Elizabeth looked down at Rosemary sitting on the floor. "You know," she said smiling, "Hemming a dress is something that is so difficult by yourself and so easy with a friend."

Rosemary tutted and looked up. Mumbling precariously around the pins in her mouth, she said, "Only if you stand still and straighten up, Elizabeth." She shook her head. "Every time you stand up, the front of this dress rises by five inches."

Elizabeth giggled. "Blame Ty and Bernie," she said, standing up straight with her hands resting protectively on her stomach.

Hearing sounds over on the quilt nearby, both Elizabeth and Rosemary looked at Jack and Violet, playing happily. Jack was talking away, teaching Violet something of great importance. Rosemary and Elizabeth's eyes met and they smiled.

Rosemary bent to her task again. "I can't believe it's been two years since we did this the last time. And, if I do say so myself, these dresses we made for you when you were expecting Jack are holding up very well." She took the last of the pins out of her mouth. "There! That's pinned and ready for you to sew. Next one!"

On her way to the bedroom to change into the last of her maternity dresses, Elizabeth stopped off in the kitchen. "Do I have time for a cup of tea, Rosemary?"

Waving her hand, Rosemary nodded. "As much time as you want." She got up off the floor and stood up, stretching.

While the water boiled, Elizabeth walked around the living room. "This house is so lovely. It's so... you." She touched the fringe on a deep red lampshade, which matched the red pillows with fringe on the sofa.

Elizabeth laughed suddenly. "Do you remember when you first came to Coal Valley? You were so glamorous, and literally everything in your wardrobe was red. You mentioned to Dottie at church that all of the women in town seemed to be wearing red, and she told you that you'd started a trend. Did you happen to notice what color I was wearing that day?"

Rosemary smiled at her. "You were the first one I noticed, Elizabeth. You can't have forgotten... as crazy as it seems now, we were in some competition over Jack at that point. I hadn't yet figured out that I didn't have a chance with Jack once he'd set eyes on you."

Elizabeth smiled at her. "Do you know that was the only time I think I'd ever worn red since I left Hamilton? My preference has always been toward pastels; pinks, blues, lavender, beige. I love clothes like this," she said, touching the lovely light peach maternity dress she was wearing. "There was only one other time I wore a red dress. I borrowed it from you to go to Union City to hear Virginia Woolf speak when Lucas invited me. Do you remember?" Elizabeth heard the water boiling and she went to prepare her tea.

Rosemary nodded. "Very well. You looked stunning in that dress, Elizabeth. It was so different from your usual look, which is always also lovely. But the red was... I don't know, so big-city, so sophisticated..."

"It wasn't me," Elizabeth said simply. "Just like the red wasn't me at church that day. And though I loved hearing Virginia Woolf that night, I realized I was trying to be someone I wasn't. Someone I didn't even want to be."

Rosemary came into the kitchen and poured a cup of tea for herself. "I was probably a little more enthusiastic than I should have been about you going with Lucas. I was just so thrilled that you were getting out. Going on an actual date..."

"It wasn't a date, Rosemary, it was a reading." Elizabeth said, more forcefully than she intended. "I told Lucas that we were only friends. And Nathan... " Elizabeth sighed. "I hurt him so badly, and that was the last thing I wanted to do."

Rosemary raised an eyebrow. "It got him off the fence, didn't it? Seeing you and Nathan now, I'd say that was the most successful date ever."

"It wasn't a..." Elizabeth started.

Rosemary laughed. "Okay, fine, it wasn't a date. But Nathan thought it was, and that's all that matters."

Elizabeth smiled indulgently at her friend. "In any case, my point was, I realize now that I wore that red dress of yours because I was confused." She walked over and picked up her sky blue dress decorated with white embroidery and pleats down the front.

Holding it up, Elizabeth said, "This is me. Who I really am. The me that belongs with Nathan. Does any of this make sense?"

Rosemary stepped over to her and touched the light blue fabric of the dress she was holding. "Yes, perfect sense. And you're talking about something that is very close to my heart. I love clothes, Elizabeth, but not for superficial reasons, as some might think. I love them for the same reason I love the theatre. We present ourselves to the world by what we wear."

Taking her hand and leading her to the sofa, Rosemary said, "That night in Union City, you had a problem that most women would kill for. Two men who wanted you, and you had to choose."

Elizabeth laughed softly. "Well, I chose." She sighed. "And boy, was it the right one..." Elizabeth's eyes went soft.

