OUR TEAM MEMBER, AUTHOR EVA BIELBY, TAKES ON HER FLASH FICTION CHALLENGE WITH 'THISTLEDENT MANOR'

THISTLEDENT MANOR

Isaac Dent moved Dilys, his bride of ten months, into Thistledent Manor in 1742. The rambling old house was bequeathed to Isaac by Alfred Dent, his grandfather. Alfred's two sons, Stephen and Frederick were already successful businessmen in their own right and were not interested in taking on the Manor. Both were happy for Isaac, being the eldest grandson, to inherit. A once healthy and active landowner, Alfred had succumbed to viral pneumonia prior to Isaac’s wedding. He’d always cherished the special bond with his grandson. Isaac enjoyed fishing, hunting and shooting, and he excelled in the traditional sports. Venison was frequently served at the table during the dinner parties held at the Dent house, courtesy of Isaac and his prowess with a rifle. Alfred had always loved to boast about Isaac’s skills.

During four hopeful years, a complicated miscarriage left Dilys unable to bear children again and she was completely distraught. Isaac couldn't help but see her despair; the haunted look together with the guilt in her eyes, feeling she had let Isaac down. He was broken to see his young wife constantly weeping and inconsolable. He was unsure what he could do to make his beautiful Dilys smile again. Late one night as his wife slept soundly beside him, Isaac was awake and an idea formed in his head. He was going to fill the house with orphaned children. They needed parents as much as Isaac and Dilys needed children.

The Battle of Culloden had been fought and many local men were killed in the bloodthirsty clash. Some of their widows were dying of malnutrition as they struggled on and kept food mainly for their children. Within weeks, Isaac and Dilys had filled their home with eleven youngsters - two babies and the remainder were between three and eleven years old. Dilys was ecstatic and quickly grew to love each one of them, but she struggled with so many young ones, despite the constant help from the servants. Responding to an advertisement that Isaac had placed, an older lady, Agatha McTavish, was soon taken into the fold as nanny and teacher to the young ones.

After several months, Dilys noticed four or five of the children had become withdrawn and sullen. She discussed the matter with Agatha, who suggested it was the trauma of losing their parents. Dilys acknowledged that there could be some truth in Agatha’s suggestion but she continued to dwell on the matter, after all, the children had seemed happy at first, mainly due to Dilys’s love and nurturing.

Dilys continued to feed and settle the two babies after dinner each evening, leaving nanny to bathe the older children and tuck them into their beds. On leaving the nursery one night, she heard shouts and screams coming from along the passageway. There was an almighty crash and Dilys arrived at the open doorway in time to witness nine-year-old Angus McArthur’s spirit leave him. His broken little body lay naked and crumpled on the floor, blood pooling beneath his head. Deep red welts, some old, some recent, covered the skin on his back. Agatha stood over him, her face filled with rage. The whip in her hand dropped to the floor when she saw Dilys.

Isaac and Dilys moved away to Ireland with their ‘family’ the following morning.

Thistledent Manor remains abandoned. The villagers often hear shouts and screams, those of Agatha and poor Angus, and the crack of a whip coming from the derelict, forbidding house.

Sadly, Dilys Dent never slept much after the events at Thistledent Manor. When she did manage to get a few hours rest, her disturbing dreams always ended with Agatha’s face, a deep, bloodied gash across her throat. Her body would never be found.

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© Eva Bielby 2025

COMING SOON: On Wednesday 14th May, we have as our guest, author Nick Boreham, who is sharing a chapter from his novel, 'Jurymen May Dine'.