CHAPTER 18

When Edward rang back later, Carlisle had gone to bed and Bella was just tidying up the kitchen before calling it a night herself. She'd already let the fire die down and by the time they said goodnight she was definitely feeling the chill. The wind had got up again, which didn't help in such a draughty old house and she shivered as she turned the lights off and left the room.

When she walked back towards the hall she passed the concealed doorway to the nursery stairs, which reminded her about Percy's garden plans. She'd meant to fetch them from the attic as soon as she got home, but once she'd settled down with Carlisle after supper she'd been too lazy to get up again. A quick detour on the way to bed would only take a few minutes though and she knew exactly which filing cabinet they were in.

But first she needed to finish locking up for the night, so she continued her tour of the downstairs rooms, closing the curtains and making extra sure all the doors and windows were secure. There was definitely another storm on the way. It wasn't raining yet, but when she went into the conservatory the moonless sky above her was pitch black under its heavy weight of clouds and she could hear the line of trees at the side of the house creaking and groaning in the wind.

She shivered again as she walked back into the main part of the house, glad that there was only one task left - to rake the embers in the grate in the small sitting room where she'd kept Carlisle company all evening. As she'd expected, he'd been very interested in the snuffbox and the book she'd brought back from London and they'd prompted him to tell her more stories about the house and his ancestors, until Bella's head had been reeling with trying to keep track of all the names and relationships.

But still only part of her mind had been occupied with what Carlisle was saying, because she couldn't stop thinking about Alice. The things she'd found out about James earlier had shocked her and she was concerned about how Edward would react when James turned up again, and the fact that it would probably be soon, and for Carlisle's funeral, made things even worse.

But Carlisle was the biggest worry. It was horribly sad, but it was obvious now that he really didn't have much time left. The changes had been so slow and imperceptible that Bella hadn't noticed before, but after her few days' absence she'd been appalled at how thin he looked and how papery and transparent his skin had become, as if the lifeblood had already been sucked out of him.

She'd almost offered him her arm when he'd stood to leave the room and wished her good night. But knowing he'd politely decline her assistance, she could only stand and watch as he slowly made his way to the lift. Thank goodness his great grandmother had installed it though, because there was no way he'd be able to get up the stairs without help.

Sighing, and wishing life was a little kinder sometimes, after straightening the cushions in Carlisle's chair, Bella walked over to the window and dragged the heavy curtains across. Then reassured that at least everything was in its place for the night, she picked up the book and the snuffbox and headed for the attic.

-ooo-

Because she was nearer the servants' stairs on this side of the house, Bella turned left along the corridor and was soon climbing the narrow staircase which led to the housekeeper's sitting room, then on up to the attic bedrooms on the top floor.

The rain had started falling now. She could hear it bouncing off the roof and the house was creaking and protesting with every gust of wind, like an ancient ship straining at its moorings. And high above her head, the bare lightbulb which lit the stairwell was swinging from side to side, creating an eerie see-sawing effect.

When she got halfway up the stairs, a particularly violent gust of wind shook the whole building, rattling the slates on the roof the light flicker and buzz, but Bella continued to climb higher, holding onto the banister for support with one hand and clutching the book and her precious snuffbox with the other.

When she reached the top landing she almost decided to go back and leave it for the morning. Up here she could feel the full force of the storm and it was scary. Window shutters were rattling loudly all around her and halfway down the corridor a door creaked open half an inch, then banged shut again, as the wind howled around the house searching for weaknesses and threatening to lift the roof off at any minute.

A cold draught was whistling through the cracks around the door closest to her, making all the hairs on the back of her neck stand up and when the electric light flickered again Bella wished she'd at least gone back for a torch. She'd always been scared of the dark and it was too horrible to even think of being up here in complete darkness on a night like this.

Her heart was racing now and anxious to get back downstairs as quickly as possible, she swallowed hard, launched herself forward and ran all the way down the corridor, past the eerily deserted servants' bedrooms, to the end room where the archives were stored.

Relieved that she hadn't tripped over any of the holes in the lino, she stopped to take a breath, then quickly opened the door and switched on the light. The fluorescent striplight felt too bright after the dimly lit corridor and she stood blinking in the doorway for a second, before walking over to the nearest cabinet where she'd stored all the undated and unattributable documents.

