Chapter 4

A fog, so gentle it's almost a mist, creeps through the white stripes of Ash in the darkness and blankets the path up to her waist.  Her fingers trail, causing ripples along the surface that spread on both sides.   She can no longer see her footfalls as she slowly picks her way down the path toward the gathering moonlight ahead. What appears to be another wall emerges from the fog, reaching much higher than her mere five and a half feet of height.  

The closer she edges, the less certain she is, both of her footing as well as what she sees.  It appears the wall is moving and when she finally comes close upon it -- it actually is.  

Strong stalks of Hollyhocks, the size of her wrist at the base and more than six feet tall tower over her and sway very slightly in the nearly nonexistent breeze.  Punctuated every few inches by a beautiful flowers their entire height, Hollyhocks of red,  pink, yellow and white - their colors rendered indescript by the soft moonlight show their beauty in an oddly diffuse way.  Mouth agape, she realizes that they are just far enough apart that she can pass between them.  Slipping sideways very carefully, she begins to weave forward into this forest of flowers, jostling them very softly here and there.  From the centers the pollen begins to drift down on her as they are disturbed, sparkling in the moonlight, leaving enchanted traces of light and dancing as they fall.  They cling to her long dark hair and eyelashes.  As she blinks, they fall upon the delicate beauty of her cheekbones and lips.  She continues and the stalks become tighter -- she's forced to twist and turn more radically, bending and bumping yet more of the flowers that release swirling cascades of glittering dust, covering her shoulders and resting on the small of her back.  It's increasingly difficult to see.  A tendril from a stalk catches her hair, which causes her to gasp in fear and turn too quickly -- bending a stalk nearly to breaking and further tangling her hair in another.  

Turning again and again, nearly blinded by the silting dust, feeling the tendrils not just catching in her hair but seeming to reach for her.  She hears her own heart racing in her ears, eyes watering in panic, she's suddenly seized with the urge to sneeze.  

"Achoo!" she lets go with a giant wracking sneeze.  "Achoo! Achoo!," two more and she's doubled over but pushing forward toward a faint light without much regard for the flowers or the pulling and snagging of her hair as she pushes and rushes to get out of this place.  

Bursting from the Hollyhocks onto a path of pea-sized gravel, she fails to notice the large stones that border it.   She trips hard and launches face down from the flower forest and lands on the gravel with a thud.  

"Oouff!" the air knocked from her lungs leaving her momentarily stunned, frozen face down, arms out to each side, one shoe above her head, resting where it landed after flying from her foot.  

"Well shit," she mutters.  

Rolling over and gazing at the full moon, recovering her composure and learning how to breath again, she sat up, slowly surveying the damage.  It appeared she was okay with the exception of a severely bloodied knee.  Carefully picking two small stones from the cut, she wipes upward, smearing but removing most of the blood that has run down her shin, then realizes she has no where to wipe it.  

Staring at her bloody fingers, shining slick in the moonlight, she quickly poped them in her mouth, licking them clean of blood.  A soft, low moan lofts across the path from the darkness of the woods.  So faint she's unsure she heard it, yet every hair on the her neck stands straight up and she sits stock still, listening.

It is the eyes she sees first, peering at her through the foliage. They were piercing green and cat like, but much too large to be those of an animal. Her heart began to race. Feeling you are not alone is eerie, but knowing it is terrifying.

The eyes seemed to blink out as leaves began to shuffle; what ever was hiding in the shadows was coming for her now. She knew it, and she was frozen in fear. But was that not what she had come there for? To be consumed by what ever evil dwelled there. Was she not seeking this evil to end her suffering by releasing her unto death’s sweet bliss? An act she herself could not seem to perform although her many efforts.

Audrey swallowed her terror and pursed her lips in defiance. She had no time to rise from the ground to meet her end, but she squared her shoulders and lifted her head high. 

But the creature that stepped out of the darkness was no monster. It was a man. A man, who was so peculiarly dressed for his time he seemed to have just walked out of the past. He was garbed in black pants and a white shirt ruffled at the cuffs and collar. The ensemble was completed with a dark cloak lined in red silk.

