The Sanctity of Sin

You've Heard about Salem

By: Alexandra Noir

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

Length: 2 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

Massachusetts, 1692 Bartlett Uncle is the town carpenter. Skilled with his hands and highly responsible, he is extremely respected and plays a prominent role within the village hierarchy, alongside Reverend Allworthy; Magistrate Johns; Bessie Carrier, the midwife: Gavin Winters, the most successful farmer in the district; and John Alton, The grain merchant. Together, they make up the village council … and are amongst the most powerful members of the coven. Bartlett is a widower with three small children. After his wife died of smallpox in an outbreak in Boston, he moved to Notley to make a new start. Her passing made him question his faith, and especially the Puritan idea that disease was a manifestation of sin. His wife had been sweet and kind, had never hurt a soul, so he could not reconcile the teachings of the church about her passing with his knowledge of the woman she had been. Having quickly settled in and proved his worth, he was accepted into the social circle of the most powerful men in Notley and soon found himself drawn into their more unusual activities at Oaktree Farm, the old Hayward place. His skill with tools proved valuable, and it gave him a sense of belonging and connection when he was at his most lonely. He didn’t think he would ever want or need to replace his wife, given that he was able to satisfy his sexual needs within the coven. However, as he sees more and more of his brethren find love, he begins to realize that he is missing the sweet love and companionship that he had with his late wife. But now that he has developed such unusual proclivities and has moved outside of the Puritan faith to become a valued member of the coven, will he find someone who can be a good mother for his children and be the ideal bride for him? Hannah Wright is the daughter of Bessie Carrier. Her husband also died in the smallpox outbreak, and she lost the child she was carrying due to her grief. Mourning for her lost child, she teaches the children their Bible on Sundays so she can have some contact with little ones. When Bartlett finds himself in need of a new nanny, Bessie Carrier suggests Hannah for the role. She quickly becomes invaluable to him, taking on the role of a housekeeper as well as nanny to his children—a wife in all but name and affection. When she goes with her mother to assist a birth in one of the nearby villages then takes just a single day to rest afterward, Bartlett realizes just how much she has come to mean to him. Though he knows Bessie is a part of the coven, he has never seen Hannah there, and he cannot decide if he would want her to be a part of it or not. Then again, he would very much like her to be involved in some of the activities that he has undertaken there and enjoy them as much as he does.