The Heiress of Lord Henry More – Chapter 8
AN:
I'm so sorry about the delay in the update. I'll try to update chapter 9 sooner , without further delay here you have chapter 8.
Chapter 8
"Isabella, do you have plans for Thursday night?" Edward asked me, looking at me intently.
"No, I don't."
"Very well then, I'll pick you up at Rosalie's at 6.30. It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance," he said, bowing his head slightly before he walked away. He stopped to instruct Rosalie as to the whereabouts of her car and thanked everyone for the wonderful evening. To my utter surprise he even kissed Renée's hand, earning him a hint of a flush. Now that's where it comes from, only mine is slightly enhanced. I frowned. He never looked back at me and for some reason I was grateful.
I followed Rosalie and Emmett quietly. Renée walked by my side and in the ten minutes it took us to walk to the car she tried to engage me in a conversation but never actually followed it through; it was unnerving. Rosalie was the first to actually say something coherent.
"Well, that was interesting," she smirked. "For lack of a better word to describe it."
"Why did you invite a client to a family dinner, Rose?" Emmett asked her. "He's a little bit of a snob, isn't he?" Emmett snickered at me, trying to get me to agree with his opinion.
"You're just saying that because he spent the entire dinner staring at your baby sister," Rosalie said as she got into the car.
"He's so handsome, nearly breathtaking, if I may say so myself. And the way he stared at you all night… he's quite a catch, honey, and a lord! I didn't even know that that kind of man still existed! You'd be like the lady of his castle," Renee giggled.
"Mom, he's British," I stated matter-of-factly.
"So?" she asked.
I didn't respond, I had no desire to do so. I was beyond confused, never in my life had I felt that kind of raw attraction. You might say it's only natural, how many friends of mine had experienced the same? Their inhibitions were usually shed to pieces by alcohol at that point, but still… it happened, right? Not to me, not usually, not ever until now. And yet there was something about him that I didn't quite know how to put my finger on.
"By the way Bella, great dress! Where did you get that? It's amazing…No wonder Lord Cullen was smitten by you. I caught him looking at your portrait in my office every now and then throughout the afternoon. I nearly laughed out loud when he told me you'd be perfect to model for our new campaign," Rosalie said, chuckling as Emmett gave an annoyed huff.
"Thanks, Rosalie…" I said, a little annoyed myself. But obviously I knew what she was getting at.
"Honestly, his face fell when I told him you were my sister-in-law and a doctor. He actually told me before that big revelation that he would love to meet you. When I told him we should call it a day because I had a family dinner to attend, he asked me if you were going and I felt kind of obligated to invite him to join us. Besides, his reputation kind of precedes him so I wasn't comfortable with just giving him your number or introducing you outside a controlled environment."
"Because it's so nice to experiment with Bella." Why was I talking about myself in the third person?
"You still haven't answered my question," Rosalie said after a while.
"What?"
"The outfit?"
Oh, that… I wasn't sure how to explain that… I didn't know how much I should share about Henry, but I didn't want to lie. I was afraid that they might get the wrong impression if I told them with whom I spent the day without giving too much away.
"I just got it today. I thought I should dress appropriately to have dinner, I didn't know what kind of restaurant we were going to," I said evenly. It wasn't a total lie, so I got away with it.
"It was Emmett´s choice… what kind of place did you think he was taking us to?" Rosalie snickered, chuckling at her own joke.
"So, honey, what were you and Lord Cullen talking about outside the restaurant?" Renee asked.
"He invited me to dinner on Thursday." More like summoned me to attend dinner.
"That's wonderful! What are you going to wear?"
"I don't know Mom, really."
The rest of the ride home was filled with speculation surrounding the "date". I felt my cheeks getting hotter by the minute and I had a gut feeling that warned me against it. My heart tightened a little in my chest as the anxiety got the better of me. I breathed in and out and tried to shut down. I went straight to bed, not even bothering with showering.
Surprisingly, I had a dreamless sleep and woke up in the early morning. My mother was still asleep when I got up.
"Good morning, sis!"
"Emmett… what's for breakfast?"
