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Chapter 8.
Sol Duc
The marriage between Lord Edward de Cullen and Lady Isabella Swan captured the public imagination from the very start. The royal couple epitomised the ideal of young love. They were beautiful and passionate and they flouted all parental disapproval. It was no surprise that their union instantly became a favourite topic of conversation throughout the Olympic kingdoms.
And so, when that marriage collapsed within a relatively short space of time, the gossipmongers had an absolute field day. Speculation was rife and everyone had an opinion. Wild tales circulated of infidelity, violence and threats of war – one particularly popular story reported that Prince Carlisle had thrown Lady Isabella from his palace in a fit of rage and that her father, the Duke of Forkland, had retaliated by sending his son-in-law a case of poisoned wine.
No one could be sure of the truth, because the de Cullens and the Swans quickly closed ranks in an effort to protect their families from further scandal. Time passed, and with so little fuel added to the fire, the gossip gradually died down. And if the story of Edward's and Isabella's doomed romance was not entirely forgotten, it generally became recognised as a youthful folly on both their parts and was rarely discussed.
In truth, the marriage and its swift implosion were, perhaps, not as dramatic as the public had imagined, but neither were the events so easily dismissed by its participants.
When Lord Edward de Cullen, the youngest son of Prince Carlisle, was nineteen years old he accompanied the ambassador of Sol Duc on a diplomatic visit to Forkland. There had been a longstanding alliance between the two countries and he had been looking forward to the making the journey.
He and the ambassador were invited to stay at the Duke's castle, and almost the second that he arrived, he saw – and fell madly in love with – the Duke's only child, the eighteen year old Lady Isabella. Lord Edward was a very handsome and charming young man and Lady Isabella returned his feelings with equal passion.
In many ways it was an ideal match. The union of these two great families could only be of benefit to both, strengthening the ties between their nations and lending security to each. And the fact that there was genuine affection between Lord Edward and Lady Isabella made the marriage seem even more desirable.
Only the Duke had reservations; he felt that his prospective son-in-law was too young to shoulder the responsibility of a wife. He would have preferred to extend the betrothal, but his daughter had inherited his stubbornness. Isabella was unwilling to wait and fought a battle of wills with her father to have her own way and marry Edward immediately.
It was to Lady Isabella's advantage that her father was reluctant to offend the de Cullens by delaying the marriage, and so she won the conflict and married Lord Edward within a matter of weeks. The people of Sol Duc and Forkland were generally pleased by the union; both countries appreciated a match which fortified their alliance.
But not everyone was so happy to receive the news. The people of Volterra – the kingdom which adjoined Sol Duc – were troubled to hear of their neighbour's strengthened bond with Forkland. Their monarch, King Marcus, was especially displeased, but for the sake of continuing his good relations with Prince Carlisle and Sol Duc he did not voice his disapproval of Lord Edward's choice.
The King of La Push was also concerned. That independent isle had a longstanding feud with Volterra, and he was worried that Forkland would be persuaded to join forces with Volterra and Sol Duc against his kingdom. Those fears were quickly proven to be unfounded. The Duke of Forkland preferred to trade and had no desire to go to start a fruitless war with La Push.
After her marriage, Lady Isabella travelled to Sol Duc to live with her husband's family. The de Cullens were instantly won over by the shy eighteen year old and were thrilled that Lord Edward had found himself such a lovely wife.
At first the young couple were very happy and the union appeared to be a great success, especially when, within a year of their marriage, they were blessed with a healthy daughter. She was named Renesmee, after Lady Isabella's late mother, Renee, and Lord Edward's mother, Esme. But it was at that point that the marriage started to flounder.
Lord Edward had developed a taste for travel and was eager to accept more diplomatic duties on behalf of Sol Duc. He had all the natural attributes of an ambassador; he was clever, handsome and charming. He was still considered too young to be sent alone, but Edward began to regularly accompany Sol Duc's foremost diplomat, Sir Eleazar, on his foreign travels.
Prince Carlisle encouraged him to make these journeys; he understood how important strong foreign alliances were to the principality of Sol Duc. Lady Isabella did not travel with Lord Edward. It was not deemed wise to send her, or her baby, on the long and gruelling voyages which her husband undertook.
