DISCLAIMER: I don’t own Twilight as much as I wish I did,
because trust me if I did Renesmee wouldn’t have had that name.
HISTORICAL DISCLAIMER: I got the highest grade in my Anglo-Saxon history
Class, and I love history, but I’m not a historian. So please forgive any
mistakes—they were made out of ignorance, not intent.
Many many thanks to PTB and its lovely Betas: First-Run Beta, KeeWit,
and Second-Run Beta, SqueakyZorro. You have no idea how much they helped me.
Oh, and can I just say they are insanely thorough? I love them.
Also, a special thanks to tg10781 who pre-read this for me and talked me
down from a ledge. Love ya bb!
________________________________________________________________
Bella stretched, testing her muscles. She felt renewed,
different, like a butterfly out of her cocoon, ready to fly. The sunlight
filtering through the windows made Bella blink several times to grow accustomed
to the light. It was a sunny morning, and Bella smiled. The light was bright,
so bright she could see tiny dust particles flying around in the air. They
looked like gold dust, ignited in fiery yellow shades by the sunrays that
passed through them.
Bella sighed, content with the world, rested and
somewhat giddy. Suddenly, the events of last night flooded her mind, and she
felt her face grow warm. She was slightly embarrassed, for she knew she had
acted wantonly, unladylike, but it had felt so heavenly. After the initial pain
of her husband breaking through her innocence, it had felt even more delightful
than when he had used his hand.
Bella giggled quietly, happy in the knowledge that it
wouldn’t be a chore to lie with her husband. It would be quite appealing, if
she were honest with herself. She imagined passion-filled nights in which he
would teach her the art of lovemaking. She would be a very willing student. She
realized that in the midst of the disgrace that had haunted her life in recent
weeks, she had finally found her Prince Charming.
However, when her mind reminded her that her husband
didn’t love her, that her situation was no fairytale, and that he would return
to his mistresses as soon as she gave him an heir, Bella felt a single tear
escape her.
She already felt drawn towards her husband. She could
feel the beginnings of romantic love springing inside her heart, and this
scared her. If she were to truly fall in love with him, she would be devastated
once he attained what he wanted and left her. She didn’t know much about
romance, but something in her knew she wouldn’t survive the heartbreak.
“What have I done?” she whispered, as fat tears fell
down, staining her cheeks.
She rubbed her face against her pillow once she seemed
to have run out of tears. She pulled the counterpane against her chest, trying
to maintain some modesty, but when she tried to get up, she felt two arms
tightening around her waist.
She momentarily forgot whose arms were wrapped around
her, and she felt the urge to scream. However, her confusion was short-lived
when she felt the buzz she had come to associate with her husband’s touch. The
arms brought her closer to a warm body, so warm, and hard, and deliciously
scented. She snuggled against the body, her husband’s body, and relished the
feelings she knew would all too soon be taken away.
He’ll fill you with his seed, and once it takes root in your belly
you’ll be nothing to him. You’re a means to an end, the same annoying voice from the night before sneered.
“I don’t care,” Bella whispered. “I want him all the
same. I’ve been sad for far too long. Leave me alone. Let me be happy if only
for a little while.”
“Mmmm…” she heard Edward’s voice moan. He nuzzled her
neck, causing Bella’s skin to break out into goosebumps.
“Good morning, wife,” he said directly next to her
ear, making Bella’s whole body shiver.
Edward placed a soft kiss in Bella’s neck, luxuriating
in his wife’s intoxicating perfume.
Bella’s scent was sweet and alluring, but what Edward
enjoyed the most about it was that he could smell himself on her skin. He had
never been jealous or possessive over any of his past lovers. However, being
able to smell himself on Bella brought proprietary feelings to his heart that
had been completely unknown to him until this day.
He circled his arms tighter around his wife’s waist
and brought her body as close to his as he was able.
Edward was surprised with himself. His whole behaviour
since he met his wife had shifted dramatically. He couldn’t comprehend the
changes in him.
In but a single night, he had had more possessive and
desirous thoughts about his wife than he had ever had about all of his past
mistresses put together. He never spent
the night with any of them, not even with Tanya, after all the time he had kept
her as his mistress. He never felt the inclination. Yet, last night, after
spending a couple of hours watching Bella sleep, he couldn’t make himself
leave.
