There's Wisdom in Women

Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

Catherine Hartwell:

I had been continuing to teach Lillian each time I saw her, which had become quite often. A number of times she had stopped by the schoolhouse on afternoons when I hosted suffrage meetings for my students. Angie had been attending them as well. She had become a regular guest speaker that the students much looked forward to. The students had gotten to know both of them, and Lillian was comfortable in the group for she was the same age of many of the girls. They even attended the graduation celebration to see off our eldest student, Hattie. 

Lillian’s grammar had been improving, and she was making many less errors. She had also gotten more skilled at reading. She could now read complex words and intricate sentences. I had given her “A Dreamer’s Tales” of Lord Dunsany, and she had devoured each of the stories as quickly as she could. She loved the imaginary worlds the book had created and she longed for more after she was done with the final page.

The three of us, Angie, Lillian and I, had become great friends. Almost every week we would get together and have a good time, whether having a laugh over tea or borrowing a few of Angie’s bicycles and going cycling, in which both Lillian and, I who had never ridden before, were worthless at. Nonetheless we enjoyed ourselves, shrieking with laughing every time we nearly lost our balance. 

Now I was off headed to see Daniel Blue for a meeting, as it was only but a week from the wedding. I was in pugnacious mood that afternoon, for I had a vicious headache all day. I approached the estate, ostentatiousness of the manor especially aggravated me today.

I looked around, Lillian usually greeted me at the door, but today it was a snotty butler in full coattails.  I waved him off when he tried to take my fleece, and climbed the stairs to the parlor, where Daniel was waiting. He greeted me with a slobbering kiss to my hand, and more pretentious compliments.

“You are looking simply radiant this afternoon, Catherine.” I rolled my eyes and had to restrain myself from making a sardonic comment.  “Would you care for some tea?” He did not give me time to answer, “Ida! Tea!” An older scullery maid soon entered with tea and tarts.

“Where is Lillian?” I asked Daniel coldly.

“Lillian?” He replied obviously oblivious to my intended brutality.

“Yes, the handmaid: a Scott, about sixteen. Where is she?”     

“Oh her.” There was certain repugnance in his voice as he said the word “her.”

“I caught the little snitch snooping in my library. So I canned her,” he said this in a way in which it seemed the firing of servants was a sporting game and he had won. My nostrils flared and my face grew hot and red.

“Ex.. Excuse me?!” I stuttered with anger in my eyes. “You fired her?”

“Of course, you expect me to have thief in my staff?” He said almost more smugly than usual.   

“A thief! Lillian McCullough is not a thief!” I yelled.

“Catherine! Lower you voice!”

“I will not lower my voice!” I said, my voice growing even louder. “You know her family back in Scotland is starving? This job was the only good thing that has ever happened to her! Now she’ll have to work in some factory, and she won’t earn enough pay to even keep herself alive! You have killed her!”

“Catherine, you are being irrational. She’s only a servant girl.”

“She’s not only a servant girl! She is my friend!”

“Come here, Catherine, my sweet,” He said quietly, reaching for my hands. “You are just flustered, you are not really angry at me.”  I tried to tug away from him, but he had a tight grip on my hands. He seemed to be moving towards me, and soon I inferred that he was trying to kiss me. He was only a single inch away from me, but I put all my weight behind me and freed myself from his grasp. I flung my hand back to gain momentum and planted a hard slap upon his face.  He let out a screech, and I ran from the room in my rage.

I just hurried down the stairs as servants gawked at the scene I had created. I flung the door open and marched out. I turned to look at a house I hoped I never see again. The edifice that contained gold leafed doorknobs, crystal chandlers and an abundance of throw pillows was now also filled the abhorrence and hatred that comes from betrayal. 

“Take that! You pompous conceited prig! The wedding’s off!” I yelled as I let out a spray of saliva at the door. I found the vulgar act oddly satisfying. I ran home letting my dress trail into the winter mud, and as I ran a sense of freedom came over me. I hadn’t really run like that since my youth, and there was something extraordinary about the crisp gusts of December. The wintry air cooled my hot cheeks and so my temper too.     Although the day was bleak and the grayest clouds covered the sky, there was still hope. I decided that I was glad to be no longer marring that callous snob, Blue, and I also concluded that I would take in Lillian. She could move into the spare room of the school house and could split my wages with her if she helped with the younger students.   Furthermore I vowed to only be demure when I chose to, all other times I’d be the hoyden farm girl from Paterson .