‘Leave my sister alone, Silas,’ she said to him, giving him a stern look in the rear-view mirror.
‘But Matthew told me we’re on a double date,’ Silas wheedled.
‘Well, my sister clearly doesn’t want to be, so leave her alone,’ Kate said, putting her hand on Matthew’s knee as he drove them. ‘Tell him to leave her be, Mattie.’
‘Yeah,’ Matt said, looking at Susannah in the rear-view mirror so that only she could see the mockery in his eyes. ‘She clearly thinks she’s above us island boys.’
‘She’s not like that, Mattie,’ Kate said to them. ‘You’re just different, right, Susie?’
Susannah nodded glumly, hunched in the corner of the back seat away from Silas.
Back home, Kate pleaded exhaustion and went straight up to bed. Susannah could smell the whisky on her breath and knew she was avoiding being caught out.
‘How was the dance?’ her mother asked her.
‘Fine,’ she said tightly. Her mother looked crestfallen, clearly picking up on her negative tone. She returned to her lacing table, head bent over her work. In the curve of her hurting back, the weariness of movements, Susannah saw all the years of disappointment.
‘It was great, Mom,’ she said forcing herself to sound happy. ‘Really. You should have seen Katie. Everyone was saying how pretty her dress was.’
‘But what’s wrong with Katie? Why did she run up to bed without telling me anything?’
‘She was dancing all night long, Mom. She’s tired.’
‘But she was so excited. I’ve been waiting all night for her to tell me every single detail.’ Their mom paused from her lacing. ‘Did she and Matthew dance together?’
‘All night, Mom, like I told you. All the boys wanted to dance with Katie. Every other dance, she and Matthew were together.’
Her mom flushed with delight as if she’d been the one dancing. ‘What about you? Did you have fun with Silas?’
Susannah chose her words carefully. ‘He’s not much of a dancer,’ she said. ‘I’m not sure we’re suited.’
‘Oh dear, well never mind that,’ her mom said, clearly more interested in Kate’s date. ‘And do you think Matthew Young is serious about Katie?’ She dropped her lacing things and looked at Susannah.
‘Yes,’ Susannah said reluctantly. She couldn’t lie to her mom. ‘He sure does like her.’
Her mom clasped her hands. ‘Well now, wouldn’t it be a fine thing if those two made a life together?’
Susannah couldn’t agree less. ‘Don’t you think Katie could do better than Matthew Young?’ she asked her mom.
‘In what way?’ her mom said, not understanding as she frowned at her. ‘He’s from the biggest and most respected lobster fishing family on the island. Matthew’s father fought in the war. His grandfather fished alongside Gramps Olsen. Who could be better than Matthew Young?’
‘He’s left high school already,’ Susannah ventured. ‘He’s not even graduating.’
‘Well, he doesn’t need to, does he? He’s set for life with the lobster-fishing. He’ll be able to provide well for our Katie.’
‘He’s just a bit…’ Susannah hunted for the right word. ‘Rough.’
‘Rough?’ Her mom’s voice rose. ‘Do you mean ignorant? Maybe you should remember your father never graduated either. He was a rough fisherman too. Are you ashamed of him?’
‘No, of course not!’ Susannah protested. ‘He was different.’
Her mom sighed. ‘Your problem, Susannah, is pride, and I don’t know where you got it from.’ She shook her head. ‘But if you’re not careful you’ll end up an old spinster.’
‘That suits me fine, Mom,’ Susannah snapped back, unable to hold her temper. ‘I’d rather be on my own for the rest of my life than married to Silas Young!’
It was on the tip of her tongue to tell her mother about her aspirations for Harvard. But what if she never got in? She couldn’t bear her mother’s ‘told you so’s if she didn’t make it.
Upstairs, Kate was lying with her back to her in bed, the patchwork quilt fallen on the floor. Susannah could see she wasn’t sleeping yet, but she didn’t say a word as she got into her own bed. She was exhausted from the whole night and just wanted to sleep.
‘My head keeps on spinning and spinning,’ Kate said as soon as Susannah turned off the lamp.
‘Did you drink some of the liquor Silas brought?’
‘Just a little, Susie,’ Kate said. ‘Why didn’t you have some? You might have enjoyed yourself more.’
‘Well, he never offered me any!’ Susannah said. ‘Though I wouldn’t have touched it if he had.’
‘You’re always so serious, Susie,’ Kate sighed. ‘Silas is okay. He just really likes you is all.’
‘He’s an ignorant drunk.’
‘So what? Those boys work damn hard. It’s okay if they have a drink now and again.’
‘What’s so great about Matthew Young, anyways?’ Susannah felt herself getting angrier.
‘I love him!’ Kate declared.
‘Don’t be so dramatic. That’s just plain dumb.’
‘I love him and I’m going to marry him. You just don’t understand, Susie.’ Kate’s tone softened as she sat up in bed. Susannah could see her shadowy silhouette outlined against the window in their room. ‘You got to understand: I want a good husband and to have babies. Make a family. That’s something real and safe. Why don’t you want that, too?’
Susannah had always known she and Kate were different. She wanted her sister to fulfil her dream. But not with Matthew Young. That’s what she wanted to scream at her lovesick sister. Silas was a slobby drunk, but Susannah almost preferred him to Matthew. There was something as cold as the Atlantic Ocean, deep inside Matthew. She didn’t like him one bit. And he couldn’t know the real Kate, because she was always pretending to be a silly, giggly girl around him. He couldn’t love Kate as she did. Her sister was way more than a pretty face. Even the way she’d got Silas to leave Susannah alone tonight had shown that she was strong-willed, and able to stand up to the older boy. Kate gave their mother so much support
