There was so much to celebrate the following Sunday after church. Not only had Timothy entered a courtship with Lucile Greene, but Jake and Teresa Slicker announced that they were expecting a baby in the coming year. When Timothy had heard this news the previous Friday, he smiled tenderly. The thought of him having a baby with Lucy entered his mind, and it gave him a rush of positive energy and love for the world.
Of course The Slickers were in Denver on Sunday, as they always were, attending Mass at a Catholic church, so Timothy took it upon himself to offer up a prayer and a blessing for the happy pair.
"Dear Lord," Timothy led the congregation at the end of service that morning. "We thank you for your abundant blessings, especially for the Slicker family, who are expecting the birth of a child next year. Your surprises and gifts to us are plentiful, and we are grateful that you continue to find new ways to bring love and happiness to Colorado Springs. We also thank you for your mercy and your kindness, and also for your love and guidance. In Jesus' name, Amen."
Timothy looked up from his pulpit, and his eyes darted directly to Lucy, sitting in the first row of pews on the left side of the room. She wore a new dress that she had the town seamstress make for her (on credit...after all she was still trying to save money). The fabric was soft and baby blue, and stood in stark contrast to her hair, which was styled up and away from her round face for the first time. Grace had done it that morning for her. The hair and dress made her look more womanly, but Timothy still saw the true beauty in her wide eyes and radiant smile.
"Well, thank you all for coming," he said. "I want to invite you all to a dance the town is organizing next Saturday night. It will be one last outdoor event before the winter weather sets in. I hope to see all of you there."
The congregation began to disperse. Lucy caught Timothy before he could go out to the steps to greet the people.
"I need to speak with the Doctor a minute. But I'll come back and we can walk down by the brook again," she suggested.
"Are you feeling alright?" Timothy asked with concern. Lucy nodded.
"Just fine," she said happily. "I need some advice is all."
"I'll wait for you," Timothy said gently before going out to the stoop.
He heartily began shaking hands and greeting the congregation as they filed out into the open air. He saw Lucy catch Dr. Quinn's attention and strike up a discussion. Michaela nodded as a request Lucy seemed to make, and the pair began walking away toward the clinic.
"Good afternoon, Reverend," came a deep, smooth voice.
Timothy turned to greet Preston Lodge III. It took all of his energy to look Preston in the eye as he shook his hand.
"How are you today, Preston?" he asked sincerely.
"Oh, quite well, thank you," Preston replied. "But listen, I was wondering if you and I could have a chat briefly?"
"As soon as I finish greeting people, I'd be happy to oblige you, Preston," Timothy replied with gusto.
"Good," answered Preston, smiling with his usual gentlemanly arrogance.
"I must say, Dr. Quinn, for as progressive as New York may be, I'm not used to seeing a woman doctor," Lucy remarked as she and the beautiful woman named Michaela Quinn entered her clinic. The place was small and humble, but cozy and welcoming. It even smelled nice (and herbal), as opposed to the sharp, sterile smell she expected.
"I get that quite often, Ms. Greene," Dr. Quinn replied with a sincere smile. Lucy felt like she could warm up to this woman fairly quickly.
"Please call me Lucy or Lucile," she replied.
"Well, what may I do for you?" Dr. Quinn asked.
"Two things," Lucy began. "First, I'm experiencing my monthly cycle, and I've never felt cramping this badly before. Is there any pain relief you can recommend?"
Dr. Quinn smiled. "I experienced the same thing travelling from the East. It may have to do with an environmental change. Is the cramping just in your abdomen?"
Lucy shook her head. "It goes up my back and makes my breasts ache too."
"And have you ever given birth?" Dr. Quinn asked as she looked through her medicine cabinets.
"Oh no," Lucy said quickly. Dr. Quinn nodded and took out a small tin.
"This is a special herb that the local Cheyenne give me. I use it myself when I feel menstrual pains. If you drink it as a hot tea, it should relieve some of your symptoms," she described, holding the tin out for Lucy to sniff.
"It smells like flowers," Lucy said skeptically. "Are you sure it's safe?"
"Absolutely," Dr. Quinn said with a pleasant tone. "I can make you a cup now if you're in no hurry."
"I was actually going to meet the Reverend for a stroll," Lucy replied. "But you are a Doctor, so if you let me have some, I'll make a cup later."
"Very well," Dr. Quinn said, going with the tin and taking out a smaller tin and some measuring equiptment. "Now, was there something else you wanted to talk to me about? You said there were two items."
"Yes," Lucy sighed woefully. "I was wondering if you had any...diet suggestions."
"Diet?" Dr. Quinn asked, keeping her eyes on her measuring spoons as she poured some of the Indian herbs into the smaller tin. "You mean a weight loss diet?"
She looked up and gave Lucy a once-over before twisting her lip and knitting her eyebrow. "You really wish to lose weight?"
Lucy nodded. "Now that I may be in a romantic relationship," she said sheepishly. "I want to look a bit more...ladylike."
"Lucile, I understand if you want to be healthy, but for your bone structure, you look just fine," Dr. Quinn said, her tone deepening a little. "Have you been this way for most of your life, or were you smaller once?"
