A/N: Thanks Sheiffy
This is what Wikipedia says about drabbles: A drabble is a short work of fiction of around one hundred words in length, not necessarily including the title. The purpose of the drabble is brevity, testing the author's ability to express interesting and meaningful ideas in a confined space.
So, I am NOT duping anyone. The chapters DO NOT need to be longer, and I guess you could count every word over the 100 word mark as a bonus. Okay? Good.
Chapter 8
Isabella was shocked when she saw Edward's home. It was a lot bigger than she had been anticipating. She had presumed that Edward was one of the poorer Lord's and that his house and land would be relatively small. After all, he wasn't well-dressed. His dress barely covered his body, and if he couldn't afford to clothe himself then he certainly couldn't afford land or buildings.
She couldn't have been more wrong.
In the centre of a large stone wall stood a massive building, at least four stories high, and then double that in length. It was surrounded by various small buildings and then the wall. On the outer side of the wall, there were several bungalows, and what looked like outposts, and lastly a farm.
"And all of this is yours?" Isabella asked, stunned, as they drew nearer.
"Aye, it was my faither's and his faither's before him. It's been in our family for several generations."
Isabella merely nodded in response as hundreds of people had gathered to welcome their Laird home and they were almost within earshot. She didn't want to speak because then they would hear that she was English, and she was terrified of how they would react. She had images in her head of them screaming and shouting in disgust as they pulled her from the horse, before attacking her with pitchforks.
Sensing her unease Edward lightly patted her arm. "You are safe here Isabella. Do not worry."
Isabella wished that she could believe him, but it was hard to do so, with so many questioning eyes staring at her.
As Edward moved towards the courtyard the crowd the slowly parted. Some of the bystanders reached out and touched his leg as they passed, welcoming him home, others offered him small gifts, which he kindly refused. All of them eyed Isabella warily.
A tall, burly man was standing in the centre of the courtyard waiting to greet them. He grabbed the horse's reins and kept the horse still as Edward dismounted. "You're late," he said in a mocking tone. "I was beginning tae think that one of the other clans hid killed ye."
Edward laughed. It was the first time that Isabella had seen him express happiness. She loved the way his eyes lit up and the two dimples that formed on either side of his cheeks.
"And ye've brought someone back wae ye?" the man asked, turning his attention to Isabella.
"Aye," Edward answered as he turned around and lifted Isabella off the horse. "This is Lady Swan. Isabella, this is my Captain, Emmett."
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Isabella said while curtsying. She immediately regretted speaking, but she could have hardly ignored him.
"English?" Emmett asked, surprised, and numerous people around them gasped in horror.
"Aye," Edward said, shooting Emmett and the crowd a glare, warning them to keep their thoughts to themselves. He wouldn't allow them to scare Isabella any further. "Lady Swan is my guest and is therefore under my protection. She will be treated with the highest respect and anyone that doesn't do so will answer to me." Without another word, Edward grabbed Isabella's hand and dragged her towards the castle.