CHAPTER 17

Bella walked out of the back door of the pub and into the car park, texting Edward as she went, to ask him to phone her as soon as he was free. She'd barely reached the car before Emmett came round the corner, whistling a tune and doing some sort of weird dance step, which petered out when he looked up and saw she was already waiting.

'Hi Bells, ready to go?'

'Definitely.'

The locks clicked open and they both got in. But when Emmett saw Bella had made no effort to put her seatbelt on, he turned the ignition off again and looked at her with raised brows.

'What's up?'

Bella didn't quite know how to start. 'Have you heard about what happened at the weekend?'

'You mean James? Yeah, it's all round the village.'

'How does that happen every time?'

'No idea, but there's no way a visit from the police was going to go unnoticed,' Emmett pointed out.

'It sounds as if they were lucky not to get arrested.'

'Aro certainly moved pretty quickly to head off any serious trouble. James is going to have to lie low for a while now I'm guessing and I can't see Aro going through with buying Mike's restaurant. Whatever he wanted it for, he won't be happy with the law sniffing around before it's even opened.'

'Oh, I hadn't thought of that. Poor Jess, she's never going to get out of here at this rate.'

'So … is something else worrying you?'

No use holding back, Bella took a deep breath and tried to sound as calm as she could, even though she was shaking inside, 'Emmett, I need you to tell me about James.'

Emmett immediately looked uncomfortable, 'Ummm, what about him?'

She couldn't let him wriggle out of it, 'What you and Edward haven't told me all along. Please Emmett, I need to know.'

'I don't know if…'

'Look I'm sorry, but after what Jessica's just told me, it can't be any worse than what I'm already imagining. Please, I need to know the truth. Edward's in a meeting for hours and I don't want anything to come out in front of Carlisle. I'm assuming he's completely in the dark about whatever it is?'

'Yes, and Edward would be really angry if Carlisle found out now. There's no point raking all this up again and upsetting Carlisle over things that happened so long ago. Nothing can be done to change anything and it's better he doesn't know.'

'Ok, so…better he doesn't know what?'

'About James and Alice.'

'Fuck, I really am worried now.'

'I still don't know if I should say anything. Edward won't talk about Alice at all since she died, it's like she never existed as far as he's concerned.'

'Please Emmett, 'Bella put her hand on his arm and fluttered her eyelashes at him dramatically until he laughed.

'Ok I suppose you have a right to know, but don't drop me in it with Edward for christ's sake.'

'I promise I'll go easy. Come on, stop stalling and get on with it.'

Emmett still looked reluctant, but they both knew he'd already said too much to try to back out now,' Well, I wasn't around when they were kids and this is only what Edward told me later, when he came back the year before Alice died.'

He paused as if he was still unwilling and Bella had to prompt him again. 'Go on.'

'And you have to remember there's no proof. There's never been any proof and Alice never said a word. No matter how many times Edward asked her, or tried to persuade her, or went to the grown-ups, she never said a thing, either then or later on, and Edward was never a hundred percent sure how bad things actually were. Sometimes he almost manages to convince himself he imagined everything and nothing really bad happened at all.'

Bella was puzzled, 'But he told me he spent most of his holidays here as a child, wasn't that long enough to know for sure?'

'Only up until his parents divorced when he was nine. After that his mother refused to let him visit any more. He was devastated. Obviously James would've had to be a lot more careful in front of Edward and it was probably the only time Alice felt safe.'

'But if you're saying James was waging some sort of reign of terror all that time, surely it couldn't have gone completely unnoticed by everyone else?'

Emmett sighed, 'Whoever knows exactly what goes on between children when the adults aren't around? And Edward said everything could be explained as an accident. The only evidence he ever had was pretty minor and his mother told him off for telling tales and running to the grown-ups every five minutes. Alice was always covered in scrapes and bruises, but she just got a reputation for being clumsy.'

'But they must have realised eventually? What kind of parents does that make them?'

Emmett looked at her sharply, 'You don't understand. James was so clever; he never put a foot wrong. And he was so much older. When Edward and Alice were eight he was fifteen.'

'Sorry but I still…'

'Edward thinks Esme might have suspected there was more than normal sibling rivalry going on, after all James was packed off to boarding school not long after Alice was born. And when Alice fell out of her bedroom window and broke her arm, James started spending nearly all the school holidays in Italy. But who would want to believe that their child was some sort of monster? And as I said, Alice would have denied it anyway. Carlisle certainly never suspected anything, or he'd have torn James limb from limb.'

