Part 4
Bella toyed with the idea of returning to Abigail's bookstore. Part of her resented the woman for telling her two people who resembled Edward and Leah loved each other while the other part was curious to the rest of the story. Eventually her curiosity got the better of her.
Abigail sat expectantly in her antique chair awaiting Bella's arrival.
"Ah I knew you would return young Bella" She smiled and motioned Bella to sit opposite her. Bella scowled at the portrait of Moonflower and Anthony; in that moment she wanted nothing more than to rip the woman apart for having that atrocious painting.
"How can Moonflower and Anthony be considered a love story, he raped her; his father killed her unborn child – his own grand child I am assuming"
"Sit and listen young one, I haven't finished yet"
After beating Moonflower half to death Arthur Wiggins threw her down a well, had Anthony not gone looking for her; he would never have seen his father toss her in the well. Anthony saved her, he took her to his private hunting cabin and nursed her, cleaned and took care of her wounds… removed the remnants of the foetus within her. She fully gained consciousness 3 days later and left his cabin. He found her by the river under the light of the full moon, the wind caressing the wounds on her back as she stared at the moon's glorious reflection in the water. A single white flower remained open at the foot of the tree where she stood. She wrapped the white sheet tighter around her body, covering her back as a particularly cold gust of wind came from the waters edge making her hair billow wildly in the wind. Anthony plucked the white flower and placed it behind her ear. She gulped and moved away from him.
"Why did you save me?" her whisper was barely audible to his ears.
"You should have let me die and be free of this"
"Moonflower… what I did to you was wrong… I know an apology won't make it better but I'll do anything to win your graces back. I'm ashamed of myself for the torture I put you through… The innocence I stole from you" He said stepping closer to her so he could feel the warmth radiate off her body.
"You and your people can go to hell!" She said venomously as she turned to face him
"We were at peace then you people came, you stole our land… our honour… My own father had to BARTER me for my brother's life, and you call yourselves civilized?" She spat.
"I'm not the first woman who has been defiled either" She sneered as tears streaked her copper cheeks.
"My sisters before me where taken by force or abducted by the pale faces – My father was helpless!" She hissed as she got dangerously close to him.
"My mother died of heartache when they found the naked body of my eldest sister floating in the river; they had used her body in the most disgusting filthy ways then tossed her in the river to die!" Moonflower shouted and shoved him.
Anthony gulped in shock as he gauged her anger.
"You pale faces have taken EVERYTHING from us! My brother is Chief, yet he cannot make decisions regarding our people without your precious sheriff putting his 2 cents worth in. We wanted schools for the children in our tribe so that they may learn and grow in your new modern world but what did you do? You spit in our faces and laugh at our efforts."
"What makes you think you are better than us? We feel cold and warmth as you do, we feel pain, love and hurt as you do, and we require food, water and shelter as you do so please tell me what makes you better than us? Is it because we are not as pale as your kind? You wives, mothers, sisters are kept safe and guarded from the dangers of the outside world while ours are tortured."
"You RAPED me claiming that's what my brother did to your sister; did you ever for once consider accepting the fact that they love each other?" Anthony stared wide eyed at the feral beauty that shattered everything he was brought up to believe.
"No, I bet you didn't consider love, your kind is far too close minded for something so beautiful. Is this what you want" She spat as she let the sheet fall exposing her naked beauty, though battered and bruised, to the elements.
"Take what you want and leave me to my death!" she hissed as she looked defiantly away from him. Anthony approached her and picked up the sheet draping it over her shoulders and covering every inch of her skin except her face.
"No Moonflower, I SWEAR I will never do anything to hurt you again. What can I do to atone for my sin?"
"It's too late… too late" She whispered to the wind as she fell to her knees crying incessantly.
Anthony knelt where he stood, his heart breaking as her body shuddered with each new bout of tears, when she passed out spent and exhausted he picked her up as gently as he could and placed her on a discarded cart that had been paid with dried vegetation, he then pulled the cart to her brother's tribe in the dead of the night as the moon bared witness to all.
Lillian tended to Moonflower when Anthony arrived and was appalled when she saw the condition of her once caregiver. Running wolf wanted revenge on Arthur Wiggins for his sister's condition so they kept Anthony hostage (Anthony omitted his part in Moonflowers ordeal). A message was sent to the Wiggins family to surrender Arthur Wiggins or collect Anthony Wiggin's corpse.
"Sorry Mrs. Young but I see no love story here. How could Moonflower love Anthony? Was he not engaged Lady Katherine?" Bella smiled as she recalled her face staring out the carriage.
"To understand their love you must understand their history" The doorbell rang announcing customers as a few students entered the quaint bookstore.
"Ah customers, time to make some money. Make yourself comfortable dear." Abigail said as she hobbled her way with her stick.