It didn't take long to find the portfolio of garden designs and after adding it to the other items she was holding, she shut the door firmly, and feeling slightly less jittery now that she'd achieved her objective, she hurried through the corridor along the front of the house, towards the nursery stairs this time.

The sea was roaring in her ears as she turned the corner into the nursery wing, which she'd always found rather creepy even in broad daylight. The walls were painted a shiny bottle green with a swirly black, red and green carpet to match and the dank and musty rooms were over-furnished with heavy mahogany furniture and thick velvet curtains, in a typically fussy Victorian style which felt like stepping into a time warp.

She passed the open doors of a sitting room and the schoolroom, then stopped for a moment when she reached the nursery, trying to imagine Edward and Alice playing there as children. It was less crammed with furniture than the other rooms and the floor had been stripped back to bare floorboards, but that only made it seem more desolate and abandoned.

Bella wondered how many children had played up here. The dilapidated rocking horse which Alice had loved, stood forlornly in the middle of the room; its worn paint and tatty mane a sad reminder of the passing of time. Perhaps this had once been a happy place filled with laughter and games, but all Bella could think of was Alice hiding herself away from James.

Emmett had taken one of the shutters down to repair it and a flash of lightning outside suddenly flooded the room in a blinding white light, highlighting the rocking horse, and reflecting off the jewelled harness around its head, while it rocked gently on its wooden rockers as if set in motion by an invisible hand.

Was that a pirate's eye patch over one of its eyes? Bella stepped forward to examine the toy more closely, but froze and looked anxiously towards the roof when a deafening crash of thunder made her almost jump out of her skin.

And moments later a second flash of lightning, followed by an even louder clap of thunder directly overhead, sent her running out of the room and down the stairs, then across the hall and up the main staircase to the safety of her bedroom.

-ooo-

Luckily, because of the strength of the wind, the storm was already passing and as the thunder turned into a distant rumble, Bella sat on her bed and carefully removed the sheaf of garden designs from their folder.

She'd already looked through them when she'd tried to puzzle out the date and slot them into their proper place in the archives, but she'd forgotten how detailed they were. Apart from the plans and notes, there were also half a dozen delicate watercolours illustrating different views around the garden, most of which she recognised immediately.

The main changes had been to the area closest to the house, where paving, a large lawn and the Victorian conservatory, had disrupted the symmetry of the original design. But although some of the garden statues and topiary had disappeared, most of the rest of the layout was still intact.

The walled kitchen garden was still there, although a pretty summerhouse nearby had given way to greenhouses, and Bella was delighted to see that a beautiful sundial she was particularly fond of was included in the plans, as well as her favourite garden seat, in a shady spot halfway along a trellised pathway, which had been festooned with roses and climbing plants in the summer.

The drawings were obviously the work of an amateur, but they were done with such flair that Bella could feel the artist's delight at how the completed gardens would look when all the flowers were in full bloom. But they were much too delicate to have been created by the person who'd drawn up the very workmanlike plans in a bold black script and the more Bella looked at them, the more she was convinced that they were drawn by a woman.

There were no obvious signatures, but when she examined the drawings closely under the light, in the corner of the picture of the sundial she made out the tiny initials MC – Mary Cullen.

Bella grinned, she could hardly believe it, at last she was holding something real and tangible that directly connected her to Lady Mary and her immediate reaction was to reach for her phone to share her news with Edward. But she wasn't sure if he'd be quite as excited as she was, especially if she woke him up, and as they'd already said goodnight and he had to go to work in the morning, she reluctantly thought better of it.

Instead she looked through all the documents again, then opened the desk drawer and took out all her other treasures - her few childhood mementos, her mother's necklace, the jewellery Carlisle had given her for Christmas and the shells and sea glass Edward had left on the pillow after their first night together.

Her fingers still itched to pick up her phone and call Edward's number, but it really was late now. She wondered if he'd missed her today as much as she was missing him. She pictured him in his flat, working on his laptop, or watching TV, making himself a snack perhaps or getting ready for bed.

Her imagination lingered on a memory of Edward undressing; of smooth tanned skin rippling over hard muscle as he reached an arm behind his neck to remove his t-shirt, then unzipped his jeans… That definitely wasn't going to help her settle down for the night. She shook her head and the pictures fragmented and dissolved, leaving her feeling even more restless.

