Chapter 18
After a sleepless night Louise reached the conclusion that she shouldn't… couldn't stay at the station one more minute. Thinking about what had happened or rather not happened with Kid in the stables, Lou came face to face with a truth that she had been blind to. She had realized that she was falling for the rider hard, and she just couldn't let things go any further. It was so confusing and odd; Lou had always sworn that she'd never fall in love with any man. In her opinion men only brought about nothing but misery and pain. She had always naively thought that she was able to control her own feelings and no man would make her change her strong will. Yet, here she was, stupidly falling for a man who was simply out of the question to begin with.
It was the biggest mistake she had ever made; Kid was a good and honest man, but he was also engaged to marry somebody else. Louise wondered how she had let this happen when she knew the situation with him and his fiancée all along. She wanted to cry in frustration and anger with herself. Besides, it worried her to think that he had also seemed drawn to her in the stables last night. Has she given cause for him to take certain liberties? Maybe Kid was looking for a fleeting distraction, and she was simply closer at hand. After all, he was a man and she had heard from Rachel and the other riders that the Southerner was having problems with his girlfriend.
With all those disturbing thoughts in her mind, Lou woke up that morning with the unmoving intention of going back to her lodgings in town. She had a talk with Rachel about her decision and, however hard the station mistress tried to persuade her to stay, Louise didn't budge an inch. Later in the day the girl was packing her few things in the bedroom she had occupied for the last week when she heard some heavy steps behind her and a knock on the open door. Turning around her eyes fell on Kid and she cast him a quizzical look.
"Rachel told me that you want to leave," he said, his eyes peering at her hard with indignation.
Louise turned to the clothes she was folding and placed them into her carpet bag. With her attention focused on the task at hand, she simply muttered, "That's right."
Instantly Kid crossed the small bedroom in a few strides and stood by her side. "But why?" he asked, his voice tinged with sheer irritation.
"I can't stay here forever. You know it's past my time to leave," she replied without meeting his anxious eyes yet.
"I thought you understood why I insist on you being here. We talked about it last night," he continued in the same fretful tone.
Louise cringed at him mentioning the night before. Somehow she felt embarrassed to think that he might have noticed that keen interest on him. Not that she considered that she should be ashamed for having warm feelings for somebody; she was human after all. Under other circumstances Lou would have confronted him and opened her heart to him, even risking being turned down flatly, but this was different. He wasn't a free man, and all she had to do was forget about her infatuation and the first step in the right direction was to leave this place.
"Kid," she continued after a while, "I'll be careful, I promise. Besides, you know as well as I do that I have nothing to fear. Those men were probably a couple of pranksters that were bored that night and found their amusement in me."
Kid looked at her with a mixture of skepticism and hurt. He was sure that there was more to her attack than met the eye, but he had to admit that she was right. He didn't think that her safety was in jeopardy any longer. What irritated him was the fact that she had to leave now when they had finally mended their rift. Last night had been simply great; he had never felt so at ease in somebody's company before. He had enjoyed talking to her thoroughly and sometimes he had the sensation that they didn't even need words between them.
She was a friend like no other and he often felt baffled by how special she was to him. Maybe it was the fact that she was a woman and could understand things better than his other friends. Yet, something strange had happened last night which had made her flee like the wind. Kid wondered what had caused her to react so nervously. They had simply been having a relaxed conversation, and Louise had even joked about his protectiveness. It was then that for some unknown reason he had kept gazing into her face as if nothing else existed. There was nothing wrong in that, Kid pondered troubled. She was a beautiful girl and even with her short hair her face was so pretty that it was no wonder that he hadn't been able to divert his eyes from her. There was nothing beyond that as his friends were always hinting. Lou was just special in a way that nobody else could understand.
Noticing his odd expression Lou dared to look into his eyes and plastering a smile in her mouth she said, "Kid, it ain't like I'm going to the end of the world. We'll still be seeing each other around." Her face lit up at the thought, but she instantly scolded herself for her own impulses. It was imperative that she should start shunning him if she wanted to forget about her foolish infatuation. And here she came up with that silly comment about still seeing each other. How could she be so dumb?
Kid nodded at her comment with a forlorn expression, not happy with her decision at all. Yet, he had always known that this moment would eventually come. Lou couldn't live at the station forever, but now he was used to having her around, making sure that she was safe, even though they hadn't been on speaking terms for days.
