Sorry about the delay! I had tried finding time to write, but I had quite a lot of grading to complete and most of my time was doing that. Thanks for your positive feedback and your patience!
Chapter 37
Prelude to the Trial of Andrew Hargraves
The family (honorary and biological) spent the day celebrating Colleen's birthday by playing her favorite games and eating her favorite meals. Gabe stopped by the Grant's rowhouse the next day to catch up. Nathan and Elizabeth were both hesitant. He wouldn't have come back for no reason.
"We're done investigating Hargraves," Gabe announced.
"That was quick," Charlotte pointed out.
"It was 6 months," Elizabeth said as she caressed her stomach.
Nathan, Gabe, Bill, and Charlotte all gave Elizabeth a long look.
"That is quick for the type of case and the amount of people involved," Nathan said.
"Well, I'm glad Collins ordered you not to get involved, then," Elizabeth said firmly.
Nathan smiled at her. Elizabeth smiled back.
"When's the trial?" Bill asked.
"In a month," Gabe said. "In Calgary. We also don't know how long it will take."
Elizabeth's jaw dropped.
"But Colleen is due around then," she protested.
Gabe gave her a surprised eyebrow.
"She thinks the baby is girl," Nathan said.
"We're naming her Colleen," Elizabeth added.
Gabe smiled at them.
"Colleen would be proud and loudly boasting of that," Gabe said.
Nathan nodded.
"That being said, she's right. Colleen will be joining our world when that is happening. I won't miss it," Nathan said firmly.
"Is there any chance of having the trial here?" Elizabeth asked.
"No."
"Nope."
"Really, Elizabeth?"
"Our court house is too small for the amount of people involved. Bill can't be the presiding judge because he was involved with the search for me," Nathan explained.
Elizabeth nodded.
"How long will the trial take?" Elizabeth asked.
"Months," Gabe and Bill answered with a long look at each other.
"Will others from Hope Valley have to testify?" Elizabeth asked.
"Probably," Gabe answered.
"Not at the same time," Bill added.
"Charlotte, can you get my father, please?" Elizabeth asked as she rubbed where Colleen had a hard kick.
Charlotte nodded and went to grab William Thatcher.
William and Grace were with Julie as Julie was explaining her hotel project. Looking both very proud, but also very nervous of, her parents reception of her success so far and what she had decided to do with her life.
"May I see your plan?" William asked.
Julie nodded.
"Lucas helped me," Julie admitted.
William looked up in surprise as his eyes went back to the very solid business plan.
"This is very well done. I would have backed this without question had it been brought before me. Well done," William complemented.
Julie looked at her father in surprise.
"Really?" she whispered.
William nodded.
"That means the world to me, Father," Julie said with relief and hugged William tightly.
William smiled proudly back.
Charlotte rode up on her horse.
"Good afternoon," Charlotte greeted.
The Thatchers all smiled at her.
"Corporal Kinslow has notified us that Hargraves' trial starts in a month," Charlotte said.
The Thatchers all gasped at the same time.
"Where?" Grace asked.
"Calgary," Charlotte answered.
The Thatchers all looked worried and surprised.
"We will be at the house shortly," William said.
Charlotte nodded and turned her horse around.
Eventually, all members of the Grant family on both sides were congregating in the rowhouse.
It was a VERY tight fit.
"What's the plan?" Julie asked.
"Nathan has to be in Calgary," Bill said.
"I am also going to be in Calgary," Elizabeth said. "So long as you agree to host us, Father? Mother?"
"Of course we will," her parents said at the same time.
"In fact, I will let anyone who needs a place to stay during the trial have a guest room. But what are you going to do when it is over?"
Elizabeth looked at him in confusion.
"Where are you staying with your little one?" William asked.
"Our house is being built," Nathan replied.
"Will it be ready?" William asked.
Nathan sighed as he thought about the answer to that question.
"Enough, I suppose," he said.
"Are you going to have the energy to work on your house while you are taking care of a newborn?" William asked.
Archie and Ruth both laughed hard at William's question.
Nathan gave both of his parents a hard look.
"I'm sure we can rotate through paid men. Lee can take a more hands on approach. And Gabe Montgomery can definitely help. He's becoming quite talented with your guidance on wood work. And Joseph can handle anything else," Bill said.
"What about you, Charlotte? Are you coming with us?" Grace asked.
Charlotte shook her head.
"No. I have to take my recertification test if I want to be Lizzy's long term substitute while she is on maternity leave. Besides, Tom and his wife are in Brookfield, and it sounds like she will give birth any day," Charlotte said.
