After the near-fatal accident with the horses, I received an unexpected concession from Father: permission to use his library, which had previously been strictly forbidden. Being a rebellious thirteen-year-old, I naturally began searching for prohibited books, especially if they were seditious or smacked of Popery. What I discovered, however, was an ancient tome, secured against opening by a massive seal bearing the Llewellyn crest. Never having been one to observe such proscriptions, I broke the seal and began reading what proved to be a family history in manuscript, the earliest entries dating back to the twelfth century. Picking my way through the difficult Latin text, I learned that other girls named Andronica had lived before me, and that all had met with mysterious and horrible fates. The last had been burnt at the stake apparently for witchcraft exactly a hundred years ago to the day.

To learn the circumstances leading to the grisly execution of my namesake, Andronica Llewellyn (1610-1648), go to www.AndronicaLlewellyn.com and select "Chapter 2" from the Chapter Selector on the right side of the page.

updated by @andronica-llewellyn: 06 Oct 2016 06:13:07AM