Rebellious Heart Read Online Free PDF Page B

horse from a British regular. All that mattered was that she favored him and wanted to be with him.
    He pressed her hand and smiled down at her.
    She lifted her pert nose and gave him a promising smile in return. She hadn’t disdained him the way Susanna had.
    Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Susanna watching him.
    He patted Hannah’s hand and bestowed a look of endearment upon her.
    At the very least, he could make Susanna realize that just because she hadn’t thought him worthy didn’t mean every wealthy young lady would feel the same.

Chapter
3
     
    Susanna peeked through the window at her younger brother, William, sitting under the tutelage of his teacher. Jealousy twined around her heart and pulled taut. What she wouldn’t give to be inside the parsonage at the table, studying with him.
    She tugged at the ribbon of her cape and loosened it, letting it droop from her shoulders. Due to the chill of the September afternoon, her mother had insisted she don the outer garment over her riding suit during their visits to the poor widows. But the heavy cape had only overheated her and now added to her irritation.
    William twisted his pencil above his slate and stared at a faraway spot on the wall while his tutor read to him from the thick volume of Rollin’s Ancient History .
    Susanna had to swallow the bitter words she wanted to shout at her brother through the window. There he was, surrounded by their father’s massive library with a knowledgeable teacher at his leisure, and yet he failed to apply himself or appreciate the privilege of his education.
    He was an ungrateful boy.
    She spun away from the parsonage before she gave liberty to her unkind words. Her father had always admonished them to say all the handsome things they could of people and never to speak ill of anybody.
    But sometimes Father’s instructions were too difficult to follow, like now when she wished she could trade places with William.
    She’d begged her parents to send her to one of the rare academies in Massachusetts that admitted girls. When they’d refused, she pleaded for the chance to at least sit with William during his lessons. And while her father had been open to considering the arrangement, her mother had insisted on training her daughters properly. Mother had instructed her and Mary in simple writing and arithmetic, as was appropriate for preparing young girls to manage their own homes someday. Anything beyond the basics was deemed unnecessary and even ostentatious.
    “Reading books is a waste of time for girls,” Mother said too often. “As long as you know how to read the Bible, then what more do you need?”
    If it hadn’t been for Grandmother Eve’s encouragement and additional instruction, Susanna was sure she would have withered up and died by now. As it was, every time she’d visited Grandmother Eve at Mount Wollaston, the dear woman had provided excellent lessons in her unique way of blending learning and amusement. She’d not only instilled in her a love of reading, but of writing and thinking deeply.
    “Susanna Smith,” her mother called from the garden where she’d stopped to give instructions to Phoebe, who was finishing picking the root vegetables. “If you’re going to stay outside, you must wear your cloak.”
    “Yes, Mother.” Even as she pulled the cloak back over hershoulders, her heart rebelled against the action. She was nineteen years old, and Mother still treated her like she was nine.
    “In fact,” Mother continued, “I suggest you go straightaway into the house. You’ve been out long enough, and we don’t want to chance you getting ill.”
    “I beg you not to worry.” Susanna moved away from the window, away from the parsonage and toward the gate. “The ride and the fresh air have invigorated me. Besides, I’ve promised Phoebe I’d gather a basket of fresh apples so she can make apple tansey tonight.”
    Susanna unlatched the gate and slipped through before her mother could intercept