Selena and Nick sat opposite each other at a candlelit table in the village inn at Holcombe Fitzpaine, their fingers linked as they lingered over coffee. Most diners had already left. They spoke in low voices, still discussing Rob’s research of the parish register.
‘I just think it’s so sad, what Rob said they did to her,’ Selena said. ‘She was only twenty-three years old.’
‘Who knows what really happened?’ Nick asked. ‘A few scraps of material, a length of string and a few feathers. Perhaps those things were just a young woman’s superstitious customs to ward off evil. I wonder what made them believe she was a witch? It’s tragic.’
Selena could hardly bring herself to mention Grace’s name. ‘She would have been an ordinary girl, living a tough life. In some ways, she hardly had a life at all. So many of the villagers died young, but not like she did, in that awful way. How must it have been for her?’
‘It’s unthinkable.’
‘Just imagine what it must have been like, to be accused of witchcraft?’ Selena whispered the final word.
‘And suggesting that she could turn herself into a hare – that list of accusations was horrifying. It stems from superstition and ignorance.’
Selena sighed. ‘Well, I’d better go back to her now. I feel I understand her a little more than I used to. No wonder she’s still prowling.’
Nick stood up, waiting for Selena to rise, then he wrapped an arm around her.
They stepped outside into the cold night air, their feet crunching on gravel as they walked across the car park. The sky was cloudless.
His arm tightened around her. ‘It’s been a lovely evening… thank you.’
Selena took a breath and turned to him. ‘I don’t want to be by myself tonight.’
Nick touched her hair. ‘Is it because of Grace…?’
‘No,’ she replied, hardly believing her words as she spoke them. ‘It’s because I want you to stay.’
They were in each other’s arms; Selena closed her eyes and lost herself in their first real kiss. She was enveloped in the warmth and the passion of an embrace, in the powerful belief that she trusted him and wanted him wholly for herself, for no other reason than she had chosen it.
When she opened her eyes, Nick was smiling. He kissed her forehead gently, took her hand and said, ‘Let’s go home.’
She woke in his arms, rolling over in the bed, feeling the warmth of another body, being pulled into an embrace, enjoying the softness of lips against hers.
Nick murmured, ‘Good morning.’
Selena smiled. ‘This is the best Sunday breakfast I’ve had in a long time.’
‘Followed by croissants and Earl Grey?’
‘In our dressing gowns – in the garden.’
Nick laughed. ‘What’s the chance of my mother coming round to borrow a cup of sugar? She’ll have spotted that my car was here all night…’
Selena stretched her arms luxuriously. ‘She’ll be delighted.’
‘So am I,’ Nick murmured and kissed her again.
They sat in the back garden on a rug, food on a tray, the conservatory doors open, bright sunlight reflecting on the glass. Selena sipped tea and said, ‘Grace was quiet last night.’
Nick grinned. ‘I think I forgot about her for a while.’
She snuggled closer to him. ‘There’s the smell of lavender still, on the landing.’
‘I noticed it.’ Nick kissed her. ‘She’s still with us.’
Selena nodded. ‘It’s hard to believe I only have eleven days left in Slaugh Cottage.’
‘Eleven wonderful days,’ Nick sighed.
‘Nick,’ Selena sat upright, a thought had come to her. ‘I don’t suppose you could get up really early on Tuesday morning and come over?’
‘Of course I could.’ Nick thought for a moment. ‘What time is early?’
‘Joely and Matty are having a summer solstice breakfast. We’re going to stand at the top of their hill at 4.45 and watch the sun rise, then we’ll go back to their field and eat.’ She leaned forward. ‘Laura and Rob will be there. Can you come?’
‘I’d love to. I can move things around on Tuesday and start after lunch, work later in the evening. Yes, that should be fine.’
Selena said, ‘I’ve never watched the sun rise before – ever. It will be lovely.’
‘It will…’ Nick took her hand. ‘Shall we go out somewhere today? It’s a beautiful day for a walk.’
‘Let’s – where do you suggest?’
‘The beacon? Further afield? Exmoor? The beach.’
‘Oh, let’s have a beach day.’ Selena grabbed his hand. ‘It’s midsummer and a beach would be great.’
‘Agreed.’
‘Right.’ Selena scrambled to her feet and met Nick’s eyes with a smile. ‘No time like the present. Let’s get dressed and get organised.’
She clutched the tray and Nick folded the blanket. As they stood in the doorway to the conservatory, they heard a crashing sound from another room.
Selena frowned. ‘Did you hear that?’
She placed the tray on the table and they rushed into the sitting room. The cream vase of sweet peas had fallen from the window ledge where Selena had placed it yesterday; it was shattered on the floor, flowers strewn around fragments of glass.
‘These old windows can be quite draughty,’ Nick said. ‘Perhaps a breeze blew the vase over?’
Selena met his gaze, frowning. ‘It’s quite solid…’
Behind the windowpane, the blackthorn branch shook. Selena inhaled: the sweet smell of the flowers was strong, but there was another scent, softer, calming. She frowned as they knelt down together, collecting the flowers and the shards of broken vase. Selena and Nick both looked up at the same time, the same thought in their minds and Nick said, ‘It’s time to go to the beach and leave Grace behind us for a while. Today is our day.’
Selena set her alarm for three thirty on Tuesday morning, but she opened her eyes at quarter past, waking with a jolt, staring into the darkness, listening. Something had woken her; she felt instinctively that someone was in the room. She watched every corner for movement, her eyes lingering on every shadow, waiting for it to shift. There was a creak outside the door, on the landing, and Selena held her breath, listening, but no sound followed.
The alarm buzzed, jolting her heart. It was time to get up.
