The Bargain Chapter 11, teaser

“Have you ever been in love?” she asked.

Edward smiled at her question. “Why Bella, I’ve told you, you are my only love.”

“Be serious,” she chided. “I know you’ve had other women. Were you ever in love with any of them?”

Edward sighed before bending his arm behind his head. “Only an infatuation when I was a lad.”

“A lad? Nine, ten?”

“Nay, not so young. I was eighteen and she was a young widow. She taught me much about women.”

The Bargain: Chapter 10, teaser

Groaning in frustration, Edward rose from the bed and pulled on a pair of breeches. Padding barefoot, he roamed through the rooms seeking relief from his thoughts and haunted dreams. His eyes fell on the mill sketches he’d left on the dining room table earlier. Edward sat down and contemplated the drawings in the dim light of an oil lamp.

Slowly, he became aware of the fact that he was not alone. Raising his head, he peered through the darkness. The shadowy figure of an island woman leaned against the frame of his door. Edward cocked his head in an unvoiced question. Without a sound, the woman stepped forward into the dim circle of light.
 

Chapter 37, pictures

Bella's dress for the Christmas party

Snowflake pendant

Alice's wedding dress

Alice's hat and veil

Alice's engagement ring

Advent and Events

Chapter 37 teaser

“The Tuesday/Thursday class is in the morning, so I can’t work for your mom on those days, but the Monday/Wednesday class is at night.”

Edward’s eyebrows rose. “At night?”

“Yeah. From seven to eight-thirty.”

“What about work?”

Chapter 9 teaser, The Bargain

Bella greeted the new day with enthusiasm and a smile that had long been missing. The weight of her deceit was no longer upon her. Her honor was restored. She fulfilled the bargain and Edward could no longer make demands upon her. She sat at her father’s side as he worked, playing her role as assistant and advisor. They dined together and Bella partook heartily. Her sleep was untroubled and she rose early each day.

Chpater 36 pictures

Edward's outfit for his meeting with James

Chapter 8

“Papa, I spent an ill night and cannot accompany you about the island today.”

Charles rose from his seat and approached his daughter. Touching her brow lightly he found it slightly warm.

“I would be much saddened to see you not well, my dear. Go back to bed and I’ll send Sue with a tray for you.”

Bella had no intention of returning to her torturous bed, and tried to convince her father to let her stay.

“There’s no need father. I’ll just have a small bite here and relax in the library.”

“Nonsense. Come now, I’ll see you abed before I go.”

Dinner Plans

Chapter 36, teaser

“So what are you going to do?”

“I’m going to make a few phone calls today, and then I’m going to take Bella home with me. My building has better security. If she’s not at her apartment, then hopefully the paparazzi won’t harass Ms. Weber, either. She is here, isn’t she?”

“Yeah, she’s at her desk. Um, she asked me to ask you if she could see Bella.”

I sighed. “Of course, she’s a good friend. Tell her that I’ll send her out when she wakes up. She had a hard night and didn’t get much sleep.”

I could tell that Emmett’s dirty mind was having a field day with that little bit of information.

“A tough night, huh? The paper didn’t hit the stands until early this morning. Why was she up so late?” His grin was just this side of a leer.

“Rein it in there, brother. She and I had a fight.”

“What?” He made a scoffing sound. “I’m starting to think that Rose is right about you. What could you have possibly fought about?”

The Bargain, chapter 6, teaser

“Mister Masen,” she interrupted, “what was your trade before you became a bondslave? Overseer perhaps? You are from the colonies, I understand. What were you doing in England?”

“Horses, madam. I work with horses quite a bit.”

“Then you must be the one who tended to my Attila when he was lame.” No wonder the steed was so comfortable with him. “You mean you train horses? To what end?”

“Mostly for riding, madam. And, some enjoy the sport of racing their mounts. I went first to Scotland to select breeding stock.”

“Your master trusted you to know good breeding stock when you saw it?”

“Indeed, madam, I most certainly do.”

The Bargain, chapter 5, teaser

Charles cleared his throat. “Daughter, your time away seems to have toughened you. I’m surprised to see you forgo the relative luxury of the Kensington to sail home on the most modest of my ships.”

“Is it so hard to believe that I missed you, Papa?” Her confession caused a lump to form in Charles’s throat, for in truth, he had missed his daughter, as well.

“Aye, well…so enough of thither and yondering for you?”

“Aye, father.”

“So…” Charles was reluctant to bring up the reason for their enforced separation, but he couldn’t help but be curious. “Have you chosen, then?”

Charles didn’t look at his daughter as he asked the question. Bella twisted the simple gold band on her finger once, before laying her hand on the one her father had between them. Charles looked down at their joined hands.

“You may call me Madam Cullen, if not by my given name, Papa.”
 

The Bargain, chapter 4, teaser

Sam followed Yorkie down the dark hall. Skittering rats fled their approach.

“Whatever ‘twere you did ta ‘im, you did ta ‘im good,” Yorkie commented. Sam stopped and raised an eyebrow in question.

Yorkie chuckled. “’E’s come down a madman ‘e ‘as, since you brought ‘im back. Hafta keep ‘im chained to the wall ere ‘e kill us. Or see us kill ‘im. He ain’t took a bit o’ the food you sent for ‘im, just takes ‘is bread and water like afore.”