After putting everything away she got up to close the curtains, then peered out into the darkness, trying to make out the familiar shapes of the sea, the line of trees and the gardens. But it was still pitch black and all she could see was her own face and the room behind her, reflected back at her in the windowpane in ghostly silvers and greys.

She remembered the rocking horse in the attic and hoped that despite what she'd found out today, Alice had managed to have her share of peaceful summer days in the garden. It was a strange coincidence that Alice had told Edward that Lady Mary was her friend, perhaps she'd been told about the ghost and decided she needed an imaginary companion. But it was typical of how the centuries and people's lives in the house seemed to merge together and overlap.

While she undressed and put on her nightclothes, Bella stared at Lady Mary's portrait wondering again how she'd ended up so vulnerable and far from home. She was pretty sure now that Percy hadn't married Mary for her money or purposely tried to drive her mad, although it still bothered her that he'd apparently abandoned her at the end. Even if Mary was raving mad by then, surely there must have been a kinder option than sending her several days' journey away?

And always in the background of both Alice's and Mary's stories, loomed the shadowy figure of James, too clever to give himself away and always careful not to leave any evidence. Maybe he'd had something to do with blackening Percy's name to turn any suspicion away from himself?

Bella shivered again at the thought that she might have been another victim if she hadn't met Edward first. But it was strange to think that without even knowing it, James had almost managed to destroy her relationship with Edward anyway. She realised now that from the first time they'd met, nearly all their misguided reactions, misunderstandings and painful separations, could be traced back to James in one way or another.

She wondered if perhaps James had convinced Alice that he was responsible for getting Edward taken away when they were children, or if he'd threatened to hurt him to keep her quiet. Edward certainly wouldn't have been James's favourite person. She remembered Rosalie telling her about the mysterious motorbike accident, when Emmett rather than Edward had been seriously injured – no surely that was nothing to do with James, that was just too far fetched.

She tried not to think how she'd feel if Edward was dragged away from her as he had been from Alice, although the consequences for both Alice and Edward had been so much more severe. It was too late to help Alice, but she had a chance to be happy with Edward now and concentrating on the thought that in a few short days he would be here to stay, she snuggled under the bedclothes, and still holding the silver snuffbox under the pillow, settled down to sleep.

-ooo-

The next morning Bella spent half an hour on the phone to Edward before he went to work telling him all about the garden plans, and with breakfast out of the way, Carlisle was having another look through the portfolio while they waited for Rosalie to arrive for his usual check up.

He picked the watercolours up one by one and examined them closely, 'You know, it might be an idea to get copies made of these to hang in the breakfast room, or even enlarge one or two to brighten up the small sitting room. I may be old fashioned but I know large is all the rage now and they're so colourful they'd certainly make a splash.' He looked at Bella with a twinkle in his eye, 'Perhaps I could get them done as a wedding present for you and Edward?'

Bella nearly choked on her coffee.

Carlisle laughed, 'I'm sorry if this comes as a shock to you, but it's obvious the boy's been head over heels since the day you met. I've no idea what you've both been thinking about all this time, but I can tell you there's no use fighting it. I knew Esme was the one the moment I saw her and I'm sure Edward feels the same. Promise me you won't let him go if you can help it?'

'I…don't…'

He looked amused at her reaction, 'I'll take that as a positive response then. And by the way, I've been giving some consideration to which bedroom might suit you both. Your room is rather small for two, as is Edward's childhood bedroom, so I thought perhaps one of the large rooms at the back of the house, overlooking the garden?'

They both knew why Edward might not be comfortable in a room at the front of the house looking directly onto the sea and there was no need to mention it.

'Um, yes, I hadn't thought…Thank you so much, that would be lovely.'

'I've already mentioned it to Mrs Cope and Emmett. So as soon as you've made up your mind about which room you like the most, they'll help you move any furniture around and make sure everything's all kitted out and ready for when Edward arrives.'

'Thank you.' Bella hoped Carlisle hadn't mentioned any of his thoughts about Edward's state of mind to Emmett, but true or not she couldn't help beaming back at him anyway.

'Well, it's all settled then and I hope you'll be as happy together as you deserve.'

Bella blushed again, but before she could say anything, there was a knock on the door and Rosalie appeared.

Carlisle turned to greet her, 'Good morning Rosalie. That was a rather opportune moment to arrive, I think Bella was about to get quite cross with me.'

