CHAPTER 11 – THE SOUND OF A VACATION

"I think I'm going deaf," Jack announced as he stared at little Jack Thatcher Thornton who was banging on the ivory and black keys of the piano in the corner of the Thatcher mansion in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

Jack and Elizabeth had been in Hamilton for almost a week now. When they had arrived in the city, which was much bigger in population and size than Hope Valley or Bear Creek, they had taken a car directly to the Thatcher mansion.

The overly large and ornate home with its household staff and numerous rooms was the ideal place to relax. The spacious front room designed for entertaining society's elite with its wooden floors meant for dancing was the perfect place for a toddler to practice walking and roll a ball. And with seven bedrooms, maids' quarters, butler's quarters, a sitting room, a study, a dining room, and several other rooms, it was proving to be a never-ending place of adventure for little Thatch.

Elizabeth looked up from her the book in her lap and chucked softly. "What are you talking about? You are not going deaf."

"I'm really worried", Jack replied as he ran his finger in his ear, shook his head, and continued to apprehensively stare at his son. "He just does not stop. And does he have to be so loud? Maybe he's the one who's deaf."

"Why would our son be deaf?" an amused Elizabeth asked.

"Because he doesn't seem to have any idea how horrible that sound is."

"It's not horrible. He's learning."

"He's not learning. He's banging on the keys making noise.'

Elizabeth grinned and smiled. "Everyone has to start somewhere. That's the piano I learned on, and I am a wonderful piano player now."

"He better not get used to this lifestyle", Jack said with a chuckle and shake of his head.

"Why not?"

"Your family is spoiling him. Cookies. Toys. Ice cream twice a day. A grandmother who follow him around like he's the prince of England."

Elizabeth laughed. "She's enamored with him. He is awfully adorable."

"Loud and adorable."

"He's a happy baby." Elizabeth lowered her book at looked at him pensively. "It's remarkable considering what he's been through. He's handled everything so well."

"When we were in Stanleytown, you said he was going to be a Mountie. After this week, I have a feeling he might be more like a Thatcher."

"Because he likes the finer things in life?"

"Exactly."

Elizabeth gave Jack a self-satisfied smile. "If I remember correctly, so do you."

Jack couldn't help but chuckle. "I believe you are right. You were the most exquisite thing I ever laid eyes on." He set down newspaper and walked across the room until he reached his wife. Bending down, he softly touched her lips with his.

"Excuse me, should I take Master Jack for his bath", the woman's voice asked as she walked into the room. The housemaid refused to call little Jack Thatcher Thornton by his nickname "Thatch", and instead referred to him as "Master Jack". Whereas, his father was simply referred to as "Sir."

"Thank you, Sarah. And again, I'm sorry about last night's mess," Elizabeth replied as she and Jack broke apart. "And the messes every night. Perhaps he'll be better now that the novelty has worn off."

"It's perfectly fine, Ma'am," the young woman replied. "I've got three younger brothers and sisters myself."

Elizabeth looked at her son who had stopped banging on the piano keys and was now scrambling off the bench.

After his time in the shack and the river, he seemed to have turned into somewhat of a primitive child who believed that the mansion's large bathtub with plumbing was just a smaller version of a river. Every evening, he had happily spent an hour in the over-sized clawfoot iron tub. Splashing water to make waves. Pretending to be almost submerged. Theatrically letting the water cover his mouth and then sputtering for air. He had even managed to empty small rocks from his pocket and throw them into the water for a more familiar look.

After several nights of having their clothes drenched in the little boy's tsunami-like waves as they bathed him, Jack and Elizabeth had turned the duty over to the housemaid.

Jack watched as his son gleefully squealed when the maid announced that it was bath-time and stretched out his little arms for her to carry him.

"Elizabeth, when we were at the shack, you didn't trust my decision to leave you two and go for help", Jack said when he and Elizabeth were alone in the room.

"That's right."

"And yet, when we were at the restaurant, you trusted my decision to throw a knife at a murderer who was holding our son?"

"That's right."

"So, what made you think one decision was okay and the other wasn't?" he asked. The thought had been nagging at Jack for a few days now.

