The Gisburn Witch by Sarah L King

Author:Sarah L King
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: 17th century, lancashire, pendle
Publisher: Sarah L King

Unsteady on her feet, Jennet could feel the walls of the room spin and move, as though they could fall in on her at any moment. She fiddled clumsily with her collar, feeling hot and suffocated. The alehouse was still full and everyone around her was talking, singing, laughing and dancing; it was clear that the celebrations were going to go on well into the night. Jennet moved awkwardly amongst them all, looking for William. She couldn’t bear the heat in the room any longer. She needed some air. She needed to go home. She looked about her frantically, trying to force her eyes to remain focused and stop making her feel as though she was spinning. Oh, how she disliked the ill-effects of too much drink! Where was William? She couldn’t see him amongst the crowds. She was certain he couldn’t have left; he would never leave a feast early. Finally, she spotted him, slumped in a corner, fast asleep. His brother John was beside him, in much the same manner. Jennet sighed. She wouldn’t have an escort home tonight, then. Turning her back on the two men, both slumbering like babes, Jennet meandered towards the door.

The air outside was cool, still and refreshing. Jennet closed her eyes and took a deep breath, feeling better for a moment. Then, opening her eyes in horror, she felt her stomach heave and she rushed around the side of the stone building, emptying its contents all over the ground. All of tonight’s merriment purged away, like sin, Jennet thought. She felt better now, cleansed somehow, but weakened by the emptiness of her stomach. She moved herself away from the large wet area she had created on the ground, as though to disassociate herself with it, and closing her eyes again, slumped down against another wall, enjoying the forgiving night air on her face. She was quite sure she could sleep there, right there, all night. Her cottage suddenly seemed far away to her and the prospect of walking home alone, in the dark, proved daunting. No, she had a shawl around her shoulders in case it grew cold; she would sleep there tonight. Jennet allowed herself to drift, her mind wandering over the day’s events as it headed towards peaceful slumber. What a beautiful bride Anna had been, how radiant and happy she had looked. When Jennet had left the alehouse, Anna had still been dancing, this time with her new husband, her arms wrapped around his neck, her eyes staring deep into his. How in love she had looked…

“You, down there! Are you alright?” said a voice. Jennet was instantly brought back from the brink of sleep by this abrupt tone and the clatter of hooves.

“Yes, yes, I’m quite well,” she replied, staggering to her feet. Peering in the dark, she could not see who it was and she suddenly felt worried, out here all alone. Gisburn was a small and safe community, but there was the occasional outsider who came

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.