Mourning Gloria

Table of Contents

 

 

 

AN UNTHYMELY DEATH CHINA BAYLES’ BOOK OF DAYS

 

 

THE TALE OF HILL TOP FARM
THE TALE OF HOLLY HOW
THE TALE OF CUCKOO BROW WOOD
THE TALE OF HAWTHORN HOUSE
THE TALE OF BRIAR BANK
THE TALE OF APPLEBECK ORCHARD
THE TALE OF OAT CAKE CRAG

 

 

THE DARLING DAHLIAS AND THE CUCUMBER TREE

 

 

WRITING FROM LIFE
WORK OF HER OWN

TOGETHER, ALONE, A MEMOIR OF MARRIAGE AND PLACE AN EXTRAORDINARY YEAR OF ORDINARY DAYS

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Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

 

This book is an original publication of The Berkley Publishing Group.

 

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

 

PUBLISHER’S NOTE: The recipes contained in this book are to be followed exactly as written. The publisher is not responsible for your specific health or allergy needs that may require medical supervision. The publisher is not responsible for any adverse reaction to the recipes contained in this book.

Copyright © 2011 by Susan Wittig Albert.

 

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

 

Albert, Susan Wittig.

p. cm.

eISBN : 978-1-101-47627-7

1. Bayles, China (Fictitious character)—Fiction. 2. Herbalists—Fiction. 3. Arson investigation—Fiction. 4. Murder—Investigation—Fiction. 5. Texas Hill Country (Tex.)—Fiction. I. Title.

PS3551.L2637M68 2011

813'.54—dc22

2010046357

 

 

 

This description of the hallucinogenic effects elicited by the Aztec “magical” preparation ololiuqui [morning glory seeds], was recorded by Francisco Hernández, personal physician to Philip II of Spain. He carried out extensive investigations on the flora and fauna of Mexico during the years 1570–75. [His report] contains a detailed description of the preparation and use of ololiuqui, and he notes that: “When the priests wanted to commune with their gods and receive a message from them . . . they ate this plant; and a thousand visions and satanic hallucinations appeared to them.” This is one of the earliest written accounts of the use of a hallucinogen, and it provides cogent support for the belief that primitive cultures employed psychoactive plant extracts to gain access to the supernatural rather than for pleasure.

John Mann
Murder, Magic, and Medicine

Those of us who cultivate herbs sometimes get into the habit of treating them like well-mannered pets. We find them useful in our food, cosmetics, and medicines; we enjoy growing them and using them to decorate our gardens and our homes; and we take delight in their taste, scent, and form. Where herbs are concerned, we like to think that we’re always in charge.

But sometimes we’re not as much in charge as we might think. In this book, I want to tell a story built around plants that have power over us, changing the way we feel. These herbs contain phytochemicals that may enhance our moods (such as the bolstering caffeine in coffee and tea that keeps us awake; or the esters, ketones, and aldehydes in lavender that have the ability to ease us into sleep). Or they may stimulate and relax us at the same time, like the nicotine in tobacco, which produces simultaneous feelings of calmness, alertness, sharpness, and relaxation, as well as enhancing concentration and memory. Plant chemicals may also create feelings of euphoria and awareness of sensation (chile peppers, chocolate, marijuana); feelings of alertness and physical and sexual energy (cocaine, derived from the coca plant); and powerful hallucinations (the seeds of certain morning glories, for instance). Plant chemicals may also narcotize us and dull all sensation (morphine and codeine, derived from the opium poppy)—useful painkillers when we need them.

I’m not encouraging you to experiment with the more powerful of these mood-altering plants. But I do think we need to understand that many of the most common and familiar plants have the ability to influence our perceptions and behaviors. Imagining all herbs as warm and fuzzy “feel-good” plants is a mistake. Used unwisely, even mild-mannered plants can pack an unexpectedly powerful punch, especially when they are combined with prescription drugs. Before you ingest any plant, consult with the appropriate professionals, do your homework, and use your common sense.

Mourning Gloria
is fiction, and all of the incidents, people, and places (yes, even Pecan Springs, and isn’t that too bad?) are fictional or used in a fictitious way. For me, stories derive a particular meaning and resonance from particular places, and the Texas Hill Country is a favorite nonfictional place of mine. The summers are always hot and often dry; the winters are mild and sometimes wet, especially in El Niño years. I hope you’ll come for a visit in April, when the spring wildflowers are in bloom—in bloom, that is, if the winter has been wet enough. Gardeners will understand.

As usual, thanks go to the herbalists and researchers who have compiled the various books and monographs I rely on, and to the many friends around the country who support this series. I am also grateful to Alice LeDuc, who checks my botanical references, and to Gina Mondello, the winner of a “cameo character” raffle for the benefit of the Story Circle Network. Gina agreed to come in on short notice and work in China’s shop for a day. Thanks, Gina!

 

Susan Wittig Albert
Bertram, Texas

The TV weatherman had forecast thunderstorms for the evening but clear skies and plenty of sunshine and warm temperatures for the coming weekend, so Gloria tossed a pair of khaki shorts into her duffle bag and followed them up with her red bikini and a tube of suntan cream. The patio at home was totally private, and she could lie on a longue and bake in the sun as long as she wanted, with or without her bikini—all day if she felt like it, with a pitcher of iced tea at her elbow and her iPod and music. She’d get all nice and toasty brown, and there’d be time to do her hair and take long baths and work on her nails. A makeover weekend. A serious boost to her morale.