know,’ Ruth sneered and limped down the stairs. At the bottom she turned and looked up at the massive black woman popping a sandwich into her mouth. ‘Are you going tonight?’
‘To Clara and Peter’s for dinner, you mean? We all are, aren’t we?’
‘That’s not what I mean and you know it.’ The old poet didn’t turn to look at the Hadley house, but Myrna knew what she meant. ‘Don’t do it.’
‘Why not? I do rituals all the time. Remember after Jane died? All the women came, including you, and we did a ritual cleansing.’
Myrna would never forget walking round the village green with the women and the stick of smoking sage, wafting the smoke around Three Pines, to rid it of the fear and suspicions that had overtaken them.
‘This is different, Myrna Landers.’
Myrna didn’t realize Ruth knew her last name, or even her first. For the most part Ruth just waved and commanded.
‘This isn’t a ritual. This is deliberately disturbing evil. This isn’t about God or the Goddess or spirits or spirituality. It’s about vengeance.
‘
I was hanged for living alone,
for having blue eyes and a sunburned skin,
tattered skirts, few buttons,
a weedy farm in my own name,
and a surefire cure for warts;
‘
Oh, yes, and breasts,
and a sweet pear hidden in my body.
Whenever there’s talk of demons
these come in handy.
‘Don’t do it, Myrna Landers. You know the difference between ritual and revenge. And so does whatever’s in that house.’
‘You think this is about revenge?’ asked Myrna, dumbfounded.
‘Of course it is. Let it be. Let whatever’s in that house be.’
She jabbed her cane at it. Had it been a wand Myrna was certain a bolt would have shot from it and destroyed the brooding house on the hill. Then Ruth turned and limped home. To her eggs. To her life. And Myrna was left with the memory of Ruth’s keen blue eyes, her permanently sunburned skin, her tattered skirt with its missing buttons. She watched the old woman walk back to her home with its abundance of words and weeds.
The rain held off and Easter Sunday moved along quick like a bunny. Timmy Benson found the most eggs and was awarded the giant chocolate rabbit, filled with toys. Paulette Legault stole it from him but Monsieur Béliveau made her give it back and apologize. Timmy, who could see into the future, opened the box, broke off the solid chocolate ears and gave the rest to Paulette, who punched him.
That night Peter and Clara held their annual Easter Sunday dinner. Gilles and Odile arrived with baguettes and cheese. Myrna brought a flamboyant bouquet which she placed in the center of the pine table in the kitchen. Jeanne Chauvet, the psychic, brought a small bouquet of wild flowers, picked in the meadows around Three Pines.
Sophie Smyth was there with her mother Hazel and Madeleine. She’d arrived home the day before, her small blue car filled with laundry. Now she chatted with the other guests while Hazel and Madeleine offered around their platter of shrimp.
‘So you’re the psychic.’ Sophie took a few shrimp from her mother and dipped them in sauce.
‘My name’s Jeanne.’
‘Like Jeanne D’Arc.’ Sophie laughed. ‘Joan of Arc.’ It wasn’t an altogether pleasant sound. ‘Better watch it. You know what happened to her.’
Tall and slender, Sophie carried herself well, though with a slight slouch. Her hair was dirty blonde and shoulder length. She was, in fact, quite attractive. Still, there was something about Sophie. Something that made Jeanne back away slightly.
Monsieur Béliveau arrived just then with blueberry tarts from Sarah’s Boulangerie.
Candles were lit around the country kitchen and bottles of wine were opened.
The house smelled of lamb roasting in garlic and rosemary, of new potatoes, and creamed leeks and something else.
‘For God’s sake, canned peas?’ Clara looked in the pot Gabri and Olivier had brought.
‘We took them out of the can,’ said Olivier. ‘What’s your
‘To Clara and Peter’s for dinner, you mean? We all are, aren’t we?’
‘That’s not what I mean and you know it.’ The old poet didn’t turn to look at the Hadley house, but Myrna knew what she meant. ‘Don’t do it.’
‘Why not? I do rituals all the time. Remember after Jane died? All the women came, including you, and we did a ritual cleansing.’
Myrna would never forget walking round the village green with the women and the stick of smoking sage, wafting the smoke around Three Pines, to rid it of the fear and suspicions that had overtaken them.
‘This is different, Myrna Landers.’
Myrna didn’t realize Ruth knew her last name, or even her first. For the most part Ruth just waved and commanded.
‘This isn’t a ritual. This is deliberately disturbing evil. This isn’t about God or the Goddess or spirits or spirituality. It’s about vengeance.
‘
I was hanged for living alone,
for having blue eyes and a sunburned skin,
tattered skirts, few buttons,
a weedy farm in my own name,
and a surefire cure for warts;
‘
Oh, yes, and breasts,
and a sweet pear hidden in my body.
Whenever there’s talk of demons
these come in handy.
‘Don’t do it, Myrna Landers. You know the difference between ritual and revenge. And so does whatever’s in that house.’
‘You think this is about revenge?’ asked Myrna, dumbfounded.
‘Of course it is. Let it be. Let whatever’s in that house be.’
She jabbed her cane at it. Had it been a wand Myrna was certain a bolt would have shot from it and destroyed the brooding house on the hill. Then Ruth turned and limped home. To her eggs. To her life. And Myrna was left with the memory of Ruth’s keen blue eyes, her permanently sunburned skin, her tattered skirt with its missing buttons. She watched the old woman walk back to her home with its abundance of words and weeds.
The rain held off and Easter Sunday moved along quick like a bunny. Timmy Benson found the most eggs and was awarded the giant chocolate rabbit, filled with toys. Paulette Legault stole it from him but Monsieur Béliveau made her give it back and apologize. Timmy, who could see into the future, opened the box, broke off the solid chocolate ears and gave the rest to Paulette, who punched him.
That night Peter and Clara held their annual Easter Sunday dinner. Gilles and Odile arrived with baguettes and cheese. Myrna brought a flamboyant bouquet which she placed in the center of the pine table in the kitchen. Jeanne Chauvet, the psychic, brought a small bouquet of wild flowers, picked in the meadows around Three Pines.
Sophie Smyth was there with her mother Hazel and Madeleine. She’d arrived home the day before, her small blue car filled with laundry. Now she chatted with the other guests while Hazel and Madeleine offered around their platter of shrimp.
‘So you’re the psychic.’ Sophie took a few shrimp from her mother and dipped them in sauce.
‘My name’s Jeanne.’
‘Like Jeanne D’Arc.’ Sophie laughed. ‘Joan of Arc.’ It wasn’t an altogether pleasant sound. ‘Better watch it. You know what happened to her.’
Tall and slender, Sophie carried herself well, though with a slight slouch. Her hair was dirty blonde and shoulder length. She was, in fact, quite attractive. Still, there was something about Sophie. Something that made Jeanne back away slightly.
Monsieur Béliveau arrived just then with blueberry tarts from Sarah’s Boulangerie.
Candles were lit around the country kitchen and bottles of wine were opened.
The house smelled of lamb roasting in garlic and rosemary, of new potatoes, and creamed leeks and something else.
‘For God’s sake, canned peas?’ Clara looked in the pot Gabri and Olivier had brought.
‘We took them out of the can,’ said Olivier. ‘What’s your
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