In a Corner of the Housetop

All his life Derek has searched for the truth about the parents he never knew: a father who died before he was born and a mother who followed soon after. After thirteen years of living and working on the Worthington Plantation-where his parents worked before him-he finally begins to think he'll never know who they were or what happened to them. Then one day, Jonathan, the eldest son of the household, and his wife come to stay. As the new visitors stir up still waters at the plantation, facts surrounding Derek's heritage slowly unravel. A painting in the attic, strange dreams, a pile of letters he was never meant to find.... While Derek struggles to find the answers he has desperately wanted his whole life, Mrs. Worthington does everything she can to make sure he never learns the truth. In the third book of the trilogy, tragedy after tragedy strikes the plantation. Jonathan has to leave and Derek is left to endure Mrs. Worthington's wrath. Then a visit from Jonathan's childhood friend, Eli Todd, changes everything. In the wake of sickness, fire, and death, Derek finally uncovers his hidden heritage, but it might be too late to matter.