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LadySharkey1 rocks my world by being the most amazing, kick-ass beta I could ever imagine.
Belmont Island, Maine
Friday, March 16, 1951
7 PM
"Thank you, good man!" Edward groaned, slamming the martini back that the stiff-looking butler had handed to him in one big gulp; his hand already reaching out for the next. If he was going to make it through the night—heck, the entire weekend—he was going to need copious amounts of liquor.
If the butler thought anything about his behavior, he didn't let it show. If some of the people gathered in the elegant room would have known his thoughts, though, they would have been outraged.
A true English gentleman, Sam Uley had received his training in one of those old, English country houses that belonged to a family both noble in rank and in behavior. In their house, he'd risen from valet to the highest rank in the household. Unfortunately, like in so many families of that age, money had ran out and when the family had been forced to sell their assets, they had to let go of most of their staff as well. For Sam, a difficult couple of years had dawned as most rich families were looking to downsize their staff and many others like him were looking for employment.
In the end, a desperate move had brought him to the US where a chance meeting in New York had put him in the path of the eccentric director in whose household staff he'd joined almost eight years earlier. He hated it; the country, its people, his employer…not even the weather could meet his approval. It was a world of difference from the order and hierarchy he'd known and loved in his home country.
The people gathered under his employer's roof that weekend were amongst the lowest of all lifeforms he'd met so far. Not exactly a stranger to passive-aggressiveness or unfriendly rivalry, he was just used to seeing it done with class and decency, and not with the brazen forwardness that characterized some of the upstart lowlifes he was meant to serve that weekend.
He sighed as he replenished his stock, already thinking about the tales he was going to tell Mrs. Cope, the cook, and the only one in the entire castle who understood his predicament. The small, raven haired little trollop had already made for some tragic tales of what human civilization had been brought down to.
Meanwhile, blissfully unaware of the scathing opinion the butler had of them, the men had gathered in anticipation of the arrival of the women. They sat around sipping their drinks as they exchanged the same common remarks on the lateness of women that could be heard in formal living rooms around the country.
"You didn't waste any time cozying up to the darling Mrs. Black, now did you, Masen?" Emmett remarked, his eagle eyes taking in the damage his little sting had managed to do.
"I'm only trying to make up for past mistakes," Edward replied honestly, the sting not as painful as the memory of Bella's stricken look as she caught him with Alice. "Whether or not she'll let me is a whole different tale."
"She's grown into a fine woman, that one," Jasper drawled, staring out across the darkening ocean view. "Not to mention a rich one."
"I don't give a shit about her money," Edward snapped, "and if you so much as think about putting a move on her, I'll kill you in your sleep!"
Jasper chuckled. "I'd love to see you try, kid. You're not the only decorated veteran under this roof."
"Gentlemen!" Carlisle soothed, looking unsteady on his feet as he joined his male guests. "Please, calm yourself! Bella looks like she's woman enough to decide her own fate without you two sniffing around her skirts like a pack of dogs. Leave the poor woman alone!"
Edward huffed, taking his drink to a quiet corner to sulk alone as the other men quickly changed the subject to less dangerous matters as slowly but surely the women started to arrive.
Rose was the first one to enter; her hair done up to the best standard she could reach while her dress looked more like it had been tailored to fit her former self. The fabric stretched a little too tightly around her bust and strained against it seems at her waist as it clung to her voluptuous form for dear life. Dressed up like she was, though, she was still a very beautiful woman, though the self-assuredness with which she carried her beauty ten years earlier had long since vanished.
She was soon followed by an agitated looking Esme whose presence came as a bit of a surprise to most of the people gathered in the room. Though as Carlisle was quick to explain that since arriving at Belmont as his nurse, the beautiful woman had risen to much greater heights than that, and they were quick to include her into their circle. If only because she offered a fresh face and a new addition to their schemes.
Bella thought she had arrived late—her reluctance to mingle with people she didn't particularly like caused her to pay more attention to her appearance than she usually did. She shouldn't have been surprised, though, that when she came down, she was only the second to last person to arrive.
She still had time to finish one drink and ponder asking for a second round of Dutch courage before Alice arrived.
Looking like the cat that ate the canary, it was pretty clear that the Hollywood star fancied herself the queen bee as she walked into the room like she owned it. "Did I make you wait?" Giggling coquettishly she batted her lashes innocently. "I'm ever so sorry. I hope nobody fainted of hunger!"
Carlisle reached for Esme's hand as his companion appeared to be boiling with a rage that couldn't have been brought on by Alice's words alone. Squeezing it gently, he spoke, "I'm sure Mrs. Cope has factored in a little delay." Releasing Esme's hand, he linked arms with Alice and took a few uneasy steps before finding his stride. "Why don't we go in now and she if she is ready for us."
Esme's face looked ashen as she watched her lover walk away from her on the arm of a woman she visibly hated; her eyes dull as she watched Edward go out of his way to accompany Bella into the dining room while she accepted Jasper's steadying hold as they followed after the McCarty's. "Don't take it personally, ma'am," he assured her. "She destroys everything that comes in her path."
"Then why do people still put up with her?" Esme was unable to keep her bitterness out of her voice.
