Good evening, all!
First of all, Louise. Thank you so much for our conversations today! I've loved them!
Secondly, I want to address an issue that came up and I remember talking about it last time I posted this, but I'll do it again.
When we read about history - especially the 1800s- we have to remember that times have changed. We know the difference now between what is right and wrong and social aspects change. We look back and are horrified by what we read. but to them, it was perfectly normal. No doubt, in 100-200 years' time, our future will look back and have kittens about what we're up to... So...
At 16, Isabella isn't actually classed as a child. At 18, she would 'come out' to society, if she were living in the higher classes, and be married that same year. A girl in the lower classes would be, by sixteen, either engaged to be married or working as a maid. By the age of 23, yes, TWENTY-THREE, she would have been classed as a spinster/old maid, with no prospects of ever marrying and having kids. 23. Now isn't that an eye-opener!
Edward, on the other hand, is 29. The average age of a man getting married back then was 26. Remember, he already married Sarah. Men were expected to finish school and apprenticeships before even thinking about marriage. Most of the time, men were also working to prove that they could provide for their new bride. That's why there is usually such a large age gap between sexes.
Some might be uncomfortable with such a large age gap when Isabella is just 16, but in those days, it was perfectly normal. Not even a single raised brow :)
Master Edward Cullen
I went to bed with a smile playing on my lips and happy memories of the night.
Isabella.
Bella.
I liked the shortened name. It suited her and I was happy. A little pet name, just for me in my head.
Although she was not herself, I was happy that I had met her and that Jasper had introduced us, of sorts.
I wondered happily as I drifted off to sleep, if she would be agreeable to dine with us one evening so I could get to know her more.
Although she must have been ten years my junior, it was not such a great age gap.
I knew many marriages that had a large age difference, and it was very common.
Men were expected to go through school before marrying and ladies did very little in the way of education, so it was normal for the man to be considerably older than his partner.
I was awoken by Betsy, my mother's maid, to the news that my mother needed me urgently.
It was pitch black outside and I found it hard to dress as I rushed about the room, forgetting to comb my hair and get downstairs before she did.
In a hurried conversation, it dawned on me that my Bella was the young girl my mother wanted me to meet the night before.
Bella was but sixteen.
She was a full thirteen years my junior.
The age difference was not large by any means, but it did shock me that she was a child. I knew that she would have been considered an adult, with her situation, but in my eyes, she was a child, nonetheless.
"Do not think of her age, Edward. She is mature in her years and has a great deal of responsibility on her shoulders. She may be but a child, but she is older in her mind. Do not fret," mother chastised me lightly as we climbed in the awaiting carriage and made haste.
It was still dark and now that exact darkness reflected our mood as we made our way to the Swan farm.
From what mother had said on the way, Renee had hardly left her bed these past two years, so I knew it was Bella's loving hands that had cared for the farm and the people in it.
"Who else does she have?" I asked quietly as we walked towards the door once the carriage came to a stop and we had descended it.
I worried about who would look after her now that both of her parents had gone.
"She has us, Edward, and no one else but her small brother," mother replied sadly as she pushed on the door and walked in.
Bella had no one? No uncles, aunts? No adult family members at all?
And she was alone, except for a brother?
Mrs. Cope had prepared a few things for Bella and the house, but she looked exhausted now.
The doctor had come back, and both had helped with preparing Mrs. Swan for the afterlife and closed the sitting room door behind them as they left for the night.
Mother started cleaning up the kitchen and I just stood there, not knowing what to do or what to say.
I was a young boy when my grandparents passed, and I was not at liberty to know what the procedures and customs were. Of course, when Sarah left us, I understood far more than when I was a child, but even then, I did not know everything that was to be done.
"Would you be a dear and make sure that all of the nets on the windows are closed for me, but leave the hallway window open. I am sure Mrs. Cope has done things right, but double checking does no harm," mother said as she busied herself.
