4 novels comprise The Blackstone Vampires. They all connect one upon the other although, book 4, The Fourth Bride can be read as a stand-alone. Vampires are immortal beings. Their stories span centuries. That is what this series is all about. That, and the battle between good and evil. This excerpt illustrates that. It is from Unholy Testament - Full Circle, Book 3 which contain the confessions of a demon. This selection is about acquiring illegitimate children for devil rites. The ruse was there existed a haven for young women in trouble.
From Eco's journal:
"And so the message went out: “Make your way to London town and then cross the river to Southwark. Go up from the banks near the George Inn on Borough Street, there you will find a haven and good folk to help you in your hour of need! Do not fear, young miss, for these are fine people. Your cherished babe will go to good Christian folk who will raise your dear little one and give it a good home.”
Yes, Rose, they came—the poor, the not so poor; some were ugly, others were beautiful; many were in the first bloom of youth or already past it. They were, however, all united by desperate circumstances.
Eve never pressed them about their individual stories, but if there was some sort of confession, she would hear the pathetic stories from those who chose to unburden themselves as to how they had strayed.
A confession is good for the soul and though we had none, they had, and so they were comforted.
She’d show them to a room, not much more than a cupboard. But they were grateful, and as for the occasional shrieks they heard coming from other rooms and dens within our tainted dwelling, Eve would advise them not to mind the noise.
“They are just happy drunken folk who cannot hold their liquor. Alas, we need our business in order to care for women such as you…”
She’d implore them to be forgiving. They all were; the lost usually are.
So there you have it. What a picture it makes…desperate women giving birth and our vile activities—orgiastic feasting and feeding along with intense copulation—all under the same roof. How wretched.
As for the girls, some of them barely made it to our door. Many gave birth as soon as they stepped inside.
And so the babies were taken. None of them were nursed or even looked upon. Well, perhaps just a glance if the mother pleaded and wept.
“Yes, dear, there you go. We have a wet nurse who shall take your precious little love now. The family arrives tomorrow…”
The mothers, too defeatist even to protest, would go on their way, some to live, others to happily fall into Father Thames for they could not live with their decision.
We did actually have wet nurses. These were drunken and diseased trollops who often gave their milk away for a drink while their own baby perished one way or another.
Our babies would be quickly dispatched—coaches came and went all the time. There was a great deal of devil worship in those days. It was most surprising.
And what of the rites themselves? Well, it might surprise you to learn that there was a great need for curses and spells. Oh yes, witchcraft in its purest form was very much practiced. It hadn’t ever gone away for many people wished to have spells and incantations said for a variety of purposes. Greed was endemic. The wealthy and powerful could never have enough, always seeking more. Women wanted men they couldn’t have or men who had grown distant.,,"
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Carole Gill -- the Blackstone Vampires series
~Charlotte Books EXAMINER
.
"In the attempt to find the just measure of horror and terror, I came upon the writing of Carole Gill whose work revealed a whole new dimension to me. The figure of the Gothic child was there. Stoker's horror was there. Along with the romance! At the heart of her writing one stumbles upon a genuine search for that darkness we lost with the loss of Stoker."
~Dr. Margarita Georgieva ~ Gothic Readings in The Dark
.Carole Gill -- the Blackstone Vampires series
~Charlotte Books EXAMINER
.
"In the attempt to find the just measure of horror and terror, I came upon the writing of Carole Gill whose work revealed a whole new dimension to me. The figure of the Gothic child was there. Stoker's horror was there. Along with the romance! At the heart of her writing one stumbles upon a genuine search for that darkness we lost with the loss of Stoker."
~Dr. Margarita Georgieva ~ Gothic Readings in The Dark
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