Upon This Tree

In the mid-nineteenth century, on moorland farms, overlooking the border village of Biddulph in North Staffordshire England; a young girl, Rosalind Barker seeks to find the origin of the initials she discovered up on the boughs of an Elm tree. Her inquisitive nature, with added expectations of adventure, from the help of her brother John, leads her to many mysterious findings to further enticement, conveyed within the early part of the book. The tale then wends on to reveal the life of these two young girls who carved that dedication, 'upon this tree.' So from then on, two hundred years before, their story begins with a childish mishap, which from then on is the seal for eternal love. Later, approaching turbulent times; the English Civil war has a determined travail for both of them, a misadventure, with good will intentions lead on to recriminations and secrecy. All this is set within this turbulent period, made worse by the pestilence of the plague that affected this area of Biddulph in North Staffordshire, causing indiscriminate decimation to so many. What is the mysterious secret and findings that lead Rosalind relentlessly to pursue the story of those children two hundred years before? All along feeling a connection to that other world of mystery, sorrow, and most of all love between two young girls, that will forever remain in her heart, from the first findings of those initials explained in this intriguing tale, 'Upon this tree.' A final note; verses, often poetic, are occasionally used to enhance and entice the reader to venture further with expectation and intrigue.