'Didn't James move to Italy full-time when he was eighteen?'

'Yes, but he still seemed to have some sort of hold over her, even years later when we were teenagers ourselves.'

'What do you mean?'

'Alice used to get extra jittery when James visited, but even when he wasn't there she started doing some really weird things. Edward was the best at calming her down, but even he found it difficult. And more and more it looked like there was something seriously wrong with her. Carlisle and Esme had been trying to get her some proper help for months and she finally had a mental health assessment booked, but it was for the week after she drowned.'

'Oh god that's awful, poor Esme. All of them must have felt so guilty and blamed themselves for not doing more than they had.'

'I don't know how Edward came through it to be honest. Somehow he managed to just block everything out. The rest of that school year was a write off, but he stayed on an extra year and worked so hard that he got into the best university and he's never looked back. He even managed to be in the same room with James without ripping his head off, until you arrived and shook everything up again.'

'But why haven't either of you told me any of this before? Especially when James actually turned up for fuck's sake?'

'Told you what? That your new BFF was mean to his sister twenty years ago and Edward's father left him his watch? Give me a break, it would have been like kids telling tales all over again. Rosalie's never managed to see through James and you wouldn't let me get a word in. I kept trying to tell you you'd got it all wrong and Edward wasn't the villain, but you wouldn't listen.'

'Ok, you might have a point there. But if Edward was so worried, why did he make himself so scarce when James arrived? I sort of feel like you threw me to the wolves.'

'Are you kidding? Edward would have tried to throttle James the minute he saw him anywhere near you. And if James had even suspected Edward was the least bit interested in you, it would have made whatever game he was playing a million times more fun.'

'Shit, I had no idea.'

'It must have been torture for Edward imagining you two together. The trouble was, James wrong-footed us from the start, first by turning up so unexpectedly and then by hanging around for so long. He's never stayed for more than a couple of days before and we never dreamt he'd still be here months later.'

'It must have suited him for some reason. Maybe he was in trouble at home?'

'At least we were certain he couldn't be seriously interested in you. You don't have any money or connections, or anything that would be remotely useful to him.'

'Oh thanks, that's really flattering.'

'Of course I was keeping an eye on you the whole time. But you're not a helpless child like Alice and really the worst that could have happened was that your ego might have got a bit dented. So although it was driving Edward crazy, unless anything drastic happened, we decided it was best to wait things out. Although James is a nasty bastard, worse than we even thought apparently, what could he have got away with right under everyone's noses?'

Bella felt sick when she remembered how hard James had tried to persuade her to go back to Italy with him and how much she'd wavered. She'd probably had a very lucky escape.

'I feel like such an idiot now.'

'No harm done I suppose. And it was quite funny to see Edward lose his cool so completely for once. By the end he was phoning me every five minutes to make sure you were alright.'

'No wonder he was so anxious to make me break up with James as soon as he was out of the way at Christmas. But I still don't understand why Edward didn't tell me the whole story when he had the chance.'

Emmett sighed, 'Ed has what you might call trust issues. That mother of his was another really nasty piece of work, and as for his father… And it would have meant explaining about Alice, which was probably just too difficult for him. Like I said, he never even mentions her name these days. Rose couldn't believe it when you said you saw him on the beach in the summer, he hasn't been there since it happened.'

'And actually he did tell me quite a lot about Alice over Christmas, just not the important bits, or anything about James.'

'Well maybe that's progress. Anyway I don't think James will be coming back here for a while. I'd be surprised if they weren't all under some sort of police surveillance by now.'

'Good, I never want to see James again if I can help it. But I'm really glad I've got you Em. Thanks for telling me everything and for keeping an eye out all this time, you're the best.'

'No problem, but I'd better own up to Edward before you speak to him. I'll leave him a message, then duck, or maybe get Rosie to answer my phone. Yeah that's a plan. Anyway, lets get a move on now, Carlisle will be wondering where we've got to.'

-ooo-

When Emmett dropped her off, Bella gave him a big hug, then waved until he was out of sight. She realised now how much Mrs Cope and Emmett's constant presence had probably protected both herself and Carlisle.

