Aunt Dimity and the Village Witch (29 page)

“What puzzles me,” I said, looking down at the blue journal, “is the memoir’s first page. Why did Gamaliel call Mistress Meg a ‘fearsome and most potent witch’? Why did he talk about calamity and retribution? He must have known when he started writing that Margaret Redfearn wasn’t a witch.”

Wasn’t she? She rejected the church, she was fearsome in her determination to live her own life, and she brewed potent potions in a house in the woods. In most English villages, she would have been identified as a witch and the retribution for consorting with her, or worse, being related to her, would have been calamitous. The villagers were incredibly brave to stand up for her as they did, but even here, her image was distorted. As the years passed, she became Mad Meg, the horned, axe-wielding crone who maimed helpless children. I’m proud of Gamaliel for setting the record straight. Margaret Redfearn was a heroine, not a hag. If I had my way, a statue of her would be erected on the village green.

When I thought of Gamaliel’s flock testifying before the witch finder, I couldn’t help picturing my neighbors defending Amelia. Finch, it seemed, had a long tradition of protecting gifted women.

In my mind’s eye I saw the animated faces of the women who’d
gathered around the bonfire on Guy Fawkes Night—Amelia, Lilian, Bree, Emma, Nell, Peggy Taxman, Sally Pyne, Christine Peacock, Elspeth, Millicent, Opal, and Selena. Married or not, they were all strong and independent. Some might even call them fearsome and they were nothing if not potent. If Margaret Redfearn had returned to Finch that night, I thought, she would have recognized many kindred spirits.

If there ever was a statue of Mistress Meg on the village green, I hoped its plaque would read:

In Finch, we cherish witches.

Amelia Thistle’s Brown Bread

Makes three loaves

Ingredients

5 ½ cups whole wheat flour

1 ½ cups unprocessed bran

2 ½ cups white flour

½ cup Crisco shortening

2 packets dry yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

1 ½ tablespoons salt

4 cups water (adjust for humidity)

Please note: The recipe calls for three 6 x 9 x 3-inch bread loaf pans.

Mix together brown flour, white flour, bran, and salt in a very large mixing bowl. Rub in shortening. Warm 3¾ cups water to 110 degrees. Reserve ¼ cup heated water. Mix together the yeast, the sugar, and the reserved ¼ cup of water. Add the yeast mixture to the rest of the warmed water. Make a well in the center of the flour. Pour the yeast/water mixture into the well. Mix together to make a soft, slightly sticky dough. Knead for 10 minutes.

Return the dough to the mixing bowl. Cut a large cross in the center of the dough. Spray the surface of the dough with cooking spray to keep it moist. Cover the bowl with a damp towel, and place it in a warm place to rise to twice its size, about 1 hour.

Knead the dough again, then divide it into three balls. Shape each ball into a large sausage and put each sausage into a greased and floured 6 x 9 x 3-inch loaf pan. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Allow the dough to rise again for 20-30 minutes, until the loaves reach the tops of the pans. Place the pans on the center shelf of the oven, and bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for another 45 minutes. Allow to cool on rack.

Serve well-buttered slices with cups of your favorite tea, preferably before a roaring fire, during a thunderstorm. Although a snowstorm will work well, too.