Free Kat, Incorrigible by Stephanie Burgis

financial reward. Because their family actually loved them, unlike some people.”
    Elissa said, “Kat—”
    “You, young lady, are very ignorant,” said Stepmama. Color mantled her cheeks as she glared at me. “If you think any young ladies in your situation can afford to wait for some fanciful notion of romantic love, you are blind to the ways of the world. And you should know better than to talk to your elders about things you know nothing about, particularly in such an impertinent manner.”
    “Why wouldn’t I know what I was talking about?” I said. “I’m part of Elissa’s family, aren’t I?” Unlike you , I could have added, but I was old enough to know how much trouble that would have caused. “So I know exactly what Elissa’s family really wants for her.”
    “It’s all right, Kat,” Elissa said quickly. “You don’t need to—”
    Stepmama opened her mouth to blast me.
    Angeline drawled her words as lazily as if they meant nothing to her. “There’s no use trying to quash Kat, ma’am. You know she’s not old enough yet to understand that girls are only worth what they can bring their parents in their sale, like a milch cow or some other disposable possession.”
    My eyes flashed to Angeline’s face.
    Stepmama said, “That is quite enough from both of you! All of you!” She was breathing quickly. “You three girls may think yourselves very clever and ill-used, I daresay, but I don’t see any of you paying your own room and board in my house, or finding yourselves any funds to support yourselves in the future.”
    “Indeed not,” said Angeline. “But I had thought it was Papa’s house, actually. And I don’t see you paying room and board either.”
    “Everyone stop it!” Elissa shouted.
    It was so unexpected, everyone fell silent and stared at her. Her pale cheeks were flushed, and her eyes shone bright with unshed tears.
    “I know what I must do,” she said more quietly. “And I will do it. For all my family’s sake. But I can’t bear all this lecturing and arguing and—” She broke off, putting one hand to her mouth. “I can’t,” she repeated. “Please. Just let us not talk about it!”
    “But you don’t have to do it!” I said.
    “Katherine—,” Stepmama began, dangerously.
    “ No ,” Elissa said. “Just stop!”
    And, to my amazement, Stepmama did.
    Angeline took Elissa’s hand and squeezed it, and Elissa rested her head on Angeline’s shoulder. I stared at them both from my corner of the carriage and felt hot prickling behind my eyes.
    “Oh, Lord,” Angeline said. She sighed and reached across the piled boxes to take my hand, too.
    I squeezed her warm, strong hand. Elissa leaned over to close her free hand around both of ours. The prickling sensation behind my eyes grew even stronger. I had to twist my back to lean across the bandboxes, but I didn’t care. I could have sat that way forever.
    “Humph,” said Stepmama, and turned away to look out her window.
    We rode the rest of the way in silence. But as we drew closer and closer to Grantham Abbey, down the narrow, winding road between the river and the dark wall of trees, Elissa’s hand gripped tighter and tighter around mine and Angeline’s.
    We turned the last curve in the road and saw it all spread out before us along the opposite riverbank: Grantham Abbey. Great stone arches curved upward, filled with empty blue sky where stained-glass windows should have been. Tall stone walls formed rooms that were larger than Papa’s whole church, but without any roofs left to shield them from the wind and rain. Even the outlying piles of medieval stone, where other walls had fallen, looked as massive as if a giant had been at work.
    As I gazed, openmouthed, at the ruined abbey, my reticule began to itch and burn with heat against my lap.
    I pulled my hand back from my sisters’ grasp and wrapped both hands around the reticule. At any moment the little beaded bag might start to glow with dangerous, golden