The Birthday Fire

Summary

I hadn’t been living with my biological parents for long when their mansion went up in flames.

The servants and I scrambled out, choking on the thick, acrid smoke that clawed at our lungs. The heat was a physical presence, pressing in on us from all sides.

Our maid, Anna, her face smeared with soot, grabbed my arm. Her voice was a panicked squeak. "Miss Sophie! Quick, call your father! He can send people to put it out!"

But the housekeeper, Martha, a stern woman who had been with the family for decades, pulled me in the opposite direction.