Cullen Hall
Chapter One
The first time that Isabella Swan laid eyes on Cullen Hall, her immediate thought was not one of awe at the grandiose structure, nor at the faint cold tingling that crept up her spine. Her first though was that she was unlikely to get any kind of reception on her cell phone, for which she was grateful.
She followed Mrs Cope towards the front door of the building and was strangely relieved when she did not open it. Bella felt as though the place was staring down at her, the vast windows like empty eyes that bored into her with indifference, a sneer embossed into the ivy around the heavy wooden doors.
"Front door is here, there are several entrances around the place. I'll show you around to the kitchen in a moment, only enter by that door. It makes it easier to keep up the security." Mrs Cope said briskly, "The front door is only opened when the family are here, which they haven't been for almost fifteen years."
"Why not? It's such a beautiful place."
"They keep to the cities; London, New York, Paris. They're somewhat scattered these days. Follow me." Mrs Cope kept up her march turning to the right and walking around a corner. Bella almost had to run, despite the other woman's age. She clearly had not slowed with the passing years and eventually halted outside a much smaller door along the side of the building, beside several large patches of bare earth.
"These are the kitchen gardens. The gardener will keep them in shape, he's in twice a week until mid-March, and then he'll be in every other day. This is the kitchen door, I'll label the key. I can't take you in now, I need to get back to town for the last train, but everything you need is there."
Mrs Cope turned her piercing blue gaze upon Bella, her expression stern.
"There is no need for you to go upstairs unless you suspect someone is in the building that oughtn't to be. If that is the case, merely confirm that someone is here without drawing attention to yourself and call for security. The number is beside the kitchen phone. Don't call the police; the security firm are more than capable."
"OK." Bella didn't have time to say anything further before Mrs Cope had set off again, pacing towards the cars that they had left halfway along the long gravel drive that led to the house.
"I must dash, Miss Swan. As I said, your lodge is less than five minutes drive back down this path and on the left-hand side. You'll have a perfect view of the house from there and it's right beside the lake. Jacob, the gardener, will pop in on Tuesday to see you. Anything else, you have my number. I will visit next month to see how you're getting on."
Bella waited as Mrs Cope unlocked her car and then offered a weak smile.
"Thank you again, Mrs Cope."
"It's perfectly alright. I'm just relieved to fill the position." Mrs Cope said, looking the friendliest she had since their first meeting. Bella's brow quirked in thought.
"If you don't mind my asking, why did the previous lodger leave? Was it sudden?"
If Bella had been a suspicious person, she might have noticed the slight paling of Mrs Cope's cheeks, the flicker of her eyes towards the grey windows and cold exterior of the house and wondered. But she did not. Instead, she accepted Mrs Cope's brief explanation that the previous lodger had suffered from health problems and left to stay with relatives in Australia. And then Mrs Cope climbed into her vehicle and departed, leaving Bella to stand alone in the shadow of Cullen Hall.
A/N: Hello, darlings. Yes, I'm back with a new story – it's a step away from my other works. It'll be shorter chapters and a lot more dramatic. Hopefully you'll enjoy it!
This is set in England. I am English. Enjoy my spelling! The current rating is 'T'... this may change, I am as yet undecided.
www(dot)polyvore (dot) com/cgi/set ?id=23703475 - I've thrown together a few images for your brain. My Bella in this fic is mentally played by Emmy Rossum. I've never quite pictured Bella the way KStew plays her, so I've gone with Emmy as a model.
Much love
Katie.