Quaquaversal (adj.) Moving or happening in every direction instantaneously

November 6th, 1989

The Caron Home - Bergerac, France

9:12 am

"Bye Mémé!" Eloise screeched running towards Esme who stood in the doorway of the large house. She wrapped her tiny arms around her grandmother for about the fifth time that morning. "Bye pépé!" She moved on to Philippe who had just stepped briskly out the door.

"I am driving with you," Philippe laughed, patting her head indulgently.

They were soon settled in the car with Edward and Philippe seated up front and Eloise and Bella cozied in the back. "Papa says we're going to Swi-ser-land," Eloise said looking up at Bella.

"We are." She lightly brushed Eloise's wilds curls away from her face, looking at her fondly.

"And we are going on a train. I like trains. You like trains Bella?"

"I do," Bella answered. "I came here on a train from Paris."

"I like trains," she repeated as her attention turned to her coloring book. "Was it a big train? I've been on a very big train."

"As a matter of fact it was," Bella said. She listened as Eloise prattled on about trains and how much fun they would have once they got there. The child was simply a marvel and she began to think that maybe being a nanny wouldn't be too difficult after all.

Bella thought back to the farewell drinks she had with the other vendangeurs two nights before. Somehow they had already known about her new position and besides Michael's innuendo filled statements about babysitters and single fathers, they all seemed happy for her. She figured Michael was just the bitter type.

They said a quick goodbye to Philippe and made their way through the surprisingly vacant station.

"Chocolat Papa!" Eloise yelled pointing to a stand with chocolate in the display window. "Can I have chocolat?"

"It is too early for that my darling," Edward said gently. "You just had breakfast and too much sweets is not good for you."

"But Papa," she whined stomping her little foot. "I want it."

"I said no Eloise." His voice was firm. She settled down, crossing her arms and pouting. "Come on," he groaned picking her up while balancing a bag in his other hand.

Once on the train and they had their bags taken cared of, Edward paced a hand on the small of Bella's back, leading them to their seat. She felt the heat of his brief touch for the entire train ride.

November 6th 1989

Bern, Switzerland

8:48 pm

Bella felt a gentle nudge against her shoulder. "Miss Swan?" Her eyes fluttered open to find Edward standing over her with a sleeping Eloise in hand. "We are almost there. The train should be stopping shortly."

"That was quick." She stretched her arms above her head languidly.

Edward snorted, playfully rolling his eyes. "Hardly. However when you are asleep time tends to slip right by. Eleven hours seem like nothing."

"This is so cool," she said leaning over to peer out the window. "Even after months of travelling I still get excited!" She lightly pressed her face against the glass placing her hands on either side of her face to get a clearer look.

"I'm in Switzerland!" She squealed.

"Come on Miss Adventure," Edward laughed. "This is our stop."

Bella was surprised to find that Edward had a driver waiting for them at the station. He was a short stocky man that introduced himself as Godfrey in a low gruff voice. He was very quiet as they made their way to Edward's very impressive home.

"Wow," she said stepping out of the car door that Godfrey held open. She was by no means a stranger to luxury; nevertheless Edward had a beautiful and marvelous house. Throughout her trip she often found herself enamored by the beautiful architecture of the different cities. She felt like she was in a perpetual dreamlike haze.

"This is my primary home," he explained. "I stay here more than anywhere else."

"It's beautiful."

Godfrey let out a muffled groan interrupting her admiration of the house. He balancing the bags as he shut the door closed with his stubby foot.

"Do you need any –"

"I got eet," he grunted in his gruff little voice. He hoisted the baggage in his arms, scurrying toward the house.

Edward snorted and rolled his eyes, following briskly after him. "Do you cook?"

"Yeah, I can make some things."

He looked back at her sheepishly. "I'm going to need your help on some days. Our previous nanny took care of that but I have made other arrangements."

"It won't be a problem at all," she assured him.

Edward held the front door open for Godfrey to enter and Bella followed after. "Let me just put her down to sleep and then we should talk about your responsibilities while you are here."

He gave her a brief tour on the way to Eloise's room and then he showed her to her own room where she put down her bags and followed him to his office.

"This is where I come to work when I am home," he informed her. "I am usually away at meetings though. Sometimes when I am here, I have very important work and I do not want to be disturbed so it is important that you keep Eloise busy at times like this."

"Okay. I can do that."

