The Stumpwork Robe (The Chronicles of Eirie 1) (28 page)

She walked to the window and looked down at the waves and then out
over the sea.

Lady Aine, she prayed, look after Lhiannon. Guide her and keep her safe and bless the lives of Ana and Kholi and of Liam and Elriade. And Lady Aine, if you have the time, bless me and keep
me
safe. I have great work to do and I need your help.

***

And so my long-suffering friend, you have now read the first part of my stumpwork robe. You have stepped through the embroidered landscape from the left front of the gown, to the left of the centre back seam. And by devious means you have followed my story, accompanied my heart as it was warmed, and watched as it was cut out and trodden on. In consequence, you have seen me develop a hatred and desire for revenge so intense it could burn things to cinders if it were touched. And to my shame, you have seen how I am guilty of contributing to a friend’s death, maybe even contributing to more than just the one death. You can judge.

And I suspect you wonder if my revenge will be any stronger than the mere penning of a few tiny books.

I will tell you this.

My hatred consumes me.

It fills me with a smouldering blackness and each time Severine comes near me she fans the coals that little bit more. Here a spark, there a flame. I swear on Liam’s and Ana’s souls and on the soul of my beloved Kholi Khatoun that vengeance will be sought.

It merely remains to be seen, dear companion, whether you would journey onward with me, to the other side of the robe. For this story shall end, mark my words, and it will all be the better when it does. For do they not say in Eirie that ‘revenge is sweet?’

So repair to the right front of the robe and let us read on...

THE END...
for the moment.

If you enjoyed this first part of Adelina’s story, you will also enjoy the sequel,
The Last Stitch,
which is due to be released on Kindle soon.

You may also find details of the author on (
www.pruebatten.com
)

And more of her writing, thoughts and fan-fiction on (
www.mesmered.wordpress.com
)

REFERENCES

1.
Stumpwork Embroidery
by Jane Nicholas. Sally Milner Publishing NSW 1995

2.
Stumpwork Embroidery. Book Two
by Jane Nicholas. Sally Milner Publishing NSW 1998

3.
Stumpwork Dragonflies
by Jane Nicholas. Sally Milner Publishing NSW 2000

4.
Stumpwork Beetle Collection
by Jane Nicholas. Sally Milner Publishing NSW 2004

5.
Peel tower poem:
‘Invidious rust...’ from
http://www.peletower.freeuk.com
from the poetic works of John Leyden and Sir Water Scott.

6. Coracle racing inspired by
Folk Customs of Britain
by D. Macfadyean and C. Hole. Hutchinson London 1983

7. The moonlight poem: ‘Where moonlight...’ from
Leprechauns, Legends and Irish Tales
by Hugh McGowan V. Gollancz London 1988

8. The names Kholi and Lalita from
Bride and Prejudice, the movie.
Directed by Gurinder Chadha, Bend it Productions 2005

9.
Irish-English Online Dictionary
.
http://www.irishdictionary.com

10
. The Inns of the First, Second etc Happiness inspired by the inn in the movie,
The Inn of the Sixth Happiness
. Directed by Mark Robson, Twentieth Century Fox 1958.

11
. The Historic Fart from
Breaking Wind. Legendary Farts. Folktales of Flatulence.
Selected and edited by D Ashliman 2000
http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/fart.html

12
. The Enchanted World... fabled lands. E.Phillips (Director) Time-Life Books NY 1986.

14. The evening poem: ‘The evening is festooned with
golden cloud...’ poem by Erik Johan Stagnelius.
http://oldpoetry.com/opoem/27429-Erik-Johan-Stagnelius-Nacken---Water-Demon

15.
Coping with Grief
by Mal Mckissock. ABC Books Sydney, 2001.

16.
Spirits, Fairies, Gnomes and Goblins
by Carol Rose ABC-CLIO LTD Oxford, 1998

17. Leprechauns, Legends and Irish Tales by H. McGowan, Victor Gollancz, London, 1990

18. The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche Random House London, 1992