CHAPTER NINE
Time had stopped. Well, at least for Isabella it had. She stared down at her own name etched into a slab of stone. The stone looked ancient but Isabella's brain couldn't register anything else about the grave marker except for her name. Isabella, that is my name, she reasoned. M, is my middle initial and of course Swan was pretty self-explanatory.
"This is…" Isabella stuttered.
She shook her head back and forth. This couldn't be a coincidence. There is an explanation, she rationalized. Her hands touched the back of her wrists and sure it did feel cold so she couldn't help but wonder if maybe she was a ghost. This whole plot reeked of something she would find in a movie.
Time stopping for Isabella was enough of a break that Master Cullen needed to catch up to her but he slowed his pace when he realized that she had paused in front of the very stone he tried to keep her from. Master Cullen slowly approached her side and could hear her muttering incoherently.
"Isabella," He whispered.
Isabella jumped, gasping and then quickly backed away taking a fighting stance.
"Don't come near me! Don't touch me!"
Master Cullen held up his hands and took a small step back.
"What is this?" She asked pointing to the name. "What's…what is going on here?"
She was shaking and Master Cullen could see tears straining to stay hidden in her eyes.
"Isabella," Master Cullen said her name softly. Not Miss Swan or silly girl, he called her Isabella.
"Are you…are you going to kill me? Chop off my head? Why is this here?" She babbled.
"Chop off your head? Be reasonable. There are dates marked on that grave and unless you are very well preserved for being almost two hundred years old, why would you think that grave is meant for you? Do use your common sense."
Master Cullen knew he had no reason to be frustrated by Isabella's panic but he was not exactly known for his patience.
"Common sense? Common sense?" Isabella raised her voice. "I think common sense went flying out the window the moment I stepped foot into your house. Your little shop of horrors where Lurch answers the door and Mommie Dearest plays in the kitchen. I kept telling myself that I needed to stay for the little girls…that I didn't need common sense. I could make a difference. I could change you and turn you back from the beast and the curse would be broken…"
"What do you know about the curse?"
Master Cullen was intent on letting Isabella continue with her panic hoping it would end soon but his heart stopped when he heard her mention the curse. Isabella's speech was stunted with Master Cullen's interruption.
"There…there is a curse?" She wagered.
"What have you heard?" Master Cullen asked again slowly advancing on her.
Isabella shook her head and took a step back landing right over the top of the Isabella M. Swan grave. She looked down and jumped off the plot and turned on Master Cullen.
"Don't you change the subject. You have a lot of explaining to do. What is this all about and I know you know. You've known since the minute I arrived here. Everything is beginning to make sense. Mrs. Cope, always talking about Swans as if she knew my family. You better start telling me everything or I'm going to…"
"What? What exactly are you going to do?" He snapped slowly advancing.
Isabella felt her blood boiling but she knew he was right. There was nothing she could do to get him to talk. She huffed and turned to march off toward the direction of the town but she didn't make it two steps before Master Cullen reached out and grabbed her by the arm.
"Don't! Would you just calm down for a minute?" Master Cullen ran his hand over his face trying to will away the impending headache.
"I will tell you what you want to know but can we please return to the house? You have no idea how dangerous it is out here."
"I don't give a crap about a couple of wolves. To be honest, I imagine they are more hospitable and comforting than your house."
Master Cullen increased his grip on Isabella's arm.
"You have no idea what you say. Look around you, Isabella! Half these graves are filled with the remains of silly people who had no respect for the animals in these parts. The tantrum you want to throw here can be done just as well from the safety of my house."
He pulled her away from the stone with her name etched upon it. They were nearly to the entrance when Isabella pulled her arm free from Master Cullen's grip.
"Would you stop with the manhandling? I am not your child for goodness sakes."
She rubbed her arm where there was still a print of where his hand had been.
"Keep walking. The sooner we get back the better," He hissed.
"I am not going back into your house. I may have been seriously lacking judgement the first few times but my mind is clearing up and the last thing I am going to do is go back in there."
