Bill's Reaction – Chapter 8
Author's Note:
This is a shorter chapter, but an important bridge chapter to what comes next.
Thanks again to MamaBethany for her suggestions and beta reading the story. Very much appreciated!
And now, on with the story…..
Outside the Church
The only other people who gathered to chat outside the church were Elizabeth, William, Charles Kensington and, of course, Little Jack.
Elizabeth asked her father if he would feel comfortable taking Little Jack home for his lunch and afternoon nap. William sensed that his daughter wanted to spend some time with her childhood friend and he thought it might be fun to spend some time alone with his grandson, so off they went.
Elizabeth turned to Charles and said, "I think the last time we saw each other was when I came home to Hamilton, right after Jack passed away. I recall being pleasantly surprised you were allowed to visit me, as the staff - on my parents' orders - were restricting my visitors. I always felt bad that my childhood friends were not permitted to pay their respects to me, however, I knew my parents thought they were doing me a kindness, so I never said anything."
Charles looked at her with a sad smile and said, "Well, the only reason I was allowed in, was the staff knew I work very closely with your father. They assumed I was there to see him; I just didn't enlighten them. When your father came to greet me, I told him I came to offer my condolences to you. He led me into his private study and brought you down from your room. That was such a sad time."
Elizabeth looked at him pointedly and said, "I don't ever recall being so sad before. I was so grateful for your friendship, Charles. I don't think I ever told you how much I appreciated being able to remain friends, after I married Jack. I just can't believe you never married."
Charles chuckled and replied, "Well, I am pretty much married to my work. Your father keeps me pretty busy."
Elizabeth put her hand on his shoulder and said, "Life is too short not to live it to the fullest. No one knows that better than the women of Hope Valley, myself included. I remember when I first arrived here, most of the women had lost their husbands in the dreadful mine accident. Then, after surviving the war in the Northern Territories, Jack dies in a training accident. I do hope you will give this some thought."
Then she playfully nudged him and said, "It's high time for you to settle down and start raising a family. I'm sure there are plenty of women in Hamilton who would just love to be on your arm."
Charles promised her he would give the matter due consideration.
"For now, let us just enjoy the strange set of circumstances that brought us together in Hope Valley, shall we?"
She nodded her head and said, "My father told me about his car being stolen. That's really too bad, but I'm thankful that it brought him to Hope Valley. Out of that situation, I got to spend some quality time with him and he got to meet Little Jack."
Charles replied, "I know William has enjoyed that part of the visit. He is quite taken with your son."
Elizabeth smiled back and told Charles how it warmed her heart to hear that.
With the pleasantries out of the way, Elizabeth turned to look directly at Charles and said, "I hear you were the one who started Nathan and Bill investigating Lucas. I'm curious, how are you aware of his past?"
Looking very uncomfortable, Charles replied, "I certainly wasn't aware you were courting him!"
Elizabeth nodded that she understood and encouraged him to tell her the story.
As they walked away from the church yard and headed towards the pond, Charles began the story.
"Well," Charles began, "do you remember The Lockwood Family from Hamilton?"
"Of course, I do. They are very prominent. As I recall, they had a son, Philip, and a younger daughter, Victoria."
Charles replied, "That is correct. Anyway, a number of years ago, Victoria met up with this man at the bank. He was very charming and started showing a real interest in her. As time went on, they began a courtship. Everyone thought they were going to marry – including Victoria, poor thing."
He looked at Elizabeth and when he saw she was listening intently, he continued, "Once they were courting, Lucas asked Victoria about the family trust. She was somewhat familiar with it and provided him with details. He then charmed his way into her good graces and intimated how much better he would feel about their relationship if he had the means to court her properly."
"Although she told him it didn't matter, she wanted to please him. It started off slowly, but thinking they were to be married, she started giving him money from her personal trust fund, left to her by her grandmother. Eventually, unbeknownst to her father, she gave him access to the account."
