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Scandal

There was a knock on the door. Edward said, "Enter."

The butler appeared in the doorway. "You have a visitor, milord."

Edward and Emmett exchanged a confused look. "Who is it, Harry?"

Harry glanced at Emmett, then back at Edward. "The person doesn't want me to reveal her identity."

"Her?" Emmett raised one of his eyebrows, suddenly curious. With a sly grin, he turned to his friend. "Who might this woman be? Do I know her, Harry? Is she the wife of some unfortunate bloke?"

Edward glared at Emmett, before he looked at the butler. "Emmett is my friend, Harry. You can tell us who this woman is."

Harry cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Well, milord, she is…" He hesitated, while both Edward and Emmett waited patiently for the man to talk. "Miss Rosalie Swan."

Emmett frowned, while Edward jumped to his feet. "What is she doing here?" Emmett asked tersely. "If someone finds out, Edward –"

"I know," Edward interrupted him. "Tell her to wait for me in the parlor."

Harry nodded and closed the door after him. Emmett looked at his friend, with a scowl on his face. Edward didn't need to hear what he had to say – he could guess what Emmett was thinking. "I seriously hope you are not going to do something stupid, Edward. And why did you agree to meet with her? You should have sent her on her merry way. She doesn't deserve your attention anymore, not after what she did to you."

"I didn't agree to meet with her, because I still hope that she has changed her mind about me. I'm just curious what she really wants. It's obvious she came here for a reason."

Emmett sighed and lifted his shoulders in defeat. "I see your mind is already made up. Go talk to her, then." He downed the last of his whiskey. "Then, come back and tell me everything."

Edward rolled his eyes in amusement and left his office. He hadn't lied to Emmett. He didn't know what Rosalie was doing here, so late in the afternoon. But mostly, he resented seeing her again after yesterday's disappointment.

She was facing the window, staring off into the distance. Edward closed the door loudly, waiting for her to turn around.

"What are you doing here?" he asked coldly, clasping his hands behind his back.

"Edward," she greeted him with a short nod. She took a few steps toward him. "Why did you dance with my sister last night?" she asked directly, furrowing her brow.

Edward was taken aback by the question. "Why are you asking?"

"Bella is my sister, and I love her. I don't want to see her hurt. If this is some kind of ploy to get back at me for refusing your proposal, take your anger out on me. Leave my sister out of this. She doesn't deserve to have her hopes raised."

"That had been a mistake. I don't want to hurt your sister," he whispered.

"I hope you mean that."

She wanted to leave, but he was watching her so intently, he made her feel very uneasy and self-conscious.

"Did you ever care about me?" he whispered, his lips barely moving.

Surprised by the question, Rosalie fumbled for words. "What? I … I, of course I did."

"Did you care about me when you laughed in my face?"

"Edward, you caught me off guard. I wasn't prepared for your confession. I am sorry I hurt your feelings."

Edward almost laughed bitterly. Hurt his feelings? More like broke his heart.

"You should go. I am sure everyone is wondering where you are. You don't want them to find you here, without a chaperone. God forbid you will be forced to marry me."

"Edward –"

"Just leave, Rosalie," he insisted. "Don't make me throw you out."

She looked at him, troubled. She had known the man for four months and kissed him for two, but they had never really talked about anything important during their meetings. When he first asked her to join him on the balcony at one of the balls, she immediately accepted, because she was bored. Everyone seemed interested in her, but she wasn't interested in anyone. Edward was tall, handsome and smart, so Rosalie thought it would be a good idea to spend some time with him. She was the first one to kiss him on that balcony. She was the one to suggest an affair with him. Edward seemed content only to kiss her, and he never pushed her to do something she didn't want. Now, she realized that she had been stupid to think Edward would never fall in love with her. She had made a mistake and she didn't know how to fix it.

Without saying anything more, she walked past Edward. As she was walking toward the front door, she saw Lord McCarty standing in the doorway of the office, staring at her with a frown. She returned his stare as she got out of the house.

Edward stepped out of the parlor, and as he was walking toward his office, he met his friend's curious gaze. As soon as they closed the door behind them, Edward told Emmett everything Rosalie had said.

"I always thought her older sister was better than her. Rosalie Swan always seemed so shallow and self-absorbed. Isabella was more mature."

Edward raised his eyebrows. "If I remember correctly, you tried to court Isabella."

