February Novel Essential Information

Novel Title: All That Remains

Time Setting: 2022

Genre: Life

Minimum Word Goal: 90,000

Timespan: March–May

Locations: Frankfurt, Germany; Brussels, Belgium; Corsica, France; additional European locations

Main Characters: Will Erkens, Chloë Hoedemaker

Background Information: 

Born the youngest of two sons to a Belgian-British father and a Dutch mother, Will has endured a lot of devastation in his life, beginning with his parents’ divorce when he was seven, following which he and his brother were moved from the city in Belgium where they’d been born to their mother’s hometown of Rotterdam despite their desire to remain close to their father.

Since his maternal grandfather had no sons of his own, however, Will and his brother were enrolled in football¹ by their grandfather, which they enjoyed, although it brought about an even worse devastation when Will was nine.

His older brother was twelve at the time, and was playing in a prestigious U13 tournament with a chance of winning the title in Rotterdam. In support of his sons’ football pursuits, Will’s father meant to attend the game, but never arrived, prompting Will’s mother to contact the police for information after the game.

Will and his brother learned the following morning that their father had been killed in a car accident on a rain-slicked motorway, which brought them deep grief, and prompted them to visit his grave regularly, especially when they won any titles with their teams as they progressed through the football ranks.

The loss of their father not only prompted Will and his brother to get very close, but also caused Will to make a new friend on his football team in the form of an African-born boy whose father had been killed in Africa while the family had been fleeing for their lives from violence.

Both Will and his brother were quite successful in football, winning many junior-level titles, while their mother developed a relationship with a wealthy Dutchman who had a part Curaçaoan daughter from a past relationship.

Eventually Will’s family moved in with his mother’s boyfriend, who took them on annual vacations to his property in Curaçao, which was were the next tragedy befell Will when he was thirteen, as his brother fell in love with a Curaçaoan young woman.

The late hours he kept with her displeased his and Will’s mother, leading to conflict between the two of them which went unresolved, as Will’s brother went out with his girlfriend to a party where he ended up overdosing on drugs because he didn’t know how many was too many, and no one at the party realised he wasn’t familiar with drugs.

As a result, Will bonded even closer with his African friend, who soon sought to spend as much time as he could with Will because his mother had become engaged to a man whom he didn’t get on with well at all.

The two were married despite Will’s friend’s dislike of the man, who was a stricter Muslim than his father had been, which soon led to a confrontation between him and his stepfather.

Will’s friend’s younger sister had fallen in love with a man who wasn’t considered a devout enough Muslim for her stepfather’s liking, prompting him to try and cut off the relationship, but Will’s friend saw nothing wrong with the relationship and contended with his stepfather to the point that they came to blows that landed his friend in hospital in critical condition, leading to his death at the age of seventeen.

Although Will had ended up making the acquaintance of a pretty young Croatian woman while at the UEFA U17 tournament in Croatia the year before, Will was left otherwise friendless by his friend’s death, and quite devastated.

Nevertheless, he managed to continue playing football, which functioned as an escape from all the senseless loss he’d suffered, graduating to the top-level side of Feyenoord, whom he’d been with from the day he’d been enrolled because they were his grandfather’s favourite team, at the age of eighteen, where he excelled at his position as a defender.

After two years with Feyenoord, Will was transferred to Anderlecht in Belgium, where he ended up making the acquaintance of two players, a Kenyan-born goalkeeper who made his home in England and was the same age Will’s older brother would’ve been if he were still alive, and a French-born defender who was eleven years his senior.

It didn’t take long for Will to notice that the defender had taken him under his wing, mentoring him on how to be a consistent, level-headed defender, to the point that Will felt like the defender was the closest thing he’d ever had to a father since his father had died — not that he disliked his stepfather, but they’d never had a father-son type of relationship — despite the fact that the defender wasn’t nearly old enough to be his father.

Despite his developing relationships with his teammates, Will’s girlfriend informed him recently that she feels since his African friend’s death the two of them have grown further apart, as opposed to closer, prompting her to beg Will to be more open to her.

Will hasn’t noticed a drift between the two of them, and feels like his girlfriend is just trying to be unnecessarily nosy, telling the defender as much, prompting the defender to suggest he maybe keep his eyes open to see if there’s a different girl he likes somewhere.

As of yet Will hasn’t found anything, but he has settled in to his role as one of Anderlecht’s top young defenders, as well as representing the Dutch national team in various international tournaments.

In his first season with Anderlecht, the team nearly won the Belgian First Division A, but ended up coming in second, which entered them into UEFA League² play for the following season.

His second season with Anderlecht hasn’t gone quite so well as his first to the present, but they’ve done well in UEFA League play, making it to the Round of 16, where they beat their higher-placed opponent, Eintracht Frankfurt, 1–0 at home.

Now the time has come to play Eintracht in Frankfurt, which, if they win, will send Anderlecht to the quarterfinals, which many Anderlecht fans are anticipating, although considering that Anderlecht are the lower-placed team, and haven’t been having the greatest season in their own league, people aren’t getting too carried away with themselves.

Born the only daughter and youngest of two children to a lawyer and his interior decorator wife, Chloë has spent her entire life with Brussels as her primary residence.

Because of her parents’ busy work lives, she and her brother were often cared for by both sets of grandparents on an alternating schedule, with both of them finding their devoutly Catholic paternal grandparents to be the grandparents who would never let them do anything fun, while their maternal grandparents would let them do all the fun things.

As a result, Chloë and her brother bonded with their maternal grandparents, who would much more willingly play with them, and even take them on fun outings, where her grandfather was always snapping photos that he would later compile into albums that they spent many happy hours flipping through.

