One Saturday afternoon she was at Margaret’s house working on embroidery. She made the mistake of telling her aunt that she was on Walker’s team. Margaret was beside herself.

“Sarah Larimore! Do you want to be a tomboy?” she asked.

“I don’t care,” Sarah told her.

“That’s enough impudence from you! You are not to play boys’ games! And spending so much unsupervised time with that Walker boy; that’s hardly appropriate.”

When Sarah got home, she was crying. She went into the house and found Ellen and Grandma Demetria in the kitchen. Demetria was peeling apples, and Ellen was making the crust for two apple pies. Demetria was famous for her apple pies, and bragged often about the Major’s affinity for them. Ellen was given the recipe, but it took her quite some time to get it right.

“Don’t worry, dear; it took a long time before the Major liked my apple pie. I had to adjust the recipe. But I had to compete with Mother Larimore, the apple pie queen of Landridge County!”

In those days, there were apple pie baking contests at the fair. Rachel Larimore had an unprecedented run as first prizewinner. One day, she took second place. Surprisingly, perhaps, she was thrilled to find out that Demetria was the one who beat her. She bragged to her friends that her son Grayson managed to marry the only woman who could out-bake her. Demetria was thrilled one day to find that Ellen’s pies outsold hers at the annual church bake and cook-off.

“Remember my dear, you have to get the crust right if you want…”

Sarah walked into the kitchen visibly upset. Ellen had her back to her, but Demetria was sitting at the table. She stopped Sarah as she was heading toward the living room.

“Wait, child, what’s wrong?” she asked.

Ellen turned around. Sarah was standing in front of Demetria.

“Nothing grandma,” Sarah said.

“Young lady, what’s the rule about lying!” Ellen said.

Sarah turned around and looked at Ellen, and then at the floor.

“To not to,” she answered.

Demetria ordered Sarah to tell them why she was so upset. Sarah explained that she shouldn’t play baseball or any other boy’s games or she was a tomboy. And she shouldn’t spend so much unsupervised time with Walker Blaine. When Ellen asked why, she wasn’t surprised to hear that Aunt Margaret was the cause of the problem.

“Do stop crying Sarah!” Ellen said. “Go upstairs and I’ll speak to you shortly,” she said, smiling at her.

Sarah went upstairs to her room. Then Ellen looked at Demetria.

“Pardon me, Mother Larimore, I must go speak with Sarah’s aunt.”

Demetria stood up.

“You go speak to your child. I will go speak to mine,” Demetria said, stomping out the kitchen door and heading to Margaret’s house.

**********************************

It was July 19, and it had been hot...very hot. That wasn’t too surprising. But there hadn’t been any rain in two weeks. That was surprising. That evening, Colonel Rudolph and Maietta Breckenhaus joined Grayson and Demetria for dinner. The colonel was an old friend of Grayson from the army. They served together in the Philippines, and then later in northern France. After the war, both ended up in Greenridge Valley. As senior members of the local Masonic Lodge, it was fitting and proper that their wives often collaborated in cooking and baking for lodge functions. Winifred and Ellen also knew Maietta, and the four of them were often found sitting together on the back porch talking and drinking lemonade. After the colonel and Maietta left, Grayson took the rest of his glass of wine to the living room, where he picked up one of his detective novels. He was an ardent reader of detective novels. Demetria wasn’t big on them, declaring that the ones she began reading were too “seedy.” But Demetria was busy in the kitchen washing the dishes after the meal, so Grayson decided to read the detective novel he had just purchased, and finish his wine. But there was one small problem—he was distracted, and had been for the last two days. So after three pages, he realized that he didn’t remember a word he had just read. That was not too conducive to figuring out the mystery before you got to the end, and he prided himself on being able to do just that. About a week ago, he had purchased an older novel from a used book dealer. It was from 1938, and was titled Off with Her Head. Grayson was making a very concerted effort to not leave it where Demetria could find it. Last month, he bought a book called Black Opium. He was under the impression that it was a detective novel. But before he even began reading it, Demetria found it, and soon upbraided him for bringing it into the house. He thought she was overreacting. But he was soon shocked by its content, and threw the book in the trash.

“I grant your point, dear!” he told Demetria.

