A/N:

I have a feeling most of you aren't interested in my words up here right now, so … xD Go on and read my little minions of Awesomeness!

Title: The Duke & The Swan without Wings

Author: MarieCarro

Beta: Alice's White Rabbit

Pre-reader: Brierlynn03

Genre: Historical Fiction/Drama/Romance

Rating: NC-17

Summary: Edward Cullen, the Grand Duke and second son of the King, must find a bride. Isabella Sinclair, daughter of Countess Catherine and Duke Charles, was born out of wedlock and has neither titles nor land to her name. Could she be the bride Edward's looking for? But how is Isabella to marry a man of the royal family without a proper dowry?

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.


{CHAPTER 18}

It was a long ride between Spensley and Swanselm, and because Edward didn't want to lose precious time because he tired out his horse and had to stop, he slowed them down to a swift walk.

He looked up toward the sky and determined that night would have already fallen by the time he reached his destination. He also realized that in his haste to leave, he hadn't considered what his exact plan of action would be. Ideally, he would have wanted to bang on the entrance doors and demanded the duke free Isabella before taking her home with him, but he knew that wouldn't be possible outside of his wishes.

He had no carriage with him, only one horse, and no potential for bringing any possessions. Isabella would have to sit behind him, her arms encircled around his waist and holding on for dear life for the hours' long ride back to his home. It certainly wasn't practical, but if there was one thing Edward knew, it was that Isabella was coming with him. He wasn't leaving her behind again.

The horse underneath him snorted, and Edward felt confident the animal would be fine if they increased the speed, so he gently pressed his heels into the animal's sides and urged it into a soft gallop.

As he had predicted, it was late night when he closed in on the looming silhouette of Swanselm Castle. Not wanting to risk waking the undesirable residents, Edward dismounted the horse and left it some distance away where it could graze while it waited.

The gravel under his boots crunched with each step he took as he approached the castle, hoping a maid or cook would yet be awake and willing to help him. With Isabella locked in to secure a wedding, he doubted anyone with the exception of the duke and dowager duchess had access to a key, but a servant could tell him which of the hundreds of windows were hers.

"Who's there?" a young, female voice called out, and Edward whirled around to see a kitchen maid clutching a basket to her chest. She took a startled step back when he looked at her, but despite standing close enough for her to see who he was, she didn't appear to recognize him.

"I beg your pardon, miss. I didn't mean to scare you," he said, hoping she wouldn't run if he kept his tone calm and apologetic. He knew what his presence there in the middle of the night could be perceived as, and he didn't want her to alarm anyone. Therefore, instead of giving her the opportunity to form suspicious thoughts, he jumped right into the matter at hand. "Is Miss Sinclair familiar to you?"

The girl stared at him, and then slowly bobbed her head up and down in affirmation.

"Are you aware of her current situation?"

Another short nod.

"Would you assist me in helping her out of it?"

She narrowed her eyes the tiniest bit as her mind was captured by deep thoughts. "Who are you?"

He didn't want to reveal himself as royalty since it couldn't be predicted how the girl would react. Every person reacted differently, and he didn't want this one to freeze in shock or get preoccupied with curtsying or anything of the sort. "My name is Edward," he said and left the introduction there. "I'm someone Miss Sinclair trusts. If you don't believe me, you can ask Mr. or Mrs. Higginbotham."

At the mention of the steward and housekeeper of the castle, the girl's suspicions vanished. "You're him, aren't you? The one Miss Sinclair loves?"

"I am," he said, glad she still didn't seem to know who he was beyond that.

"How do you plan on helping her?"

"I'm taking her away from here. Tonight," he said determinedly, but the girl wasn't convinced.

"How? Miss Sinclair is locked in her room and no one has the key." She pointed up toward a window high up on the first floor, and when Edward looked, he could see a faint flickering of light behind the glass. He wondered if Isabella was awake or if it was from dying embers in the fireplace—he assumed she had one in her room for warmth as he did as the nights were quite cold, but he wouldn't be surprised if he was wrong since the Swans mistreatment of Isabella knew no limits.

Still, the window wasn't situated inconceivably high. "There must be a ladder on the property," he said and looked back at the maid. "Perhaps in the servants' quarter's cellar?"

"Possibly," the girl concurred, and then took a look at the castle wall. "I'll take you to Philip. He can help you." She led him to the aforementioned servants' quarter, and she went inside while Edward waited by the door.

The man Edward understood was the renowned Philip was older than he'd expected, but he carried himself like a man taking great pride in his work. When he saw Edward, his tired eyes widened with sudden alertness. "Your Ro—" He stopped when Edward made a pointed look toward the maid who was sorting through the contents of the basket in the room behind them. "My lord," Philip corrected himself and stepped outside and closed the door to give them some privacy. "Whatever are you doing here in the middle of the night?"

Edward took in their surroundings, always vigilant about possible eavesdroppers who would alarm the duke. "I'm here to take Isabella home with me," he said under his breath. "Laurent gave me the news of her situation, and I know you and your wife care for her as if she were your daughter. You know this is neither what's best for her nor what she wants. Will you help me?"

"Of course. Whatever you need, sir."

