Part 1: Chapter 30: 1887: Red Deer, Alberta,
Rushing to Winnipeg
"I think it is also safe to say that the good Lieutenant doesn't need to know about our deal, Archie," his boss added as he shook Archie's hands at the close of their meeting.
Archie rolled his eyes as he left.
Archie felt like he had made a deal with the devil just now, but he couldn't quite shake that he had no other choice. Being related to his father and then his brother had made it hard for him in Ireland, despite not being involved in their major vices and having a cheerful disposition, no one trusted him once they learned of his relation, especially where Seamus was concerned. He had gotten tired of the fearful looks they would give him if they dropped something loudly in his presence. Entire families would cross the street to avoid his presence. Men would walk with protective arms around their women and children, but they would make sure to avoid eye-contact if Archie caught them staring, and these were the people he had grown up with! All of them knew of Mr. Grant's problems, and how he treated his family. How Mrs. Grant was the sweetest, softest, woman in the county (Archie would always put all good credit on his own upbringing to his mother; she had been the bright spot of his days). They had all heard Archie complain about his father and his brother. How he didn't want to turn into them. So, if the people in his own home couldn't separate the knowledge of Seamus' personality with that of Archie's, there was no way the tiny minded people in Red Deer would be more accepting of him. They would hear that Seamus was in the mob and think it was a family business (it obviously wasn't. Archie's father couldn't pick a lock to save his life, and if he had been into criminal acts they wouldn't have been as poor as they were). No, his father was a drinker, a gambler, and an angry man, but he wasn't a criminal.
Neither was Archie as evidenced by the Lieutenant telling him off for where to save Ed's winnings. But rumors were always a wildfire-easy to start, long lasting, and the damage is irreparable in one's lifetime. He knew that this was the best way to protect his family at the moment.
Archie felt that the more the brothers stayed in town, the longer they interacted with Red Deer proprietors, the more evil those same men became. His boss would never have threatened his reputation before they came in. The brothers played to each proprietor's vices. His boss' vice was greed, needing to make more money at any expense. They must have told him how they do it, and his boss has started to emulate that behavior. Archie could only pray that they would hire managers and leave soon enough. Or even better, think that Red Deer wasn't a good place for the saloon after all and just give up the business entirely.
Ophelia had been right about them the entire time. She had been right to worry.
Archie sighed as he pulled his hand through his hair before walking to the fort.
Surprisingly, it was James he saw at the gate first.
"Archie?" James asked, sensing his struggle.
"I've managed to barter three weeks of time off," Archie said simply.
"Barter? What was the exchange?" James asked.
"More time worked," Archie replied.
James raised a skeptical eye-brow in return.
"Archie?" James started to ask.
"The when and how wasn't discussed in detail. Just know that I felt it's necessary," Archie said firmly before crossing his arms. "It made it so I can still have me job."
James gave him a once over, sensing that something was off, knowing Archie wasn't telling the entire truth.
"Archie, is this something you will be able to live with when you come back?" James asked again.
"I'll have ta," Archie shrugged.
"Those are usually words that I hear from my soldiers right before we have to kill men in a battle. We think we can handle it. Many can't. I will ask you again, and I want you to seriously consider the answer to the question. Archie, is whatever you agreed to do something you can live with?" James emphasized.
Archie took the time James had asked and seriously thought about what this would do to him and his family. But the alternative was also bad.
"I pray so, but I think it's necessary," Archie said.
James sighed in frustration at that answer. He could tell Archie wasn't lying about his hopes, but he also could tell that Archie didn't think it would be good for him. Which meant it had to do with his gambling addiction. James had to think about what Archie's boss could possibly have over him that would make Archie think that taking up gambling for 120 hours was the better option when he knew that gambling was a problem for him. But he couldn't think of anything of significance as of yet.
"Archie, please know that I can help you," James added, stopping the man to look into his eyes.
Archie's lake blue eyes met James' grey ones as he looked up. James watched Archie struggle, then he looked down.
