Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. All rights go to the actors, writers and creators of the show "When Calls The Heart".

To the readers: This story just made 100 reviews! You're all the best!

(16/07/2018)

CHAPTER 38

Jack had ridden his horse hard back to Hope Valley and had jumped on the stage the next morning. He had spoken to Abigail before he left and filled her in on everything that happened.

"Jack, what are you going to do?" she asked when he had finished speaking.

"I'm going to Hamilton tomorrow."

"And then?"

"I'm bringing Izzy home with me."

"Jack, her father won't let you by the sound of it."

"She's an adult. He can't force her to do anything. Especially if she's my wife."

"Your wife? Jack, are you and Izzy …"

Jack knew that Abigail already knew. "Yes?"

"Are you two … you know?" Abigail asked again.

"Are we what?" Jack asked with a smirk.

"Oh stop teasing me! Are you engaged?"

"Of course." Jack said waving her comment away like it was old news.

A broad smile covered Abigail's face and she enveloped Jack in a bug hug. "Congratulations Jack. I am so happy for you both. You better bring her back here as soon as possible, hopefully as your wife."

"That's the plan" Jack grinned at her.

"I wish we could see your wedding, but I understand the urgency with it. Legally, you will have more sway as her husband. Give Elizabeth a big hug from me, won't you?"

"That I can definitely do!"

After two more days of travel, Jack was in Hamilton and in a cab heading for the Thatcher residence. As they pulled up out the front, Jack's eyes were taking in his glamorous surroundings. The house was huge and beautiful. Large manicured gardens surrounded it. It was like a palace. Jack was flabbergasted. This is what William spoke about when he asked if I could provide for his daughter.

He knocked on the front door and a man opened it.

"I'm here to see Elizabeth please."

"I am sorry, Sir, but she is not accepting visitors at the moment."

"Can you tell her Constable Jack Thornton is here to see her? I will wait a moment while you speak to her."

"I am sorry but she has asked to not be disturbed."

"Okay, are you able to give Julie Thatcher a note for me please?"

"Certainly."

Jack scribbled on a piece of paper before handing it to him and returning to the cab. He took another glance up at the upstairs windows before telling the driver to leave.

Julie was sitting in the parlour with her mother and oldest sister taking tea when the butler knocked on the door.

"I have a letter for you, Miss Julie."

Julie eagerly went over to take it from his hands.

She opened it and quickly read it, before she folded it up again and with a big smile, excused herself from Grace and Viola's company. She raced upstairs to Elizabeth's room and knocked.

"Beth?"

"Julie?"

Julie heard the door unlock and Elizabeth opened it for her and she rushed in.

"Beth, Jack's here!"

"What? Right now?"

"No, he just left but he asked me to pass a message on to you. He's coming to get you tomorrow and take you home."

"Tomorrow? I'm just going to sneak out of here?"

Julie nodded enthusiastically

"Am I doing the right thing Jules?" Elizabeth asked her uncertainly.

"Yes, Beth you need to get out of here. We will pack your bags in the morning and I will sneak them out to Jack. Then I will take you into town a bit later."

"I have to say something to Father."

"No, Beth. He will figure it out and he will stop you from leaving."

"I can't just run away from my problems. I'm a Thatcher. I don't quit."

"You're not quitting. You said yourself that you have finished off your end of the bargain. It's Father that has backed out on his word. You can write to him when you get home."

"You're right."

"Of course I'm right. Now I just have to run into town on a quick errand and then I will be back to help you finish packing. Don't leave the room."

"Yes and don't you go on your own. If you run into Charles, who knows what he might do since you helped me the other day."

"Of course, don't worry about me."

Julie raced downstairs and called the driver around and asked him to quickly drive to one of Julie's favourite dress stores, Salon de Mode. She jumped out and raced inside. She had less than an hour to find Elizabeth the perfect dress.

Elizabeth's bruises had started to turn a more yellowy colour as they began to heal. She had packed most of her bags and now stood in front of her bathroom mirror, checking all of her bruises. The thought of going home tomorrow made her so excited but something didn't quite add up. The train they usually caught back to the junction normally left early in the morning and yet Julie hadn't talked about leaving until midday tomorrow. I'm sure I've just missed something silly.