"Just raid the fridge and suit yourself…" Emmett said, his mouth full of eggs.
"Have you talked to Mom yet?" I asked, getting straight to the point since I doubted that I would have another opportunity to ask him about it any time soon.
"No."
"You should. I know you don't agree with her going back to Forks, but maybe it's for the best, Emmett, she's been through so much already," I told him, nearly whispering. I was afraid that Renee would overhear us.
"And whose fault is that, Bella? Dad is only now getting back to some normalcy in his life. He didn't date for almost twenty years! You know him and how he always felt about her."
"Exactly. They've been separated for almost twenty years, I'm sure they'll do just fine. It's not like Mom is moving in with Dad."
"She left Forks because of her own selfish feelings. I didn't grow up with my baby sister because of her and now she's back? Why didn't she do that when she realized we weren't happy without Dad in that fucking desert, Bella?" He stopped for a moment, realizing that he was getting a little too loud. "I forgave her for that, Bella, and realized that she was entitled to pursue her happiness, but I can't help but feel a little betrayed. What changed? Why go back now and not before when we needed her?" His eyes were wet and he was holding back tears. It broke my heart to see that some scars couldn't be erased easily.
"Nevertheless, she has always loved us in her peculiar way," I said, stroking his face with all the affection I could muster. Rosalie stood by the sink without saying a word.
"I know, but I guess that's what hurts me the most. Her love wasn't enough."
"It should have been, Em, and it must be now. You'll feel better about yourself once you truly forgive her. Maybe going back to Forks is a good thing, we all need to heal!"
"Yeah, maybe," he said, staring at his fork full of the eggs and bacon he was having for breakfast. "By the way," he looked up to me again, "I don't like the Cullen guy--lord or whatever. Are you really going out with him?"
"Baby, you're going to be late," Rosalie said, effectively saving me.
Emmett finished his meal hurriedly and was off to work in less than five minutes.
"So you're meeting Lord Cullen Thursday?" Rosalie asked. I nodded. "We need to find you a proper outfit. This is the most unexpected twist of events this vacation, that's for sure."
"Rosalie, can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"What's all that about Edward's reputation? He must be quite the womanizer, right?"
"Oh, it's Edward now, is it? Well, there are rumors about that, but it's not like it's publicly known or anything. He's a lord and I'm sure it wouldn't be good for the family reputation."
"I suppose."
"I find him a little frightening. He's always so polite but somewhat cold. I don't know… and he's so focused… he doesn't even blink twice before making a decision."
"You like working with him?"
"I don't dislike it."
"You think I shouldn't go out with him?" I asked nervously.
"No, you should. You'll have fun and meet someone different. It's not like he proposed; it's a dinner, right?" She chuckled. "And I'm dying to see Emmett peeping out in the front window when he picks you up!"
"It's so nice to be able to entertain you," I said, frowning a little. "Anyway, what time do you get off work? I'd like to do some Christmas shopping and next week is probably going to be total madness. By the way, how are we celebrating Christmas?"
"The traditional way!"
"So why don't you have a Christmas tree yet? It's only a little over a week till Christmas Eve!" Suddenly I was excited. My favorite time of year had always been Christmas. It was the only time that Emmett and I were able to be together annually at Forks with Dad. Mom always made sure that we had that, and although it saddened me that my dad wasn't going to be able to be with us this year, Jacob had promised that he would take care of him during our first year apart. I genuinely smiled, and it felt amazing.
When Mom woke up Rosalie was already gone to work. I made plans to meet her at the agency for lunch after she assured me that Edward wouldn´t be there, and then planned to go off on a Christmas shopping spree. I wasn't always a big fan of shopping but I did love to buy presents. Every rule has its exception! I spent the rest of the morning e-mailing Angela some pictures of me wearing a huge red impermeable from when I went on the speedboat ride with Henry, keeping good on my promise of keeping in touch.
Mom and I took a cab and waited outside Rosalie's office building in a Starbucks café across the street. Because of the a.m. campaign she hadn't been able to take any time off that week, so even lunch was great. We enjoyed some very animated girl talk that had a very soothing effect on me.
