The Island Girls: A heartbreaking historical novel

by Noelle Harrison

  ‘You carry on there,’ her mother said, returning to the front room. ‘I’ve got some more lacing to do.’

  Susannah turned the heat back on the hob and stirred the jelly mixture, watching the sugar dissolve. If Kate didn’t come home soon, their mom would get suspicious. What if she decided to call over to Aunt Marjorie?

  It wasn’t until the sun was beginning to sink below the horizon, the sky seeping rose and the sea splattered pink, that Kate finally came in the back door.

  ‘Why were you so long? Mom’s been asking where you were,’ Susannah hissed.

  ‘What did you tell her?’ Kate said. Her eyes were glittering and her dress was all rumpled.

  ‘Said you brought some berries over to Aunt Marjorie,’ Susannah said, disgruntled. ‘She’d better not ask her about it tomorrow afternoon.’

  Kate shrugged, seeming not to care.

  ‘I had to make all this jelly on my own,’ Susannah continued, ladling the mixture into jars.

  ‘What a great job you’ve done, Susie!’ Kate said, twirling around the kitchen.

  ‘That’s not the point,’ Susannah said. ‘You shouldn’t stay out so late at night. Not on your own with a boy.’

  ‘He’s not any boy, he’s Matthew Young,’ Kate said, clutching her hands to her heart. ‘And he says it’s me he likes the best. Imagine, Susie,’ Kate continued, turning to her with stars in her eyes. ‘Matthew Young wants me to be his girl!’

  Susannah’s heart sank. She should never have left her sister on Amherst Hill with Matthew Young, because now it was too late.

  Matthew already had Kate’s heart trapped, just like one of his lobsters.

  Susannah

  August 1957

  The preparations had been going on for weeks. Kate was obsessed with Rachel Weaver’s summer dance. Carrying on as if they were going to a ball in, say, Boston, or some other big city they were never going to get to.

  ‘It’s only just a social on the island,’ Susannah kept reminding Kate.

  ‘But there’s going to be a band,’ Kate would respond. ‘They’re coming from Portland. And dancing. Don’t you want to dance to a real band?’

  ‘I guess.’

  But in truth Susannah did not enjoy dances. They’d only been to a couple organised by the church. She’d hated the small talk amongst all the women, and worst of all, having to wait for a boy to ask her dance. It always made her feel such a loser.

  She knew the reason her sister was so excited was because she had a date. Matthew Young. Kate was besotted with him. Kept going on about his long legs, blonde wavy hair like a Viking and his dreamy blue eyes. Susannah had tried for her sister’s sake to like Matthew, but despite his wholesome good looks, there was something about him that made her suspicious. He was always perfectly polite to her, but she could sense the dislike was mutual. He knew Susannah was her sister’s protector as the eldest. He didn’t like the fact that she and Kate were so different and that Susannah wasn’t taken in by all his flirting. Too bad. The only reason Susannah was going to this lame dance was to stick by Kate’s side and make sure Matthew Young didn’t take advantage of her. Most of the boys had left school already to make a living as lobster fishermen, but Susannah wished her sister could fall for someone with a different kind of future. Did she want the same life as their mom? Waiting and watching the sea, praying for the safe delivery of her man every day? And then a war comes along and takes him anyway? Susannah longed to get on the ferry and never come back.

  It was the first time they’d been allowed to attend a dance which wasn’t organised by the church. But their mother seemed so taken in by the Weavers. Besides, she’d made Hannah Weaver’s dress for the occasion.

  ‘As long as you’re chaperoned,’ she’d said to Kate, as her youngest daughter jumped up and down in glee.

  ‘Oh yes, of course, Matthew says his brother Silas will accompany Susannah, so we can all go together.’

  Susannah’s heart sank. She loathed Silas Young even more than Matthew. Couldn’t stand the thought of people thinking he was her date.

  ‘Say, why don’t you go, Mother?’ Susannah ventured. ‘I could stay here.’ She would rather tackle her mother’s lacing jobs than go on a date with Matt’s oily brother, Silas.

  ‘Susie!’ Kate wailed, pinching her arm. ‘Don’t be such a bore!’ And, in an undertone: ‘I’ll have no fun if Mom comes.’