Elizabeth couldn't wait to see Jack and get home to Abigail and the school children. She was looking forward to normal, where she could teach all day and walk down the school steps and find her Mountie waiting there to walk her home.

As Elizabeth was daydreaming there was a knock on the door.

"Beth? Its your father. May I speak to you?"

Elizabeth pushed her suitcases into her closet and shut it before opening her door and letting him in.

"How are you feeling?"

"Better, thank you."

"Beth, I wanted to let you know I had a visit from Henry and Charles Kensington today."

"What did they want?" Elizabeth said with an air of indifference.

"Henry was questioning my treatment of Charles within the company. He thought Charles should have a higher position of seniority within the company instead of a sales position. Apparently he would be better suited to management."

Elizabeth couldn't help but snigger.

"My thoughts exactly" William smiled at her. "When I said that I let Charles go due to his disrespect for my daughter, Henry was surprised. He didn't realise that the assault case that he paid to go away listed you as the victim. Charles sat there in front of me and insisted it was just a misunderstanding between him and his fiancé and he gave me a letter to give to you." William pulled the envelope out of his pocket. "Henry believes Charles is remorseful in regard to his actions and they want the engagement to stand."

"Father, you can't be serious? You saw what he did to me and we aren't even married. I'm not marrying him … it would be like signing my life away to the devil!"

"Please just read his note. I will wait to speak to you tomorrow night before I do anything more."

William got up to leave.

"Oh, Max showed me the numbers for the last month too. You really did an amazing job with those contracts. What I didn't realise is that you spread the future commissions across the office as well! You are an incredibly generous woman Beth."

"Well it didn't matter to me, as I won't be there."

"I want you to know that I set up a trust for you when you started the mill. I put all the mill profit in that account for you and it continually receives monthly contributions. I thought it might one day be a nice nest egg for when you got married to spend on yourself without your husband ever needing to know. You have done so well with the contracts over the past few months that I have decided to put a bonus in the trust fund for you as well."

"Father you shouldn't have done that" Elizabeth shook her head. I'm about to leave with Jack tomorrow and now my father hands me a trust fund! This is going to look bad! "I don't want that money Father."

"I know Charles is wealthy but …"

"Enough with Charles, Father! There will never be a 'me and Charles'! I am not marrying him. I am going to go home to Hope Valley as soon as I've recovered."

"You mean home to the Mountie?!"

"Yes!"

"You cannot marry him, Elizabeth!"

"Yes, I can."

"You will ruin us!" he said angrily.

"Then start telling the truth about what Charles did!"

"It is your word against his!"

"No, it is his lies against the honest account of myself, Julie, Jack, Tom, three hotel clerks and two other Mounties!" Elizabeth matched her fathers tone.

"Just read his letter and maybe you will see how sorry he is for letting his passion consume him" William stood up and moved towards the door.

Elizabeth was determined as ever. She was leaving tomorrow no matter what and she was never coming back to Hamilton.

"Fine, Father. I will try and understand" she said with as much compassion as she could muster. She waited until he left and threw the letter on her bed. She finished packing her bags and tried to work out how Julie and her were going to get three bags downstairs tomorrow without anyone noticing.

Her attention kept getting drawn back to the letter. At first she had been determined not to read it at all but now some part of her curiosity got the better of her. She grabbed the letter and ripped it open.

Dear Elizabeth,

I am deeply sorry for my behaviour the other night. Your overwhelming beauty and flirting led me to momentarily forgot all propriety. I was overcome with passion and I was acting out of desire. I thought you felt the same way.

I know we will have a satisfying life together. I can't wait until the day I make you my wife. I just hope you can forgive me for letting my instincts get the better of me.

I desperately want to marry you.

Charles

He had written it so that if her father had read it, it would have made it all appear to be a misunderstanding between the two of them rather than what it actually was. She balled the paper up in her hand and threw it in the trash basket.

I'm leaving tomorrow. I'm going to go home to Jack and Hope Valley and hope I never see Charles again!