Thank you for the reviews! Sorry it has taken so long, I am back to being a University Student again and have been battling with a viral infection for a week and a half, one that prevented me from celebrating my birthday on Tuesday, as well.

Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight and character names. All plot lines, backgrounds, characterizations, and details belong to JigsawRose. No copying or reproduction of this work is permitted without express written authorization. 2013 JigsawRose. All rights reserved.

-Bella-

"Here we are, doctor." The Duchess led the doctor, all too suddenly into the nursery. Breaking the moment that Ellie and I had just shared. Even though she was far too small to comprehend bravery and to understand how much of a beauty she was, I told her that I would pray for her well-being and long life. Of course, chances are she may forget about me altogether, too. I quickly placed Ellie back down into her crib before the Duchess had a chance to see.

I curtsied upon the doctor's entrance into the nursery. He took a moment with his thoughts, coming to a halt in the middle of the room and his eyes scanning around the room, registering what was around him. Interrupting the momentary silence he cleared his throat and turned to the Duchess who was now awkwardly standing behind him.

"Milady, this nursery is much too draughty for a young woman and a baby to be sleeping in. Is there any way you can move them to one of the bedrooms? That is, a bedroom with a working open fire until I can be assured that there is no harm to its inhabitants. If this young maid catches the common cold we cannot be sure as to the welfare of the baby if the illness is transferred to the little one."

The Duchess said nothing in reply, her mouth in a hard line; instead she just nodded curtly at the doctor. Attempting to swallow down the all too sudden dryness of my throat, I watched intently as the doctor gazed over Ellie, her little eyes opening up and looking into his. I felt my heart drop a little at what may be laying ahead for her. Placing down his bag on the floor, the doctor lifted up our little angel, and began his examination.

Feeling a little helpless, I turned toward the window, letting the view distract me. I was sure that the duchess had left us alone which did allow me to be alone with my thoughts for a time. After looking out at the clear blue blanket of sky, I gazed down, seeing Tyler hard at work wheeling the wheelbarrow around the centre gardens. Lady Alice appeared into my view, pacing slowly around the rose garden holding an ill-fated rose between her hands, picking at the petals and seeming deep in her thoughts. Lady Alice was always sociable with guests and the rest of her family, her temperament always pleasant and friendly. However, I always wondered what she thought about when she was alone. Independent time was harder to come by with her because of the constant need to mingle at parties and to find herself a decent husband as this was indeed her second year out in society. I couldn't help but think that she looked a little sad, a little lonely even if she had been surrounded in the beauty of the roses. I was about to look further away into the direction of the sun when Jasper suddenly appeared from the direction of the garages. Jasper slowly approached Alice, showing apprehensiveness. This did not surprise me, for Jasper knew all to well that only the personal maid's and valets to the children of the family could be permitted to be in such close proximity. Alice had made herself comfortable on a stone bench, her eyes still concentrating hard on the rose in her hands. My lady didn't seem surprised at his appearance, in fact she had not even moved from her spot, perhaps because she had not looked upon him until he had sat down beside her.

I bit down hard on my lip, watching the scene fold gradually in front of me, also, a little inwardly thankful that the Duchess could not see this – I had blocked out Ellie's sounds entirely, the scene before me was enough to keep my mind off of the fate of the little baby I had prematurely and perhaps foolishly fallen in love with, if only momentarily.

Alice looked at Jasper, watching him as he began to talk to her, the exact topic of their conversation inaudible to me. He had already broken the duty of the servants; we did not have a measuring boundary or a particular proximity in which we had to remain away from when around the family. Despite there being no particularities it was generally forbidden unless in cases of emergency or heavy distress of some kind. However with their arms resting on each other's, something inside told me that this was not going to be a normal kind of conversation between Lady Alice and Jasper, my lady and not to mention the family chauffeur. Something told me that Alice had grown somewhat accustomed to being in Jasper's company as she had not attempted to push him away, nor shown any distress at being uncomfortable. Then again, Lady Alice was never one to regard the rules of her house or condone the injustices and inequality of our society, her sweetness and kindness overruled any ill opinions other may have of her.

"Isabella?"

I turned on the spot into the glaring eyes of the Duchess. "Yes ma'am?" I stuttered, nervously.

"Could you ask his lordship to come up here, you may leave us to have some privacy until the doctor has finished properly." I was a little confused as to the fact that she had just been downstairs and could not get the Duke herself. The more time I spent in close proximity with her ladyship the less I wanted to continue under her employment. Feeling helpless and trying hard to supress the desire to shout at her, shout at the fact that Ellie means more to me than she ever could to a cold-hearted woman, I pushed my lips together and walked out of the nursery, Alice and Jasper pushed instantly to the back of my mind.