"Do you have a ladder that can reach her window?"

Philip smiled, and it softened the man's face. Edward could easily see the warmth Isabella most likely brought out of him. "As a matter of fact, we do. Isabella's not the only one promised away. Miss Eleanor's betrothed to marry the Duke of Dawlins, and the duke has hired a stonemason to do some repairs on the exterior walls so he can impress Dawlins when he comes here to collect his bride."

Edward had to suppress his exultant smile when he heard of Eleanor's fate. The Duke of Dawlins was deeply religious, cheap with his spending, and old enough to be her father's elder brother. Certainly, a fate worse than death for a young, spoiled woman like Eleanor Swan.

His brides also, very curiously, were followed by a string of bad luck, and after having been widowed three-fold, Eleanor would now become bride number four to the sprightly man.

"What a perfect coincidence," Edward said to cover his childishly jubilant emotions. Fortunately, Philip didn't seem to mind his inappropriate reaction.

"It certainly is, isn't it?" he said, but then he turned back toward the door. "If you will give me a moment, I need to ask Mrs. Higginbotham to fetch something for me, and then we will help Isabella. Is that fine with you, sir?"

"Of course."

The ladder was long and difficult to maneuver without making any sounds, but with Philip's help, it was soon tilted against the wall. It was taller than Isabella's window, so it had to be placed to the side of it, and she would have to trust Edward to keep her steady as she climbed out of the window.

Philip remained on the ground as Edward ascended. He wasn't too fond of heights, but he was prepared to face any fear to reach Isabella.

When he peered inside her window, he could see that she was crouched down on the floor, a quilt wrapped around her shoulders, as she appeared to just stare into the flame of the candle before her. The only clothing she was wearing under the quilt was her chemise, and a linen cap covered her hair to protect it.

Edward lightly tapped on the glass, and Isabella startled before turning her head. Her jaw dropped, and her eyes widened when she saw him, and then she hurried to open the window.

"Edward? How are you—"

"You didn't believe I'd leave you here once I knew what happened, did you?"

"No, but I—" She looked at the ladder he was standing on.

Edward felt tension crawl into his body as the clock ticked, and she continued to stare in silence. "Isabella, I know you didn't expect this, but time is short. I only have one horse so you can only bring what's most important to you."

"What? I can't climb out on that. I'll fall," she said frightfully.

"Please, my love, trust me. I won't let you fall. Put on something that will keep you warm. I'm taking you to Spensley."

It was clear to Edward that she was scared as she took another wide-eyed look at the ladder and worried her lip with her teeth, but then she met his eyes and saw the determination there.

She gave him a short nod before she did as he told her and put on some shoes and pulled on what appeared to be a man's woolen coat. She tied a long strip of fabric around her waist to attach her reticule to it, and then slowly climbed out of the window. Her hand trembled like an aspen leaf when he took it in his and gingerly assisted her foot onto the first step.

"I'm right here," he ceaselessly assured her and did everything in his power not to think of his own fear of heights.

When she was fully standing on the ladder, she froze. "I can't," she whispered, her voice shaking.

"I won't let you fall," he said. "You have my word."

Slowly, ever so slowly, Isabella unfroze and descended the steps. When she was close enough to the ground, Edward lifted her down the rest of the way and pulled her into his arms.

"Isabella," Philip said, and the couple parted. Renée was also there with them, and she was holding a leather-clad ledger in her hands. Philip took it from her and handed it to Isabella. "When you were at the ball, Renée and I searched the duke's study. We found this in a hidden compartment."

Isabella stared at the book in awe. "Is this …"

"It's the Lambcox estate's family ledger and records. It's not all of the documents Father Jacob spoke of, but it does prove one thing." He opened it to the page last written on and pointed to the very top.

James William Henry SwanSeptember13th1721marriesCatherine Jane Margaret Sinclair

Isabella Catherine Marie Swan born to James & Catherine Swan September 13th 1721

And underneath it,

Catherine Jane Margaret Swan passed away September 13th 1721

A small sound of relief mixed with pain escaped Isabella as she read the proof she and Edward had searched for, but it was bittersweet and broke her heart because the memories she had of James were suddenly toned with sadness. How painful it must have been for him to care for her when her birth took his true love from him mere hours after they married.

"You have to go … now!" Renée suddenly exclaimed under her breath.

Isabella blinked in confusion and saw how all of them were staring at moving, flickering light coming down from the first floor toward the entrance. Edward took her hand in his and started running toward the trees. Isabella did her best to keep pace with him, but she wasn't much of a runner.

Fortunately, the horse wasn't far in the distance, and they were soon on its back, galloping away from Swanselm. Isabella held on to Edward's waist with all her might and said a silent goodbye to Renée and Philip in her mind.


A/N:

It's been confirmed! I repeat, it's been confirmed!

James married Catherine mere hours before Isabella's birth, but then why didn't he tell Isabella before his death? Hmm? How did Charles gain the indesputable power her had over her for her entire life despite her being born within wedlock?

More to come!

Do remember that, though confirmed, there's still a bunch of steps needed before Isabella can take on her rightful titles and actually marry Edward!

Until next time,

Stay Awesome!