'I'm not surprised, I suppose we're in for another battle about how high your opiate dose should be?'

'Rosalie, your persistence is admirable, but while I'm still writing I would prefer to do it with a relatively clear head. Afterwards you may do with me as you will.'

Rosalie rolled her eyes, but when she spoke again her voice was uncharacteristically soft,' Are you sure you don't need more help? There's a very good nursing agency I can contact for you…'

Carlisle smiled, 'I appreciate your concern my dear, but for now things are manageable. Please don't worry. I promise that as soon as I'm in danger of becoming a burden to those around me, I won't hesitate for a moment.'

Bella stepped out of the room while Rosalie attended to her patient, but when Rosalie had finished she waylaid her in the hall and dragged her into the nearest room.

Worried about being overheard, she lowered her voice, 'Rose, I'm sorry but I need to ask how long you think Carlisle has now. Just so that we have some sort of idea. Every day I'm expecting the worst.'

'Bella, you know that's an impossible question.'

'But if you had to guess?'

'Well, I'd probably say a few weeks rather than days. Getting his memoir finished seems to be keeping him going for the moment, but I don't know how long that can last. I didn't want to worry Edward unnecessarily when I spoke to him yesterday, but he does need to get down here as soon as he can.'

'Wow, that's a first. You worrying about Edward's reactions.'

'I promised you I'd try didn't I? I know Carlisle's the only family he has left and even I wouldn't like to see him end up like Esme after Alice died.'

'What do you mean?'

'She had a complete breakdown, hallucinations and everything. She insisted on setting the table for Alice plus a friend at every mealtime and got very annoyed with Carlisle and Edward for not joining in the conversation.'

'Oh god, that must have been awful. I presume that didn't last long though? I'm sure someone would have told me if she'd gone completely mad.'

'Two or three weeks. Then she said she couldn't see Alice any more and became suicidal. Which was when James stepped in and suggested she might be better off getting right away and moving back to Italy. Carlisle wasn't keen at first because it meant leaving Edward behind. But when Emmett's parents offered to put Edward up until he'd finished school, Carlisle reluctantly agreed. Gradually Esme recovered and having the funeral helped.'

'What funeral?'

'A few months afterwards the Vicar suggested having a proper funeral so that everyone could have a chance to properly mourn Alice's passing and draw a full stop.'

'How was that allowed, surely it takes years to officially get someone declared dead, not just months?'

'I've no idea what the official view would be, but obviously we're a small community and like everyone else the Vicar was a friend of the family and wanted to help. There was never any doubt that Alice had died, the currents are ferocious around here and it's rare that a body's ever washed up when someone drowns.'

'Christ, does that happen often?'

'Sometimes. The odd tourist mostly. But then we are surrounded by an awful lot of sea in case you hadn't noticed. The last time a fishing boat went down thirty or forty years ago, only two bodies were ever recovered.'

'Well, I'm glad Esme got better. It would have been awful for Carlisle if she hadn't.'

'Yes, they had a very happy last few years in Italy and James must have loved having her nearby again. He'd always been such a devoted son, it must have been hard for him spending so much time apart while he was growing up.'

Bella rolled her eyes. For all she cared he could have been a paragon of virtue as far as Esme was concerned, but that certainly didn't excuse everything else.

-ooo-

Despite all the hard work that had been put into getting their new bedroom ready, as soon as Edward arrived it was obvious to Bella that the only thing he was really interested in was testing out the bed. Not that she was complaining though.

At least an hour earlier than expected, she'd heard his car speeding up the drive, then swerving to a halt in a hail of grave as usual, as he slammed the brakes on just short of the front steps. And seconds later he was hurrying towards the kitchen calling her name.

She could hear the excitement in his voice and when they met halfway down the corridor, he'd immediately scooped her up and blindly nuzzled into her neck, before kissing her so enthusiastically that she'd felt quite dizzy when he set her back down on her feet.

When she opened her eyes Mrs Cope was standing nearby smiling at them.

'Oh, Master Edward, what a nice surprise, we weren't expecting you just yet, it's so lovely to have you back.'

Out of sight of Mrs Cope, Edward's hand caressed Bella's ass then rested possessively on her hip, making her heart gallop in her chest.

'Well I must admit it's nice to be home at last. Is Carlisle in his study? I'd better go and say hello.'

