Much Ado About Madams Read Free

stomach chose that moment to emit a positively unladylike growl.
    “ Come down to dinner after your bath. The door at the end of the hallway takes you outside. Just go downstairs to the kitchen door—er, that is, if you don’t wanna be seen around the whores.”
    Lucinda winced at the word, whores . “That brings up another problem.” She cleared her throat, resolving to speak with the authority she’d learned at the suffragist meetings. “It’s highly unsuitable and definitely improper for me to stay here.”
    “ Prob’ly so, miss, but there ain’t nowhere else, lest you wanna sleep in the saloon. I wouldn’t recommend it, though. At least we have men to protect us here.” Fannie cocked her head and studied Lucinda’s face. “I swear I seen you somewheres before.” She left, shaking her head.
    “ It’s highly unlikely,” Lucinda replied to the departing woman. But it wasn’t unlikely at all. Soiled doves from all over knew each other, and she knew that her resemblance to her mother was striking.
    She flopped onto the bed, weary to the bone and covered with dust and grime. Between the grueling travel and the unforeseen circumstances of her employment, she didn’t think she could cope. Lucinda was certain the suffragists had never dreamed of anything like this when they’d crowed about the strength of women. Miss Hattie would be mortified. I am strong, she affirmed, and hauled herself off the bed to unpack things she would need for an overnight stay.
    Just as she shook the wrinkles out of a clean dress and hung it on the wall, someone tapped on the door.
    “ Your bath’s ready, Miss.”
    Lucinda nearly ran to open the door. She hadn’t been clean in two very long weeks. Besides, there was nothing like a hot bath to improve one’s disposition and decision-making abilities.
    A tall, burly man with a mop of blond hair carried a tub into her room, and another man, who looked exactly like the first, hauled two large buckets of steaming water. Lucinda shook her head, thinking she saw double.
    The first man plunked the tub in the middle of the floor. “Howdy, ma’am.” He straightened to his full height, nearly to the ceiling. “I’m Midas,” he pointed to his twin, “and this here’s Titus.”
    “ You’re always getting’ it wrong. I’m Midas and you’re Titus.” Titus poured the two buckets of water into the tub. Lucinda had never seen twins before. She couldn’t tell them apart. Both stood there twirling their blond handlebar mustaches.
    “ I’m the good-looking one.”
    His brother elbowed him. “I got the brains in the family.”
    Lucinda looked from one to the other. For the first time since she’d arrived in this horrid town, she laughed.
    “ Let’s get out of here so’s the lady can get her bath.” By then, Lucinda had no idea which was which. She watched them clomp out of her room.
    “ Thanks, fellows!” Her spirits lifted just looking at the bath water.
    Fingers flying over dress buttons, hooks and ties, she could barely hold her patience to sit in the tub. Just as she touched her toe to the water, another knock sounded.
    “ Let me in, Miss Sharpe. I have rinse water fer your hair.” She recognized Fannie’s voice.
    With a sigh, Lucinda put on her wrap and opened the door. Fannie charged in lugging another bucket.
    “ You shouldn’t be carrying that!”
    “ You want your hair washed, or not?” Fannie plunked the bucket on the floor and a little bit of water sloshed onto the plank floor. “Shuck down and sit in the tub. I’m going to give you a good head scrubbing.”
    Lucinda hadn’t been naked in front of another person since she was a little girl, nor did she intend to take off her wrapper now. “I’m perfectly capable of bathing myself.”
    Her definitive statement fell on deaf ears. Fannie pushed up her sleeves and pulled out a bar of soap and a sachet from her pocket. She poured rose petals in the bath water. “In you go.”
    Lucinda turned away, took off