CHAPTER SEVEN
Mrs. Cope stood by the kitchen door with her beady eye on the newest addition to the house staff. Having just served the girl the smallest portion for lunch, she was devising her own ways to get back at this intruder. Her master may have forbade her from speaking to Miss Swan regarding certain aspects but that did not mean she could not find her ways to make the girls stay here impossible.
Maybe if Mrs. Cope hadn't lived a rocky despairing life, she might have been a better person to Miss Swan but circumstances had burrowed deep down into her soul to fill it with darkness. Losing the love of her life just twenty-one years before Miss Swan's arrival, Mrs. Cope never recovered from the heavy blow.
It was this reason that Master Cullen took pity on the old maid. He may not have decided whether he believed such a curse really existed that plagued the town but any person having lost their love would find themselves changed for it. Mrs. Cope's heart only softened for a moment the minute that Hope Cullen passed and her master found himself in the same despair that she had been living with.
Isabella did not know why Mrs. Cope was determined to hate her. Was her dress really the cause of Mrs. Cope's animosity? She stared down at the measly portion of food on her plate and sighed. She would most definitely need to make it to town sooner than later if she was going to survive. She wanted to pick up supplies for the children but she also needed to pick up sustenance if Mrs. Cope planned on continuing to garnish her meals. She could have told Master Cullen and maybe he would do something but after the conflict from the night before, she thought better against it.
Rosalie and Alice's school day was to end at four pm, just in time for tea. After tea, they were given the time before dinner to work on school work and nothing else. With dinner being served at seven pm, they were only given an hour after dinner as well before their mandatory bed time.
Isabella hadn't seen or heard from the Master of the house the whole day. She would have found it worrisome that he hadn't turned up for meals but she knew he never ate breakfast or lunch with his family. With the requirement that she be present for meals during the week, it only left her with two and a half hours before dinner.
There would be no issue if Isabella had a car to take her to and from or even a cell phone so that she could dial up a cab service. However, since she had neither, Isabella was forced to speak to another member of the Cullen Manor staff who also seemed to detest her being.
"I was wondering if there was a phone I could use?" She asked Mr. Whitlock.
"Why would you need such a thing?"
Isabella said a silent prayer to ask God for patience before continuing.
"Well…I have a friend who would probably be worried if I did not contact her to let her know I arrived safely for one. Is there a phone on the premises or not? I could walk to town if it really is so much of a bother."
Patience was something that God needed to grant her soon and make it abundant if she was going to last at this home.
"I will ask Master Cullen of your phone privileges and respond at a later time."
Isabella shook her head and sighed.
"No need to ask your master. I see that it's impossible but please inform him that I will not be at supper this evening and if needs be, he can dock my pay if that will satisfy him."
She turned sharply and headed off toward her quarters. Quickly, she shed the dress and threw on a sweater and pants, accompanied with some walking shoes. She was frustrated beyond belief that not only did she have to seek permission to use a phone but now she would have to walk the ten miles to town to find a decent store. Hopefully she would be able to call a cab to drive her home at the very least.
Isabella grabbed her purse and checked one more time for her wallet and then set off for the long road to town. Once again she found herself coming upon the graveyard that she had made it to the last time she was on this road and she felt drawn to the tombstones. She looked around briefly and took a breath before walking up the small hill toward the first stone.
"William E. Black." She said aloud.
The stone was plain but looked rather weathered which made sense since the occupant resided beneath since 1795. She walked slowly on towards the next stone. She knew she shouldn't be wasting this time especially when she had no idea what time the stores in town closed. What if she arrived and the only market was already closed?
"Henry E. Cullen."
Isabella wondered what relation he must have been to the man who she worked for but before she could work the thought out, her eyes caught sight of a large stone figure a few stones in toward the middle of the cemetery. It looked like some kind of an angel. She slowly walked toward it when a beeping noise came from behind her.
Master Cullen's wheels came to a screeching halt when he had finally located the Swan girl. He had been at work when he received a disturbing call from his valet.
"My apologies for bothering you, sir but I thought I should inform you that Miss Swan has left the premise."
"Why? What happened!" He demanded.
"She asked about using a phone to call a friend and I told her that I needed to ask you first before I gave her phone privileges. She was most upset and in her fit stated that she was not going to be at supper and you could dock her pay if you wished. I was up on three when I saw her leave out the front door and head off down the road."
"I swear!" Master Cullen grumbled darkly under his breath. "I will get her."
He slammed the phone down and shouted to his secretary that he was leaving early for the day. Grabbing his suit coat and straightening his tie, he walked purposely from the room with one goal in mind.
What was he going to have to do to make this damn girl learn some respect and manners? Docking her pay didn't seem to upset her and he wasn't able to fire her or even threaten her with termination. His mind knew exactly what he wanted to do but he knew she would never allow it and technically it wasn't right to smack her, on her bottom or anywhere else. So what was he going to do?
His car seemed to find her in the nick of time. Master Cullen watched as her interest found her wondering into the graveyard. He honked his horn hoping to distract her from going any further. It was a good thing that she was on this side of the graveyard, right? He wondered if she had gotten any further down the line.
