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Clutching her dress to her chest, Rowan wandered over to the nearest tub and stared down at the steaming water. “I…ran into some trouble and Garret and Edward saved me.”
Mrs. Tibbs let out a relieved breath. “Thank the Lord for that. Come, into the tub with you.”
Inch by inch, she sank into the water until she was submerged up to her neck in bliss.
At her loud, long sigh Mrs. Tibbs laughed as she sprinkled some type of floral smelling bathing oil into the water. “Like I said, the water is known for its curative powers.”
Now that her body and mind were finally at rest she asked, “How long have you known Garret and Edward?”
Mrs. Tibbs gave her a searching look before she casually said, “My husband served with them as their company’s doctor while they were in the British Army together in Lady Uriel’s court. That is why it did not come as a shock to us that you are engaged to both Garret and Edward.”
Sinking down further into the water, Rowan was fairly sure she was blushing from her head to her toes. “Yes, well…ummm…”
Mrs. Tibbs gave her a kind smile. “Dear child, don’t be embarrassed. Though the lifestyle is not for myself or my husband, two of our daughters married Bridgewater men.”
“Really?” Rowan accepted the soap that Mrs. Tibbs handed to her. “Are they happy?”
“Blissfully so.”
“And you don’t find it…odd?”
Mrs. Tibbs let out a sigh as she took a seat in a wicker chair near the door. “At first, yes, but I had the benefit of having seen firsthand in Lady Uriel’s court how their relationships work. Spending time with them opened my eyes to a whole new world. If I didn’t love my husband so much, I might have been tempted. As a mother, it does my heart good to know my girls have husbands who adore them. That there will always be someone there to care for them, and that they will always be loved and cherished by faithful, decent men.”
Rowan looked down at her hands beneath the water. After a moment, she decided to ask the one question that confused her most. “But doesn’t the Bible say it’s a sin?”
Mrs. Tibbs pursed her lips in a thoughtful look. “It depends on how you interpret it. Regardless of interpretation, my husband and I believe God didn’t put us on this Earth to judge.”
“That’s different than most people I’ve run across,” Rowan murmured, remembering the wrath and hellfire preachers who liked to shout on street corners in Chicago.
Mrs. Tibbs nodded. “It is. I won’t say that I don’t worry about what will happen if someone decides they have a problem with the people of Bridgewater and how they choose to live. Some may call it evil, or a sin, but I have seen real evil.” Mrs. Tibbs gave a shiver. “People in love, living good lives are not the ones we need to pray to God to protect us from.”
“I agree.” Rinsing out her hair, Rowan slowly stood from the bathtub, her body feeling so much better after the soak. “Oh my goodness, I forgot what it was like to be able to breathe without it hurting.”
Wrapping a fluffy towel around Rowan, Mrs. Tibbs led her over to a low stool and proceeded to try and brush out her hair. “If you don’t mind my asking, what did happen? Forgive me for saying so, but you look like you haven’t had a decent meal in months.”
Rowan didn’t know if it was a result of the relaxing bath, or the gentle way that Mrs. Tibbs brushed out her snarled hair, or just that she needed to tell someone because the story of her journey from Chicago to Butte came pouring out, but she left out the part about not really being engaged.
By the time she was done, she was wrapped up in a thick robe and crying on Mrs. Tibbs’ ample chest as the woman made soothing sounds that reminded Rowan of her own mother. “Oh, you poor little duckling. You have had such a bad run of luck. But I believe your fortune took a change for the better when you met Garret and Edward. You could not ask for two better men. I hate to say it, but I might have encouraged Nancy’s crush on them a little bit because they will make some lucky woman wonderful husbands. I’m glad that woman is you.”
Rowan pulled away, sniffing and wiping her face on the sleeve of the fluffy robe. “I’m sorry if she got hurt by my…engagement.”
“She’ll be fine. Besides, she wasn’t really in love
with them, but rather in love with the idea of being in love. It’s hard for her being the last unmarried girl at home, especially when she sees how happy her sisters are in Bridgewater.”
“You make it sound like a wonderful place,” Rowan said while Mrs. Tibbs gave her hair another pat with the towel.
“I have been all over the world, and I have to say that this part of God’s Earth has to be close to Eden. I grew up in London, and always imagined I’d return to the city after my husband’s duty to our country was over. But God has his own path in mind for you, for all of us. Do you really think it was a coincidence that Garret stopped at your shoe polishing stand that day? That he felt the urge to follow you to make sure you were safe? Sounds to me like you had a guardian angel looking out for you that night.”
Rowan didn’t know how to respond to the other woman’s words, her practical mind insisting Mrs. Tibbs was full of romantic nonsense, while her heart hoped it was true.
“But my brother… He’s coming back for me,” Rowan said, almost desperately. “I promised my father we’d both go west together. Start a new life, a better one.”
“And you have,” Mrs. Tibbs helped her out of the robe and helped her into her undergarments and a lovely soft teal blue dress with a touch of lace at the cuffs. “And you could not ask for a better life than being the wife of Garret and Edward. Let me tell you, more women than just my Nancy will be suffering from a broken heart tonight after word spreads around town.”
“Really? Did they have a lot of admirers?”
“Indeed. Managing to marry into the Bridgewater community is considered quite a prize by some women in the area. They see how happy the Bridgewater wives are and want that for themselves.” Mrs. Tibbs gave her a giggle and a wink. “Besides, Garret and Edward are rather easy on the eyes in addition to being successful ranchers. Many a woman has tried to capture their interest. I’m sure they’ll find an excuse to drop by the Inn this evening to see if the rumors are true.”
