Author's Notes: Here's chapter 2 of Mistake of Fate. I have pretty much got the whole story laid out as chapters 1, 2, 3 and an epilogue so it hopefully won't take long. Just a nice little taste of Carlisle and Bella! As always a special thanks to my beta JenJenSon for her help.
Disclaimer: I don't own twilight or the characters; I make no money from this story it is purely for fun and fan purposes.
Mistake of Fate
Something woke me up, I hadn't even realised that I had fallen asleep. I groaned and tried to roll over but found that I couldn't. I was held firmly against something. After another few moments I realised it wasn't something it was someone and that I had been snugly curled up against; a rather solid chest. Carlisle! I snapped me eyes open and stared up in shock. It was real; I was still here. For the second time I felt panic set in about my unusual situation.
"Miss Swan?" he enquired, stopping abruptly seeing my distress. When I didn't answer him he tried again. "Bella, are you quite alright?" I calmed my breathing and stared up to meet his golden eyes. I tried to let his presence soothe me; surprisingly it did for the most part. Carlisle was here, he was helping me; I was not alone.
"Sorry, I just forgot where I was..." I apologised lamely. To my disappointment he slowly lowered me to my feet and sat us down on a fallen tree trunk nearby. He took the bag from his back and after undoing a few buckles handed me an unusual looking flask. Well, it was unusual looking to me anyway...I was used to plastic bottles and thermal flasks but I wouldn't be finding any of those here.
"Here, drink some water." He offered. I took it gratefully and awkwardly drank. "I apologise if I frightened you, I was only trying to alert you to the fact that we are nearly at the dock and it would not be appropriate for me to be carrying a young lady in public, particularly one that is neither my wife nor a relative."
"Sorry, of course." I agreed. "I keep expecting to wake up and be home in my bed...it just took me a moment to realise that this wasn't a dream."
"Perfectly understandable Miss Swan." He smiled softly.
"Bella." I corrected automatically.
"My apologies, it is still unusual for me to call a young woman whom I barely know by her given name." He replied. "Even if she does appear to know me remarkably well."
"So...how long will the journey take?" I asked lamely.
"Well, the docks are only a short walk from here; the steamboat itself will take us to France which will be a day perhaps two depending on the water. After that we'll travel by coach a little way until we are out of the town and then continue running until we reach Italy, although at some point the weather may become a problem. We will have to mainly travel at night or by coach. It will take a week at least I imagine after we reach France." He explained. "I would like to find and inn and stay in town over night, we will be able to get you a change of clothes in town in the morning before boarding the ship."
"Did you need to hunt before then?" I asked, noting that his eyes were already less bright than they were earlier.
"That might be wise, I will do so while you are sleeping." He replied. "This raises another point which I wished to discuss with you..." He looked hesitant and unsure whether to continue for a moment before he did. "It is hardly considered proper for a young lady to be travelling alone with a male companion that is not of any relation. To ensure your protection against firstly society and secondly any dangers that may befall you I propose that you play the part of my wife for the length of the journey...I would suggest instead that you were my sister but for the fact is it obvious that you are not."
"Um...of course, whatever you think is best." I nodded, I'm pretty sure I resembled a tomato about now but he didn't comment on it.
"Here." He said, after rummaging around in his bag for a moment, he held out a small golden band with a rounder part on the top, in the centre of which was a sapphire and a few smaller clear stone surrounded the design amongst the cuts in the gold. "This should be enough to deter gossip."
"I really can't accept that..." I stammered, not taking my eyes off of the offending piece of jewellery.
"Please, do not worry about your virtue, I do not expect you to wholly be my wife Bella, to do so would probably be a death wish on your part." He smirked slightly, misunderstanding my nervousness entirely. "This will simply allow me to protect you."
"No I...I um...the money that...it's too much." I blurted incoherently. Carlisle laughed, actually laughed out loud at my attempt at human speech.
"That is entirely ridiculous, it is a trinket; one of many that I have acquired over the years, you do not even have to keep it if it makes you uncomfortable." He chuckled, placing it firmly in my hand. I bowed my head and shyly slid the ring onto my ring finger. "So Mrs Cullen; shall we?" He stood and offered me his arm. I swallowed the nervous lump in my throat and slid my arm through his as he led the way into the town. The whole way, my eyes kept straying to the glimmer of gold resting on my finger.
