Chapter Twenty-eight
First Night, First Light, First Dance on Their First Day
As Nathan and Elizabeth drove up to their new home, they realized the lights were on and they could see flickering light from the fireplace when they stepped onto the porch. Unbeknownst to them, Lee and Rosemary had briefly left the reception to warm the house, bring some food items and make it welcoming by turning on some lights.
Nathan stopped outside the door, reached to open it and swept Elizabeth into his arms to carry her over the threshold.
"Oh!" she cried.
"We have to make it official now. This, Mrs. Grant is our home! Oh, did you notice outside?" Nathan carried her outside again and nodded to the sign he had carved.
"'The Grants.' Nathan that is just perfect! Thank you. I love being a Grant. Now let's get back inside and keep the warmth in!"
They re-entered and Nathan helped her stand again, pulling her into an embrace and a passionate kiss. "I have been waiting all night for this!" He grinned and kissed his wife again.
After they caught their breath, Elizabeth questioned, "Are you hungry, Nathan? I was too excited to eat much before the ceremony and Rosemary said there is some food here for us. Interested?"
"Sure, a little energy would be a good thing." He winked at Elizabeth.
"Nathan!" She swatted his arm and laughed, turning towards the kitchen.
"Do you want to take off your flowers? By the way, you look beautiful tonight! You know I love this dress and the flowers are stunning. I didn't have time to say anything, but I did notice you are wearing Colleen's necklace. Did Allie give that to you? She showed me that she was wearing your diamond necklace!"
"Yes, Honey, she did. It was my 'borrowed.' The 'blue' was the embroidery on the handkerchief Mom gave me and the 'old' are these combs that Fiona lent me and the 'new…' Nathan! I haven't even thanked you for my charm bracelet! It is beautiful! I opened it with the ladies after we got our hair styled and was so surprised. Thank you for this, Nathan." Elizabeth jangled the bracelet. "It means so much to me. I think I figured out all the charms, but my favorite is the locket and the message. You are so thoughtful and romantic! What a privilege that you have chosen me to be your life-long-love. I love you so much." Elizabeth wrapped her arms around Nathan and they kissed again, further delaying their snack!
Eventually she put the kettle on to boil as Nathan prepared the teapot and dishes. Together they stared into the icebox in search of snacks. "Oh," Nathan remembered the cake stand and lifted the cover. "How about these? Yummy! I had two this morning for breakfast."
"That's perfect, let's have those with our tea by the fire." Elizabeth struggled with the pins in her wreath, so Nathan came and gently removed them for her. He lifted the wreath and carefully set it on the counter, before turning back to her.
Elizabeth was watching him and smiling. "I can tell you have a daughter. You are so sweet and gentle with these beautiful treasures! You know, I am thinking of letting the wreath dry and hanging it somewhere. Maybe above our bed? What do you think?"
"Sounds lovely to me… and the kettle sounds as though it is boiling!"
They settled in front of the fire and snuggled together as they sipped their tea and munched on the pastries. For a brief time, they discussed the ceremony, their vows and the adoption! They remained incredulous and decided that they would have Bill over for dinner soon after their return to get all the details.
As the embers were burning low, Nathan suddenly realized he hadn't started a fire in the bedroom. Rising, he headed to the hallway but could see Lee had thought of that as well. There was a lovely fire that had already taken off the chill!
Nathan returned to stand before his bride. "Shall we retire for the night, Mrs. Grant?"
Elizabeth nodded and watched as he turned off the sconces, locked the door, checked the kitchen and returned to her. He reached out his hands, pulled her up and they walked together into their bedroom.
Nathan shed his suitcoat and hung it in the closet. Elizabeth just watched. "Come here," she said quietly. "Let me do this for you, my husband?" She unbuttoned his waistcoat, removed his tie and unbuttoned his shirt and suspenders. He let her turn him so she could remove the items.
His thoughts were simmering.
"Sit in the chair, please?" She knelt before him and untied his shoelaces, then removed his shoes and socks.
Elizabeth then stood, turned and walked to the dresser, looking into the mirror above. She had only begun to loosen the hairpins, when Nathan was behind her to help. They found them all and he unwound her braids to let her hair free. He sank his face into the sweetly scented softness as he reached his arms around her waist, pulling her towards him.
