The Duchess of Alba and la Beata The Duchess of Alba and la Beata The Duchess of Alba and "la Beata" (or The Duchess of Alba and the Pious Woman; Spanish: La duquesa de Alba y su dueña o La Duquesa de Alba y "la Beata") is a small 1795 oil on canvas painting by the Spanish artist Francisco Goya. It portrays the Duchess María Cayetana de Silva, 13th Duchess of Alba reaching playfully towards her maid (or "duena") Rafaela Luisa Velazquez (known as "la Beata"), who leans away. María holds a red cord under the chin of the older woman, which seems to scare her as
Witches' Sabbath (novel) with William, the lover who left her six years ago. The suspicion of his involvement in his wife's death, the speculation that she is a reincarnation of Abigail all lead to further vengeful and nearly fatal deeds... Witches' Sabbath (novel) Witches' Sabbath is a contemporary gothic romance novel by Paula Allardyce, published in 1961 by Hodder & Stoughton. The novel won the 1961's Romantic Novel of the Year Award by the Romantic Novelists' Association. Tamar Brown arrives in a tiny English village to research her latest book, about Abigail Parkes, who had been burned as a witch three centuries before.