Returned (28 page)

Alizon is pregnant with child.

Father is banished from the village.

What?

There had been no mention of a man in previous entries.

10
th
August 1595 -

Alizon delivers Anne's son at 10:32am.

Son named Jack.

23
rd
September 1595 -

Alizon's daughter born at 5.43 am

Alizon tells Anne the father is Nathaniel Sadler (Commoner banished from village)

Marriage is forbidden between the two.

        
Nathaniel.... her father…

The room took a dive making her feel sick. She pushed her head in her hands and started to pull in deep breaths. She looked back at the page fighting her body’s urge to hyperventilate. She ignored her father’s name screaming out at her. Pushing the intense ache to one side, she scanned the page.

17
th
May 1609
-

Alizon sits with Anne who is taken ill.

Noah Thomas, the village healer, visits the Chattox home and bleeds Anne fearing an infection.

The infection persists in weakening her. Alizon stays with the Chattox family to try home remedies for Anne. Tabitha Preston is also present.

For Tabitha to show concern like this told her they were friends. So where did it start to go wrong? Why was Anne present in this book? She couldn’t speak to Tabitha yet, she didn’t know how to form the words. She sent her a text and continued reading.

29
th
May 1609
-

The magistrates visit Alizon regarding an incident reported to them involving Noah Thomas. Thomas claims he was bewitched. She denies all knowledge of it.

17
th
July 1609 -

Alizon visited by the Corenthio Coven. The matter of bewitching was addressed and is currently under investigation. Tabitha Preston is apprehended when trying to defend Alizon.

19
th
June 1610 -

Alizon attacked in her home. She seeks refuge at Chattox household with her daughter.

Anger flooded every cell in her body. Her fingers and head developed a pulse of their own. Someone had attacked her mother? Tabitha had been apprehended? The wind howled responding to her emotions.

             
For several moments she listened to the wind enjoying the power of her element. Her enjoyment would have increased significantly if she was able to unleash it on the ones responsible. She exhaled, dispelling the turmoil swirling around in her chest. Taking deep breaths, she continued scanning the page. Her mobile bleeped. Picking it up, she read the text from Tabitha:

The spell cast on your family book works by stating the life events of your mother; it is no one person who tells it. Also, regarding your second question, if Anne appears in your book as much as you might suggest, then she must have had a massive impact on your mother’s life. That is the only thing I can deduce from what you have told me. X

So Anne was obviously a
big part in her mother’s life.
Was this part good or bad? She needed to keep reading to find out what had happened.

17th July 1611
-

Thomas, Smith and Ward families lead the villagers to the Device and Chattox household.

Alizon hides her daughter and Anne’s son. She meets the families at the front door and is immediately detained and dragged through the village. Anne is also detained.

9
th
November 1611
-

Anne Redfern acquitted of witchcraft charges.

Alizon took full responsibility of the charges of witchcraft towards Noah Thomas.

Oh. My. God.

A fist grabbed her heart and squeezed.

11
th
November 1611
-

Alizon Device found guilty of witchcraft.

25
th
December 1611
-

Anne Redfern tried on a second charge of witchcraft.

Detained until punishment is served.

Anne was taken? Why? Her mother had taken responsibility.

5
th
August 1612
–

Alizon Device and Anne Redfern hung at Lancaster Prison.

10
th
August 1612 - 

Cora, daughter of Alizon put into the care of the Hunt family.

Jack, son of Anne put under the care of the Thomas family.

End of record for Alizon Device.

Chapter 37

NEW BEGINNINGS

He stood with his hands on his hips breathing in and out. He tried to ignore the grinding of his teeth.

She knew about the dreams.

How?

He hadn’t told anyone about them.

             
Dropping down on to the sofa, he closed his eyes. He could feel the beginnings of a head ache. He closed his eyes, rubbing his thumb and forefinger along his temple. An image of her shocked face popped into his head. He couldn't deny the leap of guilt that suddenly jumped into his chest. His phone erupted in his jeans pocket. His hand hit the wet patch as he rummaged for it. He pulled his phone free and glanced at the unknown number.

“Hello?”

“Jack, it’s me, please don’t hang up!”

“What do you want? I don’t wan-”

“Jack, have you looked in your book?”

“How did you… it doesn’t matter,” he said and sighed. It would appear she knew everything. “Why do I need to look in the book?”

“It holds all the answers.” He could almost see the quirk of those full lips, the glow in her eyes as she smiled. “Every answer you ever wanted to know about your life, your mother Anne and your sister. Just read the damn book... please.”

The line went dead leaving him with a throbbing head and unanswered questions.

