Chapter Text
Beatrice tries not to look disgusted as yet another middle aged man tries to convince her to accept his marriage proposal.
She is not surprised - her family is by far the wealthiest in the region, and she has already passed the age that most women in town are married. Her parents have been pressuring her to accept a suitor, and with her father’s ailing health she knows she is running out of time and excuses to keep rebutting them.
The men were becoming increasingly outlandish to try to win her favour, ranging from boasting wealth and property, to claims of possessing some of the ancient magic passed down by bloodlines.
“You can even bring your cat with you,” the man is saying. “I have always held such a love for animals and hope that we can raise our children with a multitude of pets.”
At the mention of Lilith, she is struck with an idea.
Politely excusing herself, Beatrice makes her way to the small stage. Her parents had hoped hosting yet another garden party would help speed up the process for her, and for the first time she is thankful that the majority of the town’s elite are in one place.
“Excuse me,” she calls, and waits until the chatter dies down. Once she has everyone’s attention, she takes a deep breath and steels herself. “Thank you all for coming tonight. As you are all aware, I am seeking a suitor. To ensure that my betrothed possesses courage and intellect, I have devised a contest.”
Beatrice can feel her parents’ eyes glaring daggers at her as the crowd begins to murmur. Lifting her chin, she continues, “Some of you may know that I have a companion, a black Persian cat by the name of Lilith. She does not tend to let people get very close to her, except for me. I will be tying a small key to Lilith’s collar that unlocks my front door. The first person who manages to get the key and open the door will be granted my hand. I wish you all luck.”
With that, she descends from the stage and makes her way inside, ignoring the stares and whispers.
—
Ava sighs as she reaches the outskirts of the town. She had seriously misjudged the distance between towns, and had run out of food and water the night before.
Shouting catches her attention right before a group of men runs past her, chasing a frazzled looking cat. One of the men barrels straight into Ava and sends her sprawling. He doesn’t give her so much as a second glance as he races down the street.
Ava slowly pulls herself to her feet. Her legs tingle and her back aches, telling her that the impact knocked her completely the wrong way. She tries to keep walking but the tingles get worse, so she wanders down the nearest alleyway and slides to the ground. Propped up against the wall and her backpack, she knows she’ll have to sit and wait until her back recovers.
She must fall asleep, because the next thing she knows she wakes to the feeling of being watched. She wearily rubs her face while looking around. She can’t see anyone watching, so she lets herself relax slightly.
It is then that she sees the small bundle of dark fur, eyes warily trained on her from across the alley. She stares back and realises that it’s the same cat that was being chased earlier.
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt you,” she says softly. She slowly stretches out her legs, relieved that the tingles had subsided to the usual dull ache. “I don’t think I could chase you even if I wanted to.”
The cat blinks at her and settles down lower to the ground, tucking its paws underneath itself. Ava feels almost as if it is waiting, listening, and she isn’t sure why she gets the urge to keep talking.
“I was in an accident as a kid and now my back is wrecked, so even though I can walk fine it hurts like hell to run. I’m definitely not going to put myself through that pain just to chase you.” She narrows her eyes at the cat. “Unless you’ve done something so unspeakably evil that I should be turning you in?”
The cat gives a little meow, as if offended, and Ava laughs. She feels ridiculous, sitting on the ground talking to a random cat. But it’s far from the weirdest thing she’s done, and she’d rather be talking to the cat than to herself.
With a groan, Ava drags herself to her feet. Shouldering her bag, she glances back at the cat. It is standing too, doing an adorable stretch. “Well, I’m off to find somewhere to stay. Good luck avoiding those rude men.”
She expects the cat to stay where it was, but instead it dashes ahead of her to the end of the alley and waits there, watching her expectantly. Ava briefly wonders if she should follow a random animal through a strange town, but then decides she doesn’t really have too much to lose.
The cat leads her through the streets quickly, trotting just ahead of her. Ava follows, her head on a swivel as she tries to take note of everything they pass. It isn’t long before the cat stops in front of a faded sign.
