Possessing Bella Ch. 16

"Why don't you go and put that on while I clean up, and your father gets the other part of your present ready," Rosie smiled and squeezed her hand. Bella frowned and was about to question them further when her father used his stern voice.

"Do as your mother asked, Bella," Joe said and stood from the table, carrying his plate to the kitchen followed by Rosie. Bella looked helplessly at her two friends and, shaking her head in confusion, went to change.

"You look just beautiful," her mother said, barging into her room as she finished dressing. "I meant to give you this," she handed Bella a delicate little hair accessory. Bella tied her hair back in a hasty bun and pulled the delicate pink and gold netting over it. It gave her hair a softer look as it curled around her face and cheeks before nestling at the back of her neck in its pretty cage.

"You look just like Princess Grace," Rosie grinned and hugged her daughter. "Now let's pack this bag back up so you can leave with the men. I think they are eager to get back to the city." Once she was satisfied, she closed the case and placed it on the floor. Rosie opened the door and to Bella's surprise, Stephen stood on the landing.

"You look stunning," He gave a soft smile and moved past Rosie to kiss her gently and pick up her bag. He then led the way back down stairs. Bella couldn't see her dad or Jake in the dining room or kitchen as they walked through to the back door.

Bella's jaw dropped open, and she felt a pang of jealousy as Stephen approached the powder blue Sunbeam Alpine convertible. It was her dream car, and she wondered if Stephen had bought it knowing that. She realised she was silly, how could he know. She was speechless as he placed her bag on the ground beside the boot. Well at least she would get a ride back to the city in it, and that made her smile.

"Your new car is amazing. I always dreamed of having one just like this," Bella spoke to Stephen as she approached the car.

"It's not my car!" Stephen seemed startled. "Joe wouldn't have spent the last year restoring it to perfection like this for me," he realised she hadn't put the pieces together yet and chuckled.

"You restored it, Dad?" She ran her fingers down the side of the car admiring the cream leather interior. It was perfect, just perfect.

"Ah my little princess, you are more beautiful than Grace Kelly herself," Joe folded her into a strong embrace, "On the inside as much as the outside. The car is yours. Stephen is just here for the ride back to the city."

"It's for me?" Bella gasped.

"You have everything you need up in that big city apartment, but your mother and I know what you wish for," he kissed her forehead and pressed the keys into her hand.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, Daddy!" Bella squealed with delight once the feel of the keys in her hand made the dream a reality. Bubbling with excitement, she squeezed her mother in a big hug, making the other woman squeal delightedly with her and turned back to the car.

"I can't believe you did this for me! Where on earth did you find one like this? Exactly like this!" She touched it reverently, letting her fingers glide over the paintwork before opening the boot to allow Stephen to push her bag into the small space there.

"It's a mark three, not a mark one, so it isn't exactly like the one in the movie but so close that only an expert would know the difference," Joe explained. He was a car enthusiast and never gave up an opportunity to educate people. "The mark three was built here as well as the U.K., so they were easier to find without having to make modifications to the steering and drive shafts."

"Oh Daddy, it's perfect, absolutely, fabulously perfect!" She threw her arms around him again. "You're perfect, both you and Mum. I am the luckiest girl in the world!"

"Can I go? Can I drive it? I don't want to seem ungrateful or rude but..." Bella was just about bouncing with excitement.

"Go, go, but be careful. Stephen, make sure she doesn't speed," Joe laughed at his daughter's wild enthusiasm.

Bella hugged them both again and climbed into the car next to Stephen who, unaccustomed to being in the passenger seat, was tightening his seatbelt. From his pocket, he handed her a pair of sunglasses and returning her infectious grin, felt the car roar to life and the cute horn sound as she tooted to her parents and laughed.

Jake, who had watched on quietly before getting into his car, was already pulling out of the driveway. Bella gave her parents one last wave and blew kisses as she let the car roll slowly towards the road and the freedom having her own car represented to her.

They stopped at an intersection just out of town, and Bella looked in all directions. "I don't want to go straight back to the city, if that is alright?" she said quietly.

"Where did you want to go?" Stephen asked cautiously.

"I'm not sure but maybe the scenic route. I would just like to drive for a while," she chewed her lip as she looked at him. There was little traffic in this area, so she idled quite happily at the crossroads as she made the decision of which way to go.

