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Helloooo! Happy to be back :) I missed you guys.

Unhappy to make your acquaintance

The sight of his mother sitting quietly at the table truly baffled Edward when he came downstairs for breakfast. He tried not to let his surprise show on his face as he walked around Elizabeth and took his seat. She didn't look very happy, but she didn't look that chagrined either.

Throwing her a quick glance, he said, "Good morning, mother. I see you woke up early today."

Straightening her spine, she grumbled, "Well, at least I can wake up earlier than your wife. Where is she, by the by? This was her idea. She should at least have the decency to show up when she said she would."

Edward frowned, confused. What was she talking about? "Her idea? About what?"

"Good morning," Bella chimed in, entering the dining room. She smiled timidly at Edward, and then her eyes swung to Elizabeth. She stopped in the doorway, blinking in surprise. "Oh, you actually came downstairs," she mumbled to herself.

"Of course I did," Elizabeth said, folding her arms across her chest, while Edward looked from his wife to his mother.

"Can someone please tell me what is going on?"

Bella looked at him and pursed her lips as she walked toward the table. Ever the gentleman, Edward quickly stood up and pulled the chair for her, all the while expecting an answer from the both of them. From his mother's expression, he realized she wasn't going to say anything. So, he looked at his wife.

"Nothing," Bella finally answered. "Your mother and I are just going to talk about the ball."

He raised an eyebrow. She met his gaze and smiled a little, her cheeks turning red. And how in God's name did she convince Elizabeth to talk about something she despised? He would ask her later. "Oh. The ball, of course. I assume you are very anxious to discuss all those details, aren't you, mother?"

Elizabeth merely glared at him, without saying anything.

"Where are you going to have this conversation?"

Elizabeth said, "Inside," at the same time Bella said, "The garden." They both looked at each other and frowned.

"It's such a beautiful day outside. I think it would be a pity to spend it inside," Edward added, starting to feel a little amused. "Besides, you can show Bella the garden, and I can join you in a few hours, as soon as I finish some business around the estate."

"That is such a wonderful idea," Bella agreed.

"Why don't you show her the garden, while I wait for you in the drawing room?" Elizabeth suggested. "My skin is very sensitive."

Edward shook his head slowly. "Fine."

Bella turned to look at him, surprised that he gave in so easily. Her hand reached for her glass of water, and she quickly took a sip as her plate was being filled with delicious food.

xxx

Yellow, red and pink. Those were three words someone could use to describe the garden. There were flowers everywhere, some of them so beautiful it took Bella's breath away. It was also such a beautiful day, sunny and warm.

Her gaze darted to Edward, who seemed to be deep in thought. She decided to state the obvious. "It's such a beautiful day."

"Mhm," he hummed absentmindedly.

"And the garden is gorgeous. All these flowers, and so expertly placed around the house."

"Right."

Frowning a little, she continued, "What are you thinking about?"

"Excuse me?" he asked, turning slightly toward her.

Bella lifted her shoulders nonchalantly. "You seemed … pensive." Her insecurities threatened to come to the surface, so she quickly suppressed them.

He shook his head and only managed to say, "No –", before he was interrupted by a shrill voice.

"Edward! Edward, is that really you?"

They both turned toward the woman. She was slim and tall, dressed in a beautiful and expensive blue gown, and her long, blonde hair was falling in waves around her shoulders.

Bella started smiling at her, until she realized that the other woman hadn't even noticed her. Her eyes were solely focused on her husband.

"Sweetheart, I missed you."

Bella watched in shock as the woman grasped his shoulder and almost hugged him. She probably would have hugged him if she hadn't suddenly noticed Bella. The woman looked at Bella inquisitively, her hand still on Edward's shoulder. Finally, he seemed to realize what was happening and took a step back.

"Lady Denali, I believe you haven't met my wife yet, the new Countess of Melburn, Isabella Swan, now Isabella Cullen," Edward said smoothly. "Bella, the Baroness of Wintertown, Lady Tanya Denali."

"Pleasure," Lady Denali whispered dryly.

