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Back The Diabolical Bones Save as PDF
Chapters (63)
  1. Cover
  2. BRONTË SISTERS MYSTERIES
  3. Dedication
  4. Epigraph
  5. Haworth Parsonage, April 1852
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 18
  24. 19
  25. 20
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. 29
  35. 30
  36. 31
  37. 32
  38. 33
  39. 34
  40. 35
  41. 36
  42. 37
  43. 38
  44. 39
  45. 40
  46. 41
  47. 42
  48. 43
  49. 44
  50. 45
  51. 46
  52. 47
  53. 48
  54. 49
  55. 50
  56. 51
  57. 52
  58. 53
  59. "Music on Christmas Morning"
  60. Author’s Note
  61. Acknowledgements
  62. About the Author
  63. What’s next onyour reading list?

“Out of my way.” Bradshaw elbowed his son to one side, taking the knife from his belt, slicing through the bindings and revealing to the night what had been hidden within.

“Dear God in heaven, deliver us from evil,” Liston whispered as he fell back on his heels at the sight.

“I’d say that God was nowhere to be found when this occurred,” his father replied.

For contained within the desiccated cloth were the skull and bones of a child.

2

December 1845

Anne

Though the fire was banked and burning brightly, and she was wrapped in her warmest shawl, Anne had never felt so cold, not even during her father’s lengthy sermon in church yesterday. At least on a Sunday, there was the rest of the congregation to create a community of warmth among them. On this freezing December Monday, however, the air was thick with frost, without and within, as evidenced by the filigree etched onto every window. And the paper that Anne had laid out on her writing desk was still as pristine as the last fresh snowfall.

“Emily, you have yet to write to Ellen and thank her for her letter,” Charlotte told her sister from her seat at the table, a neat pile of correspondence before her. “As it is, Ellen is vexed with me for not visiting Brookroyd recently. I find myself having to beg her not to scold me further! Please don’t compound the matter with ill manners. If you write a note now, I can enclose it with my letter. Perhaps she will forgive me, for honestly her letter is as prickly as the holly leaf on the mantel, and quite unfair. A person cannot help that they are occupied with writing, detecting and disastrous brothers, not that I have told her about the first two. And now we are marooned in the midst of all this snow. I am surprised that Ellen cannot understand that which is quite plain.”

“Ellen is your oldest and dearest friend, Charlotte,” Anne reminded her sister mildly. “Do not hold her regret at not seeing you against her. Think of all that she is managing, with her brother ill again and sent to the asylum.”

Charlotte pursed her lips, just as Anne knew she would. If there was one thing Charlotte did not like, it was to have her own shortcomings revealed to her.

“Well, at least I have written to her, Anne, and sent your regards as you requested,” Charlotte said primly. “Emily is ignoring her completely, and that, I would say, is the worse transgression.”

“Heavens!” Emily replied, with a deep sigh as she stood at the window peering into the freezing air. “Cannot you see I am occupied?”

“Occupied?” Charlotte snorted. “By standing?”