Frost Arch (22 page)

Finally I saw a flickering light in the distance, as the passageway came to an end and seemed to lead into a small circular stone room. Extinguishing my hand held flame and treading very quietly I stopped in the arch doorway and peeked into the secret room. It was pretty much empty apart from a few things.

Upon the wall hung a beautiful white wedding dress made in intricate detail for a woman of slim proportions. What I would give to simply wear a dress as elegant as that for just a minute. It seemed to glitter and shine in the candle’s light which hung from a banister on the wall. The next thing I saw was a desk; upon it were mountains of letters and envelopes. A small wooden chest also sat on this desk, which was ajar and showed an assortment of beautiful, elegant jewellery, fit for a queen. But the beautiful dress and the breath taking jewellery were not the most amazing things in this room. My mouth dropped open and my heart seemed to falter when my eyes found the large portrait of a young and beautiful woman hanging from the wall. It was a ridiculously accurate painting held in an ornate gold frame. The sheer talent put into this masterpiece was not what caught and held my attention though.

Her long black her fell past her shoulders and began curling into elegant ringlets towards the end, her crystal blue eyes gazed in silent humour at the painter, and her full lips were hitched in an amused smile. This was the face of a lovely, happy woman, content with her life.

She looked exactly like me.

There was one difference however. She looked happy, and well rested, where as I had constant bags under my eyes as though I had not slept for days, and I was quite sure that I was not as pretty as this lady. She exemplified pure radiance, where as I was dull and generally unkempt. Who was this woman? And why were her possessions being kept, hidden away in this secret room? No doubt she had been quite rich, like most of the Forsythe family. But who was she to Noah?

I had become so shocked by the painting that I hadn’t even noticed Noah sitting on a stool and reading over some of the letters from the desk, no doubt. He hadn’t even noticed me standing, half hidden by darkness, in the doorway. At his feet was a shattered bottle of unknown liquid. It was strong and sickly sweet, and somewhat stung my nose like ammonia. Alcohol of some sort. I had only ever seen him drink wine before.

It seemed I had intruded upon something very personal to him. I would be in very bad trouble if I was discovered here.

Gulping I took a step back, trying to be as quiet as possible. Of course, when one attempts to be quiet, one usually finds themselves making more noise than intended. This was such a case. I misjudged the distance between myself and the first step, and to my utter horror fell on my back which seared painfully as it came in contact with the hard stairs. I let out an involuntary gasp of pain and bit down on my lip. That would bruise. No doubt I would be discovered now.

I heard a clattering as the stool fell to the floor, and Noah was in the doorway within a second. He seemed to sway slightly as he squinted down at me.

I was on the floor, halfway between getting up and deciding to curl into a ball until this nightmare passed. I held my breath as I waited for Noah to yell, to scream, to drag me away by my hair and have me flogged. I deserved it for entering his secret room, his shrine to the unknown woman who looked like me. This was obviously who Camryn and Jack had been referring to, but I still did not know who she was.

Noah’s breathing was heavy and laboured, and I could tell he was very drunk. I had no idea that he preferred something stronger to wine. I waited for the first blow to come.

“Madeline?” Noah breathed, unsure. He sounded scared, and I wasn’t quite sure what to say.

“Noah, I-” I began to apologise, but as I said his name it seemed to act as a stimulant. I realised then that I had never called him by his first name before, in person.

He hurried forwards and wrenched me from the ground and crushed me to his chest. He stank of alcohol so bad that my nose burned from the smell. I didn’t know what to do. He didn’t seem to realise who I was anymore.

“Noah, please-” I tried again in a muffled voice against his chest.

“Oh, Madeline.” Noah cupped my face in his hands and I stopped breathing altogether, “I thought you were dead, but you came back to me, just like I prayed.”

