The White Rose of Georgia
Chapter 1: A Discovery
AN: Okay, so this is a new story about Rosalie and Emmett. Emily Pratt's husband has just died, so her grandchildren are helping clean out her house of his stuff. While there, Bella finds an old photo album with pictures of a couple. Her grandmother tells her their names are Rosalie and Emmett. Then, she tells them the story of how they fell in love and what happened to them.
"Thank you for coming," Emily Pratt murmured to the man in front of her as she shook his hand. He moved along, and the next person in line shook her hand, extending their sympathy to her.
The funeral earlier that morning had been perfect—it was exactly how John would have wanted it. As her late husband's cousin moved over to the buffet table, Emily stole a glance at her three granddaughters, who were handing out the obituaries Emily's eldest daughter, Esme, had written.
"Mrs. Pratt, I am so sorry for your loss," a woman gushed, grasping her hand tightly. Emily nodded politely. Ever since Friday, when her 90-year-old husband had died of a heart attack, 80-year-old Emily had been receiving sympathy from everyone she knew, and even from people she didn't know.
One of John's second cousin's she had never met had called her up in the middle of the day on Saturday to ask her about the funeral mass, and to give her opinions on the songs that should be played and the readings that should be read. Emily had hung up the phone on her, not ready to discuss the funeral plans for her barely-dead husband.
"Gran," a light voice said beside her. Emily turned and saw her eldest granddaughter, Alice, standing next to her. "Gran, why don't you go sit down with Mom and Dad," Alice suggested, pointing to the table where Esme and Carlisle Cullen were seated.
Emily smiled at her granddaughter as she was led to the table where her daughter and son-in-law were sitting with their other daughter, Cynthia. After Alice helped her into the chair, she went back over to her cousin, Bella.
Alice and Bella had always been more than just cousins. They were more like best friends. Alice, who was two years older than Bella, had been Bella's support system when her mother died when she was only five years old in a robbery gone bad. Bella had been devastated, but seven-year-old Alice was there to help pick up the pieces.
Back then, the Swan's and the Cullen's lived down the road from each other in Phoenix, Arizona. After Renee and Charlie were married, he wanted to move north, somewhere like Montana or Washington. Renee wasn't having any of that—she wanted to stay close to her sister and her family in Phoenix. So, Charlie took a job with the Phoenix police department, and they lived happily.
Six years later, Renee was killed, and Charlie requested a transfer. He was moved to Olympia, Washington, so Bella said goodbye to her cousin and the sunshine and traded it in for cloudy skies and new people.
When Bella was nine, Charlie met Susan Clearwater, a widow with a daughter Bella's age. She and Charlie hit it off, and six months later, they were married, and Bella gained a stepsister in Leah Clearwater.
Since Bella had moved to Washington, she barely saw her cousins Alice and Cynthia, her Aunt Esme, her Uncle Carlisle, and her grandparents. She told Charlie she would run away unless he let her spend every holiday and school vacation in Phoenix. Charlie reluctantly agreed, and Bella began spending Thanksgiving, Christmas, Spring Break, and the summer holidays in Phoenix with her mother's side of the family.
It didn't come as any surprise that Bella decided to go to the same college as Alice—after all, the two of them were joined at the hip. So, when Bella graduated high school, she packed up all her things and moved into Alice's apartment in North Carolina. It was more that she wanted to get away from Charlie and his "new family" more than anything else.
At college, Bella was able to be free for the first time in her life. She no longer had to listen to Charlie or Sue. She didn't have to babysit her half-siblings, Seth and Claire. She didn't have to listen to Leah whine about her stupid boyfriend. She was finally able to be her own person.
The weekend after school started, Bella was dragged by Alice to a party her boyfriend Jasper's fraternity was hosting. There, she met Edward Masen, president of the fraternity. After a night of casual flirting, he asked for her number.
The next morning, he called her and asked her on a date. Three years later, Edward was in medical school at Harvard in Boston, but he made sure to come down to North Carolina at least once a month to visit his girlfriend.
Bella was now a senior, finishing her double major of English and education. Alice and Jasper had both graduated. Jasper was in law school in New York while Alice was working as a personal shopper for a few older women while she designed her own line in Phoenix, so Bella was all alone. She missed her boyfriend and her best friends.
"Bella, I have a question for you," Alice said.
"Okay."
"So, my mom thinks we should go over to Gran's tomorrow and help her clear out all of Poppy's old stuff. She would go, but she has a meeting with Cynthia's principal that she's already missing today because of the funeral."
