The Secrets of Raven Cottage

Marlene Bennett

Description

In 1640, Catherine Beckett stole a ring from a Druid shrine in Trawden Forest. The Druid put a curse on the ring and it was to remain cursed until the ring was returned. The squire, Nathan Roxbury, coveted the ring and would do anything to own it. So when Catherine wouldn't give it up, he ordered her to face trial on a trumped-up charge of witchcraft. Because of her forthcoming demise, Catherine cursed the child that Nathan's wife was carrying. His wife died during childbirth, leaving a deformed child, Anna. When Anna became of age, she married her cousin, who later left her when the estate became bankrupt. So she and her maid, Matilda, moved to a cottage in Bluebell Wood, and there her son was born. It is now 1935. The curse still remains on the descendants, and the creepy, crumbly, spooky old cottage still stands

Sujets

• Sagas

Informations

• Publié par: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Date de parution: 31 janvier 2020
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781528962322
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

The Secrets of Raven Cottage
Marlene Bennett
Austin Macauley Publishers
2020-01-31
The Secrets of Raven Cottage About the Author Copyright Information © Part One Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five 1658 Chapter Six Chapter Seven Anna’s Cottage Part Two 1935 Chapter Eight 1946 Annabel Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Part Three 1947 Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen
About the Author
Being an only child growing up on a small holding, the author was often left alone to amuse herself and use her own imagination to occupy her time. And so she wrote stories, lots of them, loosely based on the family, the animals and imaginary, strange people living in the garden shed… Thus began her love of storytelling.
Copyright Information ©
Marlene Bennett (2020)
The right of Marlene Bennett to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.
Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.
ISBN 9781528918480 (Paperback)
ISBN 9781528962322 (ePub e-book)
www.austinmacauley.com
First Published (2020)
Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd
25 Canada Square
Canary Wharf
London
E14 5LQ
Part One
Chapter One
A blinding fork of jagged lightning flashed across the leaden sky, and for a split second, its eerie light was cast across the whole of Trawden Forest.
Catherine lowered her eyes and covered her ears to block out the deafening boom of thunder that followed. The giant oak tree under which she sheltered, trembled as if in fear, sending shock waves through her sylph-like quivering body. Torrential rain came lashing down, great splodges dropped from the leafy branches above and settled in puddles around her feet.
Catherine moved further under the tree’s spreading branches; she squeezed the rain from the hem of her sodden cloak and from the long, black tresses of her dripping wet hair.
Daylight was fading fast; if the storm didn’t pass over soon, it would be too dark to find the shrine. If only she had known the night would be stormy and the moon would be hidden from view. Her skin prickled at the thought of what she was about to do. It was dangerous to interfere with Pagan Rites, if she was caught stealing, they would kill her for sure.
Tonight was Walpurgis Night; the eve of Beltane. The Celtic fire festival to celebrate the coming of summer. Soon, they would begin to celebrate the spring festival with dancing around the Beltane fire.
The ring she was about to steal had once belonged to her mother but it was taken from her mother’s finger just before she was killed by the Druid Woigboran. Believing it to have special powers, it was now kept behind a stone to tile right side of the altar.
A peel of thunder disturbed her thoughts, but this time, the thunder was further away and the rain had abated too. She looked up through the tree’s swaying branches, the storm clouds were breaking up into smaller shapeless forms, allowing a pale moon to occasionally peep through.
Just then, she heard the sound of squelching footsteps approaching and through the trees, she saw flashes of flickering lights. A procession drew near. She counted thirteen figures in long, hooded cloaks, each carrying a lighted torch. She moved further back into the shadows and waited silently, hardly daring to breathe.
When all thirteen had passed by, she moved out from under the tree and followed at a safe distance. Soon they came to a clearing carpeted with soft, wet grass. These surroundings looked familiar. She had the strangest feeling of déjà vu. Had she as a child stood on this very same spot and watched her grandmother participate in the rituals?
Across the clearing stood the shrine; it was an impressive structure of carved stone with human skulls set in niches down either side. The altar top was dominated by two tall, silver candlesticks, each holding an unlit black candle.
The leader of the group walked up to the altar and spread out a black cloth, he then lit the black candles and placed a silver bowl and some other ceremonial pieces side by side on top of the cloth.
