~.~
Chapter Five
~.~
"I hate her," Alice said.
"Why? What has she done?" Bella unlocked her spice box and pulled out a drawer.
"It's not what she's done as much as it is ..." Alice took a deep breath. "She is constantly attempting to ingratiate herself with my father, with the baby, with Edward ... With everyone."
"Alice, have some charity," Bella chided. She locked the spice box and put it back on the mantle. "If it were you who had married a widower, would you not try to find a place in his children's affections? In the affections of the man himself? Esme seems kind to me."
Alice put Emmett into the baby tender. It was a tall wood crate with flat, horizontal boards a few inches apart, wider at the base than the top to keep the baby from tipping it over if he stood up. Alice had put a blanket on the crate's floor inside, and she now handed the baby his ivory teething ring. Emmett peeked out between the slats.
"Well, she should have been kind to someone else, a single man, instead of marrying my father with my mother barely cold in the ground."
"Your father married her, Alice," Bella said. "Esme didn't jump from the bushes and drag him to the Meeting House to sign the marriage agreement."
But Alice set her jaw and stared in silence down at the table. Bella inwardly sighed and turned back to the fireplace. It would take Alice time. Her grief over her mother's death had been channeled into resentment of her "replacement." If Alice let go of that anger, she'd have to feel the pain of her mother's loss, and she wasn't ready for that yet.
Bella used the poker to catch the end of the cast iron arm set into the fireplace that pivoted to put pots over the fire or draw them out. Every woman had to be cautious around fire because of their long skirts, but Bella had an inborn terror of it. Even after seventy years in the mortal world, having to be around fire almost daily, it still frightened her. She was probably the most cautious woman in Plimouth Colony when it came to fire. She only used the arm for moving pots into place, and she shoved logs into the blaze from a distance, using the long poker.
She tasted the stew and considered adding more salt. She was hoping if she seasoned it well, Edward wouldn't notice there wasn't any meat in it.
"Have you gotten all of your things moved in?" she asked Alice.
"Aye, I have. Father let me have my mattress, and Jasper says he'll build me a bed frame." Alice's cheeks pinkened a little at that, likely imagining the fact that Jasper intended to one day share that bed with her. "I put my things in the second bedroom for now, if that is agreeable to you."
"Of course it is."
"I thought once you acquired servants, you would want them to live in the attic," Alice explained.
"I had given it no thought." Bella recalled the servants who had lived at Cullen Hall before it burned. Edward kept a severely reduced staff, but there were still dozens of them. Bella kept bumping into chambermaids she'd never met. They had all lived in the attic, in two dormitory-style rooms, one for the men and one for the women. The upper servants, those who served the Duke and Duchess personally, had their own rooms near the kitchen. It was a society of sharp class divisions, even among the servants.
"You probably had many servants back in England," Alice said, as though she had followed Bella's train of thought.
"Yes, but that is all in the past now." Bella went over to check on Emmett. When her hand touched his cheek, her mind flooded with his thoughts. Baby humans did not have the walls in their minds that blocked selkies from seeing what they were thinking. Emmett was always delighted when their minds touched and he began to babble as he showed her what he wanted. Bella ruffled his dark curls and went over to the cupboard to retrieve a small mug.
"Did you ever live at court?" Alice's eyes were shining. She leaned forward in her chair.
"I did, for a time." Bella picked up a jug of small beer from the floor and frowned. It was light. She needed more. Goodwife Bradford might be the one to ask ...
"Did you ever meet the king?"
"Nay, I did not," Bella said, and it was true. She had left behind her old life as Duchess before James's coronation.
Alice looked disappointed, but undeterred. "What was it like? Being at court?"
Bella gave Emmett the mug of small beer and he slurped at it, spilling half down the front of his dress. Bella fetched a cloth to blot at it and he mentally apologized to her as she wiped. Bella smiled at him. Such a sweet baby.
"It was crowded and filthy, a place of scheming and intrigue," she said to Alice. "I never enjoyed being there."
Alice frowned, propping her chin in her hand. It wasn't what she'd wanted to hear, Bella could tell. She thought of the court under Bess, such a different atmosphere than it had been under Mary's time. Mary, who was so sad and lonely, who could never understand why restoring England to the old faith hadn't also restored the magical, golden kingdom she remembered from her youth. Why burning hundreds of heretics hadn't halted the growth of the new religion. Bella remembered screams and fire from those days, and the constant underlying terror that she or Bess might find themselves in those flames.