We allowed ourselves to get carried away by the Christmas shopping fever; Rosalie actually had to call Emmett for some help because we couldn't fit everything in the car. I think the stores we went to ran out of Christmas decoration items. We got a huge tree and some decorations, outside lights, a Santa Claus, a sleigh, four reindeer and a snowman for the front yard. Emmett nearly killed us when he saw how much stuff he had to assemble. I bought everyone presents: for Mom the entire Twilight Saga collection, hoping that she would become addicted to it and quiet down for a solid week; for Emmett I got the new Play Station portable; for Rosalie a Swarovski rose. Finally I couldn't help myself and bought a little silver frame for Henry in which I placed a photo we took before going on the speedboat ride. By the end of the day I was exhausted but truly happy. As I was wrapping Henry's gift on the library desk I felt the urge to call him, remembering what he told me. But it was 10 p.m. and I was afraid it would be too late to call him. I grabbed my telephone and hesitated a little, then decided against it.
The following day was spent in a spa, compliments of Rosalie and Emmett. They were both having some guilt issues because neither of them was able to take more time off to be with me and Mom to show us around. We actually had some quality time together and were able to truly talk with our guards down. She opened up a little, finally telling me some of the things I hadn't been fully aware of about her marriage. I nearly cried when she told me how much she thought she loved Phil, how young he made her feel, and that it broke her heart to get divorced for a second time. After all the craziness surrounding their marriage they just didn't have anything in common, but the thing that bothered her the most was the amount of beer he drank during the day, and the whiskey and brandy in the evening. I was afraid she wasn't telling me everything but I didn't want to push the subject to the point of exhaustion. Instead I suggested lighter topics of discussion, such as the weather in Australia. We even planned the places we would visit in the following days. I didn't talk to her about Henry, although I didn't know why I was keeping him a secret. I didn't think that Mom was ready to learn about grandma's love life before marrying grandpa. I didn't want to be the one putting a mark on what we both saw as the purest love. Even I didn't know what to do with the information, and according to Henry, there was a lot more to it.
By five p.m. we were all back in the house making arrangements for dinner. Rosalie and Renee were starting to make my life a living hell because of the "date" with Edward when my cell phone rang. I was grateful for the interruption.
"Hello?" I answered. There was a moment of quietness on the other side of the line and I was about to hang up when I heard that perfect voice with the sexy British accent that I already was too familiar with.
"Hello, Bella?" My heart skipped with the thrill of hearing his voice. What am I, sixteen?
"Edward?" By this time I had stepped into the library for some privacy. Was he calling to cancel? I would probably feel some sort of sick relief if he did.
"You recognized my voice?" Although he phrased it as a question I knew he stated it as a fact.
"I don't have that many acquaintances that speak with a funny accent." There. I wanted to stick my tongue out at him.
"I'm funny now?" he chuckled.
"No, your accent is."
"But it amuses you, and it's mine… well, that's beside the point now," he huffed. "I was calling you to let you know that you should wear something comfortable tomorrow, and bring a jacket, you might get cold."
"Where are you taking me?" Now I'm curious.
"That's just for me to know. You'll find out soon enough though," was his simple answer.
"So let me get this straight…I can wear jeans on this date?"
"We have a date?" he asked.
"You know what I mean," I answered a little too angrily.
"Yes, we have a date, and yes, jeans will be appropriate. I don't usually misinterpret people, so I'm pretty confident that you'll approve of what I have planned for us."
"Why are you being so cryptic? I'm not at all the kind of woman that enjoys surprises; in fact, I tend to avoid them at all costs."
"The mystery is vital for the game, Miss Swan…" he nearly whispered, savoring his own words. "I'll see you tomorrow." And with that he hung up.
I stood there in the middle of the library for a couple of minutes a little dumbfounded. This will be interesting. I realized after a while that I was still holding my phone and a little impetuously I dialed a number that I had recently added to my cell's memory.
"Good afternoon, Greta Masterson speaking."
"Hi, Miss Masterson, this is Isabella Swan." Isabella sounded overly formal. "I would like to speak with Henry."
