Chapter One
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June 1849
It was a warm afternoon in England, where Isabella Swan lived. As it always was there, the weather was hardly sweltering, but instead comforting. Despite the fact that Bella was receiving piano lessons inside of the manor, she was in no way ignorant to the weather and could see how nice the day was from a glimpse out the window. She longed to go outside, to bask in the sunshine, but that was impossible, she needed to concentrate on her lessons.
"Isabella, your fingers need to be light like a lady's, not rough like a ravenous animal," Bella's piano tutor, Mistress Cope chastened. Mistress Cope was a strict middle-aged woman who was quite fond of Bella, but didn't convey her affection in fear of her pupil expecting special treatment. Despite her rather large sweaty hands and bulky build, she was an avid piano player and an old friend of Bella's mother, Lady Renee.
Lady Renee was an uptight woman who cared only for the welfare of herself, and her status amongst her peers. It was a rare occasion to see her smile, as her lips were usually pressed together in a thin line, and her blue eyes always tainted with seriousness. Her only worries in life were centred on what people thought of her, and she strived to keep her family in line. The piano lessons that Lady Renee forced Bella to undergo, as well as other silly pursuits, were mainly conducted so that people would admire her daughter as being a well-respected, and accomplished, young woman worthy of marriage.
Although Bella received lessons free of charge, she was often scolded when she didn't attend, and received punishment – often in the form of a slap. Unlike Mistress Cope, Bella's favourite pastime was not the piano, as expected, but the thrill of running with no bounds. When Bella played the piano, she felt constricted, and needlessly worried that one minuscule mistake would disappoint everyone.
Lady Renee, in particular.
But when she ran, she felt free. As if all limitations had drifted away, never to be seen again, and she could finally breathe the fresh air that she'd been deprived of for so long. All duties, all responsibilities, cares and worries, drifted aimlessly into the clear sky, and all she could feel was the soft texture of the damp grass parting as she bounded through it, the ferns brushing against her warm legs, as she hiked up her skirts, and the wind caressing her flushed cheeks.
Bella sighed, returning to the monotonous present. Her fingers lingered over the ivory keys and she struggled to concentrate. Her mind was in another place today, but not in a fantasy world as it usually was, utilising her vivid imagination. No, today she was imagining how the river may look at present, if any perceivable changes had occurred. Her head was filled to the brim with memories of the river, her mind accessing any that it could find; floating on its waters peacefully with Edward, teaching him how to swim without losing her own limited patience, having picnics on its edge. It was their place, their sanctuary away from everything, where they could simply be themselves. A year earlier the river had been barricaded as it had been deemed dangerous. But the restrictions had been uplifted recently, and since it was Edward's day off from his duties, they planned to stay the afternoon there.
"Start over," Mistress Cope ordered, unknowingly breaking Bella out of her reverie.
"Yes, mistress," she murmured, pushing a dark brown strand of her hair back into place in her neat bun, resisting the urge to run her fingers over the intricate braid formed there. Before she could regain her place in the piece, she was alerted by the noise of something impossibly familiar. Shaking her head with amused disbelief, she rose gracefully –anything but, would have been disapproved in her teacher's eyes – and then danced to the window before suppressing the urge to laugh as she discovered that her suspicions were accurate.
Edward was waiting outside for her, a few pebbles clutched in his hand.
"Very original. Can you not see that I have a piano lesson?" She smiled, any banishment intended in her words entirely weightless from the warmth of her smile.
"Obviously." He rolled his eyes childishly. "But it's past noon, and I was under the impression that you would be accompanying me to the river at this hour, or was I misinformed?" he teased, his eyes sparkling.
"You and that boy," Mistress Cope muttered, shaking her head before courteously leaving the room.
"And so I did." Bella laughed at the coy expression on her best friend's face.
"Well make haste then," he told her impatiently.
"I'll be by your side in a mere second, be patient for once." She snorted in a very unladylike fashion.
"Why don't you just jump? Then you'll be by my side in half a second," he suggested with a grin, daring for her to comply.
"It would be just like you to do that," she muttered.
"Well, it doesn't appear that high." He squinted up at the window as if a sun were obscuring his perfect view of her.
"To you," she amended.
"Well yes, I'll give you that," he laughed. Bella began to grow impatient as she realised that they were wasting precious time.
"Well…" She hesitated, leaning precariously further out over the window-sill.
"Take a risk. There aren't that many opportunities around here," he teased.
"What if my mother were to see me? What then?" she questioned smugly, knowing she had him. "She would throw a fit and her displeasure for you would increase."
"Might as well get it over and done with," he said cheerfully.