But when Bess had come to the throne, the court had become a different place. Bella and Edward had left, because Bess would not force them to remain, and after Edward had publicly renounced his claim to the throne, their family was no longer the target of plotters. They could live in peace in their small manor house by the sea, and they had, returning only for occasional holidays or times of crisis, when Bess needed them. But they'd had their fill of court life.
Bella sighed, because the disappointment in Alice's eyes was too much. She gave Alice the glittering vision of the court she wanted. "There were feasts every night at the court, the food served to the nobles on golden plate. Music and jesters entertained us as we ate. And after that, there was dancing and masques. Sometimes plays put on by the London companies. Hundreds of ladies in dresses sewn with diamonds and pearls served the Queen."
"Queen Anne? Did you meet her?"
Bella realized her mistake and swallowed. She went back to the fireplace and used the poker to draw out the pot again. "No, I never actually met Queen Anne, either."
"But you saw her." Alice's eyes were wide. "What did she look like?"
Bella forced a laugh. "Oh, one queen is much like any other. All satin and jewels. My husband and I did not spend much time at court. We prefered home life."
"But if you are a cousin of the Duke of Cullen, and he is a cousin of the King, does that not make you related to the King as well?"
Bella waved a hand. "At a fair distance." She hated to lie, but she wanted to get Alice off the subject.
Alice shook her head. "I cannot believe my brother is married to one who has royal blood." Her eyes sharpened and she looked at Bella intently. "Why did you want to marry my brother?"
"That is a story for another day," Bella said, with a firm note that brooked no argument, a tone she had learned from her time as Duchess.
"In any case, I'm glad of it," Alice said softly. "Verily, I think he'll be happy with you. I don't know why ... It's so strange, but you feel so familiar, Bella. The two of you together seems familiar, like a lock and key that have worn grooves in tandem."
Alice's soul remembered, even if her mind did not. "I will try to my utmost power to make him happy, Alice, I promise."
Alice jerked her head toward the open windows as a breeze suddenly stirred on a day of no wind, but she didn't make the connection, of course. Perhaps baby Emmett did. He squealed and clapped.
"And I want you to be happy with us, too, Alice."
"I will be," Alice replied. "Happier than I was at home, anyway." A scowl twisted her lips. "I know you're right about why Esme is trying to ... build relationships with us, but I just can't ... I'm sorry, but ..."
"The price of living here is that you must be kinder to Esme when you meet," Bella said. "I insist upon it. Do you promise you will try?"
Alice took a deep breath. "I will try."
Bella gave her a reproving look, but softened it with a smile. "You must do better than try."
"I will." Alice gave her a little smile.
Satisfied, Bella turned back to her cooking. She sampled the stew. Maybe some more spices ...
"Let me try it," Alice said, and used the spoon to scoop up a bite. She tasted it, frowned and stirred the pot. "But there's no meat in this!"
"No, there isn't, but I didn't think Edward would mind ..."
Alice laughed. "Of course he'll mind! He's a working man, Bella. He needs meat. What do you have?"
"I have no meat in the house."
Alice shook her head. "I don't know how you thought you'd manage with no provisions. Let us go down to the market and buy some salted pork."
Bella protested, but Alice scooped Emmett out of the baby tender and shooed Bella out of the door. Bella acquiesced because Alice seemed excited to have an excuse to go and would not be deterred. After locking the door, they headed down the street for the short walk to the market.
The town had about twenty houses at this point, four or five of which had been fully constructed into pleasant little family homes. They were sided in clapboards, horizontal overlapping boards, which covered the log beams beneath. Each house had a fenced-in garden, meant to protect the vegetables from the marauding pigs, which Alice told her were a nuisance. Many people just let them roam, and the pigs fed themselves from the garbage piles beside the houses. Chickens also roamed at will, pecking the soil. The tall palisade fence around the town kept the animals from escaping into the woods, or being taken by rival colonists or Natives.
Even more buildings were under construction, swarms of men climbing over them as they split and lifted logs, pausing to lift their hats as the ladies passed by. The town gave every impression of a growing, prosperous little place, which no one would have guessed would ever be true after that first, terrible winter when they shivered and starved, their weakened bodies wracked by illness.