"Okay, don't float away on me," Rosemary said, laughing. "And what did you tell me about when you finally told Nathan you loved him, you were wearing, what...?"

Laughing too, Elizabeth said, "A housedress with an apron, Jack on my hip, my hair a mess, and a spot of flour on my cheek." She raised her eyebrows. "Very glamorous!"

"It just goes to show that romance will find a way, no matter what the circumstances. And now, Lucas seems so happy with Julie," Rosemary leaned toward Elizabeth as if she were telling a secret. "Those two were thick as thieves last night. Can an announcement be far off?"

Elizabeth shook her head. "They are a very modern couple, Rosemary. Julie asked him out first. I don't think we can predict what will happen there. But just between us, Lucas is talking about coming to Hamilton when we go to the hospital. I think he may be planning to talk to Father."

"Another wedding!" Rosemary said, clapping her hands. "I just love this town!"

Elizabeth raised her eyebrows in warning. "As I said, there's no predicting what those two will do, so try not to be disappointed." Elizabeth stood and held the blue dress up in front of her. "Last one?"

Rosemary nodded as Elizabeth went to the bedroom to change. This one went much faster. Before she knew it Rosemary was done.

But Elizabeth didn't step down right away. She was gazing out of the window that looked over at the Grant farm. The view of her house from the Coulters' was quite beautiful with the pond, the meadow and the schoolhouse beyond. "Would you mind if I asked Carson to come out to take a picture of our house from here?" Elizabeth asked. "It's so pretty in the snow."

"Anytime," Rosemary said. "Oh! I forgot to show you this!" She helped Elizabeth down carefully from the short box she'd been standing on. "Carson brought this by the other day."

Rosemary took Elizabeth to a small table and picked up what looked like a stack of small photographs attached to each other on the left side. It was about four inches tall. Rosemary's eyes were sparkling. "He made us a movie!"

Rosemary picked up the stack and put her thumb on the right side. As she flipped the photos quickly, Elizabeth gasped. She was watching their roof being built. Each photo had been taken in order and as her eyes moved from one picture to the next, the structure rose into the air.

"Rosemary!" Elizabeth said, her mouth open. "How wonderful!" She watched it again and then she put her arm around her friend. "That was a good day."

"It was," Rosemary said softly.

Just then, the babies kicked, and Elizabeth wondered if she should let Rosemary know. It was so hard to watch the pain in her eyes, but Elizabeth also knew that Rosemary wanted to experience every minute of her joy. She reached over and took Rosemary's hand and put it on her stomach.

Rosemary's eyes went wide. "Oh my goodness!" she said, laughing. Rosemary's eyes glistened. "What does it feel like to you, Elizabeth? Can you tell me?"

Elizabeth reached up and smoothed Rosemary's hair affectionately. "I want to, but I never know if I should."

Frowning, Rosemary said, "Elizabeth. Let me say this once and for all. Would I love to have a child of my own? Of course." She led Elizabeth to the living room sofa and sat her down. "I also wanted to star on Broadway in A Skylark, but the part went to Hazel Cox. I would have been so much better, but whatever, they went in a different direction. Not so much ingenue as seasoned female lead..." Rosemary fluttered her hands, while Elizabeth stifled a smile. "In any case, life is full of disappointments. Things turn out differently than we think they will. But..."

Rosemary looked around her new house, warm and just exactly the way she had imagined it. She looked over at Violet, sitting up on the quilt and watching Jack build paddocks for all the tiny cloth horses. Then she looked back at Elizabeth and took her hand. "...but, oh my, I have so much that's good in my life. A loving husband, the best friends, so much joy, and for however long..." She looked back at Violet,"...the sweetest little girl to care for."

Elizabeth hugged her. "You're a wonder, Rosemary. I learn from you every day." Pulling back to look at her, Elizabeth said, "Nathan is going to talk to Lee about the four of us going to Brookfield."

Rosemary gasped and clasped Elizabeth's hands tightly. "Really? Won't that be some sort of conflict of interest or something for Nathan? I'm not complaining, because Lee will listen to him, but I thought..."

Elizabeth shrugged. "Well, officially, the Mountie assigned to the case is Gabriel Kinslow. Nathan has just been helping Gabe out. He's going to wire Gabe on Monday to see what his options are."

