All Hallow's Eve (69 page)

Glossary

Cravat
-
A neck cloth worn by British men during this time pe
riod. Gentlemen did not expose
their necks to ladies
.

Sanun
-
The ceremony held
annually
on All Hallow's Eve
,
or Halloween
. When
performed
correctly, the rite
allows souls to pass from the Otherworld
t
o
visit and
interact with the living. If the ritual is not
executed
perfectly
, evil souls will pass through
the barrier
as well as the good. Only an
Apprentice
or the High
Priestess
's
Soul Mate
can witness the
Sanun
.

Otherworld
-
The afterlife
.

High
Priestess
of
Sanun
-
The highest position within the tribes
.
She performs the ceremony of
Sanun
.

Destined One
-
A female who is chosen before birth to perform the rites
.
She becomes an
Apprentice
at the age of 13, while the current
Priestess
performs the rituals
.
After being
well-trained, she performs the ceremonies herself under the supervision of the
Priestess
. When the current Priestess dies, the Apprentice becomes
Priestess
.

H
armless S
ouls
-
The souls of good people.

H
armful
S
ouls
  -
The souls of evil people.

Thin Place
-
There is a barrier between this world and the Otherworld
. P
arts of the barrier
are
thinner than
it is
at most places
.
On All Hallow’s Eve, at the
Thin Place
s, the border between the worlds became
sheer
enough for the High
Priestess
of
Sanun
to act as a portal, allowing the souls of the dead through the barrier
.
In most recent years, t
he words she
uses in her Song
serve as a sieve to allow o
nly the H
armless
Souls
through.

Soul Mate
-
Two people destined to be together, star-crossed lovers, two halves of the same soul
.

Olc
-
The innately evil.

Keeper/Keeper of the Sword
-
the
Soul Mate
of the High
Priestess
of
Sanun
has a sword that matches the High
Priestess
’s sword
.
The High
Priestess
’s sword is handed down from one to the other within the same family, but her
Soul Mate
is always from a different family than the last was
.
Since males usually died first, arrangements were made for the eldest male of the Darcy family to “keep” the sword of the
Soul Mate
of the High
Priestess
after he die
d
. The Keeper holds the sword until the
Soul Mate
of the next High
Priestess
is identified.

Immun
-
A weapons instructor of the tribes
.
Mr. Darcy
, father
to William
,
was an
Immun
.
Mr. Bennet is Lead
Immun
.

Imol
–
The ritual
provides protection for the people of the
T
ribes.
Lady Anne Darcy,
mother
to William,
was the
Priestess
of
Imol
.

Fili
–
A
medicine woman.
Fili
also have
Apprentice
s. Mrs. Bennet is
Fili
,
and
Jane
Bennet
is her
Apprentice
.

The Return
–
The
end of the Sanun, when the souls would re-enter the Otherworld.

Longsword
–
A
wide
sword
such
as you
might
see knights
using
in movies about ancient England, not those used to fence.

Waster
-
A wooden sword in the shape of a longsword that they use for training purposes.

Dagger
– A k
nife
used
for close fighting.

Ton
-
The term used when referring to the upper echelons of Regency society, also the Upper Ten Thousand. The term derives from the French
'Le bon ton'
meaning good manners or in the fashionable mode.

Some British terminology provided by
http://www.stephanieboles.com/Regency_Glossary.html

Acknowledgements

My extra-special thanks go out to
Gayle Mills and Robin Helm
for having faith in me over the past few years as betas and editors on
Promises
,
Dreams and Expectation
s
, and now
All Hallow’s Eve
, as well as for being such very good friends. Jessica Worton and
Betty Campbell Madden helpe
d a great deal with cold-reading.

I would also like to thank all the wonderful JAFFites who offered their prayers and support through the trying times of my illness and recovery.

All Hallow’s Eve
has been a long time coming! I began writing this story in September of 2010, while attempting to keep myself from typing up any of the story that had been rolling around in my mind before National Novel Writing Month 2010 began (which would have been against the rules)
.
Once November came along, I couldn’t concentrate on anything but
Promises
. This story suffered when my attention shifted to the publishing of
Promises
, the re-writing and publishing of
Dreams and Expectations
, and a severe illness. I loved it too much to let it die, and always found myself with the file open whenever I had a few extra minutes. The first draft was posted serially on several online forums beginning in October 2011.

Please continue reading
f
o
r
sample chapters of

Promises
and
Dreams & Expectations

Promises Sample

April, 1801 – London

William’s distress was evident on his face. So confused was he by the turmoil of emotions churned up by this quest that he no longer knew how to find what he was looking for among the rows of publications on the shelves of the bookshop.

“Excuse me, sir, but you must stop!”

Surprised, the fifteen-year-old boy looked down to find a little girl of perhaps nine or ten years sitting on the floor with an open book on her lap. “I would curtsy, as my mama says is correct when meeting a gentleman, but you are standing on my skirt, sir.”