Elizabeth placed her arms over his and closed her eyes for a time. "Will you help me with the buttons, my love?"
Nathan couldn't speak, but did as she requested, opening the back of her dress, then loosening the stays on the corset. He kissed her neck and sent shivers down her spine. Elizabeth turned to him and soon they were in each other's arms, as husband and wife, in their marriage bed.
After their passion waned, they laid side-by-side with Elizabeth's head on Nathan's arm. They whispered words of love and adoration. Nathan led them in a prayer of thanksgiving for each other, their love and their joy.
As the embers dimmed, Elizabeth looked up and noticed the fabric drape and flowers. "Did Rosemary do this, Nathan? We must thank her. It is beautiful."
"No, I did, with Allie's help. We decorated this morning as a surprise!"
"You did this? It was your idea, Nathan? You continue to amaze me! I will definitely be surprised when I see it in the daylight!" Elizabeth rolled over and leaned on Nathan's chest to kiss him. Gradually, they began to breathe in tandem and fell asleep, at peace in their embrace.
At first light, Nathan awoke and watched his bride sleep. He was afraid to move even though his arm was numb under her head. When she stirred, he moved his arm and she opened her eyes. Nathan extracted his arm and rolled onto his side to look at his Lizabeth.
She opened her eyes fully and giggled. "My hair must be a mess!"
"You, and your hair, are perfectly beautiful, my bride. Oh, how I love you!" He leaned over her to kiss her gently, but Elizabeth responded with deepening passion.
Later, after they dressed in their traveling clothes, Nathan brushed his hair in front of the bathroom mirror. Elizabeth stood behind, wrapping her arms around him and leaning her face against his back. "How is it that I have no shame, no shyness at all? I feel so completely free and loved, accepted and one with you?"
Nathan stopped, set down the brush and turned in her arms to face her. "Because you are, my bride. Free. Loved. Accepted. And we are one." They kissed slowly and tenderly until Nathan broke away. "Lizabeth, my love, we have a train to catch, so we need to have breakfast and get to the station!" He kissed the top of her head and laughingly said, "Stop distracting me!"
Once on the train, Nathan was pleased with the honeymoon sleeping arrangement. The bedroom was adequate for two people, and the built-in sofa under the windows slid out and legs pulled down to make a full mattress. Tucked below were drawers and next to the sofa was a narrow bookcase with closed doors below. Next to the curtained door to the toilet room, was a rack for hanging clothing and in the water closet was a tiny sink with a mirror above. A narrow drop-leaf-table could be pulled from the corridor side of the room to the sofa so they could enjoy their breakfasts without leaving their compartment. Nathan was surprised to see a floral arrangement and bowl of fruit on the table and wondered if this was common practice. He told himself to remember to thank the conductor later.
They unpacked and decided to take a tour of the train, the dining car, drawing rooms and observation cars, then return to have their private picnic in their bedroom at lunch.
As they walked back to their sleeping car, the conductor approached them, welcoming them aboard in general terms.
Nathan responded, "Thank you, Sir. I believe our accommodations are exactly as I hoped. Thank you."
"Well, Inspector and Mrs. Grant, we are so glad you are joining us on this journey."
Both Nathan and Elizabeth looked shocked, but Nathan was the first to speak. "Sir? How is it you know our names and my occupation? I don't believe I mentioned my work when I purchased the tickets? Plus, I am not in uniform!"
"Oh Inspector, I am sorry. I thought you knew. A gentleman called and insisted he wanted to upgrade your tickets. Since they were already purchased for the honeymoon compartment, the ticket master offered to add some perks to accommodate his request. The final decision was to refund your payment and allow the gentleman to pay entirely by himself."
Nathan and Elizabeth's eyes grew wide. "And that gentleman is?"
"I am sorry Inspector, but if you don't already know, I am not at liberty to share that information. He was very formal and sounded very important though. He was the one to tell us about your title, Sir."
"Can you tell me if this gentleman was in Hope Valley or in Hamilton, our destination?"
"I am afraid I cannot as that would reveal too much. I am sorry."
"Oh, okay. I was planning to thank you for the fruit and flowers on our table. Are they part of this upgrade?"
