Bill's Reaction – Chapter 22
Hope Valley
Nathan woke up Monday morning feeling great. The phone call with Elizabeth yesterday afternoon had really lifted his spirits.
He had presumed she would expect him to call her. When Elizabeth took the initiative and called him first, he was pleasantly surprised. Maybe the "who calls whom first" issue seemed petty, but Nathan had initiated things the last time and wound up badly hurt.
Although he had forgiven Elizabeth freely, he was admittedly still skeptical of her sincerity. She'd slipped up that day and told him she'd been in love with him for a long time. Last year he would have rejoiced to hear those words, and as she said them a whisper of affirmation smoothed over his spirit. Now there just wasn't enough recent evidence for him to really take her admission to heart.
Nathan now had reason to hope again but he was intentionally guarding his heart. He would be overjoyed if they were to move forward in a relationship, but they had to be mutually committed. The relationship could not be one-sided as it seemed to be in the past.
Nathan was getting excited about the horseback riding outing with Allie and Sargeant. At first, he was skeptical of the idea because Sargeant had been Jack Thornton's horse; a trained Mountie horse. He felt tempted to decline, but finally decided to accept Elizabeth's peace offering as a sincere gesture from her heart. Besides, for practical reasons, Sargeant did need more exercise than Gunther at the livery was able to do.
Allie was going to be surprised. Nathan was looking forward to seeing her reaction to being allowed to ride Sargeant. What he told Elizabeth was true – he and Allie had some of their best discussions outdoors. Allie was still struggling to forgive Elizabeth. He hoped appealing to her newfound joy of riding would help her overcome that. Allie would know that Elizabeth didn't just let anyone ride Sargeant.
He looked forward to sharing with Elizabeth how it went when he called her on Wednesday evening.
Each horseback ride with Allie was precious. Now that she was a teenager, he suspected he would no longer be her main influence, and once school started again, she would want to be with her friends. His days of having unlimited one on one time with Allie were numbered.
Hamilton
Elizabeth was still recovering from her meeting with Chief Superintendent Collins when she remembered, she was still scheduled to have tea with his wife, Edna, in the afternoon.
Thankfully, she'd had the presence of mind to ask the Chief for his home address, as she realized she had neglected to request it yesterday, at church.
Armed with the address, she decided to ask Benson if he would drive her.
Elizabeth quickly walked home and went directly to her room, to change clothes. She had picked out her outfit the day before when she spied a light blue blouse in Julie's closet – it matched perfectly with Elizabeth's light blue skirt. Elizabeth decided to live dangerously in the social realm and just wear her hair down, without hat or gloves.
She managed to sneak out of the house as quickly as she came in, without raising Little Jack's attention. She did notice that he seemed to be having a wonderful time with her mother. 'Who knew her parents would become such hands-on grandparents?' She smiled at the thought.
Since her father had decided to take all of Wednesday off, Elizabeth decided to take her mother up on her offer to go shopping that day for a dress or two. She was getting tired of rummaging through her sisters' old clothes, just to find something appropriate to wear.
Once back outside, she went to the garage and asked Benson if he would drive her to the Collins' residence, which he readily agreed to do. He assured her, he would get the car ready and pick her up at the front of the mansion – there was no need for her to wait in the garage!
Soon Benson brought one her father's newer cars to the front entrance, and opened the rear door for Elizabeth to climb in. She felt like a fairy-tale princess. Another sign this was no longer her normal way of life.
Collins Residence
Elizabeth arrived at the Collins residence and greeted Edna Collins with a warm hug. It was hard to believe the two women only met yesterday.
Elizabeth took a quick look around the premises. The home was lovely and comfortable, with beautiful gardens. It appeared small in comparison to her parents' home. Then again, almost everything was small in comparison to her parents' home.
Edna welcomed Elizabeth into the sitting room, just perfect for afternoon tea and conversation. They sat down on the chesterfield and began to visit.
"What a lovely home you have, Edna," Elizabeth remarked, sincerely.
Edna looked at Elizabeth and smiled, "Thank-you, Elizabeth. I was so happy you could join me this afternoon. Tell me a bit about yourself. What brings you to Hamilton?"
Elizabeth was both surprised and thankful Edna did not seem to know too much about her background. She was not ashamed to be William Thatcher's daughter, however, she did not want to flaunt it, either.
To Edna she carefully replied, "Well, I grew up in Hamilton and my son and I are visiting my parents, while I'm on summer break from teaching."
