CHAPTER 2 - TRAIN – DAY ONE
"Next!" the Buxton ticket master called to the line of travelers.
Elizabeth and Jack approached the ticket window together. "Good day," Elizabeth greeted. "I would like a ticket on the 4 o'clock train traveling to Hamilton. I'll need a cabin with a separate sleeping compartment."
"And for you, young man?" the ticket master inquired.
"Just a seat in the open coach for me," Jack responded.
"Hmm," the ticket master pondered as he flipped the pages of a large ledger in front of him. "I can get you to Manitoba, but that train is sold out as far as Hamilton." By way of inquiry, the older man looked down his nose over small reading spectacles questioning how Jack would like to proceed.
As Jack was considering his alternatives, Elizabeth asked "In my cabin, don't the seats convert to a bed? In addition to the separate sleeping compartment, I mean."
Surprised, the eyes of both men darted to her then to each other then back to her again.
"Jack," Elizabeth whispered. "I don't want to sit and stare out the window by myself for three days. We can share the passenger cabin during the day. And my sleeping compartment is perfectly private; the door even has a lock."
Jack stared into her pleading eyes and capitulated. "Very well, then." Turning to the ticker master, Jack continued. "I'll be riding with Miss Thatcher."
"All aboard!" the conductor shouted.
Jack wasn't sure what to expect of their cabin, but he certainly did not imagine the luxury of a private lavatory. The cabin door slid open onto the center of the room. Directly ahead was a window flanked by a pair of large, well-upholstered bench-seats. On his left was the small washroom outfitted with a white porcelain wash basin and commode. This was followed by a doorway to what would be Elizabeth's sleeping compartment. To his right was a storage area, more than spacious enough to hold their luggage. Stowing the suitcases, Jack carried Elizabeth's overnight bag to her private chamber. The room boasted a full size iron bed with a thick mattress. There were more pillows than any one person could use and a sumptuous feather ticking to keep her warm on a cold night.
Elizabeth immediately set about unpacking the essentials she'd need over the next three days. "I'm going to hang a few of my gowns. Do you want to wash-up first?" She gestured to the lavatory which had a second entrance from her bedroom.
"Are you sure?" Jack asked and watched as Elizabeth nodded her head in confirmation.
Raising her voice to be heard through the closed door, Elizabeth asked, "did the porter mention what time they serve dinner?"
Jack halted his ablution to hear Elizabeth's question. "No," he called back. "After I finish in here, I'll take a walk down to the dining car to ask." Assuming she had finished speaking to him, he turned on the faucet. As the sink filled with water, Jack heard the sound of Elizabeth's voice again. Turning off the tap, Jack cocked an ear toward the closed door between them. "Sorry, I didn't hear you," he said.
Elizabeth moved closer to the door, "I asked if you'd like to hang anything in my wardrobe."
"No, I'm fine," Jack replied. He listened an extra moment to be sure she finished speaking. Hearing nothing further, he ran the water again.
"Jack?" She called, then again, louder "Jack?"
With a roll of his eyes and a small laugh at her ridiculousness, Jack shut-off the tabs and opened the door. "Elizabeth," he said kindly. "Would you mind giving me a few minutes to finish-up in here? We can talk after I'm done."
"Oh! Of course." Elizabeth replied, reddening slightly as he closed the door. She knew the close quarters would highlight some of the differences in their habits. She just hadn't expected it to happen so soon into the trip. "Mental note," she said aloud to herself. "No talking through the washroom door."
"What was that?" Jack yelled over the water sluicing.
"Oh!" Elizabeth groaned to herself, then continued loudly "Nothing."
As promised, Jack walked down to the dining car to inquire about the daily meal times and returned to find the cabin in chaos. Elizabeth's suitcases were open, the contents strewn about the passenger cabin. He found her sitting on the floor on the bedroom rummaging through her overnight bag.
"Elizabeth?" Jack inquired, worriedly.
"Oh! Jack!" Startled, Elizabeth turned toward him. After a dejected sigh, she turned back to her mess shaking her head. "I can't find my book. I've looked everywhere. I cannot believe I forgot to pack it."
Looking around, Jack chuckled, "All this for a book?" Offering his hand, he assisted Elizabeth to her feet.
Rising, she whined "What am I going to do for three days on a train with nothing to read!"
"Tell me again. What is it called when I have all puppy-dog feet?" Elizabeth asked, peering at Jack over the fan of playing cards she held.
"Clubs?" Jack snickered.
Laying down her cards, Elizabeth announced "I have clubs."
