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Back The Darkest Shore
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

Throwing off the men’s hold, Beatrix used her elbows to force her way through the mob. Hurling abuse if people stood in her way, they began to jump aside lest she touch them or, worse, lashed them with her tongue. It wasn’t until she saw Sorcha, Nettie and Katherine that she changed direction. Rather than acknowledge them while everyone was watching, she indicated the seashore with a jerk of her head. Stomping off down the Row, she darted into South Loan before anyone could stop her. Sorcha wondered where she was going. Would she dare head home or did she have another destination in mind?

The constables began to hurry the crowd along, but not before Sorcha saw who else spilled from the house. Sure enough, there were most of the bailies, Cook, Whyte, Bell and Vernour, along with men Sorcha knew were close to the reverend. Of the minister, she saw no sign.

But at least they’d released Beatrix. The talk of her being tried and a pricker being summoned appeared to have been exaggerated. Why then did Sorcha feel a terrible tension, like a rope about to snap?

It didn’t take the women long to get back to the harbour. There was no sign of Beatrix, and since the boats had returned, there wasn’t the chance to ask if anyone had seen her or even to exchange much news. Not that it stopped the fishwives — or Thomas, or the arriving fishermen — wanting to know what had occurred. What could they say? They barely knew anything, except that Beatrix had been taken to the Morton house and brought into the presence of the bailies and let go.

‘They wouldn’t have released her if she was guilty, right?’ said Nicolas hopefully.

‘I wouldn’t have thought so, lass,’ said Therese, trying to reassure them.

Sorcha didn’t know how to respond. It’s what she hoped, too, but Janet’s stories of the Bargarran trials echoed in her mind. Those men and women had been freed only to die — one by his own hand and the rest later by the flame.

It wasn’t until Lillie Wallace, who’d been working the lines as long as Sorcha could remember, wandered over from the boats and whispered, ‘Meet in Katherine’s house when you’re ready,’ that Sorcha understood whatever Beatrix and her temper had started was by no means finished.

The weather had turned by the time those Lillie had approached gathered in Katherine’s cottage, a small, draughty place that overlooked the sands. Her husband was away on a long voyage, so the women had it to themselves. Katherine made some tea and found a dram to share, and they all sat in front of the fire; some on stools, the rest on cushions on the wooden floor. Wrapped in her shawl, head bowed, Beatrix sat in the centre.