A Tale of Three Sisters

Once upon a time, three sisters lived, of course, in a picturesque cottage on the edge of the woods. Now each of the girls had their own chores to do – Blanche looked after the vegetable garden, Roisin combed the woods for berries, mushrooms, and firewood, while Sorrel visited the seashore to fish and harvest seaweed. In this way, they lived happily for many years with never a cross word between them.

One summer’s day, while her sisters were both away from the cottage, Blanche spied a visitor approaching. Most unusual, especially since it proved to be a rather handsome young man whose easy charm quite delighted her. After a brief conversation, he carried on his way...with Blanche watching his back until he disappeared over the hill. Three days later, at much the same time in the afternoon, he visited again, then three days after that...until it became quite the habit for Blanche to wait by the gate for him, ready to greet him now with kisses. She was quite sure she was in love and that he felt the same way – he even said so in the notes he would leave on the rare occasion that she missed their trysts.

Meanwhile, in the woods, Roisin had also met a rather handsome young man, a hunter who rode through the trees on a great grey steed with a bow slung across his broad shoulders. On the first day they met, he stopped and asked her advice on finding the best track through the woods; on the third day, he thanked her for her help; on the sixth day, he offered her a ride on his horse, which she gladly accepted, sitting before him on the saddle with his strong arms encircling her. Oh, how her little heart beat! She was certain she was in love, and that he felt the same way – he even said so in the notes he left tucked between branches.

Sorrel, paddling through the surf, was most surprised one day to see a man emerging from the water, his hair and clothes plastered to his rather handsome frame as he spoke to her about the unseasonably warm weather. Three days later, he was swimming again, and three days after that, until he persuaded Sorrel to go for a swim too. Huddling upon the sand, their wet clothes drying in the sun, she was undoubtedly falling in love and was sure he felt the same way – he even said so in the notes he left hidden beneath their special rock.

For several glorious summer weeks, this continued, with all three girls keeping their new love to themselves out of fear of making their sisters feel left out, but each cherishing the love notes and reading them in their private moments. All was well until the day that Blanche opened a cookbook in which Sorrel had hurriedly hidden the note she had been mooning over when her sister entered the kitchen. Blanche was confused – the hand and the language matched the letters she had herself received, yet this was addressed to Sorrel…. The two girls were on the verge of a fight when Roisin arrived home, herself carrying a love letter from her secret beau. Upon seeing the contentious note, she withdrew her own and laid it beside Sorrel’s. Blanche retrieved one of hers… All at once, the truth became clear. The rather handsome young man was wooing all three sisters, and the girls were not best pleased.

Being sensible creatures, they soon realised that none of them was at fault, that there was no cause to be angry at each other, for they had all been equally duped. No, the fault lay with the rather handsome young man, who may have been charming but clearly had the morals of an alley cat. And so the sisters hatched a plot to save any other maidens from falling prey to his seductive ways.

Roisin it was who, upon next meeting the rather handsome young man, suggested a more intimate tryst. She led him by the hand to a small clearing in the woods and lay down beside him in the bracken; thus distracted, the would-be lover did not hear the approach of Blanche & Sorrel, each bearing a newly-honed wood axe.

Three days later, the weather was fine enough for the sisters to return to the woods with a picnic. Their baskets were filled with oysters & rocket & strawberries, home-baked bread & cheese & wine. Also, some rather special meat pies, which the girls felt it was only fitting to eat in that particular spot.