And so she remained in the Glass Palace at Sol Duc. Although she was very fond of her husband's family – especially his elder sister, Lady Alice – she was often left isolated and alone. Her brother-in-law, Lord Emmett, the eldest son and heir to the principality, lived on his own estate with his beautiful wife, Rosalie, and their two sons. And Lady Alice frequently travelled away for long periods of time with her handsome young husband, Captain Jasper Whitlock, who held a command in the Prince's Royal Navy.
Prince Carlisle and Princess Esme were very kind, but they could not stop Isabella becoming increasingly despondent. The young mother missed her husband and also her home in Forkland. She began to resent the way that her husband could come and go so freely, while she was so restricted by her new life.
It did not help that Lord Edward was too immature to understand his young wife's struggles, let alone do anything to ease them. When she complained to him of loneliness, he could not comprehend how that could be the case in a palace full of people. He just felt frustrated that she was not trying harder to be happy or supportive of his success in diplomatic circles.
When he was away from Isabella, Lord Edward was often too preoccupied to miss her as much as he should have. His work was busy and he was always meeting new and exciting people who took his mind off his wife and child. He enjoyed travelling and when he came home he was only exasperated and confused by his wife's temperamental behaviour and obvious misery.
Instead of confronting the problem, Edward spent more and more time away from Sol Duc to avoid facing Isabella's unhappiness. He moved in the most dazzling circles and she became tormented by the rumours of his conduct while he was abroad. A number of the stories that reached her ears filled her with despair.
In the meantime, the Duke of Forkland grew increasingly anxious about his daughter. He noticed that the tone of her letters had become more and more downcast with every passing month. The Duke had not visited Isabella since the journey he made for Renesmee's birth, but he missed her and wanted to see his first grandchild again, so he paid an unexpected visit to Sol Duc.
When he arrived at the palace the Duke was appalled by Lady Isabella's appearance. His beautiful daughter had transformed into a shadow of her former self, looking pale and drawn. He learned that his son-in-law had not been home in months and showed no sign of returning in the imminent future. The Duke was furious to discover the true state of affairs and angrily confronted Prince Carlisle.
Prince Carlisle was naturally a peaceable man and that was the only thing that prevented the situation exploding into a diplomatic crisis. He did not try to justify his son's actions and he showed true remorse that his daughter-in-law was so unhappy. The Duke took matters into his own hands and asked Isabella to return to Forkland with him.
By this time Isabella had lost all faith in her young husband. She had no wish to remain in Sol Duc as a humiliated and neglected wife, and so with a heavy heart she accepted her father's offer. The de Cullens tried to dissuade her from leaving, but they had very little leverage. Lord Edward had not been a good husband and his wife came from a powerful family. They were especially distressed when she insisted upon taking her baby daughter with her, but they could not persuade her to change her mind.
Lady Isabella returned to Forkland with her father and her child, before Lord Edward had any idea of what had transpired. Prince Carlisle sent urgent word to his son, and when the message reached him, Lord Edward made a fatal mistake.
If he had instantly sailed to Forkland to recover his wife, if he had apologised and shown willingness to save their marriage, she probably would have returned to him. But his pride prevented him and he stubbornly stayed where he was. He believed that Isabella would realise how unreasonable she was being and return to Sol Duc to beg his forgiveness, but he was mistaken. Lady Isabella was so hurt by her husband's apparent lack of concern that she never went back.
By the time Lord Edward realised that his wife really had left him, it was too late. He travelled belatedly to Forkland to speak to her and was shocked by the cool hostility that greeted him on his arrival. Lady Isabella coldly rejected all his offers and he found himself at an impasse. Without her father's support he could not compel her to return to Sol Duc and so he left Forkland without her.
After this very public and humiliating failure Lord Edward threw himself into his diplomatic duties, travelling continually, trying to convince the world – and himself – that he did not miss his wife.
As the years passed, he occasionally travelled to Forkland to see his daughter. These visits were always a bittersweet combination of joy and pain. Lord Edward had the opportunity to spend time with his beloved child, but Lady Isabella always made herself scarce when he stayed.
On the rare occasions that they were actually in one another's company, Isabella did not treat him with enmity, but her quiet reserve only served to expose the vast chasm that had grown between them. Their estrangement was in sharp contrast to their previous happiness and this caused Edward more regret than he was prepared to admit. Unsurprisingly, his journeys to Forkland became less and less frequent.