"Yes," Emmett admitted. "When she first made her debut, I asked her to dance with me a couple of times. She was beautiful, but she was so shy…" His lips stretched into a wide smile. "Nonetheless, I realized she wasn't interested in me, and that I was not ready to get married." He seemed to remember something, because he became serious. "Which reminds me… I don't want to say it, but I have to agree with Rosalie on this. Isabella Swan doesn't deserve to be taken advantage of. That was a stupid thing you did, Edward."

Edward sighed. "I know."

xXx

Bella closed her eyes in pain. Her temples were throbbing. She had had a headache since she arrived at the Tanners' ball, and she didn't know how to alleviate it. Both her father and her sister had joined their friends, but she had refused to accompany them. She could have told her father that she wasn't feeling well, but he would have insisted they go back home, and she didn't want to ruin his night.

Besides, he had shown a little interest in the dowager countess of Westhamp, Victoria Sherlay. It would be a shame if they had to leave before he had a chance to talk to her.

Bella looked around the ballroom and saw Rosalie laughing with Lord Crowley. The poor man seemed infatuated with her, but surprisingly, so did Rosalie. For a second, Bella wondered if he was the mysterious man, when someone startled her.

"Miss Swan."

She turned around and saw Lord McCarty smiling down at her. She smiled back. "Lord McCarty. It's such a pleasure to see you."

"Likewise. I saw you arrive earlier and wondered what you have been doing lately."

"Oh, not much. My father came back from France two days ago, and I have been trying to teach him a few words in English," she jested, smiling again when he chuckled.

"That must have been a burden."

"Yes, it was."

Emmett looked over her shoulder and frowned at someone. When he returned his gaze to her, his smile was a little troubled. "Save me a dance?"

"Of course," Bella whispered, unsure. She followed him with her gaze, wondering what made him leave so soon. He was walking toward his father, who seemed a little intoxicated and was already drawing attention. She saw Lord McCarty taking his father out on the balcony. Bella shook her head sympathetically.

She took a sip of her cold drink. She wanted a few moments of silence. Leaving her glass on the closest table, she walked toward the drawing room. The room was bathed in darkness, except for the weak moonlight that streamed in the window. She sat down on the sofa and closed her eyes, enjoying the silence. She didn't want to spend too much time in this room, in case Lord McCarty wanted to claim his dance.

She realized she hadn't seen Lord Cullen arrive at the ball. She heard that he was leaving London tomorrow morning, taking his mother back to Hampshire. She wasn't going to see him again until next season. Hopefully, her infatuation with him would end until then.

The door to the balcony opened, and Bella gasped in surprise. She hadn't expected anyone to be in here. She was even more surprised to see the earl enter the drawing room.

"Lord Cullen," she exclaimed. "I didn't know you were in here. I thought the room was empty."

He raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Miss Swan. Are you alright?"

"Yes, I just wanted some quiet."

He nodded contemplatively. "I understand. I came here for the same reason. I just wanted to be alone."

Bella gestured toward the door. "I think I should go. I didn't…"

He seemed to realize what he had said, because he looked bashful. "No, I didn't mean it like that. Stay. I was leaving anyway."

Her traitorous heart almost believed for a fraction of a second that he was asking her to stay with him, before she realized that it wasn't even proper.

"Besides, if anyone finds us in here, alone…" he trailed off.

Bella nodded, with a shy smile. "Oh, of course. You are right. God knows what people will think."

He was walking toward the door when the question flew out of her mouth. "Are you leaving tomorrow?" She hadn't really meant to ask him that, but now that she did, she wanted to hear his answer.

He stopped and looked down at her. He didn't ask her how she knew that piece of information, because it was futile. Everyone knew he was leaving London before the end of the season. "Yes, I am."

Bella tried not to let the disappointment she was feeling show on her face. Even though she already knew he was leaving, hearing him confirm the rumors was disappointing. "Well, then I hope you have a good trip, although I am sure you will be missed around here."

By whom? he thought. His eyes met hers. He stared at her for a couple of seconds, not knowing what to say to her, without hurting her feelings. Even though she was trying to seem nonchalant and casual, her smile was a little sad and her brown, warm eyes inviting. She was a beautiful girl, who deserved someone that could reciprocate her feelings. "I…"

Unfortunately, the spell was broken when someone opened the door, and they both sprang away from each other.

"Oh my God," someone cried out from the doorway.

Bella turned around to see the duchess of Hampshire, also known for her tendency to gossip. She looked at the earl, but his expression wasn't betraying anything. Realizing their predicament, she swallowed hard and tried to smile at the duchess, but she was too shocked to react. The old woman was staring at them, wide-eyed, with her hand on her chest.