The town was amazing, even at this hour there was still a bustle of people, probably due to the travellers coming and going. One downside of my eyes straying to my hand rather than where I was going was the road. Cobblestones did not blend well with someone as uncoordinated as me and I stumbled on several occasions, I was grateful for Carlisle having a firm hold on my arm to keep me from falling.
After a brief walk around the town, where he pointed out to me the shops, the docks where men were unloading and loading boats of different shapes and sizes and the inns. He chose an inn on the edge of the town closest to the woods. I couldn't help the heat that crept up my neck to my face and the hammering of my heartbeat when he asked for a room for him and his wife.
Once in our room he simply smiled and told me that there was hardly a reason for two rooms when firstly we were supposed to be married and secondly only one of us needed a bed.
"I have ordered you a bath, we are unlikely to have such a luxury on the boat so I thought you may wish to enjoy one now. I will take this opportunity to hunt." He said, noting my original anxiousness at the thought of bathing in front of him. He said his goodbye and departed, kissing my hand briefly before doing so.
The bathtub was exactly that, a tub. A large metal tub that took what seemed like forever to be filled from pots of hot water carried up by the maids. By the time I sunk into it, it wasn't as hot as I would like, but it was warm clean water and that was good enough for me. I didn't use soap, it looked more like a block of dirty lard than soap...I didn't know exactly what it was but it didn't look very clean so I settled for the water.
Once I clean and dry I realised that I didn't actually have anything to wear to bed so after a little thought I decided to use the undergarments of my day clothes as night wear. They covered everything that needed to be covered. The white legging, bloomer things covered down to my knees and the top half was much like a vest with thicker sleeves. It wasn't the most comfortable thing to sleep in but it was a far better option than sleeping naked in front of Carlisle. Or so I thought until he returned anyway.
At first he apologised and turned his back, when I clarified that this was what I was wearing to bed and that by the standards of my time this was perfectly acceptable he somewhat reluctantly turned to talk to my face.
"Believe me, where I'm from...women are not nearly as modest." I told him. "It is more common in my time for women to wear trousers than it is for them to wear dresses." This fact seemed to completely baffle him and he vowed that we would also be getting me a nightgown in the morning.
As I climbed into bed he made himself comfortable in the chair with a book, it was strange trying to sleep with someone just sat right near you...
"Thank you for all of this." I said quietly. "I'd be completely alone if it wasn't for you." He closed his book and looked at me thoughtfully for a moment.
"Although travelling with me as your husband you may not have the occasion to talk as often as you might like, rather you do not have the need to be able to get by...you will not be able to just not talk in public indefinitely. We will need to work on your speech and accent." He said thoughtfully. "Try to speak how I speak, copy the tones and cadences of the words. One of the most obvious problems besides the accent is the unusual abbreviations that you use; try to avoid them as much as possible."
"I'll try." I replied, and grinned slightly and corrected myself. "I shall try."
"You will also require a corset, forgive me for being so direct but your posture is absolutely vulgar for a young lady." He told me. I frowned, I wasn't sure I liked the idea of a corset and I had always thought that my posture was rather good, considering my ballet classes...I always stood straight and tried to avoid slouching...apparently the standards in the eighteen hundreds are somewhat higher.
I talked to Carlisle until I fell asleep and he wasn't there when I woke up. I took the opportunity to get myself up and sorted as much as I could. When Carlisle returned he returned he told me that they were preparing breakfast downstairs.
By the time I had finished breakfast, Carlisle had once again gathered our things and we departed for the town. We were able to acquire me a nightgown and a change of clothes that were a suitable size, they weren't perfect but we didn't want to wait in town for them to be tailored for me and I was more than happy that they fit just fine without it. It wasn't long before we were able to board the boat either and once shown to our tiny room on board we ventured outside to make the most of the fresh air in case the sun made an appearance and Carlisle had to hide downstairs.
"Would you like some tea dear?" Carlisle asked, gesturing to the room inside where people were sat at small tables having tea.
