RALMONT, a small village nestled next to rolling green fields of southern France, has been shaken by the mystery of Evelyn Lund.

French life as we know it - long lunch breaks, early morning wine tasting and the smell of croissants drifting from the local 'boulangerie' - goes on.

But the mystery of "Dame Anglaise" - The English Woman - is never far from people's lips.

The mother-of-three, formerly of Winter Hill, Darwen, was reported missing from her converted farmhouse in La Veaute by her second husband Robert.

Police still don't know how Evelyn - whose first husband was from Burnley - died.

Her parents Roisin and Fred Wilkinson, of Cotswold Avenue, Rawtenstall, and relatives in Darwen and Blackburn are anxiously waiting for police to discover the truth.

"That was the lady who was found with her hands tied together, wasn't it?" one villager said, a statement which bears little resemblance to the facts of the case but which demonstrates how far the rumour mill has cranked into action.

But, was Evelyn murdered, did she kill herself or was she the victim of a tragic accident?

Whispers have repeatedly dominated people's lazy afternoon chats.

Not surprising when the sleepy cobbled village - a 20-minute drive from the Lund's farmhouse and home to a hand-full of workmen and their families - would be shocked by news of a theft.

Indeed, perhaps the most tragic element of Evelyn's tale is how an unknown woman, has become so famous in her death.

The story has also reached the neighbouring towns of Albi and Castres.

Jacques Auclert, director of communications for the Mayor of Castres, Pascal Bugis, said: "People in both the villages and towns have been shocked and saddened by this story. But at the same time people have been truly fascinated.

"Here is the story of an English couple who move to France for their retirement, like so many people are doing.

"And then tragedy. First in her disappearance and then in the discovery of the body. The case was very rare and unusual - not just in the fact that it was an English couple but how the investigation was run. They had not even been living in the area for very long.

"It is a very sad story but at the same time still one of huge intrigue."

Evelyn and Robert's home in La Veaute is protected by a complicated maze of remote country roads. The nearest village to her house is Raysaac where there is just one shop and a garage.

She would almost certainly have passed through Ralmont village centre on her way home from her friend Marianne Ramsey's, who she had been visiting on the night of her disappearance.

Although a small village, with only a couple of bars and a handful of shops, it would have been her nearest lifeline in terms of 'civilisation'.

The central Place de la Rpublique comes alive in summer as tourists visit the Tarn region in the mid-Pyrenees.

To the north of Ralmont is Albi and to the south Castres - towns of equal size and amenities.

The Ralmont bar du centre is buzzing on Wednesdays for market day. It was there that Marianne and Evelyn first met and there that Marianne heard about the discovery of her friend's body in October, 2001 - 22 months after her dis- appearance.

Bar manager Jacques Pealsignot said: "I know Marianne and everyone has talked about it. We are all very shocked by it but very few people knew who Evelyn was when she was alive. We have just followed it on the news.

"Nothing like that ever happens around here. We are a very close community."

The butcher, like so many others, recalled the story immediately the name Lund was uttered.

Jean-Francois Maurice said: "It was such a shocking story and nothing like this has happened before near here. The gendarmes have put so much into the investigation with little reward. We have seen an increase in the number of police around here, especially at the time the body was found.

"This is a very cute village in the heart of the country. You just don't expect it."

Gossip in the village drove Evelyn's husband Robert to describe himself as a 'social leper' who no-one would go near.

Patrick Cougoule, bakery owner in the Place de la Rpublique, said: "Everyone has an opinion or a speculation as to what had happened but it is always hearsay. There has been very little given away and that has in some ways made it worse because really no-one knows.

"It was a mystery for the area so it sticks in everyone's minds. I hope for everyone's sake it will come to an end soon."