"It is unfair," Beatrice said as she watched Astrid and Hannah arrange their dolls for the night. "This is our land and we can't even go where we please on it. Those CARCAS Boys! I wish them in the belly of a whale!"

"Don't let them get under your skin, Baby B," Ladybird said.

"Easy for you to say, Ladybird," Beatrice said falling back on her pillow atop her blankets. "You've always been so blasé. Sometimes I think you don't have a shouting voice."

"I can get angry," Ladybird said.

"But not like me," Beatrice said. "I have the fire of the sun remember?"

"Well we certainly can't tell anyone about what happened," Miriam said. "If my papa knew how they behaved he would forbid us to go to Twelve Briars. We just need to be more careful."

"But how much more careful can we be?" Taitiann asked. "Wysteria and Heloise weren't doing anything wrong."

"We just need to always make sure we are doing what is right," Miriam said. "That means watching our anger." She looked at Beatrice. "And minding our place."

"Oh, Miriam," Beatrice sighed. "I couldn't bear being so resolved."

"Girls," Selene spoke up. "The bazaar is tomorrow. Have we anything to sell? Ottaline and I made some rag dolls from scrap fabric."

"I have some pressed flowers," said Wysteria.

Astrid went to the window and picked up some of her shells. "I can make these into necklaces."

"I don't think you'd get anything," Beatrice said. "One could simply walk along the beach and pluck one for free."

"But look how she's adorned them," Ladybird said. "The perfect gift from one sister to another."

All the girls gathered things to be sold at the bazaar and placed them in humble pile at the center of the floor.

"I don't think we'll make very much," Hannah said.

Ladybird put her arms around her. "We shall do fine."

/

It was called by Mrs. Calico the Women's Bazaar and it was the first of its kind. It was called thus for it began at an hour when men were working and children were in school leaving the house wives and mothers to manage the tables. Mrs. Calico with Mrs. Fairchild took the lead in getting everything in order.

Selene, Ladybird, Wysteria and Beatrice set up their table, adding Mrs. Fairchild's balls of yarn to their things. Astrid was made to sit out of the sun and spent the time nursing her dolls and talking to Sacha. Selene was careful to make sure her shell necklaces were displayed properly.

Birdy arrived at noon leading Breakfast and the school girls to the bazaar. The children arrived with paper pinwheels flying in the wind and Alifair used hers to decorate the table.

"Careful, Alifair," Heloise said. "It might fly away."

"I'm going to see Nancy's table," Hannah said. "She has chocolates."

"Hannah, we are supposed to be raising money not spending it," Alifair said.

"A little indulgence won't hurt," Ladybird said giving Hannah some money. "But you have to wait until after supper."

"I will," Hannah said racing off. As she dodged some other children Jessop and Idris came through the crowed. Idris looked pleased but Jessop reared at the noisy children.

"Mr. Idris, Mr. St. Cloud," Selene said. "Care to sample our wares?" She spread her hands over the table.

"Sure, I'll buy a few things," Idris said. "I'll take three of the little dolls you've got there and one pressed flower; the purple one please."

As Selene helped him, Ladybird turned to Jessop who was looking at the portrait painting of Mrs. Baudin. "Might I assist you, sir?" she asked.

"It really is a nice painting," he said then tilted his head to the side. "Her eye might be a little crooked though."

Ladybird stepped up to the painting. "Which one? I don't see it." She looked back at him but he was no longer paying attention.

Jessop watched as the CARCAS boys trotted into the bazaar. Rothschild and Sumner dismounted while Addams remained in his saddle with the others giving him a dirty look. His horse was panting and bleeding at the mouth. Anything in Andrew's care would be much happier with a bullet.

Sumner went over to the table nearest him while Rothschild came to the girls' table. He flicked one the pinwheels as he waited in line then looked at Jessop, sizing him up. He turned his attention next to Ladybird who was having second thoughts about her painting. He looked at her long and hard  then winked and smiled at Jessop.

Jessop knocked his smile away with a single punch laying him flat. The crowd gasped and Cleve and Andrew dismounted to help their unconscious friend.

"Darn you, St. Cloud!" Andrew shouted as they dragged Rothschild away and laid him across his mount.

Charles turned his horse. "Sumner, let's go!"