"I'll be fine," Archie said firmly.
James just nodded once then let them continue towards his yard. James knew that while Archie would be praying to manage this barter to the best of his abilities, James would be praying that Archie would come to his senses and tell him about the blackmail before his gambling became the bigger problem.
The men walked the rest of the way in silence and didn't speak until both were cleaned and inside the Normandeaus' parlor again where Edith, Ophelia, and Nate were all sitting waiting for their return. Edith had a notepad on hand with several checklists going. Ophelia was looking at her in a bit of admiration and fear.
"Well, how did things go?" Edith asked.
"I managed to get three weeks time off," Archie said simply.
Ophelia gave him the same look that James had at the fort gate.
"Oh, good!" Edith said.
"What is he asking in return?" Ophelia asked, looking intently at her husband with a small glare.
"That I make up the time," Archie admitted.
Ophelia glared at him.
"How?" Ophelia asked.
"That wasn't discussed in much detail," Archie explained.
"Archie, I don't like this," Ophelia said, as she shook her head.
"Neither do I, but that was the only way to get the leave and keep me job," Archie said firmly.
Ophelia gave him a long inquiring look, but Archie knew that if he told Ophelia about the blackmail then it would go straight to Edith who would obviously tell her husband. He didn't know what the repercussions would be on his end if the Mounties were ordered to investigate his boss, but Archie imagined that they wouldn't be pleasant. Ophelia could see that Archie wouldn't say anything more on the subject at this time so she just nodded and turned back towards Edith.
"Looks like you've been busy yerself," Archie commented as he pointed to Edith.
Ophelia shook her head.
"She has. Edith has a to-do list for every scenario she could think of. I just kind of sat here and made sure Nate was entertained," Ophelia said as she smiled at her son who was playing with the toy soldiers on the floor.
"That is a VERY important job," Edith's eyes twinkled as she looked between the mother and son.
"I don't feel like I've helped much," Ophelia said with a shrug.
"To be fair, James has rubbed off on me a bit. Be prepared for everything. He's always been that way, but that has helped in a lot of situations over the years. We've also moved around a lot. I know exactly which things I need to go with us, who goes ahead to the stopping points. This one is a bit different since we are traveling with another family, but I've thought about how to include Archie, how not to include Archie, all those things," Edith said as she showed off her long and, apparently, color-coded lists.
Archie raised an eyebrow at Edith and looked at Ophelia.
"This is why I feel like I haven't done much," Ophelia said.
"So, how are we goin' about this, then?" Archie asked.
"You all will go to Winnipeg on the train. It will take less time, and you can get settled and take care of Wilma while I am still traveling in the carriage," Edith said.
"Ya can't travel all the way to Winnipeg without protection in just a carriage," Archie pointed out.
"That's where my connections come in. While I was in the fort, I got news of two transfers for Mounties and two new Mounties coming in to train," James added. "Constable Jilot is being transferred to Montreal, and Constable Andrews is being transferred to Ontario. Both are willing to help escort the carriage and Constable Jilot's own family on their way."
"Oh Constable Jilot is leaving? We will miss him, he is a good man," Ophelia said.
James nodded in agreement.
"How can you leave for so long without needing to train the new Mounties?" Ophelia asked.
"Because I rarely take time off. I am also leaving Second Lieutenant Borsch in charge of the soldiers. Constable Wiggins and Constable Mescer are in charge of training the new men. They will be partnered with someone until I can get back," James replied.
"Rachel, Sally, and Molly are already packing the things you've left here, with the exception of what has already been used or is in the cleaning room. So that you have them when you are ready. You'll need to pack some of your things at home of course, but that shouldn't be too hard. Oh, who is taking care of their animals?" Edith asked as she looked down at the blue checklist which had Archie coming with them.
"Constable Wiggins and his partner," James said.
Edith smiled and checked that off.