"At first everything was wonderful. There were candlelight dinners with the best food and the best champagne, picnics in the park, dancing, etc. Why, he even arranged an unchaperoned trip to Toronto, to hear a book reading, by one of her favourite authors. All the things that would make a woman feel special."
"Just when their relationship had reached the point where everyone thought a marriage proposal was imminent, Lucas suddenly left town. He left Victoria, the bank and Hamilton – all without a trace."
Charles continued with, "Victoria was heartbroken. She not only felt her reputation was irreparably damaged, but he had cleaned out at least two-thirds of her trust fund."
"Oh, my goodness!" Elizabeth exclaimed. "Poor Victoria!"
"Charles, are you certain the man with Victoria is the man you saw in the street here in Hope Valley?" Elizabeth held her breath in anticipation.
Charles put his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eyes, "Elizabeth, you are one of my dearest friends from childhood. I would never deliberately try to hurt you, however, the man you are currently in a courtship with is the same man from Hamilton, all those years ago. He didn't have a beard back then, but it is still the same man."
He continued, "Remember, I am quite good friends with Philip Lockwood. Back when Victoria was courting Lucas, we were in the same social circle, met up at dinner parties etc. Elizabeth, I have had conversations with Lucas Bouchard!"
That startled Elizabeth. Once she recovered, she replied, "I guess I never thought about that aspect. You certainly would have been attending the same parties and keeping company with the same crowd. Thank you for your honesty and your kindness in sharing this story with me. I must ask, how is Victoria doing, now? Did she ever recover?"
"Well, as you can imagine, it was quite a humbling experience for the whole Lockwood Family." Charles continued, "I don't mean financially. The money Lucas took from them was only a fraction of their overall wealth. More than money, he stole their dignity, which is much more difficult to recover from."
"Victoria was hurt the most. I don't think she ever recovered from the public shame she felt when Lucas left her and took her money with him. It was particularly demeaning that he left her a note telling her not to look for him as he never really loved her, anyway. His admission that he never loved her hurt her so much, she never got over it. To this day, she is quite socially withdrawn."
Elizabeth gasped at his words. She couldn't help but recall similar hurtful comments she made to Nathan, but she didn't say anything to Charles.
She looked at Charles and said, "Thank you again for your candor. I need to put a plan in place to make some serious changes to my life. Part of doing that is paying heed to Pastor Joseph's sermon, this morning."
"I am ashamed to admit this to you, Charles, but I haven't been myself this last while and as a result, I have behaved badly. I need to ask forgiveness from a lot of people. I just hope and pray they all heard the same message I did."
Charles nodded towards the church and said, "Well, perhaps you should seek some guidance from the pastor. They are trained to help people who are struggling. As for obtaining forgiveness, I am certain that anyone in Hope Valley who really knows and cares for you will be willing to forgive you."
"Thank you for the vote of confidence; I guess I will just have to wait and see." Elizabeth continued, "In the meantime, it has been good talking with you, Charles. How long will you be staying in Hope Valley?"
"Benson & I will be leaving for Hamilton as soon as Constable Grant releases the car back to your father. That should be very soon. From what little I was able to find out, there is a lot of circumstantial evidence, but not enough to lay any charges. Do you know what your father's plans are?"
Elizabeth smiled and replied, "My father will share his itinerary with us, when he is ready to do so. I am kind of hoping he will stay on for a short while. School is out, so now would be a good time to have a wonderful visit. Perhaps once you and Benson are on your way, Father will move in with me for a while. I certainly wouldn't mind sleeping with Little Jack in the ¾ bed I bought for him."
"Elizabeth, if you're not teaching, why don't you make some plans to come home for a while? Perhaps on this trip you could connect with people you didn't get to see last time."
"Charles, I just might do that. First of all, I have some personal business to take care of."
As they reached the row houses, Charles walked Elizabeth to her door and leaned over to kiss her cheek, "Don't worry, everything will all work out."
"Thank you, Charles. I appreciate your support and your friendship." With that, Elizabeth wished Charles a 'good day' and quietly entered her home. Inside, she found her father reading her son a story.
Maybe everything would work out just fine, after all.