Chapter 19: Bath time!

When Candy asked if she needed anything else, she was tempted to say, "Yes, a nice tile walk-in shower with one of those pulsating shower heads," but restrained herself with a more appropriate, "No, I don’t think so, but thank you "

She removed her nightcap, and auburn locks fell nearly to her waist. Suddenly she realized that since she had awakened here, she had never picked up a mirror or seen her body. She grabbed a lock of her hair and pulled it in front of her eyes. It was the same color as before but longer and thicker. Pulling the night gown over head she let it drop to the floor as she explored her new body. Much like her hair, it seemed similar to the old one, but with a few changes that were definite upgrades.

She was shorter now, probably about 5’3 or 5’4. She’d arrived at that number when she noticed Candy was 3 to 4 inches taller than her when she helped her to the bath. Considering the actress who played Candy on television was 5 '6 and Maggie was barefoot, it didn’t take a math major to determine her new height. The loss of inches pleased her to no end as did the rest of the changes.

Hands and feet were now height and gender appropriate. Her hips had widened and her waist had narrowed, although the outline of a few ribs showed the result of a two week water only diet. Her breasts were modest and about the same size as before. While there were no push up bras in the 1860’s, the whale bone jaws of death known better as a corset could make any woman's cups runneth over. The change that pleased her to no end was going from a girl who had no end, to a girl with some junk in the trunk, and that was a happy ending indeed.

Finally she removed her panties, and what she didn’t see pleased her most of all. There were no scars in her pelvic region to remind her of her gender reassignment surgery. She had surmised earlier that she was the genuine article right down to the last xx chromosome. This just confirmed it.

She stood there for a moment in awe of all she had been given until a hand pushed through an opening between quilts. "Here Mags. Try this lotion when you dry off, it will make your skin so ... smooth."

She immediately recognized Emily's voice and thanked her as she took the bottle from her. Realizing the water wasn't getting any warmer, she eased into the tub, and started taking care of matters at hand. Her thoughts were shifting from the present to the future ... primarily her walk with handsome young Joshua Bolt.

During the show's two year run Joshua dated but never married, although in the first season episode titled, "Mr and Mrs J. Bolt", he nearly did in order to keep a girl's uncle from taking her back to New Bedford. Maggie's knowledge of plot lines though were no longer much help. The life and the world she was now in had long left the storyline that Nash and Marcus created. Maggie’s presence here and the crossover from Doctor Quinn was proof that she had no more idea of what to expect when she arrived in Seattle than any of the other 99 brides

Feeling cleaner and smelling sweeter, she wrapped a towel around herself. Immediately, she noticed another attribute of 19th century living: Mr. Downey and his fabric softener were a hundred years away from a store shelf. As she stepped through the quilts, she was introduced to even more aspects of being a young woman in the 1860’s.

Chapter 20: Final Preparations

Candy had taken the liberty of raiding Maggie’s chest and selecting appropriate wear for an evening stroll above deck. A chemise, drawers,stockings and the dreaded whale bone corset with corset cover comprised the traditional undergarments of the era. Silently she thanked God she hadn’t arrived a few years earlier, as she was not a fan of petticoats and hoop skirts

Her outer garments were of the 1860s frontier style that she always loved. Candy had selected a long, flowing prairie skirt for her in a beautiful shade of light blue to compliment her eyes. The cream colored blouse was high necked with lace around the collar and cuffs. A blue bodice jacket matched the skirt and a pair of black Victorian lace up boots completed the ensemble. The style minus the corset was one Maggie had preferred in both worlds, only in this one she’d finally be in style. .

She started to dress herself, but quickly realized corsets were a two woman job. Fortunately, Biddie offered to lend a hand ... although it was more aptly a foot to the square of Maggie’s back, pulling the strings until her ribcage and whale bone became one. As she gasped for air, Maggie now knew first hand why women of this era so succumbed to fainting spells. Lack of oxygen and unconsciousness tend to go hand in hand.