"Enough of this. At this rate, the moment we reach the river will be the moment that we have to leave."
"True enough. This trip is sure to be the epitome of my day, and should not be shortened with pointless ramblings. Come on, Bella, do you or do you not want to spend an hour by the river with me?"
"I'll be down in a minute. I swear that one day your patience will be your demise," she said.
"And so it shall," he laughed.
She shook her head in disbelief then stepped away from the window before speech could hinder them any further. She turned to the full-length mirror hanging from the pale rose-coloured wall, wanting to make sure that nothing was out of place regarding her appearance. Her deep brown eyes appraised her thick, elaborately styled dark brown hair, and ran over her pretty dress. She looked at her reflection for a second longer before shrugging and releasing her bun from its tight hold. Her long hair cascaded down her back gently, causing her to smile with satisfaction.
She resisted the temptation of running to Edward, in fear of one of the servants telling her mother, and strode through the villa to the front lawn. The lawn however was another story. When Bella inherited the house, the lawn was the one aspect that she swore she would keep unchanged. What she loved most about it was its natural beauty, how the rose bushes bordered the house but had not even a dream of a thorn, how the golden tulips made a pathway to the house and the ponds thrived with life. The only thing that deemed it unnatural was the wrought iron gate, which kept strangers out, and Bella planned to demolish it first thing when she gained ownership.
All of it disappeared when she noticed Edward watching her intently. He straightened up almost automatically when he caught her eye, and his own swept over the forest as if to seek a distraction.
Bella's parent's manor was hardly far from civilisation, but it was situated at the edge of the sinister forest that had plagued Bella's nightmares since childhood. It wasn't the forest itself that had frightened her. It was the animals that lurked there, silent but deadly. She only felt truly safe when Edward was present, but wouldn't admit such things to him. She hated portraying weakness. The main reason he eased her fear was the fact that if he could deal with a grey wolf when he was ten, Bella believed that he was more than capable of dealing with larger animals such as deer at the strong age of eighteen.
The only thing that Bella believed could possibly deter Edward was her parent's judgements regarding his status, or the loss of their friendship. Although neither of these circumstances had prevailed, Bella still worried incessantly that they would. Edward on the other hand, suffered the first on a daily basis and knew in his heart that the second would never occur. They understood each other perfectly. And today was no different. Like old times; the trip to the river would give them much pleasure.
Edward gave Bella a knowing smile, and she bounded over to him, interlacing their pale fingers. Neither of them cared of the implications of this, not caring what gossip would start if someone happened to see them. Nothing would change between them, as old habits die hard. They knew that they weren't courting and that was enough.
"Finally, this trip has been prolonged long enough." Edward sighed with relief and squeezed her hand lightly. She squeezed it back in the sign that she agreed. Every move between them seemed perfectly synchronised.
"Are we traveling by foot?" she inquired hopefully.
"Of course. Did you expect anything less?" He grinned, knowing of her desire to run and be rid of the place that she considered to be a prison; for a few hours in the least.
"I suppose not. Let's go now." She smiled at him encouragingly.
Their destination could not be reached by traditional routes, and the reason it was prohibited in the first place was for their 'benefit', because they had to wander off the path to get there. Both Edward and Bella knew that it wasn't the sole reason, but neither argued. It wouldn't get them anywhere, only lead to further problems. Fortunately for them, Bella's parents decided that their daughter might behave a little better if she could go to the place that she desired, and that she and Edward weren't foolish enough to get lost in the gloom of the forest. Lady Renee was quite smug when she alleged that they wouldn't be able to find their special spot after all these years and would have no option but to return home. However, unknown to everyone but Edward and Bella, they had created their own path the last time that they had come, by winding red fabric over the trees like Hansel and Gretel.
As they walked, grins surfaced on both of their faces as they perceived that the cloth was still there, the breeze gently swaying it above their heads like a glowing beacon demanding attention. Although the rich red hue of the fabric had faded a little over the years, it was still distinguishable to those who knew what to look for.
They walked for what seemed like no time at all, just chatting about trivial things of no importance, and Bella genuinely felt surprise when the river entered their keen view.
"We're really here already?" she questioned with awe.
"Yes." He laughed at the expression on her flushed face. "It looks the same as it always did."
"That's the beauty of natural things, they never change, and if they do, it's for the good." Bella's fingers skimmed the grass as she spoke, and they both sat down, watching the peaceful and unchanging river.
"Are we going to swim today?" she wondered aloud.
"No, despite the warm weather, I thought that we'd just relax today. Besides, there may be leeches in there," he teased, and chuckled when she unconsciously cowered back in alarm. When she realised of his bantering, she slapped his arm and scowled.