“No, you’ve made a mistake-” I wanted to explain. Madeline was obviously the pretty woman in the painting and Noah was so drunk he hadn’t realised who I was. I was cut off mid-sentence as Noah’s lips came crashing down onto mine, urgent and harsh. This was not what I had expected for my first kiss. His breath stank and his arms wound around me tightly, holding me in place against him. I tried to wriggle away, but Noah didn’t seem to notice. His mouth was soft despite the urgency, shaping against mine and parting my lips. His breath washed over me, and I started pushing at his chest.

Finally, he pulled away and stared down at me. My face was contorted into an expression of confusion and hurt. I now understood why Noah had taken such an interest to me in the first place. I was nothing, nothing to him except a look-a-like of his dead wife. This realisation tore at my heart. How stupid I had been to think that this beautiful man had ever had an interest in me, Avalon Redding. A sob caught in my throat and tears threatened to flow.

Noah held me to his chest, “It’s all right, my love. We’re together again.”

“No, Noah, you don’t understand.” I protested, “I’m not Madeline. I’m Ava. You’re drunk and you don’t know what you’re saying. I’m sorry I came down here, I was just looking for you.” My voice pleaded for forgiveness.

“Ava?” Noah’s voice formed my abbreviated name uncertainly. He held me at an arm’s length, studying me; his bloodshot eyes slightly unfocused.

I nodded and sniffed back my tears. I did not want to cry in front of him again, no matter how mad or hurt I was. I would surely be in trouble when Noah came to his senses.

“Yes. Ava. Avalon Redding.” I pressed, “Not Madeline.”

Noah’s expression slipped from confusion into a look fit for a man being tortured. Agony ripped at his features and I felt my heart break for him.

“You look so much like her.” He whispered, closing his eyes.

“I know, I know. I’m sorry.” I didn’t know what I was apologising for, “Please Noah, I’m so sorry I came here.”

Noah staggered slightly and I held onto him. He was so large that if he were to fall, I would not be able to help him back up.

“Perhaps you should lie down.” I suggested, “Sleep it off.”

Noah nodded slowly, and opened his eyes.

Slowly we began ascending the stairs, Noah’s arm slung over my shoulder for support. I grunted with effort as I helped Noah through the dark passageway, no light guiding my way this time. It took much longer to reach the closet entrance on the way up, seeing as I was doing most of the work. Finally we were back into the handsome bedroom where Noah staggered to the bed and sat on it, slouching forwards.

He put his face in his hands and seemed to be quite upset. This was my entire fault. My stupid face hurt him every time he looked at me, I could sense it. Each glimpse into my eyes punched a hole through his bleeding heart.

I stood there awkwardly for a few moments, shifting my weight from foot to foot uncomfortably. I didn’t know what to say or do to make this better, or if Noah just wanted me to leave.

I understood now that Jack and Camryn had been trying to protect me, but from what? There was nothing to fear but a broken man. Noah was not mean, or dangerous. Just confused. I didn’t blame him. Jack and Camryn had been silly to think that I was in danger because I had a face similar to his Madeline’s.

Hesitantly I took a step towards Noah who didn’t budge or acknowledge my existence. I had to make this better. But what would I say?

“Sir?” I said quietly, taking another step closer.

Noah sighed and let his hands fall away from his face. His eyes were quite red, though I saw no trace of a tear.

“Sir, would you like to talk about it?” I said in barely more than a whisper.

He wrung his hands nervously then sighed, “I apologise, Miss Redding. I have acted most embarrassingly.”

“It’s really not my place to say, sir-”

“I have treated you very badly, when you have done nothing but be very helpful.” He continued as though I had not spoken.

“I’ve been treated fine, really-” apart from the fact that you just forced yourself upon me. I held my tongue.

“Madeline was my fiancée.” Noah breathed heavily, “We were to be married.”

Fiancée, not wife, I corrected my earlier assumptions.

“What happened?” I pressed. I thirsted to know about Noah’s past.

