by Maggie Ryan
"I didn't think you were," Gabe said, his grin relaxing her a bit.
"Are you all right? You look a little pale," Jewel said, coming around the desk to press a hand to her forehead.
"No, I'm fine," Rebekah said. "Just… just tired."
"Why don't you go lie down for a bit? Unless you'd like to eat first?"
"No, I'm not really hungry. A nap does sound good, though."
"That's settled then. You have a nice rest and we'll get your uniform sorted out this evening. I don't expect you to begin work until tomorrow after we get back from the bank. Oh, and you wished to visit the mercantile?"
"Yes, I need some more thread."
"That's fine. We'll take care of everything. Get some sleep and we'll see you at dinner."
Rebekah nodded, thanked them both and then returned to her room. Her head was hurting and though it throbbed, she knew it wasn't from knocking it against the table. It was from the stress of the guilt that was consuming her. Why hadn't she pulled the knife from her pocket last night when she'd jabbed her finger on its point? If she had, she could have easily explained how it had gotten into her pocket. Though Mr. March would have been angry, he'd really have no reason to charge her with theft. Now, however, it was far too late to simply return it. It took time to tug off her boots using just one hand and it seemed far too much of an effort to undress further. Crawling into her bed, she pulled the quilt up and turned onto her side. How could these people see her as an adult when she kept doing stupid, childish things instead of facing up to them. Wiping a tear from her cheek, she closed her eyes, imagining how Jeb would look if he ever discovered that she'd sat right there and flat out lied to Mr. Gabe and Madame Jewel.
***
Her plan to return the knife was thwarted by nature itself. When she woke, the room was very dark and she first thought she had slept far into the night. However, a sudden bright flash followed by the rumble of thunder told her that a storm was outside. If there was anything that frightened her more than the sight of blood, it was thunderstorms. Another boom seemed to shake the window and she gave a cry, grabbing her boots and stumbling out of the door only to smack into Mr. Gabe's chest.
"Whoa, there, little one. What's the hurry?"
"Nothing, I'm sorry, it's just…" her cry at another crash had him putting his arm around her and guiding her to one of the many benches in the hallway.
"Easy, honey. It's just a bit of thunder." At another long, continuous roll of sound, he chuckled. "Well, make that a lot of thunder. But, I promise it can't hurt you." Before she realized it, he'd taken her boots from her hand and was helping her into them, doing up the buttons as if he'd done so a thousand times.
"Thank you. It's just so loud."
"Yes, it certainly is tonight," Gabe agreed, standing again and offering her his hand. "I find storms less frightening when shared in a well-lit room. Let's go find the others, shall we?"
Grateful for his presence, she took his hand and began to calm as they entered the kitchen. Nettie was busy at the stove and Della was placing biscuits into a basket. Seeing that the table was unset, Rebekah said, "I can set the table."
"Thank you," Nettie said, turning from the pot. "Supper's almost ready. Della can show you where everything is."
Rebekah nodded and when the girl had covered the hot biscuits with a towel, she followed her to the pantry to find drawers of silverware and stacks of napkins. "Thanks, Del… I mean, Citrine," Rebekah said, taking as much silverware in her good hand that she could.
"You're welcome, Ruby," Della said, "but it's all right if we use our real names when customers aren't around."
"Oh, I didn't know that. I never heard anyone call Opal, Amy or even Dottie anything else. Wait, I understand Opal and Citrine, but what kind of gems are Amy and Dottie?"
Della giggled as she followed Ruby back out to the table. "Amy is amethyst and Dottie is peridot."
"Ah, that makes sense. It's kinda fun having a gemstone name. Sort of like a secret identity."
"It is," Della said, quietly. "Can you finish up here? I need to help Miss Nettie."
"Sure," Rebekah said, wondering if she'd said something wrong. She made several trips to the pantry but had finished setting the table when the others began to drift in.
"Quite a night," Jewel said as a flash of lightning lit up the sky outside the windows.
"Yup, it's a good thing we're closed on Sundays," Gabe agreed, pulling out a chair for her. "It would take a very determined man to brave the weather to get here tonight."
