Disclaimer: I do not own the characters within; all rights and much respect go to Crown Media, Hallmark, Ms. Oke, Mr. Bird, Mr. Landon, and the creators/writers/actors of "When Calls the Heart". You inspired me to write and I'm not a writer! Feel free to use my story on the show, I'd be honored!
"Love Never Fails."
*Dear Hearties, Thank you to everyone who is reading. As a writer, it's so special to have people take time to read your work. A special shout out to those who have been reviewing: HeartieAngelica, angelstreets, CherylinBoston, Bobbi's Bindings, Cindie Henrich, Mary Jo Vincent, PollyannaHeartie, JackandElizabeth (Amy), ng22, dvanderw26, jnh0713, Beth, and "guests"(Forgive me if I accidently left anyone out!) Thank you SO MUCH for your feedback and support. ~Lisa
P.S. I loved everyone's reaction to Jack's beard. It came from seeing a great pic of Daniel Lissing with one in honor of his birthday that Hallmark put up online. It was from the Home & Family episode that Dan did with Erin Krakow. If you need a visual check it out. Oh now, let's a have a moment for Daniel Lissing...sigh...ok! I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Chapter 11
Jack woke at the crack of dawn determined to get this day over with. He paced his cell. He was guilty dereliction of duty; he knew that he was committing it the moment he found Elizabeth in the stagecoach and decided to stay. Jack stood with his arms outstretched and his hands on the bars.
"You heading out today too, Thornton?" The man in the cell next to him called.
"Mmhmm." Jack mumbled as he looked away and rolled his eyes. He couldn't stand the man in the cell next to him. "Barth" was his name. He was in for robberies and gang related incidents, one of which made him the main suspect in a case of the murder of a saloon girl. Jack couldn't stand to be so close to a man wanted for something so awful. The fact that the man was obnoxious didn't help.
"Me too. I'm heading off to court at 8:30. Hey, it will be good to be in the sun. Maybe we'll see some beautiful women while we're out!" Barth said excitedly.
"Don't you think you should be worried about your case?" Jack looked over at him.
"No, I didn't do it. I'm innocent! We're all innocent in here aren't we guys?" Barth said turning to the other men in their cells. Some of them cheered the others just grunted. He turned back to Jack, "Sure I had fun with her, and maybe I was a little rough but kill her? No way!" Barth said sitting down on his cot.
"Hey, keep it down in here!" The acting Mounties said as they came in. "Who's making everyone get rowdy in here?"
"He is." Jack and Barth said as they pointed at each other. Jack was ticked off. He wanted out and he wanted out now.
"When are we leaving for court? What time is it?" He asked his anger evident.
"Calm down! It's 8:25 so it's time to go." Constable Moore said opening Jack's cell as the others Mountie opened Barth's. They were cuffed and brought out front of the jail. Jack's annoyance dissipated at the site of his comrade Constable Lewis waiting there. Lewis nodded at Jack with a small smile and stepped forward. "Ok men, we're going to head over to court now. You are expected to act like gentlemen, to follow any order given to you and do not try anything foolish." Constable Lewis said.
"Well that depends on what you mean by foolish." Barth said.
"Shut up!" Jack and Lewis said.
"Well I guess I know who I have to stand next to, now!" Lewis said as the other Mountie, Constable Moore, joined them to leave.
Jack, Lewis, Constable Moore and Barth made their way down the street. The streets were crowded with citizens as the morning hustle and bustle of city of Winnipeg was well underway. As they rounded the street corner the Parliament Building came into site. The sidewalks were just as busy with men, women and children moving about. The four men began to climb the fifty-something steps of the Parliament Building. Jack just happened to look to the left and he saw her. He took a double take and he couldn't believe his eyes. He squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again. There was Elizabeth in all of her glory wearing a pink dress and matching floral hat. "Elizabeth!" Jack said. She had adjusted her shoe and began to climb the stairs again. "Elizabeth!" He yelled and tripped slightly.
Elizabeth turned at the sound of her name. 'Jack?' she thought. Her eyes scanned the crowd and she noted the three Mounties in red serge heading up the steps. She noted they had a prisoner with them and that the one with a beard tripped.
"Hey, careful! You can't catch yourself if you fall with those cuffs on." Constable Moore said as he caught Jack.
Jack ignored the man as he moved his head to see her among the other people that were heading inside the building too. He saw her look right at him and then away. "Thornton!" the Mountie yelled as he felt Jack move around. "Stop calling out and moving around!" Constable Moore instructed him.
Constable Lewis was taking in the scene from behind Jack and decided to step in. "Here, let's switch. Bring Barth to his lawyer over there in the gray suit." Lewis pointed as he took Jack's arm. Lewis then lowered his voice, "Hey what's going on? You see Elizabeth?"