"Fruit no, flowers yes. I also just left a menu and meal schedule for you so you can plan your meals. I do know you are recently married, so you may slide your preferences into the file holder outside your door and I will leave your trays in front of your door." The conductor bowed slightly. "Please ring the butler's bell pull in your cabin as I am at your service. Let me know if there is anything you need? Oh, and do you prefer coffee or tea?"
Nathan looked at Elizabeth and answered, "Coffee in the morning and tea the rest of the day, please?"
Elizabeth agreed, then mentioned, "Yes. We would like to enjoy our picnic lunch in our compartment with tea, but might enjoy the dining car for dinner? If that's okay, Nathan?"
"Of course, Elizabeth." Turning back to the conductor, "Sir, could we forgo the formality, please? My name is Nathan and my wife's name…" Nathan paused and smiled, "My wife is Elizabeth. How should we address you?"
"Conductor James, Sir, I mean Nathan."
"Conductor James. Is James your given name or surname?"
"My surname. My given name is Benjamin. Ben." Although he confessed this information, the conductor was looking increasingly uncomfortable.
"Well, Ben, thank you in advance for your service. You may bring the tea anytime now, just knock when you leave it, please? Thank you."
"Of course, Nathan, Elizabeth." Ben James was really liking this couple. Maybe the informality was okay? They were kind, friendly and without pretense. He knew he would enjoy serving them!
Back in their compartment, Nathan and Elizabeth closed the door and laughed together. "Put on your Investigator hat, Nathan, you have a mystery to solve!"
Nathan grinned. "I must be a magnet. Detective work follows me everywhere!" He shook his head. "Do you think our mystery man is your father?"
"That is my first thought. We won't be able to resolve that question for a couple days though so let's forget about it and enjoy each other!" Elizabeth threw herself against Nathan just as the train lurched.
"Ooaff!" Nathan grunted trying to catch his balance. It was a hopeless effort and they ended up in a heap on the sofa, in a fit of laughter.
"You are far less reserved than I expected, Mrs. Grant. But I like this new facet of who you are… 'Surprising Elizabeth!' Hmmm, I could get used to this!" Nathan gave her a flirty look to see if she got his joke.
She rolled her eyes and grinned. "Allie should be here to hear that comment. 'Getting used to surprising Elizabeth!' Right."
"Come over here and give me a kiss?"
"Mmmm! Gladly, my husband…"
Nathan broke from their kisses, "Lizabeth, I still have some things to give you. With all the excitement of the adoption added to the wedding, I forgot." He moved to his largest piece of luggage and retrieved a few packages, gift-wrapped with blue ribbons, and returned to the sofa. "These are for you, my bride."
"Oh, Nathan. How sweet! I haven't given you your groom's gifts yet either! I guess we had other things on our minds?" She tantalized him with her words and a flirty glance, but Nathan laughed and pointed to the gifts in her lap.
Opening one of the boxes, Elizabeth found a beautifully embossed, leather journal, wrapped in a leather band. She ran her finders over the deep Celtic knot patterns. Opening to the first page, she read, 'To Elizabeth, the love of my life. May your days ahead give you joyful memories to record, thoughtful insights to ponder and loving lists of things for which you are thankful. I love you with all my heart and hope someday you will be able to share with me from these pages. Yours today and always, Nathan'
"Oh, Nathan! This is lovely. Thank you so much, I am sure it will be easy to fill this volume as your wife."
"Here, this one next." Nathan handed her a narrow box.
Elizabeth loosened the bow and unwrapped the box, lifting out a beautiful, blue fountain pen encircled by a mother-of-pearl ring. "This is gorgeous! Almost too beautiful to use, Nathan! I will though. Thank you, my love." She reached up and kissed Nathan's cheek.
"You are welcome. There is more though." Nathan handed her the largest box, slightly mushed from being crushed in his suitcase. "Sorry it is not in pristine condition, but the contents will be fine!" He watched her closely as she unwrapped a sapphire blue, silk negligee with cutwork embroidery. He looked from her face to the gift and back to her face. She was silent and he was worried. "Do you like it, Lizabeth?"
Elizabeth raised tearful eyes to his as she held it up to her face as if kissing the fabric. "Nathan, I love it. Such a beautiful, intimate gift from my sweet husband. I will wear it tonight!"
