Thank you for the reviews!

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-

After another unpredictable night with Ellie, I placed down my book onto my lap. This had been my salvation when Ellie, after having a crying spell would be silent for an hour or two. To be honest, the two of us had not had the best night's sleep and what was worse was that I should be focusing on staying here and looking after Ellie. However, I was a maid. A maid who was accustomed to her workload. I wanted to get out of the bed and get moving very quickly. I had been advised not to.

I lay back against the pillows, feeling a little on the lazy side that I had slept in for a while. Looking at the clock on my bedside table it was now past eight and no one beside the family had ever slept in for that amount of time. At least awoken but not gotten dressed before eight perhaps finding something else to do. I had found comfort in a few books that Alice had retrieved from her father's library for me, hence why I was now feeling strange at the freedom of being in bed.

A soft knock on the door startled me, I brought the covers further up my lap, covering my torso and watched the door open.

"Good morning, Bella. I hope this is not a bad time." The Duke walked in, I couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable, and I was in my night clothes after all.

"No...Of course not. What can I do for you?" I answered, attempting to move from the bed, completely.

"Please don't trouble yourself." The Duke raised his hand. "If anything you need the rest and I want you to take this opportunity, Isabella. You are the only maid that we can trust in the house with such a task and we would like to make you comfortable, in any way we can."

"Thank you." I replied, not knowing what else to say at his statement.

"I am aware that it has been only two days since the doctor's visit but I have had some responses about Ellie's adoption. There are many potential families that could be the perfect candidates and my wife has informed me that we should make a process, a talk with the candidates you understand...To see their potential."

My heart sank. With the Duke's connections I was not surprised that this had happened so quickly. I had no choice to fight my corner, no chance to fight for this little angel. I was not the right person to be a mother, The Duke and Duchess were correct about my age. Older women with more experience could be mothers, had better ability than I. A more comfortable financial situation may bear better than my own, too. I could not be Ellie's mother, it would not be fair to her to take away all the opportunities of a truly happy and secure family life. I bit my lip and nodded at the Duke. "I understand that this must be difficult, Bella but we will find the best individuals possible and there is a chance that we may get yearly updates of Ellie's progress."

I shook my head. "Your lordship, I know that news of Ellie would only make the pain I feel return. Especially if I will fight so long as to recover from it at all."

"I understand. Should I have one of the maids bring up some breakfast for you?"

"There's no need." I clutched my covers again as Edward appeared in the room, a silver tray in his hands. "Consider me the maid for the day. I retrieved this from Jenny downstairs, she was about to bring it up, herself."

"Edward what are you doing here? I thought you had an engagement in London."

"I did but I am departing on a later train. I wanted one more ride with Masen before I left. I do not know how long I am to stay with the Stantons."

The Stantons?

I found myself confused at the familiar name that Edward spoke of. He and the head of the Stanton family had been conversing frequently for the past week through letters, even though I had only been informed about them by Edward himself two days ago. I found myself wondering he was to stay in London, was it out of duty to keep up social relations? Or was he to now immerse himself into the courting of the young Anastasia, seeing as his relations with the elder sister had not come to a happy resolution?

"I was not aware that it was the Stantons of whom you are staying with."

"With mother watching my every move I needed to have some kind of privacy. With just a small whiff of a wedding all chaos will break loose. Now Isabella, I believe this belongs to you." Edward held the tray out to me; I took it a little hesitantly with both my own and placed it on my lap. The smell of the food was tempting but the last thing I wanted to do was to eat when I had my employer and his son in the same room.

"I will be making more investigation into Ellie's case, Isabella. In the meantime can you continue looking after her until we can set up these discussions, or perhaps until I settle such plans with my wife?"

"Yes, my lord." I replied. With a nod, The Duke left Edward and me in the room. I wanted to ask him about his visit with the Stanton's. I could not deny that until he returns to the house it would feel strange without him. Perhaps because being in each other's company had become normal now, he did not treat me like a member of staff. Dare I think that there was a chance to make an exception to the rule that employers and staff could not be friends?