He seemed to be addicted to Bella’s smell, her warmth,
and the feel of her body next to his. He had to acknowledge that he had never
slept as soundly before — not since his mother’s death.
Bella made herself hold back the moan that threatened
to escape her when Edward kissed her neck, as well as the need she felt to
entwine her fingers with Edward’s when their hands met above her waist.
She was confused by the emotions that surged in her
whenever she was around her husband. Just thinking the word, thinking about the
new title Edward Cullen had in her life brought an unfamiliar feeling to
Bella’s heart that she didn’t dare name. She had known familial love, the
warmth that comes from being embraced by your loving parents, the joy of a
quiet Christmas morning unwrapping gifts by the chimney. These…these new feelings that overwhelmed her as Edward caressed her hand
gently…these were new to her.
New was frightening.
New was dangerous.
She knew this from the moment she opened her eyes to
this new life.
She knew this as Edward’s touches morphed from sweet
and worshipping to passionate and igniting.
She knew that she had gotten much more from this deal
than she had bargained for.
“Edward,” Bella moaned softly, unable to remain
unaffected by Edward’s attentions.
Edward felt emboldened by his wife’s responsiveness.
He couldn’t remember why he had been afraid Bella would turn out to be a cold
fish in bed. She was an ancient deity, full of fire that consumed him and set
his body alight. He could already feel the stirrings of desire growing stronger
and wilder in her as he consumed her with his own want.
How could someone so unassumingly beautiful, so
perfect and alluring, be real? It was as if God himself had built Bella with
him in mind.
Moans grew louder. Hands got bolder. Bodies entwined
in a passionate embrace as the sun's rays bathed the room in a fiery glow.
And as the screams of completion filled the air around
the new lovers, they stopped thinking with their heads for a moment to start
listening to their souls.
Trapped for so long in the shells of what their
stations required of them, they had forgotten what it meant to be free. Alone
in that room, joined as one body and one soul, they had never been freer.
-x-x-x-
Bella’s cheeks were tinted a deep scarlet colour as
she remembered this morning’s happenings. If she had thought that last night’s
tryst had been satisfactory, the one she enjoyed this morning had been beyond
any of her wildest expectations.
The way Edward had touched her body, slowly as if she
were made out of glass, then roughly as if he wanted to crawl inside her, had
taken her to the precipice of bliss. However, unlike the night before, he
didn’t make her reach her peak using his mouth or his fingers. He had teased
her with his hands touching everywhere but where she craved his touch the most.
She had believed at some point that he was torturing
her for some fault she was unaware she had committed. But all her doubts had
been dashed aside when he circled her with his arms and brought their bodies to
a sitting position.
She felt momentarily exposed when the counterpane that
was still wrapped around her fell off completely. Those insecurities fled from
her the moment he clung to her body, arms everywhere, mouth everywhere, him
everywhere.
Bella touched her heated cheek as she recalled how the
change in position had made everything better and worse.
On the one hand, Edward was able to reach places inside
her that had her tumbling towards the edge at a maddening speed. On the other,
he was everywhere. There was no escape, nowhere to hide. The bitter voice that
had bothered her during their first coupling kept yelling in her head: The moment he impregnates you, the fairytale
will be over. He doesn’t want you. You’re no better than a mare to him.
Bella had felt so torn between crying for her sad fate
and rejoicing in that glorious moment. Rejoicing won out, and she let herself
feel him, really feel Edward.
And when she did, she got higher and higher, until she
feared what the fall could bring. Falls
are nasty things, her mother had always said when Bella ran around her
backyard as a child.
When you fall you have no control over your body. You fall where you
fall, and most likely you’ll hurt yourself in the process. Be careful with
falls, Bella. There may be no one to help you rise if you fall.
She had never felt the truth of her mother’s advice
until she fell into Edward’s arms. They were slowly turning into her safe
haven, when they should have been her gilded cage. What would happen when he
got what he desired, and there were no arms to catch her or help her rise?
Would she be able to stand up by herself?
Her musings were interrupted by the entrance of her
new maid. Bella had learnt the maid’s name was Angela and that she would be her
personal maid in Edward’s estate in Derbyshire.