"How humorous!"
"You know what would be even more humorous?" he asked mischievously. She shook her head in confusion. "This." And then he began tickling her until their laughter caused the whole forest to vibrate. Suddenly Edward's face grew sombre and he pulled away.
"What is it?" she asked, instantly on guard.
He frowned. "I was just pondering over how much longer we can have this; this peace, this serenity."
"Oh," Bella murmured.
"Next year, I'll hopefully still be working for your family. But you; your parents will be pushing you to court wealthy men and attend balls. We'll never get to see each other, and your husband will disapprove of our close friendship."
"Well, I'll refuse to attend those balls," she replied stubbornly. Her heart sank as she pondered that. She didn't want to attend balls, and look pretty, prefect and attainable like her sister. She didn't want to marry a man who would expect anything and everything from her. The only man that she would ever dream of being with was Edward. But their relationship would bring so many problems if they had one. Such as the fact that Edward was a member of low class, which alone would create a plethora issues. Most importantly, Edward didn't feel the same way, well at least Bella believed so. In her mind, Edward would have done or said something by now if he felt an inkling of anything like that for her, and he wasn't the kind to hold back. For now, Bella was content being his best friend, his closest confidant.
But with talk of marriage on the horizon, it was a different story altogether. She didn't even want to contemplate their different situations, and how impossible a relationship between their two classes was. Upper class didn't mix with lower class, especially when the woman was the one belonging to upper class. It just wasn't done! Bella hated that rule more than anything else. She hated it more than any restriction or any responsibility. She would do anything to have it uplifted, give anything … be anything.
She bit her lip and carried on with their conversation, trying to not think about things like that. Edward noticed her preoccupation but said nothing for he was lost in his own. They were both filled with dread for the future.
"It is moot point anyway considering that I'm not eighteen for a few more months."
"Have you not seen some of your father's friends? Eighteen is positively old, is it not? There is no doubt that they want you to begin your life immediately."
"I do not wish to play the good house wife. Once I'm married, even more duties will arise and I'll never even get to have even one word with you."
"That is precisely my point." He grimaced.
"What are you trying to suggest?" she asked, serious.
"I just want us to…to prepare in case something like that were to occur. And it will."
"Let's just live in the moment? I can't think of anything I'd cherish more than to be lying here with you. Let us just forget the future for now."
"You're right; it's foolish to think of the future when we have everything laid out in front of us. Although, I can't help but..." he trailed off when he noticed her glare.
"Stop that!" she snapped. "Live in the moment. Please do not dwell on the future!"
"Okay. You're right. You're right." he said hastily.
"See? Now what do you wish to do? It's your choice entirely," Bella murmured a trace of amusement present in her voice.
"Stop talking about such serious matters. Let us just have fun today, indulge ourselves before such things are of importance."
"Such as…" she pressed.
"Well, we've outgrown many things since our last visit." He hesitated.
"So we have, but what did you have in mind?"
"We could climb the trees and gaze below us like we used to," he suggested, with a lazy grin.
She frowned. "That would be highly improper."
"Since when have you ever cared about that?"
"My mother has been embedding these things so deeply into me every second of the day that I fear that they're being permanently carved there. She wants me to act like Alice and I want to live up to her expectations," she explained, her brow furrowed in frustration.
Alice was Bella's sister, younger by only a year, but their parent's believed that her maturity was far above Bella's. Bella didn't agree with this notion. She resented Alice a little for that fact, and for her stunning appearance. Alice was slim, had even proportions, and even her freckles enhanced her beauty. Like Bella, her eyes were a light brown and she was fair skinned, but her hair was the opposite of her sister's. Alice's hair was a striking midnight black which was shorter than most girls had it, but impossibly silky. Despite the slight envy, Bella and Alice were quite close, and whenever Edward wasn't present due to his responsibilities, Alice was. Alice was the only person who approved of Edward, and they were friendly acquaintances. But then again, everyone liked Alice with her friendly disposition and selfless heart.
"You are your own person and Alice is too." He smiled gently. "Live up to your own expectations."
"If only it were that easy." She sighed.
"If only," he agreed wistfully, still lost in his own thoughts. His parents didn't entertain the idea of Bella's friendship with him either, and he knew that it would become more difficult as time progressed and they grew older. The last thought deeply depressed him. He didn't know why he was so unwilling to let go of their friendship, but the answer was clear to anyone who spent time around he and Bella.
It would take the both of them months to figure out precisely what it was, and by then it would be too late. Neither knew what they would soon have to endure, and took everything for granted. They continued to play around at the river while they still had time to waste.
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