Chapter 1

Belton, Texas

Friday, February 4, 1881

Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, Lucy knocked quietly on the heavy polished door affixed with a gleaming gold plate that read, Denise Christopher, Dean of Women's Studies. After a moment, she heard a muffled, 'enter,' and stepped inside, carefully closing the door behind her. Clasping her hands loosely at her waist, she waited patiently for the petite, dark-haired woman ensconced behind a rather imposing desk made of dark cherry wood to acknowledge her presence. Little disturbed the hushed silence of the spacious, elegantly-appointed room save for the steady ticking of a massive, intricately-carved grandfather clock in one corner and the faint scratching of a fountain pen used by the woman as she intently perused the document in front of her.

"Please have a seat, Miss Preston, I'll be right with you," the Dean instructed pleasantly after a moment without looking up, pointing to a pair of tapestry-covered side chairs in front of her desk. Nodding quickly, Lucy sat down, back straight, feet together, hands in her lap, and fixed a polite smile on her face. Like most of the students and staff at Baylor Female College, she was slightly intimidated by the Dean, who, despite her small physical stature, enjoyed a rather formidable reputation around campus.

Setting her pen down at last and removing silver-framed reading glasses and setting them on top of the papers, Dean Christopher gave her a welcoming smile. "Thank you for coming to meet with me on such short notice this morning, Miss Preston. Let me begin by saying it has not gone unnoticed by the school's Board of Directors and myself how diligently you have performed your numerous school responsibilities since obtaining your bachelors degree last spring–graduating with high honors, I believe. You are one of the finest teaching assistants we've had at the Female College in some time, and your valuable contributions to the history classes are especially impressive."

Lucy felt her cheeks heat in pleasure at the unexpected praise, taken aback that someone as important as the Dean even knew her name, let alone her duties. "Uh, thank you, Dean Christopher, that's very kind of you to say, I'm sure," she acknowledged with a shy smile, before impulsively adding, "Pardon me, Ma'am, but I must admit since receiving the message this morning you wanted to see me, I've been rather at a loss for the reason." She was puzzled when instead of responding, the Dean regarded her rather thoughtfully for a moment before abruptly dropping her gaze to the top of her desk and shuffling through some of the papers. Pulling a single sheet from the stack, she held it out to a mystified Lucy, who took the paper with a slight frown.

Before she could examine the document, however, Dean Christopher began to speak once more. "The reason you are here today, Miss Preston, is because I would like to discuss with you a potential teaching position," she informed her. Lucy's eyes widened in surprise. Her dream since arriving at Baylor five years ago to begin her college education was to eventually become part of the institution's well-respected faculty. Could that be what the Dean was referring to? Trying not to betray her excitement, she asked cautiously, "And what kind of teaching position might that be, Ma'am?"

Unfortunately, Lucy's rising hopes were thoroughly dashed seconds later by the Dean's brisk response. "Before we get to the specifics, I see in your file that upon obtaining your degree last spring, in addition to applying for the teacher's assistant job you currently hold, you expressed interest at that time in a permanent teaching position here at Baylor. Regrettably, while I have no doubt with your excellent grades and work ethic shown thus far, you would be an imminently suitable candidate and a fine addition to our staff, there are no openings on this campus in the foreseeable future."

Struggling valiantly to conceal her disappointment, Lucy unconsciously straightened her shoulders and murmured, "Yes, Ma'am. I understand." Evidently her efforts to appear unperturbed by the Dean's blunt pronouncement were less than successful when the older woman's somber expression unexpectedly softened.

"I truly am sorry, Miss Preston, to disappoint you," she offered with a kind smile. "It's never easy to postpone or even let go of something our heart desires, is it? Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe it was Alexander Graham Bell who said, 'when one door closes, another opens,' something it may be beneficial to keep in mind as you consider the purpose of our meeting this morning." She gazed at Lucy expectantly, who inclined her head courteously and did her best to focus.