Chloë, in particular, became quite fascinated with photography, to the point that her grandfather bought her a camera for her birthday and taught her how to use it to take more basic photos than his camera was capable of.

After a couple years Chloë became competent enough with the camera she had that her grandfather bought her a slightly fancier model which allowed her to control things such as the zoom and focus, and when she’d mastered that camera, he got her one with even more things to play around with.

When digital cameras came onto the scene both Chloë and her grandfather got digital cameras and took some classes together at a photography shop to learn how the new cameras worked.

Owing to her knowledge of photography, Chloë liked looking at photos in magazines, with fashion magazines being a particular interest of her and her friends, who used her camera to try and recreate some of the glamour shots from the magazines.

They managed to do quite well, which led to some of her friends getting contracts as teen models, while Chloë was actually given the opportunity — thanks to the stubbornness of her best friend — to participate in a proper fashion photo shoot.

When she graduated from school, Chloë went to a professional photography school, where she was considered a very talented student, following which she ended up being hired onto the crew of the professional photographer alongside whom she’d shot the fashion photo shoot as a teenager.

Within a couple years, the professional photographer — who was very much Chloë’s mentor — was hired to shoot some fashion photos in Paris. As a member of the crew, Chloë went along, and was quickly entranced by a handsome model she learned was the son of a famous female model she’d actually photographed before and the man who owned the fashion company who’d hired them, as well as that he was actually a professional footballer who did modelling on the side.

She, as it happened, caught his attention as well and the two entered into a relationship that prompted him to seek a transfer from the Paris-based football club he played for to a Belgian-based club, which ended up being her hometown club of Anderlecht.

The two were married after about three years and enjoyed a happy life together both in their home in Brussels, as well as homes in Paris, and on the islands of Corsica and Martinique for the first three years of their marriage.

During their third year of marriage, however, two major events happened. The first was the divorce of her in-laws, an event her husband had been dreading for years, with her father-in-law immediately taking a new girlfriend who was younger than his own daughter.

For Chloë, however, the second was far more devastating, as it was the death of her beloved maternal grandfather of cancer she’d not even known he’d had, as he’d deliberately withheld the information from his grandchildren in order to prevent them from being worried or troubled.

Chloë was sure that if she would’ve known he were dying she would’ve adjusted her priorities to spend more time with him, and even if she understood why he’d done it, it still plunged her into a deep grief to which her husband didn’t seem sympathetic.

She suspected that since he’d been able to get over his parents’ divorce quickly, he was annoyed that she wasn’t getting over her grandfather’s death as quickly, which prompted her to be grateful when one of her husband’s teammates expressed tender, sympathetic condolences to her.

Indeed, the teammate ended up becoming a confidante for her, whom she spent a good deal of time with — especially when her husband was away with modelling commitments that she hadn’t been hired to photograph — with the relationship becoming quite close and personal.

It only came to an end because the teammate was transferred to a Greek-based club, and even though she felt it was for the better that the relationship had come to an end, Chloë found herself feeling incredibly guilty about what she’d done.

Thus, when her husband suggested they pursue having a child together, she agreed, hoping that having a child would reinvigorate her bond with her husband and alleviate the guilt she felt.

She was able to conceive relatively quickly, but the pregnancy was a miserable ordeal for the barely twenty weeks it lasted before she miscarried the baby and nearly died herself, leading to the doctor cautioning them against trying again.

As a result, the bond between Chloë and her husband has continued to languish, to the point that Chloë has decided that, come the end of the football season, she means to divorce her husband, as she feels like their marriage has become nothing but a show they put on for those around them, with the feelings between them having completely died.

Pronunciations:

Erkens: airkehns

Hoedemaker: hoodehmehkeh

Anderlecht: ahnderleckt

Eintracht: aentract

¹as this story is set in Europe, football is being used in this story to refer to what is elsewhere known as soccer; ²although there are multiple different UEFA Leagues, the lack of specificity is deliberate.

Disquieting: Day 15

Word Total: 90,040

Year to Date: 90,040

Summary of Events:

Not wanting to face the wrath of the malcontents, seeing as it wasn't justified, Matthew decided to take up the offer of the man who'd tried to get him to sign up to be a logger on his first day in Roseburgh, especially after meeting a couple who'd met in the logging town, who knew people and were willing to help him find accommodations and childcare. Since he was starting work on Monday, Matthew made sure he was in town a bit early to get settled, which included attending church, where he ended up meeting Vera, who tearfully told him about what had happened to her, which prompted him to offer her some counsel by citing Leah, the wife of Jacob, in the Bible…

Excerpt of the Day:

“Leah had a physical shortcoming of some sort that inclined people to favour her sister over her, which left her feeling awfully unloved, even when she finally did get married, she wanted Jacob to love her and make her happy, thus she named her sons,” Matthew said.

He flipped open his Bible and found the chapter.

“First was Reuben, which means ‘behold, a son’, after whose birth she said ‘surely the LORD hath looked upon my affliction; now therefore my husband will love me’,” Matthew explained. “Then was Simeon, which means ‘hearing’, after whose birth she said ‘because the LORD hath heard that I was hated, He hath therefore given me this son also’. Then was Levi, meaning ‘joined’, following whose birth she said ‘now this time will my husband be joined unto me, because I have born him three sons’. But then comes Judah, which means ‘praise’, following whose birth she said ‘now will I praise the LORD’. There is no comment about her husband, for between the births of Levi and Judah Leah realised that Jacob would never make her as happy as she wanted to be. Only God could do that, and so she acknowledged it in the naming of her son, and God blessed her.”

