Ravens Deep (one) by Jane Jordan Read Free Book Online Page A

quality. 
                  Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye I saw movement. I turned and stared into the shadows of the trees.  In the dim half-light I thought I saw the shape of a person. I caught my breath and sat rigid, trying to focus my eyes.  The shape moved further into the tree line, away from me, but instantly a deer emerged from the same place.  She appeared agitated, and rapidly moved towards the gap in the hedgerow -- something had spooked her.
                  A moment later two smaller deer appeared and followed the same path as the first one.  I must have witnessed a trick of the shadows and light, causing the dark shapes to shift and take on different forms.  Or perhaps in light of the recent episode I was allowing normal things to manifest into something more sinister. I pushed all dubious thoughts away, and thought just how delightful this situation was, I never saw deer in the city.
                  I must have sat for an hour or more, witnessing the magic of the mists rising over the moors, until finally the sun broke through, replacing the shadowy mystery of the landscape with a bright new morning. Slowly the air came to life around me, from the incessant songs of the birds to the first insects as they were energized by the rays of sunlight, motivating them into a frenzy of activity.  Life was apparent all around.
                  Back inside, I began to think about the task at hand, making Ravens Deep a living, breathing house once more.  I cleaned and polished the floors and the usable surfaces, I took the cushions and anything else I could carry into the garden to shake and hopefully remove the years of ingrained dust.  In the master bedroom, I decided to take the beautiful linens and put them away, rather than try to wash them.  The fabric seemed so delicate that it might disintegrate in my hands.  I left all the curtains intact, including the ones on the bed, as I could see no way of removing them.  A few hours later and the interior was transformed from the previous day.  The surfaces shone like new and now with most of the dust and grime removed, the whole house took on a more dignified quality.
                  It was early afternoon and after working all morning. I was eager to explore the village and I decided I had had quite enough of house cleaning for one day.  I locked up the house, and drove back along the winding lane to the main road that led to Beaconmayes. 
                  The village had most amenities, a small grocery store, a baker, a hardware store and chemist, even a little park. I spent an enjoyable hour walking the length of the village high street and visiting the various shops, eventually I bought a sandwich from the bakers and went to sit on the park bench.
                  Several fat ducks were swimming in a small pond close to where I sat.  They were very tame and upon seeing I had some food, waddled out of the water and stood watching me expectantly.  Obviously they had become accustomed to being fed by the locals. As I gave the last of my sandwich to one of the more persistent ducks, an older man whom I had noticed earlier in the village walked up and sat at the other end of my bench. He had a bag of breadcrumbs and sat patiently feeding the ducks.  We both smiled, as the ducks squabbled amongst themselves for the crumbs. He glanced in my direction and acknowledged me with a nod and his greeting.
                  “Good Afternoon.”
                  “Hello.  .  .  isn’t’ this is a lovely place?”  I replied cordially.  He turned to me, the sunlight catching his silver hair and making it seem almost white.
                  “Yes it is,” he nodded, “one of the few unspoiled villages.  Are you visiting?” he inquired after a moment of hesitation.
                  “Well, not really, I am staying in the area for