I began to eat, making sure that I keep focused on what Edward was doing, he had now perched himself on the end of my bed – I was too hungry to stop eating, now.

"Judging by the heaviness of your eyes I take it the night has not gone smoothly?"

"No. Ellie was temperamental and so I spent most of the night reading. Thankfully Alice got me some books from your library."

"You're more than welcome to collect some more. I am the only one to use the books we have collected over the years. No one else in my family wants to touch the literature side of reading."

"I would not put the Duchess down for a reader."

"No mama is far too busy designing a new gown or catching up with her acquaintances in the village for such a trifle as reading. I guess she cannot see the benefit it holds."

"Papa was never one to have books, my mother had a few but I read them very young. Sue gave me some new material to read which I was grateful for. Coming here I didn't believe that I would have the time to read. That is, until I found Ellie and now everything seems to be changing."

"Not so altering that you have forgotten who you really are. That is the only comfort we can possess sometimes, Isabella. Ellie will be safe; my parents will make sure of that."

"I know." I suddenly lost my appetite; I folded my arms across my chest and leant further back into the pillows wanting to be alone.

"Is there anything I can do, Isabella?" I shook my head. Kindness was not enough in this situation; I was struggling to fight against asking the questions I wanted to. Screaming the walls down because none of this felt fair. I had never wanted to see Sue so much in my life as I did, now. Without my dad, she and Jacob are the only people I have left and I know that Jacob would not want to hear more about this family than absolutely necessary.

"I'm sorry for that. I won't be here for a while, papa gave me some time off from study and I am summoned to see the Stanton's. I state that I am summoned because I do not wish to go voluntarily. It seems Mr Stanton has depicted the letters that Anastasia has sent me; it seems the ones that came into my hands were not her first drafts. He wishes for me to meet her immediately and hopes that she will make a good potential candidate for my future bride." I swallowed down the dryness in my throat. Edward was the most notorious bachelor still looking for a woman to marry, it seems like his future is already being mapped out by the masters of destiny – much like Ellie's.

"I hope you will have a pleasant stay with them, sir." I replied, all of this change was happening too quickly, usually like in this house was kept secret to me because the staff members were not involved in the drama.

"Thank you but London life is not for me. I detest the constant charade that people put on to make their lives better. Parents intervening into all matters of their children's lives, especially females, putting them forward like the selling of cattle. I want to stay here and immerse myself in the quietness of the village and the beauty of the landscape. Masen and I have always held a special place in our hearts for this house and the amount of land it holds. My horse unable to appreciate the luxury of money of course."

I forced a smile. "I suppose not." I replied.

"I am not the best person to say goodbye, either. So unless there is anything else you need, Isabella…I will be going to report to my mother." I watched him stand, desperately wanting some words to come out of my mouth, I disliked being alone especially in such a luxurious room as this. I was used to an iron cot for a bed rather than allowing myself to spread out across both sides of a double bed. Edward smiled before walking out of the room; I lifted the tray from my lap placing it on the bedside table and instantly buried myself underneath the warmth of the covers.

I had awoken again, not sure about how long I had been asleep for; I rose from the bed and rubbed my eyes. Looking into the direction of Ellie's cot, I found Alice looking at me, the light from the window framing an angelic light around her as she held Ellie securely in her arms. "Good morning." My lady smiled.

"Lady Alice...Sorry...I fell asleep again. Ellie was crying more last night than she has since she has been here and I'm afraid I did not get enough sleep." I ran my hands through my hair.

"Oh Bella there is no need to apologise, I have been having fun with little Ellie. I have fed her and changed her. There I was thinking that I was not ever going to be a mother. I underestimated how much of a sense of achievement this gives me, knowing you can stop a little angel from crying just by holding them. If only all relationships were like this." I smiled and watched as Lady Alice sat down at the end of my bed. Strangely, the very same spot that her brother had sat this morning. "Are you feeling a little better?"

"Yes, the books helped me, too. Thank you very much for lending them to me."