He was beautiful. She realized that was a term not normally applied to a male but to say he was handsome would not have done him justice. His hair was raven black, framing his pale features and curling around his neck in long layers. His features were elegant with high cheek bones and full lips that possessed a natural pout. His eyes were an almost cat like piercing green. All of these features were made more pronounced by his pale complexion which might have been chiseled from the purest marble. He was not a tall man, standing only a few inches taller than she, and his frame was slight. But still his presence demanded attention.

He knelt before her on one knee. He uttered not one word as he procured a lace handkerchief from the folds of his cloak and begin to administer to her wounds. He cleaned the wound the best that could be done with the tools at hand then tucked the cloth back into his cloak. He stood, holding a slender hand down to her.

“Thank you …” she stammered, taking the offered hand. She stood on her own though her knee throbbed. “It is a pleasure to meet you sir, I am …”

“Trespassing” he cut her off abruptly then turned to go.

“I know, I am sorry” but her apologies fell on deaf ears, the man continued on. “Wait … please.” she begged him in confusion. Who was this man that suddenly appeared out of know where. Did he live here, was there indeed a dwelling in this dense forest. Or was he some spectral being that had refused to pass from this world to the next. The latter seemed more likely to her. Regardless, she had to no more of him. “Please … do not leave me alone out here … it is dark and I fear I shall loose my way.”

He did stop then but he did not retreat back to her, he merely moved his body in a half turn to lock her in his emerald gaze. “You managed to find your way in, I am quite sure you are capable of finding your way out again. However, if you wish not to be alone, I suggest you follow.” He turned abruptly and continued on his way.

Audrey wanted to defy him and return to the village; but she found herself flopping along the gravel path behind him, limping with only one shoe on, leaving her other shoe behind her forgotten.

He kept his same steady pace, never looking back to see if Audrey followed or not. It seemed not to matter to him one way or the other.

Audrey for her part tried to quicken her pace to close the distance between them. But the man’s long stride was too much competition for Audrey’s small gape. They walked for some time. Both sides of the path were lined with tall flowering hollyhocks, making it impossible to discern anything about what lay beyond. Audrey could hear the faint sound of falling water; it seemed to grow louder as they traveled though she never saw its source. She thought she caught a glimmer of moonlight on a body of water’s surface but she was not sure.

When the man finally stopped at the end of the pebbled path, allowing Audrey to catch up, her small lungs were given out. Her breath came in ragged puffs and her calf muscles burned. The man seemed not effected by the trek at all.

“My Home” the man extended his hand in front of him in a sweeping gesture.

Audrey looked up where indicated and what little breath she had was caught in her throat.

Seeming to appear out of no where, a massive stone castle loomed before them where moments ago only trees stood. It rose from the leaf littered forest floor and then disappeared in the canopy of leaves and branches above. The stones of the fortress were slick with age in many places. The castle was partially obscured by moss and clinging vines of ivy, making the structure almost seem part of the forest itself.

He moved forward and opened a large wooden door, its frame set inside a stone archway. He held the door for Audrey’s admittance then closed the portal behind them. They were plunged into darkness.

A light hiss sounded in Audrey’s ears.  Then she jumped as a pair of Emerald green eyes set in a pale face appeared next to hers.

The man twisted his lips in a delighted smile. “My apologies. Your eyes shall adjust to the candle light in a moment.”

The man took the lead again and began venturing deeper into the castle. Audrey was sure to keep up, as the small circle of light provided by the candle he carried did little to banish the darkness.

The floors, walls, and ceilings were comprised of aged stone, slick and gray. In many places the smooth stone gave way to an elegantly carved relief depicting various mythical creatures.  Ancient suits of armor stood proud guard from arched alcoves.

Brilliantly colored rugs lay scattered over the stone floor while richly embroidered tapestries adorned the walls. Ornately carved sconces clung to the walls through out granting the dim corridors their only light.

“Do watch your step” the man instructed as he led them up a long winding staircase. Audrey looked below her, the shadows seemed to swallow up where they had been. And then as she gazed ahead, the stair’s top faded into the shadows above.  It almost gave her a sense of vertigo, as if the staircase was suspended in mid air. As they continued upwards Audrey thought the stairs might spiral on for eternity.