The market had sprung up, almost spontaneously, when the governor divided the land and supplies among the colonists. It was located down near the docks, where the ships unloaded their goods, a convenient place for trade. One of the intrepid colonists who owned a lot nearby had built a small market house, a simple structure with a roof, and charged the sellers to set up a table inside. Most durable goods still had to be purchased from England, but the colonists traded vegetables, goat milk, cheese, and butter, eggs, furs, baked goods, and woodcrafts.
It looked crowded inside the market house, and Bella hesitated to step inside. She turned to tell Alice they should perhaps come back later and bumped into a man behind her. She had to crane her neck to look up at him.
He was much taller than the average European man, his bronze chest sleek with muscle. His sleek black hair was bound into a pair of braids. A pair of leather leggings encased his legs up to the thigh, but the rest of him was bare, save for a beaded leather loincloth around his hips. Around his neck, he had several necklaces of shell and glass beads. His black eyes gleamed as he gazed down at Bella.
She swept into a bow. "I beg your pardon, sir."
"Bella, don't talk to him!" Alice hissed.
The man regarded Bella for a moment, and then inclined his head. He picked up the bundle of furs at his feet and went inside the market house.
"We should return later, when he's gone," Alice said. She grabbed Bella's hand and drew her toward the warehouse, where guards were stationed. Alice seemed to feel safer near the men with guns, though the guards themselves looked bored and indolent as they lounged against the side of the building.
"Why did you speak to that savage?" Alice demanded. "Bella, they told us at Meeting if we encountered one not to say anything, just to get away as quickly as possible. They are dangerous."
"Bah!" Bella said. "He was just at Market to trade, as we were. He was no more dangerous than you at the moment. I bumped into him, Alice; 'twould have been rude not to apologize."
"But, Bella, they aren't ..." Alice seemed to search for words. She tossed her hands.
"Aren't what, Alice?" Bella said, her impatience breaking through. "If I've learned one thing in life it's that you'll never go wrong being courteous to all you encounter, regardless of their status." She led Alice over to a shady spot by the warehouse where a pile of felled logs made a convenient bench. "Now, sit down here and tell me why you think they're dangerous."
Alice did, haltingly, and Bella had to fill in many of the details later. Alice knew little of the situation outside of her own fear, fear of the endless forests and the dangers they might contain, surrounding their little fenced village, a tiny oasis of dubious safety. She knew only the terrible stories she'd heard of "the savages" and the cruelties they were said to inflict on their victims. No one talked to women about treaties, and alliances, and the political structure of the Native tribes. She knew nothing of their society and culture; to her, they were wild men, uncivilized, and unpredictable. Alice knew only what she heard in whispered gossip. And she was terrified.
The Wôpanâak people had suffered terribly from the plague which swept through the land before the European settlers arrived, and now their numbers were few. Their chief, Massasoit, had ceded land to the colonists in a treaty two years ago, but at times, tensions between the two groups had been high. During that first, terrible winter, the colonists had broken into some Native burial sites and stolen grave goods, including baskets of corn. During one of these incidents, there had been a skirmish with a small group of Native men and the colonists had to drop the items and flee back to the safety of the Mayflower.
Since then, Captain Myles Standish had led a raid against the Natives to try to prevent any threats from arising, and had ordered the palisade fence built. The colonists were still terrified, and whenever one of the Natives showed up, even to trade, they saw it as the potential precursor to an attack. The men at the town gates would only allow one or two Native men inside the town at a time.
A small commotion down at the docks ended their conversation. The caption of the Katherine was setting up a table, and a line of people were brought out to stand beside it.
"Oh, they're selling indentures today," Alice said. "You should buy some servants while we're here."
Bella paled. "They're ... slaves?"
"Oh, no, not slaves," Alice said hastily. "Indentures. They agreed to be bound to service for seven years in exchange for someone paying the ship's captain for their journey here. After the seven years are finished, they're free. You should purchase some for the house, and to assist Edward with farming."
"Perhaps soon," Bella hedged. "Why did they wait a week to sell them?"
"Probably to have them help unload and clean the ship," Alice said. "It takes a lot of work to prepare the ship for its return journey, and why not use labor you already have, then sell them before you get ready to depart?"
Bella supposed that made sense. "I hadn't thought of acquiring servants so soon."
