declared Mary’s intention to be a noble one and that the three of them should proceed at once to the church.
It turned out that the preacher was not otherwise occupied and was very grateful for the Bennets’ offer to help him restock his larder. As the church was in the center of town, the wagon was left there, and the small party strolled to Zimmerman’s General Store.
Carl Zimmerman was the son of German immigrants whose family had moved to Rosings when he was a child. He inherited the family store before the war after traveling back east to meet, marry, and bring back Helga, his wife by arranged marriage. As gregarious as he was short, the popular storekeeper had served as the mayor of Rosings for almost ten years. It was mainly a ceremonious position; his only power had been the Mayor’s Court, and that had been taken away by the occupation government. All judicial authority in Texas was now wielded by appointees, who were invariably loyal to the governor. In Long Branch County, Texas native Judge Alton Phillips was still in office only because of an advantageous switching of his political affiliation to the Republican Party.
So, except for the speech given each year on the Second of March—Texas Independence Day, the date the Republic of Texas declared its break from Santa Anna’s Mexico—Mayor Zimmerman was essentially a shopkeeper.
The ladies and gentleman entered the store only to have their ears assaulted by strong words uttered loudly. All attention was called to the long counter that bisected the room where the slight storeowner was berating a black woman wearing a light-colored dress with a blue apron, a wide-brimmed straw hat on her head.
“Now, I told you not to come in by the front door!” Zimmerman’s face was flushed with anger as he shook a finger in the woman’s face. “If you want something, come by the back door. The back door!” he emphasized by pointing with that finger.
“I’m sorry. I won’t do it again,” the woman mumbled.
“I tell you and I tell you, but you won’t listen! You understand English, eh? Understand this, Mrs. Washington—front door for whites only!”
Beth was aghast and mortified at the woman’s treatment. Allowing her eyes to escape the distressing scene, she noted a couple in a corner of the store by the front window. She was startled to see it was Mr. and Miss Darcy, both wearing disgusted expressions.
“But,” the woman addressed as Mrs. Washington stuttered, “I seen Mrs. Gomez come in here—”
“Are you back-talking me, woman?” Zimmerman demanded. “Go to the back door! If you don’t like that, maybe I don’t sell you anything, eh?”
“No, no! I need my order… got money. I… I’ll go—around back, okay?”
Just then, Tilney stepped forward. “Here, that’s enough of that!” He walked up to the pair.
Zimmerman looked up. “Eh? Reverend Tilney, what do you want?”
He ignored the shopkeeper and addressed the woman. “Mrs. Washington, how do you do?”
“Fine, Reverend Tilney, just fine.”
Zimmerman broke in. “I was just telling her that she has to go ’round back, Reverend.”
Mary could stand for no more. “And why is that?”
Before Zimmerman could respond to her, Tilney broke in. “Miss Mary! We must remember this is Mr. Zimmerman’s store, and as such, he makes the rules.” He threw a glare at the shop owner before turning to Mrs. Washington. “May I escort you around to the back, madam?”
The humiliated woman waved him off. “Oh, no, Reverend Tilney, I can find my own way. Don’t bother yourself.”
Tilney smiled. “Very well. I’ll be expecting you at church this Sunday. We haven’t seen y’all there yet.”
Mrs. Washington smiled. “Thank you kindly for the invite, but I don’t want to intrude.”
“All are welcomed in God’s house.”
She thought for a moment. “Then we’ll be there. Thank you again.” With as much dignity as she could muster, she walked out of the store.
Zimmerman was troubled. “Preacher, you’re inviting slaves to services?”
Tilney turned to him. “Are you questioning the way I run the church?”
“I
Just then, Darcy approached the men. “Excuse me, but I was wondering if my order was ready?” Darcy wore a completely blank expression, as if the confrontation had not occurred.
Zimmerman was all that was amiable to Rosings’s most affluent customer. “Yes, sir, Mr. Darcy. Just step this way.” Zimmerman scampered behind the counter and walked quickly to the far end. Darcy turned to follow, begging the others’ pardon once more.
“Well,” said Beth under her breath, “he’s certainly the lord and master ’round here!”
Tilney cocked one eyebrow. “He was here before us, Miss Beth. We can wait our turn.”
Mary was about to have her share of the conversation, but she was caught by the intense look on Mr. Zimmerman’s face as Darcy spoke to him. The tone was far too low for her to hear, but the effect was instantaneous. The shopkeeper almost ran to the back door, his face, if anything, redder than before.
“My mistake,” Darcy drawled to his sister, “apparently, we have a customer before us.”
The altercation had put all of them off their proposed shopping expedition. Beth and the others gathered on the front porch, taking in the town for several minutes. The front door opened, and Miss Darcy walked out followed by her brother, his arms filled with packages.
“Gaby, you wait here while I put these in the wagon,” Darcy advised. Tilney and Jane immediately walked over to keep her company while her brother finished his task, the Bennet sisters following in their wake.
“How do you do today, Miss Gaby?” Jane said. The girl exchanged greetings with everyone before discussing the weather until Darcy rejoined them.
Mary was waiting for this opportunity. “Miss Darcy! I was talking to Reverend Tilney earlier and expressed the desire to improve the church choir.”
“That sounds like a very noble undertaking, Miss Mary,” the girl said.
“Perhaps you would be interested in joining us?”
Gaby Darcy blushed. “Oh! Oh, I… I’m sorry, but I can’t. I’m not a member of the church.”
“Uhh, Mary—” Tilney began, but the girl overrode him.
“Well, that’s easily taken care of. If your brother is too busy to bring you to services, perhaps I can speak to my father. It would be no trouble for us to take you.”
“Mary!” Tilney hissed. Darcy began to frown.
Mary continued as if Tilney said nothing and turned to the rancher. “But you should go, Mr. Darcy! You need to be in church. All the money in the world won’t do you a bit of good in the afterlife if you ignore God’s words. Remember, the Good Book says, ‘It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven.’”
Beth noticed Miss Gaby blanch, as Darcy’s face grew very red.
“Thank you for the warning, Miss Bennet. Rest assured that both my sister and I take Our Savior’s words very seriously and do well to remember them in church every Sunday. Come along, Gaby.” The Darcys walked away towards their carriage.
“Church?” Mary looked at Tilney, who held his hand over his eyes. “But… but they don’t—”
Jane took Mary by the arm. “That’s enough. You don’t know what you’re saying. The Darcys attend church every Sunday.”
Even Beth was bewildered. “Where?”
Tilney lowered his hand. “At the mission across the river. The Darcys are Catholic.”
Now it was Beth’s turn to go pale, for just then the Darcy carriage rolled by, Darcy stone-faced while an unhappy Miss Darcy held a handkerchief in her lap.
Mary grasped Tilney by the arm and cried, “Catholics! Oh, my! Reverend Goldring back in Meryton said that Catholics weren’t really Christians and that it’s our duty to save their souls.”
The pair in the carriage started—Mary’s voice had carried over the sound of the wheels—and the preacher lost his temper.
“Miss Mary, that’s foolish talk!” Mary bit back a sob as Tilney fought to control his annoyance and wait until the Darcys were out of earshot. “Miss Mary, religious study is a wonderful thing. It’s been my honor and pleasure to read and ponder the words given to us by Our Maker. But, before you quote scripture again, I would suggest you
