Ravens Deep (one) Read Online Free PDF Page A

surface, indicating that they were in need of some careful restoration. Dominating the space in front of the fireplace was a large olive-green overstuffed sofa.  Vintage carved side chairs covered in deep red brocade flanked the sofa, each having its own matching side table, one of which supported a cranberry coloured glass lamp. 
                  Across the room, a highly carved sideboard decorated with a panache of five ostrich feathers stood against the wall and two large gold candlesticks rested on top, adding drama to the overall appearance.
                  This room connected to another and I approached this connecting doorway, intrigued by the door casement.  Its surface was a raised wood relief, so intricately detailed that it reminded me of a pagan style carving as it depicted a stag’s head and hunting horns. On entering this darkened room I was able to see two pieces of furniture; a carved desk and matching chair. I walked across to the window and pulled the heavy curtains back, which at once revealed the room’s purpose.
                  “The library,” I observed to myself and I wished at that moment I had someone with me, to share in this wondrous discovery.  Bookcases filled to capacity from floor to ceiling ranged along the entire back wall and far side and Mr. Chamber’s words rang true, he had said that there was an extensive library. 
                  The books I picked up and examined were beyond antique and very rare and I delighted in reading the names of poets and authors of long ago.  Dante, Coleridge, Shakespeare, Thackery, Keats, the names were all here, classics before our time, written by masters whose influence shaped our literary imaginings. This collection had been languishing away here for so many years, and I felt privileged to be given the opportunity to access a library such as this.  Besides the timeworn classics, there appeared to be modern books on every subject imaginable.
                  Strangely enough, neither the books nor the desk seemed to have collected much dust and I noticed that large Turkish rugs, threadbare in places, covered the flagstones, which did nothing to conceal the unevenness of the floor underneath them. 
                  Reluctantly, I left the library and moved back across the sitting room to another ornately encased doorway that led through to a carved staircase on the left.  I peered briefly into the functional bathroom that lay straight ahead before entering the kitchen.
                  I found myself in a large rectangular room that contained what I could only describe as a medieval banqueting table which had seen a lot of use, judging from the various cuts, scratches and the occasional gouges on its surface. An old Aga stove was at the far end of the room, positioned next to the back door which still had its original key in the keyhole.
                  I walked through the kitchen, brushing away the large cobwebs that hung down from the ceiling, this room was worse than the others in terms of neglect and it dawned on me that no-one had walked through here in years. I unlocked the door, which revealed the remainder of the garden, although quite impassable as nettles were waist high, but it appeared to be a large garden with mature trees. An old wooden hut, reminiscent of a potting shed, was the only exterior structure.  I noted that I had been correct in my earlier assumptions, the stone wall did run all the way around the house and completely enclose the garden.
                  After locking the door again, I saw that there were high cupboards above the Aga and a deep cast iron sink fitted into an old floor cabinet, giving a small amount of work surface. There was also a small refrigerator that had certainly seen better days, which despite its age still appeared too modern and decidedly out of place in this room. It all looked quite basic,