The group discussed the trip in detail until it was time to go collect Colleen from the school. James and Archie had attached the Normandeaus' larger wagon to General to get their trunks packed and placed so that they could add the things from home. James would be leaving General with the Grant family that night so that he could pull the other luggage and the family the next day when they were set to go. James led the larger wagon out to the school house, with Ophelia, Nate, and Archie on the bench behind him.
A good chunk of Red Deer was waiting for Ms. Fletcher to release her students. Constable Jilot was there with his wife, expecting to have to tell their son and his teacher about their new posting. Sirius the dog was sitting nicely next to him. Nate waved in greeting. Constable Wiggins was standing next to a new Mountie just out of training. The new man looked even more cocky than Wiggins had when he had arrived. Wiggins was NOT happy about the partnership, but he was also going to be making detailed notes about this new man's work.
James parked the wagon. Then helped Nate and Ophelia down to the ground as Archie climbed down himself. Once Nate was down on the ground, Sirius came over to play. The two were chasing each other around the grass next to the school house. Finally, when Nate was too nervous around what he observed to be an increase of people, he rejoined his family and waited for Colleen to come out of the schoolhouse.
Constable Wiggins was introducing the new Mountie to the curious people around them.
Apparently, the new Mountie wanted to be on a first name basis with his Lieutenant and asked to be introduced. Wiggins gave him a glare, but walked him over.
"Lieutenant Normandeau, this is Constable Wurthers. Constable Wurthers, Lieutenant James Normandeau," Wiggins introduced.
The constable stuck out his hand. James glared at him.
"You need to salute, Mountie," Wiggins whispered.
Wurthers went into a half salute; not at all regulation.
"They let you graduate with this kind of laziness?" James asked in wonder. "I expect your behavior to sharpen up, boy! Or you will no longer be a Mountie."
The people of Red Deer chuckled and Wurthers blushed.
"Sir, I wanted to introduce myself, before you go. We have similar acquaintances. The Nortons," Wurthers said.
"Ah. The Nortons are very influential people in Hamilton and New York. But know that out here in the west, it is your own merits that make or break a person, especially in my fort," James added with a stern look.
James felt something hit the back of his knee, and he looked down. Nate and Sirius were playing again. He smiled down at them.
"Sorry, Uncle Norman," Nate said.
"Nothing to be sorry about, Nate," James smiled and patted his head.
Sirius was eyeing Wurthers with a death glare.
"Is this one of our dogs, sir?" Wurthers asked as he reached down.
Sirius growled a warning his hackles raised, and he put himself between Nate and the new man.
"It is," James said as he watched the interaction between the dog and the new man. He would have to see how this developed. Sirius had never openly growled at a Mountie or any of the soldiers before. He glared at them all the time, but that was because the dog was smarter than a lot of them. This was a first. James also looked over at General. General was in war horse mode and was watching the man carefully. James knew that he would need to talk to Wiggins about taking VERY detailed notes about Wurthers behavior and work.
He made eye contact with Wiggins once Wurthers had moved onto flirt with an older sister of one of the students in Ms. Fletcher's class. A girl who couldn't have been older than 16. The man was openly leering at her, and while he couldn't say much about significant age difference relationships because he was Edith's elder by almost nine years, James was still uncomfortable with the way he was looking at this girl. James gave Wiggins a look. Wiggins nodded in understanding back, and then led Wurthers to the outskirts to observe everything.
Finally, Ms. Fletcher's class was coming out of the doors. The Grants were closer to the steps so that they would be able to speak with Ms. Fletcher about Colleen's missing work. They kindly let the Jilot family speak to her first. While the family was waiting, Archie and Ophelia were catching Colleen up on what happened and the trip to Winnipeg to see the family there. Colleen nodded as she understood how important the trip was.
When the Jilot family left, the Grants entered. Archie was carrying Colleen, while Ophelia was carrying Nate.
"Ms. Fletcher," Archie took off his hat in greeting.
"Yes?" she looked up at the family in annoyance.
"My mother is very ill. We are having to travel to Winnipeg for a few weeks. We are hoping to get Colleen's missing school work," Ophelia said simply.
