No one has loved me for years

No one has come through my doors

Do not fret or fear

I will patch your roof and mend you fences

I will come and I will, I will live right here

The girls bustled about the table as Heloise red her poem: Poem of an Abandoned House. Ottaline and Astrid cleared the table as Alifair and Hannah got ready to go.

"It sounds like the makings of something wonderful, Heloise," Selene said. "I do wish Jethro were here, he'd love to hear it."

"You should send it to him, Heloise," Beatrice suggested. "He'd be happy to hear from you." She gave Selene a knowing look and Selene looked down at her hands.

"I'll be a little late getting over to Twelve Briars," Miriam said. "I've been so excited lately I've fell behind in grading papers."

"Miriam, I'd never thought I'd see the day," Selene said.

"I'll be late too," Taitiann said. "It looks to be a beautiful day and I'd like to ride Marzipan."

"And I've almost finished with the curtains and like to dedicate the afternoon to the dresses I've put aside," Selene said.

"Well I'll be there," Wysteria said. "I'll come back and pick you up from the school if you wish, Miriam."

"I don't mind walking," Miriam said getting up from the table.

Mrs. Fairchild came into the kitchen. "Morning," she greeted. "You girls don't forget to be home for supper and pick up your father on the way in."

"Yes, ma'am," Miriam said, "I'm ready when you are Wysteria."As Miriam left with Ottaline, Providence and Wysteria, Selene got up from the table to get started on finishing the curtains.

Beatrice was still working on the sign and thought she'd spend the day on it while Ladybird and Wysteria went to sell one of her paintings in city.

"Mama, will you listen to me sing?" Astrid asked as her mother sat down at the table.

"Of course, my dear," Mrs. Fairchild said. "I love to hear my girl sing." She turned her chair and Astrid went and stood in the parlor.

"I shall start with my favorite verse," she said. "Will you count me down, Beatrice."

Of course," Beatrice said. "And three two one..."

Astrid stood tall and opened her mouth wide. "Angels to beckon me, nearer my God to thee, nearer my God to thee, nearer to thee..."

/

The afternoon passed on and looking at her broach watch Miriam wished sorely she could be in Brickyard at that moment with her sisters. She hoped Ladybird's painting had sold as the poor one had enough rejection for the year.

When she heard galloping and the whinny of a horse she looked up to the closed door. Mr. Woodrow had not been in the class that morning and she dreaded to think he had invented a reason to come by now. When she heard no one come up the steps she assumed it was just someone passing and went back to grading papers. Not a second later the glass in the window shattered and flames came leaping in at her. In haste they consumed the curtains and climbed like a spider into the rafters. She backed away from her desk to the opposite wall as the flames leapt from desk to desk taking in the knowledge of books with their hungry hands before turning for the air that came through the door.

She was just at the opposite window when he glass broke onto her and more fire came leaping in like a rabbit and clawing at her skirt like a hungry alley cat. Screaming she ran through the flames to the door. In her panic she pushed on it instead of pulling thereby delaying her escape. She finally got it right and the door swung towards her sending the suffocating flames shooting her way. In a burning panic Miriam ran onto the porch steps coming down hard on her ankle. With a cry of pain she fell into the grass and lost consciousness.

/

Selene ran the lace under the needle of her machine, carful to get it even all the way across the hem. She had been meaning to check the time, knowing it was getting near to be over at Twelve Briars by now.

"Selene! Beatrice! Mama!" Taitiann cried through the house. "Miriam, Ottaline! Where is everyone? Selene!" She entered the workshop in her riding uniform with tears running down her face. "Selene, where's Miriam?"

Selene didn't understand why Taitiann would need to know this. She knew where Miriam was. "She's still at the school, Taitiann."

"Avery Johnston just road by the Calico's," Taitiann said. "The school at Custardville is burning up!"

"Oh, God!" Selene cried out in panic.

"Where is, Mama?" Taitiann asked.

"She and Beatrice went over to the church with Astrid so she could practice on the piano," Selene said. "Oh God, Taitiann, Miriam!"

"I'm going over on Marzipan!" Taitiann shouted running from the house again. "Ottaline and Providence?"

"They should have already left for Brickyard hours ago," Selene said.

"Thank heavens," Taitiann said.

"I'm going to get Mama!" Selene said as they ran from the house. In the front yard Taitiann climbed on the back of Marzipan as Selene ran into town.