'Don't wear him out, he's just about to go for his afternoon nap and he needs his rest.'

'Thanks for the warning. I don't want to disrupt his routine, so I'll make it quick.'

Mrs Cope turned to leave, 'Well I'll love you and leave you then. But I'll be back to sort out the supper later. I'm sure Miss Bella will be wanting to spend time with you this evening, not stuck in the kitchen.'

And before they could even thank her, she disappeared back towards the kitchen.

'She doesn't change much does she? And I see you've been promoted to 'Miss' Bella, like one of the family now. Do you think that's on my account?'

Embarrassed again, Bella shrugged, 'I've no idea, that's the first time she's done it. Maybe it was a slip of the tongue?'

Smiling broadly, Edward took hold of Bella's hand and clasped it firmly as they walked towards Carlisle's study, as if he was afraid he'd lose her.

And fifteen minutes later, after refusing to be responsible for depriving Carlisle of the rest which he so clearly needed, Edward was almost pulling her up the stairs.

His grin was infectious, 'Well that's a stroke of luck, we seem to have been left to our own devices.'

Unable to wait any longer, halfway up the second flight of stairs and out of view of the hall, he squeezed her up against the banister and kissed her again. His eyes were sparkling and mischievous when he drew back slightly and smiled at her, making her heart thump.

She bit her lip in anticipation as she looked up at him, wanting him to kiss her again. His hands curled around the banister on either side of her body, caging her in, but he surprised her by kissing her so sweetly and gently that her eyes filled with sudden tears, which she tried to laugh away.

Still not touching any other part of her body, his lips lingered at the corner of her mouth and trailed across her cheek and back again. Then hovered just out of reach, teasing her until she lunged and wound her arms around his neck, pulling him down towards her and kissing him hard, too greedy and impatient to hold back.

Her fingers wound themselves into his hair, then burrowed under his t-shirt and roamed across his skin, running over the taught muscles and delighting in the warm remembered feel of him. His arms wrapped around her, almost lifting her off her feet, before his hands moved down to her ass, pressing her into his body so tightly that she could feel his erection, hard against her stomach.

They grinned as they fumbled at each other's clothes, then got distracted and started kissing again. His mouth fastened onto her neck biting and sucking, then travelled lower, finding a nipple and clamping down hard through layers of clothing, making her squirm, while his hands pushed their way under her clothes and into her underwear, unashamedly homing in on the spot which made her gasp then sink back with eyelids fluttering.

Trapped by the banister against her back she writhed and groaned as he mercilessly built up the pressure, watching her from under hooded eyelids, with eyes that had turned dark with desire, as her body trembled and fire flamed through her veins.

Her heart beat heavily and she shuddered and swore as his fingers probed further, making her whole body twist and slide and her eyes roll towards the ceiling. while she tried to remember to breathe He was too good at this, she was drowning and he was driving her insane.

Her hands slipped off the banister as another rush of pleasure flowed through her body and made her knees go weak and she reached up and grabbed onto him, twisting handfuls of his sweater tight across his chest as she fought to get her breath.

Whispering encouragment, he wound his free arm around her waist in support and when she arched and strained against him, he smothered her cry with his mouth and held her close, stroking her hair as she came back down to earth and her head fell forward onto his shoulder.

Overwhelmed by the strength of her orgasm which had drained all the energy out of her body and stolen the last piece of breath from her lungs, when he kissed her again she could feel his own hunger and remembering that their bedroom was only a matter of yards away, he unceremoniously hoisted her over his shoulder and ran up the last flight of stairs.

Pushing the door open with his foot he manoeuvred them both through the doorway, then dropped a kiss on Bella's parted lips before placing her gently on the bed, where she collapsed in a heap, watching as he walked over to the main window which looked directly onto the wide sweep of the garden below and yanked the heavy gold coloured curtains closed.

The afternoon sun was streaming into the room and for once it seemed the light was too bright even for Edward and he drew the curtains across the side window too, shutting out the direct light, but leaving the room bathed in a golden glow as the sunlight filtered through the curtains and made a halo all around the sides.

Having recovered her strength a little Bella sat up on the bed and began to undress and when Edward turned and walked back towards her he'd already removed his t-shirt and sweater in one quick movement and started on the buttons of his jeans.

'Let me,' she was surprised at how husky her voice was and how determined.

