Dragons, magic and an ancient duty

I decided to read “Wormwood Abbey” by Christina Baehr. It is the first in her Secrets of Ormdale series.

George Worms has a good life as pastor in St. Giles, England. He almost never speaks of the family who disowned him when he married his first wife. George struggled as a single father when she died shortly after giving birth to Edith until he met and married Emily. She turned out to be just what he needed.

Edith is now 21. When not helping with parish duties, she secretly writes the popular Detective Green novels. Her half-brother George is a curious and fearless 11-year-old. Their peaceful life is upended when George Sr. learns he has inherited Wormwood Abbey. George has no interest in owning the property in the far-off Yorkshire Dales, but understands his duty as heir.

When they arrive at the old manor, Cadmus’s daughters Gwendolyn, Violet and Una greet them. Gwen is near Edith’s age; Violet is Georges’ age and little Una quickly attaches herself to Emily. They also meet handsome neighbor Simon Drake and his protective mastiff, Pilot. Gwen and Simon seem close but Edith knows they are hiding something.

Needing legal advice, Edith sends for a lawyer and John Rivers arrives. George hoped to sell the property and divide the proceeds among the three girls assuring they’ll always have a home, but learns that it must remain whole and owned by a Worms forever. As they look for solutions Edith realizes that Abby is struggling financially.

With her publisher waiting, Edith finds a place to work in private. She builds a fire and sets to work only to find a small “salamander” in the flames. She digs it out, noting it is in perfect health. She feeds it some lunch scraps and it suddenly grows and molts. Fascinated, she names it Francis.

She remembers her father said he’d once seen a dragon in the Abbey gardens. Could he have seen one of Francis’ kin? John Rivers seems to know a great deal about the little “wyvern” and dragons in general. Edith senses that Rivers has an ulterior motive, but she can’t figure out what it is.

The family plans to go to church but George Jr. has a cold, so Edith offers to stay with him. When he’s not in his bed, Edith knows that he’s gone to explore the forbidden caves on the edge of the estate. She is even more concerned when she finds Drake’s dog, Pilot, tied in a shed.

Together they plunge into the caves. Thanks to Pilot’s fine nose she finds young George. She also finds John Rivers’ body but must leave him behind. Once they are safe, she learns that Rivers took George into the caves as a sacrifice to the dragons who guard the treasure hidden there. Rivers died because he’d been bitten by Francis and didn’t know the bite could be lethal.

At long last, Edith gets the truth out of Gwen and Simon. The Worms family must remain at the Abby to control the “dragons” that occasionally leave the caves to hunt lambs on the local farms. The family heritage is catching and diverting the otherwise harmless creatures. To her surprise, Edith learns that her frizzy red hair means that she carries a special gene that makes her immune to dragon bites.

Before she can learn much more, Edith is thrust into her first dragon hunt and capture. When the danger has passed and the family can discuss the future, they decide that Violet and Una will return to St. Giles with the family. Gwen will have the opportunity to train to become a doctor and Edith will remain at the Abbey where she can write and search for a way to turn their unique situation into an income.

AT A GLANCE

BOOK: Wormwood Abbey (Secrets of Ormdale, Book 1)

AUTHOR: Christina Baehr

Publisher: Christina Baehr

Year published: 2023

Number of pages: 206