Sentence of Marriage by Shayne Parkinson

Pa. I will try not to annoy her.’
    ‘You’re a good girl.’ The smile he gave her made Amy even more determined to do her best.
     
    *
     
    She did try, but it seemed she couldn’t do anything right. If she said nothing she was sullen, and if it meant the food didn’t turn out properly she had done it on purpose; if she did try to correct Susannah she was being cheeky. On the whole it seemed safer to be thought sullen.
    On a fiercely hot Thursday afternoon in February, Amy and Susannah were working together in the kitchen when there was a knock at the door.
    ‘Run and answer that,’ Susannah said, taking off her apron in anticipation of a visitor. Lizzie would not have bothered to knock. Amy found to her surprise that her old teacher, Miss Evans was at the door. She showed her in.
    Miss Evans was in her thirties, small and stocky, with a round face framed by brown hair pulled back rather severely from her forehead. The stern effect was softened by her bright eyes, which were turned on Susannah in a friendly smile.
    ‘How do you do, Mrs Leith?’ she said. ‘We’ve been introduced in town, I believe, but I’m afraid I haven’t had the chance to call on you until now—I’m Ruth Evans.’
    ‘How nice of you to drop in,’ Susannah said, with a somewhat glassy smile. ‘Yes, of course, you’re the school teacher. Won’t you have a cup of tea with me? Amy, bring a tray into the parlour, then you can carry on out here.’
    ‘I think Amy should join us,’ Miss Evans said. Susannah looked at her in surprise.
    ‘The girl’s busy out here, and I hardly think we need her with us.’
    ‘But it’s Amy I want to talk about,’ Miss Evans said, and Amy felt a sudden leap of her heart, followed by a constriction that was almost painful. No , she cried silently. Don’t even try, Miss Evans—not with Susannah. She’ll never understand . She tried to catch Miss Evans’ eye, but she and Susannah had locked gazes. Miss Evans was the first to break the silence.
    ‘Now that there’s another, ’ and she stressed the word in a way that made Amy want to kiss her, ‘woman in the house, Mrs Leith, I imagine Amy has a little more time. Are you aware that she was intending to train as a teacher under me? She started to, but her responsibilities at home were too heavy at that stage. I think it’s time she came back to me.’
    Susannah’s expression showed that Miss Evans had abruptly changed from being a break in the monotony of her day into an irritation. ‘My husband told me about that nonsense of Amy’s.’ Amy felt a rush of anger. ‘He let her do it for a while because she whined at him—he spoils her dreadfully, I’m afraid. But I need her in the house—she is some help to me,’ she finished in an injured tone.
    There was a few moments’ silence. ‘So you refuse?’ Miss Evans asked.
    ‘I’m afraid I must. I’m sure you can find some other little girl to wash the boards for you, or whatever she did. I’m quite capable of teaching Amy all she’s ever going to need. I do expect her to marry eventually, of course.’ Amy cringed with embarrassment.
    ‘In that case,’ said Miss Evans, obviously holding her tongue with difficulty, ‘I won’t take any more of your time. Good day, Mrs Leith.’ She turned to go.
    ‘Oh, won’t you take tea with me?’ Susannah asked.
    ‘No, thank you. Perhaps another day.’ She walked out the door.
    ‘Miss Evans!’ Amy cried in dismay, and made to follow her.
    ‘Where do you think you’re going, Miss?’ Susannah called sharply. Amy turned to her angrily.
    ‘You were so rude to Miss Evans! I just want to apologise to her.’
    ‘You stay just where you are. What right does she have to come here and say what you should or shouldn’t be doing with your time? That’s up to me, not her.’
    ‘She just wants to help me!’
    ‘Help you be like her, you mean,’ Susannah said with a sneer. ‘You should be thanking me for rescuing you from her. Do you want to be a