The rider walked a few steps closer, peering into her eyes intently. Placing his right hand on her shoulder, he squeezed it affectionately while he said, "You take good care of yourself, all right?"
Louise found herself shivering at his closeness, and she prayed that he couldn't notice what effect he had on her. Since she was aware of her true feelings, all the sensations seemed to be stronger and somehow more real. Lou swallowed uncomfortable and not trusting her own voice, she simply nodded at his words. Kid smiled despite himself and turning around from her, he added, "I have to go now. I left Cody in the middle of repairing the barn door. I'd better check on him before he makes a mess."
Lou smiled faintly as he got ready to leave and turning to her one more time, he said, "See you around." Kid paused briefly and casting a last look at Lou, he left the room. The girl kept staring at the door through which he had gone and feeling a cold chill coursing all over her body, she wrapped her arms around her tiny frame for comfort, but right now everything was useless. She felt tears prick at her eyes and with a deep sigh she cursed herself for getting in this situation. It seemed as if it was a big joke, and life was having a good laugh at her expense. It was the beginning of a long and twisted trail if she wanted to forget about Kid, and Louise steeled herself for what lay before her.
It was almost a week since Louise had left the station and moved back to her lodgings in town. In this time Lou tried her hardest to avoid Kid as much as possible. On leaving the station, Rachel had made her promise to visit them from time to time, but Lou knew that she couldn't do that even though she wouldn't like anything better. She had to steer clear of Kid, so that she could get over her infatuation and go back to the way things had been before meeting the rider. She had been perfectly well with no big problems.
Louise scrunched up her face, knowing that wasn't strictly true. She hadn't been as fine as she tried to convince herself; actually she had felt very miserable and lonely for a long time even though she always did her best to look detached and cold. Kid's friendship had been like a breath of fresh air to her poor existence, but she couldn't have imagined that she could end up being attracted to him so deeply and in such a short time. It hurt her terribly to sever her bonds with the rider, but she needed to do something before those feelings soared and got out of control.
In the last few days Louise had caught mere glimpses of the sandy-haired rider in town as he went to the store or somewhere else with his friends. As soon as she spotted him, she ran to be out of sight, and from her hideout she watched him go past near where she was. It moved her deeply to see how his eyes lingered on the hotel, obviously checking if she was around. More than once she felt tempted to leave her hideout and go to him, but she never let herself be persuaded by her own impulses. She needed to act sensibly and couldn't continue her friendship with Kid while she couldn't forget about her stupid infatuation.
While sweeping the floor outside the hotel with strong movements Louise kept deep in thought, pondering about her late troubles and thus completely missing the person walking towards her with decisive steps. It was when she heard somebody clearing their throat next to her that Lou lifted her eyes and came face to face with a smiling Doritha Simmons. The petite girl stopped her sweeping and cast the blonde lady a quizzical look.
"Good morning," Doritha greeted her politely, flashing her brightest smile.
Louise simply nodded without saying a single word, discreetly appraising the woman before her. It was no wonder that Kid was in love with her. Lou had to admit that she was a beautiful woman with her long, blonde hair, her pale skin and her delicate features. Compared to her Louise felt absolutely hideous. Even if Doritha Simmons didn't exist in Kid's life, Lou thought, he would never give her any thought other than as a friend. Louise felt she was too thin, her hands were rough due to the hard work, her clothes looked like rags in comparison with Doritha's impeccable dresses and on top of it all, her now short hair made her look like a boy. Any other time she wouldn't have cared about her looks, but strangely she would now love to have Kid's eyes on her in the same way she knew he admiringly stared at his fiancée.
After a few seconds of silence and foreseeing that the blonde woman wasn't going to speak up, Lou asked, "Anything I can do for you, Ma'am?"
"Actually yes," Doritha replied. She paused briefly to gather her thoughts and after a lapse she continued, "You see, I'm getting married this coming summer, and on Friday I'm having an engagement dinner at home." Lou looked at her impassive, trying to appear detached at Doritha mentioning her marriage to Kid whereas she really felt shattered inside. The petite girl wondered why on earth the other woman was telling her all this. "So I'll need some more help for the occasion. And… maybe you'd be interested in working for me that day for a few hours in the evening."