  ‘What a crazy suggestion.’ Her mother looked at Susannah, eyes wide with incredulity. ‘You have a date. You can’t let the boy down.’

  Susannah knew exactly what her mother was thinking. If her girls married into the wealthiest lobster fishing family on the island, she was set into old age. She’d have all her family around her. They could all spend the rest of their days on this rocky outpost, protected and imprisoned from the world outside. Susannah had felt like screaming, but instead she crossed her arms, clenched her jaw.

  ‘We’ve no dresses to wear.’

  Susannah spent most of her time in denims on the island. For school she had a hand-me-down circle skirt and twinset from the Olsens, and for the summer, capri pants. The same went for Kate, apart from the fact she hated wearing denims and had a couple of print day dresses like their mother.

  Kate had looked crestfallen at the mention of their dresses. ‘Is there anything we can fix up, Mom?’

  For the first time in years, a real smile graced their mother’s face. Despite hating the idea of having to go to the dance, it cheered Susannah to see her mom happy for once.

  ‘I have an idea,’ she said, looking excited.

  Kate had been obsessed with looking at advertisements for prom dresses in the magazines the library sometimes got in. She’d happily sit for hours while Susannah worked away, flicking through the fashions, trying to distract Susannah. But now all her research came to fruition. Their mom asked Kate to draw the dress she’d like to wear.

  Frilly, fussy and romantic, with a circle skirt and full petticoat.

  ‘What about you, Susannah?’

  She’d shrugged her shoulders. ‘Not as fancy, I guess.’ She didn’t care a bit what she wore, as long as it didn’t encourage Silas Young. Though she doubted there was much danger of that. All the boys liked Katie because she was so pretty, but Susannah was too skinny and with too many freckles. She also wore glasses.

  She thought Kate’s dress design looked like a big poof. It was also going to be impossible for her mother to afford to buy the material to make it. Frankly, Susannah would have been happy turning up in pants and saddle shoes. The latter was the only fashion item she did crave.

  But their mom, it appeared, was as enthused about Kate’s dress as Kate herself. The sewing machine was in use almost non-stop – if not by their mom, then by Kate. To Susannah’s surprise, their mom decided to turn her old wedding dress, a pale ivory flocked organza, into Kate’s party dress. Working away at her lace stand, she made reams of lace net petticoats to build the body of Kate’s skirt. The whole outfit was accessorized with a pair of pearl studs and a pearl choker that their mom had been given by their father when they married, and a pair of ballet pumps dyed teal blue. Kate made herself a teal blue purse out of an old cushion cover. The only purchases were a ribbon for her hair in matching teal blue, bought on an outing to Rockland with their mom, where they also bought thread for the dresses, and new stockings for the girls.

  As for Susannah’s own dress, the week before the dance, their mom insisted on measuring her so she could make adjustments to one of her own old good dresses. Susannah dreaded the outcome. She’d only ever seen her mother wear day dresses in tiny floral prints, and a winter suit of beige wool. But it seemed their mom had secrets in the back of her island wardrobe, for on the day of the dance she presented Susannah with a little black dress.

  ‘Mom, where did this come from?’ Kate asked in astonishment, as she picked up the dress and held it against Susannah.

  ‘My honeymoon,’ their mother said, looking nostalgic. ‘We went to Boston, you know.
A girl needs at least one cocktail frock.’

  Boston! Susannah was astonished. She’d assumed her mom had been nowhere.

  ‘It’s perfect for you!’ Kate squealed with delight.

  Susannah could feel the colour rising in her cheeks. The truth was, she loved the dress. It was much more subdued than her sister’s frock, but it suited her perfectly. Her mom had added a black lace collar to conceal any bare flesh on her chest. There was a black clutch purse, and a pair of their mom’s old black ballet pumps to go with the dress. Kate presented her with a green ribbon for her hair, bought with her own in Rockland.

  When Susannah put on the dress and looked in the mirror, she could hardly believe her eyes. The neat, womanly contours of the black dress made her look older. She liked the way the dress made her feel. More powerful.

  There was no need for coats. It was a warm June night, but Kate had a length of organza left over from the wedding dress as a wrap, while their mom handed Susannah a finely knit black stole.

  ‘You made this, too?’ Susannah asked, incredulous.

