excerpt
She said lightly, “No, I came with the McNeills. Penny and Dave
are over at the livestock tents. They’re getting their animals ready
for the show, so I thought I’d take a walk around.”
Will, suddenly remembering his problem with the preserves
booth, and seeing a solution to it, brightened. “I’d like to see Penny.
We need a hand at one of the booths. But wait, Sar … Mrs. Fielding,
if you’re not doing anything special right now, I could sure use your
help for a little while.”
Sarah smiled broadly. “I’d be pleased to help. I was wondering
what I was going to do with myself. And, Mr. Andrews, it’s quite all
right to call me Sarah. In fact, I’d prefer it.”
He grinned, took her arm and guided her the few feet back to
the bake table where, at his request, she took her place behind the
booth and asked the other women to show her what to do. Mrs.
Carson, whom Sarah recognized as the vicar’s wife, took charge immediately,
showing her how to price and display the loaves of fresh
bread, berry pies, cookies and butter tarts handed in by women
who paused briefly at the table to chat.
The one whom Will introduced as Mrs. McKinnon barely acknowledged
Sarah. She simply nodded curtly and turned away.
When Sarah directed a friendly remark towards her, Jean McKinnon
ignored her. Abashed, Sarah focused her attention on Emily
Carson who more than made up for her friend’s silence. But
rudeness, Sarah realized, takes many forms. Where Mrs. McKinnon
showed discourtesy by her silence, Mrs. Carson plied the younger
woman with questions, the answers of which were none of her
business. By the time the last tray of baked goods had been priced
and the last loaf of bread prominently displayed on the table, the
vicar’s wife thought she knew everything there was to know about
Sarah Fielding.
But there was one thing Sarah determined not to tell her, no matter
how much she pried. Mrs. Carson had done everything except
ask straight out how she and Ben had met. Sarah knew that if Mrs.
Carson put the question bluntly, she would tell the vicar’s wife exactly
what she told Margaret and Elizabeth that night in Tillsonburg.
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