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.