Julie looked at everyone in surprise. But she, surprisingly, only felt happy about this news.
"I'm so happy for him," Julie said with genuine affection.
Charlotte smiled at her.
Nathan ended up leading his entire family to the build site as he was showing up to inspect what had been completed so far. The framing and walls were being added to. The second floor was starting to look like rooms. Nathan checked with the manager on site and looked at the blue prints.
"How are things going?" Nathan asked.
"Well. Doing very well. We're ahead of schedule," Lee said with a smile.
Nathan looked at the men and what still needed to be built.
There were more than normal. Three times as many as normal. Joseph was teaching Gabe Montgomery and many others the finer details of building.
Nathan looked at them.
"When Kinslow came back into town, we realized that you would be leaving soon. So, we hired two more shifts to get the house built, roofed, and insulated before you leave. You can leave instructions with us on what colors you want each room. We will hire painters to complete the painting," Lee explained.
Bill was smirking behind Nathan.
Nathan sighed as he took the blueprints from Lee and showed the people in his family what they were doing. He pointed out where everything the family was going to need for their home. The many, many rooms. The multiple levels. The large barn.
William and Archie both looked down at the blueprints.
"Who drew these up?" William asked.
"Nathan." Lee answered.
William shot his eyebrow straight up.
"Nathan! If you ever want to retire from the Mounties, you have a job as a carpenter with me," William said loudly.
Julie, Elizabeth, and Grace all laughed.
Archie and Ruth were beaming with pride at their son.
"I'm not officially one. I didn't take the apprenticeship test," Nathan argued.
Every person with them rolled their eyes.
"You obviously were an apprentice–test or no test– with this skill level," Julie said.
"And you are better than many of my master carpenters," William said.
Nathan blushed and mumbled about it being a hobby.
Elizabeth whispered up into his ear.
"Thank you," Nathan said with an embarrassed shrug.
Bill rode a brief distance with Charlotte as she was on her way to her teacher's test. Charlotte wasn't worried at all. Bill wasn't worried about her passing either. So, they discussed plans for what would happen once Elizabeth and Nathan had left town to go to the city.
Charlotte checked into the hotel first. Then she went into her room to refresh herself. She ate her lunch in a café near the testing center. Charlotte was sipping coffee as she watched more young and nervous women all nervously cram sessioning at other tables. Charlotte just chuckled as she people watched until it was time for her test. She easily walked to the testing center.
The group of people around her made her feel old and outdated.
They were fresh from theory and this test was the only thing standing in their way for their future success in the classroom.
'Oh, how green they are,' Charlotte chuckled as she looked around. 'They are all going to be eaten by real children.'
"Next," Charlotte was gestured forward.
"Charlotte Thornton, general education, and an emphasis with blind and deaf student specialty," Charlotte handed over her test confirmation paper.
"Ms. Thornton," the man said.
"Actually, it's MRS. Thornton," Charlotte glared.
The man raised his eyebrow.
"Mrs. Thornton," he corrected. "I hope you are going to be more professionally dressed than you are now?"
He gave her a look up and down.
Charlotte was wearing pants and a nice blouse.
"You're lucky I am not wearing riding pants and a flannel," Charlotte glared out. "And considering that I am taking this test again, specifically so that I can teach while my daughter-in-law is on maternity leave in a farming community, where the dress code is a little more lax, I don't think the people there will give one whit that I am not wearing a dress!"
Charlotte grabbed her tests as she took them from the gapping men's hands.
She found her test location and immediately sat down.
Everyone was looking at her and whispering.
Then the test started and the room fell into 'oh, crap! I don't remember this,' mode.
Charlotte breezed through the general education test. She raised her hand and turned it. Then started working on her special license tests. She was finished with all of her tests, before the time for the first was complete. Charlotte left the room to wander down the streets, before she could come back for the results.
"Charlotte Thornton!" an aging voice called her as she approached the testing room as her groups' test results were to be posted.
Charlotte turned towards the voice.
"Commissioner!" Charlotte said with a warm smile.
"Sam, please. Both your husband and your son spoke of you with respect, love, and aggravation, but pride. I cannot let a Mountie widow or a fallen Mountie's mother call me by my title," Sam Collins said.
Charlotte smiled at him.
"Thank you," she responded with a head tilt.
"What brings you to Union City?" Sam Collins asked.
"Surely, you have to know," Charlotte pointed out.
"What do you mean?"
"That Elizabeth and Nathan are having a baby soon. They are also going to be in Calgary as witnesses against Hargraves. I used to be a teacher. So, I am retesting to take over her classroom," Charlotte said.
Collins did have a wide smile on his face.