"Oh lord," Bella sighed. "What did Cynthia do this time?"
Alice cracked a smile. "Someone freed all the frogs from the science laboratory. Now, they can't prove it was her, but no one else told the principal he would be sorry three days earlier unless he let the frogs go."
Bella laughed. "Yeah, that does sound like something she would do.Do you think Gran would mind if Edward came?" she asked, leaning back against her boyfriend. Edward smiled and wrapped his arm around her waist.
"No. The more, the merrier. Besides, Jasper is coming with me."
The four of them continued to talk while Emily Pratt looked on from across the room.
"Mom," Esme said. Emily turned to look at her daughter. "Mom, are you going to be okay."
"I knew your father since I was 20 years old," Emily said quietly. "That's three-quarters of my life. And now he's gone, and I won't see him again until I leave this earth, too. He was the love of my life for 60 years. For the first time ever, I am going to be alone."
"Oh, Mom," Esme sighed, putting her arm around the old woman. "I can send Alice and Bella to stay with you while they're here. And they'll be there tomorrow to help you go through Dad's things."
"Go through?" Emily asked with a confused tone.
"Well, yeah. It's not good for you to have all his old books and clothes and other things he had in the house with you—it will just make you dwell on missing him. No, Alice and Bella will help you go through it and give it away or sell it or whatever you want to do with it."
"Okay," Emily said to her daughter. Right then, a man walked over with a blonde woman on his arm and two eight-year-old kids with him.
"Emily, I'm very sorry about John. Bella called us a few days ago to tell us. John was a wonderful man—he always invited me to go fishing with him—even after Renee passed." Emily nodded at her former son-in-law. She had never been a fan of Charlie's ever since he moved Bella away from her family. But her husband had always liked him. Charlie was like the son John never had. He liked being outside and going fishing and hunting.
"Thank you for coming, Charlie," she said softly. "It's good to see you, Susan, Seth, and Claire."
"Dad, can we go yet?" Claire whined. "It's all old people here. And Bella isn't hanging out with us! She's with Alice and Edward!" Charlie looked over at his daughter and saw she was indeed with her boyfriend, her cousin, and her cousin's boyfriend.
"Well, you can spend all day tomorrow with Bella. How about that?"
"Yay!" Claire cheered, running over to tell her big sister the news. "Bella! Bella! Guess what?"
"What's that?" Bella asked, bending her knees so she was at eye level with Claire.
"Daddy said I get to spend all day with you tomorrow!"
Bella's eyes narrowed. "He said that?" she asked, controlling the anger in her voice. Even when she wasn't home, Charlie was always pawning Seth and Claire off to her so he could spend the day with Sue. She stood up and marched over to her father.
"Bella," Edward called, chasing after her. "Babe, just calm down…"
"Charlie!" Bella spat, standing in front of her dad. "So, you planned to give your kids to me tomorrow without a little heads up?"
"Well, I knew you wouldn't mind," he said, smiling at her.
"Dad, I have plans for tomorrow! Plans that don't involve two annoying kids hanging on to me!"
"You can reschedule with Edward," Sue said politely.
"Sue, mind your own damn business!" Bella snapped. "Alice and I are going over to Gran's tomorrow to help her weed out Poppy's stuff."
"I'm sorry, but you're going to have to watch the kids. Sue and I are going on a tour of the Grand Canyon, and we can't have them with us."
"But Dad—"
"Bella, just do it!" he snapped at her. Bella glared at her father before grabbing Edward's hand and stomping away. She, Alice, Jasper, and Edward left, saying goodbye to Gran and promising to be over first thing in the morning.
The four of them piled into Alice's 1969 Ford Mustang, and she drove them all to her condo. When she moved back to Phoenix, she had no intention of moving back in with her parents. She used the money in the trust her dad's parents had set up for her to buy her own place. She only lived five minutes away, but she was still living on her own.
Alice pulled into her spot in the parking garage and turned the engine off. She climbed out of the front seat and headed to the elevator with the other three following her. They got off on the 11th floor and walked to number 1142, where Alice put her key in the lock and opened the door.
"Oh, FYI," she said as they walked into a mountain of clothing, shopping bags, take out boxes, and trash, "It's a little messy."
"Oh my god, Alice," Bella gasped when she saw the tornado zone that was also know as Alice's condo. "What happened here?"