Next came the skirt and blouse. The fever that ravaged her body for two weeks stole ten pounds, and the skirt was a bit loose. But, like her Revolutionary era counterpart, this Betsy came to the rescue, and did some fancy stitching to draw the waist in.

Once dressed, she was passed onto a team for hair and make up. Candy and Biddie had left her temporarily, as they had to focus on their own preparations.

The first thing she noticed about 1860’s make-up was that there wasn’t much or any for respectable girls of this era. A Mary Kay representative would never have made her commission among these women. "War paint" was almost the exclusive province of saloon girls and harlots. Maggie’s new make up bag consisted solely of beet juice which could be applied lightly to her cheeks and lips.

Her hair was curled by wrapping the damp strands around a finger and then pinned until they dried. In the front she would have long loose curls that framed her face while the back was arranged in a bun with hanging ringlets.

When she was finally led to the one full length mirror shared by a hundred women, she nearly fainted, and not from the death grip of her corset. It was the first time since arriving that she was face to face with her own reflection. The changes to facial structure mirrored those to the rest of her body. She could see a family resemblance with her former self, but the changes were all dramatic upgrades.

Her eyes were wider. Her lips fuller. Her nose was smaller and her face more rounded. Tears threatened as she grazed her fingers along the seamless section of her throat where once a scar from having her Adams apple shaved served as a permanent reminder that she would be a girl who had something extra.

Peggy, seeing the wistful look on her face, laid a hand on her shoulder. "What's wrong Maggie? Don’t you like the curls? I could change it if you want."

"No ... no ... no Peggy," Maggie returned to reality as it now was. "Please don’t change a thing. Thank you. I love it. I really do." Maggie’s gaze returned to her mirror image. "I ... I ... really look ..."

Her voice trailed off, but Candy came up with gloves in hand. "Beautiful is the word you're searching for," she smiled as Peggy and Biddie agreed.

Overcome by the joy of her appearance, and going from being an only child to having 99 sisters, nearly started the water works in earnest, but Candy quickly shut off the tap. "Here ... here now," she handed her a lace hankie. "Joshua and Jeremy will be here any minute and we want to look like we're happy to see them, but not toooo ... .happy," she added with a smile that coaxed one from Maggie.

Gloves and perfume were the final touches as the ladies considered themselves ready to entertain gentleman callers. Maggie tried to relax her mind so she could remember more about Joshua Bolt than she had learned as Kate watching 54 episodes.

As Maggie, she remembered the first time she had seen him. It was on the stage at the town hall that night in New Bedford when the Bolt brothers presented their offer of husbands and a new life in Seattle.

Truth be told, when she first read the handbill that Jason handed her, she was more interested in the new life in Seattle than the complimentary husband that came with it. She loved working on the newspaper with her father, but her passion was to write and see the world beyond New Bedford. College wasn’t really an option for women, outside of a few medical schools or religious seminaries. Seattle offered to feed the only passion she’d ever known until a second one stirred when she saw Joshua.

She wasn’t really aware of the fact she was staring at him, totally oblivious to Jason's sales pitch, until suddenly she realized he was doing the same thing himself with her. She looked away as her cheeks blushed crimson. She was tempted to save herself further embarrassment and forget the whole thing until she got caught in the wave of women, who swept her toward the stage to sign up for a one way ticket.

When it was her turn to sign, she kept her face lowered and looked for a pen. Suddenly, one appeared before her eyes. It was held in the hand of a smiling Joshua Bolt, who immediately introduced himself. For the first time in her life, Maggie was speechless. She quickly scribbled her name and turned to leave.

"Excuse me," Joshua glanced at the paper, "It’s nice to meet you, Miss Mary Margaret O’Malley."

She stopped and turned to see those blue eyes smiling at her. Her cheeks still flushed, she managed a smile of her own and a few words. "Maggie ... everyone calls me Maggie," and then she disappeared into the New Bedford night like Cinderella, but with no glass slipper left behind. The prince didn't need it to find her. She would be coming in two days with trunks and cat in hand to find him.