Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, Meyer does, and that's the whole problem! All right, no copyright infringement is intended.
Author's Note: Phew! Exams, a wedding in the family, unforeseen travels, all worked together to drain the energy out of me. I'm so sorry that I couldn't update sooner. But real life pulled me back :-(
Plus, writing a historical piece needs so much research! I had to edit my stuff again and again to keep it consistent with the Victorian times. But I'm so glad I finally came out of hiding and delivered this chapter. Of course, I'm thankful for the support my reviewers gave me through this month.
As for Jasper's accent reading - Basically, just keep this in mind, Yorkshire accent deletes the letter 'H'. So, if someone says something that has 'H' in it, then he removes 'H' from it all together. EXAMPLE: help= 'elp; hell= 'ell; have= 'ave ...and so on. Just remember one thing, 'H' is always replaced by an apostrophe. Then you can read the accent without any problem.
So I'm not gonna keep ya'll waiting, go ahead and dig in!
"Turn to your side, Mademoiselle," the seamstress instructed Isabella as she took her measurements, while her assistant noted them down.
With less than a fortnight to go until the wedding, the preparations were going on hurriedly. The Parisian seamstress and her assistants had reached Masen the manor in the morning, to work on Isabella's wardrobe. Alice was the one to call them; she had made the arrangement prior to coming to Forks Prairie.
She observed the group as they worked on Isabella, while Angela had a look at the dress materials, sitting at a distance. Her subconscious had prompted her to stay away from Alice, even though she found her very genial otherwise.
"This velvet is so soft, and the color will suit Issy," Angela gushed as she stroked the maroon fabric. "I must say, Alice, you have a knack of attaining just the right things. It appears as though you had already seen Issy, even before meeting her."
Alice giggled, happy that her psychic power was put to good use. "Thank you, Angela, I'm glad that you approve."
"Approve? I adore everything you bought!" Angela waved at the ensemble of fabrics, excited at the prospect of seeing Isabella dressed like a queen. "And the wedding gown is going to be one dazzling piece. Issy will look regal."
Isabella still hadn't seen the fabric chosen for the wedding dress. From what she could hear, it was to be luxurious and bedizened. She didn't feel the enthusiasm of Alice and Angela regarding the dress. Pondering about anything related to her wedding made her stomach twist uncomfortably. It filled her with contradictory feelings of repulsion and anticipation.
She sighed quietly, holding her arms up to give way to the seamstress. It made her feel like a puppet, being manoeuvred on the whims of a tailor, thorough with her measurements. Isabella surveyed the spacious room, her eyes flitting to the seamstress's assistants—shuffling about with their work; then toward Alice and Angela—chattering away. As she watched the hubbub around her, a strange feeling of isolation gripped her, accentuating her restlessness. She wanted peace, something to calm her nerves, but didn't know where to seek it.
Once the seamstress was done with her, she waved at Alice and Angela. "I'm still here, if you both care to notice."
Alice got up and sashayed in her direction, smiling broadly at her. "Oh, Bella, you look so relieved that the measurements are over." A bell-like laugh erupted from her, surprising Isabella with its lilting vibration.
She then pulled Isabella in a corner, and spoke softly into her ear, "Bella, can I ask you about something?" But as she tried to formulate her question, the seamstress interrupted her.
"I'm done with the measurements Madame Whitlock, now I need to know which fabric is to be made into what type of dress."
Alice almost growled at her, but seeing her proximity to Isabella, she reined her anger in quickly. Her vampiric arrogance surfaced on occasions where she wasn't given a free access, especially when humans interrupted her. The memory of her own humanity was lost to her; she only knew of being a vampire, and vampires preferred instant gratification.
But Alice had learned to practice humanity and patience under Carlisle's guidance, hence, she regained her composure and steered the seamstress toward the fabrics. She decided to prod Isabella later, when they would be choosing fabrics for her dresses.
Alice asked Isabella and Angela to join her in choosing the designs, while her mind still lingered on the question she wanted ask Isabella. It had bothered her ever since she first saw the vision of Isabella saying 'yes' to Edward's marriage proposal.
