The Keeper of Stories

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of child death and death.

Stan calls for Janice’s help with Mrs. B. When Janice arrives, Mrs. B is under the dining table, mortified and angry that Tiberius took all her alcohol. She is especially mad that he took the wine that she and her husband, Augustus, collected over their many years together. Janice helps to calm Mrs. B down and improve her mood. She tells Mrs. B that she left Mike, but Mrs. B is not surprised. Janice calls Mrs. B “Scheherazade,” the princess in The Thousand and One Nights who entrances her husband with various stories to forestall her impending execution. Mrs. B corrects Janice; the Becky tale is all one story told over time. Since the princess knows many stories, Janice is more like Scheherazade than Mrs. B.

Janice arrives at tea five minutes late to avoid looking overeager to see the bus driver, Euan. After small talk, they settle into a chat about books. Euan loves books and comes from a small Scottish town that hosts a large book festival.