“Sounds wonderful, I think I’ll join you.”
We placed our orders.
“Mum, you don’t have to answer but, I’ve been wondering… I was thirteen when we left Wesberrey and yet I don’t remember any of this pagan goddess stuff from before. Why is that?”
“Ah, I knew it! There’s no such thing as a free meal.” Mum pushed herself back in her chair, her arms folded in defiance. I watched the resignation steal away her resolve. Muscle by muscle, her face and then her posture softened. Lowering her arms, she placed her palms face down on the table and sighed. “I thought I could break the cycle.”
“What? I don’t understand.”
She took a few seconds, seeking the exact words she needed to explain.
“There is no greater gift than to hold your own child in your arms. When Pamela got pregnant, it threw us all into confusion. Cindy and I were so sure she was the godmother. When her son was born, that meant the line would fall to one of us. I couldn’t believe my luck when your father proposed. He was so handsome.” I reached across to hold her hands, triggering them to withdraw to her lap. “His family was so opposed to the match. Whilst they pretended they didn’t believe all that nonsense, they knew there would be no male heir to their fortune. I think your father enjoyed that, to be honest.”
A lump formed in my throat. I had to ask. “Did Dad ever love us?”
I poured us both some iced water.
“Oh, my dear, of course, he did. He just… He was a rebel. An uncontainable force.” Mum tried to take a sip of water. Her lower lip quivered as it greeted her glass. She used a napkin to catch the escaping drops.
“You don’t need to go on.”
Her eyes darted around the room, searching to find a safe spot to land. “No, I do. You have a right to know.” The waiter arrived with our drinks. Mum grabbed her wine and gulped it down.
“When I fell pregnant,” she continued, “I knew it would be a girl. I also knew as I looked upon her beautiful face that one day she might be the godmother. That this bundle of love and hope and promise might never be able to…” Her voice cracked. “I thought if I banned all talk of triple wells and goddesses, then somehow it would all end. My family wasn’t happy with my decision, but I had to do something. I had to.”
“I’m sure you did what you thought was best.” I tried to offer comfort, but as before Mum brushed me off and refilled her wine.
“When your father died, that was it. I knew I had to leave this awful place. Give you all a chance to have a proper life. Yet, here we all are. Back here again. Playing happy pagan families.”
“Mum, we are happy. And we want you to be happy too.”
I wanted to give her a hug. I wanted to thank her for everything she had sacrificed, and all she had done for us. I wanted to tell her not to worry, that I was coming around to the idea of being the godmother and that the most important thing was that we were together. I wanted to tell her I loved her.
“Jess! What a surprise. May we join you?”
Lawrence had brought his mother out for a meal too. Great minds think alike!
My mother’s relief was palpable. We agreed. Lawrence asked the staff to pull across another table and chairs.
Mrs Pixley was not at all what I expected. In my mind, I had imagined a frail, white-haired old woman, mostly bed-ridden with a pocket full of sticky sweets to hand out to her son as a reward for being a good headmaster. Instead, I was being looked over by a rosy-cheeked former PE teacher, who I was to learn had captained the national women’s hockey team.
She threw out her hand. “Finally! Wonderful to meet you, Jessamy. My son absolutely thinks the world of you. Not much of a churchgoer myself. Think it’s a load of old phooey, but from what I hear you’re a remarkable woman. I understand you’re the one who put my old friend Isadora behind bars!”
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Thank you x
Author notes
Divine Death is the fourth book in the Rev Jessamy Ward mystery series set on the fictional Isle of Wesberrey. This time the story came into the church as a team of local archaeologists are granted permission to research the ancient covered well that sits beneath the stone baptismal font. For this tale, I took inspiration came from two local historical themes. Firstly, the links between medieval queens, nuns and saints. From usually lower born anchoresses to Kentish Anglo-Saxon queen mothers who retired into the convents they established following their husbands' deaths and the rise of their sons to power. Many of these women were canonised. St. Sexburghah (who founded the local convent) was one of three royal sisters who all became saints. The second theme comes from the parallel local story of the Goddess of the Triple Wells said to have links to pre-Christian pagan fertility sites. This site was later used to establish St Sexburghah’s convent leading to the folklore that the nuns were the descendants of these ancient women known for their healing gifts. In my series, Jess descends from this line of female power and through her connection to the church is bringing together these two worlds once again. The murder mystery was inspired by a local family feud surrounding the legacy of a local historian who led the exploration of the Triple Wells several decades ago and published a book on the subject, now sadly out of print. I tried to get a copy from a local Facebook group only to be direct messaged by his daughter who cannot get the rights to publish as the copyright went to her father's second wife. During his excavation of one of the wells he found a venus figure with three heads.