Lou goggled at her surprised, but without much interest in her words, not having the slightest intention of contemplating to accept the lady's offer. For one thing, Kid would be there and Louise would feel overwrought and heartbroken witnessing the happy couple toasting for their future life together. She was already going through a bad patch, trying to forget about the rider and the powerful effect he had on her. So Louise wasn't willing to add more to her suffering by getting involved with his fiancée in any way.
Noticing the girl's hesitation, Doritha hurried to say, "I'm ready to pay good money." She told her the figure in a whisper, and Louise worked out in her head how good that extra money would be to her. She'd be able to give her siblings a nice treat and still have enough to pay for a couple of months' rent. That would give her some relief for a while, but still she was convinced that she couldn't accept it. The temptation was too great, but the drawbacks still weighed heavily on her mind. "Why would you pay so much money just for me?" she asked in a terse voice.
"Well," Doritha replied breezily, "I'm always ready to spare no expense for a well-done job." She paused momentarily and directing her eyes towards the girl she added, "Besides, Kid's always saying how good a servant you are."
At her words Lou's whole body stiffened, and she felt totally hurt in her pride. Was that the way he considered her? As a mere servant? She had thought that they had a special friendship and yet, he went behind her back and talked about her in those terms. Had she been too blind and stupid to think that he cared about her? No friend would talk about their pals like that. Louise felt that she had been deluding herself into thinking that what they had was special. Of course she had been a fool. No man could be that good, and now she was seeing Kid with new eyes.
As she remained silent, Doritha remarked, "If you don't want the job, I can always find someone else."
"No! I'll do it," Louise stated firmly, adopting a proud stance.
"Good!" Doritha exclaimed with an ample smile. "I live on the Evans' old property, you know it?" Lou nodded and the lady continued. "Come over at about three in the afternoon."
Without waiting for any confirmation from Louise or without taking her leave, Doritha turned around and started walking down the street towards the seamstress's shop at the far end of the walkway. She wore a malicious grin on her face, pleased that the first part of her plan had worked out. It was imperative for her to break the bond between Kid and that girl. Doritha knew that she couldn't stay idle; she wasn't a fool and she was aware that Kid had changed in the last few weeks. Lately his attitude towards her was cold and distant, and Doritha suspected that this change had to do with that girl he had gotten so friendly with. So there was no doubt about it, she needed to play her cards right and after the last fiasco she wasn't trusting anybody but herself.
In her opinion Kid simply had to see how lowly this Louise was and how different she was from his fiancée. So his only medicine for his silly attitude was to face the reality he seemed too blind to accept. When he saw her and that lowly girl together, he'd realized that she was nothing but a wench. Doritha was intent to look her best that night for a two-fold reason. She'd show him how lucky he was for having her in his life and how common Louise McCloud was in comparison. After Friday night the blond lady was sure that Louise wouldn't be a threat to her peace of mind anymore and would be just a faraway memory to Kid.
Friday came, and in the afternoon Louise rode towards the big house where Doritha Simmons was to give her engagement party. In the couple of days since the conversation with the blonde lady, Lou hadn't been able to stop thinking about Kid and his comment about 'her being such a good servant', which his fiancée had repeated to her. Louise wasn't ashamed of the work she had been forced to do since she was young, but it pained her to think that Kid only regarded her in that aspect.
To her shame she had been harboring deep feelings for him like an idiot while the Southerner had apparently taken her for simple merriment. It served her right for letting her guard down and softening. Life had taught her unkindly that no good would come from a man, and Kid was no different. Yet, she thought that he actually hadn't done anything wrong; he had only spoken the truth. As much as she'd like to deny it, she was a servant, cleaning what others had dirtied before. Even though she hated the job in itself, she had to admit that she was a hard and conscientious worker. Kid hadn't said anything further than that, so why should she take offense? Louise sighed and scrunched up her face in disgust. Her own mind seemed to slip, finding excuses for him when he didn't have any right to talk about her matters to that fiancée of his.
Lou stopped her horse and slid off it carefully. It was a real nuisance to ride in a dress, but she simply couldn't turn up to Doritha wearing her now worn pants, and she couldn't bother to rent a buckboard from the livery stables. After smoothing the wrinkles of her long skirt, she strode round the house. There was no way she could go and knock at the front door as she could well guess that there was an entrance for the domestic service at the back. Besides, from the few snippets Kid had talked about his fiancée, Louise could tell that she was the kind of woman who'd have a fit if she dared to call at her main door.