"You always have to be so damn difficult. So damn stubborn."
"Why yes, pot I am black, just like you!"
Master Cullen turned toward the direction of his house. He was looking for patience and needed to look anywhere else but her face. The moment away was what he needed to come up with a solution, if Isabella wanted to not go into the house then he had to find an alternative but eventually she would need to return whether she liked it or not.
"Fine, I will indulge you for now. We'll go to the maze."
Master Cullen knew it was dangerous to be in the maze alone with Isabella Swan. He knew that there were enough places within to keep away any lethal animal but after what happened the last time he was inside, he would need to work extra hard to keep his thoughts from turning dark.
They reached the entrance after a few minutes' walk. Master Cullen paused and turned to make sure that Isabella was still following closely behind. He could see the trepidation in her eyes as she stared up at the Latin greeting above her head. Isabella rubbed her arms and Master Cullen sighed irritably that once again she was out in the cold without a coat.
"Come on. The sooner we speak, the sooner you'll come back to your senses and we can go back inside."
Isabella wasn't so sure that she would ever find an explanation from this man that would warrant going back inside but she wanted answers so she followed willingly. Master Cullen went further in than the last time the two of them were in the maze. There was a perfect place deep within that would hold off the cold the best and Master Cullen believed that if Isabella did try to run again, she would find it very hard to discover the way back on her own.
They had walked for almost ten minutes, taking different turns at every crossroad. As much as Isabella wanted answers she began to feel anxious and confused that she may never find her way out. Master Cullen finally came to a wall covered in ivy. He took two steps to the right and then slowly pushed in a hidden door. He held the door open and looked back to Isabella.
"Ladies first."
Isabella quickly wiped away any sign of fear and puffed out her chest indignantly.
"That's about the first proper thing you've ever said," she replied pushing past him.
She walked in and marveled at the beauty within; a small fountain in the middle and flowers in sporadic patches on the grass. Two intricately carved stone benches rested on the wild grass and even though it was very dark, the moonlight was bright enough to allow Isabella to marvel at the splendor of the hidden garden.
She turned back around and Master Cullen had already entered and closed the hidden door. Isabella looked around and suddenly realized that she had no idea which wall held the door. Every single wall looked exactly identical.
"My daughters believe that they have found every hidden secret to this maze but I know that this is one they have not."
"It's beautiful. You should show them. I imagine that it would be a great place to read during the brighter hours," Isabella commented.
"No. I don't want to share this with them. This…this is for me."
Master Cullen walked toward the bench and sat down sadly appraising the fountain.
"Then why would you want to bring someone like me here…if it's so special."
Master Cullen meant to answer her question but paused thinking better that he not. Instead he thought for a moment before beginning with what she really came here to know.
"Haven has been around for several hundred years. I want to tell you a story. If I may ask one thing of you, please have patience and afford me no interruptions."
Isabella breathed out uneasy and took a seat on the opposite bench.
"Okay," she whispered with a small nod.
Master Cullen stood up from the bench. He walked over toward the fountain and looked into the shallow depths of the water basin.
"Land has always been one of the most prized possessions that people have sought after since the beginning of time. Wars have been fought over land rights, people have died and such is the case for the people in this story. Two families were said to settle and take credit for the founding of Haven. The two families did so at the same exact time. Of course, you could see how that would complicate things. No one would be willing to share even if there was more than enough to go around. So, the two families attempted to stake their claim and it would cause all who settled here a great deal of grief. It was a feud that seemed to never end. Two angry families attempting to harm one another any way they could find. It went on for centuries. Passed on from one generation to the next and forcing the townspeople to take sides. The Cullens, were one of these families."
"No surprise there," Isabella muttered to herself.
Master Cullen snapped back to look at her.
"Sorry." Isabella flushed and tried to apologize.
Master Cullen continued to stare at her until his mouth yielded a small smirk. He walked back toward her and stared down directly into her eyes.
"The Swans, were the other family."
