“We should have stayed at home,” she repeated. “Whitaker shouldn’t have to look after Sadie all by himself.”
“They’ll be fine. Come on. Let’s get seats along the back.”
Stepping into that tent felt as if we’d entered one of the hellish landscapes Briard was always threatening sinners with from the top of his pulpit. My cotton voile was uncomfortably damp, clinging to my frame in a claustrophobic embrace. I took a steadying breath and nearly gagged. The air was rank with perspiration. The foul taste lingered at the back of my throat, bringing tears to my eyes. I turned to flee but ran straight into the parson.
“Ellerie!” He greeted me with a hearty pat on my back, stalling my escape.
I stared with fascinated horror at his long white robes and heavily stitched stole. His face was already as dark as a beet, and he’d not even begun his sermon.
“Take a seat, take a seat. We’ll be beginning soon…”
I stepped closer to Merry, slipping from the added heat of his hand, and he turned toward the Fairhopes. He looked boisterous.
“Ah. Ezra. No, no, what was it? Don’t tell me….”
“Ephraim,” he said, showing no inclination to play the parson’s game.
“Ephraim.” Parson Briard shrugged, as if that was of no consequence. “I’m so glad you could join us. I want you to see this. See and understand. Amity Falls is full of good, righteous people. I know that when we come together in prayer, God will smite this wickedness from us.”
His eyes shone with such a delirious fervency, I wondered if he was suffering from heatstroke.
“I’m certain he will,” Ephraim said as I scanned the crowd for Dr. Ambrose.
The parson grinned before leaving. “Good Blessings to you—to all of you.”
“Good Blessings,” we repeated.
Matthias Dodson sidled down the line of chairs. “Ephraim, Thomas,” he said, offering a nod to Merry and me. “This ought to be a…diverting spectacle.” He gazed to Briard, who was cajoling families to sit closer to the makeshift altar. “Amos, Leland, and I would like to speak with you both. We need to have a plan to put in place once…all this…is over with. Join us, won’t you?”
There were only two empty chairs near the other Elders.
“Go on,” I assured Ephraim. “Merry and I will be fine back here.”
“Keep an eye out,” he warned before they left.
“This is going to take all afternoon, isn’t it?” Merry asked as we sank into our seats. “I don’t see Sam yet, do you? I’ll save him a place…just in case.”
Her fervent belief in Sam’s return shamed me. In truth, I’d hardly given my brother a moment’s thought since he’d left. There were too many other matters taking up space in my mind, each more pressing than the next. Sam would come back if Sam decided to.
“Good Blessings, Downing girls,” said a voice, as sharp as a razor.
Letitia Briard made her way into the tent. Her silvering hair was pulled into a severe bun, making the center of her eyebrows point in perpetual disbelief.
“I’m so glad you all could be here. I simply can’t wait to hear what you’ll be confessing, Ellerie.” Her eyes ran over my wilted pink dress before she turned to greet the other families slinking reluctantly inside.
“You didn’t really take that fabric, did you?” Merry asked once the parson’s wife was out of earshot.
Her doubt stung. “Of course not. You were there when Whitaker brought it back.”
“I know. I know that,” she said, and wiped at her forehead. “It’s just…it’s just so hot.”
We fell into silence, wretchedly waiting for the revival to begin. Merry kept watch for our brother, certain he’d arrive with the last of the stragglers, but Briard made his way to the front, and the seat beside her remained open.
“Good Blessings to you all on this fine morning,” Parson Briard called out, starting the gathering. “I’ve brought you here today because I believe a serious threat faces Amity Falls. No one can be unaware of the recent string of vandalism and violence plaguing our town. There are some here…”
He turned his focus pointedly to the Elders and the Fairhopes. Matthias sat with his arms crossed over his chest, listening with incredulity, and Leland’s head listed to the side. Amos appeared to have fallen asleep, his mouth open and panting.
“There are some here who would have you believe that outside forces are to blame. That an army of mysterious monsters”—he waggled his fingers in theatrical disbelief—“have come to the Falls with the sole purpose of disrupting our lives. They would believe in boogeymen rather than taking a good, long look within themselves.”
“Are you talking about the creatures in the woods?” Prudence Latheton asked, standing up. “The ones with the silver eyes? Those aren’t figments of our imagination. I’ve seen them. Edmund has.” She looked around at her neighbors. Several nodded in support. “Many of us have.”
“Have you seen actual fiends of flesh and blood, or is it perhaps the work of a guilty mind, playing tricks on you?”
“I’ve seen them,” she insisted.
“You’ve seen lots of things, haven’t you, Prudence?” Parson Briard said, leveling his full attention upon her. “In fact, I’d say you’re known as one of the biggest busybodies in all of God’s Grasp.”
Someone behind her tittered, and she whirled around with narrowed eyes.
“In Paul’s letter to the Romans, he wrote ‘wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.’ None of us should be so quick to throw stones, for there’s not a single person here who is without fault.”
Briard withdrew a handkerchief and patted at his face.
“But we can come together, in a spirit of unity and contrition, to confess our misdeeds and ask for forgiveness. I believe this is the only thing that will eradicate the wickedness upon our valley. We are to blame. We must seek to atone. In fact…Prudence, please, come join me at the front.”
She made a shallow sound of confusion.
“There’s no need for anxiety. You are among friends. Family even, for we are all brothers and sisters in the Gathering. Please.”
When she reached the front, he positioned her so they both faced the crowd, and he placed steady hands on her shoulders. I suppose it was meant to show a sign of accord, but his fingers dug into her thin shoulders, keeping her from bolting.