Edward had left her to break fast on her own, claiming
last minute business that needed his immediate attention. However, a part of
her panicked with the thought that he may have perceived her growing attachment
and wanted some distance from his clingy wife.
Angela cleared the dishes and was helping Bella into
her crinoline* when Edward unceremoniously walked into the room. He looked as
dashing as always to Bella. Dressed in travelling clothes, he already looked
ready for the long trip that awaited them.
“Leave,” he ordered Angela. Bella felt suddenly
anxious to be left alone with this man, her husband, in such a state of
undress. She knew she was being nonsensical since he had seen her bare, as he
had every right to do. However, she couldn’t help but feel self-conscious when
in his presence.
When they were together as man and wife, she could
forget briefly that they were practically strangers thrown together into an
uncomfortable situation. She could forget about deals, contracts, heirs, and
money.
This way, with Edward standing fully dressed and she
in nothing but her undergarments, all was on display. She remembered her skinny
arms and overly pale skin. Her too-full lips and oddly-shaped eyebrows, all of her flaws
seemed more noticeable under Edward’s scrutiny.
She blushed in embarrassment while Edward circled her
as if he were assessing her worth. She knew that compared to many of his past
lovers she fell short in both beauty and allure. Bella was not an exotic
seductress, skilful in the arts of sexual congress. Before this day she had
known very little about what happened between a man and a woman behind closed
doors. How could she compete with Edward’s former lovers?
Edward seemed to have reached a conclusion after his
careful study and walked closer to Bella with a look she couldn’t decipher.
Gently, as if she were but a mirage that would fade if
touched by anything but the air, Edward placed his hand on Bella’s corseted
waist.
Bella’s breath hitched, as Edward proceeded to trace
the contours of her corset, from her waist to her bosom. He lightly drew the
outline of her chemise with his fingers, coming dangerously close to the little
bow that kept her breasts hidden behind the fabric.
Bella was mesmerized with the gentle movement of his
fingers. She could feel her body growing hot with each passing caress, and she
wondered if Edward had this effect on her due to his vast experience, or if
there was something else that prompted such a reaction. Something in his touch.
“Beautiful,” Edward finally said after a while,
bringing Bella’s body as close to his as her bustle* permitted.
He placed his mouth dangerously close to Bella’s neck
and breathed her in. She could feel his hot breath as it ghosted over her
sensitive skin, and she was forced to bite her lip to withhold the moan that
was forming in her chest. She couldn’t comprehend the strength of the feelings
that engulfed her when she was around Edward. Surely this attraction between
them couldn’t be natural?
Bella closed her eyes and forced herself to remain as
quiet as possible, as unresponsive as possible. However, when one of Edward’s
hands brought one of hers behind her back, she couldn’t help but lace her
fingers with his and gasp loudly when he placed a gentle kiss behind her ear.
“I’m really fond of your blush, Bella,” Edward
whispered against her cheek as his lips moved from her neck towards her mouth.
Bella’s breathing stopped completely when Edward’s lips hovered over hers. She
could feel the warmth of his lips, so close, so delectable, a hair's breadth
away from her hungry ones. Bella closed her eyes and waited for the kiss she
craved.
Suddenly, Edward let go of her, and she felt dejected
as he walked a few steps away, looking as wild as she was feeling.
Edward cleared his throat before speaking, “Sadly, we
can’t dwell too long here, Mrs. Cullen. We need to be ready. The coach that
will take us to my estate in Derbyshire* will be here any minute.”
Bella was confused to say the least. What was the
meaning of his seduction? Why did he back away?
“I’ll call back your maid. We must make haste,” Edward
finally said after a few silent moments.
Bella felt a lonesome tear falling down her cheek as
Edward walked out the room.
-x-x-x-
“What in the world were you thinking?” Edward asked
himself as he nervously paced his studio.
He was so angry at himself. So many years he had taken
pride in how much control he had around his lovers, and now he seemed
completely incapable of keeping himself in check around his new wife.
When his butler had told him that the coach that was
to take them to Derbyshire was due in an hour, Edward had decided to check on
his wife. He had told himself that he was just going to let her know that the
coach would be arriving soon.
However, as he paced his studio like a caged animal in
a circus, he had reached the conclusion that he had possessed different reasons
for walking into that room unannounced.