"I do know that Nathan is going to be our major witness. I had no idea the Grants were expecting, though. Although, Kinslow's look of horror when we agreed to the trial dates makes more sense. Nathan won't like leaving," Collins said.
"Elizabeth is coming with him and staying with her parents when they do," Charlotte said.
Collins gave a booming laugh.
"Sounds like they are happily married and know each other well," he commented.
Charlotte nodded her agreement.
The test results were soon posted. Charlotte smiled widely when she saw that she had easily passed each test and walked away with her certificates.
She spent one night in Union City. Then she rode back to Hope Valley.
Charlotte rode into Hope Valley and had her certificates framed and gave Bill and the interim Mayor her long term sub application to hand to Landis when he came back through. She went to Elizabeth's and Nathan's before packing her bag to ride to Brookfield to be around with Tom and Marie.
Nathan, with a lot of help from the others in town, was able to prepare for his witness testimony. Newly promoted Constable Cross and Constable Brooks were going to be stationed there until Nathan got back. The entire family was packing their things, to be needed on a long term.
Robert and Allie had been spending a lot of time together, as Robert was officially reporting to Mountie Training when the Grants were in Calgary. On their last night together, Robert had given Allie a horse for her first chain piece.
"Promise to write."
"Yes. You do the same."
"Miss you."
"Miss you."
Robert was seen off by the town. His family was riding in their wagon to go to the Mountie training facility nearest to them. He was riding his horse with confidence. The town waved them off until they couldn't see them anymore. Allie was standing on the path. Nathan and Elizabeth were both standing near her, one arm around her shoulders. Allie looked tearfully at Robert leaving. But she didn't ask how Elizabeth could handle the going away. She already knew.
The next people to leave the town were the elder Thatcher's with Elizabeth and Jack. They were all going to Calgary to open the house and get the home ready for its streams of visitors. Allie and Nathan were to join them once they had finished packing again. They took the next train into Calgary with more of the family trunks.
While Julie was staying for a little while longer, in order to see the foundations of her hotel being marked and approved, and the town was busier than ever, it felt smaller without the Grants.
Bill Avery had ridden to Brookfield to check on the town and to see Charlotte once the Grants had left Hope Valley. He rode Hero up to Mountie Office deck and tied the reigns around the pole. Gabe was sitting on his rocker, while reading through paperwork that he had missed while investigating.
"Aren't you supposed to be somewhere else?" Bill asked Gabe as he dismounted.
"I could ask you the same question," Gabe said in response as he raised his own eyebrow back.
"I'm here about a woman," Bill said.
"Yeah, me too," Gabe admitted as he looked down the road to the orphanage where Lillian was playing tag with the children.
Bill smiled and laughed.
"Enjoy your time," Bill said as he walked into the hotel. He glanced around.
"How can I help you, sir?" the proprietor asked with a large smile.
"I'm looking for the Thorntons," Bill said.
"Oh, I'm afraid they are restricted to family only. Nurse Maggie's orders," the man said sadly.
Bill smiled and nodded as he turned away and began to walk away. He walked around the building looking up to see if he could see any of the Thornton's from their window. Charlotte was who he noticed first. She was cooing and smiling at a precious bundle in her arms. She looked out the window, did a double take and approached. They had a hand signal conversation, Charlotte rolled her eyes, and gestured for him to come up.
Bill smiled and walked back to the front.
Ronnie Stewart was being berated by Charlotte on the phone line.
"For HEAVEN'S sake Bill Avery is family," she was reprimanding.
Ronnie Stewart looked at him in apology. Bill smiled and laughed as he went up the stairs. He turned and knocked on the Thornton room.
Charlotte opened the door and gave him a smile.
Marie and Tom were both sitting in their bed. Marie was still recovering from childbirth and Tom, while looking better, was still suffering from his many maladies.
"Bill, I want you to meet Charles Thomas Thornton," Charlotte said proudly and softly as she passed the bundle into his arms.
Bill took over expertly.
"Hi, Charles. You have a strong and resilient name," Bill said softly to the baby in his arms.
Charlotte nodded in agreement.
As Marie had fallen asleep, and Charlotte had stepped out to get fresh air, Tom looked at Bill still holding Charles.
"He's named after Ma," Tom whispered.
Bill looked over at him in surprise.
"Marie and I agreed that if Ma hadn't sent Nathan after us, we wouldn't be together right now. So, we agreed that our child needed to be named after her. Even a boy," Tom explained in a soft whisper.
"It's appropriate. And I completely understand why you haven't told her that she was the inspiration," Bill said in a whisper as he gently rocked the baby.