"Splendid. Now then, on to the matter at hand. The college has been contacted by the school board of Brady, Texas, a very small town with approximately 115 residents located one hundred twenty miles to the west of Belton. The town's families are in dire need of a school teacher since the previous one unexpectedly moved back east to take care of her ailing mother." Lucy instantly felt a pang of sympathy for this unknown teacher. She understood all too well what those unfortunate circumstances felt like, having experienced it herself.

Lucy's own higher education (after completing the requisite year of 'finishing' school for ladies of her family's social standing) had been delayed while she cared for her father Henry. A prominent San Francisco banker, he fell ill with consumption just before Lucy celebrated her 18th birthday and lingered more than two years. Sadly, she'd never known her mother, Caroline, who died shortly after giving birth to Lucy in 1856. Her heartbroken father had never remarried and with the help of a series of competent nannies, raised his beloved only child by himself. As a result, aside from some very distant cousins scattered back east, Henry Preston's death left Lucy alone in the world. Thankfully, however, not without the means to take care of herself.

The comfortable sum she'd inherited when Papa passed away, along with proceeds from the sale of their home in the affluent Nob Hill section of the city where she'd spent her entire life, was more than enough to pay for her educational expenses, and afterwards, a respectable place to live post graduation while Lucy worked and planned her future. It didn't require much self examination on her part to realize that perhaps one of the reasons she'd ardently hoped to remain at the college as a professor was because Baylor and several members of the staff, as well as a few close personal friends, had become her home and surrogate family when the recently-orphaned Lucy arrived in Texas five years ago after an exhausting six-week journey by train from the west coast.

"Miss Preston?" Dean Christopher prompted gently. Lucy blushed faintly at the older woman's penetrating glance, mentally scolding herself for letting her attention wander and wasting the Dean's valuable time. "If you'd care to look at the letter I handed you, you'll see from the details of the offer, the town is quite eager to find a new teacher who could be persuaded to locate there as soon as possible."

Obediently dropping her gaze to the piece of paper, Lucy quickly scanned the few closely-written paragraphs, absently taking note of the feminine signature, Mrs. James Sherwin, Board President. The Dean wasn't overstating the facts–the terms were indeed quite generous. In addition to a surprisingly respectable salary of $5.00 per month for a period of no less than one year, Mrs. Sherwin indicated the school board was prepared to furnish the new teacher with the luxury of her own private home, a small house in town only a few blocks from the school, which also served as the town's only church on Sundays.

At first consideration, the offer was rather intriguing, but still...wait a minute. Had she heard correctly? Had the Dean told her this place was over a hundred miles west of Belton? One hundred twenty miles to be precise? Lucy shivered slightly. If her usually excellent memory served from reading numerous books the past five years on her new home in Texas, that part of the state was nothing but wide open territory, a virtual wild frontier that seemed to go on forever, as far as the eyes could see–which naturally made her a little apprehensive. Yet, on the other hand, despite her initial misgivings, Lucy was suitably impressed. Even without the housing offer, $60 a year was a very nice salary for a female teacher...but again, without a doubt, so very far away from the life she'd built for herself since her father died. For heaven's sake, Lucy, stop dilly-dallying, she told herself, helpless to keep from feeling slightly overwhelmed.

Before she could articulate her conflicted thoughts, however, Dean Christopher spoke up, "To be perfectly honest, yes, this town is basically located in the middle of nowhere, which might be daunting to someone who's only ever lived in the city. However, as you can see, if I may speak plainly, woman to woman, the school board in Brady does seem to be aware of this particular issue because all told, it's quite a gracious offer for a fairly inexperienced educator with little real classroom experience such as yourself, Miss Preston." Her forthright words might've stung a bit, but Lucy felt they were fair and surely meant with kind intent.

Mind racing furiously, she mentally debated her options-remaining at Baylor as a teaching assistant with little hope of advancement for possibly years versus the prospect of venturing into the vast Texas frontier. Oh, dear...what should she do? Lucy flinched when the grandfather clock began to sonorously chime the hour. Rising to her feet, the Dean spoke once more.