I walked towards the library, finding the Duke pacing in front of the fireplace; he turned to look at me as I curtsied. "My lord, the Duchess wants you to join her upstairs in the nursery."

"Has she sent you away?" I only nodded in response. "I am deeply sorry, Isabella." The Duke sighed. "I know how much that little girl means to you, she seems to have captured everyone's heart downstairs in such a short time." As he walked towards me, I folded my hands across my apron. "Believe me, I will come straight down and inform you of the news of the assessment." He whispered.

The Duke, saying nothing else left, I was then alone in the library. In the silence I once found peaceful with such a heavy daily workload had now became too uncomfortable for me to handle. I did not need silence; I needed to hear Ellie, even if she was showing evidence of stress or discomfort from her examination. The thought of going downstairs and having to be barked at, wrongly so, by Mrs Dwyer did not appeal to me, either. I felt uncomfortable in the house and made a quick escape out of the large back doors – quickly turning toward the rose garden. As I was about to enter it, Jasper appeared in sight straightening his uniform a little awkwardly, he was quick to stop in his tracks as he saw me.

"Bella? How's the baby?"

"Jasper... I have to ask you something…I was looking out of the nursery window and I saw…Oh you have to realise that I am not accusing you of anything however you must tell me something…If only to ease my imaginative imagination, what happened between you and Lady Alice?" Jasper's eyes dropped to the floor, I folded my arms across my chest. "Oh Jasper think what might have happened if the duchess saw you? Out of a job, probably dragged out of this house by both your ears and with no recommendation for any future employment? Why did you feel that you could not come to me to talk?"

"I know, Bella. Look you don't understand…Lady Alice….I think she is the most phenomenal women I have ever met and you know that I was brought up among women. Bella, you're her lady's maid. Lady Alice confides in you and I will not dive into the temptation of wanting to know what she speaks about with you or whether she has mentioned me at all. I am better than that."

"Jasper, you do realise that if the family find out about this there is no justifiable reason as to why this kind of behaviour should be permitted? Why they should allow the chauffeur the opportunity to speak to someone of higher class?"

"Bella, have you listened to yourself? I know this. I know that I cannot be close to Lady Alice even though there is no other place I want to be, I am aware that I am of an inferior disposition and may never have the luxuries that Alice has in her childhood. Don't you see…None of that matters. Alice does not want to live this way of life and even if she desires to fall into the arms of another, I will accept that choice however I do not want to stand by and watch her love another. I do not want to be like Esme, continuously having to watch the only man she has ever truly loved marry someone else even if he only married his new wife out of duty. What kind of life would that be, Bella?"

I was silent at Jasper's outburst. I had assumed that he had been harbouring a little infatuation with Lady Alice, the kind that is fast to disappear however strong when felt. The looks he gave her never went unnoticed by me, perhaps because in some way I wanted to hold on to the kind of futures that Esme could have had with the Duke if he did not have to fulfil the duty of calming down rivalling families. Those kind of foolish fancies were difficult to hold on to and I would always state that I never believed in such things if others ever asked, deep down inside, though, they were still there.

"I'm sorry." I said to Jasper before turning away from him, a little ashamed that I had doubted how string his feelings for Lady Alice were. If the family did not see him then there could be no immediate danger, and being a chauffeur he did possess the benefit of constantly being outside in the grounds with the exception of when he had his meals with us in the servant quarters. The chances of the Duke or Duchess seeing anything untoward from him were slim.

I headed towards the stables. The sounds of Masen calming me as I got closer and closer to his stable. I rested my hands on the door and looked inside, Masen catching my eye, walked toward me, his big nose coming out to greet me. I smiled and cupped it with both my hands, running them along his soft fur. "If only I had the chance to take a ride with you. I used to love my father's horse, before she had to be put down. I guess we must have worked her too hard…Some of us can not all be used to strict manual labour it seems." I was talking foolishly, allowing anything that came into my head to fall straight out of my mouth with no concept as to who could be witnessing such silliness, however I didn't have the strength to care. "Maids cannot be riders. Maids can't be nurses, either. More importantly, maids can not be mothers. Especially to those who have been wrongly neglected. Oh listen to me, if only papa could hear me now. Sue told me to never feel sorry for myself, never to indulge in self-pity and I don't, for the majority of the time I am as pleasant as one can be. Sometimes I can't help but hope that there can be something more – a change on the horizon that will give us all the opportunity to be whoever we want to be. Does that sound foolish?"