He had wanted to see her.
He had forced himself to spend all morning away from
her, busying himself with this matter or that. The urge was strong, though, and
at the first distraction, he succumbed and went in search of his bride.
He collapsed in his chair and buried his face between
his hands.
It was like a siren’s call. He felt compelled to go to
her, be around her. He couldn’t reconcile this strong pull with the fact that
he only laid eyes on her the day before.
Edward pulled his hair in aggravation.
You have to focus. Remember this is an arrangement. She’ll be out of
your life as soon as the bargain is met.
Somehow this thought wasn’t as reassuring as it was
supposed to be.
“Your Grace?”
Edward’s morose thoughts were interrupted by his
butler. “The Duchess is waiting for you in the foyer. The coach has arrived,
and the luggage has been loaded. Do you wish anything else before you depart?”
Edward looked at him, momentarily dazed. His mind was
still reeling from the traitorous path his ideas about this marriage had taken.
“No,” he finally answered after a few minutes of
silence. “Just follow the instructions I already left.”
Edward stood, grabbing his travelling coat and a staff
that had belonged to his father from the sofa where he had left them.
“Oh, before I forget,” he added, turning towards his
butler. “If Miss Denali inquires about my whereabouts or desires to correspond
with me, please tell her I’m unavailable until further notice.”
“Yes, of course,” the man replied, confused by his
master’s request. His Grace had always been available for Miss Denali in the
past. It seemed as if he intended to be faithful to his new bride. It was a
most interesting development that would have pleased the old master greatly.
With those words, Edward walked out of the studio that
had belonged to his father and now belonged to him. He was embarking on a new
chapter in his life. He only hoped he would find a way to survive it unscathed.
-x-x-x-
Bella watched the trees go by through her window. It
had been a long and very quiet trip to the Duke of Devonshire’s ancestral home
in Derbyshire. Edward had not uttered a single word since they left London, and
she was beginning to wonder if he regretted the marriage by now. Had she done something to upset him? Had she
displeased him?
She had noticed something different about him after
what happened in their room, a wall of sorts that seemed to be blocking him
from her. She didn’t like that wall, and she wished she were stronger so that
she could bring it down.
“Edward?” she asked tentatively after deciding that
she would at least try to bring down his defences. “Is there something wrong?”
“Why?” Edward asked with a dazed look. She realized he
had been miles away, lost in a world of his own.
“You seem preoccupied,” Bella added softly, suddenly
ashamed to be bothering him.
“I’m just thinking about my childhood in my country
estate.”
“You were very happy there,” Bella asserted after
noticing the way in which her husband’s face lit up slightly at the mention of
his childhood abode.
“Yes,” Edward replied simply, turning once again to
look out his window.
Bella turned towards him, determined to capture and
maintain his attention. She wanted to know more about this man she had made
vows to in front of men and God. She wanted to get to know the man who had
taken her virtue and showed her pleasures she had never dare to dream of. He
would forever be a part of her through their future child, and she felt a need
to be as much a part of him as she could.
“What is your fondest memory of that place?” she
asked, after pondering the best approach to draw him out.
Edward turned to her, puzzled by his wife’s sudden
interest in conversation. He wasn’t used to sharing his memories, or even his
thoughts, with anyone. His “friends” mostly cared only about bragging about
their newest business venture or their newest lover. And he barely talked to
any of his mistresses. The idea of having someone interested in listening to
him was strangely appealing.
He pondered for a short while before answering, “I
guess my fondest memory is of the afternoons I spent riding horses with my
mother. She was a superb rider. Her skills rivalled that of many men I knew. It
was one of the things my father loved about her. She was the complete opposite
of the well-bred ladies he had become accustomed to in his circle. Even though
she was a noblewoman, she didn’t follow any of the mores people expected her to
follow. My father always said I inherited her rebellious spirit, but that I
applied my revelry in the worst ways.”
Edward stopped abruptly, shocked by how honest he had
been with Bella — a woman he had met less than a day prior. He was also amazed
at how good it felt to share these memories, finally.
