The Great Empty

by Anita Melillo

Excerpt

From the rolling uplands, swift flowing streams and wooded valleys, the Cotswolds was pleasing to the senses all throughout the year, but there was something about the onset of spring that surpassed the other seasons.

Perhaps it was the fresh scent of chamomile breezing in the dales, or the unveiling of all that had emerged from beneath the winter snow. It wasn’t anything you could pinpoint exactly, but one thing was certain. It carried a newness with it that couldn’t be stifled by tradition or resistance to change, and it was sure to linger around just long enough to impart new layers upon all that had perished in the bitter cold.

Velvety moss blanketed everything, concealing fragments of rock and slate-covered roof tops for miles. Lofty plateaus even gave way to the appearance of plush green mounds, as the cream colored status symbol eased its way down the goat winding paths of endless meadows.

Tourists continually journeyed the two hour distance from London and over the cobblestone streets, just to somehow taste all the imagery with their senses. There was nowhere else in the west of England that compared to Gloucestershire, and nothing had helped to shape it more than the wool industry and the rich abundance of limestone. It was part of everything and comprised the hillside villages and townships throughout.

Even the walls were stacked high with stone, dividing land and creating barriers from outsiders and holding those within captive to its charm, including the Winthrop’s. As they approached the ornate gatehouse, it heralded their arrival with a warm brilliance in contrast to the melancholy backdrop of noonday haze. That was because the grounds weren’t built of gray stone like many of the other Jacobean manors throughout the village, but out of yellow guiting stone, which mellowed with age into a rich golden color. It was the exportation of this glorious stone, along with the production of wool that had brought such prosperity to the Winthrop’s estate in the 1700’s.

When most sheep farmers and cloth manufacturers eventually lost out to bigger industry, the Winthrop’s continued to flourish with the quarry. And it had taken several decades for the supply to begin to diminish enough to make the union aroused.

It wasn’t that Allister didn’t want to meet their demands, but the figures just didn’t add up. And to a long-term investor, it meant a possible loss, without an all out structural reorganization of his resources and time.

Plus, with Yancey doing so well with mineral deposits in Australia, and Elizabeth constantly pushing for a much needed change, it was time to consider other options before taking on a new venture; if not for his own sake, then at least for his families.

Author Bio

Anita Melillo lives in the mountains of Colorado with her husband Tony. She enjoys writing fiction in different genre's such as, adventure, literature, historical, survival stories, coming of age, juvenile and romance.

She has a great love for the outdoors and enjoys exploring on forest trails. One of her greatest passions, has always been writing. Her first novel, "The Great Empty" was just released for sale, and she will have another novel entitled, "Ford at Valverde" a civil war era adventure, available within the near future.

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