Acknowledgements
Divine Death would not have been written without the incredible support of my children and a merry band of writers lovingly known as the Coronitas.
Set up by a stranded American as she was forced to wait out the initial COVID lockdowns in Northern Ireland, this group of zoom-based sprint writers have met up every day since mid March 2020. Together we have supported each other to write and publish numerous books and short stories. These amazing women have offered technical and editorial support, but above all they have been an incredible motivational force.
We cry together and celebrate together.
Sometimes we send cookies.
When I couldn’t get out of my own way, they joined hands and dragged me forward.
I may have typed the words, but it is their love that brought it to life.
About The Author
Penelope Cress
Penelope lives on an island off the coast of Kent, England, with her four children and an elderly Jack Russell Terrier. A lover of murder mystery and cups of tea (served with a stack of digestive biscuits), she writes quaint cosy mysteries and other feel-good stories from a corner table in the vintage tea shop on the high street. Penelope loves nostalgia and all things retro. Her taste in music is also very last century.
Find out more about Penelope at www.penelopecress.com
Books By This Author
Holy Homicide
Despite her cat allergy and her mother’s warnings of doom and disaster, Reverend Jessamy Ward is excited to return to the Isle of Wesberrey to take up her promotion as parish priest of St. Bridget’s Abbey.
Tourists know Wesberrey is famous for three things: there are no cars, there are lots of cats, and there is a legendary fertility well. Shortly after Jess’s arrival, it will be famous for something else - murder!
Can Jess root out the killer or will the unearthing of her own family’s mystical pagan history threaten to destroy her new life?
Holy Homicide is the first book in the exciting new Reverend Jessamy Ward Mystery Series by Penelope Cress.
Escape to a new mystery.
Mausoleum Madness
Good funerals are like buses, you wait all year for one and then three turn up at once! However, as there are no cars allowed on the Island, you’ll be waiting forever for a bus. Funerals, though, seem to be the latest craze and the newly installed vicar, Jessamy Ward has plenty to keep her busy.
Add to this
mix a missing businessman, a famous actor, city gangsters and dancing nymphs and Jess soon learns that there is never a dull day on the Isle of Wesberrey. Murder and intrigue are as common here as cats and seagulls.
Is Jess right to keep faith in her family and friends? Can she even keep faith in herself?
Mausoleum Madness is the second book in the exciting new Reverend Jessamy Ward Mystery Series by Penelope Cress.
Enter a crazy new world.
Pious Poison
Jess Ward joined the Wesberrey Walkers to get fit. But it might be the death of her!
Obliged to look after her older sister’s handsome and driven Brazilian lover, Jess introduces Frederico to the local walking group. With the annual Wesberrey Walkathon a few weeks away, everyone has their sights on the prize, but is there someone in the group prepared to kill for it?
A mysterious illness lays low several walkers and Jess suspects foul play. Who would deliberately poison their competition, and how did they do it? Still unsure of the reality of her newly discovered psychic abilities, but with little else to go on, Jess tries to channel help from a higher plane.
Can Jess trust her own intuition?
Who or what is bringing everyone to their knees?
Is it a dodgy hummus, or a deadly human?
Pious Poison is the third book in the exciting new Reverend Jessamy Ward Mystery Series by Penelope Cress.
Consecrated Crime
The summer regatta is in full swing, but this isn't the most highly anticipated event in the local social calender. The wedding of the year is only days away, and romance is in the air for everyone until a body washes up on the far side of the island.
Officially the police line is it's an accident, but it reminds Inspector Lovington of his young wife's tragic death. As before, he turns to Jess's aunt, Cindy, for more mystic support. But Cindy's powers are weakening.
Will Jess finally embrace her pagan past? Can she find the truth through more supernatural means? Or will more down-to-earth sleuthing reveal all?
Consecrated Crime is the fifth book in the Isle of Wesberrey series. Join Rev Jess Ward as she tries to find her way.
Keep in touch
I hope you enjoyed Divine Death. If you would like to find out more aboout me, my forthcoming books or what's going on with all the characters on the Isle of Wesberrey there are many ways to stay in touch.
The best way to hear all the latest news is to subscribe to my monthly newsletter.
To say thank you when you subscribe you will be sent a a free copy of Jubilee Jinks, a special prequel to this series set in 1977.
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You can also follow me on Amazon, Instagram, and @PenelopeCress on Twitter. I mostly hang out on FaceBook, where I set up a group just for fans of Jess. Regularly I ask for ideas and suggestions for plotlines and we have quizzes and giveaways so pop along and join in the fun!
And finally, if you loved this book please leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads.
Or you can email direct at [email protected] with any ideas or suggestions you have.
I would love to hear from you.
Penelope
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Divine Death: A Rev Jessamy Ward Mystery (Isle Of Wesberrey Book 4) Page 14