He watched as her jaw dropped slowly and disbelief fell across her face.
"Yes, we were enemies, you and I."
Isabella tried to search through her memories and find any place where this information could be confirmed. Surely her father would have told her that she had family in New York. But, after her grandmother passed, her father never mentioned any other family. Then something occurred to Isabella.
"Were?" She asked.
"Your father and my father came to an understanding and after all those wasted years, they finally put an end to our ancestor's ridiculousness."
"You knew when you hired me that I was a Swan."
"Yes. I knew. I knew and I sought you out."
A chill ran up Isabella's spine.
"Why?" She asked softly. "What do you care if I'm a Swan? Your father and my father put an end to the rivalry. My father left Haven….I guess, so why would you want me back. Without me, you could do what your ancestors never achieved. You could have Haven all to yourself."
"I don't give a damn about Haven. I have everything I could ever want or need….that's unimportant…"He trailed off. "My father respected your father and your father respected my father. So much that they were able to end a war that had lasted since the beginning. I heard your father had passed and you had no one so I did what I knew my father and your father would have wanted. I honored his memory and my father's memory by bringing you here."
"But you don't even like me. You don't have to honor anyone. Whatever obligation you felt the need to fill, you've done your part, so…let me go. Let me return back to reality because this whole place is one flew short of a cuckoo's nest."
Master Cullen was taken aback by her words. Was she really that miserable there? He couldn't understand how living on the streets would be preferable. He was also hurt that she didn't want to stay but she said that he did not like her. That was a fallacy.
"That is not the problem. You have it all wrong." He stood up and started muttering a great many things, many of which, Isabella couldn't understand.
"What do I have all wrong? I don't understand what you are saying, Master Cullen."
Master Cullen stopped in his spot from pacing and looked over to her. It was rare for her to refer to him by that title and he did not like the way it sounded when it came from her mouth. He liked the way Edward sounded when it came from her mouth.
"Don't call me that," He whispered.
Isabella was confused. "It was in your guide…"
"Fuck my guidelines!" He growled. He sat down beside her without thinking. "You really think I don't like you? Why would you think that…I have done nearly everything you have asked…I don't understand what is wrong with you..."
Isabella's eyes widen as she watched her employer go through some sort of meltdown. She began to really think about Master Cullen in a way she had tried to not allow. She looked upon his frustrated face as he spewed words from his mouth that made no sense whatsoever.
"Perhaps this is some kind of Wonderland. Everything here is so backwards," She cut him off from his incoherent ramblings. "The clothes are ancient." She pulled at her long black governess dress. "You speak to me as if we belong in another time. You punish your daughters in a manner consistent with child rearing practices from hundreds of years ago. I don't agree with any of it! I wish you could see what I see when I look at those two darling faces but I think I finally understand the reason you do all of this…put this wall up. You're in pain. Mrs. Cope. Mr. Whitlock. What happened that made you fall into this horrible pain? You said there was a curse," She shook her head, "I don't believe in curses and I think you are too intelligent to believe in them either."
"I don't know what I believe in anymore," He replied softly.
Master Cullen heard every word that came. He had to focus a great deal on what she was saying because her voice was heavenly. It soothed him. How was he to explain himself? It sounded like she needed more from him but he wasn't ready to give up more.
"Edward," She called softly. Isabella pulled his hand into her two small hands and rubbed them gently. "What happened, Edward? You can tell me. I won't judge you. I won't say a word of it to anyone."
She had lulled him. Hypnotized him with just her voice and he felt every defense slowly go down around his heart. He thought about Hope and how he loved her. How could he confide in a stranger, after all wasn't that what Isabella was to him? He had not trusted anyone since Hope with his heart.
Master Cullen's breathing slowed and even though they were surrounded by fresh air, he couldn't concentrate because Isabella's aroma was intoxicating to him. The wall slowly went back up and he turned his hand and took hers instead.
"I can't."
Isabella sighed disappointed but she did not push. She knew that something like this could take a long amount of time before he was able to find the courage to share.