The Cat’s Cradle Inn .
Ava snorts. Of course this is where a cat would lead her. She looks down to thank the cat, but it is nowhere to be seen.
Ava pushes open the door and steps into the inn. Inside is a lot quieter than she expected it to be, although it is still early in the day. A few patrons are scattered across the tables, empty glasses in front of them, while others are making their way towards the stairs in the far corner.
She makes her way to the bar, where a stern woman with a long, wicked scar over her eye turns to greet her. “I haven’t seen you around here before.”
“I just got to town,” Ava replies, filled with a weird desire to impress this woman. “I was going to try to find somewhere to stay but this cat led me here?” She couldn’t help the way it came out more as a question.
“A black cat?”
“Yeah, it was down an alley, I think it was hiding from the men harassing it.”
“And this cat led you here?”
“Yes?”
“Well, she’s never done that before,” the woman mutters, more to herself than anything, before addressing Ava again. “How long are you staying for?”
“I’m not sure yet.” Ava reaches into her pockets and pulls out a handful of coins. “How long will this get me? I don’t have much more at the moment.”
The woman tilts her head slightly as she assesses Ava, seemingly debating something with herself. Eventually, she gives a small huff. “Keep it for now. I’ll let you stay for a couple of nights and then we can talk.”
“Thank you, thank you, thank you ,” Ava nearly shouts, wincing when some of the patrons turn to look at her.
“What’s your name?” The woman asks, turning to take a key from the rack behind the bar.
“Ava Silva, ma’am.”
The woman hands her the key with a slight frown. “Ma’am isn’t necessary. Suzanne will do.”
Ava holds the key carefully, like it could break or disappear from her fingers. “Thank you Suzanne. You won’t regret this.”
Suzanne hums. “Your room is the third on the left up the stairs. We generally serve dinner until late, but tonight’s roast is something of a local specialty so it tends to sell out quickly.”
After once more expressing her gratitude, Ava heads up to her room. The room itself is nothing special, just a double bed, a small bathroom and a dresser under the single window, but Ava can tell Suzanne takes meticulous care of everything.
She freshens up and changes into a clean shirt before flopping face first onto the bed with a groan. She is used to travelling - after all she’s been doing it for years - but this particular stretch combined with her fall earlier has left her exhausted.
She is weighing the pros of a nap with the cons of potentially missing dinner when a rustling by the window makes her slowly sit up.
Perched on the window ledge, somehow two storeys up, is a now familiar cat.
“Well hello again my friend,” Ava coos, but makes no move to get closer. “It seems I owe you for bringing me here.”
The cat blinks slowly and lets out a little noise, a mix between a meow and a squeak.
“Hiding again?” Ava asks, and then laughs at herself when she pauses as if the cat will answer. “Never mind. You can hang out here if you like but I will probably keep rambling at you. I’ve been told once I start talking, I don’t stop and you can’t really tell me to shut up like the others do, so you either get to listen to me or run away, I guess.”
Ava had expected the cat to have left by now, so is further surprised when it takes a cautious step inside the window to settle on the top of the dresser. She doesn’t know why winning over this strange cat made her feel so victorious.
Moving to prop herself up against the headboard, Ava can’t help the words flowing out of her mouth. It had been a long time since she’s had anyone - human or otherwise - willing to listen.
Before she knows it, the sun is setting and she has told the cat her entire tragic backstory, from the accident that injured her and killed her mother, to growing up in a small orphanage in a poor town, to now, travelling and seeing as much of the world as she can.
She does a double take when she glances out the window and realises how late it is getting. “Oh, shit, dinner!” She scrambles to her feet and pulls her boots back on. As she’s about to leave, she turns back to where the cat is yet to move. “I know this means nothing to you because, well, you’re a cat, but thank you for listening to me. I hope I get to talk to you again soon.”
She makes it downstairs just in time to get one of the last few servings of roast, earning a raised eyebrow from Suzanne. She just shrugs guilty and finds a table in the back corner, out of the way of the regulars.
