Fourteen
Viola seemed to be on a mission to keep Caro occupied. She’d shown up at the store, insisting on driving Caro to Berwick-upon-Tweed for a shopping day. Berwick-upon-Tweed was about an hour north of Alnster, and only a few miles south of the Scottish border.
As I had a shop to run and it was now open Tuesday to Saturday, I couldn’t tag along, and Caro, remembering our discussion about Newcastle, didn’t want to shop without me. Which was sweet. However, I remembered how little she’d brought in the way of clothes and encouraged her to go.
Life in the store was restful. After discussing some changes I wanted to make with Penny, I had the go-ahead to implement them. For others, scrolling through sales and stock history might not sound fun, but for me it was invigorating. I discovered stock that hadn’t moved in years, and with Penny’s permission I decided to donate them—children’s books to children’s hospitals, fiction to literary programs, and our local nonfiction to a charity store on the main street in Alnwick.
I really wanted to order beach reads for the summer display, something Penny was wary of doing. It was one thing to lose money on old stock, but new stock was a different story. Especially when she might be selling the store in a few short months. Still, I convinced her to let me order enough copies for a window display.
And it was paying off. Not only were summer tourists purchasing copies, but so were the locals. Caro alone bought five different romantic comedies from the new stock.
Donating gave me an idea that Penny loved. With an advertisement on the shop door, and by word of mouth, I launched a new promotion at Much Ado About Books. If customers brought in their used books for me to donate to different charitable organizations, they’d get a discount on any new books they bought at the store. Judging by the many locals who had taken advantage of the promo, I’d say it was a success.
Running the bookstore didn’t feel like a job, especially on days I found myself lounging on one of the armchairs, reading in between customers. I liked to think customers found the sight of the manager actually reading the books she was selling a pretty charming quality.
I’d just finished Anna Karenina. Admittedly, some of it was kind of a slog, but it was quite the tale. Now I was rereading Jane Eyre. It was one of my absolute favorites. Darcy was surely the OG of book boyfriends, but Rochester came along a few decades later, and although he divided critics, I loved him. Some of the things he said to Jane . . . be still, my beating heart.
I wished men still talked like that. So poetic yet raw and heartfelt.
The sound of the bell over the door brought my head around, and I stood up to greet the customer, only to stiffen when I saw it was Tony the baker. “Can I help?” I asked, wary.
Tony glanced toward the back hallway. “I’m looking for Caroline.”
Oh, I bet he was.
But wait . . . how did he know she’d be here?
Seeing the question in my eyes, he said, “People are talking. Said she’d left Helena and is staying here now.”
My goodness, village life indeed. I wondered how they’d found out, and marveled at how quickly the rumor mill moved.
“She is staying here, but she’s out with a friend. I don’t know when she’ll be back.”
Tony raised an eyebrow. “Seems she’s quite the popular wee thing these days.”
I thought I should make my dislike for his condescending tone clear, so I crossed my arms over my chest. “Would you like me to pass along a message?”
He mirrored my body language. “You think I want to cause the lass trouble?”
“I don’t know you, so I don’t know what you want with Caro. But you should know she has a lot of people who care about her, including a six-foot-four cousin who is built like a brick shithouse and sees her as a little sister.”
The baker surprised me with a small smile. “Aye, I’m aware Roane Robson would have my head if I caused that lass any more hurt than she’s already found. I just wanted to speak with her about a work opportunity.”
It was almost on the tip of my tongue to dress him down for coming to Caro now that she’d proven herself popular on Market Day, when he’d rejected her before. I bit back the snark and gave him a sharp nod. “I’ll let her know you’re looking to speak with her.”
“My thanks.” He moved toward the door and then glanced back at me. “You seem like a nice lass, and Penny is a friend of mine . . .”
“Yes?”
“I don’t know who started the rumor, but it’s milled its way out of The Alnster Inn and found its way among the villagers.”
My heart began to race. “What rumor?”
“A lot of the village try to shop local when they can, and always buy and order books through Penny. Rumor out of The Alnster Inn is that in Penny’s absence, you’ve upped the price of books that are already more expensive than what people can get online.”
My lips parted in affront. “That’s a blatant lie. The prices are the same. Plus, I’m offering my charity discount. Everyone knows that.”
“Aye, well, I know Penny counts on parents ordering books here for their kids when they go back to school after the holidays, so you might want to see about killing that rumor before it takes on a life of its own.”
“Why would anyone lie about that?”
Tony grimaced. “You decided to settle down awhile, that makes you a villager, and you made your choice clear.”
“My choice?”
“Milly.”
Just like that it dawned on me what Tony was getting at. “The village feud?” I huffed. “Seriously? Isn’t this all a little over-the-top, immature nonsense?”
He chuckled. “Oh, aye . . . but this is also one of the smallest villages on the Northumberland Coast. If drama can be found to spice up life, you’ll be sure people will mine that stuff for decades.”
“I came here for peace and quiet.” I threw my hands up in disbelief.
Tony grinned. “Aye, you’ll find that here too. On the beach. At sunset. When no other bugger is around.” With a nod he strode out of the store, and I was left there fuming with my hands on my hips.
Had West Elliot started a petty rumor just because I failed to frequent his premises?
Well, that was about to change! That evening, when it was busy, when I knew more locals would be in the pub, I was going to march in there and set them all straight.
* * *
• • •
Truthfully, I’d felt a lot braver this afternoon when I was planning my onslaught.