Prologue
The sun was setting and the sky was filled with a burst of triumphant colour; reds, pinks and yellows softly intermingling, cascading in between banks of fluffy white clouds. Down below, sitting on the carved-stone bench of her rose garden , was Lady Anne of Glenwycke Manor. Her gaze was fastened on the dark forest lying in the distance and the expression on her smooth ,oval face was one of deep calm but also of wistful yearning. Many evenings she had sat thus, hands protectively clasped over her midriff ,waiting for something in the dusk till twilight fell and night swept its protective mantle over the countryside. Then, when the moon had risen and the air was full of the flutterings of wings and the croakings of frogs she would lift herself heavily from her seat and return to her chamber.
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"Your time has come Milady" said the midwife to Anne. The latter was sitting in her shift on the edge of her bed. A few hours ago she had felt a sharp pain in the small of her back and knowing her time was near she had sent for the village midwife. The woman ,named Ailith, was stout and buxom, her greying hair swept up into a tight bun under her starched cap. From a distance she looked imposing, forbidding even, but the impression soon faded when one saw her warm ,intelligent, brown eyes surrounded by a labyrinth of wrinkles. Anne had looked at her once and known she was in good hands, her fears abating . Not so for Ailith. In her eyes her Lady was but a young girl, her hips too slim to allow an easy birth. But she had hidden her apprehension and set about ordering hot water, towels and all the things Lady Anne might need. Anne could hear the patter of footsteps on the stairs and her husband's pacing outside her door. Suddenly she grabbed the midwife's wrist and said breathlessly: "Please, please leave my window open". Ailith's mouth opened in surprise at such a request, but she silently complied and a breath of night air scented with resin came into the room from the nearby forest.
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She had been labouring for hours. Her strength would not last much longer; Around her all was darkness and pain ,except for one thing ,beckoning, silently fortifying her, whispering softly, comfortingly in her ear. She smelt resin, the sweet smell of thousands of decaying leaves and then the smell of blossoms , of spring ,of new life. And with a cry she delivered her child. She briefly heard the joyful shout of the midwife and thought her suffering had ended. But no, she was wrong, it was not over. Again she heard the soothing whispers in her ears and smelt even more strongly the scent of the primeval forest and of life. And finally she was free. The last thing she heard before falling into unconsciousness was the midwife's voice saying: "Look at the queer marking on this littlun's forehead".
The sun was setting and the sky was filled with a burst of triumphant colour; reds, pinks and yellows softly intermingling, cascading in between banks of fluffy white clouds. Down below, sitting on the carved-stone bench of her rose garden , was Lady Anne of Glenwycke Manor. Her gaze was fastened on the dark forest lying in the distance and the expression on her smooth ,oval face was one of deep calm but also of wistful yearning. Many evenings she had sat thus, hands protectively clasped over her midriff ,waiting for something in the dusk till twilight fell and night swept its protective mantle over the countryside. Then, when the moon had risen and the air was full of the flutterings of wings and the croakings of frogs she would lift herself heavily from her seat and return to her chamber.
*********************************************
"Your time has come Milady" said the midwife to Anne. The latter was sitting in her shift on the edge of her bed. A few hours ago she had felt a sharp pain in the small of her back and knowing her time was near she had sent for the village midwife. The woman ,named Ailith, was stout and buxom, her greying hair swept up into a tight bun under her starched cap. From a distance she looked imposing, forbidding even, but the impression soon faded when one saw her warm ,intelligent, brown eyes surrounded by a labyrinth of wrinkles. Anne had looked at her once and known she was in good hands, her fears abating . Not so for Ailith. In her eyes her Lady was but a young girl, her hips too slim to allow an easy birth. But she had hidden her apprehension and set about ordering hot water, towels and all the things Lady Anne might need. Anne could hear the patter of footsteps on the stairs and her husband's pacing outside her door. Suddenly she grabbed the midwife's wrist and said breathlessly: "Please, please leave my window open". Ailith's mouth opened in surprise at such a request, but she silently complied and a breath of night air scented with resin came into the room from the nearby forest.
******************************************
She had been labouring for hours. Her strength would not last much longer; Around her all was darkness and pain ,except for one thing ,beckoning, silently fortifying her, whispering softly, comfortingly in her ear. She smelt resin, the sweet smell of thousands of decaying leaves and then the smell of blossoms , of spring ,of new life. And with a cry she delivered her child. She briefly heard the joyful shout of the midwife and thought her suffering had ended. But no, she was wrong, it was not over. Again she heard the soothing whispers in her ears and smelt even more strongly the scent of the primeval forest and of life. And finally she was free. The last thing she heard before falling into unconsciousness was the midwife's voice saying: "Look at the queer marking on this littlun's forehead".
