Supper was set on the table when Mr. Fairchild arrived home. Beatrice was helping Hannah with her homework and Mrs. Fairchild called everyone to come eat. After the prayer they began passing the servings around. The table would be marking two absent for a longer time as Ladybird and Taitiann had extended their stay

"Mr. Christenson keep you out late?" Grace asked her husband as she spooned mashed potatoes on to her plate then passed it to Wysteria next to her.

"He had business in the city that kept him later than usual," Mr. Fairchild said picking up a bowl of beans and adding them to his plate. Passing it along, he reached for the gravy. "Then when I finally did get him back to town we were stopped on the road by his nephew Mr. Sumner Woodrow."

Mrs. Fairchild took the gravy boat. "He ought to have considered that you wanted to be home in time for your family," she said.

"Did he apologize for keeping you out late, Uncle Ezra?" Beatrice asked.

Ezra laughed. "Mr. Christenson apologize to his employees? Not in a million years, Beatrice," he said. "Besides it is a good job and Mr. Christenson is fair. I don't want to lose it on account he thinks me uppity."

"Uppity?" Selene questioned. "Is that why his wife seemed so put off by my shoes?"

"I don't know about that, Selene," Mr. Fairchild said. "But I do know that there is a lot of disapproval of the way things are run here in our town. Many folks as near as Angel Veil don't like that Mr. Calico treats colored customers the same as whites. They don't like that the St. Clouds let coloreds try on shoes that whites have to try on also." He turned up his hands. "And perhaps most of all they don't like that this is our land."

Selene looked down at her plate and stirred her mashed potatoes.

"Well we've fought too hard to keep it to give it away," Heloise said. "Does Mr. Christenson agree with these people, Papa?"

Mr. Fairchild sighed. "Mr. Christenson is a fair, but just fair. I don't have to tell you girls the difference between a fair person and a good person. By the way, Miriam," he addressed his eldest daughter. "I spoke to Mr. Christenson about the school. He said he'd speak with some of the people of the town to keep them from harassing you. He doesn't want the school taken away from the children."

Miriam smiled. "Thank you, Papa," she said. "Wouldn't you know that his nephew, this Sumner Woodrow had the nerve to sit in my classroom? He calls himself observing the class." She scoffed. "It made me and the students uncomfortable to have him sitting there like that."

Mrs. Fairchild sighed. "You be careful out there, Miriam. If things get rough I'll pull you three from that school myself."

"Now, Grace there is no need for that," Ezra said placing his hand over hers. "In situations like this you don't raise arms but nor do you run. You've got to approach it from an unexpected angle. The Negro is violent! He can't learn. He's as savage as the jungle, he hates us! They are barbaric. They expect that of us and they like it when we are afraid. What you have to do is kill them with kindness."

"Kill?" Hannah gasped.

The other girls laughed. "He means you have to surprise them with how good you really are so they will be the ones ashamed," Beatrice said.

"That ye may be blameless, the sons of God without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world," Alifair quoted. "That's Scripture."

"Perhaps Selene can sew him a new jacket! His was all wet and ruined." Ottaline suddenly said. "Could you do that, Selene? Selene?"

Selene jerked her head up. "Huh, Wha— , oh sure I could. I'd be happy to." she smiled.

"You're a million miles away tonight, Selene," Mrs. Fairchild said. "Is something wrong?"

Selene scooted closer to the table and picked up her spoon. "It's nothing, Mama."

Hannah snickered. "I know what you were thinking about."

"Don't tease her, Hannah," Alifair said.

"You should bring your students to see the garden, Miriam," Wysteria suggested. "Education is essential but it does children good to have a little culture too."

"You could make it a field trip," Alifair said. "And maybe we can talk to Miss Martin and our class could go as well."

"We could explore the pine woods behind the garden too." Providence said. "Would you be willing to teach us about trees, Wysteria?"

"I'd be glad to." Wysteria said. "Maybe we could do it Friday."

Heloise watched her family at the table and looked at Ottaline next to her who stayed clouded in thought. "What are you hatching up there, Ottaline?"

Ottaline turned to Heloise with a clever look on her face. "I'm gonna find out if Mr. Woodrow really has been sent to shut us down."