"Whew! You had me worried for a moment. There is a matching robe in the bottom drawer of my dresser. I didn't want to bring it since we won't be in our bedclothes with your family I am guessing. You will need the robe at home though… for the children, I mean, not for me…" Nathan blushed and looked up shyly.
"You, my sweet husband. I will remember that every time I wear it. This is for you and the robe is for the children. Dear one, when did you, where did you get this? We have only been engaged for a week!" Elizabeth was curious.
"When Mom and I, along with the Coulters, went to buy the car in Union City, Mom and I went shopping by ourselves in the afternoon. She seemed to understand I was stepping out in faith, certain we would be together eventually even though there was little evidence to reassure me. Some might have said I was crazy, but I just knew. Deep in my heart I knew. And I prayed. A lot! I bought my ring, your charm bracelet and these gifts that afternoon. Don't worry I only asked Mom for input on the size! The gifts are all mine."
Elizabeth reached over to take his left hand and examined his wedding band. It was beautiful and she loved seeing it on his hand. She raised his hand to her lips, kissing the ring tenderly. "Nathan, I am so sorry for how long I kept you waiting, with little hope. I was in denial, so blinded with fear. I…"
"Lizabeth, we spoke of this before." Nathan placed his finger against her lips to quiet her. "I forgive you. God had his purpose in strengthening me, in strengthening my faith during those days. He used that time to strengthen my relationship with Allie as well. Would I have preferred to avoid the pain? Yes, but the end results are worth every wound. I have you now, my wife, my life, my love." Nathan turned his hand in hers and lifted hers to his lips. They seemed to be declaring love and making vows to each other every day for the past week. He didn't know if this would continue or if they would settle into a comfortable acceptance, but Nathan, a lover of words, was relishing these sweet moments.
"Thank you, Nathan. Oh! I have something for you too, Nathan. I didn't forget gifts for my groom, although they were a little more difficult to procure!" Elizabeth went to her luggage and brought Nathan a few packages. "I think you will be very surprised. Open this large one first, please?"
Nathan, very unused to receiving gifts, admired the package, turning it over and over again, then dug right in like a child on Christmas morning, tearing the giftwrap apart. He wadded the wrapping paper in a ball with ribbons straggling out of it and made believe he was going to throw it at Elizabeth, but at the last minute threw it towards the W/C.
Elizabeth giggled, "So this is what Christmas morning will be like, is it? I will have three children to manage?"
"Yup. Get ready, Teacher Grant, you will have your hands full! Now, what is this? Oh…is this..?"
Nathan lifted out a pair of sapphire blue silk pajamas with ivory cord trim. "My, my, my… Two minds thinking alike! Who would have thought?! I have never had silk pajamas, so I will feel quite mature and established and fine!" He finished his sentence with a very upper class British accent.
"Oh, Nathan," Elizabeth giggled again. "Stop!"
"Stop, m'lady? Stop what, pray tell?"
Elizabeth had dissolved into fits of uncontrolled giggles when they heard a knock at the door.
Nathan put up his finger to still the laughter and called out, "Thank you, Ben."
"You're welcome, Inspect… I mean, Nathan. Enjoy your picnic!"
"Thank you, we will." He rose, putting the gifts aside and opened the door to retrieve the tray. Ben was halfway down the corridor, but turned and smiled at Nathan. Nathan gave the Mountie salute even though he didn't have his hat, and brought in a tray of tea, dishes, tiny cookies and a dish of nuts, and one of mints, along with napkins and what appeared to be a small tablecloth rolled up.
"Well, look at this!" He resorted to his British accent again. "Royal treatment indeed! My queen, shall we have our repast now?" He bowed slightly and stood with a wide grin.
Elizabeth spoke through more giggles, which Nathan loved. Maybe this was a good thing to remember when his wife needed a good laugh, he made a mental note.
"Not yet, Nathan. You have another gift to open."
Nathan returned to the sofa. "Wait, you didn't tell me how you got these elegant pajamas in such a busy week. Tell me!"
"Well, you know Rosemary runs the dress shop..."
"Yeeesss… These hardly fit into that category, Elizabeth. Spill it!"
"Let's just say, she has connections in the clothing industry and they arrived on Thursday afternoon! By the way, they are extra-long. I don't want you wearing bottoms that only extend to your knees, my tall handsome man!"
