Free Emily's Dream by Jacqueline Pearce

 1 
The Riding Whip
    Emily burrowed into the sweet-smelling hay. She didn’t think her oldest sister would climb up to the barn loft to look for her, but if she did, Emily would be well hidden. The stiff hay shafts poked into her, and the dust tickled her nose, but Emily didn’t care. She could hear Dede’s angry voice calling her from the house. Emily shifted deeper into the hay. She had no intention of going back to the house to let Dede punish her. She’d rather stay in the hayloft all day.
    Why did Dede have to make such a fuss over everything? Emily was sure she’d seen Bishop Cridge hide a smile when she’d chased her little brother Richard into thesitting room and tagged him right over the tea things Dede had just set out for her guests. If Bishop Cridge hadn’t minded a little tea in his lap, why should Dede? Dede had gotten bossier than ever since their parents had died.
    It was three years now since Mother’s death from illness, and Emily still missed her terribly. Father had seemed to lose interest in life after Mother died, and he hadn’t lasted much longer. Now, Emily’s grown-up sister Dede was in charge. Father had left the house to Dede, and Dede acted like she owned the Carr children as well as the house.
    â€œShe doesn’t own me,” Emily whispered fiercely into the hay.
    â€œEmily Carr, you get in this house this minute!” Dede’s order rang across the cow yard. “Or do you expect your brother to take your punishment for you?”
    Emily sat up, hay cascading off her body. Through a hole between the boards in the side of the loft, she could see Dede standing on the back porch of the house. Richard– Dick, as everyone called him–stood besideher, looking at his feet. Dede had a firm grip on his ear. Hay dust drifted up, and Emily sneezed.
    Well, that was it. She’d have to go in. She couldn’t leave Dick to take the punishment on his own. Playing tag had been Emily’s idea, after all. Dede was so unfair.
    Emily climbed slowly down the ladder from the loft. The family’s old cow lingered by the barn door, waiting for her. Emily gave her an affectionate scratch on the head, then took a deep breath, squared her shoulders and headed for the house.
    Once Emily was on the porch, Dede let go of Dick’s ear and grabbed Emily’s instead.
    â€œYou are so exasperating, Emily!” Dede said angrily. “When will you learn to obey the rules of this house?”
    Dede pushed Emily through the back door into the kitchen, not expecting an answer.
    â€œYou will have our guests believing that we are uncivilized, that we have no sense of decorum or propriety,” she went on.
    Emily felt her own anger rise. Dede was always going on about what other peoplethought. She didn’t care what Emily thought or even what Dick or Emily’s other sisters thought. All that mattered to Dede was that everything looked right to others.
    â€œYou know the punishment for breaking rules,” Dede said grimly as she reached for the riding whip that hung on the wall by the kitchen door.
    Emily glared at Dede. She wanted to say something angry back at her, but instead she gritted her teeth and braced herself for the snap of the whip against the back of her legs.
    Whack
!
Whack
!
    â€œAnd one more for hiding,” Dede added.
    Whack
!
    Then she let go of Emily and hung the whip back on its hook.
    â€œI’m sorry to have to do that, Emily,” Dede said. But Emily turned away from her. She did not want Dede to see the tears in her eyes.
    â€œCan I go now?” Emily asked, trying to keep the anger and humiliation out of her voice. She did not want another smack with the whip.
    â€œ
May
I go,” Dede corrected.
    â€œMay I go now?” Emily repeated, though she felt her face growing hot with resentment and frustration.
    â€œYes, you may,” Dede said at last.
    Emily walked slowly out of the room and along