Sorry for the tardiness, sweets! I got distracted writing for the Twific Doctorward contest, but finally chose not to participate because the story didn't satisfy me. By the way, the voting is on, so check out the entries and vote for your favourites, if you are so inclined. I already have!
Let's see how our lovebirds are faring, shall we?
Disclaimer: Usual.
Ring in the New
The days after Christmas were bitterly cold, but to Edward and Bella, they were the warmest days they had spent in years. Just being in each-other's company was a joy to them, since Bella had believed that Edward was dead and he on his part was not sure when he would be able to repay Eric Swan and marry Bella. Coupled with the presence of Shelley Cope, the cheerful, motherly housekeeper and her hard-working son Tyler around them, their life seemed to be perfect.
Edward gradually built up his practise as a physician. The village people had always had a soft corner for him since they knew his father had gambled away much of his fortune. Carlisle was a reputed doctor, and the fact that Edward had studied medicine with him for years made it easy to trust him. Even people from nearby hamlets began to visit Edward, having heard about him from their acquaintances.
In those days gifts were exchanged on the New Year, not Christmas, so that's what Edward, Bella and Shelley Cope did. The gifts were things of everyday use, since none of them had the means to afford anything fancy. Neither did they want any of those things that were pretty but completely useless to them.
Bella regained her health over the days. Both Edward and Mistress Cope took great care of her, be it food or rest. Finally she became tired of the mollycoddling and insisted that she help the housekeeper with cooking and sewing etc. After protesting a few times, Shelley Cope gave in.
The evenings were the best, of course. After they had supped and Mistress Cope had left them alone, with an admonishment to Edward to not keep Bella too late, they lost themselves in each-other. Granted, none of them was bold enough to take things too far. Bella was simply too ignorant of the pleasures of body, and Edward too unsure of how much would be too much. He knew very well they could not go all the way before the wedding, so he did not want to lose his control for a minute. Also, he did not wish to make Bella feel scared of him. Of course he had made it clear to her that unlike her former husband; he would never expect her to submit to him because it was her duty.
One such evening when they were alone in the kitchen, Edward had pulled Bella on his lap and was kissing her hungrily. He had once suggested to Mistress Cope that they might have a fire in the living room for the evenings, but she had cheekily answered, "But my boy, it might not be a good idea for you and Bella to be too comfortable."
Edward, who had indeed been imagining Bella spread out on the wide, softly padded couch, blushed furiously and could not muster a reply.
That evening however, he had gathered up enough courage to put a hand on Bella's breast. He was immensely thankful that she had completely given up wearing corsets and other unnecessary (in his opinion) layers of clothes. Bella's reason was that they made her feel uncomfortable, almost dizzy. Her body was changing slowly, becoming more womanly, with her breasts more visible and hips becoming more rounded. She had let out some of her plainer gowns, and placed an order to the local seamstress for more loose clothes. In his mind, Edward likened her figure to a gradually ripening fruit.
Bella sucked in a breath when she felt him squeezing her breast. She broke the kiss and leaned back a little, her eyes shining and her lips looking fuller. Edward had taught her to kiss with tongue, which had puzzled her in the beginning but after a session or two had become her favourite. Now she ran her tongue along her lips as if tasting their kiss. It was such a tempting sight that Edward pulled her back for another one. His hand however kept on squeezing her breast, making Bella moan softly.
"Dost thou like it, sweetheart?" he asked, half-hopeful, half-scared it had been unpleasant for her.
Bella's lip-biting smile eased his fears. "I did." Her expression became curious. "How did thou know I would like it? Have thou done this before?"
Edward's expression became sheepish. "Uh, I—Bella, I promise I have not been unfaithful to thee. But I listened to conversations between other pupils. And once—only once—there was this maid who—um, propositioned me."
Bella's mouth opened in a little 'o'. Her eyes became wide.
"No, no, I didn't do anything," Edward hastened to assure her. "She had come to take an order of herbal mixtures for a patient of Carlisle. I was just putting them into sundry pouches and labelling them when she asked me if I wanted to go out with her." Bella began to slide off his lap, but he tightened his arms around her. "I said no—I swear I did! She pouted a bit but kept quiet. However, when I handed over the pouches to her—" his cheeks reddened—"she grabbed my ears and planted one on my mouth. I was so shocked—I pulled back immediately, but she caught my hand and—squeezed her breast with it and said 'ooh' very loudly. I promise thee—"
"Was she pretty?"