"Whew. Good to know. Wait until you see some that I have at home! Best worn in the summer or with winter socks!" He smirked.
"Nathan! You wouldn't!"
"Don't worry, I will try to remember not to!" He winked, then turned his attention to the gift she placed in his lap. "Now, what is this?"
Elizabeth pressed her lips together to keep from laughing or speaking.
Again, Nathan performed the waded wrapping paper show, before he got serious. "What? You got a journal for me as well?" Nathan leaned back and guffawed. "This is choice! There is not an original bone between us!"
Elizabeth dissolved into full-blown laughter that made her eyes tear up. When she could speak she mentioned, "Only problem is, we cannot write at the same time as I did not buy you a pen!"
"Got that covered, my dear, I brought my own! Thank you, Lizbeth. Let's see, did you inscribe it for me? Ahhh…" Nathan opened to the first page and read aloud, "'My dearest Nathan, It is fitting that I give you a book, made of paper and soon to be filled with words. It was through your words in your book and your letters that I opened my heart to love again and began to truly know myself and you. I will remain forever grateful! I hope you fill these pages with poems and songs from your heart. Always yours, my love, Elizabeth' Thank you, Honey." Nathan leaned over to kiss her, then immediately asked, "Now, are you hungry? I am!"
Nathan pulled the table to the sofa, then cleaned up the wrappings and stacked the gifts. Elizabeth set the table with what Ben had provided and the contents of their new picnic basket. It had been a wedding gift from Eileen, set in their kitchen with a note and white bow. Knowing their love of the outdoors, the basket contained a service for eight, with each piece tucked into pockets and ribbons to keep everything in place. In the center of the basket were stacked containers of sandwiches, cabbage salad, carrot sticks and exotic dates as a treat. They had added the leftover pastries this morning after breakfast, so had more than enough to enjoy for their first married mid-day meal.
"Nathan! We forgot to open the envelopes from last night. Let me…"
"Tell me where they are and I'll get them." He brought a stack of envelopes to the table and they alternated opening and reading the notes as they ate.
Archie had sent a sweet telegram writing, 'Welcome, Elizabeth. I wasn't wrong when I first met you! Congratulations! I pray for you both daily and love you so much. Dad'
Nathan looked at Elizabeth with a question on his face.
Suddenly, Elizabeth realized what Archie was referring to and explained, "I was talking with Allie, when he overheard her name and he called her. She and I were confused, and I got into protective mother-bear-mode and questioned Archie about who he was, while Allie asked how he knew her name. He introduced himself and asked me if I was Nathan's wife! I forgot about that! Wow!"
"Wow is right!" Nathan responded, a little in awe.
Other notes expressed how grateful their friends were that they 'finally' were together, that it was meant to be all along, or that their prayers had been answered.
With no inscription on the next envelope Elizabeth pulled out another surprise telegram. Her eyes wide, she could hardly speak, so she handed it to Nathan to read.
'Dear Elizabeth and Nathan, How I wish your mother and I could be with you today. I am only placated with the knowledge that you will be visiting us in a few days. I look forward to meeting you, Nathan, as I have heard wonderful things. Yes, I have done my research! Please know you are both in our prayers and are loved, Father, for Mother as well'
Elizabeth gasped and locked eyes with Nathan as her tears fell. He reached his arm around her shoulders and pulled her to lean on him. She didn't notice, but Nathan's eyes were filled as well. He spoke softly, "Lord, thank you for this special blessing for Elizabeth and for me. Thank you for this welcome. May we take every opportunity to be a blessing to Mr. and Mrs. Thatcher as well, and show them our love and Yours. Amen."
"Amen," Elizabeth whispered as she collected herself and sat upright again.
Grasping another envelope, Nathan commented, "This one is thick!" He extracted two folded pages that contained paintings by Allie and Jack. "Oh! Look at these!"
Allie had drawn their family and labeled each figure. Behind them was their new house and at the bottom, she drew a replica of the sign Nathan had carved for their front entrance, "The Grants." Nathan looked at Elizabeth, "She drew this before she knew how true that would be! We need to frame this and hang it, maybe in the kitchen?"