"I'm sorry," She whispered. She began to pull her hand out of his while she stood to step away but he held onto her.
"I don't want you to go."
She didn't want to leave.
"Master Cullen." She began, "I can't in good conscience stay when I know a great injustice is occurring. You wanted a governess that is compliant to your way of life and I have proven over and over that I am not the woman for the position. I know that asking a person to change is like asking a tree that is deeply rooted to move two paces to the left but if you truly cared for your daughters, it is my hope that you will never give up on trying to achieve that difficult task."
She placed a gentle hand upon his cheek.
"Good luck, Master Cullen, I sincerely hope that you find what you need in this life."
She was telling him goodbye. The final squeeze of his hand before she would let go, filled his soul with despair. Like the heavens opened and rained down freezing cold droplets, the brief moment her had left his, snapped him out of his hopeless thoughts. He stood up and took a hold of her hand and just as she was about to protest, he pulled her face to his and molded his lips to hers.
Trampling over some daisies and wild flowers, Master Cullen pushed Isabella up against the wall of ivy, never releasing her from his kiss. It was just as amazing as Isabella remember it. His lips. His taste. It drove her wild but in the back of her mind she knew she could not hope for more. She was the reason he stopped last time. She wanted more and in that moment when she went for it, he remembered himself. Was this happening because he was a man in a desert and she his water or did he really want her? Isabella tried to not over think and allow herself some pleasure but her mind wouldn't allow it.
Master Cullen felt the disconnect. He slowed his pace and gently pulled his tongue out of her mouth.
"I'm sorry," He apologized pulling back only a fraction from her face but his hands still held her securely to the wall.
Isabella shook her head and breathed out softly.
"Please don't be. I…don't know what you need but it hurts when you apologize, so please don't."
She tried to push him aside, embarrassed that once again he had used her but wasn't on the same page. She knew it was wrong to have feelings for this man. He had every trait that she despised; arrogance, pride, temper, and on top of it all a complete lack of feelings for the people he should love most of all. If she were with him, she would just be another person he would push aside and mistreat. He was everything she should despise but there was something about him that erased the list from her mind.
"Isabella," He tugged at her wrist to stop her from retreating.
She looked back at him and questioned his reasoning.
"What is it, Edward? What exactly do you see when you look at me? I cannot be some physical whim to you. I'm not strong enough for that and I guess I have more respect for myself than to let you use me for whatever it is that you need."
"I don't want you to go," he repeated once more.
"Give me a good reason to stay. I cannot condone how you run your house so as an employee I am useless and as a person, I cannot be something that you use to find physical pleasure and then just disregard."
"I don't want to disregard you. Why can't you hear what I am desperately trying to say," He growled frustrated.
"Because, you're not telling me anything, sir."
"Don't call me sir!" He barked.
She stepped back against the ivy wall at his aggressiveness. Master Cullen instantly berated himself for once again frightening her. His temper was something that he would need to work on. It wasn't something he was used to having to monitor.
"God, what do I have to do? Why are you being so obstinate? What is it that you need from me?" He snapped.
Isabella felt the fear leaving her body and being replaced with courage. She pushed off the wall and narrowed her eyes.
"You haven't told me anything new. You know what I want but apparently I have to spell it out for you. You want me to stay? Then get rid of that hideous ruler. Treat your daughters with even an ounce of respect would be a vast improvement. Hell, maybe even give them an encouraging word every once in a while, I promise, their fragile minds won't allow arrogance to rule them for it. Talk to them! Let them speak at meal times, it's not a crime to hear a child's voice, you know. Sometimes there can be a great many things a person can learn from the mouth of a child and you are not exempt from it. Have patience and allow people to be people. Let me try something out and if it does not work then come and tell me in a respectful manner. I am not trying to fight you or make you feel like less of a man, so please don't try and make me feel like less of a woman."
She paused her tirade and allowed her breathing to slow.
"Is that even possible? Do you think you can manage?"