"Because you were wrong about leaving us in the shack and you were right about doing whatever you had to do to keep our son safe at the restaurant."

"That's not exactly an explanation", Jack remarked with raised eyebrows.

"Women's intuition," Elizabeth answered with a smile. "And I trust you. Sometimes, I just know better than you."

Before Jack could think of a response, two more individuals entered the room.

"Sir, Master Thatcher would like you to join him in the stables", the butler announced as he and Grace Thatcher walked in.

"The stables?" Elizbeth questioned.

"Yeah, your father wants my opinion on some of his horses", Jack responded.

"Are you sure that you're not really going to drive his new car again?", Elizbeth teased knowingly.

"Not this time. We almost got a ticket yesterday for speeding. Now that is something you never have to worry about with a horse", Jack replied with a smile.

While the males in the family were giving attention to horses and baths, Elizabeth pulled several articles of clothing from the bedroom closet floor, removed them from their boxes and bags, and began to neatly place them in a suitcase.

"The staff will do that, dear", Grace said from her seat on the mattress after the women had moved to the bedroom.

"Maybe you should have bought another suitcase. I don't think three will do it", Julie volunteered as she looking at the mountain of clothes.

"Maybe I went a bit overboard?" Elizabeth asked with a doleful expression.

"Nonsense", her mother replied. "You're pregnant, you've had a miserable time getting here, and you live in a town without suitable boutiques. Besides, your father and I like spoiling you. It was our gift."

"Thank you. We've had a wonderful time here. And not just the shopping. Or the museums. Or the day at the hair salon. It's just wonderful being with family."

it really had ended up being a wonderful vacation. In Stanleytown, once the police had taken away the moonshiner, who had killed his two partners in a fight over money, and the doctor had cleared Jack of any serious injuries, the family had spent an uneventful night at the hotel. The next morning, they had dressed in the same clothes which they had been wearing for a week and traveled to the nearest train depot. From there, it was just a half day trip to Hamilton. And Hamilton with its shops, restaurants, attractions, and doting family had been perfect.

"I think your family enjoyed having us here," Jack called out through the open door of the bathroom as he brushed his teeth later that night. "Despite Thatch breaking a couple dishes and that vase. And that incident with the fountain."

"They loved having us," Elizabeth replied. She crawled between the crisp white sheets on the king-sized bed, lay her head on her two down-filled pillows, and looked up at the rotating blades of the ceiling fan which was bathing her in a cool breeze.

"That dinner was delicious", Jack said as he entered the bedroom and pulled back the sheets on his side of the bed.

"I told you that I would have Cook make you the best filet mignon."

"Do you think instead of sending your old nanny, Nanny Naples, to Bear Creek, your parents can send Cook?"

Elizabeth laughed. "No. You need more of my cooking, not the Cook's. He'd have us fat in no time."

"How about moving your perfect pregnant body over closer to me? This bed is way too big."

Elizabeth and Jack both scooched over until they met in the middle of the mattress.

"By the way, I forgot to mention that Nanny Naples isn't coming after all," Elizabeth remarked as they lay on their sides. Facing each other.

Jack picked up a lock of Elizabeth's hair and twirled it around his finger. Then he let it unravel and slowly did it again as she continued to talk. "It seems that she's fallen in love and going to be staying here in Hamilton"

"What are you talking about? She wasn't in love last month when we found out your parents were sending her to us as a gift for a few months. You said she hadn't be in love since her husband died decades ago."

"Well she's fallen in love now."

"With who? How? In the last few weeks?!"

"Apparently she was here talking to mother about coming to Bear Creek when the police commissioner stopped by to talk to father about us missing. Mother and father left them alone for a few minutes when they got a telephone call from Viola. They got to talking - he's a widower - and I guess they hit it off pretty well. They've been having dinner together every evening. And Julie saw them at the park yesterday."

"So no nanny for us in Bear Creek?"

"Nope. But I figure we can manage. We've been doing okay so far."

"Better than okay", Jack grinned as he gently ran his finger along her cheek.

