If I owned Twilight I would have finished Midnight Sun.
You are getting this early due to the 6 million errands that have to be run.
Chapter 30
The issue at hand was that Edward had no idea how to pitch woo. He had never courted before, never really spent time in the company of young ladies. He attended an all boys school and the only women at university were already married. His parents had the occasional party where Edward would meet the daughters of their friends, but these girls were nothing like Bella. They had seemed empty and vacuous, concerned solely with their appearance and local gossip. They flirted and coquetted with every available male, batting their eyelashes maniacally as if they were in a stiff breeze.
He had found none of them to be attractive.
He could not ask his father for risk of getting a philosophical lecture. He was well aware that his mother had done the pursuing in that relationship.
He couldn't approach his mother for she would become insufferable and pushy.
The only other person in his life he felt he could turn to was Emmett. But, alas, Emmett was lost to his own romance of Rosalie.
When he asked Emmett how he gathered up the courage to start courting Rosalie, Emmett gave possibly the most unhelpful answer.
"Bella helped me."
Bella, he couldn't ask for Bella help. She was the cause of his turmoil. She had already turned him down once and until he had a solid plan he wasn't going to approach her.
He thought on his dilemma long and hard. While he was in her presence he tried to watch her surreptitiously to see of he could gain some insight. The only things he could say about her with any definite confidence was that she loved children.
That was in and of itself a wonderful thing but he could hardly woo the woman by giving her more children to care for. Where would he get them? It would require too much explanation if he were to show up after two months at sea with a new baby for Bella.
When it came time for him to leave again he stole into his father's library and pilfered a few books of poetry. Perhaps the words of a few good masters would help. He kissed his mother and daughters goodbye and set off.
Spending ones time in the company of sailors does not a romantic lesson make. Apparently wooing was not their forte. The lessons he did learn, while very informative, could not be used on a lady of any calibre.
He read the poetry and found most of it to be drivel. Overly flowery words and phrases that surely could not open a woman's heart. Bella was so straight forward and plain spoken that moony words wouldn't do for her.
While in port on a short layover, Edward combed the local marketplace. He poured over stalls filled with jewellery wondering if he could give her a present but everything seemed either too gaudy or too plain. Bella wore no adornments to give him a hint. He waivered for a long time over a pair of jewelled hair combs. The colour of the stones would offset the colour of her hair nicely but could be a hazard in the hands of a small girl. Katie had a love of shiny objects but Edward could just imagine her ripping half of Bella's hair out to get at them.
He passed stalls of exotic spices and fruits but worried that Bella palate would not be compatible with foreign fare.
He hesitated the longest over bolts of highly coloured fabrics. Some had the most intriguing patterns and flowers but these would be more suitable for a fancy dress party not chasing after rambunctious spawn. He did manage to chose a few yards but worried that giving her fabric, no matter how lovely, would only mean more work for her.
His last stop for the day was at a small book seller. Edward did not know what type of literature Bella preferred so he settled on a recent publication of children's stories. It seemed an odd thing to give a grown woman of seventeen but perhaps she could read it to the girls.
With a heavy heart at not being able to find the perfect gift to win Bella's admiration he went back to the ship.
Edward decided that he would have to swallow the bitter medicine and consult an expert. He resolved to ask his mother.
AN: He knows her better than he thinks he does. Mummy to the rescue. So the blood issue in the last chapter, that's me. I can handle blood as long as it's not mind or my kid's. That's when I pass out. I get extra cookies at the Red Cross.