I did as I was asked, but I wanted to see Bella.
Surely she would need comfort at a time like this.
"What about Bella?" I asked as I walked back into the kitchen. I froze as I heard my pet name for her slip from my tongue. If mother spotted it, she made no mention.
"She's upstairs resting," mother replied, and I found myself wanting to go to her even more.
She should not be on her own at a time like this.
"Will she come back to the house, our house?" I asked as I sat down at the small table.
I was half tempted to take Bella back home with us, not wanting her to be here on her own, but it was not down to me.
"No, she will not. She will not leave her mother's body until she has been buried and I fear even after then she will not leave. She may be sweet and just a girl, but she is as stubborn as a mule. Although we own the farm and her family are just tenants, this is still her home. She was born in her bedroom, and I fear that she will die in this house too," mother said sadly as she joined me at the table.
I could not think of Isabella dying. Without wanting to admit it to anyone, it pained me to think of her in such a state.
"Surely she cannot stay here at her age and keep this place going, with her brother too?" I asked, shock evident in my voice.
"What would you do, Edward, have your father serve an eviction notice? No, he has put a plan in place for Isabella, young Charles and the farm, so we must see it through. Isabella is stronger than people give her credit for, and she will carry on, I fear, just to prove she can."
…
Bella stayed upstairs for the rest of the night and in the light of the following morn, a large man walked in through the back door with a young boy hot on his heels.
Mother introduced me to them, and I was relieved that Emmett, the large man, was just a farm hand and not been a suitor for Bella.
"Charles, how about you get Edward to go and help you find all the eggs that you can." Mother smiled sadly as Charles took my hand and all but pulled me out through the back door.
He guided me happily around the large barn as we hunted high and low for the eggs, but after a short while, he slowed his pace and then sat on a large pile of hay in the corner.
"Has mamma gone to heaven like papa?" he asked quietly as he picked up a piece of hay and started running it between his fingers.
As a father, I would not like anyone to lie to my child, so I told him the truth.
"Yes, son, she has," I said solemnly as I sat down next to him.
"How did you know?" I asked after a while of silence.
"All the windows were covered up and Master Emmett said that is what you did when someone goes to heaven," he replied sadly with a choking voice, and I could not help but pick up his small frame and bring him to my chest.
"A boy should not cry when he is the man of the house, it shows weakness," he stuttered through his shuddering breaths, and as his hot tears sank through the cotton of my shirt and I found myself wanting to cry with him, for him.
I pulled him away slightly so I could look him in the eyes as I spoke to him.
"A man who hides his emotions should not be called a man. A gentleman who shows them is braver than one who does not. Do not be afraid to cry for your mother, child," I said softly as he rested back into my chest.
When his tears had calmed, I helped him wash his face with some water and then we made our way back to the house, forgetting most of the eggs for the day.
Mother was still busy preparing things in the house and she informed me that Emmett had gone home to change and to notify the vicar of the local parish.
"Mrs. Cope has agreed to notify the undertaker and I am pleased to say that he will take a lot of the burden from Isabella, but we will still be needed to help her," she mused as Charles left the room to go and find his sister.
"I want to bear the cost of the arrangements," I said without thinking and if I were honest with myself, I would pay for a lot more if it would give Bella just an ounce of comfort.
"And no doubt that Isabella will throw that back in your face as soon as it was mentioned," mother laughed a little before carrying on. "Do not worry, Edward, dear. Mrs. Swan's affairs were put in order before she passed and everything has been paid for," she finished as she sat down at the small table and took up my hand.
"Be strong for her, Edward, she may come across as a strong girl, but she still has a gentle heart." Mother's words hit me square in the chest.
Just because Edward is infatuated with Isabella, doesn't mean that they can run off into the sunset with each other. There's a long road to travel first.
One of my favorite lines comes up in the next chapter. 'I milked a cow'. Who do you think could have said that? LOL
See you tomorrow!