"Please call me Greta. How do you do, Miss Swan?" Greta politely greeted me.
"I'm good, how are you doing? I never got the chance to truly thank you for all your help. Everything you picked was perfect, really."
"You don't need to mention it. I'm pleased to know you liked it. Would you be so kind to wait for a moment? His Grace has an appointment now but I don't think they've started the meeting yet."
She put me on hold to the sound of Bach's Air on a G String. I loved that song, it nearly made me cry every time I heard it and it was surely perfect for Henry.
When the tears did come, prickling my eyes, it finally hit me: I had so little time to get to know him! It felt like only by knowing him could I get some insight, about myself, about life, about my grandma. I felt ashamed of myself for the turmoil inside.
A couple of minutes later Henry's quiet voice could be heard on the other end of the line.
"Bella? You called…"
"Of course I did. You thought I wouldn't?"
"I…" he paused. "I don't know, but I'm glad you did. How are you, sweetheart?"
"I'm alright. How are you?"
"Same old, Bella, same old."
"And how is that, Your Grace?" I couldn't help but to tease him a little, trying to lighten his mood.
"I'm better now that you called," he said sincerely.
"Ok, so how old fashioned are you?"
"I'm a little, I suppose. Why do you ask?" There was amusement is his tone now.
"Well, do you think it would be too forward of me to ask a gentleman like yourself out on a date?" I asked him, quickly adding, "In a very granddaughter to grandfatherly fashion…," using the same words he had used with me only a couple of days ago. With all honesty it seemed longer…
"Maybe a little," he chuckled. "But I would be extremely pleased and tempted to accept nevertheless."
"Good. Do you have plans for Friday night?"
"It seems that I have now." He was definitely pleased.
" Do you like Haydn? I have some great tickets to the Opera House. I bought them on the internet after scheduling my trip to Australia, but my mom isn't actually a fan. She'd be pleased if you saved her the trouble by accompanying me. What do you say?"
"You have tickets for The Creation?" Henry asked me, a little surprised.
"Yes."
"You never cease to amaze me, Bella. Very well, does that invitation include dinner?"
"I suppose… what do you have in mind?" I asked him.
"I don't know, you're the one inviting me." He was the one teasing me now. "But surely I can think of something, since I was the one who mentioned it. I'll have someone pick you up at six?"
"Why don't I meet you at your hotel at six. I'm the one inviting."
"Nonsense. Mathew will be at your place at 6 p.m. sharp. I have to get going, Bella, I have an appointment and for the first time I'm actually running late."
"Oh, right… sorry. Until Friday then."
"Take care."
The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. After dinner Rosalie and I raided her closet trying to find something decent for me to wear to the Opera House while Emmett introduced Mom to the world of Guitar Hero--which was hilarious to see!
I was spent when I finally went to bed around eleven p.m. As I was drifting softly to sleep, I realized that I hadn't thought of Mike since I landed in Sydney and that I hadn't felt betrayed, bitter or caustic in those last few days. I was beginning to feel like… me. How's that for a change, Isabella Swan?
AN:
Disclaimer: as always I don't own anything twilight-related;)
A huge thank you for the best Beta ever, Scooterstale, for all her time and support editing this little thing called The Heiress of Lord Henry More.
This chapter was a little slow, not too much happened, but it's mainly for you to get to know Bella. Next chapter, I'll skip right into the date with Edward. It'll be fun! I promise!
For the ladies who want some insight about the connection between Henry and Edward, which will be of central importance in a few chapters ahead, please check out my blog, where I posted it.
http:// theheiressoflordhenrymore (dot) blogspot (dot) com
The link is also available in my profile.
I'm now writing chapter 9, is there anything you'd like to see happening in the date? How far should they be going in their first date?
They are going to have a very unconventional first date, luckily for Bella she´ll be able to wear jeans. If any of you find out what they're doing on their date will have the next 3 chapters sent to their e-mail accounts 24hr before I'll submit them here;)
Clue: They're staying in Sydney and will enjoy a great view!
That's all for now! Thank you so much for reading! See you soon;)
Nofrure.