"I'm glad. I always find that sleep cannot always come easily to me, either. Especially when I have had nothing to do with my day than to merely stand there and be civil. Mama wants me to stand there and look pretty but I do not care enough about my looks to make an effort for visitors."

"I understand."

"In all honesty...I did not come in here just to see little Ellie, however beautiful she may be. I wanted to talk to you about Jasper. He informed me that you had seen a little exchange between us...A conversation which may have troubled you a couple of days ago-"

"Alice. Forgive me. I had no right to gaze upon what may have happened between you. Indeed I had not intended to at all, I was in the old nursery then and when the Doctor was examining Ellie I did not wish to witness her in distress at being in the hands of a complete stranger and I merely looked outside-"

"Bella, please? We should have been more careful, me more so than Jasper in this case because of my mother. We have been talking recently, Bella that is all. Jasper saw me in some distress a few weeks ago over the visit to London I despised so much and he offered me a chance to talk about my feelings. From there we have created a bond, a small one but there is something between us. He is a lovely man, Bella which makes my being his friend harder and harder because deep down inside I feel like there could be something more."

"I'm pleased to hear that Jasper is not a bore." I smiled. "If I may be allowed to speak the truth...I feel like you and Jasper would make a good couple. Aside from the fact that I was about ready to scold him like a mother to her child when he came back from speaking with you that day, he is a good man."

"He is very fond of you, Bella. As the majority of us in the house are. If you can believe it, the main importance to Jasper of us speaking more and more was the fact that, to him, you would consent to it. It was you that he wanted, Bella to tell him that everything was going to be okay and that speaking to the Duke's daughter was not going to send him to the gallows or something. He values your judgement and your opinion. I found myself almost envious of your friendship in that moment."

"There is nothing to be envious about. I am fortunate to find any friends in my workplace; so many rules prohibit us from being able to find any conversation at all. Jasper is kind to me and that is what I admire in him. He can see beyond faults and he is protective of his friends, especially women. Having younger sisters has given him that trait."

"I dislike the fact that our speaking is wrong. I detest the fact that I would be a very happy person if I had someone like Jasper in my life to look after me...Ultimately because that means that I have been thinking about him more no matter how much I may force myself not to." Alice rubbed her face with her hands before taking a deep breath. "What if I end up alone, Bella? What if the world is full of bores and I miss out my chance? I already know of what happened with papa and Esme. As much as my family tried to keep it a secret from me they all failed in their attempts. Although admittedly and rather fortunately I did not know of such news when I was a little girl. I could never manage to keep anything secret when I was a little thing."

"The Duke and Esme…It's different."

"How is it so? Bella, their marriage was forbidden, feuding families led to self-sacrifice on both parts. I know my father and he has never gotten over having to marry someone else. Not that he is not fond of my mother but, I heard somewhere that a person no matter what their sex can never forget the first experience of love. Or at least love as they think it might be. Then again, to my mother love is a convenience and a security that spinsterhood will not be able to give." Alice looked solemn as she looked down on to the duvet.

"My lady? Am I correct in thinking that you may be harbouring feelings for Jasper?" As she raised her head, our eyes meeting, I feared that I may have spoken out of turn. I attempted to open my mouth when Alice interrupted me.

"No please don't apologise. I appreciate honesty. I believe that sometimes even my brothers can be dishonest with me. If only to protect me from the cruelties of the world as older brothers should always do. I'd like to believe that there could be another man out there like Jasper perhaps with a more significant fortune but what type of person would that make me?"

