"Well, make him court ya," Tully suggested, ignoring the last question. The only 'gentlemen' she could say she'd known had been much older, like grandfathers, who were kind and gentle, who were concerned about her well-being but much too old as a romantic interest. And she really hadn't had the time, nor trust for such things.
"Maybe tell 'im you'll consider it, but ya need more time?" She wasn't sure how such things worked, but it did seem odd to marry someone you hardly knew. "Yer not in no hurry, are ya? Maybe do sweet things, picnics or dances...dunno...however that ya find more what he's like. An' I think he'd wanna do that if he was sweet on ya, right?"
Then the more practical side came up. "How's he get his money? I know it ain't polite ta ask, but how's he gonna take care'a you, so ya don't gotta be livin' in a shed somewhere or nothin'?"
"Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows" - Helen Keller
"Well, make him court ya," Tully suggested "Maybe tell 'im you'll consider it, but ya need more time?" She wasn't sure how such things worked, but it did seem odd to marry someone you hardly knew. "Yer not in no hurry, are ya? Maybe do sweet things, picnics or dances...dunno...however that ya find more what he's like. An' I think he'd wanna do that if he was sweet on ya, right?"
"Oh, I am sure he would love to take me to dances and picnics and what not. But I don't want to dance with a dwarf, it would look ridiculous!" Frances seemed to have seized upon Tully's assertation that the 5 foot eleven Mister reeve was 'short' as an excuse to talk herself out of the embarrassment of him pressing his suite. What possessed the pint-sized waif to make that claim in the first place would forever remain a mystery, but the die was cast.
"How's he get his money? I know it ain't polite ta ask, but how's he gonna take care'a you, so ya don't gotta be livin' in a shed somewhere or nothin'?"
"Oh, he's a lawyer: in other words, he makes his living out of other people's problems and miseries." she declared sniffily. "He was too, that last one, Vaughn."
It was beginning to sound like Miss Grimes' aversion to romance was, perhaps, a case of 'Once bitten, twice shy' as much as anything. Or was it that she, perhaps even unconsciously, had her sights set on somebody else?
"You know, Tilly, I should like to marry a man who creates things, or grows things: things that help other people. Or a man who directly helps other people: like a... oh, I don't know... like a doctor."
"A doctor?" Tully gasped, then giggled, a bit nervously. "Ya mean like that Doctor Danforth? He's real handsome, too! An' he was so worried he might not be able ta help ya, an' he didn't want it ta hurt ya none, but he had ta, a little, ta make sure ya didn't die."
That whole thing had scared the daylights out of her, maybe more than the Evil had, because there wasn't anything she could do for it but watch.
"But yer Mr. Reeve, he ain't no dwarf, he's taller'n me, even, an' ya said he helps people." She wasn't exactly sure how a lawyer did that, but Frances had said that he helped people, so why wasn't that enough? "He has th' means ta take good care'a ya, so ya don't gotta live under stairs or nothin'." She shrugged. "Can't hurt none ta at least give him a chance."
"Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows" - Helen Keller
"A doctor?" Tully gasped, then giggled, a bit nervously. "Ya mean like that Doctor Danforth? He's real handsome, too!"
"Is he indeed?" asked Frances, trying not to sound excited. It was odd: maybe because she was blind herself, but Frances Grimes had zero ability to mask her feelings: no matter what she said, or how she said it, her face gave her away. She was obviously desperate to know more about the medical man.
"... An' he was so worried he might not be able ta help ya, an' he didn't want it ta hurt ya none, but he had ta, a little, ta make sure ya didn't die."
"He had to hurt me to help me... that is rather romantic in a way, isn't it?" Frances asked rhetorically. It was rhetorical because it was so blindingly obvious that she found it romantic: exceedingly so!
"But yer Mr. Reeve, he ain't no dwarf, he's taller'n me, even, an' ya said he helps people." She wasn't exactly sure how a lawyer did that, but Frances had said that he helped people, so why wasn't that enough? "He has th' means ta take good care'a ya, so ya don't gotta live under stairs or nothin'." She shrugged. "Can't hurt none ta at least give him a chance."
"Hmmm, let's not talk about him." the blind girl said, perhaps a little impatiently - for as those who got really close to Frances found out, being blind, or being a devout Christian for that matter, didn't automatically make you a goody-two-shoes! She was no 'Saint Frances!' She could be as foolish, pig-headed, selfish, opinionated and rude as the next person, on occasion, although, it had to be said, she had a much bigger share of being warm-hearted, generous and kind.
"I want to hear more about Doctor Danforth. Tell me more about what he looks like. What colour is his hair? is he clean shaven or bearded? that sort of thing." she demanded.
"He looks like...a doctor, I reckon." Tully shrugged. "Got brown hair, brown eyes, but a sorta soft, chocolaty brown. He always looks so neat an' dapper, most th' time has a pretty wool jacket an' brocade vest, has his hair all in place...well, kinda like Mr. Reeve, class an' smarts."
Sadly, though, clothes and appearances didn't make a man, although both in this conversation were men that Tully was cautiously willing to give the benefit of the doubt. It would be nice, for a change, to be able to trust them.
"He's got a good smile," she added, then grinned to herself. "Mr. Reeve, too, got all their teeth still!" There was the measure of a man!
"Are you sweet on him? Ya got some pain? I could fetch him!" She was joshing, of course.
"Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows" - Helen Keller
"He looks like...a doctor, I reckon." Tully shrugged. "Got brown hair, brown eyes, but a sorta soft, chocolaty brown. He always looks so neat an' dapper, most th' time has a pretty wool jacket an' brocade vest, has his hair all in place..."
