Brynthwaite Summer by Merry Farmer

Author:Merry Farmer [Farmer, Merry]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-08-07T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 7

A ggie’s heart was heavy as she left the town square. She was careful to look both ways before crossing the street, searching both for speeding carriages and nosey neighbors. It wouldn’t do any good to be caught in a compromising position with Andrew again.

And yet, as that thought hit her, it turned her stomach to acid. Why should she have to hide the love she felt for a wonderful man? She stopped and let out a breath, balling her fists at her sides. As furious as she was with Andrew for even hinting that she shouldn’t be with him, if she couldn’t stand up to the consequences of their love, did she really deserve it?

Changing her mind, she marched back across the street and through the town square toward the line of booths that had been constructed earlier and where several Brynthwaite women were organizing bunting and other decorations. Love was love and shouldn’t have to hide for any reason. She would go about her business as usual, knowing she wasn’t the one in the wrong.

“Oh, Agatha, there you are,” Mrs. Garrett greeted her as she approached.

The other women stepped back from the huddle they’d formed and stared at Aggie. Every one of them had known her since she was a girl, but they all met her with brittle smiles of the sort that would be directed to a newcomer to town who hadn’t been vetted yet.

“Mrs. Garrett,” Aggie greeted the woman with as friendly a smile as she could manage, in spite of the growing well of suspicion in her gut. “Ladies.” She nodded to the others. “I’m here to help in any way I can.”

The other women exchanged nervous looks, avoiding meeting Aggie’s eyes. The air around them crackled with tension.

Mrs. Garrett cleared her throat, her cheeks more pink than usual. “The bunting is hopelessly tangled after being stored for the year. It would be lovely if you could untangle it.”

Aggie fought to keep her expression neutral. Untangling bunting was a job for a girl barely out of the schoolroom or a woman too old to tackle any of the more challenging jobs, like organizing the locations of the booths for each competition. “Certainly.” She did her best to smile and headed toward the table of tangled bunting.

“Well, that’s sorted,” Mrs. Garrett said, turning to the other women. They inched together and closed their circle, keeping Aggie on the outside. “The next thing we need to decide is who should fill the judging positions that have been left vacant.”

Aggie tugged at the pile of faded blue, white, and red fabric, separating flags that had been twisted and knotted around each other. The task seemed gargantuan, especially with her nerves as raw as they were. The more she tugged, the more complicated the knots got. Much like her own life. She worked diligently, though, keeping her ears open for a way to join the other women’s conversation.

“Dr. Newsome has agreed to step in at the last minute

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