Meanwhile, Isabella stared at the plethora of fabrics in front of her. The variety of dress cloth boggled her mind, and she got confused easily. Choosing the fabrics from this assortment looked like a mountainous task to her.
"What ever you decide, I'm fine with that," Isabella told Alice courteously so that she wouldn't have to choose. "I'm not very good at deciding upon the designs and fabrics. I think you and Angela are better than me in this field."
"Bah! Humbug!" exclaimed Angela, "You're just trying to wriggle away, Issy."
Isabella couldn't help but smile, "No, Miss Scrooge, I was very sincere when I said that." She was glad that she had a friend like Angela, who was capable of lightening her mood under any circumstance.
"Oh yes, Angela, you're right, she's trying to shirk." Alice held Isabella's arm as she made her sit with them and select the fabrics.
"So, Bella?" she asked, as they weaved through the cloth collection, "You haven't told me how you met my brother. And more importantly, how did you two fall in love?"
Both Angela and Isabella went silent at her question. The silence grew as Alice waited for a response, but none came.
The seamstress noted the tense atmosphere as well, but continued with her work, as quietly as possible.
Then, Angela spoke lightly, to ease the growing discomfort inside the room, "Hasn't he told you himself?"
Alice shook her head in dismay, "No, he doesn't say much. I've tried to prod him, but he's unrelentingly stubborn. Hence, I asked Bella, but she seems tongue-tied as well."
Isabella's eyes darted here and there, as she tried to devise an answer to Alice's embarrassing question. "He…," she began, "saved my life." She hesitated in telling the rest of the story, owing to the presence of outsiders.
Alice nodded, and waited for her to continue. Angela, on the other hand, looked nervously at her, for she knew why Isabella was hesitating.
Isabella closed her eyes in an attempt to calm herself, she didn't want to talk about this issue, but Alice's imploring eyes were softening her resolve to avoid it.
As if gauging her discomfort, Alice spoke up, "Bella, it's all right if want to tell me some other time. You don't have to divulge everything, I just wanted to know the gist. I suppose, my brother as the rescuer should be a good beginning."
"Yes, moreover, I think you should pester your brother as well, for the said gist," Angela quipped, "After all, even we don't know what is his side of the story."
Isabella shot Angela a warning look; she didn't want a discord with Alice, who had been very amiable with her.
"Or perhaps," Angela continued, disregarding Isabella's warning, "Issy might tell you all about it. You ought to know…"
Alice's eyes narrowed at Angela's cryptic words, and she made a mental note to probe Edward. She could understand—from Angela's words—that something wasn't right in this union between Isabella and Edward. Even her visions appeared to be contradicting themselves.
"Pestering my brother—I'll surely do that, Angela. Edward has been evading me ever since we arrived," Alice said coolly, then turned her attention back to the cloth selection, for the seamstress was waiting.
That gave temporary relief to Isabella, who was having a hard time dealing with the uncomfortable issue of Edward's proposal.
By evening, the toil of deciding upon Isabella's trousseau was complete. Alice saw the seamstress and her assistants off to their chambers, situated close the mansion.
Upon returning, she came to face Jasper, who had just come back from a hunting trip with Edward. The presence of humans around the house posed a threat to his control, which is why Edward had persuaded him to go hunting.
Alice looked up at him and brushed a stray lock of hair from his forehead. "Where's Edward?"
"Where else wood 'e be? With 'is 'uman, of course," he replied sarcastically. "Come with me for a walk in the woods. I've not been able spent time with you at all, you're too busy these days." (Where else would he be? With his human, of course. Come with me for a walk in the woods…)
Alice smirked at his suggestion, knowing full well what this 'walk' might entail.
He bent down and brushed his lips to hers. "Please, Ally," his words vibrated on her lips.
"All right." She pulled back and held his arm as they both flitted toward the woods.
Jasper stopped as they came upon a clearing in the dense forest. "You do like Isabella a lot," he stated amusedly.