She has almost finished devouring her food - she can see why it’s so popular, it’s divine - when the door opens and a woman walks in. Ava watches as she approaches the bar.
There is nothing that stands out about her, but it is as if this is by design. Her pants and jacket are both clearly high quality, but they are well-worn and plain. Her dark hair is unadorned but pulled back from her face in a tight, well-practised bun. She makes her way quickly and quietly through the bar, never disturbing anyone but moving with a grace that Ava has only ever seen on ballerinas.
Everything about her is purpose-built to blend in but Ava, who had spent decades watching how people move through the world, can tell that she was anything but plain.
Ava can’t help but stare as she has a hushed conversation with Suzanne, gesturing slightly with her hands. Suzanne glances over at Ava and gestures with a nod of her head, and Ava’s eyes go wide at being caught.
But as the new woman turns to look, Ava can’t look away.
Even from across the dimly lit room, Ava can see a light dusting of freckles across her cheeks and nose. That alone would have caught her attention - she was a sucker for tanned skin and cute freckles - but it is the woman’s eyes that hold her captive.
Ava can’t tell the exact colour from her table, but something in her eyes screams familiarity in a way Ava can’t comprehend.
The woman breaks eye contact to turn back to Suzanne, saying something in a rapid, hushed tone while trying to push a glinting pile across the bar. Suzanne pushes it back towards her with a harsh shake of her head.
The woman spares one last glance over her shoulder at Ava before turning on her heel and walking out, leaving Ava staring at the door as it closes behind her.
Ava finishes the rest of her food as her mind is filled with speculations and daydreams about the mystery woman. She is still occupying every spare thought as Ava makes her way back up to her room, bathes and climbs into bed.
When Ava wakes in the morning, she is disappointed to be pulled from her dreams about familiar eyes and freckled cheeks.
She tries to snap herself out of it by splashing cold water on her face and changing quickly, ready to go and explore the town.
Her first stop is a bakery, where a cheerful, curly-haired woman passes her a pastry the size of her head and a steaming cup of coffee. Ava sits at one of the small tables outside to eat, taking her time to pull apart the delicious, flaky pastry. She savours the coffee even more; it had been weeks since she last had any, and she had sorely missed it.
Sufficiently energised, she makes her way into the centre of town, perusing the small stores along the way. She has to resist the urge to buy new shirts and dresses at the tailor, knowing that she can’t fit any more clothes in her single bag.
Even harder to resist is the bookstore. Ever since she was injured and spent most of her time unable to run and play with the other children, books had been her way to explore the world. Each one gave her a glimpse into a vibrant world beyond her four walls, and she was hooked.
Her attention is drawn away from the bookstore window by a commotion on the other side of the street. A group of men are suspiciously huddled around something cornered between two stores. As the men shuffle slightly to try to squeeze in closer, Ava gets a glimpse of dark fur.
One of the men lunges towards the cat, but with a hiss it swats at his cheek, drawing out lines of blood and a scream. While the men are distracted, the cat darts between their legs and down the street. The men manage to scramble to follow but, much to her satisfaction, Ava knows they won’t catch up.
Ava doesn’t see the cat again as she continues to make her way through town, stopping to look at wares, give a few coins to the busker and try some kind of fried meat on a stick from a friendly vendor.
Ava spends as long as she can exploring, but as it moves into late afternoon she can feel the tingle start to spread through her legs and knows she has reached her limit for the day. Slowly she begins the journey back to the inn.
When Ava returns to her room, she is somehow not surprised to see the cat already perched atop the dresser. It gives a small meow, like a hello, as Ava sits on the edge of the bed.
“You had a close one today, hey,” she says in lieu of a greeting. “You got the guy good though, he deserved it”
The cat seems to almost preen under the attention. As it shifts, Ava glimpses something small and metal attached to its collar. As much as she wants to know what it is, the memory of the blood running down the man’s face is enough to keep her curiosity at bay for now.
