Newton (Prairie Grooms Book 9) Read Online Free Page B

brought, held it up before Arya, pointed at the tub, then pretended to scrub herself. Arya smiled and nodded. “Well, I can’t be any clearer than that,” Eloise said, setting the soap on a table near the tub.
    “Why don’t we leave and let her do the rest?” Mrs. Upton suggested. “With any luck, she won’t make a mess.”
    “Oh, give the woman some credit,” Grandma scolded. “For Heaven’s sake, she’s not an idiot. If she was, Newton would never have married her.”
    “Maybe he didn’t have a choice,” Eloise ventured.
    Grandma’s eyes went wide as platters. “Are you suggesting he had to marry her?”
    “Not necessarily, but … well, who knows what went on while he was with the Indians? For all we know, he drank from the wrong cup at dinner and that was considered a proposal.”
    Grandma thought a moment. “You could be right. It is kind of strange him coming back to town with a wife in tow. But let’s not stand here flapping our gums about it – let the poor girl bathe.” She motioned Arya toward the tub, then headed for the door. Eloise and Mrs. Upton followed and the three of them left the room.
----
    S o , they wanted her to bathe? Reasonable enough. Arya let her fingers skim over the warm surface of the metal tub with one hand. She then picked up the light colored object Elo-eez had left on the table with the other. She sniffed at it. It had a pleasant smell.
    She had no idea when they would be back so she’d best hurry. She stripped off her buckskins and cautiously got into the tub. Ohhhh, it felt wonderful – so much nicer than bathing in a cold stream or pond! She gasped in delight as she sat, submerging herself. What a fine gift! she thought.
    She remembered the object she held - now that it was wet, it was slippery and almost escaped her hand. It had a flowery scent and left a slight coating on her skin. She rubbed it between her hands to see what it would do and smiled at the bubbles it made. She also noticed its scent had transferred to her skin. So that’s what this is for , she thought. It makes you smell nice. Nu-tan would like that.
    With a smile she began to rub it all over, enjoying the silky feel, and soon had a tub full of bubbles. She poked at them and laughed when they burst. There had to be a word in Nu-tan’s language for what she was doing, and she was anxious to learn it. This certainly was better than using a clump of dry moss or a rock to scrub herself with.
    Speaking of scrubbing, she wondered what the flowery smelling bubbles would do to her hair. There was only one way to find out. She held her breath and dunked her head under the water for a second, then started to scrub her hair with the funny little object. That done, she submerged again, hoping to rinse the bubbles out. It took a few good dunks, but she was pleased with the way her hair felt afterward.
    She was wondering what to do next when someone knocked on the door. The oldest of the three women opened it, talking as she entered with a small blanket in her hand. She shook it out, then rubbed it over her arms and body as if drying herself. Arya got the hint and smiled. What luxuries! She could get used to this.
    The woman went to the chair where Arya had left the dress they’d given her. She pointed to the small blanket, made the rubbing motions again, then pointed to the dress.
    She smiled in understanding and gave her a single nod. Wipe off, put on the dress. All clear. The woman looked relieved and left the room.
    Arya sighed in resignation – apparently it was time to get out. She didn’t want to and wondered if they’d think it rude if she stayed. But she was curious about the new clothes and what she’d look like in them. It wouldn’t hurt to try them on. And there was plenty of food in this place, so she wouldn’t have to hunt any time soon …
    She stared at the pretty dress and smiled. Nu-tan obviously wanted her to wear it. If she did, maybe he’d kiss her. She liked it a lot when he