"Aye, of course I do, don't you like her?" she asked him playfully as she ruffled his wavy golden hair.
"As food," he replied jocularly.
Alice tried to pretend annoyance, but Jasper's charm worked on her and rendered her defenceless.
"But we've not come to the woods to discuss Edward's 'uman doll, eh?" He pulled her into his lap as he sat down.
"I suppose not…" she sighed as he captured her lips again.
And then it struck, a vision of Isabella—being drained pale by a ravenous Edward as she struggled against him, and then went limp in his arms while he sucked the life out of her.
Alice gasped aloud, detaching herself from Jasper, who looked at her gloomily. He rubbed her shoulders and calmed her down with his power. "What did you see, Ally?"
"Bella," she whispered, numb with Jasper's calm, "Dead…"
Edward knocked on the door to Alice's chamber, where Isabella and Angela sat, waiting for Alice to return. He could feel the distinct heartbeat of Isabella as she approached the door. He had grown accustomed to her heart's vibration, and yearned to be near her pulse again.
"Alice," Isabella said without looking up as she opened the door, "what took you so lo…ng." Her voice lost its firmness as she finally noticed that it wasn't Alice at the door.
"Good evening," Edward greeted her, reaching for her hand.
"Same to you…" A small tremor passed through her as he brought her hand to his lips. Almost instantly, her restiveness disappeared. She wasn't feeling agitated anymore, and that surprised her.
"Come with me." He pulled her out of the room and held her waist as he greeted Angela, who had walked up to them. "I'm taking Bella with me for a while, would you mind?"
He unleashed his brilliant grin on Angela, who looked dazed under its effect.
"Not at all," she mumbled distractedly as she saw him whisk Isabella away.
Isabella noticed her friend's reaction to Edward's charm. "You really shouldn't do that to people," she said as he opened his bedroom door for her.
"Do what?"
"Dazzle them—Angela looked so dazed."
He blinked, his expression unchanged, but he looked confused nonetheless.
"You have to know the effect you have on people," Isabella said warily, narrowing her eyes at him.
He tilted his head to one side, his eyes curious. "I dazzle people?"
"You haven't noticed? Do you think everybody gets their way so easily?" Now she felt uneasy to have raised the issue. She lowered her eyes and sat down on one of the carved rosewood chairs in his room.
Edward remained silent, still pondering on Isabella's accusation. Then, walking around the chair, he bent down from behind her and whispered in her ear, "Do I dazzle you?"
His cool lips grazed her ear as he lingered there.
"Frequently," she whispered back, while her heart flipped a beat.
Growing more adventurous, Edward pulled her lobe in his mouth and sucked on it.
Breathing heavily, Isabella closed her eyes in the effect of an unknown pleasure. Edward's tongue darted out and probed the sensitive skin of her ear. She whimpered, mumbling his name softly as she enjoyed his cold tongue on her lobe.
Sooner than he would have liked, Edward had to remove himself from Isabella's delicious skin. Her growing blush was threatening his control, and he knew his eyes were darkening as well.
"I wanted to give you something," he said as he glided around the chair to the large wall mirror facing his bed. "Come here." He waited for her to respond, while he checked his reflection, to see if his eyes had lightened back to their original color. They were recovering their golden tint.
Isabella stood up, slowly regaining her senses, and walked toward the newly acquired mirror. "This wasn't here before," she noted, eyeing the intricate floral designs on the lime wood and the lifelike cherubs that adorned the mirror's edges.
"You're observant." He smirked and positioned her in front of the mirror. "Stay here," he told her as moved away.
Isabella wondered what he was up to, but he didn't keep her waiting. In the mirror, she saw his hands snaking around her neck, something twinkling between them. As he spread his hands, it became clearer.
"A necklace?" she asked as he adjusted it around her neck and closed its loop.
"What else does it look like?" he teased her, "Of course, it's a necklace."
It was a stunning piece, bejewelled in oval ruby cabochons and silver filigrees with diamond teardrops.
"You have a special affection for rubies," her voice grew timid as he nuzzled her neck from behind.
