should be seen and not heard?”
It was one of Marjorie’s least favorite sayings—something her parents had said to her all the time while growing up. “I have.”
“Well?” The lady lifted her eyebrows. “Why can I hear them?”
Charlie and Lilly stopped, but Petey continued to dance in circles, his face tilted to the sky, laughing and blinking as snowflakes landed on his eyelashes and cheeks.
“You can hear them because they’re having fun.” Marjorie lifted her own face to the sky and opened her mouth. A frosty snowflake landed on her tongue and promptly melted. She looked back at the matron and grinned. “You should try it some time.”
The lady stared at Marjorie as if she had grown three heads, but she didn’t say a word.
“Come, children.” Marjorie extended her hand to Petey. “Supper will be ready soon and your father should be coming home.”
Petey stopped twirling and stared at Marjorie’s proffered hand, and then he looked up into her face. His soulful eyes studied Marjorie, and he must have found her lacking, because he slipped his hand inside Lilly’s and hid his face against his sister’s sleeve.
Marjorie stood up straighter and started walking home. She couldn’t force Petey to like her...but she wouldn’t give up trying.
“Papa’s not going to like that,” Charlie said as he glanced at Marjorie.
“What?”
The boy pointed over his shoulder. “That was Mrs. Kingston.”
“It’s not polite to point, Charlie—and who is Mrs. Kingston?”
“The mayor’s wife.”
Marjorie quickly glanced over her shoulder. The lady still stood next to the mercantile, her perturbed gaze following Marjorie’s retreat.
“He’ll probably hear about this before we get home.” Charlie sighed and offered Marjorie a shake of his head. “Papa doesn’t like to be talked about, especially by Mrs. Kingston, because she tells everyone everything.”
“I heard Mama say that if Mrs. Kingston didn’t like you, then no one would like you,” Lilly added.
Marjorie frowned. “Really?”
“Really.” Lilly’s mouth turned down at the corners. “No one will come to our tea party now.”
“Because of her?” Marjorie pointed over her shoulder—recalling what she had said to Charlie just a moment ago—and then promptly put her hand by her side. How was she to ever teach these children proper manners when she didn’t display them herself? “I don’t think we have anything to worry about. She’s only one person.”
Lilly and Charlie shared a glance. “But she knows everyone in town,” Charlie said.
Marjorie was beginning to realize she didn’t know the first thing about small-town life.
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