Chapter 3

"Ah, come Mrs. Carmen, I know your gardener does something extra to keep those geraniums so beautiful." The tea was a success; Didyme expertise in extracting information made the group of older women an easy prey.

"Oh, but we don't have a gardener per se, old Tobias comes once a week to trim the bushes, keep the grass short, and take out some weeds. I take care personally of my garden." Didyme technique was excellent, a little flattery in each woman Achilles' heel and voilà, they shared all the gossip surrounding Forkshire. "I tried to keep an eye in our garden in Surrey, but with the cold the doctor forbid it; we had a gardener but then he caught pneumonia and he died. I don't know what we'll do this winter." "What a shame! The same happened here to Edward's mother, pulmonary pneumonia I'm afraid. He had just come back from Eton." Carmen said while dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief. "I, we... were hoping for. Kate was the only girl around here about his age, and we hoped... they... but after his mother demise, he left."

It didn't escape to Didyme that Lauren and Emily rolled their eyes. So she went for the kill.

"So you mean that Edward had a special friendship with Kate?"

"Oh no, absolutely not. Like Carmen said, they were the only ones here with age appropriate to consider a marriage. Edward had just arrived to town, he had no friends then." Emily said, causing Carmen cough her tea.

"Dear Emily, in other circumstances, I'm sure love would have blossomed" Carmen's last comment made the other women smile condescendingly. "I still hope that Edward will notice the common interests he shares with my Kate." This comment earned smiles even from Aro who was supposedly sleep in a sofa. Poor sap! She didn't know when to quit.

Emily decided to change topics, before someone would state the obvious to the oblivious Carmen. "I'm glad you're here Didyme. Mr. Royce has postponed this wedding long enough. I hope Aro had a couple of words with him, otherwise he's wasting Rosalie's time."

Didyme was confused, she didn't know what to say given that Rosalie hadn't said a word to her either. "It's just that Rosalie doesn't want her mother alone. We still don't know where Royce wants to settle, here or London, and she wants to be close."

Mrs. Jemima Stanley, who had less experience in this reunions, commented with total honesty "That's why I said to Jessica, my daughter, before you agree to marry a man, you have to see where he lives and where his parents and family lives. You don't want to end living faraway with a controlling mother-in-law, who will take every single decision in the house."

The vehemence and passion in her statement made everyone remember how the elder Mrs. Stanley treated this one, twenty years ago.

"You know, my little Jessica is eighteen, like your Isabella will be, but we didn't make a coming out party for her. I mean, who would have come? Emmett McCarthy is already engaged, not that Miss Alice seems to mind the attention from another man. In this case, we don't know much about Dr. Whitlock's past. He's a good doctor though..." Her tirade left her a little breathless, which Lauren used to comment "We know Alice Cullen has no shame! sorry Carmen, we know she's Kate's friend, but how could we not notice her going around town all day with Jasper Whitlock! Poor Emmett does right concentrating in work at the firm. If only I was in his place... there wouldn't be an engagement." "My Claire found them last Friday in the woods. You wouldn't believe what they were doing!"

"Please do tell."

"Well, she said they were behind a tree, he was kissing her! And his hands weren't on sight, if you know what I mean." All the women aw-wed scandalized by Alice conduct, ignoring that Claire, Jemima's maid, was mad because that particular tree was her and her boyfriend's secret hiding spot. "As his Godmother" Lauren claimed "I talked to him, but he seems so resigned. I'd like to talk to Mr. Cullen, but he seems so ...distant and serious." Didyme took the opportunity to reach another topic she wanted to know about. "Why not talk to Mrs. Cullen?"

The other women looked surprised.

"Well, she's the step-mother, it's not the same. Alice doesn't listen to anyone, lest Tanya."

"She hates her, and I don't know if I could blame her. Tanya acts like she's above us all." "When Mr. Cullen married her, we were so happy! He was so lonely after Cynthia's death. But she's so quiet, she doesn't stay to talk after Sunday's church service, or when you find her at the post office. She just says 'Good morning' and leaves."

"I mean, we're not commoners! It isn't like she's royalty. Alice said her family comes from Russia, a disgraced noble, but I don't believe it. We thought maybe you Didyme, with your contacts " Emily said while looking to a sleeping Aro "I'm sure you know someone who could ask about her family."

"I'm sure I could ask her at the party..."

"You invited her to the party?"

"We invited almost the town!" said Renée, as she was coming into the room Didyme knew the gossip time was over, her companion won't be as communicative with her niece present.

"This party will kill me! I had to go to London to find the special kind of scotch that John Newton likes." Jemima Stanley immediately asked "Did you invite the Duke and his family?" "Of course, he was one of the best friends Phil had. They served together in the war. John wants to bring his son, Michael, to mingle. Michael is a bit attached to his mother's skirts for John's taste. If he turns thirty and doesn't find any suitable companion, John is sending him to the colonies. Maybe that will toughen him." Jemima was thinking on the possibilities, she was also trying to marry her daughter, like Renée and Carmen.

"So the Duke hopes maybe one of the girls at the party will perk him up?" Renée nodded " And his wife wants to watch Michael's interest in girls, she wants to make an appropriate match. Like we all do." Renée said while looking intently at Didyme, who immediately knew which suitor Renée wanted for Bella.