Chapter 15

Over the following two weeks,

Alessandra felt like she was in a whirlwind, being asked so many

questions by so many people. While the household took care of the

physical aspects of the wedding, for Alessandra it meant being

fitted for a wedding dress, among other things. She found herself

quite overwhelmed by it all.

During that time, she and

Edward escaped when they could, to head up to the summit. It was

expected by everyone that the weather would soon be bitterly cold.

They both felt determined to embrace the freedom they presently had

to escape outdoors.

Two days before the wedding,

they sat up on the summit again, noting the change in the landscape

as real winter was due to set in.

"Are you nervous about

being married?" Edward asked, studying her face as she looked out

over the land.

Alessandra considered

the question for some time before she turned to face

him.

"There are aspects of it that

make me nervous," she said demurely, casting her eyes from his for

a moment.

Edward

watched her look away and then bring

her eyes back to his before he leaned in and kissed her. Over the

previous two weeks, they had grown quite accustomed to kissing. He

indulged in it again, loving the feeling of the softness of her

lips. Always the result was the same for him, embarrassingly, but

he had started to realise that when he grew hard, she had no

awareness of it, so it no longer worried him as much. He always

made sure that he had relaxed again before they stood up to return

home. He knew the mechanics of mating. Growing up on an estate like

his, with so many farm stock, he couldn't have missed it. Because

he believed that the core of conceiving was the same with humans,

it wasn't that part of marriage that he looked forward to. It was

the kissing that he found himself yearning for more of.

He pulled away, knowing

they would soon have to head back to the house, and wanting to be

relaxed before they did. He didn't think the way she affected him

was visible to others through his clothing, but he didn't want to

take the risk.

"It won't be

long and we sha ll have winter

upon us," Edward said, breaking his previous chain of thought.

"When that strikes, we are often snowed in here for weeks," he

continued as he watched her face recover from her emotions that

seemed to strike when they kissed. "Will you be comfortable with

that, do you think?"

"I think so," Alessandra

replied. "Will I have to learn how to run the estate also? I know

your mother has her responsibilities. I do not know if I am

expected to step up and learn them also, or if I am to leave them

to her still."

"I do not know, to be

honest," Edward said, surprised by her question. "I will ask her if

you like."

"Yes please, Edward. I would

not like to cause any offence to your mother by doing something I

should not, or not doing something I should."

As

Edward looked at her, he

appreciated the ease of the relationship building between his

wife-to-be and his mother. He'd never had many friends, but he was

certainly aware that those particular relationships did not always

go smoothly at all.

"You must guide me,

Edward, as this is all new to me," Alessandra said. "Please do not

ever assume that I will know what I am supposed to be

doing."

"You have my promise. And you

must promise me that you will tell me if I do anything to make you

unhappy, for I have never been a husband so it will be a learning

experience for me also."

They both sat silent until the

cold reached a point where it was time to leave.

~~~~~

That evening, Edward sat

with her and held her hand again.

"I shall be leaving soon

to go and stay with my aunt and uncle in Bath. I will not see you

again until our wedding day," he said, with a slight emotional

tinge to his voice.

"I look forward to then,"

Alessandra replied quietly.

When Edward looked into

her eyes, he could see she had the same look that she had when they

kissed. Straight away, he felt fuelled in desire again so quickly

turned the conversation away to mundane topics so he could relax

before having to leave.

~~~~~

"Edward, it is time,"

Charles said. He was eager to get on the road to escort his son to

Bath, where Charles would see the brother he did not often see

anymore.

"Yes, Father," Edward

responded before lifting Alessandra's hands to his lips, bidding

her farewell, and walking out.

After he left,

Alessandra's mother walked over to sit next to her.

"Alessandra,

you do still w ish to get

married, do you not?" she asked, surprising her

daughter.

"Yes, of course, Mother! I

regard Edward very highly, and I look forward to being his

wife."

Isabella was relieved.

She had been worrying that perhaps her daughter was moving forward

with the wedding plan purely to satisfy others. She could see from

the way Edward and Alessandra had been acting towards each other

that they did like each other. It was a great relief, after the

first few days of discomfort when they'd first been at the

estate.

Edward's mother and

Alessandra's father joined them. Between them, they moved the

conversation on to neutral topics to help each other feel relaxed

about everything.