The young woman looked curious.

“David was descended from the tribe of Judah, and David was promised that the Messiah of his people, Jesus, would descend from his line, which is shown at the beginning of the Gospels of Matthew and Luke in the genealogies of both Joseph and Mary,” Matthew explained. “Seeing as Jesus has come, you aren’t likely to get that kind of a blessing from God, but… maybe God wants you to realise that it is not your husband who will make you happy, but Him, before He grants your desire for a husband.”

She looked like she wanted to ask him a question, but then her gaze broke with his and Matthew looked over his shoulder to see a young man who very much had to be her brother, as he possessed the same vivid blue eyes, as well as some similarities in facial sculpture, even though his hair was lighter than hers.

“I’m sorry, I have to go,” she said.

Matthew nodded, watching her go with a bit of disappointment. He did feel like what he’d said had been kind of simplistic, and he wanted her to fully understand what he meant — which probably would be aided by more study on his part — but he also had to admit that he didn’t really want to stop looking at her.

He felt very sorry for her, and considering how beautiful she was, he wondered if she wouldn’t make a good wife for him.

As she disappeared from his sight he shook his head. He was just a year and seven days widowed, the last thing he wanted to do was follow Father’s lead of rushing into marriage, and he doubted a never-married woman would really want to marry a widower with two children anyways.

Next Post: 31 January

Disquieting: Day 14

Word Count: 84,023

Summary of Events:

Vera attended the soirée at the Forsyth's home with her family and was troubled to see Carlisle spending so much time with Miss Forsyth, which led her to suspect they'd seen a lot more of each other than she'd initially supposed. Mr. Millard — who had forced Matthew to walk home after delivering his message to the forty-some malcontents — didn't show up to work on Monday except to tell Kirk that he wasn't coming back until Matthew was gone, and suggesting that some of the malcontents were angry enough to kill Matthew over what he'd said. Several days after the soirée, Vera answered a knock at the front door which was revealed to have been made by Carlisle…

Excerpt of the Day:

“Good morning Vera, may I have a word with you?” he asked. “Privately.”

“Yes,” Vera replied, stepping back of the door to let him inside.

Carlisle scrubbed off his shoes on the coarse mat just inside the door. “I hope you won’t mind, this shan’t be long.”

Vera led Carlisle to Papa’s study, as Papa was out checking on Mr. Saunders again, and closed the door behind them. Carlisle waved her to one of the chairs facing Papa’s desk. He sat down in the other one.

“I’ve been engaging in a lot of thought lately,” Carlisle said. “Thinking about you, and about myself, and about our intentions to become man and wife.”

A spiteful thought came to Vera’s mind suggesting that Carlisle hadn’t engaged in much, if any, of that thought alone, but had done it all in the company of Miss Forsyth, as the two had looked at the soirée like they’d been spending a lot more time together than she’d initially supposed, which had made Vera glad when Papa had decided it was time for them to go home shortly after the clock struck half past eight.

“And in all my thinking, I do believe that both of us made our decision to be married under the duress of desperation,” Carlisle continued. “This is a town predominated by older people, a town from whence all the young are inclined to depart as soon as they are old enough, and thus neither of us had much before us as options for romance aside from one another.”

Vera nodded, reaching the fingers of her right hand to make contact with the ring he’d given her months ago, which she’d taken off after the soirée, and not been inclined to put back on until yesterday.

“But now, things have changed, in Emerald Wood, and between us,” Carlisle said. “We have both realised who the other really is, and I know that I for one have come to realise that you are not a woman with whom I could spend the rest of my life, and that it would be best if we concluded the relationship now.”

Tears pricked at Vera’s eyes, but she nodded. She didn’t want to be married to Carlisle anymore, even if she had no idea whether she even dared to hope that she might ever have the chance to be married now.

“I’m glad that you are reasonable in that way,” Carlisle said. “And I do hope that it is no imposition of me to ask if you might be so kind as to give me the ring back.”

Vera pulled the ring off her finger immediately. The last thing she wanted was a memento of him.

She dropped it in his waiting hand and immediately got to her feet, tears blurred her vision as she made for the door, which she fumbled to open before making her way to the stairs by memory and rushing up them. Carlisle would have to show himself out.

Disquieting: Day 13

Word Count: 78,502

Summary of Events:

Matthew, having prepared something of a sermon, asked Mr. Millard if he could meet with all the people who agreed with Mr. Millard to share it, which prompted Mr. Millard, to Matthew's dismay, to believe that Matthew meant to become the group's pastor. Vera was offered the use of an old ballgown by Mrs. Dosdall for the soirée on Saturday in the hopes that the fine gown would woo Carlisle and put Miss Forsyth in her place, although Vera doubted it. After work several days later, Matthew was taken by Mr. Millard to the place where the whole group were going to be meeting to hear what he had to tell them…

Excerpt of the Day:

Glancing over his shoulder, Matthew could see lights shining from Roseburgh, but they were rather far away, which didn’t help his nerves much.

Despite his efforts, he’d been unable to correct Mr. Millard’s erroneous belief that he was going to take on leadership of the group, and he was sure now that the whole of the group itself was of the same belief, and so all would be sorely disappointed, if not even angered, by his revelation.

The fact that the meeting was happening south of town didn’t really hearten Matthew any either, as he would be one against many, and no one would know where he was or be near enough to know whether or not he was in danger and needing aid.

He felt acutely aware of the folded pages in his coat, which were the first sermon, of sorts, he’d prepared in nearly a year, and were words he fully believed, even if he felt somewhat terrified to speak them.