Heloise smiled. Ottaline could not resist a mystery. Though at times her adventures were overwhelming, Heloise much preferred them to her vanity.

/

The rain on Thursday washed out the roads and Selene had to quickly jump aside as a carriage passed by so not to be splashed by the wheels. When she reached town she climbed onto the porch of the post and letting her umbrella down, she stepped inside. She would have come by buggy but Wysteria still had it out dropping off Miriam and the school girls. Whipping her boots at the door she went to the counter where she was met by Mr. Siegfried.

"Good morning, Selene. How is the family? How is Astrid?"

"She is doing much better now," Selene said. "How are you this morning, sir?"

"Fair to middling," Mr. Siegfried said. He went over to their box and took out two envelopes and a parcel. "This here beauty is addressed to you."

Selene smiled and took the parcel. "It's my fabric for a new dress, I'm making." she said. "I saw it in the Sears Roebuck catalog."

"Ah, my wife ordered a sewing machine from them but she hardly uses it," Mr. Siegfried said. "I hope you can get your money's worth."

"I plan to," Selene said collecting the mail. "I'm making Astrid a new dress. The fabric is supposed to be the whitest of the whites."

"Well I'm certain it will turn out well," Mr. Siegfried said.

"Thank you, sir," Selene said. "I'll be sure to show you when it's finished." She turned and left the post office collecting her umbrella on the porch. She greeted Marta Brown, who was Marta Taylor until last November, and her new husband as they came up the step. The whole town had been at the wedding and she had made Marta's dress. Everyone was so happy for Marta and her family for no one had come as close to death as them when Old Town was set ablaze.

Selene raised her skirts and crossed the road to the St. Cloud shoe store. She looked over her shoulder and caught sight of Drusilla Dupree walking with Travis' fiancé who was staying with her family until after the wedding. Neither of the young women were looking where they were going and were splashed by Avery Johnston on his horse riding recklessly in the rain hooting and hollering.

While Drusilla was distracted bemoaning her clothes Selene ducked between the Calicos' General store and the shoe store, tucking under the eaves. Shoots of grass grew around her feet mostly free of being trampled.

A moment later she heard rain on an umbrella and Jethro stepped into the narrow passage between the buildings.

"Good morning, Jethro," Selene said going over to him. "You noticed me."

"I often go to the post," Jethro said. "You're a little early today. Do you want to come inside?"

"No," Selene said quickly. "Thank you. I...I just wanted to see you."

"Selene, what's wrong?"

"Why do you think something is wrong?"

"Because when you talk in that tone there usually is," Jethro said.

Selene looked down as the rain began to fall harder.

"Come on," Jethro insisted. "You'll catch your death out here." They left their hideout and went to the St. Cloud home.

Once inside the warm dry house they went into Mr. St. Cloud's study and Jethro pulled the door closed behind them.

"My father is at the shop and my mother is visiting Old Mrs. Taylor," Jethro said. "My nurse is in so we won't be alone." He smiled. "Though I'm not sure if it is good that she sees us together or not."

"Jethro, I'm scared," Selene came out and said. "First Mrs. Christenson gives me those looks and now it seems wherever I go people are giving me sidelong looks, even my parents."

"Have you been behaving differently?" Jethro asked.

"I don't know," Selene said. "Jethro, how do I tell my parents how much I love you?"

"Maybe they already know and that is the reason they are worried about you." He shook his head. "I've tried more than once, Selene and I can't stop seeing you. I can't give you up. Your love for your family your love of literature your love of God...these things have cemented me to you. And I don't care if your skin was green and your hair was purple and blue I would still be unable to stop loving you."

"Jethro you're scaring me."

"Why are you afraid, Selene?" Jethro asked. "Have I ever giving you reason to be afraid of me?"

"But I am afraid!" Selene said. "I'm afraid of what I'm feeling. Aren't you afraid, Jethro?"

They stood facing each other for a moment then Selene whirled around when the door slid open.

"Are you all right, Mr. St. Cloud?" the nurse stood there asking. "I heard voices."

"Yes, we're fine." Jethro said.