"Of course, while I understand this is an important, life-changing decision for you, one that certainly cannot be made without due consideration, it would appear from the tone of Mrs. Sherwin's letter that time is of the essence to the town folk of Brady under the circumstances," she reminded Lucy. "In light of that, you may take the letter with you, Miss Preston, and if you'd be so kind, while it might seem rather rushed, I'll expect your response by this time tomorrow." Pushing her chair back, the Dean gracefully rose, clearly intent on putting an end to the meeting.

Dropping her gaze to the letter she held with trembling hands, Lucy's heart beat faster. Instinctively, she knew herself well enough to be fairly confident the longer it took to make up her mind, the more likely the answer would be no. Only 24 hours to decide whether to journey out into the unknown...or cling to what had become safe and familiar since leaving San Francisco, Lucy contemplated, a slight frown creasing her forehead as she mentally weighed the positives and negatives of her decision as rapidly as possible, uncomfortably aware the older woman was waiting for her response–probably more patiently than she deserved.

In the end, however, Lucy realized the choice was deceptively simple–go or stay. She could practically hear Papa's deep voice in the back of her head saying, 'You're a grown woman of 25, my dearest Lucy Anne...time to start behaving like it.' She sighed pensively at the fleeting, poignant memory of her beloved father. Papa was right. Lucy had been looking after herself practically since the age of 18 when Henry first developed symptoms of consumption. Time to stop acting like a young sheltered school girl...

Before she could second guess herself, Lucy stunned both of them by quickly jumping to her feet and declaring firmly, "No need to wait, Ma'am. I would be pleased to accept the teaching position." She prayed Dean Christopher couldn't hear the slight quaver in her voice. The approval shining in the older woman's dark eyes, however, helped bolster her shaky confidence. If a wise, learned person like the Dean thought Lucy was making the right decision, she had a good feeling it might be worth the risk.

She was turning to leave when the Dean called her name. With an encouraging smile, she handed Lucy a brown envelope that contained a ticket for the stagecoach coming through Belton on its way west at 6:00 tomorrow morning. Tomorrow morning. (According to a note in the same envelope, the trip to Brady usually took around twelve hours and it was prudent to arrive before dark.) She stared at the older woman uneasily. Leaving tomorrow morning? So soon? It seemed the Brady school board was indeed anxious for their new school teacher to arrive and get settled as soon as possible. Still, Lucy had given her word, and that was that.

Firmly shaking the Dean's hand, Lucy thanked her for the wonderful experience Baylor Female College had been since her arrival five years ago. Warmly offering her best wishes with the new position, the other woman assured Lucy she would send a telegram to Brady within the hour informing Mrs. Sherwin of her arrival on tomorrow evening's stage. The next hour passed in a frantic blur as Lucy hurriedly gathered her things and bid goodbye to those teachers and staff members at the college she'd grown close to during her time there.

At last, amid a flurry of promises to write regularly, Lucy walked out of the Baylor Administration Building to the front gates with a full heart and maybe just a smidge of nervousness. Turning around for one last look at the imposing institution that had been her home since leaving San Francisco, she pulled a fresh hankie from her sleeve and discreetly wiped her eyes. Her whole life was about to change once more...and Lucy hoped it was a good sign that beneath her faint sadness at leaving the familiar behind was also a slight thrill of anticipation for her new future.

Hailing a hired cab, she traveled first to the Texas National Bank of Belton and withdrew $25 from her inheritance funds for new clothing and other sundry expenses before having the cab take her to one of the dress shops she patronized on occasion. Mollified with the promise of a large tip, the now deferential cabbie agreed to wait outside with the rest of her things while Lucy made her purchases.

