by LJ Ross
Yes, he could see it now.
So engrossed was he, in the fantasy of his own veneration, that William Chatterley was too late to avoid the jagged rocks which lurked beneath the shallows, ready to claim their next sailor.
There had been an almighty crunch of metal, then the boat tipped up at the bow, once, before capsizing into the water to join its fellows on the sea bed.
Shipwreck divers were deployed in the aftermath of the accident, and their discovery of Cuthbert’s original pectoral cross made worldwide news, before it was restored to its rightful place in the Open Treasures Gallery of Durham Cathedral. Upon his return from a week’s holiday in the Canary Islands, Mike Nevis, the Head of Security, was tasked with designing an even more elaborate system, to deter any would-be thieves who’d been inspired by one man’s obsession.
“It’s been a right ol’ year, hasn’t it?” Phillips declared, as he whipped up his special Yorkshire pudding mix, ahead of a Christmas feast, fit to end all feasts.
“You can say that again,” MacKenzie said, as she added the finishing touches to an enormous Black Forest gateau. “I think we’re all ready for the Christmas break.”
“And to spend it with good friends, and family,” Anna said, coming to slide an arm around them both. “I’m so glad you could join us.”
MacKenzie laid her head briefly on Anna’s shoulder.
“We wouldn’t miss it for the world,” she said, then glanced over her shoulder to where Samantha was presently fleecing Charles for all he was worth on the Monopoly board.
“Another hotel?” he said, weakly. “What if I only want to stay in a hostel?”
“Bad luck, grandpa,” Sam giggled. “Let’s see the colour of your money.”
Charles tried to hide a smile, but failed, since he was enjoying every moment.
“You just wait until I get the Cluedo board out,” he warned her. “Then we’ll see.”
Samantha smiled indulgently, and wondered when the grown-ups would ever learn.
* * *
Later, when Charles and Phillips both snored in tuneful abandon from the comfort of their armchairs, and the baby slept upstairs, the others settled down to enjoy the last few hours of what had been a wonderful day.
“I was wondering about something,” Ryan said. “It’s to do with the gravesite I found, supposedly belonging to Edward De Villiers. You know the story about how the switch of the bodies could have been made, which means, in theory, that’s Cuthbert lying in St. Mary’s churchyard. I was wondering whether that’s something people would want to know. Is it a secret that should be kept?”
Anna frowned, thinking through all that Ryan had told her before, and the timing of Edward De Villiers’ death.
“There is another theory,” she said, slowly.
All heads turned in her direction.
“I was thinking over this idea of the monks having switched Edward and Cuthbert’s bodies, so that Edward’s body is the one lying inside Cuthbert’s Shrine at the Cathedral, and vice versa—Cuthbert’s remains occupying Edward’s gravesite in Wooler,” she said. “The thing is, it would have been much more fitting for the monks to have tried to keep Cuthbert’s remains on-site at Durham, which is where, legend has it, he always wanted to rest. It would have seemed sacrilegious, I think, to have buried him in another monk’s grave.”
“What are you saying?” Ryan asked. “That he never left Durham? There’s always a possibility the Code is a load of nonsense.”
“Perhaps,” she said. “Perhaps, not. You see, back in the sixteenth century, there were certain formal rites that were followed after a monk died, including time spent in the ‘Dead Man’s Chamber’ and then in the chapel, where the other monks would pray over his body. At the end of it all, the monk was buried in an unmarked graveyard along with all his brothers before him, there at the cathedral.”
Ryan began to see her line of thought, and was intrigued.
“So, let’s say Edward died around the same time Henry’s commissioners turned up—the monks might have taken the opportunity to protect Cuthbert’s remains by transplanting him into a grave intended for a monk who’d recently died. Is that what you mean?”
Anna nodded. “Think about it—all they’d need to do is slip Cuthbert’s body into the graveyard beside all his fellow monks, and he’d be surrounded by his community for all eternity, thus respecting his wishes. Far from it being Cuthbert’s body the monks stole away with, in the dead of night, it could have been Edward’s body, which needed to be removed elsewhere so the other monks wouldn’t grow suspicious.”
“Which would mean that Edward’s body is lying in the correct place, after all?” Ryan said. “Beside where he was born?”
“Yes, it means they took Edward home, since he couldn’t be buried among his spiritual brothers.”