Excited, Rosemary said, "I know there's a hotel in Brookfield, but I thought I also saw a boarding house when we were there last year. I was thinking that we could get them rooms. And at the dress shop we have some old styles that we were going to donate to the charity shop, but I can take some to Frances..."

Elizabeth smiled. "Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves, Rosemary. First, Nathan needs to talk to Lee. Then we'll take it from there."

Rosemary took a deep breath and nodded, her lips pressed tightly together. "I think you know, Elizabeth, that patience is not my best feature."

Elizabeth laughed softly. "I recognize that in you because it's my challenge too."

Rosemary placed her hand on Elizabeth's stomach again, and looked into her eyes expectantly. "So, tell me what it feels like."

Elizabeth closed her eyes and smiled happily. "Sometimes it's just butterflies, little taps, as if they're rolling over or adjusting in their sleep, at other times, like they're trying to make more room for themselves in there, kicking their hands and feet out in frustration." She looked down and laughed, "And sometimes it's just indigestion."

Rosemary laughed too. "Well, of course it is! I'll never understand where everything that was already in there goes!"

Illustrating for her, Elizabeth used her hands to describe the process. "Lungs up, stomach over, heart sideways..." They both laughed.

"Oh, and I forgot to tell you," Elizabeth said. "The other day my class started asking me so many questions! It started innocently enough with Esther Sutherland, asking about how I can stretch so much when she hardly has room in her tummy for Thanksgiving dinner."

Rosemary made a face and said, "Awww, so sweet!"

Elizabeth nodded, "Yes, sweet, but it escalated from there and became a bit of a minefield. I don't feel it's my place to explain the birds and bees to other people's children, although I certainly can teach them biology. I'm talking with parents now about their wishes, and letting them know I can have Carson come into the class if need be. This can be a very valuable teaching moment if we handle it the right way. What I don't want to do is brush off their very real questions."

"What kind of questions did they ask?" Rosemary said, fascinated.

Elizabeth laughed. "Matty Simpson wanted to know how babies breathe in there, and he said his mother told him I might be having two babies, and when they talk to each other can I hear what they're saying?"

Laughing, Rosemary said, "Oh, Elizabeth. I wouldn't have your job for all the tea in China. Just the few times I've tried it, I've realized that it's both absolutely impossible and a monumental privilege. What did you say?"

Elizabeth shrugged. "That the babies get their air from me when I breathe, and that they haven't learned to talk yet." She laughed softly. "Sometimes the simplest answer works. I try not to get too complicated and just answer exactly the questions they ask. But I'm getting in over my head a bit on knowing how far to go."

"And what does Carson say about your... size?" Rosemary asked, wondering how delicate to be.

Now Elizabeth really laughed. "Rosemary, you never have to tread on eggshells with me. I know I'm getting huge. I have mirrors, you know." She looked down. "I can't believe I have over four months left to go. You're all going to need to pick me up with one of the cranes from the sawmill if this keeps up!"

"What am I getting from the sawmill?" Lee said, coming in the back door. He walked right over to the children and got down on the floor with them. "What's going on here? It looks like Mommy may need to make you some horsies too, sweetie," he said, kissing Violet and making her giggle.

Rosemary looked at Elizabeth and pretended to pout. "He used to walk in the door and come straight over and kiss me. Not any more... I've been replaced!"

Elizabeth laughed. "Don't take it too personally. Nathan does the same with Jack."

Lee rolled over onto his back and lifted Violet over him, nuzzling her stomach with his nose and making noises. Jack wanted to play, too, so he climbed up and started riding horsey. All three of them were laughing.

Elizabeth looked over at Rosemary and put her arm around her. Both of them gazed for a moment, smiling softly. Rosemary said, "It's beautiful, isn't it? Big, tough men reduced to jelly by the laughter of children."

She turned to Elizabeth and whispered, "No matter what happens with Violet, even if she goes back to Frances, we will stay in her life somehow. That's why I want to go to Brookfield. So I never have to lose her no matter how it turns out."

Elizabeth squeezed her hand. "I know that, Rosemary. And you're right."

"But more importantly," Rosemary continued softly, "There will always be children in this house, Elizabeth. I can't go back to the way we were, just the two of us. If it's not Violet, then we'll find a way to adopt. There are too many children who need homes." She looked at Lee. "And that man has far too much love in him for it to go to waste."

Elizabeth hugged her friend tightly. "And what about you? And all the love you have to give?"

Rosemary turned to her and nodded. "Well, yes, there's that, too."