"Or a very dirty one," Opal quipped. At Amy's giggle, Opal slapped her arm. "I mean really dirty. Can you imagine the mud they'd bring in? I'm not having a muddy man in my room."
"Nope, just dirty minded ones," Amy teased, ducking out of the way as Opal made another swipe. "Tell her to stop hitting me, Jewel," Amy said, moving around the table to take a seat.
"Stop teasing her then," Jewel said, shaking her head. "You two have been incorrigible since the day I met you."
"I'm in charge of the swatting around here," Gabe said, causing every woman there to roll their eyes, except for Rebekah who was all too familiar with his swats.
"Well, you and Miss Nettie," Opal said, laughing as the cook in question came to the table waving her wooden spoon.
"Don't you forget it, missy," Nettie said. "And don't forget we've got a new member of our family who isn't accustomed to that sort of talk."
"I don’t mind, Miss Nettie," Rebekah assured her as she slid into her chair. "I worked in the laundry. Believe me, I know exactly how dirty men can be." She looked a bit confused as the group snorted, but then brushed off their rather strange reaction thinking her joke must have been a pretty decent one.
After she'd helped clean up after the meal, she went to find Jewel. The two ducked into the storage room and after a half-hour, Rebekah had her new clothing. She was amazed to be given a gray skirt and blouse as well as a white apron to wear in the mornings when she was working. She'd been thrilled to receive a black skirt that only reached the middle of her calves and a corset that she'd wear if she was on duty during the evenings. Of course, her greatest treasure was the thick pink petticoat that lifted the skirt and swished around her legs. New black boots and stockings completed her official uniform.
Jewel handed her a pink lacy shawl. "You can wear this as well. The nights are getting chillier and I have no desire to find all my staff sniffling through the winter."
"Thank you, I don't know what to say," Rebekah said, her arms full of the clothing.
"You don't have to say anything," Jewel said, shutting the lid to a trunk and picking up the lantern. "I want you to be happy here."
"Oh, I am," Rebekah said as they walked towards her room.
"Good, then you won't give Miss Nettie any fuss?"
"Miss Nettie? No, why?"
"Because I believe she's ready to change your bandage and to take your temperature," Jewel said, nodding at her friend who was standing outside Ruby's door, a bowl of water in her hands and a washcloth draped across her arm.
Rebekah hesitated, her face heating but slowly nodded. "No, I won't make a fuss, Miss Jewel."
"Good girl. I've got some paperwork to do so I'll say goodnight. I want you to go to sleep after Miss Nettie tends to you."
"Yes, ma'am," Rebekah said and stepped inside her room after Jewel opened the door. She carefully placed her new clothing onto the desk and turned to face Nettie.
"Oh, don't look so sad, child," Nettie said, placing her bowl on the bedside table. "I ain't gonna hurt you none and believe me, your little backside ain't anything different from the dozens I've seen before. Paler maybe, but nothing new. Now, let's get you out of that dress."
Despite the fact that it was just as stomach churning to have her hand examined, washed, doctored with a fresh poultice and rewrapped, Rebekah tried to ignore her discomfort.
"Were you a nurse, Miss Nettie?"
"Heavens no, child. I just learned how to do a bit of doctor
ing. Black folks don't have the money to go to no real doctor. I learned at my mother's knee."
"Is that where you learned about herbs and stuff? Whatever you put on my hand really helped with the throbbing."
"Yes, nature provides a great deal of medicine if you are willin' to learn." Nettie's lesson on the benefits of various plants kept her mind off what was next. Turning onto her tummy and pulling her own drawers down and lifting her nightgown to her waist was done as Nettie began to hum as she shook down the thermometer and kept humming as it was gently inserted and held deep in her patient's small backside. It was still embarrassing but soon over and Rebekah managed a smile as she was tucked in after rearranging her clothing.
"Good night, little Miss Ruby," Nettie said, bending to kiss her cheek. "Sweet dreams, child."