Edward wanted to enjoy the warmth of her skin again, and he gave in to the pleasure as his lips touched her neck.
"Rubies are warm and inviting." He kissed her neck, sliding his hands around her waist to pull her back into him. "Which gemstone has your affections?" he asked her, an effort to keep himself distracted from his parched throat.
Isabella sighed and lolled her head against his chest, giving him more access to her neck. "Sapphires," she gulped, "are nice…"
"Hmmm," He hummed into her neck, tracing her creamy skin with his lips to memorize its softness. Then, unable to control himself, he started sucking on her pulse point.
Isabella's eyes widened from the sensation his mouth evoked; she had felt these strange tingles before. She forced her foggy mind to function, but the memory was faint, and her efforts to recall were weak. Her hands came up to her waist, and gripped his cold hands to ease them off her. But Edward grasped them and laced his fingers with hers, keeping their entwined hands attached to her waist.
Her cautionary human instinct issued a warning to her, telling her to move away from him, but it went unheard.
"Bella…" Edward murmured into her neck, his voice wavering with the effort of keeping himself under control.
Suddenly, the bedroom door opened and Alice came barging inside the room. Isabella gasped in surprise, while Edward disengaged himself from her in haste.
"Alice?!" he yelled at her for intruding in his private space.
"I'm really sorry, Edward, but I think I should take Bella home now." Alice tried to tame down her panicked expression, not wanting to expose anything to Isabella.
Edward stared at her, confused by her strange behaviour. He wasn't in the mood to let Isabella go, he wanted to spend more time with her. "You've been busy all day, Alice, take some rest. I'll escort her home, along with Angela."
"You've been busy yourself, Edward, even more so than me. I'll manage." Alice knew that Edward wouldn't give up easily, so without much ado, she showed him her latest vision.
He recoiled immediately, backing away from Isabella in a hurry. The vision jolted him like a lightning strike; it was the last thing he wanted to see, wherein he killed his would-be wife. The intensity of the vision accentuated his thirst for Isabella's blood, and he had to move back.
Edward's bizarre reaction puzzled Isabella, to whom he appeared to be having a seizure. She reached out to help him but he cowered away, holding his head in hands.
"Alice…?" Isabella mumbled anxiously, looking at her with questioning eyes.
Alice didn't answer her, she only looked at her apologetically. "Jasper!" she called out, grabbing Edward's shoulders to steady his shaking form, "Please come here and help Edward!"
By the time Jasper came, Angela had come out of the room, looking curious. She saw Edward struggling inside the room, while a bewildered Isabella met her eyes.
Alice nudged Isabella out of the room, to keep her at a safe distance from Edward. She came out behind her, asking her and Angela to return to her chamber.
"I'm sorry, Bella," she said, wanting to give a valid explanation as they entered her room, "Edward has a problem of severe headaches, which strike without warning."
"Oh… I see," Isabella stared ahead blankly, letting the information sink in.
Angela assessed her reaction, especially the worry lines on her forehead. Well, I suppose, she does care for him… just not ready to admit it yet, she thought.
"Please take him to a doctor?" Isabella clasped Alice's hands, her eyes full of concern. "There must be a cure? How often does it happen?"
"My father is a doctor, Bella, he'll take care of Edward. It doesn't happen often, I assure you. Don't worry, he'll be fine." Alice felt the guilt of deceiving Isabella, but she knew that there was no other way to explain her brother's strange behaviour. She had clearly underestimated his reaction to her vision.
"I forgot about Dr. Cullen." Isabella nodded, looking reassured. "So, what do you do when he suddenly suffers from this headache?"
"Well," Alice racked her brain for a plausible reply, "first of all, he doesn't have them that regularly. Even then, you don't need to bother yourself about it, we'll be nearby only."
Isabella still didn't look satisfied with her answer.
"All right," Alice rolled her eyes, "just get him to rest, and don't try to feed him anything. Then call for us."
"Hmm, I'll keep that in mind." Isabella bit her lower lip in concentration, as she committed Alice's advice to her memory.
