"By the saints!"

"Get a hold of your wife, Cleve," Andrew Addams said as they met at Cleve's home that evening and told their hastily summoned wives the news. Mr. Christenson had said that he wouldn't be the one to lie for them and Mr. Burnstead was still clueless that any of them had been involved so they wouldn't be asking him. Mr. Christenson told them that they had best get their stories straight as Mr. Calico had gotten involved and he was middle class but a respected citizen.

"I can't believe you!" Magdalene said.

"It wasn't what you think, said Cleve. "We didn't know she was in there."

"But it was a school house," Magdalene said. "Why would you burn a school house?"

"Because they are idiots," Charles said as he paced the parlor. "Nevertheless, they are my idiots and we must do something."

Sumner had once again found his place at the mantel. Leave it to his cousin to make everything right, even for the wrong.

"We need an alibi," Charles said. "I could say you were all with me but that sounds obvious."

"Besides the fact that you have reason to lie," Sumner pointed out. "If I were the law I wouldn't believe you either."

"Tell the law, Woodrow. The Devil take you." Rosthschild said as he sat with his feet on the table leaned back on the couch.

"You shouldn't have burned the school," Sumner said.

"Right," Rothschild said. "Now you have no reason to go sniffing about your woman do you?" he smirked.

"Me?" Sumner shot back, gray eyes burning with fury. "You—"

"Boys," Charles said. "Please, keep your tempers, we have ladies present."

Andrew billowed smoke from his mouth. "Yes, how fortunate Sumner's girlfriend isn't a heap of ash."

"Andrew!" Charles said.

"Leave him alone, both of you," Cleve said who was far more concerned with the matter at hand.

"I won't say it again," Charles addressed Rothschild and Andrew. "Women are present." An idea suddenly struck him and he turned to Magdalene who was being comforted by Bessie. "The women..." he snapped his finger. "That's it, we'll say we were with Magdalene and Bessie all day. Bessie you were in bed well pass noon. Magdalene where were you?"

"I went to my sisters around 9:00," Magdalene sniffled. "Then I saw Mrs. Sweetland on the street and talked to her for a spell. Then I came home and took powder for a headache then lied down."

"That's should put you home well before the fire," Charles said. "When questioned we will all say we were together and Bessie and Magdalene will vouch for that."

"Woodrow was in the streets," Rothschild said. "How will you explain how he got to the fire so quickly and told your father?"

"My father will vouch for Sumner," he said. "We'll say he went riding without us or something. They'd accept that."

Magdalene shook her head. "I won't lie to the law," she said. "None of you were with me; I was alone all day while you burned up a school!"

Bessie sucked her teeth. "I'll tell the law everything," she said. "You were all with me except Sumner who was with his horse parading through the streets. Magdalene had a headache and didn't come with Cleve to the house. Then at noon you all started drinking and fell asleep in the parlor and no one woke you. The servants never came from the back of the house so you won't have to worry about them. I opened up to you and received you in."

Charles kissed his wife. "Brilliant," said he.

Sumner turned back to the mantle as they went into detail with the alibi. Avery was mentioned and would be talked to later about what he had seen to make sure they were cleared. He felt a little sorry for Avery who was only a member of their group when it was convenient. He looked at Magdalene who was steady drying her eyes. She was the only one moved to cry.

/

Miriam awoke the following morning to the smell of breakfast. She had hoped it was all a dream but the sting of the burn on her hand chased any possibility of that away. She buried her face in her pillow and cried. Somewhere a voice inside her was saying that it was her fault, that she had done something wrong.

Mrs. Fairchild came into the room and Miriam reached for her. "It's all right, darling," she said sitting on the bed and cradling her daughter.

"Mama," Miriam wept. "Why?" she wailed. "Why?"

/

The pavilion became the new school. However, Miriam found herself with a small class as many parents feared the ones who started the fire would return or considered Old Town too far of a walk for their children to take.

Miriam glanced up Ottaline and Providence in the garden then went back to her letter at hand.

Dear Mr. St. Cloud

It is with a heavy heart that I ask your assistance. I or rather we have become victims of an injustice. We are divided on seeking your help but the offence is so grave that I think we will most certainly need a lawyer. Or school house was destroyed in a fire and everyone suspects foul play. I want to catch the person who did this and bring him to justice. I know this can be possible with your help.

She paused. She would have liked to have added that if he did not help then she would do it herself but she had to stay her aggressive side and keep her temper. She signed her name and put the letter aside. Stretching out her leg she winced at her ankle. Providence said she should go to the doctor but Miriam refused. Believing it would be a waste of money. She got up from the bench and used her crutches to join Providence and Ottaline. Gathering their books they walked home.

/

Packing a lunch for the road the girls then set off for Twelve Briars to work on the old wallpaper and empty the attic that no one realized existed on the first day. They were piling the strips of molded paper from the dining room walls on the floor when Ottaline and Ladybird came downstairs from the attic.

"Look at this," Ladybird said. "It's an old bustle pad. It's huge" She held out the under garment with an amused smile on her face.

Beatrice snorted. "Your backside supports your skirt just fine, Ladybird," she said.

"Bustles like that were needed to support yards of fabric in the skirts women used to pin up behind them," Selene said. "Before that was the crinoline."

"Bleh crinolines," Beatrice said.