"Good night, Miss Nettie." The storm continued though the thunder came less often, the lightning fading as Rebekah turned away from the window. Tomorrow—she'd take care of everything tomorrow because only once it was done would she feel like she belonged as part of this household.
Chapter Five
The next day brought more rain. Rebekah's plea to run out to the mercantile was instantly squashed. "Don't be silly, thread is not so important that it's worth catching your death. I don't want to have to tell Dr. Norwood or Sheriff Justice that I didn't do my duty and keep you safe." Rebekah couldn't exactly argue with her employer, especially when she was given several additional items to mend where white thread would do.
When she heard Mr. Gabe calling out a welcome to the sheriff, she was up and out of her chair, ducking into her room. She was so full of guilt she feared she'd be unable to spar with Jeb without raising his suspicion. When someone knocked on her door, she was already in bed, pretending to be asleep, holding her breath at the sound of the door opening and not releasing it until it closed again.
She wanted to stay in bed, hiding from the world but when another knock came hours later, she knew she couldn't unless she wanted to be examined by the doctor.
"Come in," she called, slipping out of bed.
"Are you feeling all right?" Jewel asked. "Is your head hurting?"
"No, ma'am, I was just tired. I'm ready to get to work."
"Only if you feel up to it, but I'm sure Miss Nettie would appreciate your help. Seems that the rain doesn't affect the stomachs of the people of Culpepper Cove."
"It's just that no one cooks as good as Miss Nettie," Rebekah said. "Um, can you help me dress?"
Jewel did so and Rebekah felt a tiny bit better once she was dressed in her new uniform. The fact that the petticoat was pink and not red no longer bothered her. She felt like the grown woman she'd soon be though the tight corset showed quite a bit more than she'd expected.
"You look beautiful," Jewel said, giving her more confidence. The only thing marring her appearance was the thick bandage on her hand.
"Don't overdo it," Jewel said as she brushed out her hair, allowing it to flow freely down her back. "Carry only one thing at a time. As pretty as you are, no one is going to mind you having to take more than one trip to bring their meal."
Rebekah flushed, unused to hearing any sort of compliment. "I'll be careful," she promised. The two stepped from the room and Jewel gave her a smile and went towards the main rooms of her saloon. Compliments continued as Rebekah moved between the kitchen and the dining room. She didn't know how to respond and decided to simply nod and smile. That was until she squealed and whirled around when someone pushed a hand up her skirt and gave her thigh a pinch.
"Stop that!" she said, slapping at the man's hand.
"Ah come on, honey, you can't blame me. You're such a pretty little thing and I'm hungry."
"Then I suggest you concentrate on the food on your plate!"
"How can a man concentrate when you are around? I'm thinking I might just go straight for dessert."
"You want dessert now?" Rebekah didn't understand why her question was accompanied by his smirk or the laughter of his dining companions.
"How nice of you to offer," he said. "You look quite appetizing. I'm sure you are very tasty." He reached for her again but she deftly stepped away, suddenly understanding he wasn't talking about food. Flushing hotly, she was about to speak when another voice cut through the air.
"Are you colorblind?"
"What?" The man looked up to see a very large man looming over him.
"Her petticoat—what color is it?"
"Color?" His eyes moved to the hem of Rebekah's skirts. "It's a nice pink, exactly like her pretty little cheeks. Why?"
"And what's the name of this place?"
"What's with the questions?"
Rebekah watched as Mr. Gabe planted his hands on the table where the man and his friends were eating. "Answer the question."
"Hell, you know we're in The Red Petticoat. Why are you asking me?
"Because, you have about as much brains as those mashed potatoes. The clue here is 'red'. Only those ladies wearing red petticoats are available for intimate entertainment. Of course, they must also be willing and I assure you, Jewel's gems do not appreciate clumsy attempts at humor. Now, you'll apologize to Ruby here and remember your manners, or I'll be glad to escort you from the premises."
Rebekah watched as the man seemed to hesitate but then grinned and shook his head. "Sure. Sorry, Miss Ruby. I didn't mean to offend you."