"That would be lovely." I replied, trying very hard to make my accent match his. I took his arm and allowed him to lead us inside.
The day passed surprisingly quickly, spending time with Carlisle was fascinating. It was incredible to hear everything he had lived through. The things he had seen... By the time we retired to the bedroom I felt I knew this Carlisle as well as I knew the one from my time. He had proven to have control of his thirst around me even now two hundred years in the past.
"Isabella, it is late. You should rest and I will wake you in the morning when we arrive." He told me. I glanced around the room nervously. There was no chair in the room; it was too small. I knew he could stand perfectly fine but I still wanted him to be comfortable.
"You could sit on the bed if you want?" I suggested. "I trust you."
"Bella, I assure you that is not necessary." He replied.
"I know, but I want you to be comfortable too and I would feel more comfortable talking to you if you were seated rather than standing." I told him, climbing into the bed and gesturing to the empty spot next to me. "I promise I don't bite." He chuckled and gave in, coming to sit on the bed next to me.
"What did you want to know?" he asked.
"Tell me about the Volturi, what am I walking into exactly?" I asked him.
"I am still fairly certain that you going to the Volturi is a bad idea but if you believe it is your only choice then...very well." He smiled, leaning back against the headboard. "I assume you know that the Volturi are there to uphold the laws which my kind are bound to follow? The most important of which is to keep our existence a secret; this is the main reason that taking you is a bad idea. If the Volturi are aware that you know too much they will not take it lightly. They have been in existence for at least three thousand years as far as I can gather, if anyone has heard of your predicament happening before they have. They are also by far the largest coven currently in existence. There are three leaders; Aro, Marcus and Caius and then the wives and the guard. The Volturi also possess a great number of our kind with special abilities."
"Like seeing the future?" I asked.
"Now that would be a handy trick, but no. I have never met anyone vampire or otherwise that could see the future." He chuckled as if the very idea was ridiculous. I just smiled, if only he knew. "Aro can read people's minds from simply taking their hand, Marcus can read the relationships between people, one of the members of the guard Jane can create an illusion of pain so real that it has been known to send even our kind insane." I shivered slightly at that thought. "Are you cold?"
"No, surprisingly I'm not cold at all." I replied leaning against his arm and resting my head on his shoulder comfortably. "Continue please."
"As my Lady commands." He chuckled. "Most of the guard are gifted; Alec has the ability of sensory paralysis, it completely isolates you. I cannot say for certain but I think I would find it far more terrifying than Jane's ability, unable to see anything, hear anything just completely...lost. Demetri is a tracker, probably the most powerful one I have ever encountered."
"A tracker...I've met one of those before." I said quietly, tracing the scar on my wrist.
"He was the one who gave you that scar?"
"You and your coven in the future saved me." I nodded. "It was thanks to you that I was able to remain human, although sometimes I wonder whether that was wise."
"To save you?" he asked confused.
"You yourself have already noticed that I am hardly the most graceful of people; I have been in a number of bad situations and sometimes I have to wonder if I'm fighting fate...maybe I should have just died already." I whispered. It was the truth; I had thought it on more than one occasion.
"If you truly are fighting fate then I believe very strongly that it is worth the fight." He said softly.
I don't remember falling asleep but I woke up alone, once again Carlisle was gone and I wondered whether this was his way of allowing me some privacy to have my human moments. When he returned I was ready and he informed me that he could now see the docks so we would be arriving soon.
In France Carlisle surprised me, he actually knew very little French; in fact I could decipher more French than he could and that in turn surprised him. It was pretty strange to have the roles reversed for once. So putting on my best voice I had tried my very best, the best part was that because we were from England and people knew French was not our first language it didn't matter so much that there were differences between my French and theirs.
It took very little time for us to get a coach from the town into the country, which provided Carlisle with the opportunity to hunt. I waited in the woods while he did so; taking the opportunity to read 'Sense and Sensibility'...it seemed like a dream to hold a first edition in my hands.
"Bella, would you object to travelling at night?" Carlisle's voice startled me, as he suddenly appeared to be sat next to me as if he had been there the entire time.