There was a long pause, and then Ryan made a raspberry sound. “I like my version better.”
Anna laughed. “I guess we’ll never know the answer.”
“Some things are best left to the imagination,” he agreed, and leaned over to bestow a tender kiss. “How are you feeling?”
Anna looked around the room and felt surrounded by love.
“Better now,” she said. “I feel so hopeful about the future.”
“So long as I have you, I could withstand whatever life throws at us. Merry Christmas, darling.”
“Merry Christmas, love. Here’s to many more.”
AUTHOR’S NOTE
I love the characters in these books, and it’s always a joy to sit down and write about their lives in the context of a fresh setting or adventure. With so large a cast of characters, it’s inevitable that some books will focus on certain characters more than others, and such was the case in Cuthbert’s Way. For me, this book was about reconciliation and forgiveness, friendship, kindness and living one’s life in a way that helps to build up other people, rather than knocking them down. I am, therefore, more interested in thinking about the metaphorical message behind Cuthbert’s way of life than I am with the walking tour—though, it is an excellent trail, and I would certainly recommend it!
I began to think of a story involving Cuthbert after stumbling across an article to do with Cuthbert’s Code, a couple of years ago—naturally, the thought of sixteenth century monks swapping the body of Cuthbert with another monk, then keeping the secret closely guarded for centuries, was instantly compelling. For my part, I conceived a story not about Cuthbert, but about Edward De Villiers (who is, to my knowledge, completely fictitious). I’ve drawn upon various real-life facts, places and historic events which, I hope, adds life and texture to the fictional plotline. I’ve researched thoroughly— however, please do remember this is a work of fiction. Whilst I always try to be accurate, there are times when I choose to deviate from the reality in order to make for a better, pacier story. After all, the idea is to be entertained, not put to sleep!
As Cuthbert’s Way is my twentieth novel, I need not tell you how grateful I am for all the kind messages of support I’ve received over the past six years, nor how shocked I was to see Cuthbert’s Way make it to the #1 spot on Amazon, to become my sixteenth UK #1 bestseller (I can hardly believe it). However, at this juncture, I want to say that I approach each new book I write with completely fresh eyes, and never make assumptions based on past successes. I hope that each new story will make for a happy reading experience, and I look forward to bringing you many more adventures to come.
LJ ROSS
November 2020
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Given that this book was written during a lockdown period, in the midst of a global pandemic, I’d like to thank everyone for remaining so sane and normal throughout the process. Chiefly amongst them is my wonderful husband, James—I don’t mind telling you, there just aren’t enough kind words in the dictionary to describe his generosity of spirit and loving support, throughout all twenty of the books I’ve written, and it’s for those reasons that I proudly include the “J” in “LJ”
to acknowledge the important and irreplaceable part he plays in creating the conditions in which I’m able to tell my stories.
To my family, I love you all, thank you so much for cheering me on.
To my friends, I love you all, thank you for keeping my feet on the ground.
To all my readers, you’re the reason I write these stories, thank you for all your kind support over the years.
Until the next time…
LJ ROSS
November 2020
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
LJ Ross is an international bestselling author, best known for creating atmospheric mystery and thriller novels, including the DCI Ryan series of Northumbrian murder mysteries which have sold over five million copies worldwide.
Her debut, Holy Island, was released in January 2015 and reached number one in the UK and Australian charts. Since then, she has released a further nineteen novels, all of which have been top three global bestsellers and fifteen of which have been UK #1 bestsellers. Louise has garnered an army of loyal readers through her storytelling and, thanks to them, several of her books reached the coveted #1 spot whilst only available to pre-order ahead of release.
Louise was born in Northumberland, England. She studied undergraduate and postgraduate Law at King’s College, University of London and then abroad in Paris and Florence. She spent much of her working life in London, where she was a lawyer for a number of years until taking the decision to change career and pursue her dream to write. Now, she writes full time and lives with her husband and son in Northumberland. She enjoys reading all manner of books, travelling and spending time with family and friends.
If you enjoyed Cuthbert’s Way, please consider leaving a review online:
Amazon UK
Amazon US
If you would like to be kept up to date with new releases from LJ Ross, please complete an e-mail contact form on her Facebook page or website, www.ljrossauthor.com
