An Unexpected Suitor by Anna Schmidt

unsettling scene just recently as she was on her way home after church.”
    Lucille Dobbs made a detailed study of the pattern on the rug as Rose continued. “Really, child, a man on his knees outside your door and then you invite him onto the side porch where your interactions are concealed by foliage?” Once again she clicked her tongue in disapproval.
    “It was a business matter,” Nola said quietly. “Surely having seen Mr. Starbuck in church, all of you are well aware of his penchant for the dramatic? He was putting on an act to—”
    “Harrison Starbuck was a rogue as a youth and I am sad to report that he does not seem to have matured much in that facet of his personality. He quite devastated our daughter, Violet, just last summer. And my dear boys looked up to him—so impressionable. So young and trusting. Vulnerable even in spite of their size and age.” She shook her head and her companions nodded sympathetically.
    Rose’s sons, Edgar and Albert, were now fifteen and sixteen respectively. They were hardly children. The truth was that although they were quite pious and innocent-looking whenever their mother was around, there had been some rumors that they were at the center of a group of mischief makers on the island. In fact Nola had heard more than one local resident compare them to a younger Harry Starbuck.
    “My interactions with Mr. Starbuck are purely business,” Nola repeated.
    “Sadly we were forced to send dear Violet off to Europe to recover,” Rose continued as if Nola had not spoken. “Alistair insists that the man is very shrewd in business, but, if you ask me, people do have a tendency to give him far more leeway than is usual. You would be well advised to watch your step, my dear.”
    “I…”
    “All of which brings us back to the main point,” Rose interrupted as she moved to the door and slid it open. “These people are not our sort, Nola,” she said. “As my dear Alistair is quick to remind me, they provide a service in enhancingthe appeal of our little community to the tourists to be sure, but one crosses the line in actually forming alliances—business or otherwise. Lucille, Dorothy,” she commanded as the two hurried to follow her out into the foyer.
    Harry Starbuck and your husband are partners in numerous business ventures that include theatrical productions, Nola wanted to shout as the three women descended the porch stairs and set off down the street. Maybe you should speak to your precious Alistair about interacting with “that sort.”
    When she turned away from the door, biting her lip, Olga was waiting. “These women are bourgeois,” she huffed, and Nola realized that she had heard Rose’s last comment.
    Nola could not hide her surprise at what she realized was Olga’s expression of sympathy and support. “Nevertheless, they are quite powerful here in ’Sconset,” she warned.
    Olga shrugged. “And history has taught us that those who think themselves invincible are the easiest to topple,” she said as she glided across the hall to greet the latest customer.

Chapter Six
    A lthough Nola agreed with Rose that once the locals had satisfied their curiosity business would slacken, at the moment the tearoom was quite busy, and the afternoon flew by. Nola barely had time to dwell on the encounter with Mrs. Gillenwater as she circulated among tables occupied by townspeople and even a few early arriving tourists. A mother and daughter visiting from New Bedford seemed so taken by the ambience of the place that they asked if Nola had ever considered renting the tearoom out for weddings or receptions. She was pleased to receive compliments on the fare, the service and the addition of the background music. She did not want to take credit for Ellie’s idea but at the same time did not wish to get into a long explanation of how Ellie and the others had come to work for her.
    By the time the last customer had left, Nola had all but put the encounter with Rose Gillenwater