Bella stared lovingly at her husband, imagining a
little boy with coppery tresses and emerald eyes, riding horses with his
mother, whom he obviously adored. A picture much like that one popped into her
head, but the mother was replaced with herself, and the boy’s coppery tresses
were tinted with some of her chocolate-hued hair.
Bella blushed profusely and stared out the window.
After a short silence she dared probe a little more. “You loved her,” she
stated.
“Yes,” Edward replied softly. “I loved her and our
riding lessons, and the times she would read me books or play the piano with
me…” His voice trailed.
Bella’s fingers found themselves entwined with
Edward’s before she could do anything to stop them. Something about Edward’s
tone of voice when he spoke about his mother brought forth a need to comfort
him in any way she could.
Edward didn’t comment on Bella’s comforting gesture,
but a smile tugged at his lips as he continued to watch out his window.
Maybe this arrangement wouldn’t be so bad after all, they both mused as the scenery changed before their
eyes.
-x-x-x-
“Master Edward,” an older woman greeted Edward as soon
as he climbed down from the coach. Bella watched in amusement from her seat as
the stranger fussed over him as a grandmother would over her grandchild.
“It’s been so long since the last time I saw you. You
look slimmer,” she finished with a frown.
Bella giggled at the scene.
“And who is this lovely young lady?” the woman asked
directing her eyes to Bella.
“This lovely young lady is my wife, Isabella Cullen,
Duchess of Devonshire.” Edward introduced her as he helped her out of the
coach.
“Oh, Master Edward!” The woman exclaimed, visibly
moved by Edward’s words. “She’s such a lovely girl. Your parents would be so
proud of your choice of a wife.”
Bella’s cheeks burned as she took in the compliment.
“Bella, let me introduce you to my most trusted and
beloved employee. She’s practically family, my housekeeper, Mrs. Newton,”
Edward said, gesturing towards the woman.
“A pleasure to make your acquaintance,” Bella said in
a respectful tone. She knew that, due to her station, she wasn’t required to be
so formal, or even acknowledge the woman. However, this was one of those times
in which she decided to disregard the protocol her mother had drilled into her
in lieu of what her heart told her to do.
“She’s most lovely indeed, and has fewer airs than
some people I know,” the woman said with a smile as she took in Bella’s beauty.
The housekeeper frowned when a young girl approached them to stand next to her.
Bella’s eyes narrowed when she noticed the way the
young girl seemed to be eyeing her husband and the reproachful looks Mrs.
Newton sent her way.
“Now, Master Edward is late. You and your lovely wife,” Mrs. Newton said emphasizing the
word, “must be starving and so very tired. Let Mrs. Newton settle everything
here while I show you to your rooms.”
Bella looked perplexed between Edward and Mrs. Newton
at the reference of a second Mrs. Newton.
Mrs. Newton turned to the young girl and said, “Make
haste, Jessica, the master and the new mistress are tired. I’m sure they would love to be in bed as soon
as possible.”
“Yes, Ma'am,” the woman replied meekly, never taking
her eyes off Edward.
Bella was really starting to dislike the girl.
“I really don’t know what my son saw in that girl.”
Mrs. Newton sighed as she led them inside the manor. “Or what any man sees in
her, for that matter,” she added, giving Edward a stern side-glance.
Bella suddenly felt sick. Was Mrs. Newton implying what she thought she was implying?
“I don’t know either,” Edward replied curtly.
“I had your parents’ rooms arranged for you like you
requested,” Mrs. Newton said before Bella could dwell too long on what was said
about the other Mrs. Newton.
She opened a door, and they walked into a sitting
room. A fire crackled in the fireplace, and a loveseat was placed to take
advantage of the warmth. A small table with a vase filled with fresh flowers
and two desks, one on each side of the room, completed the furnishings.
The room was not as ostentatious as Bella had
expected. The furniture was exquisite but practical, designed to be used and
not admired, as was the habit among the higher classes.
“The door to your right, Your Grace,” Mrs. Newton
said, addressing Bella, “is the mistress’ room, your room, to your left, the
master’s room. When the old master married, His Grace had these rooms designed
for his new wife. Her Grace was quite independent, and he wanted to give her
her own space.” Mrs. Newton laughed at this point before continuing, “not that
she ever used her own room much.”