"I've been busy!" Alice said defensively. "When I'm not picking out clothes for the women I work for, I'm designing my line. I don't even let my mom over because I know she would flip out and make me move back with her. Anyways, you and Edward are in the very last room on the right. It's clean, I promise," she added when she saw Bella's apprehensive face.
Bella grabbed Edward's hand, and the two of them made their way to the room. Just like Alice promised, it was clean. In fact, it looked like Alice had only been in this room once—to set it up. There was a queen-sized bed in the middle of the room with white sheets. The walls were covered with giant portraits of Audrey Hepburn. That didn't surprise Bella—she was Alice's idol in style, grace, and everything else.
Bella flopped on the bed and stared at the ceiling. Edward got on the bed next to her and took her hand. "How are you doing?" he asked softly. Edward knew that Bella's grandfather had meant the world to her.
"I'll be okay. Tomorrow's just going to be hard. You know, going through all his stuff."
"Well, I'll be there with you, okay?"
"I know," she sighed, snuggling into Edward's chest. Bella laid there until the sun in the window disappeared. Then, she quickly changed into her pajamas—hot pink ruffled panties and a white tank top—and headed into the one bathroom to brush her teeth. She ran into Alice, who was wearing a light-pink nightgown.
"Nice," Alice said, gesturing to Bella's nighttime attire. "You know the rule about sex in my condo…"
"Don't worry, I'll behave. It'll just be some harmless spooning tonight, I promise. Besides, I don't think I'm up to it tonight anyways. Not with Poppy's funeral and the task we have tomorrow."
"Well," Alice said, spitting into the sink, "Maybe we'll get to learn more about who he was."
The next morning, Bella woke up with Edward's arms around her waist. She quietly snuck out of bed, slipped on her slippers and robe, and headed into the kitchen for a cup of coffee. Bella literally could not function until she had her morning coffee.
Alice and Jasper were already up and dressed. Alice had on tight leather pants, a bight-pink silk top, five-inch heeled boots, and what looked like a suit jacket of Jasper's.
"You do realize we're going to Gran's, not a night club," Bella said to Alice as she poured herself a cup of coffee.
"Bella, I'm a fashion designer."
"Aspiring," Jasper muttered under his breath. Alice smacked him.
"Like I was saying, I'm a fashion designer. I could randomly walk by Calvin Klein or Betsey Johnson on the way there, so I have to look my best at all times. Besides, if I looked anything less than perfect and one of my clients saw me, I'd be out of a job quicker than you can say Giorgio Armani."
Bella rolled her eyes, but didn't say anything else. Once she had finished her coffee, she made her way back into the room she and Edward were staying in and quickly got changed into skinny jeans, a black tee shirt, converse sneakers, and a plaid hoodie. As she was tying her shoes, Edward walked into the room with a towel wrapped around his waist.
"Babe, get dressed," Bella said to him. "We're leaving in five minutes."
Once everyone was ready, the four of them piled into the car and drove to Emily Pratt's house. A green sedan was parked on the street, and when Bella got out of the car, the door opened, and Leah, Claire, and Seth walked towards her. Leah, always trying to be hardcore, was in a tight, dark-blue mini dress with thigh-high boots, a biker jacket, and a small black clutch.
"What are you doing here?" Bella asked Leah.
"In case you forgot, Princess, we have to watch these two today while our parents go on a tour of the Grand Canyon. Your dad said you'd be here."
"Yep. We're cleaning out my Poppy's stuff today. As long as you three don't get in the way, you can stay. Gran has a TV somewhere in the house, so Seth and Claire can watch SpongeBob or whatever crappy show they like."
Bella grabbed Edward's hand, and the two of them walked up the path and into her Gran's house.
"Gran?" Bella called. "Gran! It's Bella!"
"Oh, hello sweetie," Emily said, walking out of the kitchen. "I didn't realize you were going to be here this early, or I would have made breakfast."
"It's alright," Bella said, kissing the elderly woman on the cheek. "We thought there might be a lot of stuff, so we came early."
"That's what she said," Edward muttered.
Bella turned to her boyfriend. "Try to act mature. Now, Gran, where do you want us to start?"
Four hours later, Bella, Alice, Edward, Jasper, and Leah were sitting on the floor in the attic, going through years of things Emily and John Pratt had accumulated.
"Look at this!" Alice exclaimed, holding up an antique violin. "I didn't know Poppy played the violin!"