He jumped back a step or two, and the girl rose and curtsied, saying, “Thank you, sir.”

The boy bowed. “Please forgive me. If I have damaged your dress, please allow me to ask my father to compensate you.”

“Oh, I do forgive you, sir. There is no harm done, only a bit of dust on the hem. Had I been at home, by this time of day my skirts would have been covered with dirt and most likely would have been torn already. I am certain that Mama would be scolding me right about now! I know that a proper young lady should not have been sitting on the floor in a bookshop, especially in London, but after finding the book I had been searching for, I could not wait to begin its perusal!”

They stood in silence for a few moments before she continued, “Do you live in London, sir?”

Taking in this girl’s appearance more thoroughly, he realized she was most likely the daughter of a gentleman. Though it seemed she was in an awkward stage of development, there was something pleasing about her looks. She had dark hair that was more aptly described as a tumble of curls framing her face, tied back with a ribbon in an attempt to tame them. The healthy glow about her skin indicated that she spent more time outdoors than did her peers. She seemed more intelligent than her years… perhaps it was the indescribable sparkle in her dark eyes that assured him of this. “I have arrived only just yesterday with my father and sister from our estate in Derbyshire.”

“Mama says I should always ask about the weather, so now I must ask you: how does the weather in Derbyshire? Is it as warm there as it has been here in London the past few days?”

Her polite look of exaggerated interest made him smile a little before saying, “It is never quite as warm in Derbyshire as in London, Derbyshire being so far north.”

“And were the roads in good condition for your journey, sir?”

He pressed his lips together for a moment to hide the increasing urge to smile. Idle chatter had never been so amusing. “Yes, they were in as good a condition as could be expected after the unusually harsh winter.”

“Capital! And had you a pleasant journey south to London?”

“Yes, we did. Thank you.”

“I am glad to hear it… and I do hope I have covered the subjects of the weather and your journey well enough because I do not believe I can think of one more question to ask about either. I have heard much of Derbyshire, though I have never been there. Papa has a friend who lives in Derbyshire, and he visited his friend there many times while they attended Eton and Cambridge together. Papa says the area is very beautiful and promises to take me there some day.”

Since the death of his mother several months ago, his father had allowed the boy to stay at home, but now it was time to return to school after a brief stay in London, and he was not looking forward to it. His mother’s letters from home had always been the highlight of his week, and the idea that there would never be another was making his return all the more difficult. This little girl was very amusing and, it seemed, just what he needed right now to distract him from such somber thoughts. His generally depressed mood of late was lightening considerably. “Do you know where in Derbyshire your father’s friend resides?”

“Yes, I believe the estate is called Pemley… no, I am not saying it right, but that is close to the pronunciation.”

His eyebrows raised and he said, “Pemberley, perhaps? And what is the gentleman’s name, do you know?”

“Yes, I think it is exactly that! His name is Mr. Darcy.”

“Well then, I do know your father’s friend very well as I am Fitzwilliam Darcy. Mr. George Darcy is my father.”

Her smile brightened the room. “How wonderful!” She noticed the black armband he wore, which was similar to the mourning band her father had worn when her grandmother had died. Remembering what her father had told her, suddenly her smile faded, and she put her small hand on his arm. “Oh… then may I say how sorry I am to have heard about your mother’s passing, Mr. Darcy.”

He looked down to the floor and sighed before saying, “Thank you.” It
had
been nice to spend a few minutes
not
thinking on that subject.

A very insightful child, she detected his pain and his need to change the subject. Her hand gently squeezed his arm before letting go. “Since our fathers know each other, I should introduce myself—though Mama would be very displeased with me for doing so, and I must beg that you do not tell her! I am Elizabeth Bennet, but most people call me Lizzy.”

He bowed to her again, and she curtseyed in return. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Bennet. I have heard my father mention Mr. Bennet often. You live in Hertfordshire, do you not?”

“Yes, at Longbourn.” Elizabeth felt the subject was exhausted. “May I ask what book you were looking for, Mr. Darcy? I have an interest in botany, and since you are searching in this section… I wonder if I could help you find it. This is my uncle’s bookshop, and I know where most everything is,” she said, beaming proudly.

“I am looking for
The Temple of Flora
, a book by Robert John Thornton,” said William quietly.

“Why does such a lovely book on botany make you feel so sad?”

Something about her made him want to tell her everything that was in his heart, but he restricted himself to saying only, “It was my mother’s
favourite
; botany was her special interest. We have a copy at Pemberley and another in our house in London, but I wanted to take one with me to Eton…” he said, his throat tightened with emotion.

“I understand, Mr. Darcy.” He looked up to see such a look of compassion in her dark eyes that it almost overwhelmed him. He blinked back a few tears. “It is just here.” She moved past him to take the book from the shelf and then handed it to him. “It has the most beautiful pictures I have ever seen in any of these books. I hope it brings you comfort.”

Swallowing the lump in his throat, William said, “What was it you were reading, Miss Bennet?”

