Chapter Eleven
"Every tomorrow has two handles.
We can take hold of it
with the handle of anxiety
or the handle of faith."
~Henry Ward Beecher
The first light of Saturday morning's dawn filtered into the bedroom above the cafe as Elizabeth lay staring at the ceiling. She'd had a very fitful night with little sleep and certainly no rest. Her dreams were filled with the images and sounds from her students' overheard conversation.
She rolled over onto her side and worked to untangle her foot from the sheet. She'd shifted so much during the night that the bed linens were completely untucked and in disarray. She closed her eyes and tried to will herself back to sleep, but, as had happened most of the night, her thoughts would not calm down. She wondered when Jack might propose and her overactive imagination had contrived so many possible scenarios.
She opened her eyes and stared down at the floor. 'It had been quite a week!' she thought. Last weekend she could never have imagined the lows and highs she'd experience this week. From the unwelcome proposal to Julie's surprise visit to the revelation of Jack's intention to ask her to marry him, she realized that she had good reason for being sleepless. She, also, knew that she was going to have a hard time being calm and keeping this information to herself. Hiding her emotions was not one of her strong suits.
As she lay watching the sunlight play across her room, her eyes fell on her sister, sound asleep in the bed across from hers. Elizabeth was truly happy to have Julie in Hope Valley. She was, also, pleased that her baby sister had taken her advice and was trying to find her purpose. She tried to imagine what Julie might want to do with her life. That was a difficult question to answer as the youngest Thatcher daughter had only expressed interest in the latest fashion, young men, music, dancing, sketching, and the occasional book. As Julie turned over, Elizabeth realized that her dear baby sister was not privy to the town secret about the ring Jack had purchased for her. After all, Julie was even worse than she was at hiding her feelings and she certainly would never have been able to keep such a secret. "Well, at least I'm not the last one to know," Elizabeth mumbled to herself.
She shifted again, and looked out the window. The sky was brightening as the sun climbed above the horizon. The blues and grays of the night were quickly yielding to the yellows and oranges of the morning. As she admired the lovely morning unfolding outside her window, she heard footsteps on the stairs. She knew it was Abigail heading down to the kitchen to start preparing breakfast and she suddenly felt a strong need to talk with her dear friend. Rising from the bed as quietly as possible, wary not to wake Julie, she donned her robe and slippers. She crept out the door and carefully closed it behind her.
As she descended the stairs, she heard Abigail moving pots and pans. At the bottom of the stairs, she looked into the kitchen and saw Abigail at the stove, adding wood to the firebox. Crossing the living room noiselessly, she continued to watch Abigail. She stopped at the kitchen table and pulled a chair out. The chair legs made a loud scrapping noise against the wood floor.
Abigail spun around, startled. "Oh my goodness!" she exclaimed. "Elizabeth!"
"I'm sorry!" Elizabeth quickly apologized, holding her open hands out in front of her as if to calm Abigail. "I didn't meant to startle you!"
Abigail's breathing slowed and she turned back to the stove. "It's okay," she assured Elizabeth as she placed the last piece of wood into the firebox and shut the door. She turned around and asked, "What are you doing up so early? It's Saturday! You don't have to be at school today."
Elizabeth looked down as she rubbed her hands together. She shook her head. "I know," she agreed. "I just... had some trouble sleeping."
Abigail's brow furrowed. "Why?"
Elizabeth exhaled and shook her head, continuing to study her hands.
Abigail knew Elizabeth well enough to know something was bothering her. However, she, also, knew that Elizabeth was going to have to work up to talking about it. So, she began gathering the ingredients for her biscuits and allowed Elizabeth to sit quietly.
Elizabeth sat at the table, watching her hands while every so often glancing up at Abigail. She was struggling to find the words to discuss the conversation she'd overheard yesterday. Also, her thoughts were pretty sluggish due to her lack of sleep. The thought of Jack proposing at any moment was discombobulating her, making her fidget in the chair.
Abigail continued to prepare breakfast. Every now and then, she stole a look at Elizabeth. She was concerned that Elizabeth seemed so worried and uncomfortable. After several minutes, the biscuits were prepared and she placed them in the oven. She glanced over at her young friend and noted the apprehension on her face. Finally, unable to allow Elizabeth to dwell on her concerns in silence any longer, she sat down at the table across from her and said, "Elizabeth, is there something on your mind?"