  ‘Sure, honey,’ her mom said, tucking a strand of Susannah’s loose hair behind her green ribbon. ‘It’s an important night for my girls.’

  The dance was walking distance away, but the Young brothers turned up for their dates in their father’s Buick. Kate was fizzing with excitement – all soft focus golden curls, floating on organza as they got into the vehicle. Their mother waved them off. Susannah watched her standing on their threshold, arms crossed. It seemed as if she was sending her girls off to war.

  ‘Say, you look swell,’ Silas said to her. He was driving, but Susannah caught his appreciate glance in the rear-view mirror.

  ‘I thought you might come in your denims!’ Matthew teased.

  Susannah scowled at the back of his head, but when he turned round he had eyes only for Kate.

  ‘Oh my, you look so pretty, Katie.’

  Kate giggled with delight, which irritated Susannah further.

  It was the biggest dance of the whole summer and the cause of much excitement on the island. It wasn’t just islanders, but lots of holiday folk who attended the Weaver hotel event. The two communities were otherwise quite separate. Most of the islanders were poor, whereas the summer visitors were usually wealthy from Portland, Boston, or even as far away as New York. The truth was the islanders needed the summer visitors to boost their incomes, but resented their presence on the island, choking up the roads in their big cars and eating the best produce in the store.

  As soon as they were through the door, Matthew whisked Kate onto the dance floor. Susannah followed Silas to the drinks table, where he dutifully got them each a cup of fruit punch. No liquor was allowed. They stood awkwardly together, watching their siblings dance.

  ‘They sure do like each other,’ Silas said.

  Susannah took a sideways look at Matthew Young’s elder brother. Silas was fair too, but his features were somehow not as heroic as his brother’s. A smaller nose, upturned, which might be cute on a girl but didn’t fit in with his broad cheeks, and a low forehead. His skin was also more ruddy than his younger brother’s, like all the lobster fishermen. A rough burnt shade between red and brown from all the hours he spent out on the sea.

  ‘So I near got enough saved up now to build my own house,’ Silas was saying, into the awkward silence.

  ‘Good for you,’ she said, failing to conceal the disinterest in her voice.

  ‘You know we own a whole lot of land on Vinalhaven don’t you?’ Silas boasted. ‘I want to build my house a little in from the sea, protect it from the damage of nor’easters when they hit the island every winter. Though I also want to build on one of the islets too. Have my own private island.’

  ‘That so?’ Susannah said, taking a sip of her punch as she surveyed Hannah and Rachel Weaver’s group of fancy friends from New Hampshire.

  ‘And you know I’m not just a fisherman,’ Silas said proudly. ‘I’m a hunter too. Best place for deer is inland.’

  Susannah had an unpleasant memory of Silas’ slingshot in his trouser pocket that day at school years ago, when she was sure he’d shot down the poor seagull. She hated the idea of him hunting deer, too.

  ‘I’d hate to live inland,’ she declared. ‘In fact, the only tolerable way to live on Vinalhaven is by the sea. I think if I were to live in the hinterland, surrounded by granite and forest, I’d suffocate.’

  ‘Well, that’s just plain stupid talk,’ Silas said, looking at her as if she was the oddest girl he’d ever laid eyes on. ‘I’ll take you up there some time,’ he said enthusiastically. ‘Then you’ll see how peaceful it is.’

  ‘Thank you but no, I really don’t care to see where you want to build your house,’ Susannah said tartly.

  ‘You could sure use some manners, Susannah Olsen,’ Silas said, raising his eyebrows and taking a big gulp of his punch.

  More couples joined the dance floor as the Portland band took it up a notch. Susannah dreaded Silas asking her to dance. Her attention was caught by one couple: clearly summer visitors by their attire. The girl had black hair, as shiny as a beetle’s shell, and was wearing a red polka dot dress with a full skirt. As she danced, the skirt lifted, revealing layer after layer of petticoats, and slim legs in tiny black slingbacks. The girl’s lips were painted scarlet and she was throwing back her head and laughing as she danced. Susannah was transfixed by her gaiety. To this girl, the island dance was just one jolly night on her summer holidays. Maybe tomorrow she would leave the island for another year, back to her big house, an urban life full of culture.