Although he avoided visiting her home, Lord Edward still wanted Renesmee to visit him in Sol Duc, but he could never persuade her mother to let her go. In spite of this, he continued to write to his daughter. Lady Renesmee loved her father very much and she always sent him lengthy replies.
Her letters were filled with the minutiae of her life and she invariably included an optimistic wish that he might come and see her soon. Unfortunately for Renesmee, there was always seemed to be a pressing diplomatic crisis which required her father's attention far more urgently than she did.
This unsatisfactory situation continued for years, until – to everyone's surprise – the Swan family agreed that when Renesmee turned eighteen she should be allowed to visit her father in Sol Duc.
Strangely enough, throughout their estrangement Lord Edward and Lady Isabella remained legally married. Despite their separation, it was not politically expedient for them to divorce. The official ending of their union was considered too destructive to the alliance between their countries, and so they were forced to accept that, although their marriage had been an abject failure, they would never be given the chance to succeed with anyone else.
Superficially, Lady Isabella suffered more from this particular arrangement than Lord Edward. As long as he was discreet, Edward was at liberty to keep a string of mistresses, but Isabella was constrained to remain faithful to her absent spouse and she was painfully aware that there could be no hope of romance in her future.
In spite of this harsh reality, Lady Isabella never wanted to exchange places with Edward, because she had won the most valuable prize of all. She had kept their child. Lady Renesmee brightened the lives of all who knew her, and her mother felt that she was worth every sacrifice. And if her husband had looked into his heart of hearts, he may well have agreed that his glittering life seemed far emptier than his wife's.
Taking these considerations into account, it was really no surprise that Lord Edward was overjoyed when he heard that Renesmee would at long last be visiting Sol Duc. His family was also thrilled and spent a considerable amount of time making preparations to ensure that her trip was a great success. They all wanted to make up for lost time and get to know Edward's absent daughter.
The royal family of Sol Duc were not the only ones who felt a keen interest in Lady Renesmee's visit. Almost everyone in the principality was eagerly awaiting the arrival of Lord Edward's daughter, the only child of his romantic young marriage. Every scrap of information regarding the young lady was passed along and dissected with great enthusiasm.
Perhaps the only inhabitant of that comfortable principality who was not filled with joyful excitement at the idea of Lady Renesmee's impending visit was Lady Tanya, the Countess of Denali. When that dashing widow, a paramour of Lord Edward, heard that the Duke of Forkland's ship had been inexplicably delayed, she gave no more sign of concern than a shrug of her snowy shoulders.
It was only the next morning, when her maid brought her a dainty cup of drinking chocolate and told her the news of Lady Renesmee's midnight arrival, that she finally revealed any interest in the subject.
"Kate!" Lady Tanya exclaimed, sitting up in her luxurious bed, her strawberry blonde curls tumbling over her shoulders. "Do you mean to tell me that Lady Renesmee arrived in Sol Duc on a Quileute pirate ship?"
"Oh yes, milady," replied the young girl, hurrying to the window to draw the heavy silk curtains and reveal a sprawling view of the Sol Duc capital, Port Angeles. "The city is buzzing with the news, no one can talk of anything else, I expect the whole country knows by now! Those vile brigands abandoned her on the shore and she had to walk alone to the fishing village to seek help. By all accounts those peasants were gaping like their own fish when she stepped out of the night!"
The maid, enjoying the drama, returned to her mistress and carefully placed the breakfast tray on her bed. "And I heard that Lady Renesmee was driven to the Glass Palace in a common cart…!"
Lady Tanya's green eyes sparkled with cruel delight, though she maintained a sympathetic tone. "What a terrible ordeal it must have been for the poor girl. How humiliating!"
The maid was fully aware that her beautiful mistress was already harbouring a jealous resentment of the new arrival and she agreed gleefully. "Yes, indeed, milady. Very humiliating."
"And what of dear Lady Renesmee, was she hurt?" Lady Tanya cast her maid a shrewd glance as she lifted the cup of chocolate to her lips.
"I heard that she was completely unharmed. It must be a miracle!"
"A miracle indeed." Lady Tanya grew thoughtful. "So miraculous that it makes me wonder if there is any truth to the story at all."
"But why would anyone invent such a tale, milady?"