That was certainly a long list that Master Cullen would need to work on. Could he even begin to try? He wasn't sure. He was stuck in his ways for too long. She would need to have as much patience with him as he with her.
His mouth moved to respond but nothing came from it. He noticed that she made no mention of his feelings for her. Did all she care about was how he ran his house, he wondered. She didn't want to discuss where they stood regarding their two forbidden kisses?
He took too long to answer her as he was going over the kisses in his head. Isabella became irritated and once more, she pushed him aside.
"I see that you cannot."
"WAIT!" Master Cullen snapped. "I can try."
She turned back around and appraised him.
"I can try….but it won't be easy for me. Promise that you'll come back to the house and I will try."
She folder her arms over her chest, shivering at the coldness in the air.
"Okay. Fine," She agreed. She turned back around as if she was looking for the way out but truly she did not want Master Cullen to see the rejection she felt. He never did tell her anything more of his true feelings which told Isabella that she was correct in her assumptions that he saw her as no more than a means to an end.
Master Cullen walked over and pushed open the hidden door and allowed Isabella to step outside it before passing her. He could feel there was something off about her but he was relieved that she agreed to stay so he didn't want to push her. He found his way through the maze without thought and used his mind to dissect their conversation instead. Why was she feeling so put out? He gave her want she wanted and agreed to give a lot more than she gave. It wasn't fair that he give up so much when she didn't give him anything.
They were both back within the house in no time. Silently they climbed the stairs and Isabella was relieved to feel the warmth filling her body. Master Cullen stopped suddenly and Isabella nearly crashed into him.
"What are you two doing up at this hour!" He snapped.
Both Rosalie and Alice still remained outside their father's office door as he had requested. They had stood in the same spot for over an hour waiting without dinner.
Isabella pushed Master Cullen aside.
"You told them to wait. They did what you asked," She reminded.
Master Cullen shook his head in disbelief that he had forgotten all about his demand. His daughters did what they were told and for the first time he felt horrible for it.
"Uh…my apologies. Please go down and tell Mrs. Cope to get you some dinner…and then go to bed."
Isabella gave him a warning look in her eyes. He needed to say more than that if she was going to believe that he would try and change.
"Alice. Rosalie," He called them back. The girls turned back around worried that he would remember their grades and perhaps punish them for it.
"Good job, this week….with your work."
Rosalie and Alice shared a look between them.
"I'm…proud of you. Have a good dinner."
Isabella felt her heart soar with his words of affirmation. Alice and Rosalie stood in their spot not knowing how to respond. The words he had spoken were foreign to them.
"Thank you." Alice said.
"Thank you, father," Rosalie replied in unison.
Isabella waited for the girls to be down a couple of steps before turning on Master Cullen.
"You were amazing! Oh…I am so proud of you and I don't mean to sound condescending. That is not my intention. Thank you! Thank you!"
Isabella turned to head off toward her quarters but Master Cullen stepped in front of her and stopped her.
"This isn't fair, you know. I have to change and give into your demands but you don't have to do anything at all. As a teacher, I would think that you would know a thing or two about fairness, Miss Swan."
Isabella scrunched her forehead. She did not know if he was being serious.
"I came back," she pointed out.
He slowly advanced on her.
"Doesn't seem balanced," he challenged.
Isabella let out an uneasy laugh.
"What…do you want?" She mumbled nervously.
Master Cullen pictured a great many things he wanted. He couldn't take his eyes off her as the rush of blood tinted her cheeks. She would not look at him but he was fine appraising the view as is. He took another step toward her and could feel her shallow breaths.
"I'll be sure to let you know…Miss Swan."
Isabella's eyes snapped back up to his face at his suggestive words but his back was already turned and he left her standing beneath the old wooden clock, wondering just what he had in mind.
AN: Thank you for reading and reviewing! I really appreciate your support and am pleased to hear that so many of you have embraced this story. See you next week!
Disclaimer: Story is mine, characters belong to Stephenie Meyer.