And stepping out of the last of her clothes she knelt at his feet and dextrously twisted the last button free, before pushing his jeans and boxers down just far enough. She smiled and licked her lips as he let out a heavy breath and swayed slightly on his feet. He was just as much a captive as she had been earlier on the stairs and two could play at this game.

She licked her fingers and trailed them all the way up, then swirled her tongue around the tip before plunging down...

When she glanced up at him, his head was thrown back and he'd gripped his bottom lip between his teeth as his face contorted and his whole body went rigid. A hand crept into her hair and twisted hard but she didn't mind, this was an act of worship on her part, but it was also a symbol of the power she had over him, the power they both had over each other.

And afterwards as he lay flat on his back on the bed, with his eyes closed, she was unable to conceal a quiet smile of satisfaction.

He opened one eye and smiled up at her, 'Don't think I'm finished with you yet. We must have at least another hour before Carlisle wakes up and I intend to make the most of it.' And she squealed as he pulled her down across his bare chest and slapped her on the ass.

Later as they scrambled to get dressed before Carlisle emerged from his afternoon nap, Edward noticed the picture of Lady Mary propped up against the wall in a corner of the room. 'Are you thinking of hanging that in here? Somehow I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with her eyes following me around the room and witnessing everything that goes on in here.'

Bella blushed, 'I couldn't bear to leave her all alone in my old room, but I've just had a thought. Would it be possible to repair the portrait of Percy that's up in the attic and hang them opposite each other? In the hall or on the stairs perhaps, where they can see each other and be part of the life of the house again?

'I'm sure that will be absolutely possible. I'll make some enquiries tomorrow.'

'Oh god, I've just realised how completely mad that request sounded. Even more so when the future's so uncertain and we could both be homeless at any moment. I'm blaming it all on you for completely fucking all the sense out of me.'

Edward sat back down on the bed and wrapped his arm around her. 'You know I love you don't you? And I don't want you to be afraid of the future. James can't throw you out of here without any notice and whatever happens we'll sort something out together.'

Bella's heart had jumped when he'd said he loved her, but she couldn't deal with that just yet. 'But what if James decides he wants to move in here straight away? I know you'll have to move out anyway, but I couldn't stay here either with him in the house.'

'I'll speak to my lawyer about whether he can do that. In any case we'll be ok. Toby Penwarren's already offered us an empty cottage on his estate if we need it while I'm looking for somewhere permanent to buy. As I said before, I can't offer you anywhere palatial, but the remaining proceeds of my flat will stretch to a two or three bed house with a garden if we're lucky.'

Bella head was spinning, 'You really want me to move in with you?'

'Of course,' Edward suddenly looked worried, 'Isn't that what you wanted? I'm sorry if I've taken that for granted, but I assumed…'

Bella put her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek, 'Sorry, of course I do. You've obviously been thinking about this, but my mind's been occupied with Carlisle and you've taken me by surprise a bit.'

'Obviously I'd have taken things more slowly if it wasn't for Carlisle and I don't want you to feel as if you're being rushed into anything. Sorting out his estate will take ages anyway, as I know only too well from when my father died. The executors will have to contact all the beneficiaries and the creditors before they can draw up the final accounts and distribute the proceeds, which can take anything from four or five months to well over a year, even if everything goes completely smoothly.'

'I wish we knew what was going to happen though.'

'We'll just have to play it by ear, I'm afraid. But as I said, try not to worry too much, whatever happens you won't suddenly be homeless, I promise.'

He bent to retrieve his sweater from the floor and Bella stood up and looked around for her shoes, before opening the curtains and letting the light back in. He came and stood behind her and they both looked out across the garden.

His voice was soft in her ear as his arms wrapped around her front. 'Thank you for giving me this time with Carlisle by the way. I don't think we'd ever have worked things out if you hadn't been my excuse to visit more frequently.'

'You're welcome. And for the record, I love you too.'

Her heart skipped a beat when she heard his relieved intake of breath and his arms pulled her tighter against her chest. They stood there for a moment longer, before Edward spun her round to give her one last kiss. Then hand in hand, they left the room and went to join Carlisle downstairs.

Sorry I got distracted and chickened out of letting Carlisle go in this chapter! I'll have to do it next time though, because it's holding up the last part of the story. So next chapter will be about the will & I shouldn't think James will be far behind lol!

Thanks for reading & reviewing x Sue