Upon hearing the urgency of the situation, the shop owner herself helped one of her young associates swiftly pull various garments in Lucy's size from their ample inventory for her perusal. In the end, she settled on a new wool traveling suit in a flattering hunter green with elegant dull gold trim and a matching hat, as well as several plain, dark-hued skirts for every day along with a half dozen dainty floral shirtwaists in various patterns and colors. Against her better wishes, she was coaxed into adding a single party dress of dark pink and cream striped organdy with a rounded neckline and delicate puffed sleeves trimmed with slender pink ribbons along with a matching pair of soft kid slippers to her selections. Lucy decided since her leather winter boots and coat were new this season, both would have to suffice for next winter as well.

When combined with the modest wardrobe she already had, these new pieces should be sufficient for the next twelve months. After all, there was no telling when she might return to the city to purchase more. For underneath, Lucy chose a dozen pairs of fine linen drawers, four chemises and petticoats, two corsets, an assortment of new stockings in wool, cotton and silk, and two new long-sleeve lawn nightgowns.

While her outward appearance was naturally the very definition of ladylike refinement, Lucy secretly rather enjoyed the sensual feeling of fine underclothes against her skin–and besides, it was doubtful anyone else would ever see them. A little town as remote as Brady was unlikely to be overrun with very many eligible bachelors, she thought wryly, deliberately putting thoughts of her one and only beau out of her mind.

Carefully counting out the payment plus a liberal gratuity for the owner's trouble--who eagerly assured Miss Preston her packages would be delivered by the end of the afternoon-Lucy was helped into the cab and settled against the worn cushions with a sigh of relief. She'd made a good start on preparations for her trip, but much remained to do before 6:00 o'clock tomorrow morning when the stagecoach left Belton. Closing her eyes, she did her best to ignore the tiny butterflies of doubt fluttering in her stomach because there was no turning back now.

In no time at all, the cab pulled up in front of the large, unassuming yet well-kept home with a neatly-lettered sign beside the front door proclaiming it to be "Sullivan's Boarding House." This was where Lucy lived these past months since moving out of the dormitory because it was quite respectable as well as its convenient proximity to the college. After the man jumped down and handed her out of the cab, she thrust several bills in his hand and sweetly requested his help carrying the heavy box of books into the house.

Once he drove off, Lucy closed the front door against chilly winter air, slowly removing her hat and coat and hanging them neatly on one of the hooks placed along the wide front hallway. Following her nose, she immediately headed for the kitchen where she knew her landlady, Nora Sullivan, would be in the midst of preparations for the evening meal. As expected, the tall, slender woman, who was perhaps in her mid forties, was busily peeling what looked like a mountain of potatoes. Lucy's mouth watered. It was common knowledge throughout this part of the city that the Widow Sullivan was a fine cook, and the (mostly male) residents of the boarding house ate very well indeed.

Absently tucking a long tendril of dark red hair behind her ear that had escaped the low knot on the back of her head, the woman looked up, dark blue eyes widening in surprise. "Why, Miss Preston, is that you already? It's surely not gone 4:00 o'clock yet, has it?" she exclaimed in dismay, dark red brows creased in a slight frown. Setting down the paring knife, she wiped her hands on her apron, and stepping over to the immense cast iron stove, set the teakettle on to boil for tea. Gesturing for Lucy to take a seat at the end of the table, Mrs. Sullivan eyed her curiously as she reached for two teacups and saucers from the glass front cupboard.

"Well, then, I may not have the 'sight' like my dear departed Granny did, but I can tell by the look on your pretty face that something special happened to you today, Miss Preston," she observed with a quiet smile, "So these silly potatoes can wait a few more minutes." Returning the smile, Lucy thought wistfully how much she would miss Nora Sullivan, a lovely person who worked very hard running this enormous boarding house mostly by herself-yet always made time for a cup of tea and cozy chat with a lonely teacher's assistant before retiring for the night.

Lucy waited until they were seated with steaming cups of tea in front of them, along with a plate of fresh-baked shortbread, to share her important news. The older woman was shocked at first, but eventually seemed quite pleased on Lucy's behalf for the grand opportunity she'd been given. By the time the tea had cooled and nothing but dregs remained in the bottom of the cups, she and Mrs. Sullivan had talked for the better part of an hour, both a little teary-eyed at the prospect of saying goodbye early in the morning.

