The Curse of Becton Manor

The Curse of Becton Manor is a gripping tale of betrayal through the ages, and how the ghosts of English past still haunt all the way to the present day.‘A thrilling page-turner with characters that come to life, full of fascinating historical details’ – Anne Grange, author of DistortionRumour has it that Becton Manor is haunted. But that's all just local gossip. Or is it?1957Tom Winchett never wanted to move house, and certainly not to a decrepit old Elizabethan manor house inherited from an eccentric uncle. While his parents fret about the work that needs doing to Becton Manor and how they are going to pay for it, Tom starts to notice odd things.Ghostly faces in windows, mysterious whispers, strange shadowy forms.And a vicious raven, that will not leave him alone.1597The Earl of Becton enters the newly constructed Becton Manor at a time of political upheaval: as a prominent member of Queen Elizabeth’s court entrusted with questioning Catholics suspected of plotting against the Crown, he is in a perilous position. Not least because he and his friends still cling to the old faith.The departure of his old friend and confidante Father Peters, and the arrival of a stern new tutor for his son, puts in motion a chain of events which will end in a tragedy which will echo down the ages.

About the Author

Patricia Ayling was born in the early 1950s so, in her words, a latecomer; that is, for fiction anyway. Patricia has published four health related textbooks while she was an examiner/verifier for the awarding body Edexcel. After leaving school and working in libraries, she emigrated to Canada, but returned to study nursing at St. Mary's Hospital in Paddington. Following many years as a neurosurgical nurse, she turned to teaching and writing, then running her own training business. She and husband Len have five children, nine grandchildren and one Labrador. After nine years living part time in Cyprus, they are back in England permanently. Patricia's first novel 'The Curse of Becton Manor' was inspired by her grandmother's haunted house in Wiltshire and her interest in the Elizabethan era, particularly the religious strife and persecution for Catholics and 'witches'. She is currently penning book 2, part of a trilogy.

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