Reaching the back of the house, Lou saw a small door, which probably led to the kitchen and pounded on it firmly. After a few seconds the door opened and a girl around her age appeared. She didn't say anything and kept appraising Lou up and down. "Good afternoon. I'm Louise McCloud and Miss Simmons…"
"I know who you are," Mary replied, scorn obvious in her demeanor, "Come inside."
Louise did so, not coerced by the girl's rough manners. Lou had seen her a few times before, always in Doritha's company, and she knew that the girl was the lady's regular maid. Still, she didn't know why she had that attitude towards her. Maybe the maid feared that she was here after her job. Nothing was further from the truth. Lou'd rather starve than work for such a pompous lady; she was already wondering whether she'd been too rash in accepting this job. The money would definitely come in handy, but still… she wasn't looking forward to seeing Kid. She hadn't crossed paths with him since she left Rachel's place, and the thought of coming face to face with him filled her with apprehension and thrill at the same time. She was still sore at him, and she knew that she wasn't going to enjoy the image of him and Doritha oozing happiness together. More than once today Louise had felt tempted to make up an excuse and send word to Doritha, but in the end she had decided to carry through.
Louise followed the girl inside and they crossed a narrow corridor into the kitchen. There was a plump middle-aged woman, leaning over a big pot on the stove. "I'm Mary and that one is Edith, the cook."
Lou nodded silently at the woman, but she ignored her completely and continued stirring whatever was in the pot. Mary opened a kind of wardrobe and took out a hanger with a black dress. "Change into these," she said handing Lou the dress, a white apron and a headpiece, "and quick. You can use the room next to this, and then you have to report to Miss Simmons."
Lou looked at the garment in her hands' doubtfully, feeling uncomfortable in the two women's presence and a general uneasiness washed all over her in that big cold house. She wanted to swirl around and run away from this place, but it was already too late to back off, so she just turned to go into the room when Doritha appeared. She looked at Louise with a half smile and said, "You came."
"Yes, Ma'am," Lou mumbled.
"Mary, did you show her what she has to do?" Doritha turned to her maid.
"Not yet, Miss Simmons," Mary replied. "I told her to get changed first."
"All right," Doritha added, "As soon as she's ready, show Lucy what she needs to do."
Mary nodded in agreement, and Lou piped in, "My name's Louise, not Lucy."
Doritha gave her a sarcastic smile and walking a few steps closer she said, her eyes fixed on Louise, "Dear, while you're under my roof, your name will be whatever I choose for you." The petite girl stared back at her defiantly with a bitter countenance and Doritha simply swirled round and left the room with a satisfied smile on her face.
A few hours later Louise stood in the middle of the hall, wearing the spotless black dress which to her mind made her look like a scrawny cockroach. Mary, the maid, had the task of opening the door and welcoming the arriving guests while Lou had to take their coats and place them in a big wardrobe in the hall. Lou was cursing herself for accepting this job. The few hours she had been in the house seemed like days, and she couldn't wait for the evening to finish. Lou and Mary had been setting the big dinner table and decorating the whole room. Doritha had kept watching her like a hawk, harassing her with complaints and not missing one single opportunity to point out her faults and ridicule her. More than once she had felt tempted to walk off, but her pride and stubbornness won her over every time.
Lou watched the couples making their entrance into the house, all finely dressed. She knew some of them by sight among which she spotted the mayor, the Evans and the church minister. As far as she could see, Doritha knew how to select their acquaintances. It seemed that she wouldn't waste her time with simple townsfolk. Was she the girl who was supposed to become a rancher's wife in a few months? Lou wondered.
Kid wasn't anything like these people flowing into the house. Louise knew that he longed for a simple and ordinary life, which clearly contrasted with his wife-to-be's grandiose ways. Louise wondered whether Rachel, Teaspoon and the riders would be coming. They probably would be coming with Kid. She hadn't given a thought to them, and the idea of having them near filled her with some relief and peace of mind. In a few minutes she was supposed to serve dinner to these snooty people, which Lou was already dreading, but knowing that Rachel and the others would be around kind of made her feel more reassured.
"What are you doing here?"
The loud question snapped her out of her reverie, and when she lifted her eyes, they fell on the stunned face of Kid. He was wearing his suit, which Lou had to admit made him look really handsome, but as she remembered that she was still mad at him, she replied in a curt voice, "Working, sir."