Selene didn't get far before she was met with a crowd of people running with buckets of water and buckets of sand each shouting to another that the school house was burning! When she saw her mother and Beatrice she raced to them. "Oh, Mama!"

"I know!" Grace said embracing her daughter.

"Where's Astrid?" Selene asked.

"We left her with Preacher," Beatrice said as someone bumped into her as they ran. The three of them hurried with the crowd determined to get there but terrified at what they would find.

/

Mr. Fairchild was surprised to be called into Mr. Christenson's office at such an hour as the man didn't like to leave the house in the afternoon if he wasn't already out. When he entered, he found Mr. Christenson sitting calmly with his mice and with his nephew standing before him. Mr. Fairchild took the place next to the young man. "Might I help you, sir?"

"Ezra, you must not have heard if you can keep that calm," Solomon said and Ezra was confused. "Have you not seen the smoke?"

Ezra looked out the window behind the man. "I thought someone was burning trash," he said.

When his uncle stayed quiet Sumner grew irritated. "It's hardly trash," he said. "Your daughter's school house is on fire."

"Miriam?" Mr. Fairchild screamed.

"She is the schoolmarm there," Sumner said.

Mr. Fairchild felt suddenly lost. He didn't know what to do next. "Is she...is she all right?"

"We don't know," Mr. Christenson said. "Sumner just arrived and told me."

"Well I must go to her," Mr. Fairchild said. "I must go straight away."

"It won't be pleasant viewing," Sumner said.

"She's my daughter!" Mr. Fairchild said. "If all I find are her ashes, I must go!" Not bothering to properly excuse himself Mr. Fairchild rushed out of the house.

Sumner went over to the window and watched the man running toward the fire on foot. "Is this what you wanted, Uncle?" he asked. "Not exactly my method."

"This is not what I wanted!" Solomon snapped at his nephew. "You..."

"I didn't start the fire," Sumner said.

"But you knew about it!"

"I'm afraid I'm in the dark," Sumner said. "I haven't been near that place all day until I saw the flames as everyone else."

"Then you know who did it," Solomon insisted.

"Uncle, I'm as blind as you are," Sumner said. "I have no desire to see her dead."

Solomon looked back at his nephew. "Go get your cousin, Cleve Burnstead, Unger Rothschild and Andrew Addams and bring them here. You are lucky I believe you Sumner as I don't think you have the guts, but I think they know exactly what happened."

"Charles wouldn't dare burn a school house," Sumner said.

"Yes," Solomon agreed. "But he won't lie when I ask him who did."

Sumner nodded. He knew Rothschild and Andrew were capable of terrible things. When they hunted they did it for thrills and the cruelty they were capable of extended beyond the animal kingdom. Cleve on the other hand never acted in violence at his own accord but could be lead to when among his peers. None had ever killed a person and he doubted they knew the schoolmarm was present. "I'll be back as soon as I get them."

/

Miriam's eyes flickered open and she looked up at the blue sky. Someone was shoving a glass of water to her lips but she hadn't the energy to drink it. Smoke billowed all around them and she struggled to see.

"You must drink something, Miriam," a high pitched voice said.

Miriam looked at the woman and saw it was Nancy, Travis' fiancé. She opened her mother and closed her lips around the glass. Looking around she realized she was sitting on a porch. Smoke blew heavy through the trees sending ashes rolling on the wind. Travis was at the well drawing water and soaking down his property. A few other people she knew where in the yard and all were looking in the direction of the rising smoke cloud.

"No," Miriam said and tried to stand only to feel a sharp pain in her left ankle and fall back down.

"You might have broken it," Nancy said helping her relax. "You are so fortunate to be alive. We thought for certain you had been burned up."

"The school," Miriam said weakly.

"It's gone I'm afraid," Nancy said. "But at least you are alive. Mr. Calico went to retrieve your family to let them know you are all right. I imagine they are worrying themselves sick right now."

Miriam looked down at her ankle. She certainly didn't feel all right. She sniffled and wiped her eyes only for Nancy to hand her a handkerchief.

"Don't worry," Nancy said putting an arm around her. "We'll get who did this. They all swear it."

Who did this? Miriam felt she would be sick knowing that someone had caused the fire. Anger suddenly overtook her as she had a pretty go idea who.