Page 40 of Suncatcher

“Oh my,” Cecilia said, her steps faltering.

“What?”

“Why are there so many graves?”

The cemetery extended outward from the back of the house, separated by only a thin iron fence. “Does no one die where you’re from?”

“No, of course they do,” Cecilia said, her hands fluttering. “But why are they here? Where is the temple to the empress?”

Pearl had to force herself not to roll her eyes. “You’ll find our worship a much more subtle and practical sort.”

When the Amelior Empire had been formed after the annihilation of the gods, the empress had demanded worship only of her. But no one out here had much time or use for that sort of thing.

Cecilia studied Pearl, her gaze boldly tracking down her figure and lingering on her holsters. “And are you responsible for many of these headstones?”

“A few.” Pearl suddenly wasn’t in the mood for flirting. “And I’ve known most.” Her gaze swept the area, landing on four headstones in a row. One large, and three small.

A wilted white daisy rested in front of each. The sheriff wasn’t one for sentimentality, but every week without fail, a new token showed up. Daisies in the summer, asters in the fall, feathers or rosehips in the winter.

Pearl never left anything.

Her eyes lifted to the fields beyond, the farthest flooded one still shimmering in the sunlight, and then toward the hidden ravine, where Driz likely slept right now. Pearl shouldn’t have wished the day would hurry up. She shouldn’t have been eager to see Driz again.

She looked back at Cecilia, forcing a smile and appreciating her beauty. This was theoretically the ideal woman for Pearl. She was pretty, clearly interested, and already married. It would be un-messy and brief. The sheriff would skin Pearl alive if she found out, but perhaps Pearl was good at negotiating in her own way. If it went wrong, it could blow up everything. But if it went right, it might help. Happy wife, happy commissioner, right?

And perhaps a part of Pearl hoped it would blow up. Would the railroad coming here really be best for their town, as her mother and Mayor Wallace said? So many things would change. Shipments would be easier. But more people would come. More outsiders. More infrastructure. Bringing opportunities, and also danger and the destruction of their quiet solitude. It was hard and rough out here, but it was home.

“Are you in there?” Cecilia watched her intently. Her eyes were the light, sparkling brown of a shallow river.

Pearl had a job to do. Yet she couldn’t seem to bring herself to want to do it. “My apologies.”

“I’m not boring you, am I?”

“Not at all.”

“So what do you do for fun out here?” Cecilia asked, standing close, her river-water eyes inviting. “Seems it would get dreadfully dull.”

“On the contrary, there’s rarely a dull moment.”

“Not much shopping.” Cecilia laughed lightly, and it grated oddly.

“Not on hand, but we can get near anything, if we’re willing to wait a month or two.”

“A month or two!” Cecilia placed a hand on Pearl’s elbow. Not quite a casual gesture. “But the trends may have already changed by the time an order arrives.”

“As we’ve established, we don’t care much for current trends out here. Though Molly, our milliner and tailor, can create whatever we fancy.”

Cecilia hummed, her hand still on Pearl. “So you don’t care for fashions, and you don’t worship our empress. What other proprieties do you disregard?”

Pearl knew the answer she should give. The one Cecilia sought, and which would test what Pearl had been planning. “That’s about it, I think.” She cleared her throat, pulling back and breaking the hold on her arm. “What about you? What’re your favorite pastimes? You’ve clearly got an excellent eye for trends.”

Pearl had no idea if her statement was true, but she hated the flash of hurt on the young woman’s face. Thankfully, Cecilia was content enough to talk about herself, and Pearl tried to be interested as Cecilia told her all about the city. She clearly missed it. It sounded awful to Pearl. But she smiled, happy enough to watch a woman speak about things that excited her.

The day slipped by, and Pearl let it. By the time the commissioner, the mayor, and the sheriff joined them outside, Pearl had kept her hands entirely to herself.

She eyed her mother to determine how the conversation went, but she gave little away. She didn’t appear upset, at least.

“Well, I’ll be off now,” Pearl said, glancing at the afternoon sun. She needed to sort out a few things before it set.