The Black Ribbon

Lady Beresford came down to breakfast one morning looking pale and drawn. Her husband, Sir Marcus, noticed that a black ribbon was tied around her wrist.

Sir Marcus was concerned and tried to question his wife as to whether she felt ill and also why she was wearing the black ribbon. Lady Beresford refused to tell him anything except that from this day forward she would never remove the ribbon.

Sir Marcus was even more concerned. This was not like his wife, totally out of character  - and he was more alarmed when she seemed agitated concerning the morning mail and whether it had arrived. He assumed then, that she was expecting a letter and he asked her outright. Her replied stunned him. “I am”, she replied. “I am expecting to hear that Lord Tyrone is dead.”

Lord Tyrone was Lady Beresford’s brother and the two of them were very close. Sir Marcus realized why she was so upset. He assured his wife that all would be well. However, when the morning post was delivered there was a letter from Lord Tyrone’s wife carrying news of his death.

Lady Beresford never mentioned that morning again but she continued to wear the ribbon. Four years later, Sir Marcus died. Lady Beresford married again and had two daughters. When she was well into her forties, she had a son.

She was lying in bed recovering from his birth when some friends called to visit her. She was looking ecstatically happy, relaxed and well. The friends had called for a particular reason - it was her Birthday. One of the guests congratulated her on reaching the age of 47. Lady Beresford smiled and told the guest that he was wrong - she was actually 48. The guest insisted that he was correct and that she was 47. He even told her that he had had a discussion about it with her mother earlier in the day.

The guest was amused as he explained that Lady Beresford’s mother had also said that her daughter was 48. A friendly argument ensued and to settle the matter the guest had gone and checked the Parish registry to be certain. So, he said, he could assure her that she was, in fact, only 47.

Silence fell. The women guests all expected Lady B. to be happy. After all what woman would not like to find out that she was actually a year younger than she was? Instead, Lady B. look thunderstruck and shaken. After a further few moments she said to the gentleman in a sombre but faltering voice “Sir, you have signed my death warrant.” She broke down and asked everyone to leave. The guests were embarrassed and mystified but they did as they were asked. Wishing her goodbye they made their exits - all except one - her close friend Lady Betty Cobb. Betty felt that she must stay.

The door was closed and the two women were left by themselves. Only then did Lady B reveal why the discovery of her true age had affected her so badly and so deeply. Lady Betty was told the whole story. Many years previously, said Lady B., her beloved brother, Lord Tyrone, had appeared in her bedroom just before dawn and told her that he was dead. He also foretold the death of Sir Marcus and added that Lady Beresford would marry again and have two daughters and a son before dying herself at the age of 47.

Lady B. had thought she was having a nightmare of some kind but the spectre of her brother was adamant and even told her that she was not dreaming and all would come to pass as he foretold. She asked him to prove that he was genuinely present in the room. He touched her wrist. She told Lady Betty that his hand had felt as cold as marble and where his fingers had touched her skin, her flesh had withered. The apparition told her never to let a living soul see her wrist and that was why she had tied the black ribbon around her wrist. She also told Lady Betty that she and her brother had made a pact when they were very young that whichever of them died first would try to come back after death to visit the survivor.

All the predictions had come true bar one.

Lady Cobb tried to make light of everything, explaining that Lady B was exhausted from the birth and the strain of labour had caused her to think these black thoughts. She did not know what else to say. She kissed  Lady B. , told her to get some rest and that she would be back later. In the meantime she placed a bell by her bedside telling her to ring if she needed anything.

An hour passed. Lady Cobb was dozing in a chair when she was startled awake by the urgent ringing of the handbell. She ran to her friend’s room but she was too late. Lady Beresford was dead. Lady Cobb was distraught but later, remembering all she had been told, she could not resist. She picked up Lady Beresford’s lifeless arm and untied the black ribbon from her wrist. She was aghast to find the skin was withered away just as Lady Beresford had described.

It is said that the black ribbon remained with the Cobb family. Who knows, they may still have it to this very day.

 

P.S. Glad you all seemed to enjoy yesterday's photo of "our boys".