Still don't own it. Still wish I did.

Sorry I have been so horrible at responding to reviews these last few chapters. Christmas activities with the kids has been sucking up all my spare time. Promise I will be better! Anyway, thanks for reading!

Okay, so, anyone interested in this little confrontation?

EPOV

"Papa, please…"

She had dropped a pile of linens on the floor at her feet and stood with her hands up in front of her, palms up. She took a step forward and reached out to him, only to quickly pull her hand back when he turned to fully face her across the table.

"Is there truth to it? You have wed this man?"

After a moment's hesitation, she dropped her eyes to the floor and whispered so low it could barely be heard.

"Yes, Papa, he is my husband."

The words made my heart soar. I could not pretend to be indifferent when she referred to me as her husband, and looked forward to the day that she was happy with the title as well.

Her father, however, was in a rage. His face was a glowing shade of red and he began to sputter and spew vile words at her.

"You selfish girl! You have been given the best of everything and you offer this in return? Is it a hasty marriage to cover a ruined reputation? I must carry this shame? You have dishonored and disgrace our good name!"

At those words, he flung the book in his hand toward the table, hitting a bowl. The contents, apparently some sort of soup or stew, splattered, covering the front of Bella's dress and body. Her face turned away quickly to keep from being covered in the hot liquid. All the while, Mr. Swan was still shouting at her from across the room.

Knowing this was a volatile situation, I reached across and took hold of her arm, pulling her toward me, whispering my instruction. "Come, we must leave, Isabella."

"Please, Edward, I cannot leave this way."

"He is angry and will not hear you. I will not have you hurt." I pulled her with me out of the cottage and pushed her up into the carriage, climbing in behind her. Her father was still shouting something about no dowry or income being granted. I was not certain and at that moment, I did not care. My only concern was getting her safely away. Tapping my hand on the roof before we were both fully seated, the carriage pulled forward and turned toward the road to the manor.

Bella sat with her eyes fixed on the floor of the carriage. I would have given anything to know what she was thinking. Every few moments, I would see her chin quiver and expected tears. They never came.

I could not understand what had just occurred. He knew of our marriage. He was the catalyst that began this whole mess. How is it that he responded to my request for my wife as though she had committed some crime? Seeking answers, I reached out to take her hand. She immediately pulled away and wrapping her arms around herself, she turned to gaze out at the passing fields. She did not answer when I called her name and I let her be until we reached the manor.

Once the carriage came to a stop, I opened the door and stretched my hand out toward her. She climbed down quickly, unassisted and walked briskly toward the house.

"Bella?" She kept walking. As she entered through the door that Tyler held for her I called out again.

"Isabella, stop!" She stopped, but kept her eyes on the floor as I approached. Reaching for her hand, I lifted it up to inspect her wrist and forearm. There were only slight red marks from the heat of the soup. I placed my fingers under her chin and lifter her face upward and to the right so I could inspect her neck and and collar as well. There were splotches of red, but no blistering. Turning to Tyler, I called out instructions.

"Tyler, please ask Mrs. Cope to come see to Mrs. Cullen's injuries. I would like her to have some assistance in cleaning up and redressing."

He nodded and quickly turned to find Mrs. Cope. Looking back at Bella, I kept hold of her hand as we waited. The doors opened from the dining room and Mrs. Cope all but ran across the floor toward Bella. Knowing that she was in no shape to explain anything, I gave Mrs. Cope just enough information to keep her from asking.

"Mrs. Cope, she has had a mishap at her father's cottage. I am worried that she may have some slight burns. Would you be so kind as to see to her injured skin and help her redress? I would still like to have our supper in the sitting room a bit later if you can still manage it."

"Of course, sir. Mr. Tyler has just today hired some help for the household in preparation of the Season and your family's arrival. She can have your meal set up to your liking. I will take care of this one and deliver her sparkling in a little while."

She took Bella's hand in hers and started to turn her to head upstairs. I tugged gently on Bella's hand to get her attention. "Isabella, I will be waiting for you in the sitting room when you are finished. There are certainly issues that we need to discuss."