Isabella's eyes found Master Cullen climbing out of his car. He was dressed in a designer black suit and she couldn't help the blush rise up on her cheeks as she found his attractiveness fueling her desires.
"What are you doing here?" She crudely asked.
"I might ask you the same. Get in the car," he demanded.
Isabella folder her arms over her chest and stood her ground.
"And where exactly do you plan on taking me?"
"Home obviously," He replied beginning to lose his temper.
"Thanks, but no thanks. I'm going to town."
Isabella began to walk away from the cemetery back down the small grassy hill toward the pathway.
"It wasn't up for negotiation. I told you to get in the car and if you don't…"
"Let me guess, you're going to dock my pay." She rolled her eyes.
"If you don't, I will force you into the car. You are not going to walk ten miles to town. You have no idea how dangerous that is."
"Dangerous," She laughed. "I'm sure I can handle whatever lions, tigers and bears that cross my path."
Master Cullen had enough of her insubordination. He grabbed something from the seat of the car and walked toward her and threw a newspaper at her.
"What is the matter with you? You think it's some kind of joke? People die out here."
Isabella managed to catch the paper as it flew at her. She saw on the first page an article about a man being mauled by what they believed was a pack of wolves.
"If you don't get in that car…" He began to threaten once more.
Isabella shook her head.
"I'll take my chances with the wolves. I need things in town. I can manage just fine on my own."
"What is so damn important that you would risk your life? What the fuck kind of items could you possibly need to warrant such perilous behavior?"
"I need…" She didn't want to tell him because if she did he might veto her attempts at bringing color and creativeness to her classroom.
"WHAT?" He shouted.
"Supplies! Food! For heaven's sake. Your house is a tomb and I am not about to teach those girls anything if I can't incorporate what I believe is the right way to do so. You drill them on reading, writing and math but you have no place in your curriculum for any right brain learning. I want to show them that there is more than one way to learn something. That there is a place for art and science and they don't have to be robot daughters to their robot father. There is so much in the world that they have never had the chance to experience and if I can show them even one of those things, I will have done my job."
"Your job is what I tell you your job is. I don't want my children wasting their time on frivolous pursuits. Their education will open doors for them in the future that can help secure them a proper place in society."
"And what exactly is a proper place for a young women? Educated but silent? Standing behind some ogre of a man and cooking him dinner at night? You only allow them to speak at tea and their only audience is each other and myself. You don't even speak to your own children at the one meal you do show up to" She spit.
"You are out of line and know nothing of what you speak."
"Oh please, since I arrived here it's been pretty obvious what century you've been stuck in. Any father who actually loved their children wouldn't beat them and they certainly wouldn't deny them the opportunity to experience more than the walls they've been sequestered within."
Master Cullen took a menacing step toward her.
"You think you know so much about me, Isabella Swan. You spend a handful of days in my house with my children and you are an expert but all you are is some juvenile silly girl who knows nothing to what she speaks of. Go ahead and get yourself ripped up by some wolves and then come crawling back to give me your apologies."
Master Cullen turned abruptly and stormed off toward his car but at the last moment he realized what he had said. He wasn't going to let her get hurt even if it would teach her a lesson that she deserved to learn, so the minute he reached his door he turned back and swiftly was by her side in seconds. In one quick move he picked her up with ease and tossed her over his shoulder.
"Let go of me!" Isabella spit. "Let me down!"
With ease, Master Cullen tossed her in the back of the car and secured the child lock on the door. He sat down in his seat and already a fiery Isabella was fighting her way out.
He turned and snapped, "I will put you in the trunk if you do not cease."
Isabella tried to catch her breath but she was bewildered by his actions.
"This is…this is…" She tried to speak. "Too much. It's all too much."
Her voice sounded like cries and Master Cullen entertained the idea that he may needed to lock her in her quarters if she became difficult. It wasn't something that he wanted to do but if it was necessary, he would do it.
"I told you before, I will not let you be in harm's way. If you want supplies…I'll order them for you but walking ten miles in a wolf invested forest is out of the question."
Realizing that he must find some way to appease her, he made one small concession hoping it would help with not needing to lock her in her room.
Isabella sat in the back of the car with tears rolling down her cheeks. She didn't know if she had managed to reach her breaking point but if she hadn't how much more could she possibly endure?
"Whatever you want…its yours. As long as my children's grades don't drop and if they do, you will have no one to blame but yourself for their punishments."
"So…the next time you beat them, you're saying it will be my fault?" She asked incredulously.
"You want to waste time with art or whatever, whose fault could it conceivably be then?"
"You don't have to beat them at all, you know. They would probably feel horrible enough just knowing they let you down. If it really displeases you to have them falter to receive even a "B" then there are more humane ways to punish a child than with a ruler."
Master Cullen continued to drive nearly reaching the house.
"Don't tell me how to do my job and I won't…"
"But you already are! You already have made it quite clear that I should stick to the curriculum and teach in the same monotone fashion that has been done for far too long."
She had him there.
The car pulled into the drive and Master Cullen turned to look back at Isabella.