"Good, so let me take you home now." Alice motioned for them to move out of the room and follow her outside the manor.
Isabella halted near Edward's room, and turned to Alice, "Can I see him?"
"Bella, let him rest for the time being. You can see him tomorrow." Alice sighed, frustrated with her insistence.
Angela smirked at both of them, amused at Isabella's contradictory behaviour towards Edward.
Alice called for the carriage as they came outside. She felt relieved for once, that she had managed to keep Isabella away from the truth.
Alice and Isabella were alone inside the carriage, after having dropped Angela at her home. Both were silent, as they travelled on the path to the Swan residence. Alice was having a hard time staying quiet; she wanted Isabella to initiate the conversation, so that it wouldn't be a forced one. Isabella, conversely, waited for Alice to say something. Hence, the odd silence prevailed.
Finally, Alice couldn't take it anymore and succumbed to her urge to converse.
"Bella," she rested her hand on Isabella's shoulder as she spoke, "I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry if my probing about you and Edward made you uncomfortable. I just wanted to know about it, out of general curiosity."
Isabella shrugged in response, feeling less embarrassed about it. She concluded that telling everything to Alice wouldn't change anything. She should know, if she already doesn't, she thought.
"Its fine, Alice, I'll tell you."
Alice smiled at her reassuringly, to coax Isabella to speak further. She was excited to hear about her brother's love story. Even though she'd had the vision of Isabella agreeing to marry Edward, she couldn't see the whole story through her powers alone.
"Mr. Masen—well he asked my uncle for my hand—and in return, he promised to exonerate him of all his debts," Isabella exhaled heavily, as if a burden had lifted from her shoulders.
Alice's expression remained unchanged, though internally, a storm raged inside her. And here I thought that this association stemmed from mutual love and attraction. Have my visions started failing me?
"That's the gist," Isabella turned and looked away, "As for how we met… It was a stormy night, I was travelling back home and lost my way. Following a rough trail, I reached his house, where he took me in and saved me from the cold."
"Bella," Alice prompted her to turn back at her, "please tell me something…"
Isabella nodded and gave her approval.
"Is this a forced settlement? Are you marrying my brother only because you feel compelled to do so?"
Filled with discomfiture, Isabella lowered her eyes. She knew that admitting to Alice's insinuation would mortify her, but there was no denying that it was true.
"It's fine, Bella, your silence is enough for an answer. You needn't spell it out," Alice gritted her teeth in annoyance. "It's just that—I thought that both of you wanted this union in consequence to love."
"No Alice, I'm fine with this union," Isabella was quick to make amends; she didn't want Alice to confront Edward. "After all, I was meant to get married one day, so why not now, to your brother? And I'll be living close to my uncle, be able to see him every other day. Viewing it from that perspective, it's a very favourable match for me." She tried to sound joyful and convincing.
"But Bella, you don't love him!" Alice wanted to hide Isabella away from Edward, she felt the alarm of the situation Isabella was in. She doesn't know what she's getting herself into. He's a vampire! Alice screamed inside her head.
"Most marriages are arranged like this only, Alice. I'm happy with everything …the way it is." Isabella attempted to restate her point by smiling at her. "Your brother has been kind to me. And see, I got such a lovely sister-in-law in you."
Alice shook her head in consternation. Isabella's tolerant nature only added to her anxiety. How do I tell her that her future is an uncertain one? She'll either get killed or be changed by him. And that isn't fair, because she doesn't love him. I never expected Edward to be so cold-hearted.
Isabella seemed notice the change in Alice's demeanour. "Alice, please, just let it be. Don't discuss this with Mr. Masen, for my sake, and for his health's sake."
Even though Alice wanted to raise this issue with Edward, she nodded, and assured Isabella, "It won't be a problem, Bella. I just wanted to know, and now I do know. Don't worry, nothing will change."
Isabella sighed in relief as Alice returned her smile.
By that time, they had reached the Swan residence. Alice saw Isabella off and headed back home, determined to seek the answers from Edward.