Selene looked at the maid who was eyeing her with suspicion. There it was again. "I have to go," she said. Jethro tried to stop her but she kept going. She ran out of the house and out into the rain forgetting her umbrella.

/

Lightning lit up the sky and Ottaline sighed as she, Providence, Heloise and Alifair sat on the porch stringing peas. Hannah who was supposed to be helping was brushing her doll's hair.

"So much for spying on Mr. Woodrow," Ottaline said. "It's going to gnaw at me all night and I shan't ever sleep."

"He was in the classroom again today," Providence said a she worked. "Ottaline gathered that he lives somewhere in Brickyard at the intersection of Fifth and First Street. Some of the other children say they saw his horse 'round there. I told her she'd only be getting in trouble going out there."

"I can't help it," Ottaline said as Mrs. Fairchild came onto the porch to collect more peas. "When I see a mystery I have to solve it."

"What mystery now?" Grace asked the girls. "Ya'll stay out of trouble, you hear?"

"Yes' ma'am," Ottaline said quickly stealing a glance at Heloise. Providence didn't like trouble and Alifair hated being spontaneous. Hannah was far too naughty so Ottaline often turned to Heloise when she pondered such sneaky things.

"Mama," Heloise said. "Did Miriam show you that old building in the paper? She agrees with me that we should bid on it and turn it into a ballet studio."

"She did," Mrs. Fairchild said. "It is rather old and will take a lot of work."

Alifair laughed. "Heloise chose that building because it's the only one we could possibly afford with all our money put together."

"We might afford better if some people weren't so tight fisted," Heloise said to Alifair.

"I'll invest when I know it is going to work," Alifair said.

Heloise turned back to her mother. "Beatrice says she might know how to improve it and Selene thinks Ladybird will like to paint murals on the wall. We'll have Wysteria to provide the music and it will all be grand!"

"Heloise dreams big," Alifair said.

"And it's a good thing," Mrs. Fairchild said much to Alifair's surprise. "Because it is going to take a big dream to get such a place up and running but I will be proud." She gave Heloise a hug and the girl looked at Alifair.

Alifair shrugged her shoulders and smiled at her sister.

/

Jessop whistled Dixie Land as he took the stairs up to his office. Reaching the top he took out his key and unlocked the door. Glancing over his shoulder he noticed the bedroom door was open to the room Taitiann and Ladybird were using. He stepped back in the hall and saw Ladybird inside the room at an easel carefully applying paint.

"Is that the hotel at twilight?"

Ladybird looked over her shoulder. She clutched her shawl around her and turned a little on the stool. "Yes, yes it is the hotel. Did I capture its likeliness?"

Jessop nodded. He looked around the room to where sketches hung on the wall. "You've drawn Ron." He pointed out.

"Yes, sir, he asked me to," Ladybird said. She rinsed her brush and got up from the stool. "I'm not sure I'll have time to add color. The hotel is taking up a lot of my time. She took a rag and wiped her paint speckled hands. "I don't think I can look at it for another minute." She shook her head at the painting.

"I think it looks nice," Jessop said then his eyes went down to her feet. "You always paint in your dancing shoes?"

Ladybird looked down at her pointe shoes patterned with all sorts of colors of paint now. "Yes sir, I always dance before I paint," she said. "I covered the floor first." She added quickly running her hand over her hair and streaking it with yellow.

Jessop stiffed a laugh and didn't say anything. Nor did he mention the greenish mustache she had added under her nose.

Sitting back down at the stool she stretched her arms. "Sir?"

"Huh?"

Ladybird frowned. "Did you say something?"

Jessop couldn't remember if he had or not. By the look on her face he could tell she was growing suspicious. "Uh I said, uh, uh um I said...I said uh did you do you...could you paint my portrait?" he winced."

Ladybird slowly smiled. "You'd sit for me?"

Jessop nodded begrudgingly.

"I'd be honored."

Jessop fled up the hall. At the stop of the stairs he stopped and rested his head against the wall. Taking a deep breath he righted himself and fixed his collar. He felt shame. So fine, he admitted he had an attraction to the woman, but he believed himself more disciplined than his peers. He didn't need any distractions in his career.