Ms. Fletcher turned her icy-stare to Ophelia. Ophelia met it back.
"How long is she going to be gone?"
"At least three weeks," Ophelia said.
"At LEAST? You can't give it a more definitive answer?" Ms. Fletcher growled back.
"I'm afraid not. Archie has to be back by then, but we might not be," Ophelia added.
"When are you leaving?" Ms. Fletcher asked.
"Tomorrow morning," Ophelia added.
Ms. Fletcher sighed and muttered under her breath about not giving her enough time. She began collecting materials for the class Colleen was in, but didn't write down a single instruction, nor did she verbalize any of it. Archie put Nate down on the ground so that he could carry Colleen's pile of books more easily.
They were walking out of the school house when a loud whizzing was heard, followed by a loud bang that shook the building. There was a cacophony of noise. There were a lot of terrified horses. When they walked outside they found the horses and wagons that families rode on and were in a melee of fear because a boy had set off a firework. The only animals who were sitting calmly were Sirius and General. Both were next to the Normandeau wagon looking at the frightened animals and people in annoyance. James had his arms crossed in annoyance as well, but he was looking at Constable Wurthers who had ducked and covered at Constable Wiggins feet.
"James, do you have to sort this out?" Ophelia asked as they approached the wagon.
"No, I am officially off duty, hence no uniform. I am not very happy with this new Mountie, though," James said as he helped the Grants into the wagon.
"Why not?" Colleen asked.
"His ethics and behavior are sloppy. Mounties and soldiers are not supposed to be startled by loud noises like that," James glared at the still cowering man.
"Don't you get afraid, though?" Colleen asked.
"I do. When it first happens. But we are the ones responsible to protect the others. We need to determine if it is safe or was a firecracker that went off wrong, he should be up by now," James said as he drove the wagon onto the road where the Grants lived.
When they reached the house, Archie and James began to pull the trunks that Edith had their items from the Normandeau house to add to it. These were placed just inside the entrance so that it would be easier for Archie to carry in the morning. Then, Ophelia, Nate, and Colleen went about doing the garden chores and getting the animals settled for the night. Nate was feeding the chickens, while Colleen was walking across the tops of the fence post. Ophelia was gardening the vegetables that she could.
There was a lot that would go to waste.
James showed Archie how to attach General to the massive wagon, just before taking General to the Grant yard to get him settled. While he was doing that, Galileo was being saddled for James to ride him back into town so that he could get the train tickets for the next day.
"You better be on your best behavior!" James admonished General, giving him a stern look in his eyes. General just gave him a look of innocence back. "I mean it, General! If I find you've been party to the children getting into trouble, no carrots for you for a month!"
Ophelia and Archie laughed at him with this empty threat.
"Ya do know that would mean ya can't see Nate in that month," Archie said, as he pointed to his son already giving General a carrot.
"Edith might have more words to say if she can't see him for an entire week, let alone a month," Ophelia smirked.
"That is true, and I don't think it will sit well with me either," James admitted with a whisper. "But I know my horse too well."
James said as he stroked General's nose in affection. James tried to lead General into the stall Archie had cleared, but General dug his hooves into the ground and refused to move.
General looked at Nate whose pockets were brimming with Ophelia's garden vegetables.
James sighed, and then let him be.
"Let me know if he causes any problems," James said as he mounted Galileo.
"Are ya kiddin'? He's Nate's babysitter while we pack," Archie laughed.
"That is what I'm worried about! Good night and see you tomorrow," James said as he took off at a canter on Galileo. As he was riding away, James had to admit that it felt weird for him to be lower to the ground as he was riding. Galileo was a good sure-footed horse, but General could easily out-strip him in any race.
General was Nate's babysitter while the family packed, which meant that once Colleen was packed she was also with Nate and General in the backyard. General was actually a decent babysitter. He made sure Nate and Colleen stayed entertained in the backyard and that neither of them ran off in boredom or curiosity. When it was time to put General in the barn so that the family could eat and go to an early bed, General was compliant.