After a quick word with Carlisle to let him know she was back, she left him the book and the snuffbox to look at, while she went to get the supper on. They had the rest of the evening to catch up, but Carlisle didn't have the energy to stay up very late now and they'd got used to eating early.

To her surprise Bella could already smell cooking before she reached the kitchen and when she opened the door she was surprised, but pleased, to see Mrs Cope standing by the stove chopping vegetables.

Mrs Cope looked up and smiled at her, 'Hello dearie, you're a sight for sore eyes. I thought I'd stay on a bit longer to get the supper going. You must be feeling tired after that long journey. Come and sit down and I'll put the kettle on a minute.'

She bustled around making them both a cup of tea, while Bella pulled a chair closer to the fire.

'There, that'll do you good.' Mrs Cope handed her a mug then pulled up another chair for herself.

'Sorry Mrs Cope, I don't want to keep you. I'll take over in a sec.'

'Shhhh, don't you worry. You just sit and drink your tea in peace. You look as if you've got a bit to think about.'

'It feels as if a lot's happened over the last few days, what with seeing Edward again, then hearing about James and everything. And did Carlisle tell you what I found out about Lady Mary?'

'Yes, the poor lady. But you know, I don't think she's really sad anymore, except when one of the family dies. The rest of the time she'd be quite content to be around the garden or the beach, back at home where she belongs.'

'Emmett told me about Alice as well.'

'Mmmm, I thought he might. She's one that's got every reason not to rest peacefully, the poor little mite. I was so sorry not to be there at the end.'

'Oh, I thought you'd always been here.'

'No, when Mr Carlisle married Mrs Esme he didn't need a housekeeper any more and I got a job the other side of Falmouth. Of course I helped out a bit over the years, especially when Miss Alice was born. I'm sorry to say I had to have a good talk with Mrs Esme not long after, and suggest James went off to boarding school.' Mrs Cope's expression was suddenly stern.

But she sighed and went on. 'Still, it's no use…Then of course I came back as a caretaker when the house was shut up afterwards and they moved abroad. Mrs Esme couldn't stand to be here any more. But luckily they still had the house in Italy, not much more than a holiday cottage really. It went to James when she died.'

Mrs Cope stopped speaking and they both stared into the fire for several minutes lost in their own thoughts, before a falling log made them both jump. They stood up and Mrs Cope went to put the vegetables on, while Bella got plates and cutlery ready and fetched Carlisle's tray.

Finally leaving Bella to it, Mrs Cope got her coat and walked over to the back door, but there was something else on her mind, 'Don't be too cross with Master Edward will you?'

Surprised, Bella's eyes swung in her direction. 'To be honest, I do feel a bit let down that he didn't even try to warn me about James.'

Mrs Cope looked at her as if she was wondering how much to say, 'You know he doesn't let on how much Miss Alice's death affected him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and tried her best to drag him down with her. He had to fight her off. Then she deliberately swam away from him and dived deeper. There was nothing he could do to rescue her, but he still blamed himself. He had nightmares for years and what with that mother of his too, it's no wonder he hasn't let anyone get too close all this time, poor lamb.'

-ooo-

Edward rang just as Bella finished loading the dishwasher after supper. It was funny to think that he was still busy at work when they were already settling down for the night. Outside it was dark and Bella pulled the blind down on the shadows in the garden with one hand, while she reached for her phone with the other.

Edward apologised straight away,' I'm sorry for not warning you about James.'

'Don't worry, I know how hard it must have been for you, because of Alice.'

'I'm beginning to think it wasn't a good idea to try so hard to forget. Perhaps I should have faced up to things properly at the time.'

'I can understand why you did it though, it must have been awful to realise you couldn't save her.'

'That wasn't even the hardest part. By far the worst was when my mother took me away that summer when we were nine. Alice was frantic, she clung to me while they tried to get me into the car and they had to prise her fingers off me one by one. I can still hear her screaming and sobbing in absolute despair. And two weeks later I heard she'd 'fallen' out of her bedroom window and badly broken her arm. I hated James so much I wanted to kill him.'

'I'm surprised you can even bear to visit Carlisle. Doesn't coming here bring everything back?'

'I don't know, it's strange but it always felt as if the house was protecting us in a way. And life wasn't all bad by any means. James was away most of the time and when it was just the two of us we had such fun. The whole house and grounds was our playground and when it was cold and wet there were plenty of places to hide ourselves away in.'

'It's sad that you felt you had to hide though.'