"I would like for you to keep her on a precise schedule," He said, handing her a sheet of paper. "I typed out a tentative one for you to use to guide her. Things will be a lot different here than when we were at my mother's home. That was our holiday time. Eloise has to focus on her studies now. There will be less play time."

Bella looked at the paper which had Eloise's entire daily routine outlined from breakfast, to playtime, to walks. Edward seemed like a man that liked organization. She also noticed Piano lessons on the list as well.

"Of course you can shuffle and adjust a few things," he said. "But I would like consistency in Eloise's routine. This will keep her straight and proper. The piano lessons are not flexible. Her instructor will come in three times a week while we are here. You also have to keep her on track with her reading and English lessons."

"Okay." It seemed a little much, but she was willing to learn how to care for a child. She did not remember her mother using schedules, but things were obviously different in Edward's home.

"Also, meals" he said, crossing his arms across his chest. "I have hired a personal chef that comes in a five times during the week but other than that can you handle that with no problem?"

"That would be all three correct."

"Yes. Although at breakfast you will mainly be handling just Eloise and yourself."

"It's no problem at all then." Bella made a mental note to get a French cookbook. She was sure Edward would have diverse tastes in foods and would not want the same group of meals all the time.

She also made note to call her mother. She wasn't sure she would share the news of her new job just yet though. She knew they would worry unnecessarily. After all, she was in a foreign country with a man she barely knew.

She decided she would send her a postcard. It would allow her to put off the lying for a while.

November 8th 1989

Bern, Switzerland

9:12 pm

"Eloise come here!" Bella called trying to keep her voice low as to not alert Edward of the mini crisis she was having.

"No," she giggled. "I want to play now Bella!" She ran towards the door. "You can't catch me," she sang running away.

"Oh no," Bella groaned. She was tempted to go to Edward for help, but she wanted to handle this on her own. She didn't want him to think she was incompetent. They had only been in Bern for two days. Who knew one child would be so much work. "Eloise, please! You have to go to bed now." Bella ran down the hall after the little girl. She hoped she wouldn't venture downstairs.

Bella spied Eloise's little form taking a sharp right into her bedroom. Aha, she said to herself, moving to follow.

"Miss Swan?" She spun around to find Edward at the opposite end of the hallway where he had just ascended the stairs. "What are you doing?"

"I…um," Bella said trying to think quickly. She hoped he would not think she could not handle Eloise.

He crossed his arms over his chest giving her a questioning look. She swore he almost looked like he was smirking. "Is Eloise in bed?"

"Well…"

"Bella come find me!" the little girl yelled from somewhere in Bella's bedroom. Bella's cheeks heated guiltily.

"Ah," he said knowingly uncrossing his arms. "She's playing the hiding game."

"I'm sorry. I was going to –"

"It's fine," Edward said waving her off. "Like I said, Eloise can be a handful. You are still learning." He walked towards her placing a hand on the small of her back. "Come on." She let him lead her toward her bedroom, feeling a burning heat where his hand laid. It sent happy tingles up her spine.

"Where could Eloise be?" he asked in an unusually playful tone as they entered her bedroom. It was a nice change to his usually serious demeanor. "Have you seen my little girl Miss Swan?"

"I haven't," she answered, playing along. "Maybe she got lost."

Edward rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I thought I heard a little voice that sounded almost like hers. Perhaps I was mistaken. I hope my little girl isn't lost."

A girlish giggle came from the closet across the room. Edward winked at Bella as he moved towards the edge of her bed, taking a seat. "If she's lost she's going to miss out on the adventure tomorrow."

"Oh yes, It would be a shame if Eloise couldn't come with us. We'll have all that fun without her."

The closet door popped open. "Where Papa?" Eloise's little body slipped out of the closet. "An adventure? I want to come too. I wasn't lost. I was hiding."

"My darling!" Edward exclaimed in faux surprise, winking Bella. "I thought you were lost. You had me and Miss Swan so worried."

"I'm sorry Papa. I wasn't lost, I wanted to play." She crawled into his lap. "Where are we going tomorrow Papa?"

"You will have to wait and see," he said placing a kiss on her nose. "Papa has to work on your surprise. Be good for Miss Swan and let her tuck you in. The night is for sleeping and not for playing. Good girls go to bed when they are told or else they will not get any surprises." His tone started to get serious again.

He stood with the now pouting little girl and gently placed her in Bella's waiting arms. He gave her another wink that made her feel like she would melt into a pile of goo before exiting her bedroom.

This is definitely harder than I expected, she thought as she made her way across the hall to tuck Eloise in.

