she draw?
Unbidden, Friedrick’s handsome face materialized in her mind. She’d visualized it plenty since the night of her birthday, but today, his image was sharper with recent memory. Like the way his blue eyes had lit up with appreciation as he studied her in her nightgown last night. Or the way his tall, strong frame seemed to fill the cabin.
She recalled how his undisguised joy at seeing her again, at least at first, had made her stomach quiver with strange delight. She hadn’t felt that dancing. But her memory argued otherwise. There had been a moment, after he’d smiled at her on her birthday, when she felt that same tremble of excitement. She couldn’t recall Robert inspiring such emotion in her, even when he kissed her, though she found his kisses pleasant enough.
Livy opened her eyes and scowled at the blank sheet of paper. She didn’t want to sketch a picture of Friedrick. Or think about him or dwell on what feelings he might have stirred inside her. Right now the only emotion she felt toward the man was contempt.
She decided on a quick sketch of her family’s farm, but she hadn’t managed more than a few strokes of the pencil when the school door clattered open. Jumping up, Livy smiled with relief as an older boy and a young girl quietly put away their things and slid into their desks.
“Good morning,” she said cheerfully. They nodded back without speaking. She wouldn’t let their reticence unnerve her—she had students.
A steady trickle of children filtered into the school, some looking as young as five, some nearly as old as her brother Allen. All of them remained silent, shooting Livy wary glances, as they sat down. One or two of the younger girls sent shy smiles in her direction, to which Livy responded with a little wave. Apparently she had a ways to go before winning the rest of the students’ trust.
When the door ceased banging open, Livy counted the number of children seated before her. There were fifteen students altogether—more than she thought would see the chimney smoke. Had someone, possibly Friedrick, let those farther away from the school know she had arrived? If so, the man was proving to be a wealth of contradictions.
She waited until exactly nine o’clock, then she straightened her shoulders and greeted the students with a genuine smile. “Good morning, class. I’m Miss Campbell, and I’m excite—”
A tiny girl with tight, reddish-brown braids raised her arm.
Livy clasped her hands together, hoping to appear patient despite the interruption. “Do you have a question?”
The braids bounced as the girl gave a vigorous nod.
“And your name is?”
“Yvonne. Yvonne Fischer.”
“Hello, Yvonne. What is your question?”
“Is Miss Lehmann coming back?”
A chorus of murmurs filled the room before Livy could ask, “Who is Miss Lehmann?”
“Our teacher,” a tall boy in the back said, his chin tipped at a defiant angle.
Livy squeezed her fingers tightly and tried to maintain the calm demeanor she’d been instructed by her college professors to display. “I am your teacher now. At least until the end of the school year.”
“But what happened to Miss Lehmann?” an older girl asked. “One week she was here, then the next there was a notice on the door saying the school was closed.”
Livy opened her mouth to tell them the truth—their teacher had been fired—but as she stared into their innocent faces, she knew she couldn’t do it. No wonder they watched her with suspicion. Their former teacher had disappeared on them and no one had bothered to explain. If their parents hadn’t felt the need to tell them Miss Lehmann had been accused of being a spy and had broken the language law, then Livy wouldn’t either.
“I don’t know where Miss Lehmann went,” she answered honestly. “But I’m sure she would be here if she could. In the meantime, I will be your teacher and I’m looking forward to getting to know—”
The crash of the door and the
Unbidden, Friedrick’s handsome face materialized in her mind. She’d visualized it plenty since the night of her birthday, but today, his image was sharper with recent memory. Like the way his blue eyes had lit up with appreciation as he studied her in her nightgown last night. Or the way his tall, strong frame seemed to fill the cabin.
She recalled how his undisguised joy at seeing her again, at least at first, had made her stomach quiver with strange delight. She hadn’t felt that dancing. But her memory argued otherwise. There had been a moment, after he’d smiled at her on her birthday, when she felt that same tremble of excitement. She couldn’t recall Robert inspiring such emotion in her, even when he kissed her, though she found his kisses pleasant enough.
Livy opened her eyes and scowled at the blank sheet of paper. She didn’t want to sketch a picture of Friedrick. Or think about him or dwell on what feelings he might have stirred inside her. Right now the only emotion she felt toward the man was contempt.
She decided on a quick sketch of her family’s farm, but she hadn’t managed more than a few strokes of the pencil when the school door clattered open. Jumping up, Livy smiled with relief as an older boy and a young girl quietly put away their things and slid into their desks.
“Good morning,” she said cheerfully. They nodded back without speaking. She wouldn’t let their reticence unnerve her—she had students.
A steady trickle of children filtered into the school, some looking as young as five, some nearly as old as her brother Allen. All of them remained silent, shooting Livy wary glances, as they sat down. One or two of the younger girls sent shy smiles in her direction, to which Livy responded with a little wave. Apparently she had a ways to go before winning the rest of the students’ trust.
When the door ceased banging open, Livy counted the number of children seated before her. There were fifteen students altogether—more than she thought would see the chimney smoke. Had someone, possibly Friedrick, let those farther away from the school know she had arrived? If so, the man was proving to be a wealth of contradictions.
She waited until exactly nine o’clock, then she straightened her shoulders and greeted the students with a genuine smile. “Good morning, class. I’m Miss Campbell, and I’m excite—”
A tiny girl with tight, reddish-brown braids raised her arm.
Livy clasped her hands together, hoping to appear patient despite the interruption. “Do you have a question?”
The braids bounced as the girl gave a vigorous nod.
“And your name is?”
“Yvonne. Yvonne Fischer.”
“Hello, Yvonne. What is your question?”
“Is Miss Lehmann coming back?”
A chorus of murmurs filled the room before Livy could ask, “Who is Miss Lehmann?”
“Our teacher,” a tall boy in the back said, his chin tipped at a defiant angle.
Livy squeezed her fingers tightly and tried to maintain the calm demeanor she’d been instructed by her college professors to display. “I am your teacher now. At least until the end of the school year.”
“But what happened to Miss Lehmann?” an older girl asked. “One week she was here, then the next there was a notice on the door saying the school was closed.”
Livy opened her mouth to tell them the truth—their teacher had been fired—but as she stared into their innocent faces, she knew she couldn’t do it. No wonder they watched her with suspicion. Their former teacher had disappeared on them and no one had bothered to explain. If their parents hadn’t felt the need to tell them Miss Lehmann had been accused of being a spy and had broken the language law, then Livy wouldn’t either.
“I don’t know where Miss Lehmann went,” she answered honestly. “But I’m sure she would be here if she could. In the meantime, I will be your teacher and I’m looking forward to getting to know—”
The crash of the door and the
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