Kid had gotten completely flabbergasted when he stepped inside and saw Lou, dressed as one of Doritha's maids and apparently working as one. He hadn't seen her at all lately even though he had purposefully looked for her whenever he went to town. Doritha had driven him nuts with her continuous babbling over her engagement dinner, which admittedly he wasn't in the mood for. In the last few days Kid had been away on a ride, and when he had come back just this morning, he had had the intention to look for Lou the following day, and now he had gotten the shock of his life as she had appeared before him in the least likely place he could ever have imagined.
Her answer to his question didn't satisfy his curiosity and her calling him 'sir' made him feel annoyed and awkward at the same time. "What are you talking about, Lou? What's this nonsense of calling me 'sir'?"
"It's the proper way," she retorted with a miffed expression. "After all, I'm a servant, ain't I?"
"Not to me," he stated, noticing that for some reason she was angry and apparently the aim of her anger was him. Most of the time he was lost at these sudden mood changes in her. She was a charming girl most of the time, somebody who Kid found intriguing, but at times she had these odd moods that left him completely baffled. "I don't know what's gotten into you this time… I…," he paused briefly to let out a weary sigh. "Sometimes I just don't understand you … honestly."
Lou stared at him unblinkingly as if struck by lightning. She realized that she had foolishly let that woman trick her with lies and soft words. Her and her stupid distrust! Just one word, one hint and she got carried away, ready to believe anybody over the man who had shown her anything but good-will. Lou felt her anger refuel as she thought how Doritha had conscientiously made her believe that Kid was demeaning her with his out-of-tune comments.
Louise felt unable to talk or even apologize for her rude manners to him a few minutes ago, and it was then that the voice of the woman responsible for her muddled feelings reached her ears.
"Hello, my love. I didn't know you were here!"
Kid turned towards Doritha who reached him and Louise. The rider was feeling more and more awkward by the minute, and he simply cast a forced smile in his fiancée's direction. The lady beamed brightly and turning to Louise she ordered gruffly, "Come on, girl. Take my fiancé's hat and coat and place them in the wardrobe. Don't be dumb and stand still."
"It's all right. I can do it myself," the rider replied in a serious voice.
"Kid, don't be silly. She's a maid, and that's what she's here for."
Lou stood motionless, clueless at what she should do while Kid repeated, "I said I can do it."
"As you wish," Doritha replied in a tense voice, but at the same time pleased, realizing that he was uncomfortable with the girl's presence. Shifting her body towards him Doritha turned her back to Louise churlishly and asked him, "So tell me, what do you think?"
Noticing her rude gesture towards Lou, Kid felt irritated and answered without much interest, "Think about what?"
"My new dress, silly," she exclaimed among giggles, sending him an alluring glance.
"You look… simply too perfect like always," he replied with a touch of irony while he kept a serious countenance.
Doritha gave him a self-satisfying smile, not noticing his awkward manner or his sarcasm. Suddenly she caught a glimpse of the mayor at the other end of the hall, and she forgot about the rider instantly as she called while waving her hand, "Simon!" The man turned a smiling face to her as she continued in an oversweet voice, "Show these other men what a real gentleman is like. I'll let you escort me to the dining room."
Without another word to her fiancé, she walked towards Mayor McGregor, forgetting about Kid and the girl by his side. The rider shook his head ruefully; lately he was becoming more and more aware of how little in common Doritha had with the woman he had always thought he would be marrying. Sadly, he was realizing little by little that his love for her was gradually dying out even though he tried his best to cling to the smallest thing he still thought they shared. All he feared was that what he felt would eventually turn into total indifference and worse into hatred and he'd end up married to a woman he loathed.
Kid turned to Louise once again and with a sullen expression he said, "You shouldn't be doing this."
The girl's anger had soothed notably, realizing that she had been unfair to judge Kid so harshly. "She pays good money, and I ain't in a position to be fussy," she replied sincerely. Kid simply nodded in understanding and Lou asked, "Where are your friends?"
"They ain't coming," he answered, his voice tinged with bitterness. "It ain't their kind of thing. It ain't my kind either, but I have no election in the matter."
He hadn't wanted to force their friends into something he knew they wouldn't be comfortable with. Kid wasn't even sure why Doritha had wanted to throw this party when there were more important issues they should be discussing before celebrating. The rider felt that he had got himself into a spiral, and he had no power to stop it or get out of it. Things with Doritha were confusing to say the least, and he had no idea where he was heading, what plans she had in mind for when they got married. One thing was sure: she abhorred the idea of the horse ranch and had bigger aspirations. The thought made Kid extremely sad, and at the same time irritation was growing inside him towards the woman he was supposed to spend the rest of his life with.