I scoffed at Masen who made no sound whatsoever as his large brown eyes gazed into mine. "You're a horse, if only you could." I patted his neck twice and turned away from the stable, I was stopped from going back to the house when I heard a faint noise. I turned to my right and followed the sound, causing me to come round the side of the stables to the other gardens that the family rarely used but of course Tyler managed to upkeep beautifully. Perched on the outer stone of the estate fountain was Edward his eyes gazing upon a piece of paper in his hands. I could not go near him as he had not summoned me and this time should be spent fulfilling my duties. However, I would not have much luck completing them with my concern for Ellie constantly in the back of my mind. I forced myself to look upon him once more and proceeded then to stop being unprofessional and report to Mrs Dwyer. Edward was quick to lift his head, our eyes meeting from a little more distance this time around; putting down the letter he summoned me, raising his hand in gesture. I complied.

"I had to stay away from the house, Isabella. I do not care to be around when a doctor is hard at work. I trust you are doing the same."

"Yes, sir." I replied. "I heard a noise; I was hoping to go back inside as Mrs Dwyer will surely have my neck if I do not report to her soon."

"Oh then I shall speak with her. I apologise, Isabella, as the sound you probably heard was me. I expressed my irritation a little too strongly, my irritation with this letter sent this morning from a friend of my fathers." Edward looked into my eyes. "You are probably aware that families like mine must make fortunate marriages?"

"Yes, sir." Edward rose and stood in front of me.

"Do you believe that not all men and women want to be married to the matches made by their parents? Please tell me that you do." I was at a loss. I understood that Alice did not want to marry out of arrangement, however, the opportunity of defying a match, going against the wishes of you parents could mean that one half of the marriage family could lose all financial stability. Like all rich families, Edward's one doted on money – marriage and money became the perfection in which all the rich would follow. Edward's eyes lowered to the ground "of course you don't" he sighed. "I mean you work for families like mine and there's the rule about never making relationships with your employees personal is there not?"

"Yes, sir." I swallowed. "However, that does not mean that we cannot hold opinions on certain circumstances." I turned away from him and held my hands together. "I have opinions, sir but I could cause some damage to my reputation if I were to share them."

"I will not speak of anything, Isabella." I turned around to face Edward at his reply.

"Why are you so kind to me, sir? Are you this kind with the rest of the staff?" I enquired, Edward's mouth shifted into a bashful smile, which admittedly was on the pleasant side to witness. Edward was a soul who always seemed to deep in thought, so troubled by the activeness of his own mind even when he says nothing. It was something I had only just recently observed. In a strange way, I found myself curious at what may be going on in his mind.

"I find that most staff members cannot hold a conversation with me they feel intimidation perhaps…Or dare I speak of 'infatuation'?" Edward grinned as he gave himself the compliment. "It is no secret that I am considered one of the handsomest for miles." I dare not mention that this particular statement held some truth. I was no stranger to handsome men and I had not been out of their company so much that I had forgotten what it was like to set eyes upon a man who was handsome. Edward was a catch, he did not have to show me such evidence in letters or speak of it in his own words to confirm that. "Don't you think, Isabella?"

"I think, Edward but I do not always agree." I replied, thinking of a way to steer the conversation away from the subject of the appearance of my employer's son.

"So you think me repulsive, then?" Edward taunted, by the look in his eyes proved that he had not taken my response personally and for that I was a little thankful. I knew however that Edward had intentions to tease me and I could already feel the blush coming to my cheeks.

"I am not allowed to think of you at all, sir. There is a rule." I responded folding my arms across my chest.

"Oh Isabella…I apologise. I meant no harm…This letter is from the Stanton family. They are allowing me to 'court' their youngest daughter, Anastasia. It seems that the eldest daughter, Jessica has already betrothed herself to another man." Edward informed holding the letter up as he spoke.

"Were you acquainted with Lady Jessica sir?"

"Before I went away to university we were both very much in love and consented to a marriage once I had returned from education. Deep down inside I knew that going away was going to make everything different, I do not know how long she had been intimately acquainted with her soon-to-be husband to speak the truth I dare not wish to. I have not met Anastasia but I am adamant that I am not the man for her. I am older than she, Isabella. Older and therefore wiser to know that having me as a husband would not make her happy. I do not wish to tie a pretty young woman down when she may have any other man in the county."

"What if she desires only you, sir? Must her feelings be spared to protect her from what you suggest will be an unhappy marriage?"