Starting to feel uncomfortable, Bella nodded and gave her a short smile. Who was this woman? She had never heard of the Denalis in London. Well, Bella didn't actually know everyone from London, but a woman as beautiful as Tanya Denali would not go unnoticed. She seemed young, but the only things that hinted at her age were the fine lines around her eyes.

"Would you like to come inside for a cup of tea?" Bella asked, feeling it was her duty to invite the woman inside. It was the polite thing to do, even though she didn't want to.

Tanya smiled widely and briefly looked at Edward, before turning to Bella. "I would love to."

Right then, Bella realized how much she had wanted Tanya to refuse.

Edward closed his eyes for a second, wondering what the hell was Tanya doing here. As far as he knew, she had moved out of the house next door a couple of months ago. He had hoped that he would never hear from her again.

They walked inside, and Bella told Carlisle to have someone prepare a few cups of tea. Then, they went into the drawing room, where Elizabeth was sitting on the couch with a glass of water, reading a book. Her eyebrows rose in disgust when she saw Tanya. She didn't try to hide her feelings from their visitor, which made Bella madly curious. She turned to the baroness, who seemed mildly amused.

"It's been a while, Countess," Tanya said, daintily sitting down next to the older woman. "See you have changed," she continued, pointing toward the glass of water.

Elizabeth grimaced. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Bella blinked, confused. What was going on?

"She is a guest," Edward answered, walking toward the window.

"I still don't want her here," Elizabeth hissed, dropping the book in her lap and folding her arms across her chest.

"Oh my, what is your daughter-in-law going to believe about me? I heard that Edward is back home, and I merely wanted to see him." She looked at Bella and smiled. "I couldn't miss the opportunity of meeting his lovely wife."

Sensing the tension in the air and knowing she was lying, Bella cleared her throat awkwardly. "Where do you live, Lady Denali?" she quickly asked.

"Next door. And please, call me Tanya. It makes me feel younger."

"But you moved out," Elizabeth pointed out, her expression darkening. "What did your husband have to say about you coming back?"

"Oh, nothing. He died," Tanya said matter-of-factly.

Bella bit her lip. "I am so sorry."

"Don't be. It's a good thing."

"Of course," Elizabeth grumbled. "Did you kill him yourself?"

"Mother, that's enough," Edward muttered. Elizabeth met his gaze, and they both glared at each other. A few seconds later, Elizabeth stood up and without saying another word, she left the drawing room.

Bella tried to meet Edward's eyes, but he was avoiding her gaze. She wished she could follow the countess and leave the room, but she didn't want to leave Edward and Tanya alone. Something told her that it wouldn't have been the first time. Her stomach turned.

"Why did he die?" Bella asked, too curious to change the subject.

"Who cares? Alcohol, opium, a frozen heart. It doesn't really matter. What matters, is that you two got married. So, tell me everything. Was it love at first sight?" It seemed that the baroness was the one to change the subject.

Bella dropped her gaze to the floor.

"Yes," Edward answered, and her eyes quickly swung to his.

"Really?" Tanya looked disappointed. "Well, that doesn't sound exciting."

The door opened, and a valet came inside with four cups of tea. He seemed confused to see only three of them inside, but he simply placed the tray on the table and left. Bella took her cup and held it in her palm.

Why was Edward lying to her?

"Did you, at least, try to steal a kiss before you proposed?" Then, she continued mostly to herself, "I know you used to steal more from me."

Bella stiffened, starting to understand who this woman really was. Raising the cup to her lips, she took a shaky sip.

Edward hadn't heard Tanya's last comment. "It was a very beautiful wedding, and everyone loved it," he answered her, stirring away from her previous question.

"Well, I am glad to hear that."

Was she?

The entire situation was starting to make Bella really uncomfortable. Her dress seemed too tight, her hair too loose, and her skin too warm. They had been lovers, and something must have happened between them to make both Edward and Elizabeth despise her so much.

"Swan," Tanya mused. "I believe I have heard of you. I don't quite remember when." Her eyes widened a second later. "Oh, of course. There was a scandal concerning your mother. She ran away with a bloke, didn't she?"

The blood drained from Bella's face, and the cup froze in her hands.

Edward saw Bella's face turn white and realized Tanya had just stepped on forbidden territory. "I believe it's time to go, Tanya."