Finally Mr. Millard turned his wagon down a modestly long driveway toward where a home and a barn fashioned of logs stood. Both buildings had lights burning brightly in them, with Mr. Millard steering toward the barn, around which other horses and wagons were gathered, as well as a few buggies.

Matthew hopped down from the wagon once Mr. Millard had set the brake and walked alongside the horse, putting a gentle hand against its coat which he could tell was more damp from the fine mist falling than from sweat and exertion.

He patted the horse’s shoulder before heading toward the barn door where Mr. Millard met him in a moment before leading him inside and up into the hayloft.

Since the winter was reasonably advanced, most of the hay in the loft had already been consumed by the livestock, and what was left was gathered against one wall while the open floorspace was filled with makeshift benches formed of kegs or log stumps supporting boards, which already had a good number of people seated on them facing toward the hay.

Matthew estimated a little over two dozen people were present, as Mr. Millard led the way along the side to where Mr. Franke was standing by the hay.

“Not everyone’s here yet, are they?” Mr. Millard asked Mr. Franke.

“No,” Mr. Franke replied, looking irritably toward Matthew.

“So are you going to announce him or am I?” Mr. Millard asked.

“You found him, you introduce him, I’m just supplying the venue,” Mr. Franke replied.

“Alright,” Mr. Millard said.

Matthew hadn’t heard that the destination for the event was to be Mr. Franke’s farm, and he had to admit the knowledge that he was on the property of the man who had seemed the most inclined to dislike him from the off really didn’t make him feel any better about what he was about to do.

Disquieting: Day 12

Word Count: 72,019

Summary of Events:

Carlisle's aunt and uncle came to discuss the recent breakdown in relations between Carlisle and Vera with Vera's parents, and Vera despaired at her father's report after the conversation of his belief that she and Carlisle weren't likely to be married as long as the Forsyths remained in town. Matthew, meanwhile, started studying the Bible and his other books that he'd accumulated about the Bible to formulate a response to Mr. Millard's beliefs, and began to wish that he didn't have to go to work in order that he might have more studying time. Come Sunday, Vera and her family went to church, as usual, where they took their usual seats in anticipation of the service's beginning…

Excerpt of the Day:

Noticing movement out her peripheral vision, Vera turned to see Mama looking a little bemused as she took her seat in the pew. She was holding a small card with some writing on it, and a small envelope into which it’d been sealed by red wax.

Papa, being closest to Mama, leaned over to her and made enquiry to which Mama replied by handing him the card silently. Papa read it over, then handed it to Ordell, who was seated next to him.

Ordell held it so that Vera was able to see what it said as well.

The card was of very high quality, handsome stationery that was bordered with red and gold curlicues, with elegantly handwritten text informing them that they were cordially invited to attend a soirée on the coming Saturday.

It would be taking place at the Romelda Plantation, home of Mr. K. Virgil and Mrs. Ambrosia Forsyth, beginning at six in the evening, during which there would be the opportunity to engage in social dancing, with refreshments being provided.

There was no option for them to decline the invitation, but at the same time, Vera didn’t know that Mama and Papa would necessarily be inclined to do so, nor would anyone else, as she knew the whole town had been burning with curiosity to know what the Forsyth mansion looked like on the inside, and they were now actually being invited to see it for themselves.

Vera did note at the bottom what she felt was something of a snobbish note that everyone was expected to be clean and dressed in their finest clothing, which implied that the Forsyths didn’t believe the people of Emerald Wood bathed often.

As much as Vera couldn’t speak for anyone outside of her family, she could say that her family bathed, usually on Saturdays at least, although during the winter especially, Papa would end up having a midweek bath owing to his having gotten exceedingly muddy while attending to a patient in the outdoors, as was sometimes required when something happened to a logger.

“You’ve read it?” Ordell asked.

“Yes,” Vera replied.

Ordell handed the invitation back to Mama, who returned it to the envelope, which she then gave to Papa, who pocketed it inside of his coat.

“Are we going to go?” Ordell asked quietly.

“I don’t see why not,” Papa replied. “We don’t necessarily need to be there at the beginning, nor stay to the end, but since we’ve been invited I think we should be able to at least oblige for a time.”

Ordell nodded, as did Vera. That was what she’d thought too. If they were going to be invited, they might as well accept the invitation and see what there was to see, but once they were tired, they could return home.

Surveying the congregation around her as Mrs. Dosdall continued playing the prelude, Vera noticed that many people in the congregation were looking at similar cards, many of them with eagerness, even if they were people she knew didn’t like the Forsyths, the idea that they were going to be allowed in the family’s grand mansion was something which appealed to many people who had been itching for months to see what it looked like.

Pronunciation:

Ordell: oardehll

Disquieting: Day 11

Word Count: 66,060

Summary of Events:

Matthew told Kirk and Jamesina the names of Mr. Millard's dinner guests upon his return from dinner, but neither of them knew which church the people attended, even though they were familiar with the names, and Matthew still didn't feel like he really knew why Mr. Millard and his dinner guests wanted to be rid of their pastor either, so over the course of the following day he strove to ask Mr. Millard questions to clarify things, which finally revealed to him part of the church's name — but unfortunately not the denomination part — so, as he and Kirk started for Kirk's house at the end of the workday, he told Kirk…

Except of the Day:

“So, did you learn anything more from Shattuck today?” Kirk asked as they carried on to the sidewalk.

“I did,” Matthew replied.

“What was it?” Kirk asked.

“He attends the church called St. John’s,” Matthew replied.