"Yes!" Jack said feeling a jolt of energy rush through him at the site of her. "She's over there in the pink dress and hat. What is she doing here?"
"Shopping!" Lewis said sarcastically. "Obviously she's here for you! She's going the same way, come on!" Lewis said as he pulled Jack a little and continued up the last steps. Jack's heart raced with anticipation as they got closer to her. Lewis maneuvered them right behind Elizabeth and then pushed Jack in front of him. "Elizabeth!" Jack said as he walked right behind her.
She turned around to look, "Jack?" Elizabeth said looking at the Mountie with a beard. "Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you were…" Elizabeth said as he smiled at her. "Jack!" she exclaimed as she practically jumped onto him knocking off his hat. "Oh my goodness, look at you with a beard!" She said touching his face. "I almost didn't recognize you! I wanted to see you but they wouldn't let me." Elizabeth said with tears in her eyes as she hugged him. "Are you ok?"
"I'm much better right now!" Jack said with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes, he suddenly felt alive. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm here for you, Jack." Elizabeth said. "I've missed you."
Jack shook his head, "I've missed you too." Their eyes locked and they forgot where they were as they closed in on one another to kiss.
"Lewis! What's going on here? Ma'am, get off of this prisoner!" Constable Moore said as he pulled Elizabeth away from Jack.
"No!" Jack yelled but he couldn't do anything about it because his hands were bound by the handcuffs. "Get me out of these cuffs, Lewis!" Jack said as he watched the Constable move away with Elizabeth.
"You know I can't take them off until we get into the courtroom." Lewis said. "I'm so sorry!"
"Jack!" Elizabeth yelled back. "I'm here for you!"
"Please ma'am, you can't do that!" Constable Moore said letting her go on the far side of the hallway. "Don't make me remove you from the building." Elizabeth went wide eyed at that. She couldn't allow herself to be removed, she had to testify.
Jack followed Elizabeth and the Constable but stopped when he saw Mr. Thatcher. "What is he doing here?" Jack asked himself. He turned to Lewis. "That's her father. I don't want him to see me with these on and in this position. It's bad enough she did." Jack said holding his cuffed hands up.
Lewis nodded. "Ok."
"Beth! There you are! I lost you in the crowd." He noted that she looked upset, "Is everything alright?" William asked.
She nodded, "I saw Jack! He…he looks tired. I was surprised to see that he has a beard. I'm worried about him." Elizabeth said.
Jack and Lewis moved to the side of the crowd. "Thank you for getting me close enough to her." Jack said.
"That should get you through a few more nights at the jail, huh?" Lewis said with a wink as he led Jack into the courtroom. "Ok, let me get these cuffs off of you and you can have a seat with your council." Lewis said as he unlocked the cuffs.
Jack moved to sit down with his lawyer, Mr. Hughes. He glanced back at the people in the room and noticed a number of people behind him and one man, the prosecutor, to the right. He saw Elizabeth enter and he smiled slightly; she said she was here for him. That fact coupled with their little interlude a few minutes ago gave Jack a major boost. He was ready to fight. He knew he was derelict of his duty but he had good cause. He saw her take a seat in the back and noticed Mr. Thatcher sat next to her. Jack sighed, 'This is not how William Thatcher should see his daughter's suitor.' he thought. Jack also noted three people that he recognized from the train.
Court was called to order shortly after that. Commissioner O'Keefe entered and everyone rose to their feet. Jack felt awkward as he stood there with a room full of people for his case, especially Mr. Thatcher.
Commissioner O'Keefe began proceedings and introduced himself as the acting judge for the court martial. William Thatcher sat stunned. He had no idea that Commissioner O'Keefe was overseeing the case. He now worried that his letter and donation in Jack's name could be seen as a bribe and began to fidget in his seat.
Elizabeth noted his discomfort and asked, "Are you ok?" she whispered.
"Yes, dear." William stated and then looked away quickly.
The case was underway as Maximillian Squires was introduced as the prosecutor. The man was tall and lanky in his posture; he was young and acted as though he had something to prove. He spoke with an edge in his tone and was purposely intimidating. "…I will prove that Mr. Thornton was blatant in his dereliction of his duty without a shadow of doubt!" Squires said as he slammed his hand on the table. Many people jumped at the sound, including Elizabeth.
It was then Mr. Hughes turn to state the defense's case. He stood, fixed his suit jacket and nodded to Jack before he began. "Commissioner, Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I will make this clear and concise. We are here due to the heroic actions of Constable Jack Thornton. His stellar record and character will be discussed and I have every bit of confidence that you will learn first-hand that he upholds the values of the Royal Northwest Mounted Police of integrity, honesty, professionalism, respect and accountability. Thank you."
"The court martial would like to call Constable Clayton Lowne to the witness stand." Hughes said. Clayton stood and walked up to the front and was sworn in. Clayton glanced at Jack but looked away quickly.
