Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, unfortunately if I did Carlisle and Jasper would be with me.

Chapter 1 - Escaping Him

1673*

Bella is 18

Bella POV

One day, James traveled to Rome on business, so I took the time to visit my parents, well, my mother, Renee. I knocked on their immense oak door, and after a minute she opened it.

"Oh! Bella! Come in!" she exclaimed, startled, and began showering me with kisses and ushering me inside, quickly slamming the door behind us.

"I didn't…I didn't think 'he' would let you come." My mother whispered, concerned.

"'He is away on business." I replied with a smile across my face.

"Oh! That's wonderful! Come, let's have tea." She said, while walking
briskly towards the kitchen.

"Would you like help, mother?" I asked as I tried to keep pace with her quick feet.

"Of course Bella, dear." She replied.

Then I heard heavy footfalls plodding down the stairs and then my father's voice saying, "Is that my beautiful daughter's voice I hear?" His footsteps seemed…angry.

I gritted my teeth,"Yes, Father I'm here."

He appeared in the kitchen, and with an elegant swoop, like she had been taught all those years ago, my mother turned to him, lowered her head, and asked demurely "Hello, husband. Would you like some tea?"

"No, Renee." He spat.

"Isabella." He said levelly, "I'm hurt that you didn't even bother to greet me before talking to … this useless wanton." He pointed to my mother, and both his dirt-caked finger and his words were like daggers. It took all I had to not begin shaking with anger.

"We will talk later." And by the grave way he said it, I knew our conversation wasn't going to turn out well. He then exited the kitchen as quickly as he had appeared. We could finally talk in peace, or so I thought.

"How is your husband, Bella?"My mother was still shaking. Father was still listening. This must be one of his surprise checks on us.

"Fine, mother. Why do you ask?" I replied as formally as she.

"Well, put me in jail for asking my daughter how her husband is doing!" she 'playfully' teased- though I knew it was all an act, she was trying to lessen the mud-thick tension.

"Of course not, mother." I answered uneasily. Then I heard my father's footsteps retreating. My mother let out a sigh of relief.

"Bella, how is everything?" she asked anxiously.

"Oh, mother, it's so hard!" She looked pained at my sudden showing of emotion.

"But I can bear with it. I suppose." I quickly added. For now… We started the event of bringing the trays out onto the back porch. Father didn't hire any maids or servants, for he didn't want them to spread bad gossip about him. What would the townsfolk say if they knew that the sheriff was so cruel to his family? As soon as we were settled, or as settled as we could be in the stiff patio chairs, I summoned the courage to ask my mother the question I had been wanting to ask for months. Alone, reconnecting after six months without seeing her, I felt that the time was right.
I gulped.

"Mother, should I leave James?"

She already knew that what he was doing to me was almost worse than what Father did to her and I couldn't take it anymore. I had already decided that I was going to leave with or without her blessing. I had heard of openings in a textile mill in Florence. I could seek it out, start a new life. Away from turmoil that was my chaotic home. My Mother just stared at me.

"I'm waiting, Mother." I said insolently, exactly the way I had often been chastised for, first by Father and then by James.

"No! No, of course not Bella." I should have known this would be the way she would react - this the only life she has ever known. Always cowering and becoming emotionless in the presence of men. The idea that she could act freely and without fear is foreign to her. I only know of that life and sought after it because of Jacob. Jacob… he would be devastated when I left, but I knew he'd understand. He knew what I was going through.

"Well what do you suggest I do?" I was interested in hearing her opinion; perhaps she would provide a better way, though, and I hate to think so little of my mother, but I highly doubted it. She closed her tearing eyes and shook her head.

"You just endure it, Bella." She whispered, crying into her hands. "You just endure it."

Just what I suspected she would say.

Later in the afternoon…

"Hello, Father." I said, not concealing the hatred I felt for him as I walked through the usually closed door to his study. I was leaving that night, so I might as well get in my fun while I could've.