Selena switched on the lamp, showered in the en suite and dressed herself quickly in jeans and a sweatshirt. Nick would arrive at four o’clock, and the plan was to pick up Laura and Rob and drive to the top of Wychanger Lane, where the sun was due to rise at 4.52 a.m. and visibility would be good.
She pulled on training shoes and opened her bedroom door, flicking on the landing light. The door to the second bedroom was ajar. Selena stood still. A muffled sound came from inside.
Selena held her breath: she had heard a stifled sob; she was sure of it. Treading softly, she approached the room, steeling herself to peer in. She hesitated, unsure what she might see, feeling like an intruder. Her pulse quickened as she imagined who stood beyond the open door, and the thought came to her that she should rush past the room and down the stairs to the safety of the kitchen below.
She paused by the door, uncertain, peeping tentatively into the intense darkness. Her breathing was rapid as she blinked at a slender shape that shifted position. Selena glimpsed the sheen of pale hair, the movement of an extended arm as the figure turned to her; she saw the outline of a dress, and she heard the sob again. Then Selena jerked backwards: she was moving away from the room, her feet padding downstairs, blood pounding in her ears. She switched on the kitchen light, flooding the room with intense brightness, just as she heard a knock at the front door.
Selena fell into Nick’s arms, relief seeping through her body.
He grinned. ‘I’m glad you’re so pleased to see me.’
Her head against his chest, she breathed, ‘I’ve just seen her, in the other bedroom. I’m sure it was her.’
Nick stepped inside, his expression serious. ‘Do you want to go back upstairs? Shall we go together?’
‘No, not right now.’ Selena shook her head vigorously. ‘I think I want to go out…’
‘Okay.’ Nick was smiling. ‘It will be daylight when we come back.’
They drove in darkness, pausing to pick up Laura and Rob, who both were too tired to join in any conversation, other than Laura groaning that she wished she’d stayed in bed.
Selena thought about mentioning the stifled sob she’d heard coming from the bedroom, the outline of a moving figure, but she’d leave it until later, until after the sun had risen.
Nick drove along the narrow lane, rabbits scuttling in the headlights, a badger disappearing into the hedge, then they reached the top where a post and a large rock marked the boundary of the two counties. Joely and Matty were there already, shining the beams of a torch, waving hands.
Six figures stood in darkness gazing across the horizon, waiting.
Nick reached for Selena’s hand; it was cold and she felt it become warm in his fingers.
Joely whispered, ‘I have the mirror ready… we can take turns?’
‘Mirror?’ Laura yawned. ‘There’s no way I’m looking at myself in this state. I must look horrible.’
‘You look lovely, my dear,’ Rob said affectionately. ‘You always remind me so much of your mother.’
‘You hold the mirror up, towards the sunlight, and as you reflect the glare, you wish for something your heart desires for the next year,’ Joely explained.
‘It seems a strange place to make wishes,’ Rob said. ‘This place has such a history. It’s creepy.’
‘Why is it creepy?’ Selena asked.
‘It’s where they hanged witches…’ Rob replied simply. ‘This is where they would have brought your Grace Cotter.’
‘Here?’ A shiver shook Selena’s body. Nick wrapped an arm around her.
‘From the elm tree, I suppose…’ Matty muttered. ‘Long gone, like the poor women they killed.’
‘Were there others?’ Selena asked.
‘I’m not sure if there were any more hangings here – I’ll have to check the records for that.’ Rob stared towards the horizon. There was no sign of light.
‘There were witches killed all over Somerset and beyond though – Europe, the USA,’ Nick observed. ‘The craze lasted for centuries.’
‘I went to see The Crucible once, Arthur Miller’s play.’ Laura winced. ‘It was so sad. All those poor women, Goody this and Goody that, blamed for all sorts of things and what surprised me is that their husbands didn’t get off scot-free either.’
‘It was disgusting,’ Joely said. ‘I’d have stood no chance in those days…’
Laura touched her lilac hair. ‘Nor me.’
‘Poor Grace – imagine what happened here, all those years ago,’ Selena sighed. ‘I feel for her.’
Rob made a soft tutting sound. ‘It’s heartbreaking.’
Then Nick pointed. ‘Is that it, over there?’
Beyond the hill, a streak of pink, a hint of lustre was visible.
‘The sun…’ Joely breathed.
The six friends wrapped their arms around each other and watched as the darkness became sapphire blue, then blotched with crimson and burnt orange as the first light of the sun emerged.
Joely held up her small mirror towards the light, reflecting the rays, closed her eyes for a few moments and called, ‘I’ve made my wish.’ She thrust the mirror into Matty’s hand. ‘Now it’s your turn.’
Matty held the small glass high, squeezing his eyes shut, then he passed it to Selena.
She caught Nick’s gaze and smiled, holding the mirror up, avoiding the bright dance of sunlight as it bounced off the glass and she wished hard, the thoughts as strong as a voice in her head. She knew exactly what she wanted, who she wanted to be with from now onwards and what she hoped would come from their union. Then she handed the mirror to Nick, watching his serious expression as he concentrated on his thoughts.
Laura took her turn, smiling as she made her wish, before persuading her reluctant father to follow her lead.
Finally, Joely took her mirror again, held it high and intoned, ‘Blessed be.’
Selena closed her eyes, thinking of Grace beneath the elm tree, imagining her alone and frightened amongst an angry mob. The images were startlingly clear; Grace being held by a burly man, her tear-stained face, her chin held high, the crowd around her yelling insults. She suddenly felt very cold.
Then she opened her eyes and the sun was a red circle in a bloodshot sky. Selena gazed at the colours with an artist’s eye and promised herself that she would paint the scene, adding an elm tree to the picture instead of the post and the large stone. She took out her phone, focusing on the deep red of the sky bleeding into pleated clouds, before Rob said, ‘Is it time for breakfast?’