Synopsis
Once a privileged heiress, Isabella Swan suddenly loses everything, including her family's prized book collection. When son of rival family Edward Cullen acquires the collection and offers her a job, she is in no position to refuse. A tentative friendship based on their mutual love for books grows complicated as they enter into an arrangement – she wants the books back; he wants her.
My pre-reader went through this chapter and asked, "Ermmm, why does the writing sound so Regency/Jane-Austen?". It'll get better when the story shifts to modern day, I promise. Otherwise, you can go Regency on my ass and call me a ninnyhammer.
Chapter 2 - The Feud
The Swans and the Cullens numbered amongst the oldest families in the county. Though untitled, both families owned large tracts of land and enjoyed positions of prominence in the community. Before their rather spectacular falling out, they were friendly neighbours and indeed, friends. One fateful night in 1838, James Swan and Lawrence Cullen enjoyed a rather inebriated game of cards. Never a lucky gambler, James had already lost all his cash, his gold pocket watch and his ivory snuffbox when Lawrence challenged him to a final round. Having nothing else left on his person, he glanced out of the window and was inspired to wager the Swan's half of the river. Since both the Swan and the Cullen properties bordered the river, they shared equal rights to it. James, predictably enough, lost. The next morning, the two heirs shook hands like gentlemen. James honoured his lost wager while Lawrence graciously promised to let him fish whenever he wanted and no hard feelings lingered.
This cordial state of affairs would have remained if not for the unusual rainstorm later that year. A nearby canal was destroyed by the flood and several local mill owners who usually relied on the canal to transport their goods now required access to the river to do so. The Cullens, now the sole owner of the river, were paid a generous sum for the privilege. While the amount was not a large fortune, it was enough for the Cullens to buy more land to add to their estate and make improvements to their already beautiful mansion. Previously equal in land and fortune, the Swans suddenly found themselves the lesser neighbour. Bitterness grew and words were exchanged. James accused Lawrence of deliberately plying him with wine to take advantage of his inebriated state. Lawrence called James a degenerate, a drunk, a liar and a damned fool. Challenges to a duel were issued, though fortunately neither man was brave enough to actually pick up a pistol. Matters came to a real head when Lawrence humiliated James by sending his men to chase the latter away when he tried to fish in the river. Thus, the die was cast.
The families continued to feud down the generations. One particularly memorable episode occurred in 1890 when the Swans painstakingly removed every blossom head off Arabella Cullen's pride and joy rose garden, the night before her famous annual garden party. This provoked an equally creative counter-attack in which the Cullens stuffed horse manure into the flower boxes outside all the windows of the Swan mansion. The foul-smelling rooms could not be sufficiently aired in time for Sir Spencer's visit. The eminent gentleman was later heard to remark that the Swan mansion gave him "a true taste of the country air".
Though the details of the original disagreement were lost over time, the bad feelings remained, particularly for the Swans.
Carlisle Cullen, more sensible than most of his ancestors, tried to put matters right when he inherited the estate. He extended an olive branch by inviting Charles Swan, a keen fisherman, to fish in the river as much as he wanted. Although Charles took advantage of the offer, for him, generations worth of wounded family pride was not so easily appeased. After his initial foray into peacemaking failed, Carlisle thought it better to just let matters rest. At the very least, the volleying of pranks stopped and an uneasy truce was reached between the two families.
After their first chance encounter as children, Edward and Bella did not speak to each other again. Both were sent to boarding schools and it was only in the summer holidays that they would see each other from across the river. On a beautiful day, Bella loved nothing more than to sit under her favourite tree by the the river (incidentally the very same tree he had climbed as a child to watch her leave) with a book and an apple. Edward rode his horse frequently and would stop by the river across from where she sat to let his horse rest and drink. They acknowledged each other's presence with the barest civility; she would look up from her book with a tight smile and a curt nod, he would touch a hand to his riding helmet with a slight bow.
And so it was, the heirs of Swan and Cullen watched each other grow into adults without speaking a single word to the other.
This is my first fic ever, so your reviews would be greatly encouraging for me :)