"It might be Gran's," Bella reminded her. "I mean, some of this stuff is hers." Bella was going through a pile of books, pulling out ones she wanted to keep for herself. She spotted a copy of Pride and Prejudice underneath a thick leather book, and knew she had to have it. It was the only book missing from her Jane Austen collection. When she pulled the book out, the leather volume flopped open, revealing a bunch of pictures.
Bella grabbed the book and looked at the photos, but she didn't recognize anyone in the pictures. She had seen a few pictures of her grandfather when he was younger, but the man in the pictures wasn't him.
"Alice, come look at this," Bella said. Alice got up and walked over, taking a seat by Bella. The pictures showed two people—a guy and a girl—smiling and laughing. There were a few of just the girl, sitting on the beach, reading a book, blowing a kiss to the camera, playing a guitar.
"Who are they?' Alice asked.
"I don't know. Let's ask Gran—she'll know."
The five of them headed downstairs, where Emily Pratt was sitting in the kitchen, eating a bowl of soup. "What's up, kids?" she asked.
"Gran, who are these people?" Bella asked, showing her the book. Emily put her hand to her mouth as she gasped loudly.
"Oh my. Where did you find it?"
"It was in the attic with a stack of books. Gran, do you know these people?"
"That's Rosalie Hale," she said, pointing to the girl. "And that's Emmett McCarthy. They caused quite the scandal when I was younger when they ran away together."
"Why?" Alice asked.
"Because Rosalie was from a wealthy family in Georgia, while Emmett was her family's gardener. Rosalie was engaged to another man when they two of them left town. He, of course, sent everyone he knew after them to bring back his bride, but by the time they were found, it was too late."
"What do you mean, too late?" Leah asked. "Did they get married or something?"
"No," Emily sighed. "When they were found, both Rosalie and Emmett were dead."
"They're dead?" Bella gasped, looking at the happy couple in a picture. "What happened to them?"
"That's a very long story…"
"Please!" Alice begged. "We want to hear it! I want to know what happened to her—she's so beautiful!"
"Well, okay. The year was 1938. Rosalie Hale was 16, and she was the most beautiful girl in Georgia…"
May, 1938 (From now on, stuff in bolded italics is in present day e.g. Bella, Alice, etc. talking)
Rosalie Hale was drowning.
Not literally, but it was like someone was holding her under water, and no one else would help her up. She was struggling to breathe, but there was nothing she could do to get the air she needed.
She was the oldest daughter of Jackson and Amelia Hale. Even though the stock market had crashed almost 9 years ago, Rosalie had always lived comfortably. Her family owned a large chain of grocery stores, and no matter what the economy was like, people still needed to eat. Also, since her father didn't trust the banks, all their money was hidden in a safe in their house, so when the banks collapsed, the Hales still had all their money.
Rosalie was expected to be perfect. She was supposed to be seen, not heard, and marry a wealthy man and make babies. That was her role in like—to become a wife and mother. Nothing more, nothing less. In fact, she had stopped receiving lessons in math and English and instead had a woman named Madam Poirier, who taught her how to walk, talk, and act like a lady.
Rosalie rolled over and looked up at the ceiling in her room. She could care less about the proper etiquette at a dinner party or how a lady was supposed to sit. What she really wanted to do was learn useful things. Like Darwin's theory of evolution. Or Freud's thoughts concerning the unconscious mind. Or Einstein's theory of relativity.
But no. Rosalie had to sit there for three hours while Madam Poirier lectured on the importance of using a separate fork for salad and pasta.
"Rose! Rose!" a small voice called as the door to her room flew open. Rosalie's younger sister, Lucille, ran in, her strawberry curls bouncing with each step. She jumped onto Rosalie's bed, sitting on top of her older sister.
"Morning, Lucy," Rosalie said, greeting her thirteen-year-old sister. She sat up, pushing her sister off her lap so she was sitting next to her instead. "What have I done to be graced with your presence this morning?"
"Mummy said to get you up," she said. "There's something for you downstairs!"
"Something for me?" Rosalie asked, looking a bit confused. "What do you mean?"
"Someone sent you a present!" Lucille said excitedly. "Get up so you can open it and I can see what's inside!" she said, grabbing Rosalie's arm and pulling her out of bed. Rosalie quickly slipped her pink robe over her pink nightgown and followed Lucille down the stairs. When she reached the kitchen, Mirna, their cook, was putting plates of perfectly cooked eggs on the table while her mother sat there, sipping a cup of coffee.
"Good morning, Mother," Rosalie said, greeting her mother.
"Good morning, dear," Mrs. Hale said, gazing upon her eldest daughter.