I wanted her to be reassured that I was going nowhere, but also that I would not tolerate waiting for an explanation regarding her father's actions. Walking toward the sitting room, I tried to puzzle out what I knew. Mr. Swan had lost the estate due to neglect of payment for outstanding accounts. The estate was extremely profitable and therefore should not have been in debt. He had allowed Isabella to labor tirelessly in the cottage to care for him as he was accustomed. He had forced the marriage of his only daughter to a gentleman giving no thought to the fact that he had no grounds to do so based on his position in society. Now, he claimed his daughter had married against his wishes and blamed her for the disgrace of her family name. Clearly he was not quite right of mind. I needed answers and I could only hope that Bella could recover enough to give them to me this evening.

Bella. I struggled to comprehend what she must be feeling. She was innocent, but had horrible accusations hurled at her by her own father. It must have caused her such grief and sorrow to hear him say it. Why had she not told me? Truthfully, I knew why. She had not yet come to trust me.

As I was trying to work out how to gain her trust, the door opened and Mrs. Cope entered the room.

"She is worried that you are angry with her. If you will not mind my saying so, that girl is the strongest woman I have ever met. She is trying to work out how to help you deal with this situation, how to care for her father, and she has shed not one tear. Though, if you ask me, a good cry in the company of someone to offer comfort would do her a world of good. I know you must have a word with her, but I ask that you speak gently, please."

"I have no intention of hurting her, Mrs. Cope. Her happiness is most important to me. Thank you for caring for her needs this evening. I am grateful to have you here in the absence of my mother and sister."

She only smiled and nodded before turning to leave the room. She had been with my family since I was a young boy. I considered it a great favor that she agreed to move to Collingsworth with me. I was also thankful for her being here this day to see to Bella. It would have been very awkward to have helped her myself, even if I were her husband.

It was only moments after the door closed behind Mrs. Cope that it opened again. I was facing the fire and did not hear anyone address me. Knowing then it was Bella, I turned and took in her appearance. Her plain brown dress was worn and badly needed replacing. Her hair was still damp and fell in a long braid down her back. She stood twisting her hands together, a sure sign of her nervousness. I took a deep breath and stated the obvious.

BPOV

"He has no memory of our marriage."

I could not look at him as I answered. "No, he does not. He has no memory of most anything at all."

"Explain, please."

Walking over to look out the window, I took a moment to gather my thoughts. He stood by the fire, facing toward me. I could feel the weight of his gaze on me but did not dare glance in his direction. I would need to keep my wits about me to tell him this story and I was certain that if I met his eyes, I would lose any hope I had of keeping tears at bay. Finally, taking a deep breath, I began my explanation.

"It began several years ago. He would forget small things. A family gathering, a birthday, that sort of thing. After a while, he would forget names and sometimes he would forget where he was going. That was not so difficult as there was always a driver with him. At some point, he asked Mr. Smith, our overseer, to handle most of the estate's accounts because he could not remember to pay them. He would sign the deposits and place them with Mr. Smith, but there came a time when there never seemed to be enough. Mr. Smith left our employ and we were left to inform the remaining staff that there was no more income to be had. I spent weeks finding placements for them with other households. I would have done so for myself, but there would be no one to care for Papa. The doctor saw him and reported that eventually he would simply cease to remember me as well. He would forget even his everyday necessities and his life would dwindle down to end."

I stepped away from the window and turned toward the hearth where he was still standing. I wanted him to understand clearly my next words. "You must know, that I would not change anything that has happened since we were expelled from the estate. We surely would have starved that first winter had it not been for Mrs. Webber. She taught me to grow vegetables, and put them up for winter, to sew, to raise chicks, and every other conceivable need we might have. Our cottage is small, but it is clean and well kept. And I have cared for my father in the best way I could given his…. Issues. I am proud to have helped him keep at least his dignity. He must be devastated at the manner in which I left this evening."

"Isabella, he was angry and would not hear your explanation. In truth there was none to give. You are in fact married, whether he has memory of it or not. I would not leave you there to the risk of violence at his hand."

"He is not violent, Edward. He would not hurt me."

He reached up and traced his fingers over my lower jaw and down my neck along the line where the hot soup had left a now fading red mark. "He may not have harmed you intentionally, but in his rage, I could not trust his actions. I would not see you at his anger's mercy."

