The Wives of Lord Duncan.
(The Scottish Highlands 1127.)
I.
On a beautiful day in the highlands, Lord Duncan stands on the parapet of his castle and surveys the landscape. The sky is a clear blue, and the deep green fields lies spread out underneath it.
He is occupied with his own thoughts. Thoughts of his beautiful wives. How beautiful they all were, before he helped them to make the transition from mortal flesh, to eternal peace. Now they were at peace, and they were all buried safely in the chamber below the cellar; their final resting place.
Oh, that reminds me; he thought to himself, I’m having dinner with my new wife tonight. Lucille. We mustn’t forget, heh-heh, he chuckled to himself, as he rubbed his hands gleefully together, and walked away down the parapet.
A swallow dove over the wall, and swerved, and flew away.
II.
Lucille was of French origin, and had recently come across over the channel with her esteemed cousin; Duke la Coste. She had been arranged to be married as Lord Duncan’s wife by her parents, both still living on the continent.
Now she was sitting here, married to the Scottish Lord, as she ate the meal served by the man’s seemingly solitary servant. She ate slowly, and after they had dined the servant retired to his quarters, and she and the Lord retired to their room.
There they made passionate love for several hours, before the deranged Lord butchered her with his hunting-knife on the large oaken bed. The white sheets were stained with dark, red blood.
Then Lord Duncan carried her body down the winding stairs to the cellar, and went into the chamber underneath. Here he propped her body up against the wall in its casket, along with all the others that lined the wall next to her.
For a short while he admired his handy-work, before taking the torch in his hand, and returning back up the stone stairs to his bloody room.
His body threw dark shadows against the wall from the torch-light as he climbed the stairs.
III.
The next morning Lord Duncan was dining at his large oak breakfast table. The servant bought in his morning meal, which consisted mainly of roast pork.
“Will the Lady be joining you for breakfast, M’Lord,” asked the servant.
“No, she has retired to her chamber,” said Lord Duncan, lifting his eye-brow as he looked at the servant.
“Oh, I see,” said the servant with a tremble in his voice, as he quickly retired back to the kitchen.
Lord Duncan continued eating his roast pork with relish, as the birds sang in the trees outside the windows…