"Um...I don't mind really, whatever is easiest." I replied nervously.
"I only meant that the weather could begin to cause a problem from here onwards and to be safe it would be easier to have you sleep through the day and travel at night." He explained.
"I can probably sleep just fine with you carrying me to be honest." I grinned. "It isn't like I have to do anything else."
"Well then, let us stop here for you to have some lunch and a break and then as long as the weather permits we will press on." He replied, lifting the bag and pulling out a small package of food that we had brought this morning. He continued to rummage through the bag as I nibbled at the bread and then lifted a small parcel out and held it out to me. "A gift, and please spare me the speech on expense and graciously accept it like a lady because I believe that you will enjoy it."
I eyed him suspiciously but took the package from him and unwrapped the brown paper nervously. Of course history would repeat itself...or rather I would repeat myself since I was in history currently. I felt a sharp sting and quickly placed my finger in my mouth, staring at Carlisle in horror. I saw his eyes darken and I could tell he stopped breathing.
"I'm sorry!" I exclaimed. After a moment of awkward silence he stood from next to me and took a few steps away.
"I am fine, but you will understand if I sit a little further away to be safe." He said quietly, sitting opposite me about two maybe three metres away.
"Of course." I nodded. "I should have been more careful, I'm sorry Carlisle."
"Bella, you are human it is to be expected that you will on occasion have accidents." He said softly. "I am fine, a little surprised actually that it affects me this little. Please, open you gift." I glanced nervously down at the package in my lap and more carefully this time opened it. My breath caught in my throat as I looked at the book in the parcel.
"Thank you..." I whispered.
"You told me you were favourable to her work, this is the latest one, I checked." He said. I smiled down at the copy of 'Pride and Prejudice' in my lap...1813 the year it was first published. I smiled to myself, my very own first edition.
"It really is perfect thank you." I replied, feeling tears sting the back of my eyes as I blinked. I saw the flash of alarm cross Carlisle's face instantly and smiled reassuringly at him. "I'm fine, really. Just a little homesick...could we start moving again now please? I do not want to sit and think about home."
"Of course." He replied, "The trees should provide plenty of cover for us for now." He began helping me pack everything away before securing the pack on his back and taking my hand in his. He briefly glanced at my already pretty invisible paper cut; I knew he could probably see it better than I of course.
"Are you alright? Did you need to hunt first?" I asked anxiously.
"No, actually I am fine." He smiled, lifting me into his arms without any further hesitation. "It is completely tolerable."
To begin with I spent my time pondering the miracle that was Carlisle, how he fought against every one of his natural instincts to become the person he would be in my time. His control was already amazing, to be able to resist my blood and not have to leave was more than most could handle...to think that in the future he would be capable of performing surgeries and working with people that came to the emergency room in the states that they came in. It was amazing. I then spent a considerable amount of time studying him, his features, his skin; so smooth and hard. I had to resist the urge to stroke my fingers along it on a sudden impulse, not in an inappropriate way...although it would most definitely seem inappropriate; I was simply fascinated by it. Then I focused on his hair and wondered if that was also strong or was is as soft as it looked?
"You look very deep in thought Miss Swan." His voice broke my trail of thought.
"Yes." I replied, not elaborating. He didn't press the issue either; to do so would hardly be within the realms of propriety. I smiled to myself, as much as part of me loved getting to know Carlisle better and had delighted in the past couple of days I had spent with him...I seriously doubted I could survive in this world. I needed to go home. I missed the stupidest things; a can of root beer, a biro pen, pizza, my sneakers not to mention my normal clothes and I definitely missed my tooth brush. It was strange how much this little trip and made me appreciate those things in life that had just always been there; toilets that flushed, showers and shower gel, my CD player and plasters! I missed plasters and headache tablets! I suddenly had the horrific thought about what I would do when my period came, if my dates still applied then I wasn't due for another two and a half weeks give or take but who knew how time had affected that. What did they do here? I felt myself flush as I realised that sooner or later I would actually have to ask Carlisle about that...
"Are you quite alright, Bella?" Carlisle asked, "You have the most curious expression."
"Sorry, just thinking." I replied quickly.