“It looks amazing. You’re doing fine even with the Terror of Argleton still at large.”
“That rotten mouse!” Her features reddened with anger. “He has been back to my kitchen many times. I see his little droppings everywhere, but he does not fall for my traps. Well, I will show him. I have nasty trap that not even clever mouse will escape.”
Interesting, so he must have escaped from the past.“That’s good. I really hope you catch him.”
“Yes,” Greta threw a look over her shoulder at her stall where a small crowd of people had already gathered. “I had better get back.”
“Yes, me too.” I noticed the man who asked about David Copperfield at the shop was now sifting through one of my boxes. “Customers always need so much help. Good luck today, Helmut. I hope you’re able to move to a bigger forge soon!”
Helmut nodded his understanding. I returned to my stall just as a customer thrust a book under my nose.
“Why have you brought these books along to a church fete?” a female voice demanded.
I looked up and met the piercing eyes of a severe-looking middle-aged woman, her greying hair pulled so tight off her face it creased her forehead along the hairline. In one hand, she gripped the handle of an ornately-carved wooden walking stick. In the other held upOf Mice and Men, thrusting the cover under my nose.
“I’ve brought along a wide selection of titles,” I explained. “This happens to be a book Mrs. Scarlett enjoyed—”
“Thisis a vulgar work,” she jabbed at the cover with neat, unadorned fingers. “It has no place within the House of God.”
Wow, taking puritanism to a whole new level.“We’re not technicallyinthe church.”
“Young lady, don’t answer me back!” The woman rapped her stick on the ground. “We are on sanctified ground, and God watches every move you make. He is not pleased that this filth is been sold onHisland to corruptHischildren. Idemandyou go through these books right now and remove anything that isn’t wholesome.”
Nothing made me angrier than censorship, except parents who abandoned their children and when Morrie chatted through a movie I really wanted to see. “You haven’t read this book, have you? It has a powerful message about love and acceptance. I think every person hereshouldread it, and I will not act as the censorship police.”
Behind me, Morrie sniggered. I stepped back and stomped on his toe.You might help me out here.
The woman narrowed her eyes at me. “You’re the girl who works in the bookstore run by that detestable gypsy. No wonder you have no sense of decency.”
She didnotjust say that.
“Excuse me.”My cheeks burned with anger.I hope you’re prepared for a war, lady.“You use a racial slur against my employer – a perfectly decent member of this community who pays his taxes – and then lecturemeabout decency? I don’t think so—”
Mrs. Ellis came running over, her carpet bag flapping against her side. She grasped the woman’s arm. “Ladies, what’s the matter here?”
“I expected when you organized this fiasco, Mabel, you would at least inform stallholders of our standards,” the woman snapped back, rapping her stick for emphasis. “I want this vulgar bookstore and its rude employees gone before the funeral is over.”
“Please, Dorothy,” Mrs. Ellis’ voice wheedled. “This is Gladys’ funeral. The books are doing no harm.”
So this is Dorothy Ingram?She was certainly fearsome. I could easily believe her getting kind Mrs. Winstone fired from the youth group.
“Doing no harm?” Dorothy sputtered. “These books will fill our innocent children’s minds with evil, un-Christian ideas. It’s bad enough that vile woman’s funeral must be held in our fine church, but I’ve had just enough of your book club being a corrupting influence in this village—”
Mrs. Ellis flapped her hands. “Yes, yes, but it’s almost eleven. We’ll be starting the service soon. If Mina leaves now, she’ll interrupt the procession.”
Dorothy shot me a dirty look, then nodded to Mrs. Ellis. “Very well. Pack up your books, girl, and prepare to leave as soon as the procession leaves for the cemetery. Mabel, I’ll see you inside. I’ll tell the organist to start the service.” She stormed off, throwing me a final dirty look over her shoulder.
As soon as she was out of earshot, Mrs. Ellis made a rude gesture behind her back. I snorted a laugh.
“So that’s Dorothy Ingram,” I said.
“She’s bursting with good Christian charity,” Morrie grinned from behind me.
I glared at him. “You might’ve helped me deal with her.”
“You looked like you were handling it. Besides, if I got too close to you, the steam coming out your ears would’ve flattened my hair.” He ran a hand through his perfectly-styled close-cut locks.
“Don’t you worry about Dorothy. She’s all fire and brimstone, but it’s just because she’s got nothing in her life apart from the church. She’s never been married, you know, unless you count being married to God, which to my mind offers none of the benefits of a husband—” Mrs. Ellis frowned. “That’s odd.”