Edward looked at her as if she had lost her mind. "That is what thou want to know?"
"Yes."
Edward shook his head. "I don't know—I didn't pay attention to her features. I was too busy running away from her!"
Bella rolled her eyes. "No, before she did all that—thou must have looked at her."
A shrug. "She was older to me—that's all I noticed. Truthfully Bella, I saw girls in London, but did not care to study their faces. Thine was the only face that occupied my eyes." He stroked her back and rested his forehead on her shoulder. "This was what I was living for, all those years. When I could not see thee, I kept on hoping that one day, we will meet. And after that, nobody will separate us ever."
"They won't," said Bella, sounding quite fierce. Edward raised his head and smiled at her. "I am an independent woman now. My uncle has no say in my affairs. Whether thou pay him thy father's dues or not, he will not be able to stop our wedding." She underlined her statement with a forceful kiss that left Edward's head reeling. But her words brought another matter to the fore—something he had not thought about for many days, so content he had been with his life.
He sighed. "I would like to pay him though. I do not wish for people to speak of my late father in an unkind manner. It will take a few years, perhaps, but we will save money and—"
"Hast thou ever thought he might have cheated your father?"
Edward looked startled. "No, I have not. But Bella, we do not know that—we can never know. Unless he confesses it, we are honour-bound to return the money."
Bella frowned and hmm'd, her mouth pursed in thought. "Well, we do not have to wait for years, in that case. All we have to do is to write to Michael's lawyer, and he will send to us the money we need to pay Uncle Eric. Then we will not have that burden on our shoulders."
Edward blinked as he processed Bella's words. "Michael's lawyer? Thou want to use thy husband's money to pay my debt?" He shook his head emphatically. "My love, that money belongs to thee. I cannot accept it—"
He broke off as Bella slid off his lap and stood in front of him, so quickly that his hands remained hanging in the air for a moment before lowering to his lap. Her hands went to her hips and her shoulders squared. Her face reddened; her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Edward Anthony Masen, how dare thou say your debt? How dare thou separate my affairs from yours? Thou stole for me; put thy life in peril for me when I was dying in that vacant house, and risked being thrown out of that inn on the way. And now, when I can do something for us for the first time in my life, thou says thou canst not accept it? Is that what love means to thee? Thou canst give and give but not take anything from me? Well, I say thou art wrong!"
In deference to the sleeping housekeeper upstairs, Bella did not let her voice rise, even though she wanted to shout at Edward for being so dense. But her distraught expression and the tears that pooled in her eyes towards the end of her rant affected Edward more than any yelling would have done. He felt about four inches tall as she stood before him breathing heavily. He opened and closed his mouth several times as he tried to explain to her that it wasn't so, but found that his excuses sounded weak even in his own mind.
"I apologise, my love," he said finally, his voice low with shame. "Thou art right: I did think it was my duty to take care of thee, because I am a man. I had forgotten that our love gives us equal right to provide for each-other in time of need, and that any problem I face affects thee as well. I did not mean to belittle thy love in any manner. Please forgive me for being a daft fool."
He stood up and with extended hands implored her to come closer. After a moment of gazing steadily at him, she stepped forward and Edward's arms swept her up in a grateful embrace. Again he apologised for his assumption. Finally Bella let go of the tension inside her and rested her head on his chest, her breath becoming calmer.
Bella did write to her lawyer, Jason Jenks, the very next day. He had been Michael's lawyer as well as a good friend, so she was not surprised when in lieu of an answer he showed up in person at the Masen House on the third day.
Jenks had been horrified on reading Isabella's missive. He had been under the impression that all the members of the Newton family had left London in December, as soon as the Plague had begun to spread its evil cloak.
"Had I any inkling of the foul action they had taken, Mistress Isabella, I would have visited their house and removed you to a safer place." His voice rose with agitation. "I cannot imagine how they could be that callous—leaving behind a family member to die. And—if I am correct in presuming—one who is going to give them a grandchild."
