{"id":253236,"date":"2026-07-13T02:40:51","date_gmt":"2026-07-12T23:40:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/1kitap1.com\/en\/a-swing-of-the-axe-winnie-frolik-1\/"},"modified":"2026-07-13T02:40:51","modified_gmt":"2026-07-12T23:40:51","slug":"a-swing-of-the-axe-winnie-frolik-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/1kitap1.com\/en\/a-swing-of-the-axe-winnie-frolik-1\/","title":{"rendered":"A Swing Of The Axe – Winnie Frolik (1)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u201cThank you\u2026\u201d Mrs. Palmer hesitated. She was well aware of who Mary Grey and Shaefer were. Plemmerdyn was that sort of village. But would it be polite to address them without proper introduction? \u201cMiss Grey.\u201d Mary kindly resolved it for her. \u201cAnd this is Franz Shaefer. It\u2019s a pleasure to meet you.\u201d Formal introductions were made all around. \u201cShall I get a third chair?\u201d Shaefer asked. \u201cOh no, I couldn\u2019t possibly intrude,\u201d Mrs. Palmer demurred. \u201cNot at all, we are grateful for the additional company.\u201d<\/p>\n

Space was cleared at the table and Mrs. Palmer happily took a seat with them. The tea shop girl then produced a steaming mug of Earl Grey and a plate of lemon cakes. Clearly, Mrs. Palmer was a regular patron whose tastes were well known. \u201cLibby\u2014my charwoman\u2014is at my home today so I left Amy with her and a good book while I ran a few errands,\u201d Mrs. Palmer explained. \u201cThen I thought I\u2019d get a quick cup and bite while I was out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot the best weather to be running about the village in, is it?\u201d Mary noted sympathetically. Mrs. Palmer gave a wry smile. \u201cWell, it is England. If I waited only for good weather to do my shopping, Amy and I would both starve.\u201d And, Mary thought shrewdly, Mrs. Palmer had no doubt needed a day out.<\/p>\n

She\u2019d seen it before. Mothers and wives of invalids who wore themselves ragged caring for their loved ones. They needed to treat themselves from time to time even if the treat in question was just tea and cake. As every nurse knew all too well, in families where a mother never got away from the sick bed, \u201caccidents\u201d had a way of happening. \u201cIs it true you\u2019re a trained nurse, Miss Grey?\u201d Mrs. Palmer turned to Mary briefly.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am.\u201d \u201cIs there any chance you\u2019ll be staying on as Nurse Thewlis\u2019s replacement?\u201d She tried to sound casual, but there was a high note in her voice. Mary reflected old Mrs. Dudgeon was probably not the only one worried whether Plemmerdyn would have a nurse again anytime soon. \u201cSorry, but I\u2019m just here temporarily,\u201d Mary admitted. \u201cBut I\u2019m sure they\u2019ll find another nurse to this district soon.\u201d \u201cYou seem kind is all,\u201d Mrs. Palmer said. \u201cI thought Amy might like you.<\/p>\n

She was quite fond of Nurse Thewlis, you know. It\u2019s not easy for her to take to people. But the nurse was very kind to her. And she\u2019s sad to hear Nurse Thewlis passed away. I didn\u2019t explain to her how the nurse died though. How could I? She\u2019s so young and innocent.<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 2023 Winnie Frolik Cover Art \u00a9 2023 Jaycee DeLorenzo Published in October 2023 by NineStar Press, New Mexico, USA. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author\u2019s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.<\/p>\n

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact NineStar Press at Contact@ninestarpress.com. Also available in Print, ISBN: 978-1-64890-699-2 CONTENT WARNING: This book contains depictions of murder, death of a secondary character, antisemitism, and xenophobic slurs. 1kitap1.com\/en A Swing of the Axe The Mary Gray Mysteries, Book Three Winnie Frolik 1kitap1.com\/en To everyone who like Franz Shaefer has had to flee their home in the face of persecution 1kitap1.com\/en Prologue England, Autumn 1937 The days were short in Northumbria this time of year, and by the time she\u2019d finished her rounds, it was pitch black.<\/p>\n

She was exhausted and hungry and back at the cottage there was steak and kidney pie in the icebox to eat. Maybe washed down with a thimbleful of sherry. Her mind flashed back to the memory of the letter she had sent out only the day before. It had not been easy to send that letter. Many an hour she\u2019d fretted over it, wondering if there was some other path she might pursue. She knew all too well how the good folks of Plemmerdyn would feel about bringing in outsiders to poke into their affairs.<\/p>\n

And it did mean a trip to London when she scarcely had time to spare. But there had been no help for it. One could hardly make such accusations to Scotland Yard. She had to talk to them in person, if only so they\u2019d see she wasn\u2019t some madwoman. If only there were someone here who\u2019d listen to her! But no, she knew Dr. Gammer far too well to think he\u2019d be her ally.<\/p>\n

And without his backing, what chance would she have to convince the police of such evil? Sometimes the notion seemed so monstrous and bizarre she could hardly believe it herself. Meanwhile a cowardly little voice in her head kept on whispering she should do nothing at all. That even if her darkest suspicions were true, it was no business of hers. It had been very insistent, that little voice, but somehow, she\u2019d sent the letter anyway. Now it was done. She\u2019d crossed the Rubicon. And come what may, she felt certain she\u2019d done the right thing.<\/p>\n

Whether the Yard believed her or not.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.<\/em><\/p>\n

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