“He became aware that he was awake and turned to look at Belle beside him. So close, so detached. Beautiful in the half light. He reached across to touch her and she pushed back against the pressure. He slid his fingers into the curve of her neck. She didn’t react. Maybe she’d slipped into sleep at exactly that moment. He often woke as she was settling down. He eased his middle-aged body out of bed and looked out over the garden, colourless in the spring dawn. In this pale light the legend was almost believable. Looking down over the hill over the rooftops and the fields he could see the line of the creek marked out by a ribbon of mist hanging above it. He left Belle to sleep. She was almost nocturnal these days.”

A Spell in Cornwall can be found in the short story collection Cornwall: Misfits, Curiosities and Legends.