"I'm afraid that unless both parties consent to a marriage there can be no way ahead. Of course I know of some families who have practically forced their children to marry someone whom they detest. My father would not force me, Isabella and if he did my only response would then entail my being written out of all financial entitlement."

"If you loved a lady, sir, a lady of whose birth and connections are inferior to your own – is there a chance that the refusal of all financial entitlement could become something you'd consider? That is if you so wished to marry her?"

"I could not say, Isabella. I have yet to find a woman for whom I shared a connection. I know of the traditional ways, Isabella and due to the beliefs of the rest of the staff and perhaps the rest of the village, they are not traditions in which I want to maintain. Marriage for me is a lifetime commitment and I intent to promise to that. For me to make a life-long commitment I must indeed be fond of the woman I am married to. If I wanted a life of misery I should stay a bachelor for the rest of my life, never to move onto better career prospects or have the joy of watching the birth of my children and their growth into adulthood and have their own children to extend the family for generations to come. Like my sister, Isabella I desire to have a good marriage. A marriage in which I could lavish my wife with all the love she deserved and all the opportunities that I have been given with the advantage of a wealthy status. My main concern will always be her well-being."

I was suddenly silent, unable to find any kind of response to the personal information Lord Edward had shared with me. I was in awe of the fact that he held such feelings and desires, those goals so against the society in which we all lived, Like Alice, Edward could have any woman he wanted and no doubt the majority of women would sell a body part in order to be considered. Finding a woman who wanted to marry him was not going to be the challenge, the challenge lay in Edward finding the woman he wanted above all others. The woman he fought for, the woman he made his wife and the husband who would give her children for a long and happy life together. I could not deny that I held the same desire in my heart; however my prospects were so low that I would have to find a man of the same birth as my own. A man like Edward, no matter how handsome or desirable could never be someone I'd even have the luck to being with.

"So you see, Isabella…Life is not always so easy when you have all the money in the world at your fingertips. Money cannot buy you lifelong happiness and it certainly cannot buy a person love."

"I never thought it could, sir." I answered my mind still lively with what has been shared between us both, here.

"What about you Isabella? Is there a man back home longing to be with you?" I bit down hard on my lip. I had been anticipating this very question in my mind and now it was upon me, I could not lie to Edward. Since he had shown me such truth and depth I could only return him the favour.

"No sir. There is a man who wants to marry men and the match has been one that both our parents have wanted since we were both very little….You see, when I went out into service he held on to the hope that we may once again reconcile, again. However, being a maid and living in this beautiful house, I feel like a stranger. The young farm worker girl I had once been left behind like a distant memory. I cannot think of such things as marriage here, sir not when I am working to become the best I can be. As much of a comfort working here has given me, sir and as much as the recommendation from your parents will help me with the next position…I do not desire to be a servant all my life."

"What do you desire to be, Isabella?"

"I do not know, sir. All I know is that my life is not one to be dedicated to service. I will have learnt the grafts of hard labour long enough to move ahead into more appropriate areas of employment. Ones that will give me more skills and make me grow more as a person. I am not afraid of hard work, sir…My father taught me all that I know and I will make him proud one day."

"Can I share with you another secret, Isabella?" I nodded in reply. "The reason I did not come back to you the other night. Something for which I have not apologised for and hope to do so now. I was doing some research in the library….I stated when we started talking that I did not care to see doctors at work. The truth is that I find medicine to be fascinating and having the mere achievement of saving lives is something that no amount of studying can amount to. I wish to expand my knowledge further, Isabella – perhaps have the chance one day to do just that and become a doctor, myself."

"That's wonderful, sir." Truly, it was.

"Won't you ever consider this man, Isabella? He seems to adore you." I sighed before answering Lord Edward's question.

"I love Jacob like a brother but to me that is all he will ever be. It is the same situation, sir. I would not make him happy for a lifetime and as much as he tried he could not make me happy, either. Jacob is a kind, sensitive and thoughtful human being and he deserves the love of a woman who shares the same traits. I hope that he can find someone and that they will be happy together." Edward smiled and put the letter in the pocket of his waistcoat. "What will you do about Ms Stanton, sir?"

"Oh I will find the time to reply once I have spoken to father. However, we must go inside and see what the doctor says about a certain baby that we all know." I nodded and allowing Edward to lead the way followed closely behind him, not standing too close to him in case we caused the wrong kind of impression. I was still a servant even if I had just spoken to Lord Edward much like close friends would converse with one another.

I was fortunate not to come across any of the servants on my way up to the nursery. Once we reached our destination, Lord Edward opened the door to the nursery not caring to knock and he instantly inquired as to how Ellie was.

