There were so many mysterious things about the sky that night, that one ought to have foretold what was about to happen. The sky had its darkest color, since clouds covered the stars that produced an intense rain pouring down the village houses on the hill.
My eyes were fixed upon the raindrops sliding down the window panes. You might say that such tranquility could calm me, but alas silence frightens me. After the Coldwell Manor was left uninhabited, the whole place is in a strange and constant anxiety and to make matters worse, the fog that has been circling the village since then is quite obnoxious. I wonder whether the abrupt change in the weather has something to do with the recent events. But then again, I might as well mind my own business and not go looking for trouble, despite trouble's pure talent in finding me.
I turned to see the small room lit only by the fireplace. These days there's no good thing to be spotted awake in the middle of the night. After Edmund's death, I've been left alone in the world and this place is the only thing I have left of him. I run the "Poisoned Apple" by myself now and earn a living. It's a decent pub and helps me make my way through the year.
A knock on the door disturbed my thinking. I stared at it with an alarmed look on my face, but acted quickly. I armed myself with a shotgun, which was hidden behind the sofa and approached.
"Who's there?What do you want?", I whispered.
"My name is William Malvallet. I seek Amelia Woodville.", said a male voice behind the wooden door, "I come from the Redgrove, a village in the north. I've been traveling for a few days and I was wondering if you could give me shelter and accommodation. I am aware that you have a pub and a spare room to let".
I reached for the door and opened it, only to face a man not older than me which was quite weird, because I could swear by his voice that he was much older. I could tell he was my age by his eyes, because he was so heavy dressed I could hardly see his face.
"Come in, don't stand out there in the cold rain." I said while putting aside the shotgun, "You will sleep here tonight", I pointed the sofa, "and tomorrow I will show you a decent room. Besides, I could use some company." and smiled pleasantly.
The man went close to the fire and removed his hat and coat. He nodded and sighed a "thank you" to me. I stalled to go and get clean sheets and blankets, only to process his characteristics for a while. This virile stranger was quite tall , dark haired with piercing green eyes. He must have noticed that I was watching him that closely and smiled above his goatee.
As I was returning with the blankets, he was already warming himself in the armchair next to the fire smoking a large pipe. "Fancy a smoke, miss Woodville?"
"Call me Amelia", I told him "and no, thank you". I was curious about his arrival since the village hadn't a large marketplace or something one could make a profit of so I couldn't hold myself from asking. "Why are you here? Your name seems quite familiar".
He let a large amount of smoke out of his mouth and began explaining to me that he had come after his uncle's death, Oliver Malvallet, to make arrangements for his funeral. He didn't seem to know anything about the cause of his death, let alone other details for all the weird deaths in the area. After deciding not to disturb him with such information so early, I said goodnight and withdrew to go to sleep, so he could rest as well. There was time for him to find out.