He peered over his half-moon glasses at Bella, waiting to confirm his guess, which she did with a smile. Having satisfied himself, he proceeded in a very lawyer-like manner, informing her that if the child was a boy, he would inherit half of the Newtons' estate. As for Bella, the assets her late husband had left to her were doing very well.
"Right now the other two partners have to pay you a certain sum from their profits in exchange for managing Michael's share of business. I did not want to put pressure upon you while you were grieving for your husband, but I would like to suggest now that you sell your share to them for good. You will get a handsome amount that you can use as you like, and there will be no uncertainty for the future. For, as you know well, business has its ups and downs."
Bella agreed that it would be a sensible idea. She had already informed Jenks that she was going to marry Edward in a few months, and he had congratulated both of them. When she had summarized the tale of her childhood love for Edward and the circumstances under which she had married Michael, his heart had been touched.
Edward asked Jenks if he would like to attend the wedding, and he agreed enthusiastically. After requesting Edward to take care of Bella and her babe, Jenks took his leave.
-NWT-
Angela arrived one frosty morning as the month of February began. Bella was overjoyed to see her. Angela informed her that the Newtons had demanded that she complete the whole month if she wanted her salary for the last quarter of the year. As soon as she got the money, she packed her things and took a public coach to the Masen House.
"So how is everyone there?" asked Bella when Angela had put her stuff in a smaller room adjoining Bella's. Mistress Cope had taken to her directly, finding her sweet and sincere. Also, the fact that Angela had not wanted to leave Bella alone in London mattered a great deal to her. And when Edward mentioned that he had been puzzled by a lack of the dreaded cross on the front door, Angela confessed she had deliberately 'forgotten' to put it there.
"I was the last body to leave the house," she admitted to them as they sat around the kitchen table, drinking home-made mead (also known as honey wine—made of water, yeast, honey, cloves and herbs). "They were in such a hurry—they boarded the carriage and Mistress Newton asked me to cross the door and join them. I did not though; I hoped someone might hear my lady and investigate without fearing for their life."
"Thou saved my life, Angela," said Bella emotionally. "Edward would never have entered the house had there been a cross on the door." She had of course briefed Angela as to the true happenings, and Angela had promised to stick to the story.
"I prayed for you daily," responded Angela with tears in her eyes. "Master and Mistress Newton did not talk about you much, but the mistress looked sad sometimes, sighing like, you know? Ben said she might be repenting for leaving you there."
Bella had completely forgotten Angela had been sweet on the Newtons' coachman. "Oh Angela," she said regretfully, "I have been too hasty in sending for thee. You had to leave Ben behind. I am so selfish!"
"Hush, my lady. You know I will do anything for you," said Angela with gentle admonishment. "Ben would have come with me, but he wanted to be sure he would be welcome here. Do you think he will find work in this village?"
Edward assured her they had a carriage stowed away in a barn. "We will take it out and Ben can drive it. Now that Bella and I intend to live here, we will need it now and then. We will buy a pair of horses too. And if you intend to marry, you can have that other cottage besides Tyler's. It may need some repairs—"
Angela smiled gratefully. "We will take it, and thank ye for your kindness. Ben can help Tyler too—he has quite a green thumb and likes spending time with plants."
And so it was decided. Edward wrote to Ben, who sent back a letter stating he would present himself at the Masen House as soon as the Newtons found another coachman. Meanwhile Shelley Cope handed over to Angela the task of looking after Bella, saying that she might as well sleep in Bella's room at night. It would spare her climbing all those stairs.
Angela offered to help with the cleaning and cooking as well, and Cope accepted happily. To be sure, they did have a woman from the village come in once a week to do the major cleaning, but it would be nice to have a pair of trustworthy hands for the daily tasks. And with the advent of spring, Angela could accompany Bella for short walks sometimes. That was something Cope found herself quite unequal to.
Three weeks into February, they had a visitor. Bella's uncle, Eric Swan, had returned from Cornwall. And one morning soon after, he sent a manservant to ask if he could pay them a visit.
End Note: So what do you think? Is Uncle Eric going to make it out of Masen House alive? Why would he want to see Edward and Bella? Was Edward right in accepting Bella's money to pay his father's debts? And most important—should he have confessed to Bella the kiss-grab incident? ;)