Page 190 of Phoenix's Fire

"Makes sense," Felicity agreed, "but I don't see where you're going with this."

"The elders want to have the best wives," I explained. "The youngest, most beautiful, and least experienced. The ones they can terrorize the best. Those young men are in their way. There just aren't enough of us girls to go around, so they lowered the marriage age! Tobias told me that when he asked for permission to court me, Mr. Morgan had put his claim on a girl. Claim! A way to chase off the men who might be interested in her!"

"And they don't say a thing about it to us," Felicity breathed. "Damn them!"

I sucked in a breath, shocked at such violent language. And yet, I agreed with it. Slowly, I found myself nodding.

"Yes. Damn them."

"Damn all of them," Abi grumbled. "But how are we supposed to protect ourselves? My options are atrocious, and from the looks of it, I'll be married again in less than two months! I was supposed to have a year of mourning!"

"They kill our men," Felicity said, sounding like she was thinking to herself, "then send off more to fight the same way, and expect us to simply breed more? Why?"

"They like the act of breeding," Abi reminded her.

"And the servitude," I added. "Someone to cook, clean, mend, and care for everything. Someone to do all the chores."

"Someone to make their lives pleasant," Felicity realized. "The more rank a man has in the compound, the easier his life is. My husband told me that before he went out."

"Who was your husband?" I asked.

"Phineas Baldwin," she said. "He hauled Miss Ross out when she was banished. I'm sorry."

"That has nothing to do with you," I assured her. "None of us should carry our husbands' guilt."

"If only it were so easy," Abi said. "Callah, when you marry, you become your husband's property. A reflection of him, and no one will ever let you forget it. When you're told he's been killed?"

"Try not to smile?" Felicity teased, looking at her friend.

Abi nodded in agreement. "There's so much relief that it's easy to cry. Allow yourself to wail. They want us to mourn, but the truth is most of us are rejoicing. God says we are to love our husbands, but our husbands are supposed to revere us and hold us as holy. They don't. They see us as a place they can vent their anger. A thing to hit when they make a mistake we had no part in."

"And the babies you will lose because of it?" Felicity said, shaking her head. "That will be your failing as well."

"So protect your stomach," Abi warned. "Mr. Warren is a large man. If he punishes you..."

"I know," I breathed. "That's why I'm here, actually. I..."

"It's okay," Abi assured me. "This is a safe place for the wives."

"But I'm not a wife! Not yet!"

"But you will be, much too soon," Felicity pointed out. "You will also need to be prepared. Your marriage night will be horrific, and you'll need somewhere to hide afterwards. Here, someone will help you."

I pressed both hands over my mouth, realizing what she meant. "Is it truly that bad?"

"Usually," Abi said. "Not always. My husband was gentle the first time. I could bear it. The second time it was even pleasurable, but when I told him I had something else to do, it all changed."

"When they want to breed," Felicity warned me, "they do not want to wait. It does not matter if you're already with child either. That's a lie the matrons told us as girls, but your man will remind you that you are his, and that you swore to obey him in all things."

"I don't want to get married," I breathed.

"But there's no stopping it," Abi said. "I wish there was, but none of us have found it yet."

"Except her friends," Felicity pointed out. "Maybe that's what we need to do. If we all attack our husbands..."

"They would simply send us to quarantine," I countered. "The women there have plenty of children." I pointed at myself as proof.

"Good point," Felicity said.