“Oh,” Kirk said. “That’s the Episcopalian church.”

“I hoped I would get that sort of an answer out of you,” Matthew replied.

“That’s not the church I would’ve guessed,” Kirk said.

“Oh,” Matthew said. “Why not?”

“Well, if I recall who their pastor is correctly, he’s not in any sort of ill health or even especially old,” Kirk replied. “I would’ve thought he was from the Methodist church because their pastor is quite old — I mean, at least, if you go by his hair colour, which is far more what I would consider a white than a grey.”

“I don’t think anything about their pastor’s physical condition is a part of the group’s desire to see him removed,” Matthew said.

“But you wouldn’t be able to replace him,” Kirk said.

“No, I wouldn’t,” Matthew replied. “I know nothing about Episcopalian liturgy, and I do believe I’d have to be appointed by a bishop, as I know they have bishops, and I’m quite sure assigning pastors is part of their role.”

“So, I guess that’s the end of it,” Kirk said.

“End of what?” Matthew asked.

“Any discussions between you and Shattuck about your getting back into a pulpit,” Kirk replied.

“Well, I have to tell him, now that I know, that I wouldn’t be able to fulfill the position he seeks filled,” Matthew replied. “Seeing as I’m not ordained by the proper people, nor do I know how they conduct their worship, not to mention I now know what matters of secondary importance we are inclined to disagree on.”
“Do that tomorrow and then it’s pretty much all settled, isn’t it?” Kirk asked.

“I’m not sure,” Matthew replied.

“Why?” Kirk asked.

“I was able to get Mr. Millard to tell me what it is he and the people I met last night dislike about their pastor,” Matthew replied. “And, well, it troubled me.”
“Is their pastor a heretic?” Kirk asked.

“No,” Matthew replied. “He has his opinions, and he has maybe somewhat wrongfully expressed them from the pulpit, considering they are his opinions and don’t really have much, if any, support within the Scriptures.”

“Such as?” Kirk asked.

“He believes in total temperance, not just a responsible consumption of strong drink,” Matthew replied. “As much as I’m not interested in consuming much, if any, liquor, I don’t believe I can tell others that it is sinful to consume more than I do. Inebriation could be considered sinful, but I haven’t actually studied the topic thoroughly, so I won’t say definitively until I have, but I don’t believe that the sort of responsible consumption I saw last night should be in any way frowned upon, and it seems their pastor does.”

Pronunciation:

Episcopalian: ehpihskuhpayleeahn

Disquieting: Day 10

Word Count: 60,011

Summary of Events:

On Thursday Matthew went to Mr. Millard's house, hopeful that the other people he'd meet and the topics they might discuss would help him to figure out which church Mr. Millard attended and why he and these other people were inclined to seek a replacement for their current pastor — as Kirk had told him there was no church in town which was lacking a pastor. After dinner the men grilled Matthew on a variety of topics that Matthew felt, for one thing, were matters on which individual Christians were free to come to their own decisions on, and, for another, weren't the sort of things that were relevant when it came to the purpose, function, and mission of the church…

Excerpt of the Day:

“You seem to me to be avoiding the questions,” Mr. Franke snapped derisively.

“Whatever do you mean?” Matthew asked.

“The Bible speaks on these matters quite clearly,” Mr. Franke replied. “But since you don’t know your Bible, you’re not addressing the questions.”

“I am well-versed in the Scriptures, I can assure you, Mr. Franke,” Matthew replied. “But if you would kindly apprise me of the references I’ve not been recalling relative to these matters, I would certainly be inclined to study them.”
Mr. Franke glared at Matthew. “If you know your Bible you shouldn’t need me to tell you where they are.”

“As much as I have read the whole Bible and committed portions of it to memory, my memory is not perfect, and I very well could be missing things,” Matthew replied.

“Not that the Bible needs to definitively speak to every single thing in order for the rightness or wrongness of each to be determined,” Mr. Franke snapped bitingly.

“Mr. Franke, the Bible is my guide,” Matthew said. “Where the Bible speaks strongly, I speak strongly, where the Bible speaks quietly, I speak quietly. I cannot make or endorse laws within the church which are not made or endorsed in the Bible.”

“The Bible doesn’t need to be invoked in everything.” Mr. Franke snapped.

“But the Bible declares of itself that it is given by the inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works,” Matthew replied. “It is to be preached instant in season and out of season, and to be used for reproof, rebuke, exhortation with all longsuffering, and doctrine. Thus I, as a pastor, believe that the Bible is authoritative in all contexts, and that I cannot draw lines any more clearly or deeply than the Bible does, nor can I draw lines any less clearly or deeply than the Bible does.”

“You sound like a legalist to me,” Mr. Franke snapped.

“Mr. Franke,” Matthew replied. “I have been called to preach the Bible, thus I must submit to the authority thereof, as must any pastor, and any pastor who does not submit to the authority of the Word which he has been called to preach cannot be much of a pastor at all, for a pastor is a servant of God and a proclaimer of His Word as truth.”

Mr. Franke glared at Matthew, but made no further comments. Matthew looked at the other men gathered around him and had to admit that he had a sinking feeling that none of them were terribly pleased with what he’d said.

It seemed to him that these matters which they’d discussed with him so far were matters on which they disagreed with their pastor — not that Matthew was sure what they really had to do with the church — and believed were far more rigid and clear than they were in the Bible.