"Um, that's all right," she said, not liking the attention the little scene had caused. "I'll go get your coffee."
She was grateful to see Mr. Gabe clap the man on his shoulder, the situation defused but wasn't happy to see that Jeb was sitting at a nearby table. God, had he just come in or had he witnessed the entire conversation? Ignoring his crooked finger beckoning her over, she hurried into the kitchen.
"You look like you are about to collapse," Nettie said, shaking her head. "You've worked hard enough, child. I can ask one of the other girls to finish the dinner service. Why don't you go lie down?"
As good as that sounded, Rebekah couldn't allow another to do her share of the work. "No, I'm fine. There was a man that um, got a little out of control."
"Do I need to take my spoon to him?" Nettie asked and Rebekah smiled as she imagined the scene.
"I'd love to see that, but Mr. Gabe took care of it. Oh, I need three coffees."
Nettie looked at her a moment longer and then nodded her head. "Carry one at a time even if it means more work and if that man bothers you again, you come get me even if Mr. Gabe is around."
"I will, Miss Nettie," Rebekah promised, taking the cup and saucer from the cook. She kept her eyes forward as she walked across the room and carefully placed the cup on the table, spinning around before anyone could speak. Hearing her name being called, she tossed back that she was busy and would be over in a minute, not wishing to hear a lecture from the sheriff. If he didn't like her new life, he could stop coming around all the time.
By the time she'd made the final trip with the coffee, the men were almost through eating and she could practically feel Jeb's glare between her shoulder blades. Tossing her hair, she gave the three men a big smile.
"I'm sorry it took me a while. Thank you for being so patient."
"No harm done," the man who'd propositioned her said. "I'm surprised you didn't accidently dump mine in my lap."
"Oh, I wouldn't do that," she said, her eyes lifting to see his smile.
"No, I don't think you would," he said, pulling a coin from his pocket. "Thanks for the great service and again, I apologize. I didn't mean to embarrass you, Miss Ruby."
"No, no, it was just a little misunderstanding. Let me get your change."
"No, darlin', this is for you."
"For me?"
"Yes, now how about dessert? I hear there's chocolate cake."
"Oh, there is and it is delicious. I'll bring you a big piece." She was smiling as she turned away, only to see that Jeb was once again staring at her. Shaking her head, she held up the coin and slowly moved her hand to tuck it into
the bodice of her corset. As his eyes narrowed, she tossed her hair and batted her eyes thinking it was kinda fun flirting. However, when he lifted his hand and clapped it down on his thigh, the sharp sound was accompanied by her soft yelp. At his chuckle, she blushed and scurried into the kitchen.
"What's the matter? That man trying to chase you?" Nettie asked.
"No," Rebekah said, "he was a perfect gentleman and they'd like slices of cake. He gave me a tip, too."
"Well, you don't seem too happy about it," Nettie said, cutting a large slice off the three-layer cake and placing it on a plate.
"It's the sheriff. He keeps staring at me."
Nettie laughed and handed her the plate. "Have you looked in a mirror?"
"A mirror?"
"Laws, child, you truly don't know what a pretty little thing you are, do you? These men don't just come to fill their bellies, they come to see you ladies. I'm sure that every man in the dining room is staring at you. Just smile and be polite and let me know if anyone causes you trouble."
Rebekah wondered if that included Jeb. Deciding it probably didn't, she nodded and after serving another two pieces of cake, finally sighed. She was out of excuses and other tables. Though she couldn't believe it, Jeb was still sitting at his table, apparently unconcerned that it was taking so long to get any service.
"What can I get for you, Sheriff?" she asked.
"I'd like a serving of a certain cheeky little gal," he said, giving her a grin that had her heart jumping. She was about to forgive him his earlier scowl and implied threat when he continued. "You can place my serving face down over my knees so I can deliver a lesson to her southern cheeks."
So much for forgiveness but two could play the game. "I'm afraid we're not serving cheeks this evening," she said. "But, you can have the meatloaf or the stew. Personally, I'd pick the meatloaf as it comes with mashed potatoes and green beans."
