Chapter Text
Being the eldest of seven girls was never easy. Especially, in a lower-middle class family that could barely pay the rent on time. There were always chores to be done, lessons to learn, and men to be courted by. Her sisters got away with slacking but Susan couldn’t.
As the eldest, it was her job to marry rich. Her parents never let her forget that. All the chores and lessons and men were meant to refine her and make her a fine wife.
It was only a matter of finding a man that would have her. One that would provide for her.
In her parents eyes, at least. But Susan wanted a man that would love her as well as provide for her. Luckily enough, she didn’t have to look very far to find him.
Thomas Clarkson. He was the son of some big rancher, and though his father could buy dozens of workers, the young man always insisted on doing at least part of the work himself. That’s part of the reason he drew Susan in.
She was sixteen when they met. Seventeen when he proposed. Eighteen when he died.