Alice shrugged. "You will have to wait for the next ship, if you don't buy any of these."
"Why don't we see how well we get on without servants and then decide?"
Alice laughed. "Bella, have you ever pulled a plow?"
"I can't say I have." But it wouldn't be hard for her, being much stronger than a human.
"Or washed clothes?"
"No, but I know other women do it all the time. Surely, I can - "
Alice stood and walked over to Bella. She took Bella's hands in her own and looked down at the soft, white skin, then showed Bella her own hands, callused and worn, her short nails ragged. "Bella, you need servants. And Edward will need help, too."
"How will I know who to buy? Shouldn't Edward - ?"
"He's busy with Father. Come along. I'll help you."
Bella was unsure, but she allowed Alice to lead her toward the docks. She supposed it wouldn't hurt to look, even if she did ultimately decide to wait.
A crowd was gathering, people eager to buy some servants, and those just interested in watching. Entertainments were few in the colonies, so anything different from the daily routine was an event. The buyers began to ask the indentured servants questions about their experience in both, and the noise level rose to the point where it began to bother Bella's sensitive ears. Bella let Alice lead her through the crowd over to the table at which the ship captain sat. He saw Bella and hastily rose, bowing again and again.
"Mistress Cullen! How does the day find you?"
"Quite well, Captain, but it is Mistress Masen now. How is Charles?"
He blinked, and then remembered. "Oh, the boy! Well, I believe. Have you come to acquire new servants?"
Alice interjected. "Yes, the mistress needs assistance in her new home, and around the farm. Have you any suggestions?"
The captain was delighted. "Certainly, ladies. This way, if you please."
Bella followed them, listening as the captain and Alice discussed Bella's needs and what sort of people he had to offer. It still seemed like a sort of slavery to her, because the people had no control over who would buy their contract. She wasn't entirely comfortable with the notion and wished Edward were here to give his opinion.
Bella froze when she spotted the little girl. She was at the end of the row of proffered servants, half-hidden behind the man beside her. She couldn't be more than two years old, wobbly on her feet, with dark shadows beneath her wide eyes. Bella wove through the crowd toward her and the little girl glanced up as she approached. When their eyes met, Bella felt a jolt of recognition so strong it was almost like a physical blow. Tears filled Bella's eyes and she knelt down in front of the little girl, her pink skirts pooling in the dust, much to Alice's dismay.
"Will you speak to me, little one?" Bella asked softly.
The child was terrified and tried to hide behind the man beside her, but he backed away quickly, leaving her out in the open, trembling with fear. Her skin was gray with dirt and her hair was matted and limp. She was wearing only a filthy shift, her scrawny legs visible beneath the too-short garment.
"Is her indenture for sale?" Bella asked the captain, who had followed with Alice in tow. He twisted his hands and gnawed his lip.
"That one is poorly, Mistress. Her mother died during the voyage, so now I have two costs to recoup from that one, and she's too sickly to make much of an impression on buyers. Come with me. I have better options for you."
"What is her name?"
"She's sickly, Mistress," the captain repeated. "We can't get her to eat, and what little she does consume comes right back up. The ship's doctor doesn't think she'll live. Mistress, if I sell you an unfit servant, your husband is likely to - "
"What's her name?" Bella demanded.
"I know not, mistress. She does not speak, and her mother didn't note it on the register when she boarded."
Bella stood. "I want her."
The captain shook his head with a smile. "You need children of your own, Mistress, the way you attach yourself to the little ones!"
Bella's eyes narrowed, and he realized he'd crossed a line. "Pray pardon, I did not -"
"I want to buy her indenture," Bella repeated. "I'll pay both fees."
He cleared his throat. "Your husband may not - "
Bella gave him her haughtiest stare, copied from the one Bess used to give ministers who displeased her. "Do as I have ordered."
The captain dropped his gaze and bowed. "Aye, mistress. I will take care of it immediately."
Bella picked up the little girl. She didn't resist, but maybe she didn't have the strength to. She fell limp in Bella's arms, laying her head on Bella's shoulder. "Alice, please get her indenture contract. I'll have the money waiting when you get home." And with that, Bella left the docks and headed back to her house.