Catherine watched with bated breath as the circle was cast and the preparations for the ceremony were completed, then the leader and the rest of the group left the clearing to collect the nine woods of the Beltane fire.
Now was her chance. She moved out from her hiding place and ran across to the shrine, she took the sacrificial knife from the altar top to prise away the stone. Her hands trembled as the stone came loose. The ring was there. Its emerald shimmered and its thick, gold band gleamed in the silvery moonlight. As she reached out to take the ring, there came the sound of muffled voices and footfalls approaching.
‘Take her!’ a voice called out.Catherine quickly slipped the ring on her finger and dropped the knife in the pouch that was tied about her waist, and then she fled.
‘I curse the ring, woman!’ the same voice called out, ’Leave it or you will die.’But Catherine took no heed, she turned on her heels and ran like the wind, home to Raven Cottage in nearby Bluebell Wood.
Raven Cottage stood in a clearing deep in the heart of Bluebell Wood. By the light of day, it was a pretty cottage, but in the moonlight, with the dark shadows of the swaying trees and trembling leaves on its grey stone walls, it looked sinister and foreboding.
Catherine ran up the path and in through the open front door. She moved swiftly over to the window and peered out through the threadbare curtain to see if anyone had followed. Nothing stirred but the wind in the trees.
It was icy cold inside the cottage and deathly quiet. The fire had burned low in the grate, only the smouldering ashes remained. The food in the cauldron was almost cold. She poked and stoked up the fire to heat up the beef stew and then she rushed upstairs to the nursery.
The children were fast asleep. The baby, Edward, slept soundly in the arms of his sister, Adela. Catherine smiled down and pulled the threadbare covers up and around their shoulders.
She planted a kiss on their brow, then crossed the room and pulled the Hessian curtain across the window. The sparsely furnished room felt much cosier now.
Downstairs, the fire had come to life again. She stirred the food in the cauldron and settled down in the chair by the fireside. The emerald ring glimmered on her finger, reflecting the light from the fire’s dancing flames. It was so beautiful, so exquisite and Nathan Roxbury wanted it badly, so badly in fact, he said he was willing to be finished with his wife, Louise, to be with her, Catherine, and their two children if she stole the ring for him.
Would he really move her and their two children to Roxbury Hall? Would he make her a lady with servants and a nursemaid to care for Adela and Edward? And would she have beautiful clothes and ride in a coach? Was she willing to trust him?
She loved Nathan very much, she had given him two beautiful children and she hoped that someday, Edward, her darling boy, would be squire of Roxbury Hall. But, Louise, was pregnant now and Catherine was worried that everything would change. She wondered if Nathan would really be done with Louise once and for all if she handed over the ring to him.
She was having doubts now. He had been spending less and less time with her of late, and he didn’t bring the children gifts anymore. He said that he wanted to keep their affair secret a little while longer. But for how long?
The fire was blazing now and the food was piping hot; she scooped some from the cauldron onto a platter and settled down to eat.
Resting after her meal, her thoughts were of Nathan and the doubts crept in again. Does he still want me now that, Louise was with child? She looked down at the ring on her finger, the ring that her mother had always wore and she was determined to keep it if Nathan went back on his word and be damned to him.The ring shimmered in the firelight, she looked deep down into its emerald. Then the weirdest thing happened. She saw woodland and gorse, and then she saw the face of the Druid appear. He was warning her of her imminent death. Her head was swimming. She blinked hard and when she opened her eyes again, the image was gone.
A half hour later, she blew out the candle and climbed into bed. The bedroom was pitch black and as silent as a grave. An occasional shift of moonlight fell across the bedroom floor, casting eerie shadows across the walls and ceiling, and then the moon would disappear again, plunging the room into darkness once more. She lay awake shivering, listening for the slightest sound and trying hard to stay awake. Her eyelids were heavy, she felt exhausted, but yet she couldn’t sleep.
When at last her tired eyes began to droop, she was suddenly wide awake again. A bright light had flooded the room, a light so bright she had to shield her eyes from its glare. By her bed, a tall, slim figure took shape and a pale, beautiful face smiled down.’Mother!’ she gasped, sitting bolt upright.
‘You are in very grave danger, my dear,’ her mother whispered, ‘return the ring and the knife before it’s too late and take the children away from here at once. Nathan Roxbury, means you, and the children, harm, my child. He has no intention of leaving Louise, all he wants is the ring. Go quickly, tonight.’
‘But, Nathan, wouldn’t harm me and his children, would he, Mother?’
‘He would and he will. Go, now,’ she said, ‘they are on their way for you.’ That was all she said, and then she faded away.
Catherine jumped out