Chapter Number: Fifteen
Chapter Name: The Cullens
Page Numbers: 312-333 (Hardcover)
Date of Chapter: March 13, 2005
Summary: Edward and Bella decide to spend the day at Edward’s house so the Cullen family can formally meet Bella. The Cullen house, entirely shaded by cedar trees, is a large white mansion on the outskirts of town off a hidden roadway. The house is three stories tall with a wrap-around-porch and a rear wall made of glass. The Sol Duc River runs past the rear of the house.
When they arrive at the Cullen house, Bella is warmly greeted by Carlisle and Esme. Alice bounds down the stairs, and much to everyone’s surprise and shock, gives Bella a kiss on the cheek. Jasper is friendly, but keeps his distance. Emmett and Rosalie are nowhere to be seen immediately. Carlisle and Edward have a moment of wordless communication that we later learn is about potential visitors. We discover that Alice had a premonition that non-vegetarian vampires would be in the area soon.
Bella notices that there is a grand piano that turns out to be Edward’s. After some encouragement from Esme, Edward plays for her. She sits on the bench next to him and he tells her what the family thinks of her so far. He also explains that Rosalie is jealous of Bella, because Bella is still human. Emmett thinks Edward is crazy, but he is trying to get Rosalie to come around.
Bella and Edward go on a tour of the house. There are a lot of natural, wood surfaces. The color white is present on the carpets and walls. A large cross hangs in the hallway. It used to be in Carlisle’s father’s church in the 1600’s.
Edward tells Bella Carlisle’s story. He was the son of a zealous, Episcopalian Minister at the time of Cromwell. His father actively persecuted Roman Catholic and hunted for witches and vampires. He was responsible for burning many innocent people at the stake. Carlisle was thrust into the position of following in his father’s footsteps, which he didn’t like. One day, much to his surprise, he actually unearthed a coven of vampires. In the melee that ensued, Carlisle was bitten. He crawled away from the scene and hid in a barn under a pile of apples. After he was completely transformed, he left home because he knew he’d never be accepted.
Characters Involved: Bella Swan, Edward Cullen, Carlisle Cullen, Esme Cullen, Alice Cullen, Jasper Hale
Characters Mentioned: Charlie Swan, Rosalie Hale, Emmett Cullen, Carlisle’s father, visiting vampires
Places Visited: The Swan Home, The Cullen Home
Memorable Quotes:
"You are my life now.”
~ Edward’s response when Bella tells him that she loves him.
“Are you going to tell Charlie that I’m your boyfriend or not? It’s a loose interpretation of the word ‘boy’, I’ll admit.”
~ Edward asking Bella if she is going to explain their new relationship to Charlie.
“I doubted there were any etiquette books detailing how to dress when your vampire sweetheart takes you home to meet his vampire family.”
~ Bella thinking about what to wear to Edward’s house.
“Yesterday I kiss you, and you attack me! Today I kiss you, and you pass out on me! So much for being good at everything.”
~ Edward describing the unexpected problems with kissing Bella.
“You’re not worried because you’re headed to meet a house of vampires, but because you think the vampires won’t approve of you, correct?”
~ Edward assessing why Bella is nervous.
“You can laugh. It is sort of ironic.”
~ Edward referring to the large cross on the wall.
Important Information Learned:
Bella feels here relationship with Edward is deeper than that of boyfriend and girlfriend.
Charlie is more aware of Bella than she realizes. Overnight, he disconnected her battery cables because he thought something was up.
Edward is an accomplished pianist and composer.
Carlisle and Edward seem to communicate without words being spoken.
Rosalie struggles the most with the fact that she is now a vampire, and she is jealous of Bella.
Carlisle is over three-hundred-years-old.
Carlisle used to be an Episcopalian minister’s son.
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