Priory of Death: 11

The news about the Pit rather recconciled me to the idea of going out and looking at the Priory ruins, and after we'd all wrapped up warmly, we went out into the rather bleak Priory grounds. Rev. James Hamilton joined us, and the men all (with the exception of Mr. Richards) seemed to enjoy being manly in the presence of us ladies.
I'd been extremely tired when we arrived, and only now did I appreciate the solid workmanship of the early Gothic-revival house with its pinnacles, battlements and tall chimneys. The main block, which contained the formal rooms, was the front of a rather rambling building that sort of cascaded down the hill in a series of slate-roofed blocks of varying sizes.
We descended the hill and found ourselves in what seemed to be a garden built within the ruins of the old Priory. All around were crumbling walls and pieces of carved masonry reused in the fashionable manner of the period to create garden follies. It felt just as the garden-designers had intended - kind of romantic.

Scruff, muffled up in her coat and scarf, followed behind me. I kind of felt sorry for her. She looked like she wasn't enjoying it much. What I didn't know was that Emily was enjoying our walk - she was raiding the fridge again.
"It's beautiful," Connie ventured her opinion. "These carved stones... they must come from dates from the eleventh century right through to the fifteenth!"
"When we saw this place we knew we had to have it," Victoria answered. "It's so wonderful! And so historic!"
"Where's this pit?" I asked. Hard-headed, sceptical me. I had to go and spoil everything by not believing the stories. That's me for you, though.
"Come on, Janie!" Victoria took my right hand and led me down to an ivy-covered stone archway in a half-ruined building at the bottom of a twenty-foot cliff. An iron door swung open and Victoria turned on a lighting system that quite impressed me. Ahead of us was a stone-cut tunnel, a brick floor - clearly a modern addition - was part-laid.
"Here, the entrance to the Devil's Pit!"

Victoria hurried down the tunnel with all the boundless energy she's capable of - which is lots. I was very glad I'd put on my boots that morning - the tunnel floor was so wet in places that it would have overtopped my shoes.
We were descending as well as moving deeper into the hillside. At last Victoria stopped in front of a wooden door with an iron grille in it.
"The Devil's Pit!" she announced melodramatically as she threw open the door.
All of us, including Scruff, looked through eagerly, wondering what terrible thing we would see.