–Extract from The White Lady of Barleybrook
–By Elise Teeling, from the anthology, Spooky Tales of Old Middenmere,1932.
Professor Julia Jareth – who'd hid away from her cursed nature for many years,had taken Vita Dantis in a desperate hope for normality – was finallyfacing a dreaded retribution. She was cornered like a trapped animal, with herback to the door of an old stone barn. Four uniformed policemen surrounded her,eachcarrying a strange rifle with wires down a long barrel and a sharp pincer-likecontraption on the end.
Acrossthe lane, in a dimly-lit field behind a stone wall, stood Lord Percy, with hisgirls Rosie and Grace either side. It was too dark for the policemen to see butProfessor Jareth, with her strange yellow eyes, was able to study his aquiline,leather skinned face as he gazed at her impassively.
LordPercy! How she desperately loved him! It wasn't the gentle, slow burning loveshe'd felt for Simon; this was the brutal, urgent grip of Amor Lepore,thrust upon her by some mysterious paganistic force. It was frantic andall-consuming; but she was ashamed of how it had brushed aside all feeling forSimon. She gazed imploringly into Percy’s eyes but his face remained impassive.Why wasn't he rushing over to save her?
Oneof the policemen lifted up his rifle and aimed at her chest.
“Percy,my love, save me!” she screeched with a grasping outstretched hand.
Therifle was fired and the pincer-like contraption dug into her chest, sendingthousands of volts of electricity through her convulsing body. As she slumpedto the ground the policemen turned to where she'd been pointing and saw theshadowy forms of Lord Percy and his girls moving off quickly up the darklane...
*
Percy Valentine was veryangry. He’d seen an army of police officers – with their devilish rifles –shoot lightning and render his compatriots unconscious. All his children werethrown into the back of trundling, monstrous carriages. The Underwood coven ofArddhu Og, her newly created family, were being bagged up and taken away like apheasant shoot.
Herushed along the lane, past dark stone buildings, and saw in the distance thetall silvery spire of Saint Bede's church illuminated by a flash of lightening.The bestial curse of Og had taken away his humanity but he still rememberedwith some fondness his wedding day up at that church, one hundred years ago. Hecould still recall how lovely Rowena looked in her lacy white dress and stillfeel a pang of regret at being cursed on his wedding night.
Hewalked purposely forward, with the girls at his heels, and was soon swingingopen the tall iron gates to Saint Bede’s cemetery. He walked amongst thecrumbling ivy clad gravestones. The rain fell steadily and it was muddyunderfoot.
Hewas distracted by the trundling sound of an engine. One of the horselesscarriages, a big beast with fat wheels, had followed him up here and wasdriving through the cemetery gates, its powerful carriage lights illuminatingthe tress, gravestones... and also himself and his girls.
“OhPercy!” exclaimed Rosie, grabbing onto this shirt sleeve, “you won’t let us beshot like the other one?”
“Master,”hissed Grace, grabbing the other sleeve, “will keep us safe.”
He'descaped the carnage down on the village square and hoped for peace up at SaintBede’s, but this place was going to provide no sanctuary. The carriage pulledto a halt and two policemen jumped out, each carrying a rifle.
“Releaseme foul harpies!” he exclaimed, flinging his arms up and forcing the girls torelease their grip.
Hepulled the heavy wooden doors to the church wide open and stepped inside.Slamming the doors with a crash, he bolted them shut. He could hear his girls’anxious pleas outside, wondering why their Master had deserted them, shoutingand banging on the door.
“PleasePercy, save us!” Rosie’s voice squealed. She was a slight girl and he knewshe'd be doomed without her Master’s presence.
“Ilove you!” said Grace in a desperate voice. Here was yet another young girl,lost to Amor Lepore, who had clung to him like a limpet.
LordPercy listened to their pleas but felt no great desire to save them. He wasgrowing tired of fawning girls fighting for his attention. He vowed to find away to dampen down Amor Lepore – the mysterious spell that besots thefemale of the species was proving to be more of a nuisance than a pleasure.
Heturned into the dark vaulted church and walked swiftly down the aisle. Thevicar and his housekeeper were no longer here – he and his girls had been up atthe church the day before and he'd watch Grace bite both of them and see thengo off into the village to 'spread the word'. To the right of the altar betweentwo stone columns was a door. Percy went through it and climbed a set of verysteep spiral stairs that ended with another door leading onto a narrow parapetthat ran around the top of the church spire.
Hetook a deep breath of wet night air and looked around him. His vantage pointafforded a commanding view of the whole of Underwood. From the light of thecloud covered moon and occasional flash of lightning he could see every ancienthouse, gnarled tree and cobblestone, perceived with eyes sharper than anythinghuman.
Heheard the distant rev of engines and saw in the distance more of the dreadedhorseless carriages, moving slowly down the cobbled streets. Policemenpatrolled everywhere, clutching rifles. He saw a number of the young boys he’dbitten riding on their motorised bicycles. The moment his teeth had sunk intotheir flesh he’d perceived what was in their minds – this “biker gang” as theycalled themselves had been revealed to him as nothing more than a childishbunch of thugs with no real intelligence or charm. Lord Percy’s first taste ofcursing and blood sacrifice had awakened in him an insatiable hunger but he nowregretted his early choice of victim – mere juvenile fodder with no more wit orreason than a melon.
Howhis missed his old life as Squire of Brimstone Manor. How he missed theUnderwood hunt, his good and noble friends, and dear sweet Rowena most of all!He remembered the glorious summer balls, his fine cellar and stylish wardrobe–how different to his present circumstances. A social life spent with thuggishboys, his desire for wine
