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Back The Darkest Shore Save as PDF
Chapters (76)
  1. Cover
  2. About the Author
  3. Also by Karen Brooks
  4. Title Page
  5. Dedication
  6. EXPLANATORY NOTE
  7. PART ONE
  8. One
  9. Two
  10. Three
  11. Four
  12. Five
  13. Six
  14. Seven
  15. Eight
  16. Nine
  17. Ten
  18. Eleven
  19. Twelve
  20. Thirteen
  21. Fourteen
  22. Fifteen
  23. Sixteen
  24. Seventeen
  25. Eighteen
  26. Nineteen
  27. Twenty
  28. Twenty-One
  29. Twenty-Two
  30. Twenty-Three
  31. Twenty-Four
  32. Twenty-Five
  33. Twenty-Six
  34. Twenty-Seven
  35. Twenty-Eight
  36. PART TWO
  37. Twenty-Nine
  38. Thirty
  39. Thirty-One
  40. Thirty-Two
  41. Thirty-Three
  42. Thirty-Four
  43. Thirty-Five
  44. PART THREE
  45. Thirty-Six
  46. Thirty-Seven
  47. Thirty-Eight
  48. Thirty-Nine
  49. Forty
  50. Forty-One
  51. Forty-Two
  52. Forty-Three
  53. Forty-Four
  54. Forty-Five
  55. Forty-Six
  56. Forty-Seven
  57. Forty-Eight
  58. Forty-Nine
  59. Fifty
  60. Fifty-One
  61. Fifty-Two
  62. PART FOUR
  63. Fifty-Three
  64. Fifty-Four
  65. Fifty-Five
  66. Fifty-Six
  67. Fifty-Seven
  68. Fifty-Eight
  69. Fifty-Nine
  70. Sixty
  71. Sixty-One
  72. Epilogue: Autumn 1706
  73. AUTHOR’S NOTE
  74. GLOSSARY
  75. LIST OF CHARACTERS
  76. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Peter heard noises outside, voices, the sound of shuffling feet. His heart began to pound. Dear God, protect me from my tormentors; give me the strength to know who they are and help the good reverend bring them to justice so we might protect our village and all who live here.

‘I must insist you cover the lad’s eyes,’ said Captain Ross.

‘And I insist that if Peter is to be blindfolded, I shall be his protector,’ countered the reverend.

‘The captain and reverend are both in the right,’ said Bailie Bell finally, gesturing for everyone to stop talking. ‘You’re already overstepping the mark, captain. You’ve no authority but, as the letter you carried states, are here to observe. Do that. As a sign of goodwill, we’ll do as you bid and cover the lad’s eyes. Be sure to let your superiors know we were so obliging. The reverend can sit near him and ensure no harm befalls him.’ He made a clicking noise and flapped his hands. ‘Come on. We’re wasting time. We must discover who exactly is responsible for causing Peter’s terrible affliction.’

A cloth was found and placed over Peter’s head. Propped up on pillows, the reverend made Peter comfortable and then sat beside the bed, holding one of the lad’s hands in both of his.

‘Are you ready, Peter?’ he asked kindly.

Peter didn’t trust himself to speak. He nodded, panicking slightly at how helpless he felt without his sight. This isn’t what the reverend said would happen.

‘Bring them in one at a time and in no particular order,’ said the reverend.

Unable to see who was shambling towards him, Peter could nevertheless feel the tremors in the unknown fingers that lightly touched his, just as he could feel the reverend squeeze his other hand as tight as he ever had.

Peter waited a second, as he’d been instructed, then screamed.

Twenty-Two

TWENTY-TWO

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By this your Lordship may see, it is only the weakest that went to the walls.

— A Letter from a Gentleman of Fife to his Friend in Edinburgh, 1705

It was two weeks since Sorcha had been identified by Peter Morton in his bedroom and locked in the damp, bare rooms of the Tolbooth to await, so Reverend Cowper said, justice. She remembered the day it happened as clearly as if it had been yesterday. Dragged into Peter’s presence, at first Sorcha didn’t recognise the lad, so pale and thin had he become. His once bonnie cheeks were sunken, his dark hair lank and unwashed. A sour smell pervaded the space, a sickly odour that was overlaid by sweat and excitement. Unable to see Peter’s eyes, which were shrouded by a cloth, she’d been told not to utter a word but, when commanded, to step forward and rest her hand on the lad’s exposed arm.