Disquieting: Day 9

Word Count: 54,049

Summary of Events:

Following the pastor having suffered a series of severe coughing fits during the Sunday sermon, Vera's father had him come for an examination, whose concerning results he shared with Vera and her mother, believing the pastor to have a lung ailment that the pastor wasn't interested in having treated. Matthew was invited to supper on the coming Thursday by Mr. Millard, who was oddly evasive when it came to supplying his address so Matthew would know where he was to go come Thursday. During the week, Carlisle came over to visit Vera for the first time since the evening after the Forsyths had arrived…

Excerpt of the Day:

“Vera, my love,” Carlisle said.

Vera did her best to muster a smile despite her mind suddenly raising doubts as to the veracity of his statement.

“I have concerns, very serious concerns, about your wellbeing,” Carlisle said.

“My wellbeing?” Vera asked, perplexed.

“Yes,” Carlisle replied. “You seem very fretful of late, and I don’t believe it is good for our relationship for you to be in such a state.”

“What do you mean?” Vera asked.

“You’re very jealous, Vera,” Carlisle replied. “You seem to be completely incapable of trusting me to not look at another woman with a desire for her over you.”

“You are my fiancé,” Vera said. “Do I not have some measure of right to covet those affections which such a title demands of you toward me? Do I not have justifiable reason to want you to protect me from those who would hurt me — irrespective of whether they hurt you in so doing — now in order to have assurance that it will occur in the future when I no longer have my father to also come to my defence?”

“Of course,” Carlisle replied. “And I will do exactly such things when the need arises, but lately you have been taking things to the extreme, and I am concerned that you are becoming paranoid.”

“I don’t think I am,” Vera replied.

“What about your father?” Carlisle asked. “He’s a doctor.”

“He’s not concerned about my sanity either,” Vera replied. “He, and I, are concerned about your conduct.”

“Vera, I promise you that I will rise to your defence if ever I should perceive that you have been hurt,” Carlisle said.

“Then why haven’t you?” Vera demanded.

“Well, when have you been hurt?” Carlisle asked.

“I told you a week ago,” Vera replied. “Immediately upon it happening.”

“When?” Carlisle asked.

“When Miss Forsyth insulted me,” Vera replied. “I told you that I didn’t appreciate, and was even hurt, by what she said, nor did I disguise my feelings, but you completely ignored me.”

“Vera, that is where you’re being irrational and paranoid,” Carlisle said. “I can assure you that Sybilla did not say what you think she said, and that you are simply overreacting to what she actually did say.”

“Mr. Pickford,” Papa said, looking up from a book on lung diseases he’d been reading through in order to help him puzzle through what was going on with Rev. Britton. “That is the same argument you used with me when I came to you about Vera’s upset after that incident. And I can assure you that my daughter is not paranoid. I have never had reason to believe she is in any way delusional, both from a genetic standpoint, and the standpoint of medical observation. She is of completely sound mind and utterly justified in desiring the fullest of your affections, since you have made it clear to all that you intend to be her husband, and thus to have eyes only for her, no matter whether a fairer maiden might come along.”

“And I have been,” Carlisle protested. “Never once have I given her anything less than my full attention and love.”

Disquieting: Day 8

Word Count: 48,009

Summary of Events:

Matthew joined Kirk's family at their church on Sunday, where he was glad to see Mr. Millard wasn't present, as he thought the pastor had preached a very good sermon and was in no way needing to be replaced. Following the service, however, Matthew became alarmed when Azriel disappeared, as Azriel wasn't one to go wandering off. It was discovered — when he found a boy who looked similar to Azriel — that Azriel had been taken by another woman who'd believed Azriel to be her nephew, who was, in fact, the boy Matthew had ended up finding. As a result, Matthew, Kirk, and the pastor went to the woman's home to switch the boys back…

Excerpt of the Day:

Almost immediately a woman bustled into the corridor whom Matthew recognised as being familiar from the church, as he recalled internally musing that she reminded him of Aunt Jarvinia.

“You’ve come at a rather bad time Reverend,” she said. “I’m in the midst of making lunch and Alois is being particularly disagreeable today.”

“Ms. Fraser, you do not have Alois,” Rev. MacCallum said.

“I know my own nephew,” Ms. Fraser replied. “Out of the dozens of brown-haired children in the congregation he’s the only one with green eyes.”

“No he isn’t,” Rev. MacCallum replied. “At least, not for the time being.”

“Whatever do you mean Reverend?” Ms. Fraser demanded.

“Kirk Galbraith’s cousin is visiting from Indiana, and he happens to have a son who has brown hair and green eyes,” Rev. MacCallum replied.

“And clearly you have him right here,” Ms. Fraser said.

“This is Alois,” Rev. MacCallum said. “He was found in his usual hiding spot when… I didn’t get your name.”

“I’m terribly sorry,” Matthew replied. “Matthew Heath.”

“When Mr. Heath was looking for his son,” Rev. MacCallum finished. “By which time you’d already departed with his son, thinking him to be Alois.”

“Nonsense, I know my own nephew to see him,” Ms. Fraser said. “You needn’t have come all this way for nothing.”

“Ms. Fraser,” Matthew said sternly. “I, as a father, know my son better than you, as an aunt, would know your nephew, and I knew the moment I looked upon this boy that he wasn’t my son, further, I am also keenly aware that the crying I am hearing is being made by the voice of my son, whom I would kindly like back, seeing as he isn’t exactly yours to take from me.”

“What is your name, boy?” Ms. Frasier asked her nephew.

Little Alois lowered his head and said nothing.

“How about I prove it?” Matthew asked.

“How?” Ms. Fraser asked.

“Azriel!” Matthew called loudly. “Come here Azriel!”

Immediately a familiar face appeared in the same doorway from which Ms. Fraser had emerged. Rev. MacCallum stepped aside so Matthew could step forward. 