Edward cleared his throat and added, “Mrs. Newton,
would you be kind enough to fetch us a light supper? My wife hasn’t eaten
anything since lunch.”
“Oh, yes, of course,” Mrs. Newton said, as if suddenly
remembering herself. “It’s supposed to be here, but I’ll go check what’s
holding it up. If you’ll excuse me.”
Bella turned to Edward once Mrs. Newton left. “This is
lovely, Edward. The house, I mean. I haven’t seen much of it yet, but I like
everything so far.”
“I’m glad it pleases you.” Edward smiled. “It’s one of
my favourite places in the world.”
Bella looked around the room, noticing the two desks
again. “One was your father’s and the other your mother’s. Am I right?”
Edward’s smile took on a warmer tone. “Yes, he would
sit at his desk and read over documents or the newspaper, as my mother replied
to mail or read a book. As a small child, I would often sit by the fire and
watch them as they shared loving glances and silent gestures.” Then his eyes
filled with a fathomless sadness Bella wished she could soothe.
“But enough about the past. You must be weary of all
this travelling. Your luggage should be in your room. There should also be a
bath to ease any aches you may feel. If you’ll excuse me, I will retire to my
own bedroom to rest before we have dinner.”
And without further preamble he walked into his room.
Bella was left standing in the sitting room. She felt
as if she had said exactly the wrong thing to disturb her husband, and a pang
of sorrow filled her heart with uncertainty. She seemed to be doing all the
wrong things since this morning. What if her tongue escaped her control again,
as it was wont to do sometimes, and ruined her chances at having a friendship with
her husband? She desperately desired that bond as a way to ensure the future
stability of her child.
When she had previously imagined her future child, she
envisioned a loving family, like her parents had created. With Edward, however, she had no such
assurance, since their marriage was one of convenience, not love.
She knew that a marriage like hers was the norm, not
the exception, within her class, but that knowledge didn’t assuage the doubts
that gnawed at her heart.
It was peculiar how much her life had changed in the
last month. Not only was she a married woman now, a Duchess, but she also had a
prospective child to worry about.
And there was also the magnetic pull she felt towards
Edward. She couldn’t help but be honest with herself. Something was brewing
between them: something more than mere physical attraction, something she had
to avoid at all costs.
She had promised herself not to fall victim to the
charms of this man, and not a day into the marriage, she had already failed to
fulfil that promise.
Tired by the weight of her musings, Bella turned the
knob to her bedroom to seek oblivion in the arms of Morpheus.
-x-x-x-
Edward always felt drained whenever he visited his
childhood home. So many memories — and even if he didn’t want to admit it to
himself — so much loss haunted this place.
That, added to the confusion he was currently under,
did nothing to improve his disposition. How was he supposed to relax when all
his senses were going haywire? What sort of power did his wife have over him?
How could she entice him and confound him at the same time? Edward was used to
being the one in control; this new feeling of insecurity was foreign and
frightening to him.
He desperately needed to regain control of the
situation.
There was a knock on the door just when drowsiness was
starting to push Edward’s worried thoughts away.
A still sleepy Edward approached the door, ready to
scold whoever dared to disturb his rest. However, as soon as he wrenched open
the door, someone jumped into his arms and attacked his lips with a hunger and
ferocity that made him stumble into the room and fall back onto his bed.
He hadn’t had enough time to even breathe or push his
assailant away when he felt her lifting her skirts to bring their lower halves
into closer contact.
Edward’s natural reaction to the friction was to moan.
He knew this feeling. He was familiar with carnal desire and pleasure. So like
an animal who acts on instinct when cornered in a difficult situation, he
momentarily savoured the moment.
The wet lips, the seeking warm tongue, and the
swinging dance of hips were things he could control, things he understood.
So control he did.
He rolled the petite body on top of him to lie with
her back against his bed and he wrapped her legs around his hips. He continued
pushing and rubbing against the heat under her skirts, making the woman whimper
in wanton need.
However, the sound of her voice stopped him in his
tracks. It was wrong, so wrong compared to the sweet noises his wife had made
the night before.
The haze of lust started to fade.
His desperation to find root in what he was familiar
with had led him to act like a beast. His rational side was appalled at his
reckless behaviour. The way he had put himself in a compromising situation with
only a room separating them from his wife was thoughtless and cruel.