For several seconds, Elizabeth just looked at Abigail. Finally, she answered, "I'm not sure." Abigail slowly nodded, studying Elizabeth. Under Abigail's scrutiny, Elizabeth looked away and considered how to broach the subject of Jack's impending marriage proposal when it suddenly dawned on her that Abigail probably already knew that Jack had purchased an engagement ring and planned to propose. In fact, she realized that Abigail may know even more than she did about the situation, as Abigail always seemed to be privy to the latest news in Hope Valley. She set her gaze squarely on Abigail and asked, "Abigail, is there anything you want to tell me?"
Abigail's eyebrows rose with surprise. "I thought you were about to tell me what's on your mind," Abigail countered.
Elizabeth glanced toward the dining room and exhaled sharply in frustration. "Why am always the last to know everything?" she mumbled.
Abigail quickly realized that news of Jack's plans had reached Elizabeth. She was surprised that someone in town had been bold enough to tell Elizabeth about the engagement ring Jack had purchased. "Oh my! Who told you?" she asked.
Elizabeth looked back at her friend. "What? Who told me what?" she asked, feigning ignorance, though not very well.
Abigail's eyes narrowed as she tried to read Elizabeth's expression. "You know, don't you? That's why you couldn't sleep," she stated, clearly reading her young friend.
Elizabeth sighed her surrender. "Yes," she answered.
"Who..." Abigail began her question.
"I overheard some of my students talking about it," Elizabeth replied. "They didn't know I could hear them." She shook her head. "It must be the talk of the town if the kids are talking about it!" she stated with exasperation.
Abigail reached over and squeezed Elizabeth's hand. "It must be exciting to know you'll soon be receiving a marriage proposal!" she enthused.
"Exciting?!" Elizabeth asked, incredulous. "It's humiliating that everyone knew about this before I did! Why would Jack tell everyone he was going to propose?"
Abigail's mouth fell open slightly, surprised. "Is that what you think happened?" she asked. Elizabeth just looked away. "Elizabeth, he didn't tell anyone! Mr. Yost did!"
Elizabeth looked at Abigail, confused. "Mr. Yost? What?"
Abigail nodded. "Jack picked up the ring at the mercantile and some ladies overheard Jack ask Mr. Yost to keep it a secret. But Mr. Yost didn't do a very good job of keeping the secret," she explained.
Realization replaced confusion on Elizabeth's face. "So, Jack didn't tell anyone?"
Abigail shook her head. "No. He wants very much to ask you. But his efforts keep getting thwarted!"
Elizabeth looked down at the table as Abigail's words sunk in. She felt an odd mix of happiness and anxiety as she now knew with certainty that a proposal from Jack was imminent.
Abigail continued. "So, it seems that Jack will be asking you a very important question soon!" she said, her voice filled with excitement. "Are you ready to answer?"
Elizabeth met Abigail's gaze and her eyes widened. She couldn't pretend that she hadn't thought about that during her restless night. She'd imagined one day receiving a proposal of marriage from the man she loved. Now, it seemed that proposal would be happening very soon. During the night she'd asked herself if she was ready to be a wife... ready to be a Mountie's wife... ready to be Jack's wife. She looked up and saw that Abigail was staring at her expectantly, hoping to know what Elizabeth's answer would be.
At the jailhouse, Jack poured three mugs of coffee. He brought two mugs to the cells. Both prisoners were awake. Lee was sitting on his cot but Bill was still laying on his. Jack handed Lee a mug of coffee through the cell bars before turning to Bill's cell. He pushed Bill's coffee mug through the cell bars and set it on the table just inside.
"Jack, how long am I going to have to stay here?" Lee asked.
"I think we can get things straightened out this morning," Jack answered.
"Gowen just had to be a hardnose and press charges!" Lee grumbled.
Jack nodded. "He did. But, I think we have a pretty good plan to get him to change his mind," he reminded his friend.
"I should've realized he was baiting me by saying those things about Rosemary," Lee chided himself.