"Mr. Lowne, it is my understanding that you were given the assignment to escort Miss Elizabeth Thatcher from Coal Valley to Toronto. Is that correct?"
"Yes." Clayton responded.
"Was this a tough assignment or an enjoyable one?" Hughes asked.
"Objection! Where is this going?" Squires yelled.
"Sustained." The Commissioner said.
"Tell me about your assignment. What did it entail?" Hughes said.
"The assignment was to escort Miss Thatcher from Coal Valley to Toronto." Clayton said looking at her in the back of the room.
"Just escorting her? What was the point of you, a lawman, being with her?" Hughes asked firmly.
"To ensure her safety." Clayton said.
"Thank you! So, you left Coal Valley, rode about a day's ride and then what?" Hughes said.
"The stagecoach's wheel broke off. I knew there was a town just south of where we were so, I went to get it." Clayton said.
"Was Constable Thornton there yet?" Hughes asked.
"Not yet." Clayton said between gritted teeth.
"How long were you gone for?" Hughes asked.
"A few hours." Clayton said.
"That's not true!" Jack said from his seat.
"Constable Thornton! You are not on the stand. Quiet!" Commissioner O'Keefe said.
Jack nodded but was clearly annoyed that Clayton lied.
"How long were you gone for?" Hughes repeated. "Need I remind you that the lovely Miss Thatcher is present and can verify your story."
"A few hours." Clayton said.
"So you left your post or, your assignment, Elizabeth Thatcher, to get a wheel for the stagecoach. Is that correct?" Hughes asked.
"Yes but I knew where the town was so I thought I'd get it and return faster than the stagecoach driver." Clayton said.
"Who did you leave Miss Thatcher with to ensure her safety as you were assigned to do? The stagecoach driver is not a lawman who can ensure the safety of his passengers." Hughes said. "Surely you couldn't have left your post without another Mountie present to relieve you. As per rule number 28, section 4B which states, 'No constable is to leave his post without proper relief from another constable or a direct order to do so from a superior.' You're aware that it is one of the causes for dereliction of duty, aren't you? "
"No, Thornton had arrived by then!" Clayton said quickly.
"You just testified that he was not there yet. Which is it, Mr. Lowne? You need to keep your story straight." Hughes said.
"Objection, harassing the witness!" Squires yelled.
"Over ruled." The Commissioner said.
"It was a while ago, I guess my memory is not serving me so well." Clayton said touching his head. Jack looked at Clayton with disgust and so did Elizabeth and Mr. Thatcher.
Hughes looked at Clayton, "Mr. Lowne, it was only 2 weeks ago! I think you're feigning memory loss because you're well aware that you too could be facing the very same charge that Mr. Thornton is facing. Although, your dereliction of duty is for leaving your post without proper relief or direct orders from a superior."
"Objection, Constable Lowne is not on trial." Squires said.
"Not yet." Hughes said smugly.
"You wanted me to marry him?" Elizabeth whispered to her father.
William looked at her, "Your mother, dear. We didn't know better, but now we do! Boy do we know now!" Williams said.
Hughes proceeded to inquire about Clayton's return to Elizabeth, Jack's presence and the apprehension of the criminals on the train. Clayton stretched things here and there which drove Jack and Elizabeth crazy. "I have no further questions." Hughes said satisfied with the answers.
Squires, the prosecutor, stepped up "Constable Lowne, in what capacity did you know Miss Thatcher?" Squires asked.
"We previously courted in secondary school. Our families had decided they would fix us up again. The trip was not just to escort Elizabeth safely but in the hope that we would rekindle things." Clayton said.
"So you had feelings for her?" Squires said.
"I found her attractive of course. She's a very beautiful woman." Clayton said looking over at Elizabeth.
Jack hit Hughes arm, "Object to this!" he said.
"Let him dig his own grave." Hughes whispered back.
Elizabeth felt herself blushing and sat a little lower in the seat.
"So, when the wheel came off of the stagecoach you saw an opportunity to provide for her as a prospective suitor should, is that correct?" Squires stated arrogantly.
"Um…yes. I got back as soon as I could." Clayton said with a smile.
"What's a man to do but to provide for the woman he's courting?" Squires asked the jury with arrogance. "You told Mr. Thornton to leave when you arrived?"
"Yes but he insisted on staying. Thornton knew he was wrong because he sent a telegram at the Calgary train station stating that he was delayed. He knew he should have left." Lowne said.
"I have no further questions your honor." Squires said walking back to his seat. Jack was annoyed, this man was a jerk.
"You may step down. The Prosecution, Mr. Squires, will call the next witness." Commissioner O'Keefe stated.
Squires stood and looked around the room. He laid his eyes on Elizabeth, "I call Miss Elizabeth Thatcher to the stand."
"What? No!" Jack said to Hughes.