Chapter 4 Chapter Four

Mrs. Ficos went into Erin's cubicle, the privacy of her bedroom.This small cottage was originally a property of a castle in the seventeenth century. The earl and countess bought this small domed thing while traveling abroad a few years ago. Boards, gowns, and ceilings and floors—it's just a small room.Such things are rare in England, but common in France, where people of high and powerful classes often daydream, or study, write, and converse with friends. Irene shrank in a corner, her eyes staring blankly ahead.Beside a bunch of little things...a colored metal pony...a couple of tin soldiers, some with broken arms...a few cheap men's shirt buttons...a hand pocket knife with a horn carved on it pattern.These are all Mikan stuff.She held a pocket book in her hand, a book that taught children simple grammar and spelling.Mrs. Ficos remembered that she saw Eileen and Mikan reading the book together more than once when they were children. The two little guys leaned their heads together. Irene insisted on teaching him homework, but Mikan was unwilling. Rather run wild in the woods like a wild animal.

Mrs. Ficos frowned, and put the tray of soup and toast on Irene's lap, "It's time for you to eat." Although her voice was stern, it contained complete concern. Mikan had been gone for months, and Eileen barely ate or slept.She sat there most of the time as if she had been hollowed out.If she had to go down to have dinner with the whole family, she would sit silently without touching the food.The count and countess thought she was showing temper.But Mrs. Fickle would never agree with them. Why couldn't these people see how close the connection between Irene and Mikan was.The housekeeper put aside her worries and reminded herself that they were only children, young.But...losing Mikan really seemed to break Erin completely.

"I miss him too," said the housekeeper, wanting to share her sorrow, "but you have to know what's best for Mikan. You don't want him to stay here and watch him forever You can't get anything. Honey, you look pale and haggard, and your hair is as dry as a ponytail. What would Mikan say if he was here?" Erin looked at her dully, "He will think I deserve it, I'm too cruel to him." "One day he'll understand. He'll come to his senses and know that you're doing it for his own good." "Do you really think so?" Irene asked with little interest.

"Of course." The housekeeper replied firmly. "But I don't." Erin picked up the metal horse by the window and looked at it unfocused, "Mikan will hate me forever." The housekeeper pondered, what was certain was that if she didn't take some action, the girl's health would suffer in the future. "Perhaps I should tell you. . . I had a letter from him," said Mrs. Fickles, who would have liked to keep the secret.Because she didn't know how Irene would react. Once the Earl found out that she had shown the letter to Irene, there would be one more prisoner here—herself.

The girl's gloomy eyes suddenly burst into life, with eager eyes, "When?" "Early this morning." "What did he write? How is he?" "I haven't seen it yet—you know I can't see well, the light needs to be bright... My glasses don't know..." Erin pushed the tray away, stood up and pulled her back, "Where is the letter? Show me quickly—oh, oh, why did you take so long to tell me?" Mrs. Fickles looked at the unnatural blush on the girl's face worriedly, and said as if ordering, "The letter is in my room. If you want to read it, you have to eat what's on the tray first." Her tone was firm, "I heard you haven't eaten anything since yesterday - you'll faint before you go downstairs."

"God, why do you still think about eating at this time?" Erin said angrily. Mrs. Ficus stood where she was, unfazed by her gaze.The girl finally gave in, pulled the tray over, grabbed a slice of bread, and stuffed it into her mouth angrily. The housekeeper looked at her with satisfaction, "That's all right. Come to me after eating—I'm in the kitchen. Then we'll go to the room to read the letter." Erin gobbled it up and almost choked on the bread. The spoon shook violently in her hand when she drank the soup, and the juice was spilled all over the place when it was delivered to her mouth.Her thoughts couldn't stop, it was a mess.Mikan's letter doesn't say forgive or understand her—it doesn't mention her at all.It doesn't matter, as long as she knows that he is still alive and living a good life, she will be relieved.Oh God, she was starving for news from him!

After finishing the soup in a hurry, she impatiently threw the spoon aside and got up to put on her shoes.What a fool she was not to think of getting in touch with Mikan through Mrs. Fickles.Although Irene can't contact him directly, she can contact him indirectly through the housekeeper.Warm throbs welled up in her heart, and this thought slightly comforted her pain of lovesickness after being separated for several weeks.Thinking of the letter, with Mikan's own handwriting on the parchment, Erin was very excited. She went into the kitchen, and caused whispers from the scullery-maid and the cook, and she knew she must be blushing.Unable to restrain her excitement, she ran to Mrs. Ficus behind the big wooden table, where the housekeeper was talking to the cook, and the brick stove stood beside her.The kitchen smelled of fried fish, and the oily smell made Erin's stomach feel very uncomfortable.She swallowed vigorously, resisting the urge to vomit, and approached the housekeeper.

"It's a letter," Erin whispered in her ear, and Mrs. Ficos smiled. "Okay. Wait a minute, miss." Erin nodded, sighing impatiently.She turned to the stove, where a cook was clumsily turning fish.Oil kept splattering from the pan, dripping and ricocheting, onto an unused basket of carbon underneath.Erin frowned at her clumsiness, grabbed her arm, and pushed her to the butler. "Mrs. Ficos—" "Okay, it will be ready soon." The housekeeper was still discussing the menu with the cook. "I know, but the stove—" "Just one sentence, miss."

"Mrs. Fickles, I think this cook—" Erin's words were interrupted by a sudden loud noise, followed by an explosion caused by the fire of the oil-soaked basket.Flames shot straight to the ceiling, and a plate of fish was scattered.Irene was shocked, and the cook leaned against her tremblingly. The breathing of the two began to be difficult due to lack of oxygen, and they leaned weakly against the big wooden table. Eileen dimly heard the screams of the maids, and Mrs Ficklesh calling for salt to be brought from the pantry and thrown on the fire.Erin turned to go out, but she was already surrounded by fire.Suddenly she felt severe pain in her body and realized with horror that her clothes were on fire.She instinctively wanted to run, but there was fire and smoke everywhere.She sees Mrs. Fickle's terrified face, and then someone throws her to the ground... a man curses loudly... someone slaps hard to put out the flames on her dress.Erin screamed and struggled, but her breathing became weaker and weaker, her eyes blurred and she slowly fell into darkness.