...
Inside, Mom and Desiree were still whispering to each other, glancing my way every so often.
I put away the dishes and went to my room.
I spent the entire night doing the math.
Early the next morning, Egbert arrived with Boris Gilbert and Mila Gilbert in tow.
Dad wore a brand-new formal suit, looking every bit the polished intellectual. Mom and Desiree were dressed in matching polyester outfits, like a pair of sisters.
And me? All I had was the ill-fitting dress Desiree had tossed my way the night before, looking down her nose as she did it.
Surrounded by a room full of well-groomed, educated people, I stuck out like a sore thumb.
Boris and Mila stared at me with eyes that nearly bulged out of their heads. Egbert looked three parts disbelief and seven parts disgust.
Then my mother spoke up with a bright smile. "In-laws, I've adored Egbert ever since he was a boy. I can't tell you how happy I am that our Desiree gets to marry him!"
Mila's eyes lit up. "It's Desiree who's marrying him?"
My mother clasped Mila's hands and let out a sigh, putting on a pained expression.
"I know we originally agreed on Letitia. But the poor girl's had a hard life. Thirteen years with us out on the frontier, and look what it's done to her..."
"Thankfully, she's sensible. She knows the gap between herself and Egbert, so she offered to step aside and let Desiree and Egbert be together. She even said she'd go find work and save up her own dowry!"
Boris and Mila looked briefly surprised, then turned to me with a gaze that was equal parts approval and pity. They praised me for being sensible, for seeing the bigger picture, for being a good little sister.
I didn't say a word. I just helped pour tea and serve water while they happily discussed the wedding plans.
Because I knew that making a scene would be pointless. My death in my previous life had taught me that much.
Egbert let out a long breath of relief and stepped toward me.
"Letitia, I owe you. If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to come to me."
I pulled away from his reach and let out a cold laugh. "No need."
In this life, we would have nothing to do with each other.
Desiree clung to Egbert's arm, triumphant.
"Little sister, I know you resent me for stealing Egbert away. But love doesn't follow a first-come, first-served rule."
"Stop sulking. Egbert's transfer orders have already come through. You work hard for a couple of years, save up your dowry, and we'll absolutely find you a man with a proper government job."
"The transfer orders came through? That's wonderful! Our Desiree's going to be a bureaucrat's wife!" Mom and Dad slapped their thighs in delight, then turned to me. "Letitia, didn't you save up thirty dollars? Hurry up and take your sister and brother-in-law to a nice restaurant to celebrate!"
They shoved at me, their eyes darting greedily to the pocket at my waist.
I stood rooted to the spot and shook my head. "I won't."
"What did you just say?"
I stared straight into my mother's face and spoke slowly, one word at a time. "You traded away my engagement. Why should I pay for the celebration?"
"If you want me to treat, fine. First, pay back the eight hundred and fifty-two dollars and thirty-five cents you owe me."
The room went dead silent.
My mother's face flushed red. She understood perfectly. I had refused their demand and challenged their authority as parents.
Her expression twisted into something ugly right before everyone's eyes. Her hand moved faster than her brain, and the slap cracked across my face before the words even left her mouth.
"Letitia Sullivan! What kind of nonsense are you spouting?!"
"It's not nonsense." I wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth and looked at her calmly. "I have the IOUs. Signed by you, with your thumbprint."
Because Dad once praised Desiree for having a talent for painting, I had thrown myself into practicing calligraphy until my handwriting was flawless.
Over those thirteen years, I finished my labor during the day, then burned through lamp oil at night, copying books for people and collecting scraps for money. In total, I had earned nine hundred dollars.
The neighbors all praised me for being clever and capable, a girl who could work hard and earn her keep.
And gradually, some of them began to speak up for me.