She carried the little girl into the house and plunked her into a chair at the table. "Sit here," she said, and softened the command with a smile. She picked up the big kettle from where it was stored beneath the dry sink. She took it out into the back yard, where she filled it from the well before she carried it back inside and hung it on the swinging arm that held pots over the fire. The laundry tub was retrieved from the shed and she dropped it on the floor beside the fireplace.
The little girl watched with solemn eyes as Bella rummaged around in the cabinets. "I know I have it here somewhere ... Ah! Here we are." Bella brought out a pot of scented Castille soap and put it on the floor by the tub. Humming, she tossed a linen towel over her shoulder.
She tipped over one of the chairs and unscrewed its leg. Coins spilled out into her hand. She winked at the little girl. "Don't tell." She piled them on the corner of the table.
Alice arrived not long after with a scroll of parchment, tied with a ribbon. She laid it on the table. "Bella, if you were going to buy servants, don't you think you should have purchased someone ... useful? Edward will -"
"We'll discuss it later, Alice." Bella just couldn't think clearly at the moment. She would make Edward understand. She had to make him understand.
"Up!" she told the little girl and tugged off her dirty shift, dropping it into a pile on the hearth. She rolled up the sleeves of her gown, plopped the girl into the tub and knelt down to scrub.
"Alice, fetch Emmett's other dress from your things. We'll make him another when we have some spare time, but right now, this little one needs it. They're about the same size, I think."
Alice shook her head, but headed for the stairs.
Bella continued to scrub. The poor little creature was filthy. She had to wash her hair four times and use oil to comb out the snarls in her hair before washing it again. "Stand up, sweeting."
Alice returned with the dress and laid it over the chair.
Bella took the kettle of warm water and had Alice test it to make sure it wasn't too hot before she dumped the clean rinse water over the little girl and then lifted her from the tub to towel her briskly.
"There you are, as fresh and clean as a spring morn!" Bella smiled at her, though the girl was still too afraid to smile back. Bella dropped the dress over the child's head. It was linsey-woolsey, dyed a bright madder red - a boy's color- but it would have to do for the moment.
"Alice, please go buy me a fresh goat, and its kid. Don't separate them. I think Goodwife Martin might be willing to part with hers. Bargain with her, but I'll pay up to three pounds, if I must."
Alice couldn't understand the fuss over this little orphan child, and Bella knew it. She took some of the coins from the table and headed for the door. She paused and looked back at Bella, a puzzled look crunching her features.
"Who is this little urchin?"
"This is Rose," Bella said and smiled.
~.~
Edward reached his house just as the sun was setting. He paused on the doorstep and looked around for a moment, savoring it. Returning to his house. His wife. He could smell cooking food and hear soft female voices inside. The sounds and smell of a home. And it was his. God's blessings were rich indeed, he reflected as he pushed open the door.
"Edward!" Bella came over to him and smiled up at him as she took his hat to hang on a peg by the door, a sweetly domestic touch that made his grin even wider.
"Good evening." Because he thought he should, he bent down to kiss her cheek, and found himself lingering for a moment with his lips against her soft skin. He pulled back and tried not to blush.
"Greetings, Edward," Alice said. She laid a loaf of bread, wrapped in a towel, on the table. Edward smiled at her as he pulled off his boots as to not soil her fine rugs.
"Come, sit!" Bella led him to the table and turned to pour him a mug of beer. Edward bent over the baby tender to give Emmett a hug and was surprised to find not one, but two babies in the tender, one of them a blonde little girl. They turned to look up at him with wide eyes.
"Eh!" Emmett squealed and waved his arms, but Edward just stared. The little girl was scrawny, and Emmett's spare dress hung from her bony frame like a sack. Dark shadows circled her sunken eyes, and her cheeks were hollow.
"How did we acquire another babe?" Edward blurted.
Bella had been scooping out food from the pot. She paused, the ladle dripping in her hand.
"I need to ... um ... " Alice said and scurried away, climbing the ladder, her skirts clutched in one hand as her heels clattered on the treads.
"Sit for a moment, please," Bella said, and pulled out a chair for herself. Edward took another, folding his hands on the table.
Bella explained seeing the baby at the indenture sale and purchasing her contract.
"But why? I'm afraid I don't understand. If you were going to purchase a servant, who not one which was ... productive?"
"She needed a caring home, Edward. I didn't purchase her to be a servant."
"We didn't need another child to raise." Edward rubbed his forehead.