Upon reaching her residence, she went straight for the woods situated in the back of the manor, where she knew she would find her brother. Edward had decided to go there to calm himself after seeing her vision, taking refuge in the green labyrinth.
He sat crouching over a fallen tree, clearly not welcoming the intrusion from Alice.
"Edward," she said coolly, to make him ease his stance. "I think you already know why I'm here."
Edward straightened up and stood tall over her, but his demeanour remained hostile. He could hear her thoughts, and they were livid.
"There are many things floating inside your rotten head, Alice, which one is the main cause of your concern?" he asked sardonically.
She stared back at him, her eyes searing. "You're going to kill her."
"Nonsense!" he roared, "I'm strong enough to control! Don't you dare show me that phony vision again."
"My visions aren't phony, Edward. You know that!"
Alice repeated the crystal clear vision inside her head, where Isabella was in Edward's clutches, pale and cold, and very surely dead.
"Alice!" Edward bellowed as he saw the vision, "I'm not going to kill her! Don't use your tricks on me. I knew you would do this, that is why you came here!"
"You know that isn't true, Edward. We all want your happiness," Alice crossed her arms over her chest, "but not at the cost of someone else's precious life."
"You do know that I used to drink from humans a while back? You're being dramatic, because you want to deny me the thing I've wanted all my existence!" He walked past her and punched a hole into a nearby tree. "But I won't back away from now on. I won't let you take her away from me."
"You're going to ruin her! And…," Alice hesitated to say the words aloud, she doesn't even love you.
"She responds to me, she even initiated the first intimate contact between us," he sneered at her.
"Really?" Her eyes bulged with disbelief. I don't believe you, Edward.
"I cannot help you with that; but that's the truth," he stated smugly.
"Fine." She grated her teeth, still having a hard time believing him. "But there's another thing that's bothering me."
He eyed her dubiously, but waited for her to continue.
Why did you react so dramatically upon seeing my vision?
Edward averted his eyes and turned away from her, wedging his fingers into his unruly hair. "I don't understand, what do you mean by dramatically?"
His evasive response made her suspicious. "Why would you react to a human death like that, when you're so used to killing them?"
"Because I'm going to marry that particular human, Alice. What is so difficult to understand about that?" He didn't change his stance, keeping his back to her.
"Why would you care so much for a human? After all, what is so special about her?" she dragged on, resolute on getting the truth out of him.
"I like her company." He turned around to face her at last, his face impassive.
Do you love her? She asked tentatively.
"You're embarrassing me with such unabashed questions, Alice, stop it." He fibbed annoyance.
All right, she persevered, ignoring his fake anger, then why do I see you killing her? It doesn't make sense. I should have seen her being changed, if anything. Why would you kill her, when you've stopped drinking from humans?
"I have no idea, Alice, which is why it shocked me." Edward knew exactly why Alice had this vision—because of the uncontrollable thirst he felt around Isabella. He knew that Alice would raise hell if he ever told her the truth about his thirst for Isabella. Alice would try to stop him from marrying Isabella, and he didn't want that to happen.
"Oh!" Alice gasped suddenly, "I think I know. She'll get hurt… there will be blood. And you won't be able to control yourself."
Edward pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration, knowing that Alice was right. Isabella was human, and humans got hurt often. Such a situation—where Isabella cut herself—might overwhelm him, and evoke his vampire instinct to bite her.
"I'll have to be cautious, very cautious."
But, would that be enough, Edward? How will you stop yourself? And besides that, why don't you just change her before anything bad happens? Alice tried to suggest a solution to the problem.
"I won't do that! I'll just stop breathing…"
Alice wiggled her head and gesticulated animatedly with her hands. What?! You won't change her? Why…?
"That's right. I won't. That's just how I want this to be. Now don't prod me any further. No more questions, Alice." Edward tilted his head in the direction from where Alice had come, suggesting her to leave.
"It's night already. I suppose you wouldn't come back until morning?" she asked, giving him a mental picture of Isabella's bedroom.
"I'm not going there tonight, now stop badgering me!" He glared at her, angry at her intrusiveness.