"You could do the big loop out to the bay and show your car to Pete if you want," Stephen suggested. "He was disappointed not to see you over Christmas. I think he has something for you." Bella had sent him a copy of the history of the castle near her parents' hometown for Christmas, which included a variety of heraldry he could study for his designs in his forge.

"I would like to see Pete," Bella grinned. "You'll have to direct me from here though. I am used to going from the city side of the bay." Stephen wanted nothing more than to make Bella pull over and hold her and take her right there in the car. Instead, he patiently gave directions as she drove another hour out of their way to visit his home and brother.

"It's been almost two months since you were there. I have managed to get quite a lot of renovations done in that time," Stephen smiled. "I think you will enjoy them a lot. I know I will."

*****

The sunbeam crunched on the gravel drive as they approached Stephen's home. A former monastery, it was hundreds of years old and originally built in the classic European style. To Bella, it resembled a castle. Two towers had been added over the years, and they now housed the Cross brothers, Stephen and Pete. As the restoration continued, so did the overall effect, becoming more foreboding like the castle fortresses of long ago.

Stepping from the car, Stephen went around and pulled Bella into his arms, kissing her deeply. He held her tight to him, breathing in her scent and revelling in the fact he had her all to himself for that moment.

"Wasn't expecting you here this afternoon, but it's good timing none the less," Jarod walked out from the main building. "Didn't recognise the car and breathed a bit of relief when I saw it was the two of you. Hello, Princess." He bowed slightly to Bella.

"Hello, Sir Jarod, it's lovely to see you again," she gave a curtsey, enjoying the charade they kept up for Pete.

"What's up?" Stephen said easily, releasing Bella but keeping an arm lightly curled at her waist.

"That gardener you hired and his green army are about to be the death of me," Jarod complained, making Stephen chuckle.

"He's a landscape architect and engineer," Stephen reminded the older man. "He's more qualified than most people I know to work on this building."

"I've put up with the diggers and the trucks and everything else. This time you have to see it to believe it," he took them around the side of the castle. Above new sandstone walls stood a huge tree. "He's got it so close to the foundations the whole place will come down on us in a few years the flamin' idiot!"

"I doubt that," Stephen said. "This guy is the best in the business. He knows what he is doing. You have to trust that I would never endanger the place. I promised you, remember," Stephen said, placating the man but Bella could hear the edge creep into his voice and guessed there had been an ongoing feud between Jarod and the new gardener. "Did you ask him about it this time or did you just go out there and tell him he was doing his job wrong again?"

"Well someone had to tell him," Jarod almost shouted in his frustration, not backing down from the argument he needed to have.

"I need to sort this out," Stephen said softly to Bella. "Do you want to go and see if you can find Pete? I won't be long."

"If you wish," she said uncertainly. "I don't mind waiting while you sort out the gardener, though."

"Tell me, would you ever describe Arek Bourke as a gardener?" Stephen smirked as they walked further toward the wall.

"No," Bella giggled after recovering from her momentary surprise.

"Then I wouldn't repeat that too loudly," he chuckled as they turned the corner and walked through a stone archway into a walled garden under construction. There seemed to be men in khaki's everywhere and at the centre of all the activity checking the shoring up of the newly transplanted box brush tree was Arek.

The huge man was barking out orders and as Bella watched him turn from his position, he seemed to glow almost god-like in the sun. Bella noticed that sweat and dirt clung to him in equal measure as he spotted them and came forward to greet them.

""Hello little one, this is a welcome surprise," Arek said with a smile, bending to kiss her forehead without touching her with his dirt and sweat stained body. "Call your guard dog off Stephen or this will never get finished. I'll walk."

"Explain to him why the foundations are safe," Stephen sighed exaggeratedly.

"Look old man like I tried to tell you the first time..." Arek went on to explain the measures he had taken to ensure that he had chosen a shallow rooted tree. He went on to explain about the reinforcing steel he had placed alongside the foundations when he had dug the new stairwell and irrigation channels. There would be no damp, no insects, and no tree roots to undermine to foundations of the proud old building. The frustration was clear in his voice.

"I can't keep coming down here to sort this out because you won't listen to him Jarod," Stephen shook his head. "You have to trust me. I own this building now. I am hardly going to let anyone near it that I didn't trust fully to do the right thing."