"For the same reason people are fascinated with lions, tigers and snakes: their power holds us spellbound as our minds become poisoned with the idea of being able to submit them. They pose the ultimate challenge."
Right then, the woman in question interrupted them, her eyes narrowing with spite. "What are you two talking about? And why isn't dear Jasper seated next to me? I have longed to finally get the chance to be closer to him since he has always seemed to be so scared of little ole me that I can barely say I know him!"
Jasper, deliberately picking out a chair as far away from her as possible, smiled. "Don't all ladies enjoy a little mystery?"
"We like to demystify it, if that's what you mean," Alice smiled coyly as her hand suggestively rubbed the stem of her empty wineglass. "After all, what is a good mystery if you cannot have the satisfaction of it unravelling under your fingertips?"
"Then I'm afraid to disappoint you, ma'am," Jasper concluded, raising his wineglass towards her as soon as the butler had filled it while the rest of the party watched on as if they were following a tennis match, "this gentleman doesn't enjoy being undone."
Alice pouted, her face hardening as she drew in a sharp breath. "Why not? Every other man in this room has found that it comes with an unimaginable set of benefits."
Bella paled, her shoulders tensing as she shook off the hand Edward held to the small of her back, her mind flooding with images she'd fought very hard to forget. "Alice," she warned as beside her a war of silence was wrought between the McCartys.
"You asshole!' Rose finally cried, making use of the freshly filled glass of fine wine as she threw its contents in her husband's face. "You trapped me in a marriage you knew I didn't want when all along you were screwing another woman behind my back?" She didn't wait for a reply before she threw back her seat and all but ran out of the room.
"Well," Alice seemed more pleased with herself than embarrassed as she spread her napkin across her lap. "That was awkward."
The rest of the company stared at her in amazement but, as Sam put the vacant chair back upright and helped Emmett dry his face as best as he could, they couldn't do anything but sit down and hope that they'd had the worst of it as the butler and a maid began to dish out their salads.
Carlisle sighed, looking even older and more burdened with the weight of life than the thin, worn down man that had greeted them hours before. "I'm sorry that just happened. I wished for nothing more than your first meal at Belmont to be a happy affair."
"It wasn't your fault," Bella soothed him, patting the top of his hand as she shot a menacing glare at Alice.
As the maid went around with a plate of warm bread rolls, Alice cried out when the poor girl accidentally knocked over the actress' glass, spilling the red wine over the pristine, white tablecloth as a few small droplets ended up on Alice's dress. Jumping up, everyone was horrified to see Alice smack the unfortunate girl across the cheek, her eyes wild with rage as she shrieked, "You ruined my dress, you idiot!"
"Alice, please sit down," Carlisle ordered as the poor serving girl handed a furious Alice a fresh napkin to wipe away the traces of her error, her hands shaking with fear though she stood her ground while her employer went on. "Your reaction was completely uncalled for. I'm sure Mrs. Cope will do everything she can to get the stains out and, if not, I will pay for the damage."
"She should be fired!" Alice barked as the poor girl rushed out of the room with tears in her eyes.
"For a simple mistake?" Carlisle shook his head. "I'm glad poor Jessica isn't in your employment as I'm sure she will have learned from this mistake and will remain in my service for as long as she would wish without making it again."
Bella smiled, taking a sip from her wine. "As it should be."
"And how would you know that?" Alice snapped. "You don't even employ a ladies maid! Where's your self-respect?"
"Perhaps in the same place your decency is hiding?" Bella countered, no longer afraid of the vile woman like she used to be. "But please…let's respect Carlisle's wish for a quiet, friendly dinner."
"Hear, hear!" Jasper saluted with Edward following his lead.
The girl didn't return, not even when a large terrine of soup was carried into the dining room by the butler who, with a long face, continued to dish it out singlehandedly before replacing the wineglass the servant had tipped over with a fresh one. Instead, Alice's maid seemed to have stepped into the void left behind by the poor, stricken girl. Of course, this was all much to the dismay of her employer but as the rest of the guests clearly seemed to be of the opinion that Angela's help was as needed as it was appreciated, she only threw a very mild tantrum about it.
"My friends," Carlisle broke the silence that had fallen as his guests were enjoying the excellent food prepared by Mrs. Cope. "I'm sure you're wondering why I made all of you come down here for this weekend, especially since I've been known to enjoy my solitude." He paused, his hand trembling slightly as he caught the smiles of some of his table companions. "I'm sure you will have noticed that I am no longer the man I was ten years ago. I'm dying and…"
He had expected the gasps of horror that were uttered around the table, even the tears that flowed from Bella's eyes as he held on to Esme's steadying embrace. What Carlisle, however, hadn't reckoned on was the cry that came from his right, though he was soon to find that its origins didn't lie in the shock his statement had brought on.
Alice Brandon looked as white as a sheet as her hand clasped her throat, the wine glass falling from her other as she tried desperately to fight off whatever ailed her.
"Alice?" Emmett called as Esme was quick to come to the aid of the very woman who had disgusted her with her behavior earlier.
It was all to no avail.
Alice's eyes widened, a series of horrific sounds emitting from her throat as her face fell forward into her salad plate and her lungs release their final breath.
Thoughts?