"Fine! But let me tell you, Edward, I'm still not trusting those stunted answers you gave me." Flashing him a swirl of her fingers, Alice dashed back to the mansion.
Edward stayed in the forest all night, thinking up a valid explanation for his obsession with Isabella, for he knew Alice wouldn't give up trying.
"Issy?"
Silence…
"Isabella?"
More silence…
"Bella?"
Instantly, her head turned towards Angela. "Hmm?"
Angela gave her a quizzical look. "I'm don't know what to say for your partiality towards 'Bella,' but, well… where were you?"
Isabella raised her eyebrows, and then crunched them together. She knew what Angela meant by that question, but didn't know how to answer it.
"I'm not sure," she answered after a long gap.
"I know that it's difficult for you, but the more you think about it, the more you get lost inside the puzzle." Angela gave her a tight hug. "Why don't you just distract yourself with something?"
"And what do I distract myself with?" Isabella asked in frustration.
"Read something? I don't know, Issy, do something that can take your mind off the wedding …and Mr Masen."
"I've read everything I have, my collection doesn't hold my attention anymore," Isabella said dryly, her eyes still far away, lost in her confused state regarding Edward.
"You've read my collection as well, you're a bookworm." Angela grumbled.
Then, an idea struck Isabella. "The attic!"
"What's inside the attic?" Angela gave her another questioning look.
Isabella's expression brightened as she explained, "I'll clean the attic. There's a lot of clutter in there, and I've been avoiding it ever since I came here." She clasped her hands and rubbed them together in anticipation. "That room is like a dumping place, and I know that my uncle isn't going to clean it up on his own."
"Well, good luck with that." Angela smiled tentatively; she couldn't understand why a cleaning task would make her friend happy. "I have to leave now any way. My mother wanted me to be back early. Will you be fine?"
Isabella nodded at her, "Just go home and stop worrying for me. I'll be fine."
Angela shared a parting hug with Isabella, and then hurried back home.
Without wasting any time, Isabella got to the task of cleaning the attic. As she had thought, the attic was full of stuff that needed to be thrown away. But there were a few things that surprised her, for she never expected them to be in the attic, gathering dust. The most intriguing one was a strange typewriter, not as bulky as the one she had seen in her father's study. She kept it aside and decided to inquire Charles about it.
By evening, she had cleared almost all the clutter inside the room, except for a small wooden cabinet.
"Let's see what is inside this," she mumbled to herself as she tried to open the drawers of the cabinet. At first, they didn't give, having stayed closed for a long time. She pulled again, with more power, and this time, one drawer opened.
Inside it, she found a small stack of yellowed papers. They were filled with strange text, which contained only capital letters. She skimmed through the entire lot, and not even once did the wall of capital letters break. Random blotches over the script, and the coarseness of the letters suggested that these pages were typewritten. She also noted that they were numbered, but not arranged accordingly.
She rearranged the stack according to the page numbers, and found that this strange script had a title, a very ordinary one at that.
"Pomegranate Seeds," She read the heading aloud, as though it would make sense to her that way. A recipe cannot be that long. So, could it be an ode to everything containing pomegranate seeds? she mused.
To see if her presumption was right, she read the first paragraph of the script. It confused her further, as it contained nothing relating to a pomegranate. Reading another paragraph, she was sure that this script wasn't a tribute to the seedy fruit. She decided to take the pages with her, and read the whole script, for it intrigued her.
Opening the rest of the drawers, she found several things. There were a few books on Greek and Roman mythology—most of which weren't in English—and some hand written notes.
She cleaned the cabinet and settled everything in order inside the room. Picking up the script of Pomegranate Seeds along with the books and notes, she headed for her room.
After taking bath, she dressed and combed her hair, all the while thinking about the pile of typewritten pages she had found in the attic. Who typed it? I'm almost sure that it was typed from that typewriter I found there.
Unable to contain her curiosity, she retrieved the script from her table to give it a read, and sat in her rocking chair. Even though the capital letters made it difficult to read, she persevered and continued to plough through it.