"But it's your engagement dinner," Lou exclaimed, not understanding what he was talking about. Shouldn't his friends… his family be with him to share this joyous occasion?
Kid simply shrugged his shoulders and giving her a sad smile, he didn't elaborate any further and shuffled towards the dining room where everybody had already slipped into. Lou remained on her own in the middle of the hall, deep in thought, with the image of his sad face on her mind, and all she wanted to do was run after him and comfort him from whatever he was so unhappy about. Yet, she remained in the same spot and only when Mary called her in an unkind voice, did she force herself to move.
The big dining room in Doritha's place buzzed with people's voices and laughter. There was a big mahogany table in the middle of the room, and about fifteen people were sitting around it. Doritha sat at the head of the table with Kid on her right and on the other side she had the preacher, who she was having an animated conversation with. The whole room was finely decorated with beautiful flowers, candles and other richly ornaments.
Lou stood at one end of the room, ready to assist where need be. She had already helped Mary serve the wine and the first course, and now she watched the people from her discreet position. She couldn't wait for the evening to finish and be on her way home once and for all. She hated the way Doritha was treating her, as if she were a lapdog or worse, calling her a different name each time and talking to her with that authoritative tone. After the stunt the blonde lady had pulled on Lou, the petite girl felt anger boil over her, but she tried to control her rage with an almost superhuman effort. Her eyes constantly darted towards Kid, who hadn't practically said a single word since he sat down to dinner. He looked so sullen and forlorn, but for some reason nobody but her seemed to notice his bearing. From time to time he lifted his eyes from the plate and directed them to Lou, and sending her a wry smile he lowered them.
A tinkling noise made her refocus her attention to the dinner taking place before her. It was Doritha's signal to indicate that they should remove the now empty plates and start serving the second course. Lou breathed in deeply to get a grip of her soaring irritation; she hated the bell Doritha used to call her and the other maid as if they were trained monkeys. She could really think of a place or two where she would like to throw that blasted bell.
After collecting the plates quickly, Mary started serving the meat, which Doritha called something like 'entrecote', but for Louise it was simply roast beef. The petite girl followed Mary around the table, carrying the big bowl for serving the sauce.
"Isn't it great, Kid?" Doritha's voice resounded above the other dozen voices. She had been talking to the preacher, and it seemed that something he had told her had really made her day by how cheerful she sounded.
Kid looked at her quizzically, not having a clue what she was talking about. Tonight's dinner seemed to be longer and more tedious than any others he had attended before. Besides, he felt awkward as he watched Lou struggling to serve this bunch of supercilious people. Kid could tell that she wasn't enjoying the experience at all, and he wished he could stand up and take her out of here. She shouldn't be doing it in the first place, and he felt irritated at his fiancée as she knew that Lou was his friend and he wouldn't feel very happy about it. Or maybe she had simply done it on purpose as a way to show him her dislike of the girl. Either way, Doritha had no excuse to use Lou just to get to him, and he had every intention to tell her as soon as this ridiculous dinner was over.
Doritha giggled at her fiancé's blank expression and said, "Preacher Johnston just said that he could talk the archbishop into performing our wedding ceremony. Isn't it just the best news we could hear?"
"I'm sure our grace the archbishop would be glad to make time in his busy schedule for such a lovely couple," the preacher remarked with an ample smile. "Did I tell you his family comes from Virginia?"
Doritha beamed happily while Kid looked impassive. He just couldn't bring himself to join in her apparent bliss. The rider couldn't care less who would marry them, especially when he wasn't feeling very excited about the whole idea. Thinking or talking about the wedding filled him with dread even though he knew that he couldn't prevent it from happening. In a few months he would be a married man and he still didn't know what his life would be like from that moment on.
"You see, Preacher," Doritha continued in a soft voice. "I'm a God-fearing woman, and I've always tried to lead a good and upright life."
"That's good to know," Preacher Johnson added.