"I thought you wanted children."
Well, yes, but children of his own. Edward didn't quite know how to voice that, especially in light of the fact he hadn't so much as kissed his new wife yet. "Do you intend to adopt her?"
Bella reached out and laid a hand over his. "I was hoping we might care for her."
"But you did not think to consult me before setting it in motion?" He said it as mildly as possible, but he could not disguise that he was both somewhat bewildered and annoyed to be presented with a fait accompli. "Bella, I know you are used to having complete autonomy, and I never intended to strip you of your independence. 'Struth, I don't think I could, even if I was of the mind to try. But I was hoping to be your partner."
"You are!" she said. "But in this case, I felt I had to act quickly. I was afraid she'd be sold to someone else."
She thought there was a great demand for underfed, sickly children? He rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"She's meant to be a part of our family," Bella said, and he looked up at her with sharp curiosity, because there was such certainty in her voice as she said it. But she wasn't looking at him. She was looking off into the distance, and her eyes had a soft, dreamy look to them.
"You believe that God was leading you to take in this child?" he asked.
She turned her eyes back to him, those large, dark eyes that were somehow so familiar to his heart. "I do."
He sighed. He couldn't argue with that. "What do we do with her? Can we even care for her properly? By all rights, both should still be at the breast. With my mother's death, we put Emmett on soft foods because we could not afford a wetnurse and there was no woman willing to take him as a foster without some remuneration. Bella, how will we feed and care for two babes?"
"I bought a goat."
"A goat," he repeated. One of the six in the colony. He couldn't imagine what she'd spent on it.
"A goat and its kid," she amended. "I didn't think it right to separate them. But we should get enough milk for the babes, and both can eat soft foods to supplement. I already was able to get Rose to eat some bread soaked in milk, and she -"
"Rose?"
"That's her name. Rosalie."
"And her family name?"
Bella met his eyes with firm resolve. "Masen."
He paused for a moment and then gave her a small smile and a nod of agreement. "Masen."
Edward went over to the baby tender and looked down at the children. He found them both asleep, side by side. Emmett had his fist tangled in Rose's blonde curls.
~.~
They made up a temporary bed for Rose in Alice's room, using a drawer from one of Bella's cabinets and a pillow. Alice was aghast when Bella suggested cutting down one of her dresses to make clothes for Rose.
"You cannot dress a child in velvet!"
"Whyever not?" Bella's own children had been dressed in jeweled silks and velvet from infancy.
"Bella, be reasonable! It will be ruined the first time she wears it."
Bella shrugged. "And so I'll make her more."
Alice was rooted through Bella's clothes press. "Here." She had extracted the linen "work dress" Bella had worn the day she found Edward singing in the woods. "This is much more suitable."
Bella grimaced. Brown linen seemed so drab for a little girl, but Alice was already tracing the outline of little smocks with her finger to show how many could be made with the fabric. Bella chose one of her petticoats to be used to make chemises for the child. Alice insisted she only needed two of both, and both would be designed with deep hems that could be let out for growth. The neckline was a simple drawstring that could also be loosened. The smocks could last for years that way.
"Alice, economy is all well and good, but I have plenty of dresses ..."
"I know you do, Bella. But you don't want the children to stand out, do you? Every other child in the colony will be dressed in the same fashion. Don't set them apart in fancy, worldly apparel."
Bella supposed she was right. She had to learn to blend into her new community, just as she had to learn to blend in to the Duke of Cullen's world, so many years ago. She was no longer a Duchess, and she had to stop thinking that way.
They sewed by the fire while Edward sat on the hearth and sharpened his axe with a whetstone. He hummed as he did, and Bella poked herself with the needle because she was staring at him instead of paying attention to her work. Alice giggled at her as she yelped, knowing the reason for Bella's distraction.
Edward frowned and stood. "Let me see."
"It's nothing," Bella said, shaking her hand.
"Let me see," he repeated, and took her hand in his own, peering down at her finger as though he expected to see a jagged wound instead of a tiny dot of blood.
"I am well."
"We should bandage it," he said. He picked up one of the scraps of cloth from the cutting of Bella's dress and dipped it in the water pail.
