‘…And many a weary heart shall sing The Snowdrop bringeth Hope and Spring.’
From the book Poetry of the Flowers by Mrs CM Kirtland 1800)
Hope is all Emmeline has.
Under rolling storm clouds and raging thunder, the Gods unleash their wrath upon the earth, and in the chaos of the countryside awash with rivulets, Alfie Beeson is felled by some unseen force. With a desperate burst of strength, Emmeline drags her unconscious husband back to their cottage. Throughout the winter she ministers to his needs, following her Grandmother Aspasia’s recipes collected over the years in her delicately penned ‘Home Remedies’.
Alfie appears to be on the mend when the gentle, shivering snowdrops begin to raise their dainty heads above the snow, bringing hope. However, as the little flowers creep from the forest up to the cottage, Alfie takes a turn for the worse. By the time the blooms are close enough to tap upon the door, she has lost her love.
Grieving and bereft, Emmeline tries to cope without her soulmate. Her broken heart causes even her gentle artwork to suffer. Paintings are left unfinished in the parlour. With the arrival of The Anniversary comes a surprise visitor. Will this visitor rekindle the light in Emmeline’s delicate brown eyes? Can the hole in her heart ever be healed?
This heartfelt short story now includes a sample of some of Aspasia Cherry’s A~Z of Herbal Remedies along with poetry, a few myths and a little magic about the local flora that would have been found in and around Emmeline’s cottage.
Rose English
Bio:
Living on ‘England’s Green & Pleasant Land’, amongst the gentle rolling hills of the Herefordshire Countryside, Rose’s house is wall to wall books. She even has a ‘leaning tower of paperbacks’.
Rose is a dreamer, preferring a simple & quiet life. Often spending time alone, although never lonely, being ever surrounded by great characters when lost in a good book. She loves theatre and the arts, adoring live performances on stage. Rose has very eclectic tastes.
Working as a school librarian, and sharing her love of books with the children was the best job she ever had. However, life moves on and another chapter was only a page turn away.
Now working in an entirely different library, one for the issuing of ‘Medical Equipment’ in Hereford’s Wye Valley Trust Hospital.
Bookshop Bistro 