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please, no, Jonah prayed. But the scowling man next to him made that now familiar sensation start, and shame filled Jonah again. Grimstone must know about him. He’d figured out the truth somehow.
    Jonah hadn’t understood the depths of his own depravity simply because he hadn’t comprehended the full profoundness of his wrongdoing with Rev. Burns. He sighed and shifted on the seat. Thinking back, he recalled the perverted excitement at the very bottom of his belly as he’d accepted the man’s caresses, that twisting excitement mingled with—perhaps even born from—shame. He’d known while he did them that his actions weren’t decent, no denying that. But no one spoke of such matters outright, so the utter sinfulness of it hadn’t really struck him until he’d been confronted by his father. And all those words.
    Jonah drew a long breath and thought of Ezekiel Burns, his father’s guest who’d come for an extended visit. He’d been Jonah’s mentor, so comforting and warm and…so on. If he was honest, Jonah had known it was a sin. Delights of the body always were, since they distracted a man from the straight and narrow path to heaven.
    But he must not revisit those moments. The whole matter was over and done with, along with his old life. Except, if the silent and disapproving Grimstone guessed at his perversion, Jonah must say something. If he was going to be left on the side of the road, it would be better if they were close to an inhabited area.
    Grimstone was looking at him. “I hadn’t known a man could toss and turn while he was awake. You’re positively writhing. Are you in pain?”
    This wasn’t the sort of thing a man who was about to throw him off the wagon would ask. He felt the return of faint hope. “No. No, si—Mr. Grimstone.” He cleared his throat. “Your account books. Do they contain bad news?”
    “No, not at all. We’re not swimming in cream, but we’re solvent.”
    Time to be direct. “Then are you regretting allowing me to join you?”
    His question was met by silence. Jonah couldn’t bring himself to look, so he stared straight ahead, waiting for the answer.
    “That remains to be seen, doesn’t it? What sort of skills do you possess?”
    “I, uh.” Jonah had a college education, though not from a prestigious institution. His family had wanted him to stay close to home, so he lived there while taking classes at a small Bible college. Because of his studies, he could read and even speak Latin, debate theology, and quote any scripture verbatim. Perfect accomplishments for a carnival worker.
    “I can help care for the animals. I used to work on my uncle’s farm during the summer. And I’m good with numbers if you need any sort of accounting help.” Jonah nodded at the brass box.
    The showman looked at him thoughtfully, and Jonah squirmed under his intent gaze. “I’ll tend to the accounting myself, thank you, but we can always use more help cleaning up after the animals if you’re not too proud to scoop shite.”
    “I live for it,” Jonah quipped, eager to show Grimstone that he wasn’t always pathetic and miserable, that he had a sense of humor, too.
    A smile flashed like lightning across the man’s face, dazzling Jonah with its brilliance. Jonah quickly concentrated on the horse’s rear, its tail twitching as it swept away flies. Just then the wagon jolted over a rut in the road, making Jonah’s teeth click together at the sudden impact.
    “How do you keep your House of Mirrors from shattering? Country roads are so rough, you must find yourself replacing glass all the time.”
    “Occasionally we do, but they’re kept wrapped and padded, protected from jarring. The mirrors are hardly high quality, and they aren’t all glass. We have reflective tin tacked up too. The reflections are wavy and dim, to say the least, but in the dark the effect isn’t too bad, and very few demand their money back.”
    “Do you give it to them?”
    Grimstone laughed, a rich,