Another Twilight

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the Twilight series. No copyright infringement intended.

Summary: Bella's wedding to the highly eligible Lord Masen was a fairy tale, but what happened after the vows had been spoken? ( Period drama, British English used).

Prologue

It was a beautiful summer day when I was wed, and a fairy tale of a wedding.

I had never seen the man I was supposed to marry. He had seen me though, at the formal dance my aunt had arranged just as the season had begun. The next day itself, he had conveyed his wishes to Aunt Esme, and she had rushed to our house, thrilled beyond words.

I had been pruning my favourite rose bush in the garden. With the departure of winter the snow and icy winds too had said goodbye, and spring was making its presence known everywhere. The small white roses I loved the most would take some time to make an appearance, but I wanted the bushes free of any dead twigs and leaves, ready to receive the bounty of the tiny buds. After spending nearly an hour in the fresh air, I had just stepped in when I heard my aunt's voice coming from the sitting room.

"Renee! What are you dithering about? It is Lord Masen—one of the most eligible bachelors in the whole county. Just say yes!"

"I have to consult Charles first, Esme," laughed my mother. "And you know how shy and quiet Isabella is—we have to make sure she will be happy in that household. Wealth is not always a guarantee of marital joy, you know that."

Lord Masen had made a proposal for me? Impossible! Why would he do that? He could have chosen any eligible girl from any number of rich and titled families, settled near and far.

Aunt Esme was shaking her head as I peeped from behind the heavy curtains. "You and Charles are so strange, Sister. I know for a fact mothers who have been throwing their marriageable daughters at him, and here you are nitpicking about him being wealthy? Consult your husband by all means, but you know as well as I do that he will probably agree if you are willing for the match!"

Both my mother and my aunt were extremely chatty and spontaneous women, and their thoughts tended to run in one direction one minute and another direction the next. So my aunt's rambling only made me smile.

She went on babbling. "As for Isabella, why would she not be happy? Not only is Lord Masen wealthy but also extremely handsome. And he possesses such a sweet disposition! Nobody has ever heard him yell, not even the servants—and you know how these lords and ladies treat them sometimes. He has never been involved in one of those drunken brawls either that young men nowadays tend to engage in so frequently. What else do you want for our Isabella?"

I knew she had my best interests at heart. My aunt had no children, so she pampered me and my siblings as much as she could. She was married to Doctor Carlisle Cullen, a fine gentleman with twinkling eyes and a dry sense of humour. They had a good life.

By marrying him, she had definitely moved up in the society. Perhaps that was what she envisioned for me.

My parents, Charles and Renee Swan, were not poor by any standards, but neither could they be considered rich. My father was a gentleman farmer, with sufficient land to cultivate and keep dairy animals, and our house was large and comfortable, though not fancy like that of my aunt and uncle. Their residence had been constructed and furnished luxuriously, and Aunt Esme loved to show it off by hosting as many parties during the season as was possible for her. It was at such a party that Lord Masen had seen me, and apparently liked me enough to ask for my hand.

My thoughts were all in a whirl as I stepped away quietly and went to my bedroom. Did I want to get married? Yes, I did. Since I had turned sixteen I had begun dreaming of a husband, a house of my own, and children. I would be the most important person in my husband's life, and we would love each other to the moon and stars. I would manage my household as well as my mother did hers. And our children—oh, they would be the apple of our eyes!