"Eugenia," the woman drawled. "That's pretty enough."
"What might your name be?" Eugenia blurted.
"Madam Valerie," the woman said, smiling back at Eugenia. "Did you say you are in need of food, Eugenia?"
"Oh, yes, ma'am," Eugenia gulped.
"I think I can help you out there," Madam Valerie said, walking away from her. "Come. Follow me," she added.
Eugenia's eyes grew wider the farther she made her way into this house. The walls were papered in bright red rose designs, and the steps leading up to the second floor were covered with plush red carpeting. Everywhere she looked she saw red. It was all too breathtaking. She followed Madam Valerie on up the stairs, wondering where the steps would lead her. When they reached the top, Eugenia watched as Madam Valerie opened a door.
"This room is vacant for now," Madam Valerie said. "It's yours to freshen up in if you like. Then I'll have a tray of food sent up."
Eugenia entered the room, her eyes gazing at the further wonder around her. It was the most eyecatching bedroom that she had ever seen. In the room stood a huge bed with a brass headboard, a bureau, and table of rosewood beside the bed. And a thick, piled red carpet, somewhat worn, stretched out beneath her feet.
"At the end of the hall, you'll find a bath. Please feel free to take a bath. I'm sure you'll look much more presentable after getting the dust off your face and body."
"This is all too kind of you, ma'am," Eugenia sighed. She went to the bed and pressed down on it, feeling the softness of it, remembering her own makeshift bed back at her Papa and Mama's house.
"And here," Madam Valerie said, moving behind her. "Here's a dress you might want to slip into. There are a lot of beautiful girls here in my home. It might take some doing to make you as presentable. But this dress might help."
Eugenia's eyes discovered a green satin dress draped across Madam Valerie's arms. She felt her heart begin to pound harder, remembering her dreams of wearing such a dress. And now? So soon? Just as she entered this town? It didn't seem possible. "For me?" she sighed, touching the coolness of it against her fingertips.
"I hope once we get your middle trimmed down, and the red from the face, we can depend on you to pull in many customers."
A shadow erased the smile from Eugenia's face. "Customers? What do you mean?" she asked, in a near whisper.
Madam Valerie laughed loudly, walking toward the door. "You'll see, darling. You'll see." Then she turned back in the direction of Eugenia. "Now you be quiet taking your bath. Most of my girls are still sleeping. They don't start their day until afternoon."
"Your girls? You have children?"
"Yes, I have seven… children," Madam Valerie said, laughing even louder. "Now get on with you. Relax in the bath, then when you get out, you'll find food waiting for you here in this room."
"Yes, ma'am. This is all too kind of you."
Eugenia was glad to be left alone. There was something about Madam Valerie that bothered her. Eugenia was wondering if she was being foolish to trust Madam Valerie. But she did appear to be a lady. Surely Eugenia could trust her. Maybe Madam Valerie could even teach Eugenia how to become a lady. After all, that was the main reason for having come to Cripple Creek.
Walking slowly around the room, Eugenia couldn't keep her fingers from touching the lavishness of it all. Then her eyes settled on a hassock by the bed, and its hand-embroidered cover. It reminded her of the many embroidered pictures that hung in her parents' home, making her grow homesick. But she couldn't allow herself to begin to feel the loss of home. She had to make it on her own. And this day was the beginning of the rest of her life. She had to make it a day that she would never forget. She had to make herself presentable now to be able to see the lady. She went and stood before the pier glass that was set into the door of the wardrobe, wondering if she could ever make herself presentable again. She was surely a sight to see. With trembling fingers, she began to remove the pins from her hair, letting the braids fall limply across her shoulders then twisting and turning them until they were strands of red laying around her face.
She searched inside her travel bag and pulled from it clean underwear, her hairbrush, and combs her Papa had made for her. She knew that this would be a perfect time to wear them, along with the beautiful dress that she had been given to wear. With all these things crowding her arms, she made her way down the long hallway, looking on each side of her at the many closed doors behind which Madam Valerie's children were sleeping. She had to wonder how old the children were and how this Madam Valerie could take care of so many. There had been no signs of a husband anywhere. But she scoffed to herself, thinking that he was surely out with all the rest of the men digging for the precious gold.
Upon entering the bathroom Eugenia's eyes widened once again. It was a beautiful small room—the first bathroom that she had ever seen, let alone been given the opportunity to use. The first thing that held her fascination was the toilet. An actual toilet! She had only seen outdoor privies up to this time. She saw a chain hanging from a porcelain bowl above the toilet. She slowly reached upward and pulled the chain down.
"For goodness' sake," she murmured as she watched water swirling around in the toilet bowl below her, then jumped back when a loud gurgling noise erupted from the depths of the toilet as the water level lowered and was sucked from inside the bowl.
Afraid that she had possibly damaged the toilet by pulling this mysterious chain, Eugenia sighed with relief when she saw water beginning to rise in the toilet bowl once again. She rushed away from the toilet and went to the wash basin. She ran her fingers slowly around the inside of it, marveling at its smoothness. It was made of granite, with solid gold handles. She put a finger to one of these handles and slowly turned it, watching the water pour freely from it. No pumping it, like she had to do at the sink in the kitchen in her parents' home. She turned the other handle and was amazed when hot water began to run across the palm of her hands, almost burning them. "My, oh, my," she sighed, knowing that the large tub stretched out beside her most surely had such hot water also. How nice it would be to not have to heat the water in a teakettle before bathing, as she had always done while living at home.
Hurriedly, she began to remove her clothes, until she stood nude beside the tub, watching it fill with water. Gingerly, she placed first a toe inside it, then stepped carefully into it, closing her eyes, sighing deeply. It was heavenly. Then as she sat herself down, her eyes found a large bottle sitting on the edge of the tub. She picked it up and unscrewed the lid from it and inhaled deeply of a fragrance similar to the air that she had left behind at her parents' homestead. It was so fresh and sweet, just inviting her to pour some into the water. As she did so, she watched its rich oils swirl around her legs and breasts, making them glisten. Then she took up a bar of pink soap fancier than any soap that her Mama had ever made. Yes, it was nothing like the homemade soap that she had always been used to. This soap was in the shape of a nude woman, and its fragrance crept up into her nose, making her breathe more deeply. When she began to run this soap over her body, she felt as though she was surely dreaming. Nothing on earth could feel so good. And the aromas of the soap and the bath oil were clinging to her, surrounding her in the continued aroma of country wild flowers. She could feel her aching muscles and bones relaxing one by one.
A sudden noise behind Eugenia made her turn with a start. The door opened, revealing a girl who looked to be Eugenia's own age, but painted heavily on the face just like the girls that she had seen earlier. This girl didn't seem to mind that Eugenia was sitting in the tub. She just came on into the room, attired in only a thin strip of black silk clinging in folds across her well-shaped body.
The girl yawned and stretched her arms above her head revealing the sharp peaks of her breasts more prominently as they pushed against the black silk.
"So you're a new girl, huh?" the girl asked, raising her attire, plopping down on the toilet seat.
Eugenia was startled by this stranger's boldness. Then her mind absorbed what the girl had just said. New girl? She didn't know what this girl was talking about. She dipped her body beneath the suds, knowing the girl was eyeing her nude body much too closely. "I've only stopped by for a bite to eat," she said. "And Madam Valerie was nice enough to let me have a bath. And she even loaned me one of her dresses."
The girl's laugh echoed through the room, as she threw her head back, making her red curls bob up and down on her shoulders. "I see," she said, getting more control of herself, but continuing to smile. And Eugenia could see that it wasn't a pleasant smile, but a mocking one. She just couldn't understand why.