He turned abruptly and walked a few steps away, rubbing his hands roughly over his face before turning to look directly into my eyes. His words began quiet and low, but as he spoke, they grew in intensity. "Since the moment I laid eyes on you, I have had no moment's peace. It is the desire of my very soul to guard and protect you. I cannot fathom you having to work yourself into exhaustion as you have today. I want to give you gifts and provide you with anything your heart desires. Yet, even this day, I cannot even persuade you to take a carriage from my stable. I pay the drivers for their services. I would very much like for them to earn their income. I want more for you in this life. You do not make it easy, My Bella."

"Edward…" He spoke again before I could voice an argument.

"You will not allow me even to feed you!" He was nearly shouting now. When I began to shake my head and opened my mouth to speak, he held up a hand to stop me and continued on. "Did you not think I could see it on the table? You have carried your meals to the cottage and presented them to your father to meet his needs. Yet you will not allow me to consider your needs, Bella."

He had been advancing toward me while speaking and I found myself now only a handful of inches from his body. I was forced to raise my head at a steep angle to look at his face. Once I did, I could not look away from the intensity of his gaze as he spoke in a whisper.

"I am so very sorry for all that you have had to endure. For the loss of your home, your father's health, your dreams. I want so much more for you, My Bella. Let me give you a future."

I fought to control my emotions as I knew what he offered. It was too much. It was hope.

"Edward, please. You cannot…. You make me want things I cannot want. Please."

He brought both hands up to caress my cheeks as he locked my gaze in his. "What is it you want, Bella? Tell me."

I could not think. I closed my eyes. He was so close and his touch was so gentle. I wanted to feel his arms around me once again. I wanted to simply hear his voice. I wanted to hope for a future with him.

He leaned in so close that his lips and breath barely tickled mine as he spoke. "Tell me what you want, Bella?"

"I…I want… sleep." Trembling, I leaned back from him gasping in a small breath. "I want sleep. Please, excuse me." I turned and fled from the room.

Sleep was not what I wanted at that moment. I wanted his kiss. I wanted his arms. It could not happen. I would lose myself entirely. I knew beyond any doubt now that he could destroy me. Hope was not the only thing he held over me. This was something new and as much as I wanted it, I could not risk allowing it to continue. He knew the truth now, and I feared that once he had the chance to consider all of the information, he would no longer choose to offer hope. I had no choice but to guard my heart, for I knew if I did not, it would end up broken.

EPOV

She ran. I suppose that was to be expected. I could not help my advance on her. She was strong and beautiful and giving and I could hear the passion in her voice as she spoke of her concern for her father as well as what she had accomplished to help them survive. It took every ounce of strength I could find to keep myself in control with her.

I loved her.

It was more clear to me with each passing second. I would give her the world and offer her the universe if I were able.

Knowing what I now knew regarding her father, I would need help to move her forward and help her achieve her dreams.

Calling for Tyler, I began to formulate a plan. Once he arrived, I asked him to also bring Mrs. Cope. Giddy with anticipation, I laid out a plan of action for each of them.

"Tyler, I will need you to oversee the preparations for the arrival of my family. I will be rather occupied over the next few days and would like to hand those duties to you. I will also need you to locate roses in every shade and variety. I would like them placed in the conservatory for Mrs. Cullen."

Turning to Mrs. Cope, I had a list of instruction for her as well. "Mrs. Cope, there is a great need for clothing and other … essential items. I want her to have the finest gowns and slippers available. She has just purchased a gown for the ball and I am certain that the dressmaker has all her measurements. I want her to have the best of everything. And she will need at least one dress that will be fit to display a jeweled pendant."

She smiled widely at me and said she would be thrilled to accommodate my request, before turning to go. Tyler followed her out.

I needed to speak to Jasper about finding someone to care for Mr. Swan. I had no qualms with Bella spending time with her father, I just did not want her to have to work the entire time she was with him. I would also need his assistance in gathering information on the whereabouts of Mr. Smith. It seemed he might be the key to finding out exactly what happened that removed the Swan family from Collingsworth.