Azriel’s face lit up immediately and he ran to Matthew who, although prepared for impact, nevertheless nearly went over backwards when Azriel ran into his chest, wrapping his little arms in a chokehold around Matthew’s neck.

Matthew looked up at Ms. Fraser. “Is that proof enough for you?”

He could see her skin turning red in blotches about her neck.

Ms. Fraser didn’t answer, simply seizing Alois’ free hand and dragging him toward the kitchen without a word.

“Azriel, can you let go of me please?” Matthew asked. “I can’t breathe, and you need to put your coat on anyways.”

He could tell Azriel was reluctant to do so, but nevertheless obeyed and slid his arms easily into his coat. Matthew then took Azriel up into his arms and looked at Rev. MacCallum and Kirk, both of whom looked as awkward as Matthew felt about the situation.

With no one in the entry other than them, however, Kirk opened the door and they exited the house, descending the stairs and heading for the sidewalk.

Pronunciation:

Galbraith: gollbrayth

Disquieting: Day 7

Word Count: 42,051

Summary of Events:

Vera went with her mother to shop at the dry goods store just as the proprietor returned from the Forsyth's home in a foul mood because they'd sent back their order and told him they were going to take their business elsewhere despite the fact that he was the only dry goods seller in town. Matthew and Kirk discussed the rather fuzzy picture Matthew was getting of the reason why Mr. Millard felt his church needed a new pastor, even though Kirk had no suggestions by it as to what church Mr. Millard attended. On Sunday Vera and her family went to church, as did the Forsyth family, which caused some women who'd not yet met the Forsyth family to express their awe at the family after the service was over…

Excerpt of the Day:

“There’s no limit to the wonderful things that might come here as a result of such a wealthy family choosing to make their home nearby,” Mrs. Saunders said.

Mama shook her head. “I don’t know that I can agree with you.”

“Oh surely you can’t believe that they’d cause anything bad to happen,” the woman said. “Whatever happens to this town affects them.”

“Would they know that, though?” Mama asked.

“Why wouldn’t they?” the woman replied. “People don’t become wealthy by accident, they become wealthy because of intelligence, and from what I saw today that family looked very intelligent to me.”

“And very fine,” Mrs. Saunders said.

“Indeed,” the woman agreed. “The daughter especially with that beautiful brown hair and those deep, deep brown eyes. Not to mention her figure. She’s one of the finest-looking young women I’ve ever seen.”

Vera felt tears pricking her eyes as she looked at Mama.

“Vera here is quite lovely too, though,” Mrs. Saunders said.

“Yes,” the woman said, although she didn’t sound to be fully persuaded. “But she doesn’t exactly have comparable finery.”

“Who doesn’t have comparable finery to whom?” Mrs. Quilley asked somewhat sharply.

“Miss Elkin to the new young woman,” the woman replied.

“You think that creature has finery?” Mrs. Quilley demanded.

“Did you not see the fine gown she wore today?” the woman asked. “It made her figure look stunning, and matched especially well with her hair and eyes. Don’t you believe that she’s a beauty?”

“Just because a snake’s skin looks beguiling doesn’t mean it’s poison isn’t dangerous,” Mrs. Quilley snapped. “And a snake is exactly what that creature is, a snake and a she-devil.”

“But how could you say that?” Mrs. Saunders asked.

“That whole family are wretched, and likely came out here because they weren’t welcome in the respectable society of which they wanted to be a part,” Mrs. Quilley declared. “I cannot believe they came here of their own volition and mean to do anything good for this town.”

“But they wouldn’t dare do evil to it,” the woman said.

“That’s all they would dare!” Mrs. Quilley exclaimed. “There is absolutely no way whatsoever that you can convince me that those people would mean any sort of good for this town considering how horrid they are.”

“But their daughter has to be the most beautiful woman in town,” the woman said.

“Ha!” Mrs. Quilley scoffed. “Beauty doesn’t lie in looks alone, but in the heart also, a woman must have a good character, and that outweighs her physical beauty vastly. Only one woman in this town has a good character that is of the same excellence as her beauty.”

“And who would that be?” the woman asked.

“Are you blind woman!?” Mrs. Quilley exclaimed. “She’s standing right here!”

Vera looked at Mrs. Quilley’s hand, which was extended in her direction. Since Papa and Mama were the sorts who were against gossip, which was Mrs. Quilley’s favourite pastime, they didn’t get on well with her, but yet here she was declaring that Vera was, in her opinion, the fairest woman in Emerald Wood.

Disquieting: Day 6

Word Count: 36,019

Summary of Events:

Vera's father went to talk to Carlisle about his actions, and Vera was upset to learn that Carlisle believed that she'd overreacted to Miss Forsyth's comments, and didn't even believe that Miss Forsyth had said all that Vera had clearly heard Miss Forsyth say, prompting Vera to despair of the sudden change that had come over him, which even her parents couldn't explain. Since Kirk hadn't actually realised that the man he'd assigned Matthew to work with attended church, and thus wasn't able to supply Matthew any details about his church and their situation, Matthew asked the man himself over lunch the following day, which led to the man going on at length about what he believed a good pastor was…

Excerpt of the Day:

“A good man doesn’t compromise,” Mr. Millard said. “A good man isn’t selfishly inclined to do those things which best serve and please him, despite the needs of others. A good man defends what is right and just.”

Although he could agree, and nodded to indicate he did, Matthew felt those were much more general qualities of a Godly man than specific qualities that a pastor needed. A pastor was certainly to be a Godly man, but, at the same time, it took a little bit more than that to be a pastor, according to the Bible.