Frances lay back in bed, listening to all this data on the good Doctor with a sort of satisfied, beatific smile on her face, drinking it all in.
"... well, kinda like Mr. Reeve, class an' smarts."
"Oh, Mister Reeve, Mister Reeve, Mister Reeve!" sighed the blind girl, perhaps a little impatiently "Tell me more about Doctor Danforth.... Daniel." she asked, settling herself down to listen.
"He's got a good smile," she added, then grinned to herself.
"Mmmm, I can imagine..." sighed Frances dreamily.
"Mr. Reeve, too, got all their teeth still!"
Frances sat up, a little too quickly, for she winced: but she was more in pain with the constant reminder of Reeve's unwanted attentions. "I'm sick of hearing about Mister Reeve, I wish he would fall in love with somebody else!" she frowned. "I just want to hear about.. you know who."
"Are you sweet on him? Ya got some pain? I could fetch him!" She was joshing, of course.
Frances grinned in spite of herself and tapped her chest "It's just a little heart trouble, I think." she laughed "No need to call for him, though, I think I'm about due my daily visit soon. I have to be ever so brave when he examines my chest" she smiled. As previously mentioned, being blind didn't make you a saint.
"What I need is for Mister Reeve to fall in love with somebody else. Both Arabella and Miss Orr have mentioned that you are extremely pretty..." the latter must have been this evening, after Tully had washed up on the back doorstep "... can't you use your womanly wiles on him so he forgets me? Then when I'm safely married to Doctor Danforth, you can tell him you're not interested after all. I know it sounds callous, but 'all's fair in love and war' as the poet says."
"Oh, I don't know..." Tully shook her head in protest. Not that she had anything against Mr. (Don't Think the Name), she just had everything against the idea in general. "Ain't never done nothin' like that before, an' I'm...well, I ain't so pretty an'..."
Well, more than not, she was wary of men, and certainly didn't know how to interact with people, much the less romantically with men.
"It ain't nice ta pretend I like 'im, then...well, it's lyin', ain't it?" It just didn't seem right, and she hoped that didn't mean that Frances wouldn't like her any more. This was yet another reason she kept to herself, other people were too complicated.
"Th' doctor examines yer chest?" That brought up some images, and now Tully was skeptical of the doctor and his motives. He'd been strictly business that night, but maybe now that he'd gotten to know Frances better...
"Miss Jemima's with ya when he examines ya, isn't she?"
"Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows" - Helen Keller
"It ain't nice ta pretend I like 'im, then...well, it's lyin', ain't it?" It just didn't seem right, and she hoped that didn't mean that Frances wouldn't like her any more. This was yet another reason she kept to herself, other people were too complicated.
"Oh Tully, you are so right. It was selfish and mean of me to even suggest it. I think that because I've spent the last month or so trying to act as Arabella's conscience, telling her when she's going off the rails, so to speak, that I've become blind to my own sins." Frances sighed, looking chastened. But Tully wasn't so much bothered about Frances examining her own soul as about Dr Danforth examining her bust area.
"Th' doctor examines yer chest?" That brought up some images, and now Tully was skeptical of the doctor and his motives. He'd been strictly business that night, but maybe now that he'd gotten to know Frances better...
"Yes, he has to make sure the wound is healing properly where he had to shove his thing inside me." the blind girl explained with cheerful innocence. "I suppose it's as bad as being penetrated by a minie ball, as so many of our brave young men were during the war, and remember how many of those gallant fellows died of infected wounds." she sighed wistfully.
"Miss Jemima's with ya when he examines ya, isn't she?"
"I hardly need a chaperone with Doctor Danforth, I mean, it' just a job for him. Like Mister Pettigrew at the dress shop, I daresay when you see ladies undressed all the time, it would be like working in a Candy store and going off eating sweets entirely." Frances reasoned.
"Well, don't know that th' doctor isn't a man, even if he is a doctor," Tully pointed out, hating to see her friend crestfallen and chastised, so she wanted to give her a bit of hope. "He might be strugglin' with his feelin's, all gushy an' sweet, while he's tryin' ta stay all doctor-y."
Of course, she didn't think that her encouragement might be just getting her back to the dilemma of being a distraction to poor Mr. Reeve.
"Maybe kinda think of somethin' ta talk ta him about besides yer sorrows?" she suggested. "Find somethin' he's interested in an' talk that?" Tully wasn't really much good at talking to men, or ladies, for that matter, but Frances seemed to be comfortable talking to about anybody.
"I reckon could try askin' Mr. Reeve...somethin' 'bout somethin'?" Not that she was sure what somethin' was!
"Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows" - Helen Keller
"He might be strugglin' with his feelin's, all gushy an' sweet, while he's tryin' ta stay all doctor-y."
Frances smiled, not so much at the thought of Doctor Danforth secretly being madly in love with her (not that such a thing wouldn't be wonderful) but at Tully attempting to cheer her up. That was nice.
"Maybe kinda think of somethin' ta talk ta him about besides yer sorrows?" she suggested. "Find somethin' he's interested in an' talk that?"
Frances wrinkled her nose, how could she find that out? Ask him? Brrrrrrr, too scary!
"I reckon could try askin' Mr. Reeve...somethin' 'bout somethin'?" Not that she was sure what somethin' was!
"You could ask him about the thing I don't know what to talk to Dr Danforth about." suggested Frances, and then burst out laughing, having to hold her chest because of the pain it caused. "Oh Tully, we are hopeless! We should forget about men altogether."