For the first time in many years he could hear his
mother's voice inside his mind, telling him that this was not the boy that she
had raised. Edward’s heart broke for Bella and for himself, and disgust took
over his entire being.
The force of his regret was such that it took him a
couple of minutes to regain enough strength to lift himself slowly from the
body under him.
A gasp made him stop, but recognition of that sound caused
him to jump from the bed and turn towards his open door. There, looking as pale
as a ghost and as haunted as a lost soul, was Bella. She stared him down, like
one would stare down a filthy whore in the street. And he knew he was not much
better than one.
Her gaze conveyed such revulsion and hurt that Edward
felt his knees quake under its weight.
Time stood still for an immeasurable moment, before
Bella’s legs started moving, and she ran toward her room, locking the door
behind her.
Edward ran after her, but he reached her a minute too
late and was left pounding on the door, asking her to open it for him.
“Your Grace,” Jessica said, wrapping her hands around
Edward’s left arm. “Let’s go to your chamber, and I’ll make you forget about
your wife’s terrible theatrics. I’ve waited so long for you and missed you so.”
Edward turned hatred-filled eyes toward the
unimportant servant. He had bedded her but one time — finding her boring at
best — and she had tried to latch onto him like an annoying leech. He had been
under the impression that she had moved away from the manor and married some
poor lad she met in town. How could he have guessed that this poor lad was
Michael, Mrs. Newton’s son?
He had a brazen harlot in his own house, one who
didn’t care about her husband who had married her in spite of her soiled
reputation. She didn’t care about his wife, or her rank, which forbade her from
even entering her master’s room uninvited like she had done.
In the past he would have found her determination to
seduce him appealing, but all he felt when looking at her right now was
abhorrence — abhorrence of her lack of conscience and of his having consorted with her at any point of his life. Had he changed so much in one day? he briefly wondered before he
pushed her out of the room and into the hallway. “Tell Mrs. Newton to wait for
me in my father’s studio, and after you do, run to your room and pack
everything you own. You’re leaving this house as soon as possible.” Edward
seethed.
“But, Your Grace!” the girl whimpered, this time in
fear.
“Do as I say, before I decide to take you to the
whorehouse from which you came!”
Jessica’s lips trembled as tears started spilling from
her eyes. She got up and ran as fast as her short legs could take her.
Edward closed the door behind her and returned to
pounding on Bella's door, pleading in vain for her to open it. After a while,
he sat on the floor and buried his face in his hands, pounding his head against
the wooden barrier instead. Maybe Bella wouldn’t open it, but he hoped that if
he hit his head hard enough, he would be able to drown out the voice of his
conscience.
Just when he was thinking about climbing to Bella’s
room through one of her windows, the door opened, revealing a red-eyed and
angry-looking woman.
Edward stood and raised his hand, intending to clean
her tear-streaked cheeks with the pad of his fingers, when she stopped him
mid-air, swatting his hand away.
“We need to talk,” Bella said in a hoarse, but
determined, voice.
“Yes, we do,” Edward stated, as he felt alien icicles
of dread stabbing his veins.
Never before this day — or at least since his mother
had passed away — had Edward Cullen feared so much what a woman had to say to
him.
________________________________________________________________
*Crinoline:
Crinoline was originally a stiff fabric with a weft of horse-hair and a warp of
cotton or linen thread. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crinoline
*Bustle: A
bustle is a type of framework used to expand the fullness or support the
drapery of the back of a woman's dress, occurring predominantly in the
mid-to-late 19th century. Bustles were worn under the skirt in the back, just
below the waist, to keep the skirt from dragging. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bustle
Videos about fashion in the 19th Century you should really
consider watching (They are sort of
funny):
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avtIpIOSZC8&feature=related
Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Srrn4MGi2g&feature=related
*Derbyshire/Devonshire: so apparently the ancestral home of the
Dukes of Devonshire is really in Derbyshire. I will not be completely accurate
about this part but I just wanted to get that out of the way in case it
confused you. If you want to check it out this is their ancestral home: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chatsworth_House
You might remember it from the movie Pride & Prejudice from 2005. It was
Pemberley. Also, according to Google, it takes around 2 hours to 5 (in a
terrible day) to get there from London
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