Good morning! I hope your Sunday is going well. Here's a little insight into Esme. I think you'll like it...

Lady Esme Cullen

Carlisle once asked me what prompted me to help so many people. He did not mean it in a derogatory way, he was just curious. I smiled at him, as I always did, and reminded him of where I came from. I was not so different from our dear Isabella once.

My father, bless his soul, was a shopkeeper, and one day, Carlisle came in looking for some sweets. It was his mother's birthday soon and even though adults rarely celebrated birthdays, he felt that it was his duty, as a son, to purchase something for her.

I served him with a polite smile and off he went. He came back the following week to purchase something else and even to this day, I can not remember what. The week following that, he walked into the shop, and my heart drop when I saw he was with a lady. I was still polite and all smiles, but my heart hurt.

My father brushed me aside, was all of a flutter, and bowed to the lady. I did not understand his actions until after the pair had left. Father explained that she was Lady Cullen, so Carlisle must be their son. My heart lifted.

The next morn, Carlisle came in, purchased some soft leather gloves, and then asked to speak to my father. His face gave nothing away, but I was sure that I had done something terribly wrong. It wasn't until after they spoke, that I relaxed. Carlisle's mother had deemed it necessary that she meet me at least once, to make sure Carlisle was happy in his choice.

Carlisle and I started courting the following week and he even walked us to church and back.

I was the talk of the town, but I did not care for rumors and gossip. Within three months, we had been wed.

It had been incredibly hard to adjust to my new life. I had gone from a shopkeeper's daughter to the future Lady of the Cullen Estate. I often found myself back in the village where I had grown up, helping where I could. Lady Cullen, my wonderful mother-in-law was very similar to me, hoping, where possible, to help those less fortunate. Neither of us called it charity. We just helped people.

And I have continued that to this day. I will never forget my roots and that is why I help those I can.

Isabella reminds me so much of myself. She is strong for a little thing and so determined. I fear that it will be her undoing, but I will make sure that she does not push herself too far.

I have watched her and Edward closely and they remind me so much of Carlisle and myself. I was nervous to be around any sort of nobility and Carlisle, bless him, was nervous to be around a girl. We made a right pair, and my son and Isabella are just like us.

"Lady Cullen, I have the bolts of material you requested and the lace. Would you like me to load them into your carriage or deliver them later," Mr. Thomas asked as I looked for buttons. Charlotte was growing so fast, and she needed some thicker winter dresses. I also wanted to purchase some lavender material for Isabella, just in case.

"Now will be fine, Mr. Thomas, I will ask someone to help me at the other end. Do you have any mother of pearl buttons in stock?"

…

I watched with light humor as my son ordered the carriage to collect Isabella and young Charles.

He seemed extremely nervous, and it was like he was my young son again, in the prime of his life and dare I say it, happy.

Since the loss of his beloved Sarah, he had become but a shell of the man I had raised and thought I knew well. The first few months, he did not leave his townhouse. Then, after I pleaded for Carlisle to fetch him, he became a little better. He spent time with his children, although I knew it pained him, and he was getting better. It has only been since he has met Isabella and young Charles that I have seen true happiness in his eyes.

"She will come, and all will be well, but you need to stop pacing like an expectant father and make sure that your own children are ready to meet them." I smiled fondly at him as I left the passageway and went in search of my own beloved husband.

Carlisle was, as always, in his study looking over documents.

Although it did not seem as if he did much other than be a landlord, I knew better.

"My dear, is the party here already?" he asked kindly with a smile to match as I walked into his room.

"Not yet, my dearest, but your poor son is going to wear a hole in the parquet flooring if he does not rein in his nervousness," I giggled lightly as I walked around the side of the large desk and happily situated myself in his lap.

"I find it humorous that you say, 'my son', when he is either doing something wrong or amusing, yet he is your son when he should have his praises sung," he laughed, and I shook my head playfully.

"It is how things work, now, if you are not too busy, maybe we could be downstairs in time for Isabella and Charles to arrive?" I grinned and not two minutes later, we were walking arm in arm towards the front door.

I knew that Isabella would feel nervous about our company tonight, but I hoped that once she was settled, she would open up somewhat. I wanted Charles to spend a little time in the nursery before dinner was served so that he could meet with my grandchildren and I hoped that they would get along because if my mothering intuition were correct, they would be seeing a lot of each other in the near future.