"Your Grace," Edward said, with a short nod. The poor woman fainted.

xXx

"I can't believe you did this. What the hell were you thinking?" Rosalie almost yelled at Bella, as they were going back home.

By the time the duchess awoke, everyone else knew she had been alone with the earl in the drawing room. The women had looked at her, shocked, while the men had seemed merely surprised. While Bella had managed to ignore their reactions, she couldn't ignore Rosalie's and her father's. Rosalie had been so furious when she first found out, that Bella was impressed Rose hadn't yelled at her in front of everyone. Her father had somehow managed to remain calm.

She didn't know where Edward went after he helped her with the duchess. He had tried to salvage the situation, but there was nothing he could say that would convince the duchess she hadn't just seen them together.

"Rosalie, language," Charlie scolded her. He looked at Bella. "But she is right. What the hell were you thinking?"

"I didn't want this to happen, but –"

"Oh, really? You didn't want this to happen? Then how-"

"Rosalie," Charlie interrupted his furious daughter. "I understand why you are so angry with your sister, but you might want to keep your voice down."

"Do you even realize what she had just done?" Rosalie hissed, glaring at Bella. "You ruined your reputation. Everyone knows you were alone with the earl. Do you have any idea what that means?"

"That I have engaged in scandalous behavior?" Bella asked sarcastically. How dare Rosalie lecture her about her behavior, when she had been doing the same thing?

"How can you be so blasé about this?"

"Girls! We will talk about this when we get home."

Bella and Rosalie shared a dirty look, before Bella turned her head and looked out the window. She felt oddly calm. Maybe she was in shock that her perfect, untainted reputation had been ruined, something she hadn't thought possible.

As soon as they got home, Bella got out of the carriage and ran inside, followed by Rosalie. Both the butler and the housekeeper were surprised to see the girls home so early, and they definitely knew something was wrong the moment they saw Lord Swan's expression.

Bella gave Michael her cloak and walked toward the stairs, when her father said, "We need to talk, Bella."

Bella simply nodded, although she was conscious of everyone staring at her. She hadn't done anything wrong, yet everyone treated her like she had just killed the queen. Feeling unfairly blamed, she followed her father in his office, knowing Rosalie was right behind her. Her sister closed the door behind them, and they both turned toward her. Bella felt cornered.

"I didn't do anything. We didn't do anything," Bella defended herself. "I just wanted to be alone for a few moments, and I didn't know that the earl was going to be in there."

"What is done is done," Charlie interrupted her, shaking his head in contrition. "Whether you met by accident or it was deliberate, it doesn't matter anymore. Everyone knows you were alone in that room, and their imagination is running rampant."

Seeing that look in his eyes, Bella suddenly knew what he was thinking about. "Maybe I can -"

"There is no maybe. Don't you understand, Bella? The duchess of Hampshire saw you together." He took a step toward her, his eyes kind and sympathetic. "You are my daughter, and I want what's best for you. In order to restore your reputation, you have to marry Lord Cullen."

An hour later, Bella was staring out the window, unable to sleep. She didn't know how she felt. She wasn't gullible enough to think that Lord Cullen was in love with her or that he was even going to propose to her now that her reputation was compromised. She didn't even know if she wanted him to. She had always wanted to marry out of love, not because she had to.

Someone knocked on the door. Before Bella could say anything, Rosalie opened the door and walked inside.

"I couldn't sleep, either," Rosalie whispered sheepishly.

Bella showed her the chair next to her, telling Rosalie to sit down. "What do you want?"

Rosalie wrung her hands in her lap, laced and unlaced her fingers. "I am sorry. I shouldn't have reacted the way I did."

"I don't understand why you reacted like that. You know me. You know I would have told you if I had agreed to meet with him."

"I know, and I am so sorry." Rosalie stood up and nervously ran a hand through her long hair. "I just … I didn't know what to say when I heard you were found together. I thought that maybe he convinced you to dally with him, because he wants to–" She stopped suddenly, looking at Bella with wide, fearful eyes.

Confused by her expression, Bella frowned. "Because he wants to what?" She slowly stood up, starting to feel a little apprehensive.

"I didn't come here because I couldn't sleep. I mean, yes, but that's only because something has been bothering me, ever since we came home tonight." Rosalie turned toward her sister. "I don't know how to tell you this."

"How about you just say it already? You are making me nervous."

"Alright," Rosalie whispered, biting the inside of her cheek. Her palms were sweaty, and her heart was racing. "The man I had had an affair with… That man was Edward Cullen."