"You weren't here when the crane arrived with that tree. I'd never seen anything like it," Jarod grumbled, still unapologetic.

"Princess Bella," Pete yelled and picked her up from behind, making her squeal in fright and flail about until she was put back on the ground.

"Sorry, sorry, I am just so happy to see you, Princess Bella," Pete grinned at her.

"I tried to stop him," Sophie apologised breathlessly, "but he's faster than me by a mile."

"You have a bad habit of picking my princess up and scaring her," Stephen frowned at Pete.

"It's okay. I just got a fright because I hadn't heard him coming," Bella gave a small laugh, "It's pretty funny now. I'm a bit of a scaredy cat sometimes." She touched Pete's arm, so he knew she wasn't upset with him, and he pulled away slightly. "I've been looking forward to seeing you, Pete. I drove all the way here in my new car, would you like to see it?" He brightened at that and grinned at her. "Did you like the book I sent you for Christmas?"

"Yes! I can't wait to see it," Pete beamed.

"You haven't seen the book yet?" Bella asked, confused again.

"I forgot you aren't very smart..." Pete began to explain but got cut off by a growl from Stephen. "What? I didn't call her dumb this time!" Bella burst out laughing and seeing the incredulous look on Pete's face, she couldn't seem to stop laughing.

"I'm sorry. You're right Pete, sometimes I'm not very smart at all," she tried to hold back her giggles as she looked up at him. "What did you mean by you can't wait to see it?"

"We are going to Italy next month, me and Jarod and Sophie. We're going to see lots of castles but most especially yours," Pete grinned happily.

"That's wonderful! Italy is beautiful. You will love it there," she enthused.

"I told Stephen to buy you a ticket too but he said it makes you sad to go there now. You don't look sad. You should come with us," Pete kept talking about the map he had made to plan their journey and the way they would travel and Bella felt oddly uneasy as she remembered the castle and surrounding countryside. One of the men working in the garden dropped a wooden baton on a pile, making a loud, sharp noise, and she jumped, feeling her stomach turn. "You don't look so good," Pete stopped his story to look at her more closely. "Are you sad now?"

"I'm sorry, it's such a hot day," she smiled and took a deep breath, banishing the thoughts from her mind. She hadn't given that day much thought recently as she worked to move on with her life. Somehow knowing that Pete was going there, would be driving down that road, brought back that terrifying day in dreadful clarity.

"Come into the kitchen, and I will get you a cool drink," Sophie put an arm around Bella's shoulder. "Let the men argue over the silly stones and where to put them on their own."

"I'm sorry Sophie," Bella said as she lay on a small couch and Sophie placed a cool cloth on her forehead.

"Not all memories are good ones. We all have our demons," she said with the wisdom of her age. "I know what happened there and why you don't want to go back, but in time you will have to if only to chase those demons away once and for all."

"I am not sure I could," Bella said honestly.

"In time lovey, in time," the old woman soothed.

"Stephen says I have to apologise for upsetting you," Pete said seriously and thrust out a brightly wrapped package at her.

"You have nothing to apologise for," Bella sat up and smiled. "I remember how excited I was the first time I went to Italy."

"I know, right? He just doesn't get it," Pete shook his head. "He's always been too serious, but you make him smile, probably because you say so many dumb things. Do you do it on purpose?"

"No," Bella laughed. "I just like to be sure I understand things the right way, so I ask a lot of obvious questions." Pete seemed to consider her for a moment. "I didn't know about your trip to Italy, so I was trying to understand what you meant. If you were to ask me about my castle and the town, it wouldn't mean you're dumb just because I know, and you don't." She watched his brow furrow as he took in that information.

"So you didn't go all white because you are upset with me?" Pete still seemed unsure of himself.

"No Pete," she reached out to touch his arm and he flinched away again. "I went white because the last time I was there, in Italy, I was in an awful accident and, sometimes when I think about it, I see that accident like a nightmare in my mind."

"Good then open your present, it was for Christmas anyway," he dismissed the whole conversation as if inconsequential now that it didn't affect him directly.

