Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. Aside from any and all recognizable characters, everything else belongs to Anne Publishing House.

A/N: So this one has been stuck in my head for a few years now. But I've always lacked the right motivation to turn this giant of a plot bunny into a fic. Until now. So, here I am, welcoming you to take this journey with me with this story written for my one and only fanboy, Granpa H.

Just a head's up, this is not a history book. So even though I've tried to stay as true to historical facts as possible without doing much research, be warned that I've taken a lot of liberties in this fic. So let's us enjoy this ride, shall we?

A special thanks to FangirlinGranmaDee for doing the beta reading for this fic.

Chapter-1

18th Century, Carlisle Castle, England.

"Edward, dear, what are you doing?"

The little boy turns around just in time to find his mother in the doorway. "Nothing, Mother," he responds quickly.

Esme Cullen, Duchess of Carlisle, looks behind her son and smiles softly. "Were you watching your friend, dear?"

He quickly shakes his head and murmurs sadly, "She is not my friend, Mother."

She frowns at his tone of voice. "What is it, dear? You look upset," she observes.

His lower lip pulls outward in a pout as he looks down and out of the window. "She does not know me, Mother. How can we be friends then?"

Esme comes to stand beside him and follows his gaze, her eyes quickly finding a little head of neatly braided brown hair bobbing around in her garden. She sees the little girl in a red frock emerge from behind a bush then; a branch of rosemary clutched in her hand like a trophy.

The little girl smiles at the branch in her hand, and Esme sees a smile perk up on her son's lips at the sight.

Then the girl starts making her way out of the garden with the rosemary still in her hands.

Esme hears a sad sigh leave Edward. She turns to him and places a hand on his head, getting ready to say something to pacify him when a huge smile breaks out on his face. Looking out the window, Esme sees the little girl looking up at them, a smile on her face.

She waves at them, and hesitantly, Edward raises a hand to wave back; both of them smiling at each other before the girl runs out of the garden.

Looking back up at his mother, Edward grins. "She likes me, Mother."

A/N: Yes, it starts as a flash-fic, but the chapters will get longer as we progress. Being a shorter-chaptered fic also means you'll get daily updates for this one.

Thanks for reading.

Share your thoughts with me and leave a review.

See you tomorrow.

Take care.

Ann