"Come in, son." The Duke said I crept past the door and with a nod of approval from The Duke as to my presence in the room I quickly closed the door and stayed close to it, holding the handle, preparing myself for the worst possible outcome.

"As I was just saying to your parents, sir…This baby is a sickly one. A baby that has not had the appropriate environment to make her grow into a normal and healthy child. I fear that if she is to catch any virus, even the mere common cold she is in danger of causing her life to end very prematurely."

I felt the weight upon my chest hit me so violently that I almost fell to the floor entirely. Luckily my grasp on the handle stopped this.

"I do not understand, being in an environment, any kind of environment is going to make her prone to illness. Even adults cannot escape illnesses all the time, Doctor." Edward said, failing to understand what the doctor was implying, much like me.

"I do no deny that. I feel that the child must be kept here until a family, who will be assessed for their living conditions, income and so on can parent the child in the best possible way."

"She will be taken away?" Edward took the thoughts out of my head and into words.

"Edward, she cannot stay here. Isabella is Alice's lady's maid and she is also, please forgive me Isabella, not a mother. Isabella is too young to hold such responsibilities and we could not ask Alice to sacrifice her, or to ask Isabella to fulfil such a demanding duty." The Duke spoke, calming the situation as best as he could. "Isabella may of course care for Ellie until the time comes when the child has to be taken away. In the mean time I will sort out what I can and we shall find a home for the baby. A home for which she can then have a proper life with two parents who love her. An environment for which we cannot provide here."

"I will make regular visits for vaccinations and general health checks-" the doctor chimed in "I do not feel comfortable taking her now as she has the best chances here for a warm place to be fed and clothed. However, his Lordship is right; we cannot deny her rights to a loving home. We cannot deny Ellie the chance to be loved and to be protected for the majority of her life."

I fought back my tears. It was inevitable that Ellie was to leave me, but knowing the Duke there could only be a small amount of time before he manages to find a family. The Duke knew enough people to start a war and he had those contacts in all the right places, being rich meant that there was never a lot of things you couldn't achieve not lifting a finger yourself. I kept my eyes firmly on the ground, the awkward silence filling the nursery.

"Very well." Edward spoke. "I will ask Alice, myself if Isabella can stay with Ellie until she has to leave. I think our young maid has earned that privilege and there is no one who loves Ellie more than she. I hope to have your agreement in this father and I do not wish to have Mrs Dwyer or my mother giving Isabella grief. This situation is hard enough when it lacks the ending the majority of us wish without Isabella being made to feel worse."

"You're right son. I will speak with your mother; lord knows she does not want to have the responsibility of looking after another child. Isabella is old enough to know what a baby wants and has the heart to give Ellie the love she needs. Is that something that you would consent to, Isabella?"

I looked up when I had heard my name. I looked at the Duke and could only nod. "Is there anything we can do for you, Isabella? I can speak with Mrs Dwyer and have her give you the rest of the day off." I shook my head, as much as I appreciated the Duke's kindness I longed to get back to my duties. I had neglected them so much thus far and keeping busy would allow me to have some distraction to the intensity of my emotions. "Very well, can you finish your work until after dinner and then arrangements can be made for the crib to be taken into one of the spare bedrooms as it is warmer on that side of the house than here."

"I will stay with Ellie until Isabella can take over, father."

"Do you not have any pressing matters or engagements to attend to, Edward?"

"No sir. No engagement can be more important than the welfare of a helpless baby." I almost sobbed at Edward's answer. I truly did not know how many people in this house had disliked him so. He has shown nothing but honesty and humanity with me and I was growing fonder of him by the minute.

"I have to go and write the necessary letters. Thank you very much for your assistance, Doctor, can I interest you in some food?"

"Oh please do not trouble yourselves. I must get back to my other house calls, anyway. If there is any concern, do not hesitate to call me again, if I do not hear from you I will be back in a week."

"Then I will show you out, myself." The Duke waited for the Doctor to collect his bag before walking towards me, I opened the door and watched them step out. Edward had walked over to the crib and gently ran one of his long fingers along Ellie's cheek.

"Such a beautiful child, so unaware of how cruel life can be." Straightening back up, he turned to me and I lifted my eyes to meet his. "I am so sorry, Isabella."

"It is not anyone's fault. Is there anything else you need, sir?" Taking a long pause, Edward finally answered with a sigh. "No, please continue with your work."

Unable to say another word, I walked out of the nursery, closing the door. I lifted my hands and rubbed my face harshly before walking down to the servant quarters once more. I was not going to give anyone the satisfaction of knowing I had been crying.