She passed the book to him.

Flipping through the pamphlet, he said, “But this is not written in English. I believe it is in German! Are you able to read German?”

“Yes, my
neighbour
, Baron Leisenheimer, was originally from Prussia and he taught me his native language. I enjoy German more than French and Italian, though I like Latin about the same.”

William’s eyes widened, “
You
know all those languages? But you are so very young…”

“Papa says I have a special gift for languages. Mama says I should not show off so much, but I am not trying to show off. I just learn easily, and that is all; I am not trying to impress anyone. She also says I should not tell anyone what I can do because they will think I am odd, and that I will never catch a husband. Do you think I am odd, Mr. Darcy?”

He found himself holding back a smile again. “No, Miss Bennet, I do not think you odd. I think you very intelligent.”

“Mama says I’m im…impernant. Do you think I will never catch a husband because I am impernant?”

“I believe the word is ‘impertinent,’ but from what I have seen today I do not think you impertinent. You are honest, and that is a fine trait to have.”

“Yes, I am honest, but mama says I must learn not to be too honest because it is rude. I cannot understand this. Do you know how one can be too honest?”

“Well, I am older and can understand it a little better. For example, sharing that your mother is instructing you on how to ‘catch’ a husband is not an appropriate subject to discuss with a gentleman… or with any acquaintance, really.”

“But that is almost the only subject she ever talks of… and she often repeats that if my four sisters and I do not marry well then we will all be thrown into the hedgerows to starve when my father passes. If that is all
she
ever speaks of, why should I not speak of it?”

William’s raised his eyebrows, and he blinked a few times before asking, “Perhaps she speaks of it only when among intimate family?”

Elizabeth shook her head.

William did not know what to say to that and changed the subject slightly, “Why would you all be thrown into the hedgerows?”

“Because Mr. Collins is a nasty man who Papa had an argument with many years ago, and they have not spoken since.”

“Mr. Collins?”

“Yes, I have no brother and my father’s cousin Mr. Collins will take Longbourn when Papa passes.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Though Mama says he will ‘steal’ it because she does not believe in entailments away from the girls in the family. Mama insists that catching a husband is the most important thing we girls can do, but I have decided that I do not wish to be married at present.”

William almost laughed out loud. “I do not think you will need to decide to whom you will be married for a few years yet.”

She arched her brow. “One would not think I am too young the way Mama speaks of it!” She put her book back on the shelf.

“You will not be purchasing the book?”

“No, I have read it already, and so I do not need to.”

“That is more of a reference book, is it not? You do not think you might need to refer to it at a later time?”

“I have it here, now.” She pointed to her head.

“I do not understand.”

“Every time I read something, I keep a perfect picture of it in my mind and can look at it later. It is like the book is in my hand, and I am reading it again.”

“How interesting!” He opened his book to a random page, “You have read this book, correct?” When she nodded he asked, “What is on page number five of the book I have?”

She described the pictures and said the names, spelling anything that she could not pronounce.

Shaking his head, he said with a wide smile, “I think you are an amazing person, Miss Bennet!”

“Thank you, sir. I am glad you do not think I am strange. Mama tells me I should not tell anyone about that, either, because when I have, people have thought I was odd, and someday they might have me sent to Bedlam when Papa is no longer here to protect me.”

William frowned deeply. “If in the future
anyone
wishes to send you to Bedlam for one of your talents, I beg that you contact me. I will protect you if your father is unable to do so.”

Elizabeth smiled brilliantly. “Thank you, Mr. Darcy! That relieves my mind a great deal.”

Just then the bell above the door rang, and Mr. Bennet came into view at the end of the aisle of books. “Papa!”

“Ah, there you are, Lizzy.” Warily, he eyed the young man standing with his daughter, but his demeanor changed as recognition dawned on him, “And you, young man, are you perhaps related to Mr. George Darcy?”

William bowed and said, “Yes, Mr. Bennet; I am his son. My father is within as well, sir. I believe he can be found in the philosophy section of the shop.”

“You certainly look very much like him when he was about your age.” Mr. Bennet looked back and forth between the two children. “Has my Lizzy been entertaining you?”

“Miss Bennet is a delightful young lady, sir. She helped me find the book I was searching for, and we have been conversing these past minutes.”

Mr. Bennet nodded, “Come, let us find your father. I have not had the pleasure of his company for these several years at least.”

They found Mr. Darcy discussing his book purchases with Mr. Gardiner, the proprietor of the shop, while waiting for his son to join him. As Mr. Bennet approached, Mr. Darcy turned and said, “Bennet! What a surprise to find you here in London! It is good to see you!” The two shook hands.

“Darcy, it is good to see you as well. It seems my daughter has been assisting your son in finding a book, and I have just met him. He seems a fine young man. I am a bit shocked to see how much he has grown—when I had last seen you, he was only just walking! I cannot believe so much time has passed! I see you know Gardiner, my wife’s brother?”