A few pages into the script, she realized that it was a story, based on a Greek myth. It told the tale of Persephone, the daughter of goddess Demeter, and Hades, the god of the Underworld. Isabella hadn't read much about them, since they were rarely depicted in art. From what she knew, Hades was always portrayed as an evil god who abducted Persephone and forced her to marry him. Even the script of Pomegranate Seeds depicted him as a dark and sinister figure. He always kept his distance from other gods of the pantheon, who feared him. Persephone, on the other hand, was shown as the beautiful young woman, full of warmth and innocence.
"Hades was enamoured by her pulchritude, but didn't have the patience to court her, so he decided to abduct her instead," she read to herself, letting the sentence sink in. "As if abducting her would help the matters. Couldn't he just ask her politely?"
She put the text aside and got up. It was time to make dinner, so she headed for the kitchen.
Charles arrived an hour later, just in time for dinner. "Hey Issy, how was your day?" he smiled at her, but his eyes remained sad.
"Nice," Isabella replied, showing false enthusiasm to cheer him up. "I cleaned the attic."
"The attic? Why?" His expression changed, surprise replacing the glum.
"Because I knew that you wouldn't do it on your own. It has been like that—dirty, ever since I came here, Uncle."
"It has been like that ever your Aunt Clara passed away…," he said in a small voice, looking out the window dejectedly.
"Oh! I'm so sorry, Uncle, I didn't know—I mean, you didn't want it cleaned?" she wittered frantically, clasping and unclasping her hands nervously. What have I done? Is there any way I can make amends? Oh God!
"Issy, no dear, it's all right," he assured her, holding her hands to stop her anxious mumbling, "I'm happy that you did it. And you're probably right, I wouldn't have made the effort to clean it up. You did me a favour, my child." He tried to sound amused, but his eyes still looked aggrieved.
She stared wide-eyed at him. "You're not mad? I didn't want to renew the pain, Uncle, I'm sorry."
"Why would I be mad, Issy? Don't be ridiculous. And you did the right thing, I would have never attempted to clean it, owing to the memories. I feel relieved that you did it."
She breathed a sigh of relief. "So can I ask you something?"
He nodded in approval.
"I found a typewriter and a small cabinet filled with papers and books—are they yours?"
"No, they're Clara's," he replied with a thoughtful look, "And it's a Caligraph you found there, not a usual typewriter. I don't know what those papers are all about. She was an avid reader, and I think she was writing something as well. But after her death, I never ventured into that room. It was her study, where she used to spend her free time."
Isabella expected him to show grief, but the thoughtful expression remained.
"She was a woman of many talents, Issy. She studied history in detail, and was intrigued by ancient European history. I never delved into her literary world, for it was beyond me." He shook his head and smiled weakly, remembering the days when his wife was in perfect health.
"I didn't mean to disturb anything, but I found her script, I think," she murmured, drawing his attention back to her, "Can I read it?"
"I think your aunt would have surely wanted you to read her scripts. Go ahead." He patted on her head affectionately, his eyes warm.
After having his dinner, Charles disappeared into his room, citing tiredness. Isabella cleaned up the table, and then retreated back into her room.
She took the script with her to the bed, more interested than ever. It was a memento of her late aunt, and she wanted to know more about it.
Reading further, she reached the point the where Hades took Persephone to the Underworld and offered her to marry him.
"Marry me, become the Queen of the Underworld, and I promise you that I'll let you go back to your mother." Isabella felt uneasy upon reading that line, but she didn't want to acknowledge the reason behind it. A small voice repeated the words of another, very familiar man to her, which weren't in a very different light than Hades's.
I'm ready to relinquish all of the money that you have borrowed from me… on one condition. That you agree to give your niece's hand in marriage… to me.
Disturbed by the memory, she put the script back on her table and closed her eyes, willing herself to sleep. The efforts employed in cleaning the attic had left her tired, thus, her body gave in easily. She dozed off quickly, her mind spiralling into deep slumber, stepping in the realm of Hades.