"Your mother-"

"My mother does not believe in life-long happiness. If she had any ounce of common sense she would have allowed papa to marry the woman he loved. The woman that he will always love. I do not doubt that she knew about their previous romantic relationship nor do I deny that my mother wanted nothing more than to cause Esme pain. Even now, years down the line mama cannot find it in her heart to speak a civil word to her maid. Esme has resorted to doing her hair and dressing her in complete silence. The atmosphere is so terrible in the mornings. Bella, I do not want to be Esme, I do not want to watch a man I love walk away from me or marry someone else. It is true that our roles are reversed and that I indeed hold the fortune as a female if Jasper were to be my husband...However I do not wish for history to repeat itself. I do not want to be shallow due to my financial status; believe me, I'd give up my entire fortune to marry someone inferior if I loved them. No wonder so many people have told me that love is all folly; they do not see the liberation in it. The possible freedom of letting someone go from their restraints in life. Devoting your life solely to them and belonging to someone as their wife. I cannot think of anything more desirable, Bella. As long as this information stays between you and me...I would be a fool if I didn't wish for a man like Jasper. I want to be with him because I know that I could very easily fall in love with him. He's a man I could love with all my heart."

I sensed Alice's emotion in every word and she touched me with what she spoke. I assumed that Jasper may have been enduring a kind of crush, a fancy to Lady Alice that could have easily disappeared as easily as it had occurred but hearing my lady speak had made me realise that I could have easily underestimated the feelings of either party or perhaps even both of them in this situation.

"The last thing I want to do is upset my family, I am more concerned with the reaction I will get from other people if I consented to delve into a match such as this one. Oh gosh listen to me, I am thinking only of others when I should be happy that I finally have the opportunity to feel like this. All the words in the world and there is nothing else to really say other than I like this feeling, Bella. I want it to stay."

"Will you speak with Jasper? That is, if your feelings intensify further?"

"Oh Bella how will I begin to speak to him in the same manner I speak to you? You're a woman and a very kind one at that, in my experience, men need a little more convincing. Perhaps a repeat of a sentence three times in order to understand what you have said. Perhaps I cannot count all men when they could contrast with that of both my brothers." Alice stood up from the bed and turned her back to me, I said nothing, only in that moment to watch her as she walked towards the window.

"Dear lord my brothers? I could not care a jot about mama but Edward and Emmett? They have always been so protective over me and the last thing I want is to see Jasper hurt."

"Will they cause Jasper harm, my lady?"

"Oh no, they will not cause any physical injury, perhaps just an intense verbal discussion with my husband to be. What if it would not be Jasper? What if there is another man and I fear for the same fate for him at the hands of my brothers?"

I couldn't help but think that Lady Alice had thought about this far too much. The thinking process had also rested on the possible negatives rather than the plausible positives. I could not respond with any of my own personal experiences in this manner and as I struggled to find an answer for her, an answer outside of my collaboration of thoughts on her revelation – I knew that I was speechless as to guide her in the right direction. I ceased then to speak of what I would choose to do if our roles were to be reversed.

"My lady. I fear that indulging in over-active thinking has led you to this. There is nothing to say until you can speak openly and honestly with Jasper about what you are feeling. Perhaps the feelings that you are experiencing do not affect your life as of yet...However, I cannot deny that if you do not speak of them they will alter you, perhaps cause emotional damage. I was always told to speak of my thoughts, no matter how strange or out of turn. I cannot give you guidance, my lady, none of which I could relate to because I lack experience with any potential husbands and any intense feelings I may have for them. I apologise for that."

"Oh Bella." Alice walked back to the bed, sat on it in the same way as before and placed her hand in one of mine. "You must not apologise for anything. You are a wonderful person; otherwise I would never have picked you to be my own personal maid. I feel like I can trust you, Bella. That whatever information I disclose will not go beyond these walls. You are right. I must be honest with myself and I must be honest with Jasper, just driving my father around is enough to make him deserve that much! I appreciate any answer you wish to give me and remember, if you should ever need someone else to talk to, I would like to return the favour."

"Thank you." I responded, squeezing my hand lightly, Alice rose from the bed and walked out of the room.

I could not believe how much time had passed and I had been foolish enough not to have gotten dressed in the proper clothes for the day ahead.

After adjusting my apron a good half an hour later, I was ready to return downstairs. The Duke and Duchess had been invited out to dine with friends for the afternoon and as Jenny owed me a couple of favours in which she was happy to compensate. Catching her in the library I agreed to cover the rest of her shifts for the day if she went upstairs and cared for Ellie. As fond as I was of the little angel, I refused to be sitting in the same room watching every hour pass by when there could be work to be completed. I cared not about the response from Mrs Dwyer; instead, I needed to finish the jobs before the Duke and Duchesses' return to the house.

