Ignition: Day 11

Word Count: 66,009

Summary of Events:

Mrs. Wharton confronted Keiller with more outlandish rumours about Rebekka's being an indecent actress that he wasn't able to talk her out of believing, so he went to Dr. and Mrs. Carrigan's house to tell them what was going around about Rebekka. Rebekka and Mrs. Carrigan were horrified to learn of the rumours, which were confirmed when Mrs. Tory, who lived directly across the road, came to call . . .

Excerpt of the Day:

“And here is our actress,” Mrs. Tory said, sounding disdainful.

“I am not an actress,” Rebekka replied curtly.

“Aren’t you?” Mrs. Tory asked. “You certainly look as if you could be.”

“Indeed no,” Mrs. Carrigan replied. “She’s a young woman in need whom Fleming and I are taking care of.”

Mrs. Tory didn’t look convinced. Rebekka felt upset at her scepticism.

“That doesn’t mean she isn’t an actress,” Mrs. Tory said.

“I’m not an actress,” Rebekka said. “I am going home to visit my family.”

“Actresses can go home and visit their families,” Mrs. Tory said.

“Please stay calm dear,” Mrs. Carrigan said, gently touching Rebekka’s shoulder.

Rebekka didn’t know how she could stay calm. She wanted to cry and throw things at Mrs. Tory, but she was in trouble enough with Marshal Bartlett as it was, she didn’t want to get more charges applied to her.

“And what is wrong with actresses?” Mrs. Carrigan asked, looking toward Mrs. Tory.

“They’re highly immoral, indecent creatures,” Mrs. Tory replied. “It would be a horrible degradation of Rock Creek for one to even visit here.”

“And none is,” Rebekka said, her voice sounding slightly choked because of her verging tears.

“My, you are quite the actress, aren’t you?” Mrs. Tory said.

“I am not!” Rebekka cried, the tears rushing to her eyes.

“Mrs. Tory, please,” Mrs. Carrigan said. “If you are going to be this rude you can kindly leave my house. Surely a real actress wouldn’t be so adamant to deny her identity.”

“But of course she would,” Mrs. Tory replied. “She wouldn’t want to be forced to leave, after all.”

Rebekka put her face in her hands and sobbed.

“Mrs. Tory, you are not welcome in my home,” Mrs. Carrigan said. “Please take your leave at once. I will not have you insulting and upsetting my houseguests.”

“Well if your houseguest wasn’t an indecent person,” Mrs. Tory said.

“Mrs. Tory, you are leaving, now,” Mrs. Carrigan replied sharply.

“Out of all people I wouldn’t have expected you and your husband to deign to such depths,” Mrs. Tory said. “Good day.”

A sharp, annoyed stride receded from the room, and Rebekka was almost immediately enveloped in an embrace. She wept into Mrs. Carrigan’s shoulder.

“Marshal Bartlett was more than right,” Mrs. Carrigan said. “People can become so fixed on false ideas it’s just astonishing.”

If only she could get home, but the only way she could get home was if Marshal Bartlett cancelled the charges against her, and she didn’t think that he was going to do that, he just wasn’t that sort of person.

“The fact that people are even believing Mrs. Hames,” Mrs. Carrigan said. “I am at a loss.”

Rebekka sobbed even harder to think of Mrs. Hames and the frustration of her visit, and to think that she was doomed to stay in this town until whenever that judge might happen to come. She hated this place. These people were horrible. She didn’t know how Dr. and Mrs. Carrigan could stand it.