A Green and Ancient Light (35 page)

In the bottom of the cedar chest was a letter, neatly folded in its envelope. Though it was in one way incriminating, she must have cherished it. It's entirely possible she'd forgotten it was there; but more likely, I thought, she'd wanted someone to find it someday, even before she'd known that the someone would be me.

The letter, brittle with age, its ink fading, had been written by Grandfather, its signature unquestionably his. The envelope bore no address, and I imagined him coming to Grandmother's door, putting the letter into her hand. It said:

My Darling M ——,

If you have it in your heart to forgive this fool his pride and stubbornness, please accept my apology for words spoken in anger. If there is anything I know about you with absolute certainty, it is that you are always true to your word; and if you say that this other whom you once loved is no man of the province and has been gone from your life since before we met, I believe you. Indeed, what right have I to blame you for what you felt in another time? I was angry only because I know you so well, and I see that you love him still; it vexed me that I must share even a part of you with another, though that part be only memory. You have assured me, too, that with him it was different—that what you mean for us to have is more complete. Most importantly, I know that you love me. At last I understand why you felt it so important to tell me of him, so that there may be no secrets between us.

Dearest M ——, will you meet me tonight at nine o'clock on the beach by the sea caves? The weather will be fine, and the view will be wondrous. I have a very important question to ask you. If you do not come, please know that I understand the fault is mine. Either way, I will love you: from near at hand if my dreams are to be fulfilled; from afar if it must be so. Please come to the sea caves tonight!

Yours forever,

B ——

My car was loaded with the last of Grandmother's possessions. I chose to leave the cottage for the last time by its back door. For a while on that late-spring day, I sat in her old garden on the stone bench. No one had planted or tended the hanging boxes or the flower beds; they were trying to carry on by themselves, but they had fulfilled their purpose. I hoped a worthy gardener would move in.

Next door, Mrs. F ——'s house had been torn down, her garden nothing now but bare earth. There were new wooden pickets in the ground with yellow streamers tied around them. A new foundation, I gathered, was to be laid.

Standing, I stretched my back, breathing, taking the fragrances deep inside myself. I let the sun warm me and fill me with light. Then I began to walk—through the gate and the high grass, past the arbors, into the wildflower meadow, and finally, into the cool green embrace of the woods.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I wish to express my heartfelt thanks to my agent, Eddie Schneider, for never ceasing to believe in this book, and to my editor, Navah Wolfe, for finding a way to publish it, and for all her work, support, and commitment to helping the story find its best form. I send thanks to Tricia, Tammy, Steven, Gabe, Nick, Jeff, Ina, Lizzie, Catherine, Zana, Shelley, and Elizabeth, who read early drafts and offered sound advice. Thank you to Saga Press for bringing this book to light and for a cover that I love.

My deepest gratitude is due also to Pier Francesco Orsini, called Vicino, for building his
sacro bosco
(holy wood) in Bomarzo, Italy. Although the sacred woods in this story is fictionalized, it is inspired by the statues, structures, and alluring mystery of Vicino's lifelong labor; his legacy echoes here as it has in the works of other writers and musicians across five centuries.

To those who wish to know more about Vicino's garden, I commend the outstanding book
The Garden at Bomarzo: A Renaissance Riddle
, by Jessie Sheeler (Frances Lincoln: London, 2007). Finally, thanks must go to Janet Brennan, for her article “Monster Parks” in
Fate
, May 2008, which introduced me to the
sacro bosco
and was the first inspiration for this book.

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* This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author's imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. * Text copyright © 2016 by Frederic S. Durbin * Jacket illustration copyright © 2016 by Roy Bishop/Arcangel * All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Saga Press Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020 * Saga Press and colophon are trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc. * For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Simon & Schuster Special Sales at 1-866-506-1949 or
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. * Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data * Names: Durbin, Frederic S., 1966– author. * Title: A green and ancient light / Frederic S. Durbin. * Description: First edition. | New York : Saga Press, [2016] * Identifiers: LCCN 2015043181 | ISBN 9781481442220 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781481442244 (eBook) * Subjects: | BISAC: FICTION / Fantasy / Historical. | FICTION / Fairy Tales, Folk Tales, Legends & Mythology. | FICTION / War & Military. | GSAFD: Fantasy fiction. * Classification: LCC PS3554.U6695 G74 2016 | DDC 813/.54—dc23 * LC record available at
http://lccn.loc.gov/2015043181