The woman in white

-I discovered your secret, Zick!- admitted the girl placing her big blue eyes on the pale, light-flooded face of her young companion, exactly as if she herself was an insightful investigator.

It was cloudy that day and the sunlight started to descend in the form of rays, most of which had accidentally fallen on the face of the young Jones.

Ezekiel stood at the window, although it was closed, he looked outside, he saw the surrounding landscape, the cloudy sky, the sea that stirred in numerous and violent waves on the coast.

Not that that boy spent his days in a different way: he read, walked back and forth, even on the coast when the weather was fine and he was looking out the window, as if he really felt like the lord of those lands, a task that generally should have been that of young Phoebe Dustin.

-It's a bad weather outside, what a pity- the boy admitted placing the rest of his body comfortably on the soft mattress of the bedroom set up for him -when the sun isn't there I get sad, I can't help it...- Zick admitted making the young lady doubt that he was listening to her.

Certainly she thought that young lord was unusual: he was looking out into thin air, he was in a world of his own, he may have seen ghosts but the thing Phoebe Dustin was sure of was that this young man was not really as crazy as he let her imagine.

But why was he doing this? Did he have a plan? Was it to protect himself? Or was it perhaps due to the trauma of his father trying to kill him?

She didn't know it but she saw in the boy's big brown eyes that he was actually kind in his heart, she felt it, kind and somewhat naive to get by on his own.

-Zick, I found this book, here it says "heraldry and nomenclature of Lords and ladies"...I thought I could find more information about your mother but here it appears that the page regarding Azura Hannover II is torn- admitted the girl leaving the heavy, dusty old book on the surface of the soft blankets -and I'm sure you have something to do with it-.

At those words the young Jones turned his pale face towards the girl sitting to his right: he was lying wearily on the bed and an expression of surprise appeared on his face, almost as if he knew nothing of this action.

And so it was when the boy finally decided to talk and admit it all: -I don't understand what you are talking about- he admitted turning over in bed -I swear that even if I had found it first I would never have torn that page...I didn't even know the Dustin had such a large library-.

Phoebe was silent for a moment, she did not know whether to believe the boy or not but despite all this he continued to possess something paranormal, anyway the words spoken from the thin lips of the young man seemed sincere.

But if it hadn't been Zick who had torn the page? And with what purpose? On the other hand, not too many people had to know about the existence of the artifact and those who knew it certainly had some unfinished business with that woman.

-So if not you who else?- asked the girl taking the big book which apparently was hiding under that ancient and dusty cover more secrets than she could ever have imagined in her hands.

It was a difficult time for Phoebe: her father was at war and her uncle, who at that time was in charge of looking after the lands of Southern Ireland had fallen ill with pneumonia and for this reason Warren Dustin had been forced to return to Galway, along with his wife and son to carry out the necessary treatment.

So it was just her and the young Jones, she and that strange boy, Phoebe was afraid, she had to admit, she was afraid because she thought that governing was simple and instead, when everything was in her hands it was collapsing.

No, she could not disappoint anyone, nor risk losing her father, so reluctantly over the broken promise with the boy, she should have informed Lord Preston as soon as possible of the Jones' dominion, if that was the only salvation.

-I don't know who it could have been, maybe the woman dressed in white knows something about it...- concluded Ezekiel turning his big brown eyes towards his alleged friend -why not stay in my room this evening, so that you can see her for yourself...-.

The young lady blushed completely on her delicate face, so much so that the clear colour of her blue eyes gave a cold hue.

Staying one evening with him? Was he perhaps out of his mind asking a lady certain things and then for what? To see an alleged ghost that most likely didn't exist.

-Do you mean it as a date?- asked the young Phoebe blushing even more on her soft and pale cheeks.

-If you like to think so than yes- the boy admitted smiling -we can stay lying on my bed if you like and wait until the night falls to introduce you to the woman-.

The young Dustin smiled, on the other hand she would not have minded spending time without noble commitments or tasks to be done, only peace and harmony, breathing fresh air, lying next to the boy and waiting, looking at nothing.

For once Phoebe didn't have to pretend to be strong and could only let her true emotions fall out of her.

-So Zick? Where do we start?-.