Page 8 of Alessandra (Chisholm Manor #1)

At breakfast the next morning, little had changed.

Alessandra was still quiet, but did seem to be making somewhat of an effort, at least with Edward's parents.

After breakfast, she left the room to find somewhere to be alone and gather her thoughts and her confidence.

She found a pleasurable spot inside an enclosed glass room. The space appeared to be used for growing plants, but had seats set around inside of it, like seats inside a small jungle.

She was so deep inside her thoughts that she didn't hear the door open.

"Alessandra," said the voice she immediately identified.

She forced herself to look up at him.

"Edward," she stammered back at him, feeling the blush coming on again, and silently cursing herself once more.

Edward watched her sitting still and looking stubborn in her effort to not speak to him.

He knew he'd reached his point of no return.

He could not keep putting in any more effort that only resulted in pain for him.

His mother would have to accept that it would never work between them. Taking a deep breath, he started to leave.

"Wait," Edward heard her quiet voice say before he reached the door.

Halting his steps, he looked back at her and saw her standing, facing him.

She had such a look of determination on her face that he remained quiet and still, giving her as much time as she needed to speak.

"Please," Alessandra pushed out.

"Please, sit down with me."

She moved along so there was room for him on the bench she'd been sitting on.

She waited as Edward did as she bid, looking at her with obvious surprise.

"Please, let me speak," Edward heard her say quietly as he watched her face go an increasingly darker shade of red.

"Although my parents have always told me that this would happen - I would one day go and marry someone I did not know - now that I am here, I am finding it ... very difficult..."

"We do not have to get married," Edward said softly, trying to reassure her.

Alessandra stopped him from speaking more.

"Since I came here, you have been nothing but attentive and kind to me, and I am very sorry about this silly insistence my face has to turn into a beetroot so often.

It causes me vexation and then I get more frustrated at myself for being so silly..." she continued, determined to say what she wanted to say.

As Edward watched her, he began to feel not only relief, but also some light amusement at her words.

It seemed a new side of her was starting to reveal itself.

"Please do not think that I wish I were not here, or even that I do not enjoy the thought of marrying you.

I..." Alessandra started to say before taking a deep breath.

As she found the strength to look right into his eyes, she could see the move had surprised him in her first flush of boldness.

"We live in a very small area, and I do not remember the last time that I met anyone new. My skills in conversation are greatly lacking, but if you could please be patient with me a little longer, I promise to try harder to relax more around you."

Alessandra stopped speaking for a moment, and realised that Edward was watching her face intently.

Seeing that resulted in her becoming flushed all over again, so she smiled shyly at him.

"See, you do not even need to do anything for my face to go so red," she said, trying to sound light-hearted and make him smile too.

Edward had listened to her, and now watched her.

As he saw her force herself to look closely at him and smile at him, he was thankful he hadn't rushed to dismiss the idea of marriage to her quite so quickly.

He thought she'd finished speaking, and was enjoying looking at her for the moment, but then she spoke again.

"I am sure it seems silly, but could we perhaps start over?" she asked, looking at him, smiling at him despite the extreme redness in her face.

She held out her hand to ask for a handshake.

"Hello, I am Alessandra, and I am very pleased to meet you."

Suddenly Edward felt enchanted by her, as if she had just woven a spell over him.

He placed his hand in hers, happy to begin again as she was.

"Alessandra, I am very pleased to meet you too," he said.

"I am Edward."

They smiled at each other as a moment of relaxation finally came for both of them at the same time.

They were both unaware that from a window nearby, they were being watched by their mothers, who were huddled together, having decided between them that they needed to come up with a plan to get their children talking.

"I think we shall not be needed after all," Edward's mother said to Alessandra's, who nodded in return.

"I think you are right.

All shall be well now."

They both looked on toward their children as, in their minds, they each remembered when they'd met their husbands-to-be.

They remembered as clear as day how awkward that had been for each of them.

Despite those awkward first moments, both had gone on to spend their lives to date, with someone they had grown to love dearly.

They could only wish for the same result for their children.

For the rest of that day, Edward and Alessandra began relaxing more and more with each other.

They loosened up like a thread being pulled from a very tight cloth.

That evening, they sat near each other in the drawing room, just as they had done each night since Alessandra and her family had arrived.

As Edward studied her, he finally saw before him a young woman who had knowledge, dreams, and a desire to do right by her parents.

"Alessandra, I did mean it when I said that we do not need to get married if you do not wish it.

I would not want to force anyone to be my wife..." he started to say.

Their conversation was finally completely relaxed between them, and they had begun to talk like friends who'd known each other for a long time.

It pleased and relieved him greatly.

Alessandra looked at him and smiled, while boldly reaching out and taking his hand in hers.

It was a movement that was new but didn't seem unnatural to her.

"Edward, I thank you for that, but I do want to marry you.

However, if you do not wish it..." she began to say.

Edward squeezed her hand, looking at her in a very different light from what he had done before that day.

"No!" Edward exclaimed.

"No, Alessandra, this marriage is a gift from our parents.

They all want this, and it is important to me to regard their wishes.

I want to be married, but I want it to be with someone who wants to work at marriage as much as I do. I think you and I could be happy if we are both willing to work at making each other happy. I want to make you happy."

They sat, holding hands, and simply happy to have found each other.

From the other side of the room, two sets of parents smiled at each other also.