Meg at Sixteen Read Online Free Page B

affection in that household.
    â€œI trust you’ll like the dress,” Aunt Grace said.
    â€œI’m sure I will, Aunt Grace,” Meg said.
    â€œWhat’s that you said?” Aunt Grace asked. “You must learn to speak up, Margaret. This mumbling of yours is a disgusting habit.”
    â€œI’m sorry,” Meg said. She didn’t think she mumbled, although it was true she spoke softly, and many people had to ask her to repeat what she’d said. It surprised her that anybody cared enough to want to hear. She would have to learn to speak louder, she supposed. “I said I was sure I would like the dress, Aunt Grace.” Lies had to be spoken loudest of all.
    â€œYour guests will be arriving shortly,” Aunt Grace said. “Have you bathed?”
    Meg nodded. “I’m all ready, except for the dress,” she said.
    â€œVery well,” Aunt Grace said, and then she cleared her throat. Meg immediately tensed up. “You are sixteen now, Margaret. I suppose a mother’s duty on her daughter’s sixteenth birthday is to discuss with her some of life’s harsher truths.”
    There had been no harsh truths in her mother’s heart, Meg knew. And Aunt Grace wasn’t her mother. She felt herself getting faint with resentment.
    â€œWhen a girl is sixteen, she is physically capable of bearing children,” Aunt Grace declared. “Her body is eager for that sort of animal labor, so her emotions turn to boys, who can give her their seed. She mistakes those feelings for love.”
    Meg nodded. It was the only action she was capable of.
    â€œBoys will of course take advantage of this confusion,” Aunt Grace continued. “The male of the species enjoys nothing more than taking advantage of a female’s need to reproduce. They whisper words of love that the female wants to hear, promise her a future together, and then they have their way with her. Do you know what having their way actually means, Margaret?”
    â€œI think so,” Meg said. It seemed the safest response.
    â€œIn any decent society, a girl’s reputation is paramount,” Aunt Grace said. “A girl who allows a boy to have his way with her is thought of as cheap. Such a girl never makes a good marriage, but goes on to a life of sin and degradation. True, she may marry, but if she does, it will be to a man of a lower social order, one who will not treat her with respect, and indeed, she doesn’t deserve that respect. No girl who goes to her marriage bed impure deserves the respect of her husband. Virginity is the one true gift a bride can offer her groom. Am I making myself clear?”
    â€œYes, Aunt Grace,” Meg said.
    â€œVery well,” Aunt Grace declared. “I know your parents would have wanted you to be informed of such matters. Your mother might not have been from Boston, but she was a fine girl just the same, from an excellent family, and I regard your care as a sacred trust. I’m sure if they were alive, they would wish you a very happy birthday and tell you how proud they are of you. Stand up straight, Margaret. Nothing is less appealing than stooped shoulders.”
    â€œThank you, Aunt Grace,” Meg said, trying to unstoop her shoulders.
    â€œBecause it is your birthday, you may stay up until midnight,” Aunt Grace said. “The band has been hired to play only until eleven-thirty. I know many of your friends have parties that last until one or two o’clock, but I do not approve of that sort of revelry for a girl so young. You must dance with any of the young men who ask you. I’m sure they all will, because it’s your birthday, and they will be disappointed if you seem to favor one of them over the others. You will be allowed one glass of champagne, when the toast is made. You are to thank each person who brings you a gift, and those who do not, you must thank as well, for attending the party. Tomorrow you will