Bearnshaw: Legend of the Whyte Doe: 1
All the ingredients are present in N. S. Rose’s first novel, The Legend of the Whyte Doe: a single-minded heroine, an evil lord who desires her; witchcraft, sex, drugs and a rock – Eagle Cragg. The story covers eleven years in the life of Sibyl Bearnshaw whose mother is dead and her father dying. There is the modest – in aristocratic terms – country seat to think of as well as her younger brother, Tom, who will eventually inherit.
In the background, Edward IV has just seized the throne and loyal Lancastrians hide the old king, Henry VI. Sibyl suspects that her unwanted husband to be, Lord William of Hapton, is involved in some way and decides to appeal the new king to find her a more suitable husband. This he does, and Sibyl marries John, Viscount Arnold of Aberthwaite on the king’s orders. The marriage seems ideal for Sibyl, but tragedy strikes when John is killed at the battle of Hexham. Inconsolable, Sibyl returns to Bearnshaw as things change once again in the politics of England and Edward flees into exile. William triumphantly returns from court brandishing a document signed by Henry, empowering him to marry Sibyl whether she likes it or not. This time, Sibyl cannot escape her fate and she finds solace only in the effects from ‘powders’ that she purchases from a local witch.
Ms Rose has taken the main characters from a known local legend and given them substance. The writing is good and holds the reader more as the story moves on. There are one or two textual errors although these are soon forgotten. For those who have not yet looked up the details of the legend, the ending may come as a surprise and the author’s notes may well explain any confusion of character sympathy the reader may have experienced at times during the reading.
The cover depicts both a ‘whyte doe’ and a high tower but could possibly have been presented in a glossier format to give it a more professional feel.
