[image error]

Flora Moss sneaked into the house through the kitchen’s back door and scurried into the pantry, hoping she had not been missed. She slipped off her wool cloak and returned to the kitchen to finish peeling potatoes.

Madra peered suspiciously at her. “About time you got on with those vegetables, Flora. Where have you been all this time?”

“Out, I had to see my sister,” Flora said. She sat down on a kitchen stool and faced a bowl full of potatoes and carrots. Frowning, she began stripping the vegetables of their skins with a vicious zeal. Each lump of potato, each stick of carrot, had a name — Rena Oldroyd, Darcy Oldroyd — every Oldroyd she could name — even her sister Tilly — and then she picked a few more choice names.

When she spied Orrick driving the sleigh past a kitchen window, she asked, “Where is Orrick going in Miss Oanada’s sleigh at this time of day? Is something going on? Is Miss Oanada leaving?”

“None of your business, Flora. Finish peeling the vegetables. Lotta Jo needs them for the stew.”

“Madra!” Flora hissed beneath her breath and sent a peel of potato skin flying across the kitchen table.

***

Painting: Albert Samuel Anker (Swiss, 1831-1910) ~ The Little Potato Peeler (Girl Peeling Potatoes), 1886, public domain.

Excerpt, copyright, 2020.

#Voice of the Wind: Shadows of Time series