"I don't want you walking so far. If you really need something, leave the list with Mrs. Cope and she will acquire whatever it is that you wish."
Isabella made a sarcastic quiet laugh, "Sure, she will."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Master Cullen snapped.
"Nothing. Just let me out." Isabella turned to stare out her window. Asking Mrs. Cope to do anything for her would be the last thing she did.
Master Cullen thought back to their argument by the cemetery and something popped up into his mind.
"Food," He stated. "Why would you need to get food in town?"
Not wishing to go into that, Isabella became restless. She knew Master Cullen would think she was crazy if she told him of her theories of Mrs. Cope.
"Are you going to let me out or not?" She snapped.
Master Cullen huffed and stepped out of the car irritated once more with the girl. He pulled open her door and she pushed past him to jog up the steps to the front door.
"I expect you at dinner!" He shouted at her retreating backside.
The moment that Isabella reached her room, she flung herself onto her bed and began to cry. It was a mess. She finally had the cry she wanted to experience for days. Everything that had happened was in those tears. The rejection from the night before. The callousness of the master and his employees. Isabella didn't know how she was going to make herself right to face him and the girls at dinner.
After a half hour however, she slowly pulled herself off the bed and dragged herself to the bathroom for a wash up. She blew her nose a few times to loosen and dispel the contents and cleaned her splotchy face as best as she could. She put back on the dress that she had worn throughout the day and sighed not looking forward to her next meal. Her stomach however betrayed her and growled. With the small amounts that Mrs. Cope was serving her, she needed every bite.
Once again Isabella found herself staring at the lace table cloth on the dining room table, standing behind her chair waiting for the Master to show up. She hadn't been more exhausted in her life. Both Rosalie and Alice stood by their chairs and sensed something was wrong.
Master Cullen walked in and nearly skipped a step when he saw what his Miss Swan was wearing. His mouth opened as he was ready to protest but the way the dress clung to Isabella's body, it left him speechless.
He came back to his senses and narrowed his eyes. It wasn't enough that she was here and her presence was already toying with his desires. The girl now had to wear something tight and revealing.
"Miss Swan, I don't believe you are dressed appropriately."
"You wanted me in a dress…this is me in a dress, sir," She replied taking her seat and pulling her napkin into her lap.
Mrs. Cope was feeling a great sense of euphoria. She had been waiting for the Master to see the slutty combination that Isabella tainted the house with that day.
"Please leave and find something more appropriate to wear before returning."
Isabella shook her head before standing.
"And be sure to discard that dress as it states in the guidelines…"
"No. I will not throw out a perfectly good dress because you find it offensive. It will return to my closet until I find an occasion to wear it outside of this house or until I leave."
"Miss Swan!" Master Cullen barked.
"MR. CULLEN!" She barked back. She had officially lost it. "Do what you must to my pay but I will not throw it out. Hell, ban me from your table if that makes you feel better. It wasn't like that witch over there was going to serve me a proper portion anyway."
Mrs. Cope gasped at the remark.
"Yeah, that's right. You're a witch. I have done nothing to you to deserve this treatment and you can go ahead and pass that message along to your friend, Mr. Whitlock and let him know that I find him a beast as well."
She looked down at Alice and Rosalie whose faces were in utter shock.
"I apologize ladies for ruining your dinner…I apologize for so much more that you may never understand. Please, eat up; you'll need your strength to survive."
Isabella dropped her napkin in her chair and stomped out of the dining room leaving the occupants in various stages of shock.
Master Cullen threw down his own napkin to chase after Isabella.
"Miss Swan!" He shouted at her as she reached the stairs.
Isabella turned on her heel and caught the banister when she felt herself falter on the step.
"What Master Cullen? Ready to terminate me? What exactly can you do to me?"
Master Cullen didn't know how to respond. He was furious at her but his reasons may have been off. Furious because of the pull he felt to her. If he had been a religious man, he might think of her as some kind of demon come to lure him into hell.
"What is going on between you and Mrs. Cope? I won't ask again but you will not leave here until you talk to me."
Isabella sighed slowly trying to find her last ounce of patience. She looked up to the ceiling and then then huffed.
"Yes, there was a reason I wanted food from town. I don't know if this is all some sort of hazing ritual but I refuse to be slowly starved because of some woman on her high horse who hates me because of my last name. Something I still have no understanding of…something you seem to not want to tell me."
Isabella took a step forward. She could see the war within Master Cullen's eyes.
"I don't know what I have done…what I am guilty of but please, just please help me to understand."
For a moment Master Cullen thought about divulging every last word to her. He looked into her red eyes and felt himself pulled to her once more.
But he woke back up and snapped out of her trance.
"I will speak to Mrs. Cope. My apologies for your ill treatment, I will see to put an end to it."
And with those last words, he left her on the stairs lost and confused. He would not see or speak to Isabella again till the night of assessment.
AN: Thank you for reading and reviewing! I appreciate every single one. For those wondering, I am trying to update this story once a week.
Disclaimer: Story is mine, characters belong to Stephanie Meyer.