Demetria Larimore

Demetria was the youngest daughter of Lewis and Jeanette Billings, and sister of Richard, Archie, Victor, Lucille, Ruby, and Oswald. Lewis owns his own bakery in Boston and his wife Jeanette spends much of her time baking pies and cakes. Eventually, Archie and Victor join their father's business, forming Billings and Sons, and they open several local restaurants. As a young girl, Demetria is frequently found at the large bakery located at the corner of College and North Street. When she is older, she works full time alongside her sister Ruby and sister-in-law Cecilia at the Turner Street Diner by the old army barracks. The Turner, as it is often called, is a favorite place to eat among the soldiers. When Grayson is in Boston, he often eats at The Turner. It is there that Demetria catches his eye. Before long he is courting her and, having hit it off well with Lewis, Archie, and Vic, not to mention Jeanette, it isn't long before Grayson and Demetria are married.   

Grayson's mother, Rachel Larimore, is reputed to be the best baker of apple pie in nearby Rawlings, which is technically in the county of Landridge. At the annual Landridge County Fair, one of the top attractions is the apple pie baking contest. Grayson's mother had an unprecedented run as Apple Pie Queen of Landridge County. Although she is already an excellent baker, Demetria eagerly learns how Mother Larimore makes her apple pies. After years as Apple Pie Queen, Rachel is finally bested by her daughter-in-law, which thrills her to no end. After all, if Demetria will be baking apple pie for her son Grayson, she better be the best. 

Demetria does not find being a soldier's wife challenging in the slightest. She continues to work for Billings and Sons, and actually receives a share of the business. In addition, she sells her own pies to various restaurants in the area. She is close to Ruby and Grayson's uncle Christopher lives fairly close by. She becomes close friends with Marybelle Porter, Grayson's aunt. She also spends time with Molly Larimore, daughter of Grayson's uncle Ulysses. Actually, there are so many Larimores in and around Boston, thanks to the virility of Joseph Larimore II, that Demetria is never alone. 

Demetria is the mother of Margaret, Kara, and Carl Larimore. Carl is named after Demetria's grandfather, Carl Billings, but is given the middle name Grayson. Although Grayson has been wounded in action several times, the wound that sends him home from service in Northern France during WW1 is different, and Demetria knows it. She presses him to leave active duty with the Army, which he finally does in 1922. He had studied Accounting and decides that Demetria is right. He makes up his mind to start his own accounting, investment, and real estate company, but not in Boston. He and Demetria head out west to take up residence on land owned by Grayson's father Josiah. He quickly builds a sizable business among the farmers who live in Green Ridge Valley. Demetria becomes friends with the neighboring family, who lived on the other side of the fence line that runs around the old barn and separates the Schmidt's corn field from Demetria's newly cultivated vegetable garden. Before long Demetria becomes known for more than just her pies...she grows the best tomatoes in Green Ridge Valley. Winifred, Terry Schmidt's grandmother, soon becomes a close friend. The two spend much time with each other playing Pinochle and cooking and baking. They are frequently visited by other women they have come know, and "get-togethers" with as many as 30 people are held in the Larimore's expansive and well-manicured backyard.

Demetria often worries about Margaret's health. But following the "other worldly" flu that results in the deaths of numerous local residents, she sees that Margaret never shows any signs of the illness, and she comes to believe that there is much in what her daughter Kara says...it is all in Margaret's head. Well, some of it anyway. Demetria quarrels often with Kara, who prefers partying with her friends in the nearby town of Wheatville rather than attending finishing school. Eventually, Demetria comes to be very fond of Ellen, who has impeccable manners and refinement after attending the Ladies' Domesticity Academy. She would make the perfect wife for Carl. Demetria urges her son to start taking life a bit more seriously and to give up working construction, harvesting crops, and working odd jobs. He does, and Ellen and Carl soon married.

Demetria and the family, along with Winifred, move south to Westbridge in order to expand the client base of Grayson's business. Demetria spends much of her time with Winifred and Ellen, who calls her Mother Larimore. Although Ellen is an expert cook and baker herself, she longs to bake apple pie like Demetria. After innumerable attempts, her apple pie eventually outsells Mother Larimore's at the Annual Church Bake and Cook-off. Demetria spends most of her time with Margaret and Ellen after Winifred passed in 1957. Eventually, Demetria's sister Ruby Tynes moves to Westbridge and lives a few houses down from her until Demetria passes on in 1971.