Taking up a similar position to the prior afternoon, Ava props herself up on the bed and continues chattering at the cat. She tells it all about the stores she visited, how badly she wanted the clothes and the books. She doesn’t know why she is so compelled to keep talking, but she even tells the cat about why she loves reading so much.
Eventually the fading light, coupled with her grumbling stomach, forces her to get dressed and head downstairs for dinner.
She has only just started on her stew when her eyes are drawn to the opening door. Her spoon clatters against the bowl as she watches the woman from last night stride to the bar. She watches, entranced, as the woman and Suzanne talk cheerfully.
When Suzanne nods in her direction, Ava ducks her head and stuffs another spoonful into her mouth. She is careful to keep her eyes on her bowl until a shadow lands across her table. She slowly looks up to see the woman standing in front of her.
“Is this seat taken?” she asks, soft but assured.
Ava glances around and can easily see half a dozen empty tables. The mystery woman was choosing to talk to her.
“Go ahead,” she manages to say, glad her voice doesn’t crack.
“How are you finding our little town?” the woman asks as she settles into the seat, crossing her ankles gracefully. “Have you had a chance to explore?”
“I have, it’s amazing,” Ava says. “I’ve been travelling for a while now and don’t have room for a lot of stuff, so unfortunately I couldn’t go into many of the stores. I’ll definitely be going to the bakery again tomorrow though.”
“Camila makes the best pastries I’ve ever had,” the woman agrees. “If you go in the afternoons, she sometimes has leftovers that she will give you for free.”
“Thanks for the tip,” Ava grins.
“I hope everyone has been giving you a warm welcome?”
“Everyone has been lovely,” Ava is quick to assure her. Then, a thought strikes her. “Well, almost everyone. What’s the deal with everyone and the poor cat?”
The woman tilts her head slightly. “You haven’t heard the story?”
Ava shrugs. “I only got here yesterday so I don’t know much about anything around here.”
“The Youngs are a very old, influential family in this town,” the woman begins. “Mr Young is getting older and his health is declining, so he and his wife have been pressuring their daughter to get married as soon as possible.”
“Of course they have,” Ava scoffs before she can help herself, drawing a small smile from the woman. “Sorry, sorry, please continue.”
“Well, as I’m sure you’ve seen, the eligible bachelors in this town are … lacking,” the woman says with a hint of disdain. Ava nods in agreement. “To ensure that she would not be married off to an imbecile for the sake of money, Miss Young declared that whoever could catch the cat, take the key from around her neck, and use it to open her front door would be awarded her hand.”
“So they’re trying to catch it to have the chance to marry a rich girl?”
The woman nods. “I think she is hoping that the contest will give her a bit more time, if nothing else. At best, it gives her time to find someone that is more to her taste.”
“What taste is that?”
“Well,” the woman drawls, leaning forward as if telling Ava a secret. “I have it on good authority that Miss Young prefers less … masculinity … in her partner.”
Ava hums as she realises just what the woman is saying. “I can’t say I blame her,” she admits. A flash of recognition in those brown eyes prompts her to add, “Wouldn’t you agree?”
The woman doesn’t say anything but instead gives a knowing tilt of her chin. As she holds Ava’s gaze, Ava is again struck with the overwhelming familiarity from the previous night.
Before Ava can say anything further, the woman sighs. “I have greatly enjoyed talking to you tonight, but unfortunately I have to go. I have prior engagements that require my attention.”
Ava tries not to frown in disappointment. As the woman stands, she blurts out, “Wait! I didn’t even get your name.”
The woman smirks at her. “That’s because I didn’t give it to you.” She appraises Ava for a moment before visibly softening. “You can call me Bea.”
“Bea,” Ava tries, and finds that she likes how it sounds. “I’m Ava.”
As Bea turns to walk away, she glances back with a shrug. “I know.”
When Ava finally makes it back to her room, having somehow managed to pick her jaw up off the floor and finish dinner, she is rather disappointed to find that the cat has not returned.
She plays the interaction from dinner over and over in her mind as she gets ready for bed, and unsurprisingly Bea occupies her dreams as well.