"Edward, really." But she let him dab at her finger with the cloth because it felt so nice to have her hand held in his own. His hands were rough with callouses and it made her shiver as he traced a finger over her own, looking for the tiny puncture. His bright green eyes flicked up to meet her own and Bella stopped breathing. She could drown in those emerald depths, in the beauty of the soul she saw shining back at her, the other half of her own.
Alice cleared her throat and they jumped apart, both of them blinking as if they'd been jolted from a trance. "I'm going to bed," she announced to no one in particular as she laid aside the little smock she'd finished. "Good night to you."
"And to you," Bella said. She turned back to Edward as Alice's steps clomped up the stairs. "We should retire as well."
Pink stained Edward's cheeks, and he swallowed, adam's apple bobbing. "Y - yes. I'll bank the fire and be upstairs in a trice."
Bella smiled at him. His nervousness would be adorable if she didn't pity his suffering so. She picked up her skirts and headed up the stairs. She wasn't really sure what to do. Part of her wanted to pounce on him and get it over with to show him there was nothing to be nervous about, but the more sensible side of her said she needed to give him time.
Bella checked on Emmett, sound asleep in his cradle. It was one of the few pieces of furniture the family had brought with them when they immigrated. Generations of Masen babies had slept in it. It was a deep, rectangular paneled box on rockers with a tall wood hood at the top, too deep for the baby to climb out of himself for some time yet.
Bella undressed down to her chemise and sat on the side of the bed. She listened for a moment and still heard the scrape of the poker on the stone of the hearth downstairs. She opened the drawer of her night table and drew out the letter she'd been composing.
My derest Ward,
I haue found him. After all of these long and lonlie years, I haue found him. Myne hart canot sai what a joye tis to rite these words. The missyng haf of myne hart hath been restored vnto me.
My jurnie was in as mvch comfort as culd be whopped. Tho the condytons hir are lowly compayrd to England, myne home lakks naught, and I have been wellcomed moost kyndlie by my neybors.
I now yow worried for me coming hir, but your feres shud be put to rest. Yow provyded for me well, and I haue all I will evyr nede -
Bella heard Edward's footsteps on the stairs and slipped the letter back into the drawer. She was brushing her hair when Edward opened the door.
He stepped inside and closed it behind him. Bella looked back over her shoulder to see him watching her. Without words, he stepped over and took the brush from her, drawing it slowly through her hair. He was overly-gentle with it, and hesitant at first, but soon he fell into a rhythm, and Bella fell into a daze, remembering all of the other times he had brushed her hair over the years. And then he would press a soft kiss to the spot where her neck joined her shoulder ...
He stroked that spot now with one of his calloused fingers and she bit her lip, scarcely daring to breathe. His finger slipped along her skin, across the width of her shoulder to the neckline of her chemise ... And there he stopped.
Bella turned her head to look back at him and he handed her the brush. Edward stood and went over to the other side of the bed and divested himself of his pants and stockings, then slipped into the bed, wearing his shirt again.
Bella closed her eyes. Patience. She had to have patience. But it was so difficult when she longed to touch him, longed to be held in his arms again.
She laid down, too, staring up at the dark ceiling.
"Bella?" he said.
She turned her head to look at him, and he leaned over. For a long moment, he hesitated, suspended over her, his green eyes searching hers. Bella's heart hammered and the moment stretched on, time suspended, an eternity.
And then he crossed those final inches and kissed her.
It was soft and sweet, just a brush of the lips, but it was a start. His breath was warm against her ear as he whispered, "Good night."
She unclenched her hands from the sheets. Her voice had cracks in it as she spoke her response. "Good night."
~.~
Edward watched from across the room as Bella danced with another woman, who was taller, with red-gold hair that hung loose around her shoulders, and she had beautiful dark eyes that gleamed like onyx as she laughed. They spun across a black and white tile floor in a massive room, their heavy, wide skirts belling out as they swirled, the jewels sewn to the fabric flashing in the light.
"Edward, come dance!" Bess called to him.
Bess? How did he know her name was Bess?
The question jerked him from sleep and Edward sat up in bed, looking around the darkened room. To his surprise, the bed beside him was empty.
Alarmed, he tossed the sheets aside, just as the bedroom door opened.
"Bella?"
"I'm here," she said.
"Where were you?"
She hesitated for a moment. "Outside."
Why in the world would she go outside? Edward shook his head as she climbed into bed beside him and laid back down. He laid down, too, and the back of his hand brushed against her braid. He started in surprise at the unexpected sensation, then lifted her heavy rope of hair, feeling along its length to confirm.