"Isabella, I am sorry but we do not have any work for you. The Duke made himself quite clear when he requested for me to relinquish your duties for as long as the baby needed you." It was official from Mrs Dwyer's response before I had even stepped properly into her office that I was not going to get much luck with returning to my usual duties. I was already aware that Mrs Dwyer had been put in a difficult situation in losing me and not knowing how long I was going to be away from working as a servant and under her supervision.

"I apologise for that, Mrs Dwyer."

"Oh there is no need. It is my job to work around people and thankfully most of the staff has now recovered from the sickness that was going around. So you might as well make the most of the luxuries, Isabella. That is something in life that people such as us cannot hope to keep for longer than absolutely necessary."

Nodding, I turned on my heel and walked away from Mrs Dwyer. It was comments like hers that made me feel a little angry. I could be something in life, something better than a maid and I did so want to be out of this house when I felt that the timing was right. Papa was adamant that I could be more, fascinate even myself with my future success. I wanted to make him smile when he looks down on me from heaven. I had no doubt that he was looking over me now and wondering what my purpose was not that my duties had relinquished temporarily.

"Hey Isabella!" I was stopped from returning to the nursery by Tyler, the gardener.

"Yes, Tyler?"

"Would you like to help me with Masen's stable...I need someone to keep him away from it until I have cleaned it out. I have seen you with him and the animal likes you."

"Really, Tyler?"

"Of course, lass. You have become an important little one with both Lord Edward and his personal animal. Besides, I know how hard it is to be away from your work, especially when you have gotten used to routine."

"Thank you." With a smile, Tyler led me out into the gardens. Tyler and I had very little experience of conversation but he had become a favourite of the Duchess as he gave her the most beautiful roses each year, roses that always won an award in town of some kind. Naturally, however, the rich got to keep the trophy when the gardener had to plant more flowers for the next season.

As we reached the stables I paused in my tracks when I saw an unfamiliar woman stroking Masen. Tyler was quick to greet her; I watched her turn and felt my heart drop a little at the sight of the stranger. In appearance she could easily have been turned away for looking a little dirty. I knew however that she had the appearance of a hard worker, a look that I had possessed myself growing up and working on the farm. Mud covered her cheeks and her eyes were twitchy as she wrapped her arms around her middle.

"Can we help you, miss?" Tyler approached her and quickly she retreated, turning away from the stable door and maintaining her distance.

"I am sorry. Someone told me that this was the house I was looking for...I...I...Must have come in the wrong direction. I mean, this is far too grand; just these stables alone for someone like me. Oh gosh please do not inform the family that I was here. I came looking for someone...Someone important."

"Please miss...Let us help you. I will not speak of this to anyone. You're safe here. Don't be afraid." Tyler held out one of his hands. The young woman gazed at it and back up at Tyler, alternating between them for a long moment before choosing to ignore the gesture but instead stepping forward a couple of steps. Her eyes averted to mine as she opened her mouth to speak.

"I was told by someone that a member of staff for the richest family in the town had rescued something. Something of mine that is. I never meant to leave her there you see. My husband never wanted to make such a commitment to me, being married to me was enough torture for him. Being a poor woman without ever having enough money to support myself resulted in the only way I could find those kinds of comfort...I got married for the wrong reasons, sir. Now, I realise that there could not have been a bigger mistake to make because I lost the one thing that ever mattered. The one thing that I foolishly thought could save my marriage but in the end only made it end, completely."

"Miss, I do not understand what is it that you are looking for?"

"I have a child, sir. A baby, a girl. I believe that she was left under a bridge by my husband and I would like to enquire as to whether the town rumours are true. Is she staying here with you, under your care?"

I felt my heart drop to my toes. In the moment of stunned silence, I wished quick and hard for my father to be here with me. For I knew almost at once that this was not going to be something that I would manage to endure alone.