Читать книгу Trisha Ashley 3 Book Bundle - Trisha Ashley - Страница 38

When I went to collect Grumps’ chapter on Wednesday morning he was highly pleased with himself and insisted on showing me an old map of Sticklepond that he had acquired from Felix the previous day.

‘Have you found a new marker for your ley line?’ I asked, helping to hold down one curling end.

‘No, no – something quite different. A piece of extremely useful information about the lido field that I have passed on to Felix, so he may tell the rest of the Parish Council.’

‘Right,’ I said, putting his tea down on a corner of the map.

‘See here?’ He pointed, the large red stone in the silver ring he wore on his index finger glinting dully. ‘The so-called lido field has never been built on for it once formed the gardens of a long-gone small monastic house. But this map was drawn up later, after the first wave of the Black Death had swept the land, and you can see here that the area is now clearly marked as “Plague Pit Field”.’

‘Plague Pit Field? You mean there was a mass grave there for plague victims?’ I asked, startled. ‘I suppose they did have to bury them quickly.’

‘Precisely. And then over the years the name has been forgotten, until eventually the area became a popular local picnic spot, leased from the owner of Badger’s Bolt, by the council, as a public amenity.’

‘But how odd, to think what is there, forgotten.’

‘And it may well save the field from development – siting houses on top of a mass grave, however ancient, would hardly be popular with either the local people or potential purchasers.’

‘It certainly wouldn’t!’ I agreed.

Halfway through viewing the first property, while David was waffling on about knocking down walls and installing en-suite bathrooms, I told him I wouldn’t have time to come out house-hunting with him again. But unfortunately he took that as a sign that I was still piqued because he’d taken someone else to the Mann-Drake dinner party.