Reluctant to head upstairs to her small room on the second floor and begin packing, Lucy dawdled a little while longer, crumbling a piece of delicate shortbread on her plate while the landlady turned her attention once more to preparing supper. After a few minutes, Mrs. Sullivan broke the comforting silence. "If you like, then, once the dishes are done and the men have retired to the front parlor to discuss the sort of manly things they enjoy, I'd be happy to help you pack your belongings." Lucy greatly appreciated the considerate offer, especially since she personally knew the landlady rose by 5:00 each morning to prepare breakfast for her tenants, and rarely took any time for herself throughout the day.

However, when she tried to express her gratitude, the redhead casually waved away her thanks. "Now, it's no bother at all, and that's a fact. Truth be told, it's been a real joy having such a refined lady as yourself under my roof these past months, Miss Preston, and you will certainly be missed." Lucy's cheeks flushed with pleasure at the kind words.

Just then, a loud knock sounded on the front door. "Now who could that be?" the landlady frowned, starting to wipe her hands once more when Lucy assured her it was probably her packages from the dress shop. She stood and placed their cups and plates on the wooden table beside the large sink before going to answer the door. Turning back from the door way, Lucy impulsively kissed the woman's worn cheek and whispered, "Thank you, Ma'am, for everything," grinning when a clearly touched Mrs. Sullivan shoed her away with a fond smile.

Later that evening, a yawning Lucy closed the door behind the equally drooping Mrs. Sullivan. Standing with her back against the door, her weary gaze wandered around the plain but comfortably furnished room she'd called home since last spring. In one corner by the window sat her large leather trunk, filled to the brim with every piece of clothing she owned–old and new–except for what she would be traveling in tomorrow. On the floor beside it was her tapestry carpet bag that, after some sage advice from her landlady, presently contained a fresh shirtwaist, a couple of clean hankies, and some of her toiletry items. The rest she would add to the bag after getting ready in the morning. Despite her fatigue from the sheer amount of work involved in packing up all her belongings, it been a truly enjoyable evening for Lucy. Not only had the women talked and laughed, the extra pair of hands lightened the load considerably.

Now that her mind was no longer occupied with getting everything ready to go, though, Lucy was suddenly struck by the enormity of her impulsive decision made just hours before. Her throat tightened with emotion, her earlier enthusiasm faltering just a little. By this time tomorrow night, she would be halfway across Texas, hopefully close to arriving in Brady-her new home for the next year (at least). In just a matter of hours, she would be leaving Belton and saying goodbye to all that was safe and familiar to undertake the adventure of a lifetime. Would her impulsive decision turn out to be the right one?

She fervently prayed it was. Now all that remained was a good night's sleep. With a weary sigh, Lucy slowly undressed and put on her nightgown. Taking down her hair, she brushed the dark, waist-length curls thoroughly before fixing them in a loose braid and tossing it over her shoulder. Sliding under the warm, thick covers, she leaned over and turned the glass oil lamp beside the bed all the way down.

Staring up at the ceiling, Lucy inhaled deeply and tried to calm her busy thoughts–not easy to do when her emotions seemed to swing back and forth between excitement, worry, and hope. Goodness. The journey tomorrow would be long and arduous, and she really needed to be well rested. Eventually, the day's activities, combined with the comforting sound of the wind whistling around the cracks of the window, gradually began lulling her to sleep. Lucy's last thought before drifting off was that she hoped her Papa would be proud of his daughter...

A/N: And that, my friends, is 1881 Lucy Preston: a San Francisco heiress and brand-new teacher who has just made the most important decision of her young life. Hope you enjoyed this introductory chapter! Next up is her arrival in Brady...wonder who might be tasked by his Gran to meet the new school teacher's stage? Any guesses? :p I'm having so much fun doing research for this story, especially Lucy's wardrobe. My appreciation as always to those of you who continue to read Timeless stories :))