Sumner looked between the parties, putting a chocolate covered nut in his mouth. "But we just got here."

"Let's go," Charles said.

Sumner paid for the candy then swung himself into the saddle. The crowd watched as they galloped away to where they came from.

"It's about time someone taught them a lesson," Mrs. Calico said. "It's a pity young Avery runs with them."

When Jessop turned back to his brother his brows were raised and with his mustache he looked very much like a younger version of their father. "He had it coming," Jessop said then turned back to the table. "What did, Astrid make?"

"These here necklaces," Ladybird said.

"I'll take two of them."

"They are quite feminine, sir," Ladybird said.

"I'll give them to my mother," Jessop said getting his money out.

"Little Astrid is the one you taught to play, correct?" Idris asked.

"No, sir," Astrid said coming up to the table. "This is Little Astrid," She held up the doll. "I'm just Astrid."

Idris had to smile. There was something ethereal about the child. "Well I hope you raise the money you need," he said. "Providence told me about your dance school."

"Thank you, sir," Astrid said. "Though it would be a greater joy had we a piano. A real piano that actually played."

"A piano?" Idris questioned. He rubbed his chin as his mind began to turn. He wondered if there was something he could do about that.

/

That evening the girls settled in. They were quite proud of how they had done. They were even rid now of the portrait painting.

"I wish I could sleep in tomorrow," Taitiann groaned. "I'm tired from training Marzipan."

"Sleeping in is for married women," Miriam said. "We are not tired from managing households. Besides idle hands..."

"Married women," Beatrice said. "Pigs will hit the moon when I became one of those."

"I don't know about that, Beatrice," Taitiann said. "I wouldn't be surprised if you were the first to marry of all of us."

"I still look forward to the day," Ladybird said, fingering one of the remaining colorful ragdolls. "Despite everything I still try to be positive."

"I wonder who I shall marry," Wysteria said. "I would first want him to be God fearing and kind."

"I know who I shall marry," Selene said. "If Papa will let me."

"I shall not get married," Heloise said. "I couldn't keep a husband and all the characters inside me at the same time."

"You'd learn to manage them," Selene said.

"Well I won't marry," Alifair said and to this came no objection. "I shall travel the world and preach Jesus and every knee shall bend in his name!"

"What about you, Miriam?" Beatrice asked and Miriam responded by pulling the covers over her head.

"Tuesday is the 26th of April," Ottaline said. "That marks the first anniversary of the day my daddy died."

Ladybird went over to her bed and hugged her. "We'll all be here for the both of you now," she said.

"And one day you shall see him again, and grandpa too," Alifair said. "Death and Hell delivered up the dead which were in them. That's scripture."

Wysteria took out her violin. "And that reminds me of a piece I used to play to help my mother sleep," she said. "Sleepers Wake." She went to the center of the floor and the other girls surrounded her as she began to play.

/

Rothschild removed the rag from his face and touched his nose with a wince. "I'll fix him," he swore. "Who does he think he is coming in here... I'll beat him upside his head."

"Your temper is what seems to be constantly getting you into trouble," Sumner said. "I say you leave him alone and stay out of Old Town. You too, Andrew."

"No way," Andrew said. "If I get a chance to get back at Jessop for what he did then I'm going to take it."

"The lot of you make me sick," Sumner said. "I'm certain you must have done something to provoke him."

"Always blaming me," Rothschild said. "You do realize how close we came to being brothers. Your ma almost married my daddy."

"I'm certain one of us would not have been born," Sumner said.

"You, hopefully," Rothschild said.

"Why didn't they marry?" Avery asked.

"Scandal, what else," Rothschild said.

"On whose part?" Andrew asked.

"Couldn't have been Mrs. Woodrow's," Cleve said. "She was my favorite of all the mothers."

"Now hold on," Rothschild said. "Let's not forget that Woodrow doesn't exactly look like his daddy."

"My aunt was a faithful woman," Charles said.

"I know," Rothschild said. "Look, all I know is that my father was going to marry your aunt but changed his mind. But I'll tell you this. The older folks in my family refuse to talk about Eden Christenson but they hold her brother in the highest regard."

"Everyone does," Andrew said.

Sumner got up. "I have to go," he said. Not only did he dislike being at Rothschild's house but he feared the conversation was drawing arrows that pointed to him being born out of wedlock.