Chapter 2: Bad News Travels
Jack Thornton was in his cabin packing up his belongings for his trip home to Hope Valley, when he heard a knock at his door. "Constable, there's a telegram for you at the trading post," reported one of the fur traders from Fort Smith, the village in the Northwest Territories where Jack had been patrolling the past few weeks. Jack sighed at the thought of having to go back out in the cold to walk the mile back to the trading post. Dutifully, Jack put his boots and coat on, and covered his face with his scarf, to face the icy wind that was ever present in the village, even in April.
On the trail back to the trading post, Jack's let his thoughts wander to Elizabeth, as they usually did. Jack wondered what Elizabeth was doing at that moment, and thought about the letter he was planning to write to her that evening. Now that Jack was gone so much in his new position, he was trying to be better at letter writing, to maintain as much of a connection to Elizabeth as he could when they were apart.
Jack knew that Elizabeth was unhappy about him being away so much, and debated whether he should bring Elizabeth with him on future assignments. True, some of the villages under his purview were in very remote locations, but there was always a cabin maintained for the Mountie Patrol. Jack conjured up an image of Elizabeth waiting for him back at his cabin, lying alluringly on top of the fur pelts on his cot, her long, chestnut hair tumbling down her back, the light from the fireplace shimmering in her eyes.
Jack stopped in his tracks and chastised himself – he was letting his imagination run wild! Better to focus on getting back to Hope Valley – and Elizabeth - as soon as possible.
As Jack approached the Fort Smith trading post, he worried that the telegram would be from Mountie Headquarters assigning him additional, remote territories to patrol. Jack took a deep breath and opened the door, ready to face his fate.
The man behind the desk at the trading post took one look at Jack and turned to retrieve an envelope from one of the mail boxes. "This just came for you," he stated, looking at Jack curiously as he handed him the telegram. Jack took the telegram and read it quickly. Jack furrowed his brow and reread the telegram more slowly, not quite understanding its contents.
The man, who had been watching Jack, chimed in, "It's about that ship, the Titanic, isn't it. I've been getting lots of dispatches about that." The man pointed to a pile of notes sitting on the desk.
Jack looked up from the telegram and asked, "What do you know about it?" The man picked up some of the notes and started reading from them. "They say the Titanic was the biggest ocean liner ever built. It took three years to build it, and it was supposedly unsinkable. But wouldn't you know it, it sank on its very first trip out to sea. It was going from England to the U.S. - it hit an iceberg a few days into the trip. There weren't enough lifeboats for everyone, so only about half the passengers survived – mostly women and children. Terrible tragedy."
Jack whispered, "My goodness," under his breath as he reread the telegram yet again. Jack remembered Elizabeth telling him that her father had travelled to England in March to meet with some British investors and to visit Viola and Lionel, who had just returned from a "Grand Tour" of the continent.
Jack rubbed his temples as he considered what to do next. Jack strode over to the man at the desk and declared "I need to send a telegram to Mountie Headquarters right away." Jack knew where his duty lay, and he needed to make haste.
Over a thousand miles away, Elizabeth found herself in Hamilton, sitting in a car outside her house, dreading the thought of going in. Elizabeth could not bear the idea that she would never see her father again in the very house where his presence loomed so large. Elizabeth covered her face with her hands, unable to summon the energy needed to rise from her seat.
Just then, Elizabeth felt a man's strong grip on her arm – she looked up to see Charles standing over her. "Elizabeth, let me help you," Charles implored, opening the car door and assisting Elizabeth down the car steps. Elizabeth could barely get out an, "Oh Charles," before she crumpled in his arms, weeping. Charles let Elizabeth cry on his shoulder, trying not to let her see how much he relished holding her in his arms, even though she was now married to another.
After a bit, Elizabeth separated herself from Charles, somewhat embarrassed by her display of emotions. Elizabeth wiped her face and apologized, "I'm so sorry, Charles. I just can't seem to stop crying." Charles nodded and answered, "I know how you feel. Your father was like a father to me too. I'm just as devastated." Charles held out his arm to escort Elizabeth into the house, and Elizabeth took it, silently acknowledging how much she needed someone to lean on at that moment.
The house seemed strangely silent. Elizabeth asked, "Where is everyone?" Just then, Elizabeth's Aunt Agatha, dressed in black, came out to the foyer to greet them. "Oh Elizabeth, I'm so glad you're here. Your mom is resting up in her room – she's hasn't been doing too well, as you might imagine. Your sister, Julie, is finishing up an exam at her nursing school, but should be home soon." Elizabeth leaned over to hug her Aunt. Aunt Agatha looked behind Elizabeth at the door. "Where is Jack? Wasn't he able to come?"
Elizabeth explained, "Jack was assigned to patrol the Village of Fort Smith in the Northwest Territories a few weeks ago, but I telegrammed him, so I hope he'll be able to get here soon." Charles raised his eyebrows. "Wow, that's really remote there . . . and cold – it's located right between two rivers. I hope the ice has broken so the rivers are navigable, otherwise he may not be able to get out of there any time soon." Elizabeth averted her eyes and said quietly, "I hope so too." Charles and Agatha glanced at each other with raised eyebrows over Elizabeth's head.
Elizabeth began removing her gloves and coat. "I'm going to go upstairs to visit Mother," Elizabeth said. Agatha asked, "Would you like something to eat first? You've had a long trip." Elizabeth shook her head vehemently. "No, I'm not hungry. The thought of eating . . . well, I'm just not up to it right now. Maybe I'll feel better at dinnertime."
Elizabeth turned to Charles and asked, "Are you staying for dinner, Charles?" Charles looked at Agatha and then back at Elizabeth. "If you'd like me to, of course I will. Anything I can do to help, you know that." Elizabeth smiled gratefully. "Yes, I know. You've always been such a good friend to our family." Elizabeth squeezed Charles' arm and then started walking up the grand staircase to her mother's bedroom.
Agatha and Charles watched Elizabeth for a moment and then moved aside to allow the butler to bring Elizabeth's luggage up the stairs after her. Agatha took Charles' arm and walked with him into the drawing room. As they were walking, Agatha pondered out loud, "Do you think Jack will be able to make it to the funeral?" Charles shrugged his shoulders and answered, "I don't know – the funeral is just a few days from now, and Fort Smith is a long way from here."
Agatha sighed. "Well, I know Elizabeth's parents had concerns about her marrying a Mountie. I'm sure she would not like to hear the words, 'I told you so.'"
Charles chuckled ruefully. "She would not, I can assure you. And I would not want to be in the same room if anyone dared to say that to her. I've felt the wrath of Elizabeth's temper . . . I'd prefer not to experience that again!"
Agatha lifted her chin. "Yes, Elizabeth's famous temper. Well, sometimes certain things need to be said. But I'll drop it for now. Hopefully that young man understands his duty to this family – he's the head of the family now, whether he realizes it or not."
Charles frowned, not liking the sound of that statement. Charles had been in line for that role, if only he had been able to convince Elizabeth to marry him instead of Jack. Charles still had not gotten over that disappointment, and often thought about how things could have gone differently for him and Elizabeth, if only she had not been so stubborn about staying in Hope Valley. Charles couldn't help but wonder whether William Thatcher's passing might change Elizabeth's mind about where her future lay.
Charles was brought out of his reverie by Agatha offering him a glass of sherry. Charles gladly took it, and sipped it slowly, thinking about all the changes that the Titanic's sinking was bringing - to the Thatcher family, to Hamilton Shipping, and to him as well.