“It was a long engagement; we simply didn’t have the time to plan a wedding. We were a very busy couple,” Noah explained, “The first time I saw her was when I was eighteen, and Madeline was seventeen. Our family held a very important party that night to which Madeline’s family was invited. She was not from Frost Arch, but Flamethroat Valley, a luscious city south of here.”

I had heard of Flamethroat Valley once before. My mother Anya had visited there once as a child and told me about its beauty.

“Madeline was passing through with her family, very important people. Practically royalty. They attended our party while they were staying in Frost Arch for a few days. I saw her for the first time at our party. A masquerade. She was twirling and dancing with her father on the dance floor. She was so elegant, and I was mesmerised. I hadn’t even seen her face yet, because of the mask she wore, but I could tell she was beautiful. I suppose you could say it was love at first sight. I stepped before her and requested a dance. Of course she didn’t know who I was at first, but she accepted.

“Towards the end of the night we revealed ourselves and I could see my entire life in her eyes. I knew she was the one I wanted to marry. Her perfect, crystal clear eyes held my entire life within them. I told her father of my intentions on the day they were to leave Frost Arch, and he gave us his blessings. Madeline stayed here with me.

“You and she look so alike. When I first saw you, Avalon, standing on the grounds of the manor when I returned from my travels, I could have sworn you were a teenage Madeline. It hurt a lot to see you that day, for it reminded me of my love.”

I held very still and watched Noah intently as he told his story. I had a feeling he hadn’t spoken about it for a long time.

“We began courting after a few weeks of knowing each other, and it was a year before we were engaged.” He laughed humourlessly, “If I had known … I would have tied the knot a lot sooner so I could have called her my wife. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the woman dearly, but I thought we had all the time in the world, and that there was no need to rush. She often pestered me into setting a date. I wish I had.

“At twenty I set the date for our wedding. She was thrilled. We were to be wed in just a few months time. But of course, fate intercepted. Madeline grew fragile, and ill. She wasted away to nothing in a matter of weeks. She died very quickly, and I regret to say that it was a painful death. No one could figure out what was killing her. No one knew how to help, not even Jack Greenwood, the local healer, a man who could cure anything.”

“Jack?” I said shocked, “But this was eight years ago, he would have been a child-”

“Pardon me, Jack Greenwood senior. You’re friend’s father. Mister Greenwood Senior did everything he could. He had never failed before. In the end it drove him mad and he disappeared.”

“Poor Jack.” I whispered. My first and best friend had a secret that he hadn’t even shared with me. Of course Camryn would know. Hadn’t Jack said that they had known each other since they were children? I felt sad that I had never bothered to ask about his family. I thought of his usual happy, smiling face and tried to remember if his eyes ever gave away the fact that he was unhappy. I couldn’t recall. I had always been so absorbed in my own misery.

“So Madeline died, and I was left alone in this world. Miss Redding, do you ever wonder what it is I am doing during those endless hours in my study? Do you ever wonder why I often leave home and travel the world?”

“I did wonder, sir, but I thought it was not my place to ask.” I admitted.

“I’ve been looking for an explanation. I’ve been researching history, looking for other cases like Madeline’s. I’ve been studying medicine to discover a cure. But of course we rely on Healer’s far too much these days, and it does not occur to society that we may encounter something that even they cannot fix.”

I understood now the excessive researching, the endless studying that Noah did. I even understood why he had requested my presence during this time. I was a reminder to him, a reminder of why he was scouring the earth looking for an answer. I held the face of his dead fiancée, and he needed my face to ensure that his heart kept aching, and his mind kept reeling for answers. It hurt to know the truth, but could I blame him for using me? Could I blame him for making me think that I was something special? I was nothing.

“I’m sorry that I used you and hurt you.” Noah said quietly, looking up at me and piercing me with his beautiful eyes.

“But not sorry that you did it.” I whispered. I promised myself I wouldn’t cry. I tried my hardest not to.

“No. I would do it again if it led me to an answer.”