"Lucy said something came for me?" she asked, looking around the kitchen for the package that had arrived for her.
"Oh, yes. I had Gregory bring it into the study. Gregory!" Mrs. Hale shouted, looking around for their butler. A young man with dark curly hair entered the kitchen. He was in filthy overalls and had a streak of dirt across his forehead.
"I'm sorry, ma'am. Greg had to step out for a moment. Is there anything I can do?" he asked. He glanced over at Mirna, who was suddenly blushing and fixing her hair.
"Oh, Emmett," Mrs. Hale said, greeting the man. "Yes. There was a package that arrived this morning, and Gregory put it in the study. Would you please go and fetch it for me?" she asked.
"Certainly, ma'am." Emmett left for a moment, returning with a large vase filled with beautiful roses and a gold bag. He placed them on the table in front of Rosalie, smiling at her. "Well, I should get back outside. Those flowers aren't going to water themselves. Miss," he said, bowing and walking back outside.
"Go on, open it!" Lucy whined.
"Hold on," Rosalie said, pulling a small card off the flowers. She opened it and read
Roses are red, Rosalie,
Violets are blue,
The grass is green,
And no one is as beautiful as you.
I had a great time with you last night. I would like to call on you again this Wednesday evening.
-Royce King III
Rosalie opened the bag and pulled out a gold lighter and a matching gold case, both with the letters "R.L.H." inscribed on them."Oh, wow," she gasped holding them in her hand. It was exactly what she wanted. It was no secret that Rosalie's biggest vice was the fact that she loved to smoke, something Royce had discovered when he took her out last night. And, now he'd given her a matching lighter and cigarette case.
Rosalie heard her mother make a disapproving noise. "Did he really have to give you something to encourage that horrible habit of yours?" she asked.
Rosalie shot her mother a look, but didn't say anything. "Get Gregory to bring the flowers up to my room," she said. "I'm going out to tan." She grabbed her gift and went upstairs, where she changed into her blue bikini. She threw a long shirt over top of it and slipped on a pair of sandals. She grabbed her cigarettes and a book, put them in her bag, then headed outside to the pool.
She pulled off the shirt, exposing the body every boy (and a lot of older men) fantasized about. Of course, none of them would ever get close to touching it. Ever. It had pretty much been decided by her parents that she was to marry Royce King III. His family was the wealthiest family in town, and he liked her.
Rosalie sighed and pulled out a cigarette, lighting it. She liked Royce, she really did. But he didn't really know her. Sure, he knew she was pretty and liked taking her out, but he didn't know her. He didn't know her love of books and knowledge, or how she hated their town and wanted to get as far away from there as she could. She inhaled deeply and blew a ring of smoke out, absorbed in her thoughts.
"You seem a bit young to be smoking, you know," came an amused voice. Rosalie looked around and rolled her eyes when she saw Emmett McCarty leaning on the gate surrounding the pool. "Some people say that's bad for your health."
She purposely blew a cloud of smoke in his direction before leaning back on her chair. "Don't you have flowers to water?"
He chuckled, opening the gate and walking inside the pool area, taking a seat next to Rosalie. "I'm on my break," he said, looking her in the eyes. "But sitting here with you seemed more enjoyable than standing against the side of the house by myself."
She shook her head at him, pulling out her copy of Pride and Prejudice and opening it.
"Pride and Prejudice?" he asked, looking at the book.
"What's wrong with that?" she asked, looking at him over the book.
"Nothing. You just never struck me as the type of girl who likes reading."
"Well, I do," she said, slightly offended. "My mother doesn't approve, but what she doesn't know won't hurt her, right? Just like she doesn't have to know about what's under the floorboard in my room." That's where Rosalie hid her copies of all the textbooks her parents thought would give her ideas of her own. "You know, where I keep the 'forbidden texts' my parents think are only suitable for men to read."
He gave her a look. "Oh? Like what?"
"Darwin, Freud, Gray, Einstein…" she trailed off. "My parents don't want me to have any knowledge. They want me to marry Royce when I'm older, have babies, and be a good wife."
"And is that what you want?" he asked, staring at her.
"Me?" she asked. No one had ever really asked what she wanted. They all just did things without asking if she was okay with it or not. "I…I don't know what I want."
"Oh, come on. There has to be something you want," he said, rolling his eyes.
He was right. There was something she really wanted, something no one would ever approve of.
Rosalie wanted him.
R-R-R-Review? Also, the clothing pictures, plus pictures of how I imagined everyone to look are in my profile.