"What did I do?" she asked innocently, but jumping to her feet nonetheless. "Well, this was nice. We should do this more often." She turned to Bella. "Nice meeting you."

"Likewise," Bella whispered tonelessly, staring at her cup.

Edward didn't walk her outside, and Tanya didn't seem to mind. She left the room, softly closing the door after her and leaving the couple in utter silence. He didn't know what to say to her. They had never talked about this, but it was obvious from her sad expression, that the subject of her mother still hurt.

"Bella –"

"Can you please leave me alone?" she interrupted him.

He had never had to comfort women before, so he was at a loss for words. He walked toward her and gently touched her shoulder. She flinched from his touch, so he took a step back. He hoped they would never have to cross paths with Tanya again, although he knew that was unlikely.

"If you need anything, I will be in my office," he whispered, watching as she simply nodded.

Feeling helpless, he walked outside, where he found Carlisle leaning against the railing. "Should I ask what happened?"

Edward sighed. "Nothing you didn't already know."

"As soon as I saw her come inside, I knew your mother was going to be the first one to leave the room. Anyhow, I was glad to see her go so quickly. Never liked her." He looked at the closed door and raised an eyebrow. "Is everything alright?"

"Not really. Tanya was just being Tanya."

Carlisle frowned. "Is she alright? Does she know?"

"That we used to have an affair?" Edward ran a hand through his hair. "I believe she has already figured it out. Tanya isn't well known for her subtleness. Can you do me a favor? Tell Esme to go talk to her, entertain her, anything. She doesn't want to talk to me, but I think she could use a friend."

Carlisle patted Edward on the back. "Of course. I will tell her."

xXx

It was almost midnight when Bella woke up. She didn't know what really woke her up. Maybe the harsh wind outside. Maybe her bad dream. She tried to fall asleep again, but found out she couldn't. Frustrated, she threw the covers away and sat up.

She had spent the rest of the day with Esme. The woman had been such a good friend to her, talking to her about her family, about her dreams, never pushing Bella for answers. And Bella had been happy to listen to her, content that she seemed to be making a friend.

After the disastrous encounter with the baroness, she had really wanted to be left alone. Esme entering the drawing room with biscuits and a cup of hot chocolate had annoyed her a little, because she realized Edward must have told her to go to her. But as soon as Esme started talking about her day, Bella forgot about hers. She could have gone to Elizabeth and talked to her about the ball, but she didn't want to be looked upon with indifference, maybe even contempt. And after meeting Tanya Denali, she just wanted to be with someone she actually liked.

The air was chilly, so she wrapped a shawl around her shoulders. She would go downstairs and read a book. Nothing soothed her more than a good book.

She slowly walked downstairs, careful not to make a noise. The house was so silent, even a small creak could wake everyone up.

She opened the door to the library and gently closed the door. But then she turned around, and her heart almost leapt out of her chest.

"Edward!"

"Bella! What are you doing here?"

He was sitting on the couch, with a book in his hands. He dropped it in his lap and looked at her questioningly.

"I couldn't sleep. Why are you here?"

"Same reason."

Bella had been avoiding him all day, and he knew that. Pursing her lips, she put her hand on the doorknob, ready to flee, like the ultimate coward.

"Well, then, I will leave you to read your book."

"Wait, don't go," he said, standing up. "You obviously came here for the same thing. You do not have to go because of me."

"No, really, it is fine," she whispered.

Edward narrowed his eyes at her. In frustration, she thought. He took a few steps toward her, and she thought he was going to come in front of her. But he stopped at the chess table and placed his hands on the back of one of the chairs.

"Are you good at chess?"

"Um … I have not played in a while."

"Then, I will have no problem winning," he mused, puckering his lips. "That doesn't seem like a fair fight. I understand; that's fine."

She bristled at the tone of his voice. "Winning? Who said anything about you winning?"

A small smile appeared on his lips. He shrugged. "Well, you said you haven't played in a long time, and I have hardly ever lost a game…" he trailed off, waiting for her to say something.

He was baiting her, trying to cajole her into playing with him. The small smile turned into a grin as he saw her considering his proposal. He titled his head at her, and before she knew it, she was walking toward him.