"A flush." Jack corrected. "The puppy-dog feet are called clubs. And when you have all clubs or all of any suit, it's called a flush." Sighing, Jack tossed his cards onto the table. "And a flush beats three-of-a kind."
Squealing, Elizabeth grinned and clapped her hands. "I win again?"
"You're a quick learner," Jack complimented, standing to stretch his legs. "Unless it's beginner's luck," he teased.
Elizabeth jumped to her feet, arms akimbo. "Beginner's luck, huh?"
"Or maybe you're cheating." Jack goaded, stepping towards her.
"Cheating?" Elizabeth huffed, incredulous. "Jack Thornton," she said jabbing her index finger into his chest. "You take that back!"
Laughing, Jack captured her hand to his chest as he tempered "Or maybe I just like to see you all fired up." Jack pulled her close and kissed her chastely.
Pulling back, Elizabeth asked "Why would you like that?"
"Oh, I don't know," Jack smiled. "Maybe it has something to do with the heat in your eyes and the flush of your skin." Gathering her close, Jack kissed Elizabeth a bit more warmly.
Sighing, she accepted his kiss, enjoying his amorous attentions. Mindful of how quickly their passions flare, however, Elizabeth stepped back after a moment. Clearing her throat and trying to sound dispassionate, she inquired "Do you need to eat? The dining car will be closing soon."
"Are you hungry?" Jack questioned, allowing her to put some space between them.
"Actually, no. All we've done today is sit," replied Elizabeth.
Smiling, Jack concurred.
"So, shall we continue?" Elizabeth suggested. At the sight of Jack's raised eyebrows, she yelled "CARDS! Shall we continue playing cards?" Blushing, she tried to clarify. "Are there other card games you can teach me?"
Trying not to laugh at Elizabeth's discomfiture, Jack could not refuse.
Their long travel day came to an early end as Elizabeth excused herself to prepare for bed. Although they had said goodnight at the door to Abigail's many times before, Elizabeth found it awkward to say goodnight at the door of her bedroom. It seemed very intimate to know there was only a door separating her in her thin nightdress from Jack in his … what did a man such as Jack sleep in? "Ugh!" Elizabeth whispered to herself. "Now I'll never get to sleep!"
Despite her wayward thoughts, sleep claimed Elizabeth fairly quickly, but not peacefully. Whether it was the storm brewing-up gusts of wind outside or the various worries she tried to repress, Elizabeth found herself yanked from sleep, crying out Jack's name and busting into tears.
At her anguish cry, Jack came fully awake and rushed to Elizabeth's bedchamber door. Knocking and calling to her simultaneously, he tried the door handle and, finding it unlocked, charged into her room. She was sitting upright, head bowed as she sobbed into her hands covering her face.
Moving to sit beside her on the bed, Jack spoke softly. "Elizabeth, whatever is the matter?"
As if just realizing he was there, she reached for him. "Oh, Jack! It was horrible. So real. So horrible." With her arms around his neck, she cried into the vee of his neck and shoulder as he consoled her.
"The train crashed! We were separated. I was frantically searching for you and when I finally saw you, you were in the next car. I raced to you as fast as I could, but before I could reach you the car derailed and began to fall into the ravine and then you f-f-fell. Oh, Jaaack! It felt so real." She cried again.
"Shhh. It was only a bad dream." He soothed, tucking her into his arms and running his hands up and down her back.
Jack continued to hold and comfort her for several minutes as she cried away her fear and angst.
When her tears abated, Elizabeth breathed deeply and slid her arms down from around Jack's neck to his bare chest. Jerking her hands away as if on fire, she accused, "You are not wearing a shirt!"
Jack chuckled at the sudden change in her demeanor. "No, I'm not. I was in bed, sleeping when you started screaming."
With eyes squeezed shut, Elizabeth squeaked. "What else are you – not – wearing?"
Teasing her, Jack replied "Miss Thatcher, are you asking me if I sleep in the nude?"
As he spoke that explicit word, Elizabeth's eyes and mouth sprung wide open as she squeaked again. This time she averted her face as she pleaded "Jack!"
Relenting, he said calmly, "I'm wearing long johns which, although not proper for the parlor, are perfectly acceptable for sleeping."
Just then, a wild gust of wind was accompanied by flashes of lightening and a loud clap of thunder. The train car shook violently, scaring Elizabeth. "Aaaah!" she screamed and moved into the safety of Jack's arms again. "Please don't leave. I know I'm being silly, but, can you stay with me until I fall asleep? Please? I feel safe when you're here."
"Of course," Jack replied, smiling indulgently.