"I was always large, even at my poorest times," Lucy complained. "I grew a womanly shape before my thirteenth year, and I was always in the street with the other Brooklyn children, fighting and wrestling and running around. I even beat many of the boys! I've never been delicate like every woman is out here in Colorado."
"Lucile, it sounds like this is your natural shape. You're a little more shapely than the average woman is all, and believe me, that is not only very common in city children, but very healthy. There have been medical studies that even suggest women with more weight on their frames are less susceptible to diseases and may even live longer. And larger breasts and hips can also indicate an easier ability to conceive and the likelihood of successful pregnancies. There really isn't a need to be insecure about it."
"I was just thinking," Lucy said. "I was told that the Reverend liked his women petite and soft."
"Was it Louise Chambers who told you that?" Dr. Quinn said with a tone of skepticism rising.
"Yes."
"There is something you should know about their history, the Reverend and Miss Chambers," the Doctor began.
"Oh, I know they nearly married once," Lucy quickly interrupted.
"That's good that you're aware of that. But perhaps you aren't fully aware of the conditions under which they severed ties."
"What do you mean?"
"When the Reverend broke the engagement, it was because Louise wasn't conducting herself properly with the school's children. She used physical force on them and left injuries on a number of them, including one of my own children. The Reverend kept his love for children and his desire to have his own the priority over his romantic feelings. He seemed to move forward, but Louise was very sullen and broken-hearted when she left town. I should think," Dr. Quinn concluded. "She might still have feelings for him. Feelings that might have arisen again now that they've met again and he is pursuing another woman."
"I was aware of the abuse she had done. You think she might try and come between Timothy and I?" Lucy asked with fear.
Dr. Quinn shrugged. "It's a possibility," she admitted. "So when she suggested that the Reverend had...a physical type of woman he was exclusively attracted to...a type that doesn't describe you, she might have been trying to deter you."
Lucy sighed. "That makes a little more sense." She paused a moment. "She really was violent towards children? I still cannot fully believe it."
"Very violent," Dr. Quinn confirmed. "It's why she left her position as the teacher of the school. The Reverend loves children too much to agree to corporal punishment."
"I can imagine he wouldn't condone such behavior either," Lucy said. The conversation took her back to New York, where corporal punishment was as common as cabbages. "In Brooklyn, it happened every day, and there were so many runaways in the street because of it."
"He's wanted to be a father for so long to children of his own, and Louise didn't seem to be interested in that," Dr. Quinn said, finishing her story.
Lucy thought a moment on this as she thanked Dr. Quinn for the herbal tea and left the clinic with her to rejoin Timothy. If children were his first priority in life, what would that mean for her? Lucy wasn't set on children for a while yet, and though she wanted a family, she wanted to make it to California first, or at least see a little more of the world. Having babies would tie her to one town for the rest of her life. Was she ready for that, and for the sacrifices she would have to make if she became a clergyman's wife?
"I must confess to you, Reverend, that I'm a little heart sore upon hearing the news of you and Ms. Greene," Preston said in his usual smooth-talker's tone.
"Heart sore?" asked Timothy. He tried not to let this deter him from the good day he was having. After all, with the attention he was paying to Lucy, this conversation was basically inevitable.
"I know you noticed the courtly attention I was giving to her, and there was a reason for that," Preston continued. "I happen to find her beautiful and smart, as well as fascinating."
"I feel the same way, and I thought it would be indicated as such in the new relationship I am pursuing with her," Timothy answered, calming and without a hint of vindictiveness.
"I didn't doubt that, Reverend," Preston said, itching a spot on the tip of his nose. "However, I don't think it was very gentlemanly of you to set a proposal on her until you consorted with me, her other suitor."
"I don't think she considered you a suitor," Timothy retorted with confidence. "Also, you should know that the decision was left up to her, and she agreed to the courtship quite enthusiastically."
"As she would, I would imagine," Preston said, lowering the tone of his voice suspiciously. "You know how city girls are."
"Excuse me?" Timothy asked. "I'm not sure what you mean by that."
"Maybe you don't know, then," Preston backtracked. "How much of her past as Lucy explained to you?"
"That she was orphaned young and left her brother's house to become a maid until she made her way out here," Timothy explained simply. Preston sighed and nodded.
"She didn't tell you about the other men in her life?"
Timothy felt something pound against his throat when Preston made mention of that. "Other men? She's a single woman, Preston, and I will take her word over yours."
"She told me so herself that first Friday night we went to supper," he described. "Women in the East...well, they tend to mature faster than out here. They also respond to this by going with young bachelors a lot younger as well. I would know."
"I still don't quite understand," Timothy said softly.
"Lucile told me about the men in New York she's kissed, and how far she let them go on her," Preston suggested.
Timothy shook his head. "You're stepping out of line here. Lucy is honorable and intelligent. And I don't think she would tell something like that to a strange man in a strange town, nor do I think a woman as bright as she is would allow herself to be used in such a way," He knew this had to be some attempt at retaliation for him beating Preston to the punch. Preston was jealous.
"Ask her yourself," Preston said, shrugging. "I don't mind a woman with a history, but a Reverend might want to reserve himself for a little lady a mite purer, if you understand me."