Waking the Witch: Historical Romance Novella by Lisa Sharon Gardiner

Author:Lisa Sharon Gardiner [Gardiner, Lisa Sharon]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: WatermarkNZ Press
Published: 2019-05-03T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Five

James thought of the books he’d read about churches with glorious stained-glass windows, candles burning and impressive statues of characters from the Bible. His friends and neighbors considered all of that papist and evil, but James was not sure he agreed. After the beauty of God’s sunrise, the leaves of autumn, and Faith herself, this church seemed depressingly gray and dull.

He watched Faith’s only two living children, Anne and Beth Abbot, file in beside the Putnams. The girls, aged fourteen and fifteen respectively, were servants of Thomas Putnam. James hated the man and wondered how they could bear living with him. Putnam was forever squabbling with his neighbors about land. He had fought with William Abbot over Faith and William’s property many times.

At last Faith came in, still looking unwell. James swallowed, and guilt clenched in his chest. Had his lustful behavior caused her to look so pale? He shook his head in confusion. One minute she seemed full of passion and love for him, and the next she became angry and afraid. He didn’t know what to think.

Uncle Samuel was in full spate behind the pulpit, and James forced himself to pay attention.

“Consider, parishioners—to love pleasure is to gratify the beast in us rather than the angel. When Christians gratify their lust, man becomes beast. Consider, the sweetness of religion is far better than that of carnal pleasures, as that heat is more manly that is gotten by exercise, than by hovering over the fires of Hell.”

James sighed and stirred restlessly in his seat. Just the word “lust” brought Faith to mind and stiffened his cock. He wanted to become a minister, but this was the kind of sermon he couldn’t relate to.

On the other hand, lust had led him to be rougher with Faith than he had ever intended, and it had frightened her. He wondered if she had any real idea how deep his feelings for her were. Did she not know that he’d fallen in love with her from the first day they’d met? He slammed his hand against his thigh in irritation with himself. Why had he allowed physical passion to frighten and overwhelm her? Why had he not controlled his baser needs?

He looked over at Faith. She had turned white and looked about to be sick. A scream from the row behind startled him.

His uncle stopped preaching. All eyes turned to where the sound came from. Abigail moaned and gyrated lewdly, and so did Mercy Lewis. Then Mercy shouted and grabbed at her own plump arms as though in pain. “She pinches—stop hurting me!”

Abigail screamed. “No, I won’t sign your evil book.”

“Nor I,” shouted Mercy Lewis. “I won’t sign it! I won’t!”

James watched in amazement as the girls continued to writhe and screech. Anne Putnam joined in the moaning.

Her father, Thomas, jumped to his feet. “Who is it who asks you to sign? What book? What do you see?”

“’Tis Tituba,” cried Mercy.

“’Tis Sarah Good,” cried Abigail. “Oh, see how the dark man whispers in her ear.

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