             
He leant over and picked up the family book from its resting place on the end table. He tore through the pages in search of these so called answers. There were pages and pages of nothing, just blank pages with names on the top. What the hell was she playing at?  For one stupid moment he thought he would get the answers he so desperately needed. He thought, hell, he didn't know what he thought anymore. This girl was turning him inside out.

             
The pages of his book started flapping crazily, each turning too fast for his eyes to follow. He moved his hands in the air, letting the book know that he was surrendering. The motion became a blur until one name flew up at him. Anne Whittle. His mother.

             
The wavy, perfectly sculptured words battered his heart. Hours, days could have flown by and he wouldn’t have noticed. He turned the page and read. His eyes dropped to the bottom of the page reading the words. He st
opped. He re-read them slowly.
A cold steel hand smashed through his rib cage.

             
The pages moved erratically again, he moved back unable to follow the speed with his eyes. The page stopped. His sister’s name, Anne Redfern, was written in huge swirly writing at the top of the page. Again he got to work on scanning the page. His breath caught as his eyes stopped on a paragraph.

Who knew that one single paragraph would change his life.

             
He fumbled for his phone, his hands suddenly taking on the not so sturdy properties of jelly. He found the number of the one person who would understand what he was going through. The one person who knew what it felt like for your heart to break for someone you had never met.

“I need to speak to you. Meet me at the training spot.” He waited a moment. “I’m sorry, Cora.”

The one person he'd disrespected beyond any hope of forgiveness.

             
The icy wind whipped around him, nipping at any available exposed flesh. He walked a little quicker, eager to see her. The day was dull, cold and wet. Everything he hated. His outburst in the kitchen haunted him. He deserved everything she was about to throw at him. He would take it without a word of complaint.

             
Three bullet points were etched into his brain, ones that would remain there until his dying day. The first point, Cora’s mother had tried to help but had only added to the death count. The second, his mother had stepped forward and taken the blame. There was another bullet point. A bullet point that was still too difficult to even think about. A single line that was so real, so brutally crushing that he couldn’t breathe if he thought about it. 

Christ.

His heart hit
the floor. He'd started this entire mess. They were going to die because of his stupidity; Cora was going to die because of him. He wouldn't let it happen. He would repay her, repay her mother. She wouldn't die.

             
He closed his eyes holding back the tears, the lump of emotion that had risen in his throat made it difficult to breathe. What had happened to them? Why had everything suddenly erupted between them when they first met? There had to be a reason. He jumped up and down on the spot trying to keep warm. The bloody cold was stabbing its way into his bones, freezing him deep down to the core.

             
He looked up at the sound of approaching footsteps. Her hands were rammed in her coat pockets as she walked closer. Her hair was stuffed snugly under a bobble hat and her cheeks were flushed a deep red from the cold.

“Hey.”

With that one word he felt something click into place. After everything he'd done and said to her she'd greeted him like nothing had happened. He didn't deserve it. Her brown eyes bore into his, waiting. He didn’t deserve her patience. He deserved anger, a beating. How could he really apologise for what he had done?

“I'm so sorry. I was wrong about everything-”

“Jack, I don’t care. I don’t want an apology. What did the book say?”

Her words weren't harsh; the wind wasn’t flying around like it usually did when she was mad. Her eyes squinted up at him; the dull light of the day hit her face.

“Actually scrap that, we can’t stand here because I’m bloody freezing. We can go back to mine. The folks are in so we won’t be alone.”

His eyebrows shot up in surprise. An hour ago he had verbally abused her, yet here she was, offering to take him back to her house. Why was he surprised? Since they'd started the sessions she'd been nothing but kind. It had been him who'd been an idiot. He who'd made things difficult.

“Sure, we can go back to yours.”

He walked with Cora in silence.

             
Simply walking in silence with this woman somehow made the ache in his heart and the weight of sorrow in his chest less intense. She knew how he felt, to have someone understand this feeling without having to describe it made all the difference. Any trace of anger dropped out of him, he nearly sighed feeling more at peace than he’d been in a long time.

Chapter
38

SHARING THE BURDEN

He stood behind her, the nerves flying around like bats in his chest. Ayden was going to kill him the very second he walked through the door; he had to know about the earlier disagreement where he’d shouted at Cora and made her leave with a swollen ankle. He couldn't blame the man. He wouldn't stop him either.

             
She shouted to her mother as they stepped through the front door. He felt the sharp pang of jealousy. He’d never had that. Laura opened a door and smiled, her huge hazel eyes danced. She pushed back her nutmeg curly hair. He knew Cora’s mum but he hadn’t spoken to her. She was closely followed by Ayden. Of course he knew Ayden; it was widely known that they didn't particularly like each other. Jack shifted his gaze from the intense ice blue eyes to the smiling hazel ones.