"Bella, sit down." He said coldly. I lowered myself into the same chair as I had two years ago, the day when my life had been changed forever.

"I'm sure your husband would not be happy with how you are speaking to
me, and what you have been doing in his absence."

"You are not my nanny" I said flippantly, trying to contain myself. "It is up to my husband to control my actions and not you. I am no longer under your roof, or your tyranny."

"You are correct." He remained unusually calm, in spite of the fact that a woman had dared to insult him. "However," Oh goodness. "since your husband is away, that responsibility now falls to me." I paled slightly and prayed to the good Lord that he didn't notice it.

"No more. I have not called you up to explain man's rule over woman, I called you up here because I have a message for you: Put whatever you are planning , and I know you are planning something, to an end, or the consequences will be worse than even you can imagine."

His brutal threats weren't going to stop me though. It only made me more determined to get away...

The next morning…

After the warning from my father, I needed to leave his house. I hurriedly dressed in a cool morning gown and walked the mile to my friend, Angela's, door. I knocked, and after a very chilly minute, I was led inside by a maid. Angela padded down her elegant marble staircase a minute later, clad in a rich dress of blue damask, no doubt a gift from her husband, and gave a small gasp of surprise when she saw the two small suitcases by my side.

"Bella! Are you going away? Why didn't you tell me? You can't just take off like that! And walking a mile in a morning gown? Are you crazy? You are going to get catarrh of the chest in this fog! Emily! Fetch a doctor for Bella; she needs to be checked for an imbalance of the blood! And she needs some tea! Grab her bags! And get a blanket, for His Lord's sake the girl is shivering! Come, come, Bella!"

"Angie, relax. Yes, I'm going away, I'm not coming back. I'm sorry, but I just can't take James and my father anymore." She looked stunned." When James comes back, can you point him in the wrong direction? I'm going to the reservation to spend the night and then taking a stage coach to Florence. I'm going to seek out work there at a textile mill."

Her eyes widened is surprise so much that I almost thought they were going to pop out of her head and roll to the floor.

"A textile mill in Florence? To work as a…servant?" The idea was repulsive to her. "Bella, you can do so much better…." I shook my head. I had no money. It was all James' really. Who was going to take me in? The main reason I was going to Florence is because I knew no one there, so was less chance of me getting discovered. She exhaled shakily.

"Bella, I see you are set on doing this. So yes, I will point him in the wrong direction. But I hope you're doing the right thing and please come back eventually. I will miss you." Angie knew how stubborn I could be. I would miss her wisdom so much.

"I will Angie. I will."

Later on that night….

"Bella, mind checking on the horses?" Jacob asked.

"Sure Jacob" I replied. I walked out the back door of the small house and into the stables with a gas lamp in hand, not minding the mud, as my white morning dress was already dusted brown from the dirt of the roads. I sighed, I couldn't remember the last time I felt so happy and free. When I reached the stable I suddenly felt a strange breeze, I turned up the flame in order to see properly.

I saw a pairs of eyes, and with a convulsion of horror I realized that James was standing just a few feet in front of me.

I jumped and let out a small shriek. He immediately lunged at me and clasped a filthy hand over my mouth.

"No screaming, Bella. You wouldn't want someone to hear, would you?" He whispered. I struggled in his tight grasp but he was just too strong."But Bella, what are you even doing here in the first place? You didn't try to run away did you?" He paused.

"You did! You naughty girl! Do you know what happens to naughty girls?"
He paused again leaning close and I flinched. I could feel his hot breath on my ear.
"They get punished."

A/N: I'd like to take a moment and thank my wonderful new beta/good friend Ashley! Without her this chapter would've been much worse. So thank you Ashley! So yeah this was Chapter 1 as you can see the story is already starting to take a different turn. I really hope you guys like it so far! Please Review! I reply to each one as long as they aren't anonymous and will be happy to answer your questions as long as they don't spoil the story because..what's the fun in that? Also i'm curious to hear what you think will happen. Don't Forget,

Reviews = Love

Tiffany