"We have to go home in two days", Elizabeth said quietly. She moved against him and rested her head on Jack's bare chest. His arm surrounding her. Despite having a fan and the window open, the weather was still warm enough that Jack preferred to not wear a nightshirt to bed. And Elizabeth wasn't about to argue with her good fortune.

Through the open window came the sound of birds and crickets and the occasional sound of a member of the household staff going about his or her business of taking out the trash, refilling the coal bins, or checking the grounds before locking up the house for the night.

Elizabeth loved these sounds. When everything seemed right in the world. Like another perfect day was coming to an end with the earth going to sleep before awakening to do it all over again.

"I wish we could stay a few days longer," she added as she inhaled Jack's clean minty breath.

"We need to get back to work."

"I know. This certainly has been a most interesting vacation."

"That's putting it mildly. That first week was horrible."

"It wasn't so bad. We had food and shelter. And each other."

"We did", Jack agreed and then kissed the top of her head.

"I am glad that it's all behind us. I never realized how much I enjoy having a roof over my head and a room with four walls, an actual floor, and a complete door. You know, none of it would have happened like it did if we had just heard the train whistle over the waterfall that first day."

"Or if Thatch hadn't found the spoon and then been enthralled by the killer making the music. I never even would have given it a second thought if he hadn't wanted to go over and watch."

"Who knew the clue would make such a surprising sound", Elizabeth said pensively.

"You know I was thinking that we only have two more nights in this big bed."

"Hmm mmm", Elizabeth responded.

"That's only two more nights of not sharing a bedroom with Thatch."

"He loves the nursery next door. I think mother outdid herself."

After sharing a bedroom for the first year of his life, and more recently sharing a floor for a week in the woods, Elizabeth and Jack had thought that Thatch would balk at the idea of sleeping by himself in the adorable nursery which had been decorated for him and Viola's children whenever they visited.

Thatch had taken one look at his room, accepted a kiss goodnight from his parents, and promptly ignored them.

To his credit, he had finally allowed Elizabeth to read him a bedtime story, but the moment she had said the words 'The End'", he had squirmed out from under the covers of his crib, and began placing the crowd of toy animals in various positions around him. It had only taken a minute for his parents' usual comforting arms and their supporting chests to be happily replaced by a teddy bear, a stuffed tiger, a stuffed elephant, and a stuffed monkey.

"Maybe we should take advantage of our privacy," Jack now suggested as he ran his fingers along one of Elizabeth's arms.

"What did you have in mind?"

"How about I give you a clue?"

Elizabeth smiled. "What kind of -"

Before she could finish her question, Jack had flipped over on top of her. Resting on his elbows, he looked down at her as she lay beneath his shirtless body.

I love being married to a Mountie, she thought as she admired his strong chest and the feeling of being trapped between his muscled arms. Oh, heck, he could do anything for a living and I'd love being married to him.

"So, if I understand by your body language, you were thinking of -"

Jack's tongue running down her cleavage stopped Elizabeth in midsentence. Darn, he's good, she thought in amazement.

"I think that -," Elizabeth started to speak again but this time Jack's mouth on hers silenced her. His mouth was warm and delicious. Leaving no doubt about his plans.

"Did anyone ever tell you that you talk too much sometimes," he murmured as he left her lips and began placing kisses on her neck.

"That's the teacher in me," she replied weakly. Her body was utterly defenseless against him. As usual, he could do whatever he wanted to her and she would enjoy it.

Oh my.

Elizabeth felt torn between laying there motionless and simply enjoying the incredible feeling of him covering her body with his hands and mouth, or of moving her own body and ravishing him.

It took her a moment, but as Jack moved farther down her torso, she decided.

Okay, first I let him continue with this. Oh my, yes. Then I ravish him.

And when we get back to Bear Creek, Thatch gets moved into his own bedroom. We can give him the spot behind the long counter we had planned for the nanny! she thought happily before closing her eyes and enjoying her vacation.

The End

Dear Readers, I hope you enjoyed this vignette. I'm now off to work on my woolenslipper stories. 😊 ("Reversal of Fortune", and the brand new one "Out of this World".)

Dear Reader JEPK: If you've finished this story, you have read all 14 in lighting speed! So glad you've enjoyed them. I sent you some private messages but I'm not sure if you got them.