"Whyever is your hair wet?"
"It was hot, and so I wet it to cool off."
"Bella, this isn't England. It isn't safe outside in the dark." He was utterly bewildered by this odd behavior. Should he chastise her? Extract a promise that she'd not do it again? But before he could decide, her heard Bella's breathing soften into sleep and he rolled over onto his side to stare across the darkened room.
He had married an odd woman. An intriguing mystery of a creature. Every time he thought he learned more about her, it only raised more questions.
~.~
Bella wasn't asleep. It felt deceptive to pretend, but she wasn't ready to talk to him yet about her nighttime excursions. No, that particular conversation must be far in the future. She hadn't lied to him exactly ... It was hot, though the temperature didn't bother her, and she had wet her hair, just not in the way he'd likely imagined. Let him think she'd soaked her hair at the well. He'd think it was odd, and likely dangerous to her health, but not as odd as her midnight swims.
But there was one person who did know the truth of where she'd been. The Wôpanâak man she had encountered at the market had startled her. She hadn't seen him as he stood in the treeline, watching her. She wondered if he had seen her slip off her pelt as she emerged from the water, resuming her human form. But she could not tell from his impassive features. He just stood there silently, his arms crossed over his chest. Bella pulled on her shift and bowed to him.
He bowed in return, deeply. His English was heavily accented, but she understood the two words he spoke: "Water-Walker."
~.~
Notes:
- Castille soap was the best soap available. Made from olive oil instead of animal fat, it wasn't as harsh as regular soap, and it was often perfumed with scents like sandalwood and rose oil. It was usually soft, a paste rather than a bar soap.
- A "fresh" goat was one that had just reproduced and was giving milk. There weren't any cows in Plimouth Colony at this time, so goats were what they used for milk and cheese. In September, 1623, when this story is set, a visitor wrote: "here is belonging to the town six goats, about fifty hogs and pigs and diverse hens." The first cattle came in 1624, and sheep came probably about three years later. In 1627, when the livestock was divided up amongst the colonists, there were 22 goats and 17 cattle.
- Scholars still debate the exact location of the colony's buildings. Some accounts have the town situated on the east side and bottom of the hill where the Meeting House was located (now called Burial Hill), facing the sea, while others state that the entire town was situated on top of the hill itself. I have chosen to go with the former. I would imagine that the first structures were, indeed, right near the fort/Meeting House, but the town naturally spread out as more structures were built. In 1623, the same visitor that described the livestock wrote that there were "about twenty houses, four or five of which are very fair and pleasant, and the rest (as time will serve) shall be made better." I admit, I have no idea where the Pilgrims' market house was, or what it was like, so I've modeled it on other early American market houses I know existed in other areas.
- There were many different Native American tribes that lived in the area, but to cut down on confusion, I have decided (albeit with some reservations) to call them all the Wôpanâak. This, of course, ignores the conflicts between the Native groups, in which the colonists sometimes participated in order to assist groups which favored the colony, but it simplifies it for purposes of the story.
- Babies of both genders wore dresses until about the age of five or so, and this practice lasted up to the 1930s in some areas of the US. It's often difficult to discern the gender of a baby in an old painting or photograph, unless the child is holding a gendered toy. Red was considered a color more suitable for boys at the time, but this wasn't a hard and fast rule.
- I've added a photo of a baby tender to my Selkie Wife album on my Facebook page. The link is in my profile.
- "Linsey-woolsey" was a linen and wool blend fabric favored in the colonies because it was inexpensive, and durable.
- Bella's letter contains authentic seventeenth century spelling, which was phonetic and inconsistent. The letters "v" and "u" were interchangeable, as well as the letters "i" and "j." You sometimes see people spelling the same word - even their names- differently in a single document. The letter in modern English reads:
My dearest Ward,
I have found him. After all of these long and lonely years, I have found him. My heart cannot say what a joy it is to write these words. The missing half of my heart has been restored unto me.
My journey was in as much comfort as could be hoped. Thought the conditions here are lowly (primitive) compared to England, my home lacks naught (nothing), and I have been welcomed most kindly by my neighbors.
I know you worried for me coming here, but your fears should be put to rest. You provided for me well, and I have all I will ever need -