"Absolutely, Nathan. Let's do that. Can you figure out how to transport it so it doesn't get damaged? Let's see what Jack drew." Jack had drawn a big table and had all four of them seated in a row. Daddy was the biggest and dressed in his serge, Mommy and Allie were about the same size with brown hair and Jack had yellow hair and was almost as big as his mother and sister. "Well, I see a couple things here! Jack loves your red serge. He loves the big table. Maybe that's like in your office? And, Jack is beginning to understand he is a big boy now!"
"Great interpretation, Teacher-Mom! I think you are right. We must frame both of these." Nathan paused and stared at the ceiling. "I miss them."
"I do too. It hasn't even been 24 hours yet and there is a whole in my heart. This trip will be the longest I have ever been away from Jack." She wiped her eyes with her napkin. "That's not to say I don't want to be here with you, Nathan. I do and I am grateful for our time alone. It just has a cost, you know?"
"I do, Lizabeth. I really do. But, they are in the Lord's hands and with people they know and love so they are probably not missing us in the same way."
"Oh, I hope not! Your poor Mom, Rosemary and Lee! I hope Jack is not crying for me, or you! At least he loves Allie to pieces, so she will be a comfort for him."
"My love, we need to change our thinking since we cannot change the circumstances. Let's enjoy our time and make as many memories as we can, shall we?" He kissed her cheek and she nodded.
They leaned back against each other and began to feel the train rocking them to sleep.
Nathan caught himself, "Shall I open the bed for us to take a nap?"
"Yes, lets! I wonder if it's the train, or that we have come to the end of a very full and very stressful week!"
Nathan moved the table and opened the drawers below the bed. He found pillows and blankets, then pulled out the sofa to become a bed. "Well, it won't be as nice as our bed at home, but it could be worse. We will just have to cuddle together to keep from falling out!" He winked at Elizabeth. "Here let me help you with your shoes."
As he knelt before her, Elizabeth placed her hands on Nathan's head, running them through his soft, thick hair.
He looked up and they locked eyes. She leaned forward to kiss him and suddenly neither of them was tired anymore.
After enjoying each other fully, the rocking train worked its magic and they fell asleep in each other's arms.
Nathan felt the nudge before he heard the words. "Nathan, what time is it? We have to dress for dinner!" With a quick kiss, Elizabeth unfolded herself from his embrace and went to the hanging clothes. "Any special requests?"
"It is half past four. We slept for two hours! Wow! Yes, would you please wear the blue-green suit you wore when I proposed to you last week?"
"Of course! Do you want to freshen up first or shall I? There is hardly room for one person in there, let alone two!"
"You first. I will clean up these remnants from lunch and place the tray in the hall. Do you think it is okay to leave the bed open?"
"I think it is our cabin and our honeymoon. I think it is fine! If Ben comes in to straighten or anything, he will understand!" She laughed and it sounded like music to Nathan's ears. He began to hum.
Elizabeth heard the tune and began to sing quietly,
"Believe me if all those endearing young charms
which I gaze on so fondly today,
were to change by to-morrow and fleet in my arms,
like fairy gifts fading away."
Nathan joined her in a low harmony,
"Thou wouldst still be adored as this moment thou art,
let thy loveliness fade as it will;
and around the dear ruin each wish of my heart
would entwine itself verdantly still."
"Oh, Nathan you know that song! My Irish nanny used to sing that to me as a lullaby when I was young. I especially love the last part."
Elizabeth sang as Nathan hummed.
"…Oh! The heart that has truly lov'd, never forgets,
But as truly loves on to the close;
as the sun-flower turns on her God when he sets,
the same look which she turn'd when he rose."(10*)
"That is a song my Irish grandmother taught me, with a very strong accent!" Nathan commented as he straightened the bed, and went to choose his clothing. He decided on his tan tweed suit with a white shirt.
Elizabeth peeked over his shoulder and pointed to a tie with similar shades of teal as the suit she was wearing. "That one!"
"We will look like we really do belong together. Is this the new thing? Husbands and wives dress to match each other?"
"Naaathannn!" She playfully swatted his shoulder.
"What? I'm serious! How would I know the latest style?"
"Nathan, do you see Rosemary and Lee parading around Hope Valley in matching outfits?"
"Welllll… No. I guess not." He admitted.
"Well then! Just for tonight. No one will notice but me, dear husband!"