'That was the effect James had on Alice of course and even I couldn't find her sometimes. I told you she had this weird thing about Lady Mary and insisted they were friends. And she loved that old rocking horse in the nursery. We'd spend hours up there, or in the observatory making up games about pirates or explorers, or imagining how we'd run away together when we were older and live happily ever after.'

'How long were you separated for?'

Until my mother disappeared off to America and dumped me on my father when I was fourteen. I'd tried to keep in touch with Alice at first but it was hopeless. In those days mobile phones and computers were only just becoming widely available and I didn't have access to either. The first time I saw Alice again was at some family gathering. It was like someone had broken her and put all the pieces back together in the wrong order. I just got drunk then tried to pick a fight with James. Ended up looking like a surly teenager and that was pretty much how I behaved for the next few years.'

Bella could hear the pain in his voice. 'And after that?'

'When Carlisle and Esme took me in at seventeen I was already in counselling, but it hadn't done much good. Carlisle found me someone else. She used goal orientated therapy and made me focus on what I wanted to achieve in the future instead of wallowing in the past. And luckily it worked. I concentrated on looking after Alice and getting my life back together. Of course after she drowned things got harder for a while, but I survived - I set myself goals, I worked hard, I almost managed to forget.'

'What about James?'

'Alice still denied everything and she begged me not to start anything with him. She seemed to be terrified that he'd turn his attention onto me. Luckily he only visited once or twice the whole time and for Alice's sake, I managed to match his insincere smile with my own. But it was difficult to keep quiet, and eventually I got drunk with Emmett and told him everything. I made him swear not to tell anyone because Alice would have been distraught, but I think he did try to warn Rosalie, without any success of course.'

Bella was a bit dubious about mentioning what was on her mind now, but it might explain some of Alice's odd behaviour.

'As we're both getting things off our chests, I, um…I wondered whether James was possibly involved with drugs?'

Edward's voice was sharp, 'Why?'

'I thought I saw something on the table at the pub the other day and Jessica mentioned one of his friends was high.'

'I've often wondered. One of Alice's friends told the police she thought James had given her something the night she drowned, which might have explained why she decided to go swimming in the first place, then didn't seem to be aware of any danger.'

'Did anyone follow that up?'

'Yes, but the girl wasn't exactly best friends with Alice and she wasn't the most reliable witness. In fact she had her own problems with the police not long afterwards and disappeared in rather mysterious circumstances. James could easily prove that he'd been away on business for the previous two weeks and only arrived on the scene after Alice died. The police ended up searching the whole house anyway, which didn't make things any easier for Carlisle and Esme.'

'That must have been awful on top of everything else.'

'I think everyone was too stunned with shock for it to really sink in at the time and obviously the police tried to cause as little disruption as possible. But to know Alice's bedroom had been ransacked like that and all her most private possessions rifled through. They even took away her phone and PC.'

'I suppose they had to make sure they did a thorough job, especially as…sorry…Alice's body was never found.'

'Yes, no evidence there and I was the only witness.' Edward's voice on the other end of the phone went silent and she knew he was remembering.

After a few moments he sighed, 'I'm really sorry I didn't tell you everything before. I was going to, soon. But there's enough sadness to get through with the way Carlisle is now and continually opening up old wounds doesn't help. These days I try not to think about it and just get on with things.'

'It's horrible to think that James of all people will get the house though.'

'We'll just have to hope he sells it, or knocks it down, as quickly as possible and buggers off again.'

'I suppose that's the best we can hope for…Anyway, of course I won't say anything about any of this to Carlisle. Which reminds me, I'd better make a move. I promised to watch TV with him for half an hour.'

'Ok, I'll ring you back later. Sorry about burdening you with all of this, you must be exhausted after the day you've had.'

'I'm fine, I promise. But I'll feel better once you're here. Being away for just a few days has made me realise how ill Carlisle really is now. He looks as if he's fading away in front of my eyes.'

'Don't worry, I spoke to Rosalie earlier and she assured me he's doing better than he looks.'

'You've actually managed to have a conversation with Rose without turning it into a slanging match? I'm impressed.'

'I'm sure I can think of a few more enjoyable ways to impress you soon.'

'Oh you think? In that case I'd better take things easy while I can.'

Hi, thanks for reading. Next chapter Edward moves in, finally, but I'm afraid things aren't looking too good for Carlisle :(

x Sue