"Edward, dear boy, stop pacing this minute," Carlisle chuckled when he saw that our boy was still pacing the floor in the entrance hall.

"The children are already dressed and anxious to meet them, so I thought I would come back down here to wait," he mumbled as he looked out of the large window.

"Carlisle, please be a dear and take our son to the library for a stiff drink, I do not think his nerves can handle the wait," I said softly with a smile.

Once the men had left, I sat down in one of the chairs by the front door and thought about what this evening could mean for the future of the family.

I knew that Edward found Isabella captivating, but did they have enough between them to have a committed relationship? I also knew that Isabella was young, but not too young for him. Although it was almost customary for a girl to be younger than her suitor, Isabella's mind was much older than her body. I knew she was not exactly a learned young girl, but she could read and write, and she was so mature in areas that other women twice her age were not. That would be a good thing if a relationship developed further than friendship.

My thoughts came to a stop once I heard the carriage come along the path outside and I quickly stood up and made my way to the front door. I dismissed the footman of the carriage as soon as I was outside and smiled widely as I opened the small door to the carriage.

"Isabella and Charles, how good to see you this evening," I beamed as Charles clamored out of the carriage first and then held up his hand to help his sister out of the carriage.

"Good evening, Lady Cullen," he said sweetly as Isabella climbed out and stood in front of me.

"Well, what such fine manners for a young man, good evening, Isabella," I smiled as Isabella curtsied.

"None of that, we're friends and stations are exempt this evening," I laughed lightly as Isabella blushed a little.

"Good evening, Lady Cullen, I hope your day was a fine one," she almost whispered while they both stared at the house.

"For tonight I wish you would call me Esme, Lady Cullen is such a mouthful between friends," I smiled widely when her eyes widened.

"So be it, if you wish, but for tonight only, Esme," she said my name so quietly and with reverence, I would have sworn that she was talking to a saint!

"And that goes for you too, Master Charles," I said to him as I took his hand.

Once I had led them into the house, I was quick to show Charles where the nursery was and once he was introduced to the children, Isabella and I stood in the doorway, watching Charlotte invite him to play with her.

"I forget that he does not mix with children his own age," Isabella said sadly as Charles laughed loudly at the pop-out theatre which Charlotte had set up with Betsy.

"Charles, Isabella, and I are going downstairs, so if you need us, have Betsy bring you down," I said, and he was polite in his reply as we left the room.

"Isabella, before we meet with the men, I would like to show you something I think you might enjoy," I grinned, linking arms with her, and we walked down the long corridor to a room I knew that she would love.

Once we were outside the room, I opened the door slowly and stood back as Isabella poked her head inside.

The gasp and look of awe on her face said it all as I followed her into the room.

"I have never seen such a sight," she exclaimed as she took in the rows upon rows of books that made up Carlisle's collection.

"They have been passed down and added to by this family for as long as the house has stood here," I said proudly, but I did not think that she had heard me.

She was too busy looking at all of the spines of the books.

"If these were mine, I would not know where to start," she giggled lightly as she looked a little too afraid to touch them.

"Remember what I said about books, Isabella, they are to be touched, read, and enjoyed, not to make a shelf look pretty." I smiled kindly towards her as she finally plucked up the courage to pick up a book.

Once Isabella had her fill on the books, I led her back down to where the men would be waiting and to hopefully put my poor son out of his misery.

As I predicted, the men were in the sitting room and though my poor son was trying his best to act calm, a mother knows her children and I knew he was nervous. His fingers were fidgety as he sat on the low couch to the edge of the room and as soon as we walked in, he jumped up like a startled deer before he composed himself.

"Isabella, you look lovely tonight," Carlisle said as he walked over to us and took up her hand to kiss the back of it before Edward had the chance, much to his annoyance.

"Oh, thank you, Lord Cullen," Isabella stuttered a bit as she spoke, and her cheeks blushed a little at his praise.

"Please, call me Carlisle, I insist." He smiled at her as he passed her hand off to Edward and took me by my arm, leading me further into the room.

I tried not to watch too intently as Edward kissed the back of Isabella's hand also, but her signature blush told me all that I needed to know.

I knew from this night on, there would be no problems for this young couple once she came out of mourning for Renee.

I just prayed to God that they would still favor each other by the time that was.

So what do you think about Esme's own history? And what could the lavender material mean for Isabella? See you later!