"I'm going to try it on!" Ladybird said rushing around the corner with Ottaline behind her. They heard them whispering to one another and in a few moments Ottaline stepped back into the spacious dining room.

"Ladies!" she announced. "I now present to you...Miss Ladybird Bigrump."

Ladybird stepped back into the dining room with her hands on her hips. She turned her back to them suddenly and the girls burst with laughter. "I look like quite the ostrich don't I?" she said.

"Oh, Ladybird," Hannah laughed. "I didn't think you could make me laugh so hard."

"There are yards of things in the attic," Ottaline said raising her arms high. "Old shoes, a vanity, even a trumpet. We found the bustle among scores of other women's clothing. It's as though they forgot to check the attic before they moved."

Ladybird stepped out to remove the bustle then came back in. "I'm afraid it's all ruined now," she said. "Covered in mold and mildew."

"Sort of like this house was," Alifair said. "I still can't believe how far we've come. Just look at the floors. And, Beatrice the front door you got is very lovely."

"Thank you, Alifair," Beatrice said. "I think we've done a nice job too."

Miriam sighed in her corner and stretched out her leg. "I agree," she said.

"Miriam, perhaps you should listen to Providence and see the doctor about that," Taitiann said. "You don't want it to get any worse."

"I simply need to stay off it," Ladybird said. "That's all Dr. Herman will tell me." She propped her leg up in the chair in front of her and winced again. "We had better get back to work. We want to be home before sundown."

Taitiann was about to protest not seeing the doctor but Selene stopped her. Miriam would have to come the decision on her own.

/

That evening when the whole family was gathered at home there was an unexpected knock at the door. Mrs. Fairchild was in the kitchen with the four youngest and when she opened the door and saw it was the police she sent them upstairs. Selene and Beatrice were in the workshop and kept quiet so they could hear what was said as Mr. Fairchild was called into the living room.

The officers were offered to sit but both remained standing casting disapproving looks at the furniture but when Mrs. Fairchild offered them a slice of pie they accepted eagerly.

"You know why we've come, Mr. Fairchild," the taller brown haired one with matching eyes said.

"Is it about the school?" Ezra asked deciding he needed to sit.

"It is," the officer said. "We understand that your family was suspicious of Sumner Woodrow as he kept coming by the school. Well aside from the fact that the coloreds in Angel Veil and Brickyard have been giving him sideways glances I am rather glad to state that he is innocent."

Grace put her hands on her husband's shoulders as he sighed. They saw this coming from a mile away but it still hurt when it hit.

"We believe there was more than one there," Ezra said.

"Yes," the officer said as his friend stuffed finger full after finger full of pie in his mouth. "Some people suspected Unger Rothschild and another but they too have been cleared. They've all got alibis, Mr. Fairchild and very believable ones."

Mr. Fairchild laced his fingers. "Am I allowed to ask where they were?" he said.

"You have that liberty," the officer said. "All were present at the home of Charles Christenson. His wife can attest to that. They over drank and fell asleep and she asked that no servants disturb them. The only one who wasn't there was Sumner Woodrow who was the one who reported the fire to his uncle. He was also seen far away from the flames at the time they would have started so it couldn't have been him."

"Will you continue to look for the man who did this?" Ezra asked.

The officer raised his shoulders. "If you ask me it all seems like a terrible accident. Perhaps your daughter was careless around the stove and that's how the fire started. We really must be going now. If any more evidence turns up I'll be sure to let you know. Oh, and might we have a little more pie?"

Mrs. Fairchild bit back a sharp remark and went into the kitchen and cut them each two more slices before her husband showed them out. She watched from the porch as they left and inside the house Selene and Beatrice snuck out the workshop and ran upstairs.

Miriam was the only one in bed. Everyone else was trying hard to listen to the conversation going on below.

"They've gone," Selene said.

"And they lied!" Beatrice said.

"What happened?" Miriam asked. "Did they catch anyone?"

"Afraid not," Selene said. "And worse, they think you caused the fire by being careless. We won't have a case to build if they believe it was caused by you."

"If everyone starts to believe that they may not let Miriam teach anymore," Ottaline said. "It just isn't right. I know you were careful, Miriam. Rovy knows..."

"But the testimony of a colored girls doesn't mean much," Alifair said.

Heloise sighed. "Alifair..."

"No Alifair is right," Miriam said. "What we say won't matter without good evidence and a better lawyer."

"Well I'm afraid all our suspects have conjured alibis," Beatrice said.

"You remember Bessie who I made the dress for?" Selene said. "Well she told the officers that they were all at her home and over drank."

"The servants would know different," Wysteria said.

"Not all servants are on our side just because they are colored," Beatrice said. "There are many that would all too happily step on the next Negro who wants to better himself."

"So I have written Mr. St. Cloud for no reason," Miriam said. "We have nothing to build on. It will play out as it always has."

"I knew it wasn't a good idea to write him," Beatrice said.

Taitiann shook her head. "I think we still have a chance," she said with a smile. "These men are all good friends. A chain holds them together but a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. We'll need to find that weak link and Mr. St. Cloud is the man to do it."

"The officer said that Sumner Woodrow was the only one not at the house drunk," Selene said. "He could start with him."

"Interesting..." Ottaline said and they turned to her. "Perhaps we can find a little discord among them."

Selene nodded. "They may be the CARCAS Boys but they forget that there are twelve of us."