Okay, I know I haven't updated as soon as I should, but I have a reason. Sort of pathetic, but a reason nonetheless. First off, I was banned from the computer for a week. Of course, that does not give me total right to discard you; I could've written it somewhere else. But I did! Which brings me to reason number two: I have misplaced the notebook. I checked everywhere I thought it might be, but I couldn't find it. So hopefully enough of the first draft stuck with me to make this understandable. And now, without further adieu, the fourth chapter!!!

Bella

I slowly sat down on the sofa, watching the duke out of the corner of my eye. Such beauty made my heart swell, and I was sure that if I was looking directly at him, I would fall. So I kept him in my peripheral vision.

But once I was seated, there was no reason to look away; I had to talk to him, and it would be rude to talk without making eye contact. But as soon as I did, my brain stopped working, and all I could see was his emerald eyes, looking straight into mine. I knew that this was silly, that I shouldn't be affected this way, but it seemed to be something more than a shock at his beauty that ran down to my core. If I didn't know any better, I would say that it was love at first sight.

No, that wasn't it. After all, I wasn't that kind of person, and that kind of thing was for fairytales. So why was it that I was so lost in the duke's gaze?

"You had a message for me," the duke prodded, bringing me out of my reverie. I blushed, knowing that I must've been staring like an idiot while the duke was politely waiting for his message.

"Right," I agreed.

My face scrunched up as I got lost in thought, not knowing what to say. In order to buy myself a little time - or perhaps even be able to walk out of the house without having to deliver any message - I brought up a new question, one that would hopefully make him push me away.

"Well, it's from Miss Tanya. Are you sure you want to hear it?"

Please say no, I chanted in my head, hoping more than anything that he would so that I wouldn't sound like an idiot trying to conjure up a message.

He nodded his head very slowly once.

Alright then. I would make up a message if I absolutely had to.

"This is not a regular message," I informed him. "It all comes from what I've learned of Tanya's love for you and how deep it is. It's more like an overview of everything we know, see, and hear." I took a deep breath.

"Tanya could not love you much more than she already does. Every time she talks about you when I'm there, her eyes melt and a small grin forms upon her lips. Every time she thinks about you, we all know, because she blushes for no reason that we can see and she has an extra spring in her step. Every time you reject her, the eyes that melted out of love melt into pools of tears. She looks devastated and all of us can almost hear her heart break. She loves you down to her very core. You would be lucky to have a woman who loves you like she does."

I took another deep breath after I finished and my eyes, which seconds before had been staring at my fingers, returned to Duke Edward's gaze. He seemed to contemplate for a moment, and then opened his mouth to speak.

What he said next surprised me.

"And what if you loved me like she does?"

I was momentarily speechless, not comprehending what he had just said. And then his words caught up to me, and I could not stop the words that flowed out of my mouth.

"If I love you as she did, I wouldn't be able to sit here, still and calm. I would be completely and totally devoting my attention to making sure that I didn't do anything sudden or bold. My heart would be pounding, and you would surely be able to hear it. I wouldn't be able to leave, and all I would be able to do would be to come closer."

I was frightened by the way the words so easily fell off of my tongue, seeming like they had been rehearsed many times. How had it happened?

"I know that." The duke let out a small sigh. "What I want to know is this: What would you do if you loved me as she did?

Once again, there was no hesitation before I spoke.

"I would be entirely devoted to making sure you were happy, but always trying to make it so that you were happy with me. I would not let one small detail about you slip out of my knowledge, just so that I would know how to make you happy. You would be the center of my universe, everything revolving around you. And I would not hesitate to give myself to you, or to give up my life for you. Would would be my life. If I loved you as she did, I would do anything for your love."

My speech stopped, and, though I was embarrassed, the only emotion pulsing through my veins was fear. Fear because the words, the words which came so easily to me, were said with such emotion and sounded so true.

I looked up into the smoldering eyes of the duke. His lips almost seemed to curve up in a smirk, and his face looked as if he had just discovered the most precious treasure.

"Impressive," he murmured through his smiling lips, almost as if talking to himself.

"So you say that you have listened to Tanya enough to understand how much she loves me, and that little speech was a wrap-up of most of it?"

"Yes, sir." Maybe that was why what I said had come out so easily - the emotions had been expressed so frequently that they seemed natural.

"And yet, the words that you spoke were not Tanya's, but instead your own?" This caused me to blush, knowing that he had trapped me in a corner, not in a position to escape embarrassment. If I lied, he would know. I was a terrible liar. But if I told the whole truth, it might be even more humiliating.

"Yes, sir," I repeated, another blush rising toward my cheeks.

His eyes seemed to dance, another priceless treasure found. But I still had no idea what that fascinating treasure was.

His leaned his head to one side, seeming lost in thought, and then allowed, "You may go."

I stood up, and he with me. He escorted me to the door in a polite manner.

I turned at the doorway, not willing to go that very second.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome," he responded, and watched as I turned back to face the path, placing one foot down to step on the porch.

His hand grasped my wrist, and a wonderful feeling was sent through me, charged by shocking sparks. I felt immediately whole, and I spun slowly back to him with a smile on my face.

"What is your name?" He breathed. The sweet scent of his breath that was carrying his words lingered up into my nose.

"Bella," I whispered back, still lost in the overwhelming scent that seemed to surround me.

He released his grip on my wrist, taking the wonderful feeling and intense happiness with him. Instead, I felt the need to touch him again.

He smiled. "You may go," he repeated.

I walked down the path and through the town deep in thought, ignoring the stares as I passed by.

The two small speeches that I had made seemed so natural, like I didn't even have to think about it. Though I had reasoned with myself that it was because I listened to Tanya too frequently, I knew that that wasn't the case.

I hadn't had to ponder over anything as I told the duke what I would do if I loved him. I had felt the same feelings that Tanya had described to me, only they were intensified. I felt a tingly, warming, shocking feeling as my skin came in contact with his. I wasn't able to think when I looked into his eyes. I had even contemplated, ever so briefly, if what I had felt was love at first sight.

So, was I falling for him? Could it be true?

Maybe it could.

Maybe I loved him as she did.

Our little Bella is falling in love. And if any of you don't understand the treasure part, don't hesitate to ask. And for those of you who haven't yet voted, my poll on which story to focus on more is still open! So please vote.

Okay, so I want to try something to see how many people read these author's notes. If you review (which I really hope you do. For a Christmas present, please?), write the words "dragons breathe clouds" at the end of your review. Thanks! Happy Holidays to you all!