"Ooh! Oh, Doctor, it is you."
"Yes, indeed." Jonah nodded, even though the girl couldn't see, and then he frowned as he noticed her holding her side. "Are you all right?" Surely, she couldn't still be in that much distress?
"I am well enough, but had a little spill a few minutes ago and my ribs are hurting again somewhat. I do not think that I shall be able to dance this afternoon, after all."
"Oh, goodness, you need to be more careful!" Poor child was in enough distress without falling, but that explained why she was in the chair. He'd have to check her over again when there was some privacy. "I'm glad there wasn't more harm done." At least that got him out of dancing, not that he minded under the right circumstances.
"But I am sure that there are many other, prettier, girls to dance with..."
Whatever would make her feel like that? Perhaps she thought that her blindness somehow made her 'ugly', but she really was quite striking, especially attended by the unfortunate Miss Jemima, who had been cheated by genetics. "Nonsense..."
"It's my fault Doctor, I should have watched Miss Grimes more carefully, I got distracted and before I knew it, she'd rolled backward."
"Oh..." The image that conjured up almost caused him to laugh, but Jonah knew better and was able to catch himself. And really, Frances could have been badly injured. "I'm certain you meant no harm, Miss Jemima, accidents happen quickly, and you've taken such good care of her, she's recovered far more quickly than I had anticipated."
He didn't know why he felt compelled to make Jemima feel better about herself, but there it was.
"None of these girls are as pretty as you, Miss Grimes, I'm pretty sure the Doctor would rather wait until you're better that dance with anyone else, wouldn't you Doctor?"
"Of course! I've no qualms about waiting." That was out before he really thought about it, inadvertently setting a new 'date' once Frances was on her feet again. Although really, Jemima was right. The young woman was, well, a Wigfall, the girl that Horatio was dancing with was petite and a bit plain, and Miss Nevada...well, he was always leery that that girl would go crazy and rip his face off or something!
"In the mean time..." What? "Well, we can enjoy the beautiful day."
The man was so full of questions, although Tully supposed she couldn't blame him, she knew that the way she lived wasn't 'normal', and wasn't something most people understood. But he seemed sincere, so she took the chance.
"I just get food where I can," she explained, "Miz Clara at th' Lickskillet leaves food out sometimes, an' there's other places ta look...an' berries an' whatnot." She wasn't sure why she felt comfortable talking to this man, but this was more than she'd even opened up to Frances. "There's a house out'a town a bit where I stay mostly, only I come ta visit Miss Frances an' she asked me ta stay a while." Sighing, she shrugged. "Food's good, house is clean an' warm, even if th' dresses are silly."
She gave a small grin, then shrugged again. "Still seems better ta stay clear'a people, so ya don't get hurt that way...like that man, just tried ta grab me in th' middle of th' night. I should'a just stayed." Then none of this would be happening!
"THERE'S SOMEBODY AT THE DOOR!!!"
Oh, Doctor Danforth was so handsome and charming, Jemima could only sigh to herself: ever since the day he had gently undone her bodice, lowered her chemise, and drained that cist on her back, she had been madly in love with him. To be fair, she was also madly in love with quite a few other men in Kalispell, Mister Aurelian Redmond, Mayor Wentworth, Brendan Connolly, Mister Roland Smith, Marshal Guyer,... well, lest we have to list the entire town directory, let us just say that she was capable of feeling a burning passion for whichever reasonably good looking man was in the closest proximity to her warm heart at any given time, and an expert in noticing any slight sign that he might, by some sudden fit of insanity, be interested in her.
Sacrificing herself for Frances, therefore, gave her a bitter-sweet sense of martyrdom as her piggy little eyes played over the medical man's wonderful face and fine physique and she imagined that neat little moustache tickling her own.
"Of course! I've no qualms about waiting." That was out before he really thought about it, inadvertently setting a new 'date' once Frances was on her feet again. Although really, Jemima was right. The young woman was, well, a Wigfall, the girl that Hector was dancing with was petite and a bit plain, and Miss Nevada...well, he was always leery that that girl would go crazy and rip his face off or something!
"In the mean time..." What? "Well, we can enjoy the beautiful day."
"Yes, and we have many nice things to eat!" Frances smiled "And don't worry, I didn't cook them, Jemima did!"
