Prequel to "The Minister's Black Veil"

Prequel

 
It was a cold and gloomy day when Mr. Hooper and Catherine first met.
The first freeze of the season had arrived with a vengeance, blanketing everything in a thin sheet of frost. Smoke billowed from the chimney stack of the sexton's house as a fire burned inside. Dark and dreary clouds lingered overhead as fog rolled in from the nearby river. Outside, the wind blew in burst, swaying the trees. Hints of lavender and rain filled the air, disguising the smell of the nearby stables.
Mr. Hooper sat opposite of the sexton, the wooden chair creaking with every slight movement. They had just finished their morning meeting, when a carriage pulled up in front of the home. The horses skidded to a stop in the manicured grass as Mr. Hooper rose from his seat next to the window and peered outside. The half-drunken cup of coffee in his hand sloshed with the movement. His warm breath fogged up the glass before he could see who had arrived.
"I did not know you were expecting company," Mr. Hooper remarked, turning to the sexton.
"Ah, yes! Catherine is the daughter of an old friend. She will be staying here as she settles into life in Milford" he explained. "Life in Boston was too exciting for her, I suppose."
"It will be quite an adjustment for her."
Mr. Hooper glanced again out the window before setting down his cup and reaching to put on his overcoat. He fastened the buttons quickly, a skill he had acquired as a young boy.
"I appreciate you taking the time to meet with me on this miserable morning. However, I am afraid I must be going now. My darling Elizabeth is expecting me soon. We are to work on wedding arrangements this afternoon. She insists on a summer ceremony, but I believe autumn would be more suiting."
"I find it best to always comply with the misses," the sexton chuckled. "It has saved me a lot of heartache."
"Your advice is appreciated."
Shaking hands with his colleague, Mr. Hooper then stepped outside. As he closed the door behind him, a flash of deep crimson shimmered in his periphery, catching his attention. Catherine now stood in the damp grass, struggling to remove her trunk from the back of the carriage as the frigid wind blew around her neatly kept hair. Her red dress stood out among the muddled tones of the earth, the puff sleeves indicating the elegance of the clothing.
"Let me get that for you, madame," called out Mr. Hooper.
Catherine turned to look for the source of the voice when her eyes caught his. Time seemed to slow as they gazed at each other from across the frosty yard. Her emerald eyes and wavy blonde hair enticed him, luring him in without his consent. As he made his way towards her, all previous thoughts of Elizabeth vanished from his mind. He had to make a conscious effort to slow his heartbeat that had grown erratic in his chest.
"Thank you very much, kind sir" Catherine stated as Mr. Hooper lifted her truck out of the carriage before delicately placing it on the ground. "I do not believe we have met."
Her voice sounded as soft as her hair looked. It was like an angel had stepped out of Heaven to greet Mr. Hooper.
"Indeed, we have not," he replied, turning his attention back to the woman before him. "I am Reverend Hooper. I preach at the meeting-house here in town."
"Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Reverend Hooper. My name is Catherine. I will be staying here with the sexton and his wife for a short while. They have been so kind to offer me a room for rent in their home."
"Yes, he told me during our meeting this morning that the daughter of an old friend was coming to stay with him. I never imagined someone as charming as you."
Catherine's cheeks flushed, partly from the cold, but mostly because of the handsome man standing in front of her.
"So forward, Reverend."
​"I would be remiss to let such a beautiful woman go without a complement."
​He takes her hand, placing a quick kiss to the back of it, before taking a step back to put a little distance between them. Anyone could have been watching their interaction, and a scandal was the last thing he needed on his plate right now.
​Rain began to fall, droplets crashing fast to the ground in every direction. The hair that had escaped Catherine's updo began to stick to her face. The door to the sexton's house opened once more, revealing the lady of the house.
​"Catherine, how lovely to see you again. Come on inside before you catch a cold," exclaimed the sexton's wife.
"I must be going now," Mr. Hooper stated, glancing down at his watch. "However, I hope to see you tomorrow as we gather at the meeting-house."
​Catherine watched his retreating figure as she picked up the edge of her trunk. Dragging her belongings over to the porch of the house, she couldn't help but wonder if the Reverend was an eligible bachelor