“When I become a pirate,” Josephine told them confidently, “I won’t need a husband. I’ll have loads of treasure all for myself.”
“And I’ll have lots of adventures,” Ashley said. “I won’t have time for a husband, especially a mean one.”
“But how will you have money for adventures without a husband?” Josephine asked.
“Well, I don’t care how poor I am. I won’t marry at all. Ever.” As soon as the words were spoken, Catie knew she meant them. How could she marry, when all her life she’d seen clearly what men were and what they could do? And it wasn’t only her father who was cruel. She’d seen his friends hit their wives and kick dogs in the street. How could she know which men were like her Uncle William, Madeleine’s papa, and which were like her father?
“And I will not marry either,” Madeleine chimed in. “Never. I don’t need the money. If you want, Catie, you can come stay with me. You, too, Ashley, when you’re not on an adventure, and you, Josie, when you’re not on your pirate ship.” She paused, and then because she was Madeleine and could never be cruel, she added, “Your sister can come, too, Catie, if she really wants.”
“I’ll tell her, but she thinks she’s special.” At least that’s what their father always told Elizabeth. He always said, “If I must be cursed with daughters, thank God one is small and pretty. You’ll marry a prince and make us all rich, Elizabeth.”
Now Catie told her cousins, “Elizabeth thinks she’ll marry a prince.”
“She’s a fool,” Ashley said. “But I’m not.”
“Me, neither,” Catie said, then sat up straighter. “I propose that we make a pledge, a promise never to marry. I’m the oldest, so I go first. I, Catherine Anne Fullbright, swear never, ever, ever to marry so long as I live. Now your turn Maddie.”
“I, Madeleine Richael Fullbright, swear never, ever to marry so long as I live. Now your turn, Josie,” Maddie said.
“I, Josephine Linet Hale, swear never, ever, to marry so long as I live. I promise to be a pirate!”
“Now you, Ashley,” Catie directed.
“I, Ashley Gweneira Brittany, swear not to marry for as long as I live. But you know what this means, don’t you?” She didn’t wait for an answer. “We’re going to be spinsters.”
For a moment the four cousins were quiet, and then Catie said, “I’d rather be a spinster than beaten and locked in a closet.”
“I’d rather be a spinster than a silly girl who thinks she’ll marry a prince,” Ashley said.
“It won’t be bad to be unmarried if we’re all unmarried,” Josie said.
“So we’ll make it fun. We’ll be the Spinsters’ Club!” Catie said, impressed that she had thought of it.
“That’s right,” Josephine agreed. “We’ll stick together. No men or mean girls allowed.”
Catie was the first to sit up, stick out her hand, and the other girls followed. Soon all four sat in a circle on Maddie’s bed, hands joined in a silent yet binding pact.
Chapter Two
Ten years later
On hands and knees, Catherine backed into the doorway, surveying the shining floor of the drawing room. She’d just spent three hours dusting, sweeping, mopping, and polishing, and she was finally done. She sat up, feeling her back twinge in protest. The muscles in her arms and legs were on fire. No matter. She was finished. She was free.
She could spend the rest of the afternoon curled up in her bed, reading a book or even sleeping. Sleep sounded like the best option at present. She was so tired. She’d been up since dawn helping with the laundry, cooking breakfast, and straightening the mess her father had made when he’d come home drunk the night before.
With a sigh, Catherine rose, hefted the heavy pail, and lumbered down the stairs. The house was unusually quiet today. Neither of her parents nor her younger sister was home. Not that she missed them. She preferred days like this, but all the peace and solitude did give her pause. She wasn’t used to it, and she knew it wouldn’t last.
Going through the kitchen, Catherine went out the back door and poured the dirty water into the yard. The sheets on the clothesline were almost dry, and she checked the sky to make sure the rain would hold off another hour or more. Satisfied, her clean linen wouldn’t be drenched in the near future, she set the pail by the door and went wearily back up the steps.
That was when she heard them. Her mother, her sister, and her father. They were talking and laughing, making their way up the stairs to the first floor. For a long moment, Catherine hovered in the kitchen, wondering how long she could hide down here. How long would it be before they missed her? She bit her lip to ward off a rueful smile. Probably as long as it took before they wanted something.
“Catherine Anne!” She heard her father call in his booming voice.
Well, she had known it wouldn’t be long.
And she knew better than to tarry. She scampered out of the kitchen and was almost to the drawing room before her father bellowed again. “Yes, Father! I’m here.”
She opened the door and was poised to give a quick curtsey, when she saw the mud. There were two sets of boot prints tracking mud across her clean, polished floor. One track led to her father, seated on the couch, one muddy boot dirtying the upholstery. The other boot was smaller, daintier, and it led to the chair her sister occupied.