"And you are the one I aim to please, dear wife. This tie it is!" He turned to admire her blouse
and skirt as he tied his tie. "How are you going to wear your hair?"
"I am feeling a bit lazy tonight. Is it okay if I leave it as is, and just add a hair comb on the side?
Maybe I can use the one Fiona lent me?"
"Lovely, Elizabeth. As always. He placed his hands on her shoulders and looked in the mirror with her as she placed the hair comb. "You are the most beautiful woman I have ever known, inside and out, you know that?"
Never one to miss an opportunity, Elizabeth quipped, "Well, that's not saying much since you've been mostly surrounded by Mounties!"
"Elizabeth!" He made a funny face at her and went to put on his suitcoat.
She handed him her suit jacket as if it was the most natural thing in the world to do. He held it for her, then flipped her hair from inside her collar, hitting his face as he did so. "Hmmm! I like that! So, are you ready, Mrs. Grant?"
They enjoyed an elegant and delicious dinner and, as the music played between courses, he asked, "Would you like to dance, my beautiful wife?"
"Do you dance, Nathan? I have never seen you."
"Well, there is good reason for that, Elizabeth," he said pointedly as he paused, then broke into a grin. "Come on!" He pulled out her chair as she rose and took her hand, leading her to an area in the center of the dining car. He spun her around, then placed his hands in the formal pose for a waltz.
Elizabeth looked up at him with shining eyes. He was so graceful and elegant. She was in awe and so sorry she had missed out on this before. "From now on, you are my dance partner whenever the music is playing, Dear-to-my-heart." She paused. "I know what I will call you, you are 'Dear-heart!' Is that okay with you? You and I know what it means to us, but I can say that wherever we are,"
"Sure, Lizabeth. Dear-heart it is. Maybe I should say the same? It will be our special name?"
"Yes, please!" They swayed together as if they had always done so. "When did you learn to dance, Nathan?"
"I was a young teen and Colleen was learning, so I became 'practice!' It has served me well for Mountie Balls over the years though, but this is the best."
"Wait. Now, who did you dance with at Mountie Balls, plural? Did you have women waiting in line? Out the door?"
Nathan laughed. "Only those old enough to be my grandmother! I have many 'grand aunts" amongst the older generation of Mountie wives, and they always asked me! Or their husbands would ask me in their presence. Can you imagine? Poor ladies! Their husbands seemed grateful to sit out a song and watch though! I think I gave them something to talk about. Wonder what they will say now that I have acquired myself a beautiful wife and dance partner?"
"They will all go home very disappointed. I will not be welcome at all!"
"Oh, don't count on that. The men and the wives will be hanging on your every word!"
Elizabeth giggled and they moved to the music. They were not aware that right in that dining car, men and their wives were already admiring this handsome couple who dominated the floor, but were in their own world.
Conductor Ben looked on from the sidelines and smiled approvingly. 'If only people knew who they are!' He felt privileged to hold the secret. 'Inspector Grant and his wife, a Thatcher from Hamilton!'
After dancing and seating Elizabeth, Nathan went to Ben to ask a quiet question.
Ben whispered. "Of course, I will take you there. Just let me know when you are ready."
Dessert was a delicious splurge of rich, chocolate decadence, but they decided it was okay for this very special occasion. "Are you ready for a little surprise?" Nathan stood once they finished, nodded to Ben and helped Elizabeth stand.
"A surprise?"
Nathan whispered, "Shhh…" and guided Elizabeth to follow Ben as he led them to the caboose. On this, the last car of the train, they could step out onto a platform and see the rails disappearing in the distance. Elizabeth stood at the railing, with Nathan behind her, holding the railing with his arms around her. "Are you warm enough, Dear-heart?"
"Yes, with you behind me like this it is perfect. Look at those stars, Nathan! They are beautiful."
"They are." They listened to the clickety-clack of the rails as they swayed together.
"Thank you for this. It is another memory to hold in our hearts." Elizabeth moved her hands under his on the railing and leaned into him.
Neither could have ever dreamed or even imagined such glorious happiness. They were in awe and remained subdued and awed as they expressed their love and fell asleep at the end of their first day.
(10*) Believe Me if All Those Endearing Young Charms, Poem by Thomas Moore, 1808, Public Domain