The blind girl's attempts to cook and bake, apart from reducing Arabella to fits of laughter, had always produced reasonably tasty but always very messy and misshapen results. Jemima, on the other hand, was very competent in the kitchen, either helping her mother in the boarding house or preparing meals for Mister Smith on certain days of the week when she also did his laundry and cleaning.
"How about a nice pasty?" Miss Wigfall asked, opening up the picnic basket.
"Oooh, yes please!" answered Frances.
"Every town needs a newspaper."
Tully began to answer his questions innocently, which appeared to be her natural manner of talking. He actually found it refreshing, unpretentious, and, yes, natural to her.
"I just get food where I can," she explained, "Miz Clara at th' Lickskillet leaves food out sometimes, an' there's other places ta look...an' berries an' whatnot." She wasn't sure why she felt comfortable talking to this man, but this was more than she'd even opened up to Frances. "There's a house out'a town a bit where I stay mostly, only I come ta visit Miss Frances an' she asked me ta stay a while." Sighing, she shrugged. "Food's good, house is clean an' warm, even if th' dresses are silly."
"I can understand that, you wouldn't be the only woman in town that believed the dresses were silly, and not for them. Yet I would add, that these same silly dresses do enhance your appearance a good deal. Just a point being made."
"Well now, that sounds as though you'll not be sleeping under the boardwalk steps then, that is good." Phin said easily, "Now I believe I have badgered you more than enough. And were you willing, why we could have another dance if you like?" Perhaps not, but then again the young woman might fool him. There was some genuine concern for her well-being, though from the looks of her, he managed to look fit enough.
"Still seems better ta stay clear'a people, so ya don't get hurt that way...like that man, just tried ta grab me in th' middle of th' night. I should'a just stayed."
"I can fully understand that Miss Tully, I can indeed. And I wouldn't be too hard on myself, it would appear you did what was necessary, and perhaps this Mister Reeve was correct in keeping what really happened quiet. Let sleeping dogs lie, sort of approach. As I said, you may rely on my integrity in this matter." And Phineas McVay full well intended to honor his word on the matter.
And then the dance was over, it had been a short but lively one. Miriam actually enjoyed it.
"Say, you're a pretty good dancer, Miriam." he said eventually, and with a smile, "Arabella's a lucky girl."
"Oh...umm, thank you, so are you," Miriam nodded and smiled back though his second part threw her some. So he knew then about her and Ara? This could be very bad for her if her folks found out. But to deny it now might only cause more issues. She decided to make no comment at all.
"I'm sorry I kept bothering you after, well, you know... no hard feelings huh?" he suddenly blurted out.
"Umm, that's quite alright. And certainly no hard feelings on my part, but of course!" she assured him, "You will make some lucky girl a fine beau some day."
"Yes, and we have many nice things to eat!" Frances smiled "And don't worry, I didn't cook them, Jemima did!"
Jonah chuckled. "Oh, I'm certain you are a decent cook!" he declared. "Better than I,and probably with a larger repertoire!" His 'cooking' was limited to rock eggs and gruel, but he'd gone hungry enough when he was younger to appreciate any meal, and now, he had others to rely on.
"How about a nice pasty?" Miss Wigfall asked, opening up the picnic basket.
"Oooh, yes please!"
"Yes, of course." Jonah looked around, spotting a bench under a nearby tree. He accepted both his and Frances' treats, then addressed Jemima. "If you'd be so kind?" After all, Frances would need help getting to the bench, whether on foot or in the chair, and he was carrying the food! "And you are welcome to join us, Miss Jemima." So he'd have some sort of buffer, even if it was Miss Wigfall!
"I can fully understand that Miss Tully, I can indeed. And I wouldn't be too hard on myself, it would appear you did what was necessary, and perhaps this Mister Reeve was correct in keeping what really happened quiet. Let sleeping dogs lie, sort of approach. As I said, you may rely on my integrity in this matter."
"Thank ya." Tully was still whispering, looking at the ground, but now looked up at Phineas. "I'd do it again, had I ta..." And maybe she'd done it before, but she hadn't stuck around long enough to find out. "Pretty dresses feel ugly, an' make men think an' do ugly things. Better ta be plain, an' stay hid durin' th' day."
Not that she'd deny there was something good in being out in the sun, having someone to talk to, eating plenty of good meals, and not being afraid. But it was a long road for her to trust, it was much easier to sulk in the shadows...
"Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows" - Helen Keller
Normally, had someone offered to help her out of a chair or guide her to a bench under a tree, Miss Frances Grimes would have proudly rebuffed their offer and done everything under her own steam, declaring "I am blind, Sir, not a cripple, thank you very much!" But, strangely, when it came to Doctor Danforth, she accepted his offer gladly: happily feeling those same warm strong hands, which had so often examined her bare chest, lift her out of the bath-chair and leaning gratefully against his masculine frame, as he helped her to the bench, with a rather soppy looking smile on her face.
"And you are welcome to join us, Miss Jemima." So he'd have some sort of buffer, even if it was Miss Wigfall!
"Oh, that's all right Doctor. I think I'd better go and see if Miss Kaufmann is all right, the poor girl's just been dancing with my brother!" Jemima demurred, tactfully "And don't forget there are strawberry tarts in the picnic basket, Frances... I know you don't like gooseberries!" she added, making a rare joke.
Once they were alone, sat together on the bench, Frances asked the Doctor something. "Oh, Jemima is such a wonderful, warm hearted and generous girl, and such a hard worker, skilled in the kitchen and at the needlepoint, and just about the least aggravating person one could hope to meet: I wonder that no young man has snatched her up as his bride yet! Why is that, do you think? Does she have something wrong with her that I cannot see." she asked, genuinely puzzled. "It is not really nice to ask, I know, but I am a woman Doctor, and feminine curiosity is one of the crosses I have to bear."
"THERE'S SOMEBODY AT THE DOOR!!!"
"I'm sorry I kept bothering you after, well, you know... no hard feelings huh?" he suddenly blurted out.
"Umm, that's quite alright. And certainly no hard feelings on my part, but of course!" she assured him, "You will make some lucky girl a fine beau some day."
He looked about to say something, but then a now guitar-less Arabella came bustling up and thrust a fiddle and bow into his hands. "Play something lively, Heck, I'm going to give Charlie Wentworth a turn around the dance floor!" she laughed and ran off to the Deputy Marshal, who was skulking around the party on the green. Hector shrugged a farewell to Miriam. He was glad in a way to have an excuse not to dance with Tully Nevada next: he had just drawn a line under Miriam, it seemed to too soon to start a new chapter.
He drifted off and tuned his fiddle before launching into a roughly gay polka for the folks to dance to, not intending to dance himself again that afternoon.
Miriam was not alone for long. Jemima appeared at her side an nudged her, nodding toward the seated Doctor and blind girl.
"I've been matchmaking" she said with a small sardonic smile, before looking at her workmate more seriously.
"Saw you and Heck dancing. Everything OK? He's not bothering you again is he? Cause I told him to lay off that unwanted romantic stuff with you or I'd biff him one." Rough hewn though her concern for Miriam's welfare was, it was at least more caring than her so-called lover, who, in Jemima's opinion, rather took Miriam's affections for granted. She didn't approve of Arabella and Miriam's 'doings' but she thought that at the very least, the former, more dominant partner should at least be kind to her more subservient 'Dolly', as Arabella called Miriam.
"Every town needs a newspaper."
"Thank ya." Tully was still whispering, looking at the ground, but now looked up at Phineas. "I'd do it again, had I ta..." And maybe she'd done it before, but she hadn't stuck around long enough to find out. "Pretty dresses feel ugly, an' make men think an' do ugly things. Better ta be plain, an' stay hid durin' th' day."
"Well now, may I defend my gender here a moment? Not all men require a good knifing, though I fully understand there are those who fully qualify. And, I will not argue your feelings about dresses, they do have their place, yes, but Tully, one, man or woman, deserves to be comfortable in the manner in which they dress. In the cities, there are conformities as to dress requirements for either gender. Dresses on the street are required, little to no choice Yet here in the West, there are no such requirements that I'm aware of. Nor would the be tolerated. Least of all by me." He explained.
"Now, if I may, there are any number of good men about. Aurelian Redmond, is certainly one, and the Mayor, Mathew Wentworth, another, Doctor Danforth there. Marshal Guyer and his Deputies, Charlie over there, there are any number of good men both young and older here in town. You need to give them the opportunity to show you they are. While of course being careful of those we know to be low down skunks!" And there were a number of those.