"I always do my best to help the poor and those less fortunate than myself." She paused briefly and then continued as she noticed Louise approaching her place at the table. "Here in my household I employ honest and decent people, but as a Christian, I am aware that it's my duty to stretch my heart to everybody. So I often open my house and offer the possibility to better themselves to those who come from less than desirable backgrounds. I've seen that women here in the west have a natural inclination to indecency. It's these girls of easy virtue that I strongly feel should be taken care of and helped out of the gutter. Just today as a token of my generosity I've taken Louise under my protection and away from temptations and immoral desires."
"Doritha!" Kid exclaimed mortified at her improper comment about Louise, which was nothing but an outright lie. Lou was a good and decent girl who had been given a hard life to deal with, and nobody had any rights to look down on her or imply something that wasn't true. He felt his anger grow, yet he was too shocked to say anything, and all he managed to cry was her name in reprimand as he stared at her dumbfounded.
Lou heard the whole harangue from Doritha without much interest, and when the lady plainly mentioned her, she stiffened and anger washed over her dangerously. For once Doritha had said her name without mistake, and it instantly dawned on Lou that for some reason the blonde lady had planned all this. She had wanted her here to humiliate her in front of Kid. The lady probably resented her for the special friendship her fiancé and Lou shared, and this was her way of hitting hard. For a brief instant Lou had the temptation of barging against her blindingly, but instead she remained calm and composed. She hovered over Doritha's sitting figure and started serving the sauce into her plate. With a very soft voice, Lou piped in, "Look at the pot calling the kettle black."
Doritha's eyes shot towards Louise and asked in a very shrill voice, attracting the attention of everybody around the table, "What did you say, girl?"
"You heard me," Lou replied without stopping the task at hand.
Doritha's face was red with indignation and fury. She hadn't counted on Louise speaking up and her attitude filled the lady with sheer anger. "How dare you insult me in my own house and in front of my guests?" she barked.
The whole room was in complete silence as all the attention had been drawn to the two women at the head of the table. Apparently unaffected by Doritha's angered words, Louise smoothly continued ladling the white sauce onto her plate without stopping even though the liquid was dangerously near overflowing the limits of the fine china container. Without even lifting her eyes, Louise replied in a soft and calm voice, "After all I'm not the one ready to get a man into their bed … marriage or not."
She stopped the pouring movements and thudding the sauce pot onto the wooden table heavily, she spilled sauce all over the beautiful embroidered tablecloth and onto Doritha's impeccable white blouse front. The lady let out a despair yelp in the silent room while Louise glared at her with eyes full of fury. The blonde woman looked on the verge of exploding, but for a moment she had lost the ability to talk or even react and stared speechlessly at the petite woman with sheer hatred. Louise started walking away with decisive steps while unlacing the apron around her tiny waist.
"I'd better go back to the gutter. I'm sure it'll be warmer than down here in the witch's hut," she said ironically, loud enough for everybody to hear and stopping a few steps away from Doritha, she turned to her again and added, her eyes shining with uncontrollable anger. "And please… do us all a favor. Stop helping us poor souls and start helping yourself." Uttering these words meaningfully, Lou threw the knotted apron at her, which landed in her perfectly done hair. In two long strides Lou marched out of the room, slamming the door closed after her.
As soon as the door banged shut, Doritha let out an incoherent growl in total despair and all the people around the table quickly dashed to her and surrounded her, uttering soft words to appease her. It was clear that Louise had made an impression on all of them and comments or reproach and scorn towards the petite girl were heard in the room.
Kid remained seated, completely dazzled by what had happened. He hadn't been able to react or speak up. Doritha had behaved shamelessly, voicing those veiled insinuations about Lou. It was no wonder that the brown-haired girl had reacted in the way she had. Kid couldn't blame her at all and knowing her quick temper, he was even surprised at how calm she had appeared despite the anger Kid knew she was feeling. The rider felt guilty for his own clumsiness; he should have foreseen what Doritha had up her sleeve, hiring Louise when he knew the intense dislike she had for the petite girl. And he felt he should have stopped Doritha as soon as she had started making all those comments, but he had never thought that she would be directing her spiteful words to Louise. If the circumstances were different, Kid would have even laughed at the situation and at the smart way Lou had reacted but he knew that this wasn't a laughing matter at all. Doritha had really asked for those insulting words from Louise. Yet, Kid knew that to everybody's eyes Doritha was the victim here and as he watched the ladies accompany his very upset fiancée upstairs, he had the hunch that Doritha wouldn't let the matter rest. Not this time. Fear crawled into his soul, and he feared what all this would mean for Lou… what it would mean for him.