"Gowen's very clever and very conniving. He's spotted your weakness and now he wants to exploit it," Jack explained.
"If he tries to do anything to Rosemary..." Lee began, getting agitated again.
"I think our plan may make him think twice before he even says Rosemary's name ever again," Jack stated.
Lee nodded. "I hope so, Jack," he replied. "I hope so."
Jack nodded and headed back to the stove to pick up his coffee mug. He took a long drink as he walked to his desk. He opened his notebook and read over his notes. As he took another drink of coffee, the jailhouse door opened and a man entered. Jack stood and immediately noted the man's dusty clothes and dirty face, indicating the man had ridden a long distance. "Can I help you?" he asked.
"You Thornton?" he asked in a low voice.
"I'm Constable Jack Thornton," Jack answered.
The man glanced over to the jail cells. "That Avery?" he asked.
Jack's eyebrows lowered. "What can I do for you?" he queried.
"I got some information that you're gonna want to hear about the counterfeit money," he answered.
Jack's eyes narrowed. "What information?"
The man looked around the jail before his eyes fell on the coffeepot on the stove. "Some coffee would sure help me remember everything," he told Jack.
Jack hesitated, studying the man. After a few seconds, he walked over and poured the man a half a cup. "How about half a cup to jog your memory, then half a cup after you tell me what this is about?"
The man nodded as he grabbed the mug from Jack. He loudly guzzled down the hot liquid as Jack watched him, a bit confounded by the man's behavior. When he finished the coffee, the strange, dusty man sat down in the chair in front of Jack's desk. Jack crossed over to his own chair behind the desk and slowly lowered himself into it. "What is this about?"
"The counterfeit ring," the man answered matter-of-factly.
"You said that. What about it?" Jack asked, glancing over at Bill's cell. He saw that Bill was now sitting on his cot as he stared at the strange man.
"Well, you wanna know who's in charge?" he asked.
Jack nodded. "Okay, who's in charge?"
"Well, it ain't him!" the man exclaimed, pointing at Bill.
Jack stared at the man. "Okay. Then, who is?"
The man smiled. "Got you attention, huh?" he asked, clearly amused with himself.
Jack was becoming frustrated with this man but managed to hide that behind a cold stare.
The man saw Jack staring at him and squirmed a bit in his chair. "You see," he began his explanation, "there are three big guys in this operation."
"You're part of the counterfeit ring? How?" Jack inquired.
"We made the money and delivered it out here," he replied without hesitation.
"And you know the men who are over the entire ring?" Jack asked.
"Of course!" the man responded. "They came to me and my partner to do their work for them. They couldn't get their hands dirty, so they let us do that for them!"
Jack was beginning to understand. "You and your partner did the actual counterfeiting while the ones in charge just told you what to do. Is that right?"
"Pretty much. They had all the right connections," the man answered. "You catch on very fast! Heard you were a good Mountie!"
Jack ignored the compliment. "Who's your partner?"
"He was just here," the strange man said. "You had him as a prisoner here til just a few days ago."
"Oh, you mean the man that the Mounties took to Hamilton?" Jack asked.
"Hamilton?" the man asked, laughing. "No Mounties took him to Hamilton. No Mounties took him anywhere! He came back to Buxton and told me what was going on here."
Jack frowned. "How did he get to Buxton? He was under arrest."
The man shook his head. "No he's not," he disagreed before pointing to Bill again. "He let him go."
Jack's gaze shifted to Bill, shocked. Bill looked away, telling Jack all he needed to know.
"Yeah, see," the man continued, "he told me about Avery's investigation. Then, he told me he'd heard that you arrested Avery. We got to thinking and realized that it sure looks like the whole operation is about to go south. So, we decided it might be in our best interests to work with you."
Jack looked back at the man, his expression sharp. "Work with me, how?"
"Well, I'll tell you everything you need to know about the big guys. But, I want the same deal my partner got from Avery," he stated calmly.
Jack's face stiffened as his anger swelled. He rose from the desk and walked over to Bill's cell. Bill was still sitting on his cot. He looked up and met Jack's gaze. "What deal did you give his partner?" Jack asked in a low voice. Bill frowned and looked back down.