Getting Eloise to settle down was much easier after that. Once the little girl had drifted to dreamland, Bella tiptoed out of her room, not wanting to wake her.

"Much more difficult than you expected isn't it?"

Bella jumped at the sound of Edward's voice behind her. She turned to see him standing in the halfway cracked doorway. He looked freshly showered. His oddly colored hair was damp and he wore a grey sweater with flannel pants. Bella couldn't help the inappropriate thoughts that flashed through her mind.

She offered him a tentative smile before stealing one more glance at Eloise as she made her way towards him. As she stepped out, Edward reached around her to close the door. Her heart hammered in her chest.

Bella was hyper reactive to his presence. She had a crush on her employer and she wasn't sure how she felt about it. Especially since he seemed, like most people she encountered on her trip, to have a different concept of personal space.

"Definitely," she sighed. "I think I'll get the hang of it though."

He hummed in agreement, his jade eyes staring off. She noticed that his normally clean-shaven face had grown a bit of stubble.

"Well now that the little one is in bed, how about we do some grown up things."

Bella nearly fell over. "Uh…some. Grown up…yeah." She felt like slapping herself. He certainly didn't mean that the way her dirty mind interpreted it.

Edward chuckled, shaking his head. "Come on." He reached out and took her hand in is firm warm one. It felt pleasant. She followed as he led her to the second floor and then to a set of stairs she had not noticed before. "You haven't seen the best part of the house yet Miss Swan."

They ended up on a patio on the roof. It had the most spectacular view of Bern. "I found some wine in the cellar from the last time I was here." He walked over to a table and poured out two glasses of wine handing one to her.

"So what do you think of Switzerland?" he asked looking down at the town below them. "Well what little you have seen of it."

"It has made a good impression so far," she said taking a sip of wine.

"Really?" He sat down and gestured for her to do the same. "I'm glad to hear that. I hope Eloise and I have made a good impression also."

Bella's cheeks turned crimson. "You did." She was convinced he was trying to drive her insane. She couldn't keep her mind clean.

"Good to know."

She remembered something she had been meaning to ask him. Something that never quite made sense to her. The circumstances they first met under confused her ever since she saw him at the Caron house. "Why did you stay at the Acker's inn when you were in London?"

His brow furrowed in confusion. "I'm sorry?"

"What I mean is," she explained. "I would think you would have stayed somewhere more…posh?" It came out like a question.

Edward threw his head back and let out a hearty laugh. It was an enticing sound. "Posh?" His eyes gleamed mischievously in the moonlight. "Is that how you see me Miss Swan?" He leaned toward her.

"I…well…look at this place!" She threw her arms out gesturing around them. "It's just that the Inn is a little out of the way. I took you for a center of the large city type of person."

He stared quietly at her with a secret smile on his face for what seemed like minutes but was likely only a few seconds.

"What?" she asked self-consciously shifting under his gaze.

"They are very close friends of my mother's. I have known them for many years."

"Really?" she said, surprised. "I never saw any interaction between you."

"In life there is a lot that we don't see," he said cryptically, giving her a wink. He stared up at the sky, still smiling.

"How long are we staying here?" she asked, changing the subject. This was a more pressing issue. "You travel a lot." She was excited to find out where they would go next. Edward did not seem like the communicating type. She had to hear about Switzerland from Esme.

Edward sighed running a hand through his tousled hair. "Not too long. A couple of weeks maybe. I will be spending quite a bit of time away from the house so I want to make sure you are fully accustomed to Eloise and her Bern routine."

"Okay," she agreed. She thought back to her earlier conversation with the little girl. "Eloise told me that she was getting a puppy. I love animals. I always wanted a dog but my brother is allergic."

"She wants a pet," he said, shaking his head with a smile of admiration. "A puppy. We travel so much that it would be impossible. What will I do with that little girl?"

"Well I'm here," Bella said quickly. She didn't want the little girl to be disappointed. She seemed so happy when she was talking about her new puppy. "You can get her one. I can handle it. Is traveling with a pet that difficult? It can't be that hard."

Edward shot her an incredulous look. "A four-year-old and a puppy? I don't think so. Maybe when she's older."

Bella nodded in agreement not wanting to argue. They slipped into silence as they stared out at the city before them. It was a beautiful night. She couldn't wait to see what Bern had in store for her.

Thanks for reading. I wonder what Switzerland has in store for Bella.

See you next chapter. It is already written.

Review please!