Jake spoke, trying to encourage the group.
"And crisp apple strudel," Micheal rubbed his stomach, making us all laugh.
"Door bells," Alice giggled. I could scarcely keep from rolling my eyes.
"And sleigh bells," Jane offered.
"Schnitzel with noodle," Micheal droned on. Maybe I finally learned what motivated him. Typical teenage boy, I should have guessed food. It was getting late, and we needed to get to bed.
"Wild geese that fly, with the moon on their wings," Angela added dreamily. Must have been something she read in a book.
"Exactly! When I'm feeling sad, I simply remember my favorite things, and then I don't feel so bad." I wrapped my arms around Heidi and Bree, who were tucked in close on each side of me. As the children moved to tuck themselves in and across my bed, I felt a new warmness in my heart. Somewhere deep inside of me, I realized I now had some new favorite things. Seven of them, to be exact.
The Captain might have the love of his Baroness, but I had a feeling I was starting to gain the love of something even more important. His children.
Edward's POV
I was hurrying to get out the door before the sun rose in the sky, but I couldn't leave before saying goodbye to my children. I decided to start with Alice. I didn't remember seeing her after dinner. I vaguely remembered something about a walk after the post came. The post.
Years in the Navy hadn't hardened me so that I didn't see the moon-eyed look in my daughter's eyes every time the blasted doorbell rang. But she was only sixteen, going on seventeen. If she thought she was anywhere close to being old enough to date, let alone date the likes of Jasper Hale- I shuddered, I could scarcely think his name- she had another thing coming.
My heart stopped beating as I swung open her bedroom door. Empty. Had she not come home? Was she kidnapped? I raced to the other rooms. Empty. Empty. empty. Each bed. Empty. Blood was pumping through my veins as I raced to the last bedroom in the hall. Isabella's. I barely paused to think as I barged through the door.
Nothing could have prepared me for the sight. All seven of my children were piled on and in her bed. Her soft, brown curls were barely visible though the sleeping assortment of bodies. I reached through the pile and found her hand. I meant only to wake her, but was taken back by the spark that rushed through my body.
Startled, her eyes popped open. Had she felt it too? She looked around at my sleeping children and smiled. Slowly, she began to untangle herself from the snoring mass. If the spark surprised me, it was nothing compared to the sight of my new governess in her night clothes. Her curves were scarcely visible through the soft, white fabric, but there was something intimate about the moment. I hadn't watched a woman climb out of bed since my wi- I stopped that thought in its tracks. It was no good going down that road.
Once she was free, Isabella took hold of my hand and led me from the room. When we reached the hall, she pulled her hand from mine. I tried to ignore the sense of sudden loss. "Frauline, did I forget to mention that bedtime in this house is to be strictly observed." The fear I had felt seeing each of my children's empty beds was beginning to return.
"You did, sir." She glanced down to the floor. I pulled my eyes away from the sight of her bare feet. Lord, help me.
"And do you, or do you not have trouble following such simple instructions?" I asked, trying not to let my agitation get the best of me.
"Only during thunderstorms, sir." She sheepishly looked back up at me. My heart began to soften once again.
"You will remember, despite any storm, the first rule in this household is discipline?" I quirked a smile at her, trying to show that I was serious, but not too upset. She nodded, but I didn't see an ounce of regret on her face.
"I am headed out, " I explained, changing the subject. "Will you please give my regards to the children?" If they were all up as late as I suspected, they needed sleep more than a hug goodbye.
"Of course," Isabella nodded. "I was meaning to ask you about getting some more fabric."
"More fabric?" I had specifically asked for three bolts of cloth to be sent from town. Brown, I had specified, and of the highest quality. The colors were certain to bring out Isabella's ey-
"Not for me, for the children." Isabella interrupted. "I want to make them some play clothes."
"Play clothes? My children don't play." Even as I said the words, I realized how cold they sounded. Wrong. "We can talk when I return." I compromised.
Isabella nodded, her face holding a slight frown. "Have a safe trip," she whispered. "Do you know how long you will be gone?"
"I will return as soon as I can." I had to leave it at that. I never truly knew how long my stints in Vienna would take me. Rosalie and Emmett were never able to give me too many details. It was safer not to know. It was everything I could do to keep my children safe from the world. I doubted any of them saw the true war that was coming.
Isabella attempted a smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. "I'll let them know you stopped to say goodbye." She walked into her room and started to close the door. I reached up my hand to stop it from closing.
"Goodbye, Frauline," I smiled softly, looking her straight in the eye.
"Goodbye, Captain," her lips lifted, and I stood in awe as the light began creeping back into her eyes. I watched as she walked back to the bed and crawled back in the sleeping pile.
I closed the door and prepared to leave. As I walked past Heidi's room, I stopped to leave a brown paper package which had been tied up with string. It had arrived from town with the fabric for Isabella. I might be missing Heidi's 7th birthday on Tuesday, but she wouldn't be missing her pink parasol.
As my car pulled away from the house a few minutes later, my thoughts turned back to Isabella and my storm frightened children. They might have missed their bed time, but I supposed I shouldn't be too upset. At least Isabella's bed was full of peacefully sleeping children and not... well... spiders.
Note:
The Captain is off to Vienna! Should I add his perspective to the next chapter while he is away? Curious to learn more about his Baroness? I love to hear you reviews! They keep me writing.