  Susannah was so lost in her fantasy, she didn’t notice Silas’ hand on her arm. Before she could resist, he was leading her towards the floor. Kate waved over at her, grinning madly. No way. She couldn’t dance with this guy. But before she could stop him, he had one hand on her waist and was waltzing her on the dance floor. Susannah had danced many, many waltzes around the kitchen at home with Kate. Their mother had first taught them when they were little. Turned the radio up loud and clapped her hands as the two girls twirled faster and faster, breathless and swept away by their perfect rhythm. But now Susannah kept tripping over her feet, stepping on Silas’ toes. Thank goodness she was wearing ballet pumps and not heels. But it was just too intimate to be that close to Silas Young. She could smell the faint whiff of fish under his scent of soap. He had clearly scrubbed himself a thousand times, his skin was so raw-looking on his cheeks, but the smell of the fisherman still lingered in every pore of his skin. Every time she tripped, she could sense annoyance build in his body, his grip even tighter on her hands. She wanted to scream at him to let her go; it felt as if they were two clumsy bears waltzing around the dance hall. Everyone could see how ridiculous she and Silas were.

  A flash of Kate in Matt’s arms, shimmering with delight in her pale organza as if a fairy princess. Her sister was completely ignorant of Susannah’s embarrassment. Not one dance, but two and then three; on and on Silas took her around the dance floor, and not one other boy stepped in and asked to dance with her. Every other time Susannah looked over at Kate, she had a new partner, although Matthew managed to get rid of them in between each dance.

  At last, Silas tired of dancing. Susannah excused herself, saying she needed to powder her nose as Silas loped off to the drinks table for some more punch, the bulge of a liquor bottle in his pocket. She knew full well he’d be tipping the whisky into his fruit drink like all the boys did.

  Pushing open the terrace doors of the Weaver hotel, Susannah stepped out into the soft summer night, breathing out a massive sigh of relief. Thank goodness she’d escaped for a few moments. The sky was filled with stars, surrounding a narrow crescent of silvery new moon. She searched for the true steady glint of the North Star, beckoning to her. She didn’t know why, but just staring at the North Star gave her hope. Made her feel she had possibilities, a future beyond the rocky shores of Vinalhaven.

  She wished she could go home right now, but she couldn’
t leave Kate with Matthew Young. She had to mind her sister, even if it meant putting up with Silas.

  The terrace door opened and out tumbled Rachel Weaver, along with one of her New Hampshire guests. A boy with clean-cut features, and expensively dressed in contrast to Silas.

  ‘Oh, hello, Katie’s Susie,’ Rachel said, her eyes glittering. She’d clearly been drinking. ‘What are you doing hiding out here?’ Before waiting to hear Susannah’s reply, she continued. ‘This is Arthur Gravell of the Gravells of Vermont.’ She swung her arm dramatically, indicating the young man, who smiled at Susannah. His eyes, too, were squinting with alcohol.

  Susannah had never heard of the Gravells of Vermont, but politely thrust out her hand. Arthur shook it with limp fingers, looking her up and down and making her feel cheap without saying anything.

  ‘So, Susannah, this will interest you because Arthur is at Harvard, and that’s where you want to go, right? That’s what Katie told me.’

  Susannah coloured with mortification. How could Kate have divulged her secret to Rachel Weaver? Especially since their own mother didn’t know.

  ‘No, no, that’s not true,’ Susannah denied.

  ‘But Katie said you don’t want to find a husband, you want to go to college,’ Rachel said, her tone sickly sweet.

  ‘I wouldn’t recommend it,’ Arthur told her. ‘Harvard’s not a place for women.’

  Susannah felt a flare of outrage at his comment. ‘What do you mean?’ she said, her voice low with annoyance.

  ‘Why, it needs such focus and dedication to undertake studies at Harvard,’ he said glibly. ‘Girls are too easily distracted. They don’t have the aptitude.’

  Rachel cuddled up to Arthur. ‘So what are we good for, Arthur?’ she said.

  ‘Well, taking care of the men,’ Arthur said happily. ‘Behind every great man, there’s always a good woman.’

  Susannah didn’t dare herself to speak. She almost preferred Silas to this arrogant prig. At least Silas didn’t think he was better than her.