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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

She felt he’d more to say. She waited. The evening enveloped and protected them; the ocean whispered. The stars she’d longed to see sparkled above; the moon floated into view, casting its radiance over everything. Would that they could remain there forever, locked in moonlight and shadows, caressed by the salty breeze from the sea while the world outside passed them by.

Before she could think of a reason to detain him, he stepped away, forcing her fingers to drop, bringing her to her senses. He bowed and turned, swallowed swiftly by the darkness.

It was just as he promised. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t see him.

Twelve

TWELVE

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You’re in for a calahesion.

(You’re about to get into real trouble.)

Three days had passed since Peter Morton was bewitched. At least, that’s how Reverend Patrick Cowper described the lad’s affliction. The useless doctor might have tried to give an alternate explanation, but there was no doubt in the reverend’s mind that the old bitch Beatrix Laing had put one of her charms upon the boy because he hadn’t given her the nails she’d demanded. And it was no coincidence that the full power of the charm fell upon the lad when he was with Sorcha McIntyre. Och, she might deny it all she liked, she and the other fishwives, but the reverend knew a witch when he saw one and if those women weren’t a coven, well, the devil could take his soul, too.

He had barely stirred from Peter’s bedside since he was first fetched, and then only to deliver his Sunday sermon. Patrick was pleased to see the lad was at least lying quietly now, the paroxysms not coming upon him quite so frequently, even if their intensity had increased.

Dear God, when Patrick first arrived at the house it was akin to a marketplace with the boy being watched and commented upon by a crowd like he was a news seller or one of those theatrical troupes putting on a play. The place was filled with clash-bags, young lasses, lads and nearby vendors telling Mr Morton what they’d seen, what he should do, what the best cures were and all sorts of other rubbish.