Free The Puzzle Ring by Kate Forsyth Page B

the past and the future.
    The books were mainly Biggles and Hardy Boys, but there was one thick old volume called
A Child’s Treasury of Verse
which Hannah picked up, for she loved songs and poetry and often tried to write her own. Opening the book, Hannahwas most surprised to find that all the pages in the book had been glued together and a hole had been cut in the centre of the book. Inside was an old ornate iron key, red with rust.
    Hannah stared in amazement. Who could have hidden the key? And what did the key open? Her mind flashed to the gate in the old yew tree, but that was a modern padlock and this key looked very old. Thoughtfully she weighed it in her hand, then, feeling shivery with cold, skipped back to bed and pulled out the hag-stone from under her pillow. It lay in her palm, rough and grey and ordinary, except for the hole worn through the centre. She lifted it to her left eye, but the room looked just the same. So she held it to her ear. She could hear the piteous sound of a dog howling. When she took it away from her ear, the howling stopped. Each time she held it to her ear, she heard the dog again.
    Pondering this, Hannah tried slipping her fingers through the hole, as if the stone were a ring. It fitted perfectly on the ring finger of her left hand. She twisted it round and round her finger, wondering how she could find out more about the hag-stone.
I’ll visit the Fäerie Knowe
, she thought.
Though I won’t tell Miss Underhill I’ve got it
.
    A soft knock came on the door. Hannah took the stone off her finger—to her relief, it came off without any trouble—and thrust it and the rusty old key under her pillow, just as Linnet came in, stooped over a heavy tray.
    â€˜Morning, my lamb! I thought you’d like breakfast in bed, your first day here. I know you don’t like porridge, so I made you some cinnamon rolls. I know you like cinnamon.’
    How
? Hannah thought.
How could she possibly know
?
    Linnet put the tray down on the end of Hannah’s bed. It had four little legs that folded down so Hannah could sit upin bed and eat as if at a tiny table. A crimson rose was tucked into her napkin. Hannah smelt the rose, then unfolded her napkin. She had never had breakfast in bed before.
    Linnet smiled when Hannah told her. ‘Many new things happening to you now. Oh, but it’s good to see you, my chick.’ She surprised Hannah by seizing her face and kissing her warmly on both cheeks.
    â€˜I need you to tell me more about the curse,’ Hannah said, breaking a piece of warm cinnamon roll and tasting it cautiously. It was delicious, and she ate some more.
    Linnet’s face sobered. She sat down heavily on the red velvet stool, her feet dangling centimetres above the floor. ‘Did you have nightmares?’ she asked anxiously. ‘My lady said I shouldn’t have told you so soon.’
    â€˜Why not? I need to know all about the curse if I’m going to break it.’
    â€˜Yes . . .’ Linnet said doubtfully. ‘But you’re still so young . . . and my lady is so happy to have you here. She’s afraid your mother will want to leave if she realises how very bad things are.’
    â€˜So how bad are things? I mean, what does the curse
do
?’ Hannah asked.
    Linnet began to chant:

    By fever, fire, storm and sword,
your blood shall suffer this bane.
No joy or peace for Wintersloe’s lord,
till the puzzle ring is whole again
.
    She was silent a moment, then went on: ‘That’s what she said, and so it’s been. Year after year, generation aftergeneration, no peace and no joy, no matter how deeply in love they are, no matter how fiercely they swear to resist the curse.’
    Hannah put down the cinnamon roll. Suddenly it tasted like cardboard in her mouth.
    â€˜Your great-grandmother now,’ Linnet said. ‘My lady was a young thing in the Second World War. Fell in love and married, but her husband