The stairway eventually led them onto a landing with several corridors snaking off in different directions. They ventured but a few feet down one of these passages and then came to their destination.

The man pushed open a heavy wooden door, the portal creaked under the effort.  Audrey followed the man into a massive chamber. Audry moved further into the room and found her self no less enchanted with that chamber than she had been the rest of the castle. This room seemed to be a large study small. In the fireplace a roaring fire blazed accompanying the wall sconces in giving the room a soft warm glow. The stone walls were completely obscured by towering bookshelves. The floors in this chamber were also sprinkled with thick richly colored rugs of varying shapes and sizes. The room was sparsely furnished. Dominating the room was a immense ornately carved desk made of polished mahogany. On either side of the desk there stood tall and proud a Queen Anne chair upholstered in a plush maroon velvet. The only other furnishing in the room was an easel, a blank canvas perched upon it.  

The man moved across the room to stand behind the grandiose desk. His movements were fluid, graceful. He turned his back upon Audrey and the room. His arms folded behind his back he stoically studied a pair of French doors through which he could see the moonlight beyond.

Audrey approached one of the book shelves so she might scan the spins of the many books housed there. Most of them were incredibly old, and though she longed to touch them she was afraid they might fall to dust in her hands. A lover of books, she was enchanted by the ranging titles and the timeless quality of the tomes.

“My God, these must be original printings.” She sighed in longing.

“They are.” The man said in reply.

Audrey jumped with freight. He was standing right next to her although she had not heard him cross the room. It was almost as if he had materialized out of thin air.

“Forgive me, I did not mean to startle you.” He painted on a smile that seemed genuine but yet cold somehow.

Audrey shivered.

“Ah, I am a most appalling host it seems, please …” he gestured to a settee placed near the hearth. “Warm your self by the fire. Wine?” he crossed the room again to his desk and filled two crystal goblets from a bejeweled decanter. “You will forgive me, you are the first visitor here in many long years.”

“Of course.” Audrey took the offered seat by the fire but she did not recline. She sat stiffly on its edge, her hands knotted together in her lap.

The man glided across the room, his footsteps appearing as though they never touched the stone floor beneath him.

“My name is Sir Nicholas Rochester.” He announced with out fashion, handing Audrey a goblet of wine. “Welcome to my home, Audrey … may I call you such? Or do I presume too much?” He flashed a charming smile.

“It’s …its fine” she offered a smile she did not feel, as her mind tried to recall when she had told this man her name. Surely she had, she had just forgotten. After all she was quite shaken from the fall and the man’s sudden appearance. Feeling she must say something to engage him in conversation she issued forth the only words she could think of. “Your garden is really quite remarkable.”

“Thank you, you are very kind to say.” He offered her a very pleased smile. “You saw just a small portion of it I am afraid. I would be happy of course to give you the full tour if you should be so inclined.”

“I would like that very much” Audrey took a sip of wine, the dark red liquid warmed its way down her throat, warming her body and setting her nerves more at ease. She immediately followed it with another, deeper drink from the crystal goblet. “I have always had great interests in plants, especially flowers. You have chosen some interesting specimens.”

“I have precious little to occupy my time; my garden is thus a labor of love. I do so adore beauty in all its forms.”

“Painting included?” she gestured to the easel holding the blank canvas.

The smile he had portrayed to this point faded quickly away. “I shall be glad to give you a tour of the garden, but not this night. The hour grows late and I have matters of business to attend to before I take my rest.” He deposited his wine glass on a nearby table and proceeded towards the door. As if it was merely an afterthought he turned towards her once more.

“I shall send my valet to attend to you” he informed her coldly, “He will see you safely off my estate, or if you wish not to travel by night he will provide you with suitable accommodations. I am afraid I must make one point very clear.” He casts his green eyes on her with such intensity she physically shrunk away from his gaze. “I shall be engaged until tomorrow evening. If you wish, you may remain until my return and I will happily provide you with the tour of my garden so promised. But you are not to enter into it alone, nor are you to wander about this castle without my company. This is an immense estate, if you decide to wander off and become lost I shall not waste a moment of my time, nor that of my valet, looking for you. I do hope that is clear. I bid you a good night Audrey.” With a dramatic bow and a twirl of his cape he was gone.