"I don't know, but I would be interested to hear it from a more reliable source."
"I'm sure that Lord Edward will know the truth. Perhaps you could ask him the next time he calls…"
Lady Tanya stiffened with anger. As a general rule she encouraged her foolish young maid to speak freely – after all, everyone knew the best society gossip came via the servants' hall – but this impertinence was outside of enough! When she spoke her voice was as sharp as broken ice.
"You would do very well to hold your tongue, Kate… if you wish to keep it!"
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
If the tale of Renesmee's unorthodox entrance startled the general population, there were still none more shocked than the de Cullens themselves.
The Glass Palace had been preparing for Lady Renesmee's visit for weeks and the whole family were in residence for her arrival. A royal procession was even planned to greet her ship. After several anxious days waiting to hear that her vessel had been sighted, the palace was thrown into turmoil in the small hours of the morning when a cold, tired and slightly dishevelled young lady – accompanied by her maid, a fisherman and several hefty trunks of luggage – arrived at the gates and requested entry.
And so, the next morning, as the whole country discussed the night's events over breakfast, the royal family were no exception.
Princess Esme de Cullen always took breakfast in the Jade Room, overlooking the ornamental lake, rather than the dining room, and the family followed her example – as they did in so many matters.
They all preferred the Jade Room anyway. It was light and airy, with pale green, oriental wallpaper and enormous windows. Ornate vases of flowers were placed tastefully around the room and they could enjoy a pleasant view of the garden as they sipped their morning tea.
But it was probably no surprise that on that particular morning no one was thinking about the picturesque surroundings. The whole family – minus Lady Renesmee – were seated around a large and heavily laid breakfast table. The servants had been hustled out of the room and, as a result, the conversation was flowing freely.
Lady Rosalie de Cullen – the very statuesque Duchess of Port Angeles and wife of Lord Emmett – turned to her brother-law-in with a regal tilt of the head.
"That's all very well, Edward. But do you have any idea what people are saying?"
Lord Edward glared impatiently at his brother's wife. They had never been close, but that morning his nerves were on edge and he did not feel entirely equipped to deal with her criticism.
"I can't help what they say," he snapped irritably, running a distracted hand through his bronze hair. "Renesmee vows that she is completely unharmed. She certainly appears to be so, and all I can feel is relief!"
His mother, Princess Esme, quickly tried to smooth over their disagreement by pouring her son a cup of tea.
"Of course you feel relieved, Edward. That's all that any of us feel, relieved and happy that our dear Renesmee has arrived safely…"
"And immediately created another family scandal!" Lady Rosalie added, refusing to be side-tracked.
Prince Carlisle, who had been listening quietly from the other end of the table, put down his butter knife and said gently.
"Now, now, my dear, that's hardly fair. The poor girl had no say in her abduction. She can hardly be blamed for 'creating a scandal'."
"No!" growled Lord Emmett, who looked like an enormous bear beside his exquisite wife. "We all know who's to blame. King Samuel will soon learn to regret the freedom he's given those Quileute brigands."
Prince Carlisle shook his head firmly. "We will speak of this later, Emmett. But I should remind you that war should always be the very last resort, after every attempt at diplomacy has failed, not the first response to a dispute. And I'm sure that Jasper would agree with me."
The Prince's son-in-law, Admiral Jasper Whitlock, who now commanded the Royal Navy, nodded solemnly. "I'll admit I would prefer to hear from King Samuel before launching an attack on La Push. I'd also like to know what Renesmee herself has to say on the subject."
Lord Edward glanced at the admiral. "My daughter is adamant that King Samuel had nothing to do with the attack. She claims it was a spontaneous response to the Cruiser's foolhardy choice of route. They sailed too close to La Push and were punished for it."
"Those Quileute privateers have no authority to punish anyone!" Lord Emmett snapped.
"Perhaps not," replied Admiral Whitlock. "But it was a very rash decision to sail so close to their island. Relations between La Push and Volterra have been growing so hostile; the Quileutes were bound to take offense at the presence of a foreign vessel, even if it was only from Forkland. I would never have taken such a course."
"The Duke of Forkland is a stubborn fool!" Exclaimed Lord Emmett.