"Daddy, I help," Nate said firmly as he followed his father into their barn.
"Oh, ya want to help?" Archie said as he picked up Nate.
Nate gave him a big smile and nodded. General stopped just outside of the stall to be brushed down. Archie gave Nate one brush and held Nate up so that he could reach. Archie grabbed another brush and used his ams to reach where Nate couldn't.
"General, yer a much bigger horse than I'm used to brushing," Archie said as he had to stand on tiptoe to reach some spots. General preened at the comment.
Nate was humming a song as he brushed.
Archie heard it. Then started singing The Battle of Armagh in Irish.
Nate started the words in Irish as well.
They sang it as they walked into the house. Colleen took to it as well. Ophelia shook her head, because she didn't understand a word they were saying.
"Archie, do you think you want to teach them Irish? How to read and write it?" Ophelia asked.
"Can we, Daddy?" Colleen asked in eager anticipation.
"I don't see how it would hurt. It's been awhile since I've read it or wrote it meself," Archie said.
"If you don't use it, you lose it," Colleen said knowledgably.
"True, but how would ya know that?" Archie asked back.
"Auntie Norman says so. When I asked about her languages and her drawing," Colleen added.
The Grants nodded and ate their dinner with happy thoughts.
The next morning, very early, Archie was getting General ready and attaching him to the wagon. General seemed more awake than he was. But he didn't give Archie any trouble. Then Archie started loading the wagon with their trunks. Ophelia soon came out holding Nate and Colleen in her arms.
"There's a bag of snacks and sandwiches, will you get them, please?" Ophelia whispered.
Archie nodded and quickly ran inside to get the bag. While inside, he did a double-check of the house and made sure everything was locked and shut tightly. Then did the same with the barn. Ophelia had managed to put Nate down on the bench behind the driver's bench. Nate was sleeping heavily and sucking his thumb while holding his toy horse Galileo. Archie helped Ophelia and Colleen into the wagon.
"Mama? Why couldn't we have stayed with Auntie Norman? It would have made our morning so much easier," Colleen grumbled sleepily against her mother's chest.
"We had to pack," Ophelia whispered as she held Colleen close. "Just try and go back to sleep."
The Grants pulled outside of the Red Deer train station just before 6 a.m. and saw James standing there with Constable Jilot next to him. James had several papers in his hand.
"Good morning," James greeted.
Nate smiled with his bed head.
"It would've been better at a different hour," Colleen glared through a tired eye in her mother's lap.
The adults laughed at her.
"I hope General was okay for all of you?" James said as he stroked General's nose.
"He's always good," Nate said as he stood and hopped over the bench seat to pat what he could reach of General.
General gave James a look of satisfaction.
"Well, you have Nate fooled then," James teased his horse back.
General glared at him.
"General was fine," Archie said.
James smiled in relief.
"Let's get your luggage out, and get you on the platform," James said to the family as he helped them down and the men helped get the luggage out. A porter had also pulled out with a trolley to move the luggage down the platform.
"Where are you seated?" the porter asked as he went about labeling the luggage.
"Cabins 3 and 4," James responded.
"Where to?" the porter asked.
"Winnipeg," James replied.
"We'll get these stored and put away for you, until Winnipeg that is," the porter said as he gave the luggage tags to James.
"Cabins?" Ophelia asked, looking at him.
"Yes, cabins. Edith and I are paying for everything, remember?" James raised his eyebrow back.
"Sir, you should probably say good-bye to General if you want to get on the train in time," Jilot added, knowing his boss very well.
"That's true," James said as he picked up Nate and brought him to General, who would be helping pull Edith's carriage in a few days.
"Bye, General," Nate said as he hugged General's long nose.
General whinnied back.
"Best behavior," James glared again.
General nodded once.
"See you, soon, General," Nate said as he waved good-bye from James' arms.
This is a rather fast turn-around for me, but part of that was because of how I ended the last chapter. I also had time in the afternoon to write! Not normal for me. Let me know what you think.
Thanks for the positive reviews.
