Chapter 20: The Argument
Late in the afternoon, Jack walked over to the saloon to talk to Elizabeth, who usually stayed after school cleaning and getting ready for the next day. Jack had heard from some of the children about the confrontation between Rosemary and Elizabeth earlier that day. Jack opened the door to the saloon slowly and peaked in, worried that Elizabeth would be in a bad mood, as so often happened when she and Rosemary crossed paths.
Elizabeth looked up from her desk and tried to smile brightly for Jack. "Hello, Jack. How has your day been going?" Elizabeth said agreeably, blinking furiously through tear-filled eyes.
Jack replied compassionately, "I think I'm the one who needs to ask how you're doing. I heard about what happened this morning with Rosemary. I'm so sorry."
Elizabeth shrugged her shoulders and continued forcing a smile on her face.
Jack walked over to Elizabeth and pulled her up. "Elizabeth, I do plan to give you an engagement ring one day. But things have been happening so quickly, I just haven't had the time . . . ."
Elizabeth interrupted. "That's okay, Jack. I don't need a ring. Really – I'm fine." Elizabeth knew that Jack was saving for their future together and didn't want him to feel obligated to spend money on frivolous things.
"Elizabeth," Jack said, looking deeply into her eyes. "You deserve an engagement ring. I promise you, one day, you will have a beautiful one."
Elizabeth couldn't speak for fear of breaking out in sobs. She hugged Jack tightly so he wouldn't see her blinking furiously to prevent her tears from spilling out.
Jack continued. "I didn't realize Rosemary still had that ring. My father had a small life insurance policy that was paid out to me and my mom after he died. I used that money to buy the ring."
Elizabeth looked at Jack. "And you were too much of a gentleman to ask for it back after she broke off the engagement."
Jack nodded silently.
Elizabeth was not surprised. Elizabeth had come to expect that Jack would always act the part of the gentleman. Rosemary, on the hand . . . well, Elizabeth couldn't even say out loud the words she would use to describe that woman!
Jack was contrite. "The more I think about it, the more I'm afraid I acted rather foolishly back then. I'm trying to be more thoughtful as I get older."
Elizabeth replied gently. "Older and wiser, as they say."
Jack smiled. Then he turned serious again. "There's something else. Bill came to talk to me this morning. He is looking for investors to help him excavate what he believes is a silver mine a few miles south of here. It's all very hush-hush, though. No one knows about it except us and Abigail"
Elizabeth raised her eyebrows. "That's exciting!"
Jack nodded. "Actually, Bill asked if I wanted to invest in his venture, but I said no. I'm saving money for our house and for our future – I don't want to risk that."
Elizabeth nodded in agreement. "That makes sense."
Jack continued. "Bill suggested, though, that I ask your father about lending us money to invest in Bill's mine. I didn't think that was a good idea either, considering how suspicious your father was of my intentions at first."
Elizabeth frowned and said, "Yes, you're probably right about that too."
Jack felt better after telling all this to Elizabeth. "Good. I'm glad we both are in agreement about this."
Elizabeth smiled, and then had a thought. "Actually, I have an idea. My father gave me some money before we left Silverton. He said I could use it anyway I want. We could use that money to invest in the mine!"
Jack was confused. "What money? What are you talking about?"
Elizabeth replied a little sheepishly, "Well, my father sends me money from time to time. He gave me another envelope before I got into the stagecoach."
Jack took a few steps back from Elizabeth and breathed heavily. "Why didn't you tell me this?"
Now Elizabeth was confused. "Tell you what?"
Jack said forcefully, "I was the one protecting your stagecoach on the way back to Coal Valley. I should have known if there were valuables being transported."
Elizabeth's eyes got wide. "Oh, I didn't think of that."
Jack replied angrily, "I guess you're so used to getting money from your father that you didn't even think to tell me." Jack started pacing the floor. "You must think money grows on trees, it comes so easily to you."
Elizabeth was surprised and hurt. "I don't think that. I realize how lucky I am. It's not important to me, though. Usually I just use the money on supplies for the children. As I told my father, I don't need much here in Coal Valley."
Jack looked at Elizabeth coldly. "Money is unimportant only to people who haven't had to work hard for it."
Elizabeth felt like she had been struck. "What are you saying? Why are we arguing about this. Look, I'm sorry I didn't tell you about the money earlier. But Jack, what's mine is yours. You gave the town your award money for catching the Toliver gang. What's so different about me wanting to share my money with you."
Jack stared at Elizabeth. "Elizabeth, I don't want your money or your father's money. I intend to provide for the two of us on my own. A Mountie's salary is sufficient for a good, simple life – nothing extravagant. Do you understand that?!"
Elizabeth eyes filled with tears again. "Yes, I do. That's fine. That's perfect," Elizabeth whispered.
Jack walked away from Elizabeth towards the door. "It's fine for you to use your money for your students or for yourself, of course. I have to go now." Jack walked out without saying goodbye to Elizabeth. Jack mounted his horse and rode off.
At first, after Jack left, Elizabeth was too stunned to move. Then her legs felt weak, and she had to find a chair to sit down in. Elizabeth realized that she and Jack had just had their first major fight and she wasn't even sure what they had been fighting about!
Thinking about it, Elizabeth realized that Jack's pride was probably hurt, between not having gotten her an engagement ring yet, and not being able to invest in Bill's mining venture. Elizabeth knew there was little she could do to make things better, other than to try to be a comfort to Jack as best she could.
Jack rode out in the woods surrounding Coal Valley for a few hours to let off steam. It was dark by the time Jack trotted his horse back along the main street of Coal Valley.
As he passed Abigail's café, Jack glanced up at Elizabeth's bedroom window on the top floor. Jack noticed that the light in Elizabeth's room was flashing on and off at uneven intervals. "That's odd," Jack thought to himself. Jack stopped his horse and observed Elizabeth's window for a few minutes. Then a broad grin spread across Jack's face. Jack realized that the long and short flickering lights were spelling out the word "SORRY" in Morse code! "Very clever, Miss Thatcher," Jack thought to himself, chuckling.
Jack continued on to the jailhouse steps, and smiled appreciatively when he saw a bowl of cookies by the door and Elizabeth's heart necklace hanging from the doorknob. A note on top of the cookies read, "My necklace and cookies helped you out of an awkward situation once before – I hope they'll help me out of one now. I love you, Elizabeth."
Jack's heart melted. He glanced back over at Elizabeth's window and saw Elizabeth smiling through her window at him. Jack took a cookie from the bowl, held it up so Elizabeth could see it, and started eating it with a big grin. "I love you too," Jack thought to himself, realizing how true those words had become.