"Perhaps," Prince Carlisle intervened calmly. "But I would try not express that opinion in front of Renesmee. She is, by all accounts, very close to her grandfather, whereas you are a stranger to her. There is absolutely no point in alienating the girl with your tactless comments before you've had the chance to get to know her properly."
"I expect that Lady Isabella has already done that job without Emmett's help!" Lady Rosalie interjected tartly.
"Oh no, Rosalie." Lady Alice Whitlock shook her dainty head. "Bella would never try and set Renesmee against us… you know she wouldn't...!"
"I know no such thing. All I know is that the whole country is now gossiping!"
"The gossip will die down," said Princess Esme. "Especially once it is seen that Lady Renesmee is safe and unharmed."
"Renesmee was alone on a pirate ship for two days," protested Lady Rosalie. "Do you think that anyone will believe she is unharmed?"
Lord Edward's lips went white with anger when he heard Rosalie's words, but Princess Esme gave him no chance to speak. She quelled her daughter-in-law with a stern look.
"Not only did I talk to Renesmee last night," said Princess Esme. "But this morning I had a long interview with her maid, who is a loyal and trusted family servant. They both assured me that Renesmee was strictly chaperoned during her time with the Quileutes. In fact, that was why they took her maid in the first place. For propriety's sake, so as to spare Renesmee's reputation.
"And," she added primly. "I might add that both ladies claim to have been treated with the utmost respect by their captors and were well looked after during their time aboard the ship. They were given their own quarters, none of their belongings were stolen and they were left in peace by the crew. According to Renesmee and her maid, the Quileutes had no wish to mistreat them; they were merely taken hostage on a matter of principal.
"I am not defending the actions of those privateers, but it appears that the worst things Renesmee suffered were the inconvenience of an interrupted journey and a tiring ride in a fisherman's cart. I doubt that either experience was pleasant, but she seems like a sensible girl. I'm sure that she will put this incident behind her very quickly."
It was clear from their expressions that Princess Esme's words had resonated with her audience and so she continued in a steady voice.
"I believe that the best thing for everyone, including Renesmee, is if we carry on as usual. We've already planned a number of events to mark her visit to Sol Duc, including the Royal Garden Party and the Ambassador's Ball, where she's to make her official debut. If we hide her away, everyone will assume the worst and that will only add weight to the negative gossip which we all wish to avoid. But if we introduce Renesmee into society as quickly as possible, and show the world that she is happy and well, I'm sure we can nip this unfortunate scandal in the bud."
The silence that followed was broken by Lord Edward, who made everyone jump when he abruptly stood up and marched over to the window. There he stopped and stood brooding, with his back to the room, for some long moments. No one said a word as Princess Esme rose from her seat and approached him. Resting a small hand on his shoulder, she spoke kindly.
"Edward… what's wrong?"
He shook his head and continued to glare, unseeingly, through the glass. "How can Renesmee show the world that she's happy? You saw her last night! I'll never forget the way she looked when I came downstairs and found her standing in the hall. She was so small and frightened…!"
"The poor girl was exhausted, Edward. She'd been though a draining ordeal and I'm sure she was completely overwhelmed."
His handsome face twisted in anguish. "I feel as if I've failed her…"
"My son, you cannot undo what has happened, but you can help Renesmee now. Help her be brave. It is the only thing that will save her reputation. Her future happiness will be ruined if you don't!"
"I don't know what to…"
Lord Edward had no time to finish his sentence, because at that inopportune moment a footman opened the door and Lady Renesmee herself stepped into the room.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Hello again, it's been a long time!
A short while ago I logged into my long neglected fan fiction account. I was surprised and very touched to learn that (even though I hadn't posted for a really long time) my old stories were still being read nearly every day.
This discovery inspired me to look through my Black Pirate chapters and I really enjoyed re-acquainting myself with that universe. Of course, one thing leads to another and I soon dug out my old notes (and this abandoned chapter) and started to work on the story again!
After all of this, I took it as a sign when just the other day I received a review asking me to start work on The Black Pirate again! 'rawrsharpii', you must have read my mind, so this one's for you, ha ha! Thanks for the encouragement.
If any of my old readers are still knocking around, I've missed you guys, I hope you're well and I apologise for the delay in posting. Sometimes life just gets in the way of fan fiction. And just so you know, I have started work on chapter nine!
Have a great weekend,
Mad :) xxx
