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Seemed like Chalmer should be the one on the chopping block for that, but she took the criticism silently. Maybe someday things would get straightened out. She often wondered if she’d get to heaven and God would fix everything. All the unfairly accused people would finally be vindicated, lies would come to light, and the truth would be known.
Maybe she was wrong about that, but she couldn’t help but remember that Jesus was led as a lamb to slaughter, and he didn’t open his mouth to defend himself. If Jesus was her example, shouldn’t she do the same?
It had been a question she’d been thinking about for a while, and she’d been trying to practice just allowing things to slide, rather than fighting them and spending a lot of time trying to prove she was right. It seemed like she wasted a lot of time trying to defend herself at times, when it really didn’t matter.
“So, Ellen has agreed to donate the rest of this evening, and a week’s worth of time, eight hours a day, for five days, to whoever bids the highest for her. Now, you can put her to work, or you can put her in the parlor and look at her, but no touching. And I have it on good authority that she’s not allowed to take any clothes off.”
There were a few gasps and a lot of chuckles from the audience as he said that.
Ellen could feel her cheeks flaming, clear up to the tips of her ears.
This was not her idea of a good time, although she did feel like the money was going to a good cause.
She had enjoyed the rest of the auction, watching as ladies stood by their buckets, and she’d been happy for Maeve as Tadgh had bought her bucket.
Maeve had beamed and walked away hand in hand with her dad.
It had been adorable, and Ellen had smiled the whole time.
Hers was probably not going to have such a happy ending. But there was no law that said she had to be bought by a man. Maybe one of the aquatic ladies would buy her, and they’d end up doing eight hours of water instruction.
It was kind of crazy that Ellen had gotten roped into being the aquatic instructor. She really wasn’t that great of a swimmer, but they’d needed an instructor, and someone had asked her, and she said sure.
She ended up learning right along with the ladies, but they had fun, and she supposed that was the most important thing after getting out and being active for them.
Regardless, she could keep her hopes up that that would be what would happen. She wouldn’t mind that at all.
Swallowing hard, she walked up the steps and stood on the stage.
“Come on, girl, come a little closer. I’m not going to bite you,” Mr. Higginbotham said, making her feel like she was three.
She walked closer, feeling like she was headed to the gallows. Reminding herself that the people watching were her friends, her family, and her neighbors.
She shouldn’t have any reason to be afraid. Maybe she wasn’t exactly afraid, she just was...nervous. She’d never done anything like this before, never known anyone who had. Couldn’t really believe that it was happening, even as Mr. Higginbotham started the bidding at a dollar.
She almost gave him a second look. Really? A dollar for an evening and five working days? That didn’t seem like nearly enough.
Someone called out ten dollars, and then fifty, and the bidding went up from there. It was happening too fast for Ellen to be able to tell exactly who was bidding. She caught her uncle Tadgh’s smirk as he bid sixty-two dollars and then waved a hand saying it was too high after the next bid, and everyone around him laughed.
She smirked as well. Since she knew he was just messing with her.
Then, as the bidding went over a hundred dollars, she heard a voice that made her cringe.
Chalmer’s voice. She hadn’t even considered that someone like him might buy her. She had been more focused about actually standing up here and offering herself for sale.
No one seemed worried about it, and Chalmer wasn’t known as a bad person. He had two small children with Shanna, his ex-wife, and he treated them well. It just seemed that he was a little pushy when it came to Ellen. Although she had never complained to anyone, so no one would think to stop him from purchasing her.
Not that she thought she was going to be in any danger. She just wouldn’t enjoy her forced time of servitude if Chalmer was the one who would be telling her what to do.
But as the price went up, there were three or four different voices, and always Chalmer’s rang in when Ellen’s hope started to rise that he would be outbid.
Finally, when the price was almost two hundred dollars, which was high for the working folk of Sweet Water, Mr. Higginbotham looked around and said, “Going once, going twice...” He paused for dramatic effect probably, and Ellen stood with her heart in her throat.
Chalmer’s bid had been the last one.
“Sold!” He slammed his gavel down on the podium and then used it to point out Chalmer. “There you go. You won the little lady, but she doesn’t come with food.”
The crowd laughed as Ellen lifted her chin, smiled a little for the benefit of the crowd, and then lifted a shoulder. She actually had come with food, and it was Chalmer’s fault that she didn’t at this point. She kind of felt like it was almost just desserts.