Grabbing one of the many pillows, Jack propped himself up against the headboard, as Elizabeth reclined on her pillow facing him. His hand rested palm down on the mattress between them and Elizabeth placed hers on top.
"As girls, Julie used to ask me to protect her from the monsters under the bed. I always considered myself the strong one. I never thought I'd need protection." Unwittingly, Elizabeth toyed with Jack's hand. He simply watched as she ruminated aloud. "Viola would never have tolerated such childishness; not even as a child. She was always a mini-adult, emulating my mother at every turn. We've never been really close, not like Julie and me." Elizabeth sighed and Jack continued to watch and listen. "But I still miss her. I miss all of them. I try to keep up with all the latest news through our letters, but it's not the same. I'm sure they do what I do when writing – always putting events in the best light. I'm always presenting myself as strong and brave even when I'm quaking in my boots. I choose my words very carefully. I don't want them to worry, or worse, drag me back home."
Smiling up at Jack, Elizabeth continued. "It's different when I write about you or Abigail or the children. Then I can be completely honest."
"You've written to your family about me?" Jack grinned.
"Of course!" exclaimed Elizabeth. "From the very beginning."
"From the beginning of what?" Jack inquired.
"From the first time we met, when you called me a 'Princess' who you were sent to babysit." Elizabeth teased.
Alarmed, Jack sat straight up and turned to look directly at Elizabeth. "You told them that?" Jack asked, distressed.
"Well, maybe not word for word." Elizabeth clarified, teasingly.
"Which words – exactly – did you use?" He asked.
"Let me think." She said placing her index finger on her chin as she looked off to the side pretending to ponder her words. "I think I said …"
"Elizabeth!" Jack exclaimed. "You're parents are going to hate me."
"No, they won't!" She laughed. "All I said back then was that you were handsome and annoying." She revealed to ease his distress.
Jack settled back against the headboard. After a moment he smiled. "Handsome, huh? I always knew you were interested right from the start."
Now it was Elizabeth who sat straight up. "Just because I thought you were handsome, doesn't mean I didn't loathe you."
"I'm sorry, I didn't quite hear that." Jack teased, tilting his ear toward her. "Did you just say you LOVED me?"
Elizabeth squeaked! "LOATHED" she enunciated. "Not loved, LOATHED" she repeated, moving her mouth close to his ear.
Jack was laughing and, with her face so close to his, he could not resist stealing a kiss.
Jack's smiling lips touched hers sweetly. When he pulled back, he saw Elizabeth staring at his mouth. Placing her hands on his chest, she leaned in and kissed him fully. As Elizabeth moved her lips eagerly against Jack's, she delighted in the feel of his quickening heart beat under her palms. Her hands on his bare skin burned him to his core, and Jack had to fight the urge to deepen the kiss. He was nearly naked in her bed. He could not let this kiss escalate into anything more serious. Placing his hands over hers, Jack returned her kiss tenderly, calmingly. When Elizabeth ended the kiss, he brought her hands to his mouth and softly kissed the knuckles of each before returning them to her.
Settling back onto their pillows, they were quiet for several moments, until Elizabeth asked "When did you realize your feelings for me had changed?"
"To be honest, I admired you from our first argument." Jack replied.
"What? No you did not." Elizabeth said, disbelieving.
"Well, I admired that you stood up for yourself. And, as I've said before, I enjoy seeing you all riled up: eyes flashing, cheeks burning." Jack said, smiling at her.
"Jack! Be serious," Elizabeth scolded. "No one likes arguing."
"Well, if that doesn't count, I guess the next time I found myself admiring you was the day you taught your students about gravity. I couldn't believe my eyes when Princess Thatcher …"
"Jack!" Elizabeth exclaimed, slapping him on the arm.
Laughing, Jack continued "… when Princess Thatcher deigned to take off her shoe, pull out her hair comb, and stand on her desk, all to engage the children in her classroom."
"You admired that? You looked so judgmental, like I was the worst teacher imaginable." Elizabeth questioned.
"No. That was the moment I realized you were a GREAT teacher." Jack explained. "When little Emily Montgomery figured out that any two objects dropped at the same time will hit the ground in a tie, the excitement in your eyes lit up your entire face like sunshine. I will never forget it. "
With a satisfied smile, Elizabeth nestled down onto her pillow and tried to sleep. Again a wild wind blew, rocking the train car and rattling the windows. Elizabeth gasped and moved closer to Jack as he rested his arm around her shoulders. In the safety of his arms, Elizabeth finally fell into a deep peaceful sleep.