Opening the package carefully, much to Pete's frustration, Bella drew out a highly polished but plain wooden box. Within it she found the most exquisite tiara. He had remodelled the design and strengthened it with silver adding what she thought were pieces of jade and blue quartz in a wildflower garden design. It was one of the most beautiful things she had ever been given, and she was lost for words knowing he had made it just for her.

Looking at up him and seeing him studying her expression for clues that she liked it, she finally found her voice. "It's so beautiful. You are a genius, an artist, you're just amazing! Thank you, so much." Pete seemed to sit back rigidly as if tense or stressed. "I love it Pete, honestly," she tried to reassure him.

"I know," he said stiffly.

"What's wrong then?" she asked gently.

"Stephen said you would probably want to hug me or kiss me because you love it so much, and I had to let you," Pete seemed to be stiffening further. "You won't turn me into jelly like you do to him though will you?"

"I'm not a witch, Pete," Bella couldn't help but laugh. "Stephen was just teasing you. I will show you when he comes in that he doesn't turn to jelly when I touch him or kiss him," grinning she looked toward the door.

"You should try it on and I can make adjustments if you don't like it," Pete indicated the tiara.

Bella pulled her hair out of the net her mother had given her and shook it loose, running her fingers through the tangled wisps that had become loose in the wind while driving. Finally letting it curl and bounce around her face and shoulders, she picked up the tiara and threaded the silver comb at the front of the tiara into her hair until it felt comfortable.

"It looks bad," Pete said glumly. "Sophie!" he yelled as Bella's jaw dropped open at his words and found none of her own to rebuke him she was so stunned. Sophie bustled in from the kitchen.

"Can Bella wear that green dress, the one that looks like slime? The tiara looks bad with that pink dress," Pete asked the older woman.

"You know I think you are right, Pete," Sophie nodded and helped Bella to her feet. "She'll look more like your Princess in the green dress," she smiled indulgently at Pete, who grinned widely. Turning, she winked at Bella before steering her upstairs to one of the unfinished rooms in the rabbit warren. It was full of period costumes, and Bella looked around in amazement.

"We have players sometimes that are not part of the brotherhood. They come to dress up and feast while servants scurry around to wait on them and entertain them. We don't do that very often anymore, thank goodness, but it paid the bills for a few years," she explained pulling a dull green gown from the rack.

"You'll need help getting into this. I hope you are not shy," she shook the dress out of its protective bag.

"It's not that I'm shy, but what if Stephen comes looking for us?" Bella hesitated.

"They're down there going over every detail of what is going to happen in the next week. Stephen doesn't want anymore misunderstandings," Sophie chuckled, "He will be a while. Even with all of Stephen's diplomatic skills, my Jarod can be a hard-headed oaf of a man."

Regretfully Bella took off the new dress her mother had given her and folded it neatly. She then stepped into a long diaphanous skirt that flared slightly from the hips. Layer upon layers of handkerchief style pieces of translucent organza made up the pretty skirt, and it swished softly and easily around her legs as she walked.

A long richly embroidered corset sat over the top of this, covering her from breast to below her hip and angling sharply to a downward apex at the front and back. With years of experience, Sophie quickly laced the garment and Bella was never more grateful that most of the corsets she owned were not as long as this and had hooks rather than laces. Finally, three-quarter sleeves were drawn up her arms and hooked under her arm to the corset.

Carrying her shoes and dress downstairs, she met Pete at the bottom and let him inspect her. He eyed her critically, "That took long enough. It's much better but not quite right, wait here!" He ran out of the side door. Bella looked questioningly at Sophie, who merely shrugged.

"Medieval fashion designers," she chortled and waved Bella into the kitchen, "Let's get you some more water and be glad he didn't want to dress you in chainmail."

"I feel like I have been playing dress up all day," Bella made conversation as she sipped the cool water. "My mother had this," she touched the pink dress, "made for me. It's a replica of the one Grace Kelly wore in To Catch a Thief."

"Ah," Sophie nodded. "I thought you just had a retro style. I mean most things you wear are a bit more demure than the average young woman wears these days."

"I guess I do," Bella admitted. "I grew up loving those older black and white movies. My parents and I would have movie nights and Hitchcock marathons. I always wanted to be like Grace Kelly or Audrey Hepburn. Beautiful and feminine and strong, they were classy. No hint of scandal touched them, even after they died no mud stuck to them."