“A good man doesn’t turn aside to the right hand or to the left,” Mr. Millard said. “But he stays straight on the narrow way, not counselling with the wicked or the unrighteous, but holding fast to what is right and good.”

“And Godly,” Matthew added.

“Of course,” Mr. Millard said. “A good man is decisive, not having his decisions influenced by fears or insecurities. Who the powerful people are doesn’t matter to him. What matters to him is making the correct and right decision that needs to be made.”

It was all certainly good, Matthew agreed, although a wondering thought crossed his mind that maybe what Mr. Millard was talking about would give him what it was he wanted; that the reason was there, it just wasn’t being as straightforwardly transmitted to him as he’d wanted it to be when he’d asked Mr. Millard to give him the reason for his church’s need of a new pastor.

“A good man is one who is fair and just,” Mr. Millard continued. “A man not given to greed, selfishness, or any other activities which cause people to be hurt, whether those people are of particular importance to him or not.”

Matthew nodded again.

“A good man is also not a man who contravenes the wishes of anyone completely, but finds a way to please the greatest amount of people possible,” Mr. Millard added.

Furrowing his brow, Matthew glanced toward Mr. Millard. Hadn’t he said earlier that a good man was one who didn’t compromise? Now he’d effectively just said the opposite: a good man was one who compromised in order to please the most people.

“It is also the goal of a good man to meet the needs of everyone,” Mr. Millard continued. “For all men have needs, and not all men can meet their needs of themselves, but need assistance from others which a good man is more than obliged to give.”

Matthew shifted his jaw. No man could meet the needs of himself. It was God who provided for all men, either by His grace allowing them to continue living, and the world to continue functioning, or by using others to accomplish His ends. Matthew had to admit that he was starting to become perplexed and would need a good deal of time to ponder what Mr. Millard was saying.

Disquieting: Day 5

Word Count: 30,074

Summary of Events:

Matthew joined Kirk at his job site, where he was introduced to the crew and instructed to work alongside one of them to clad the interior walls. Vera's father, having been disturbed by Carlisle's conduct the evening before, and confounded by Vera and Carlisle's vastly different impressions of the same family, decided he wanted to see the family for himself to form his own opinion. Vera accompanied him to the hotel, where the women in the hotel kitchen had nothing good to say about the Forsyths. Matthew and his coworker made some small talk as they worked, which included Matthew disclosing that he was a pastor by vocation, prompting the man to ask him if he was interested in pastoring a church, but without giving him any details beyond that. Vera's father was able to speak to Carlisle about his conduct, for which Carlisle apologised moments before Vera's father was called away to a medical emergency. Vera stayed with Carlisle and they chatted about some wedding details before they were approached by Miss Forsyth and Carlisle introduced the two women formally…

Excerpt of the Day:

“I really didn’t expect you to be betrothed Carlisle,” Miss Forsyth said. “And to such a woman.”

Vera didn’t like the tone Miss Forsyth used.

“We’ll be getting married in April,” Carlisle said. “The sixteenth, in fact, just the week after Easter.”

“Is that so?” Miss Forsyth asked. “April is a lovely time of year.”

“Yes, especially around here,” Carlisle said. “All the winter rains just make everything so lovely and green, it’s a beautiful backdrop.”
“It is,” Miss Forsyth said. “Too bad it’s being wasted.”

“Wasted?” Vera demanded. “What do you mean wasted?”

“What’s being wasted?” Carlisle asked.

“I didn’t say anything was being wasted,” Miss Forsyth said.

“Yes you did,” Vera snapped.

“You really are excitable, aren’t you?” Miss Forsyth asked.

“Carlisle, how can you let her say that to me?” Vera demanded, looking at him.

“Well, she’s not wrong,” Carlisle replied.

“I wouldn’t be if she wouldn’t have caused it,” Vera snapped.

“What do you mean?” Carlisle asked. “She didn’t say anything.”

“Are you half deaf?” Vera demanded. “She didn’t even properly whisper!”

“Whisper what?” Carlisle asked.

“That our wedding day is being wasted because you’re marrying me,” Vera replied.

“Wherever in the world did you get that from?” Carlisle asked. “She didn’t say anything like that.”

“Yes she did!” Vera cried.

“No I didn’t,” Miss Forsyth said snidely.

“Vera, this is really unlike you to make things up,” Carlisle said.

“Make things up!?” Vera cried, tears flooding her eyes. “I’m not! I very clearly heard her, and you should’ve too!”

“I heard every word she said and I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Carlisle said. “You might need your father to examine you.”

“And all of this after you promised you wouldn’t do it again!” Vera cried.

“Do what again?” Carlisle asked.

“You promised you wouldn’t trivialise my hurts, and here you are trivialising them again!” Vera cried.

“But Sybilla hasn’t said anything hurtful at all,” Carlisle said.

A sob was all Vera could utter, she rushed to the door to get out of the hotel.

“Vera!” Carlisle cried. “Where are you going?”

“She’s not terribly mature at all now, is she?” Miss Forsyth asked.

Vera barely remembered to gather up her skirts and check for traffic before she rushed across the road, as quickly as she dared, not wanting to possibly lose her footing and fall into the mire, as she was sure Miss Forsyth was somewhere where she could watch and laugh if she were to see such a thing happen.

She didn’t know how in the world Carlisle couldn’t have heard Miss Forsyth’s statement that their wedding weekend was being wasted. He’d asked what was being wasted. He had to have heard, but somehow he’d not felt any insult whatsoever, when that had been assuredly as much of an insult against her as against him.