After that, she summarized how she came to become a teacher and moved West, her early days in the frontier town where she met, fell in love with and eventually married, Jack Thornton. A very short while later, she was a Mountie widow and expecting Little Jack.
Edna once again extended her condolences.
She reached out and patted Elizabeth's hand and said, "I am so sorry you lost your husband so soon after marriage," She shook her head and continued, "and for him never to have known he was to be a father…"
Elizabeth thanked her for her kind words and returned the question.
"Edna, I'm interested in your story. You previously shared you lost your beloved George in the line of duty, yet you still found the courage to marry another Mountie?"
Edna smiled gently and winked at Elizabeth, "Yes, I had a hunch you found that part of my story particularly interesting. Before I tell my story, I would like to offer you some tea and sandwiches. There are also some fancy squares and scones with homemade jam, for later."
Elizabeth looked at the tea trays before her and remarked how beautiful the food was. She took two small quarter sandwiches and put them on a plate, along with a cup of Red Rose tea, a specialty blend, only available in Canada.
Edna also chose the same light fare, as well as the tea.
They blessed the luncheon and their continued time of fellowship and each partook of their small meal. The conversation briefly changed to light hearted topics. Once their light luncheon was complete, Edna returned to the original topic of conversation.
"As I mentioned yesterday, Sam was my George's best friend and he became my protector and friend. The last thing I ever wanted or planned to do was fall in love with another Mountie. My heart had been shattered when I lost George and I figured falling in love and having a second marriage to another Mountie would be inviting the same thing to happen all over again. I had serious doubts I was strong enough to endure that again, especially if the marriage produced children."
She stopped to take a breath and then continued, "Well, as time went on and Sam kept watching over me, he eventually asked me to join him for dinner. I almost said no, but he had been so kind to me, I agreed to go. Well, Elizabeth, I wound up having a wonderful time. After a few more dinners together as friends, Sam asked permission to formally court me. By the time he asked me, I was ready to accept. I had learned a valuable lesson – don't ever judge a man by the position he holds. Despite having the same occupation, Sam and George were very different people!"
She got a faraway look in her eyes as she reminisced, "It was not love at first sight for Sam and me. I respected him before I loved him. I also had to have a difficult, but honest, conversation with him to share how scared I truly was of loving and losing him."
She chuckled and commented, "I am still amazed that conversation didn't scare him away!"
Elizabeth was listening intently and encouraged Edna to continue, which she did.
"Once Sam understood my position, we took things slowly. It took a lot of time and patience – on his part – for us to finally reach the same place in our relationship. Then, one day, someone we mutually knew suddenly passed away. There was no apparent reason for this man to pass on at the age of thirty-three, but he did. That incident made me finally realize how fragile life is. Death has nothing to do with the job at all and everything to do with God's Perfect Will for each one of our lives. For the first time, I really saw Sam and understood there were other ways I could lose him. Once I came to that realization, Sam and I were married within a few months and shortly thereafter, our first child was on the way." Edna smiled at the memory.
Edna reached over and took Elizabeth's hands in hers and held them firmly between her two hands. She gently asked her, "Now Dear, just between us, is there another Mountie in your life?"
Elizabeth closed her eyes and nodded her head in the affirmative.
Once she was able to speak, Elizabeth tried to clarify. "I had a chance with him, Edna, and in hindsight, I believe it would have been beautiful between us, but instead I ran away from him like a frightened schoolgirl. I went on to say some very hurtful things to him and then entered into a brief courtship with a man who was unsuitable in so many ways."
Edna raised her eyebrows in reaction but wisely remained silent.
Elizabeth continued, "It took a lot to finally bring me to my senses and I had to make things right with a lot of people. I eventually apologized to Nathan and he forgave me, however, he said he needed time to process everything. I left for Hamilton the very next day. We parted on good terms and we are trying to keep in touch via telephone. Phone calls are okay however, it is not the same as seeing his face." Elizabeth had a faraway look in her eyes and a slight smile on her face.
Edna looked directly at Elizabeth and did not pull any punches. She pointedly asked her, "Elizabeth, do you love this man? If so, you need to tell him and share your fears with him. If he truly loves you, he will wait for you."
Elizabeth flushed and stammered, "I- I - I did tell him. Sort of. The day I apologized to him, I accidentally blurted it out. I didn't mean to, but in the heat of the moment …. So, he already knows. As for loving me, he already told me twice in the past year that he is in love with me." Elizabeth dropped her eyes and absentmindedly rubbed her forehead in doubt. "I guess we will find out if he could possibly still love me."
Edna shook her head and replied firmly "No, Elizabeth. Blurting it out is not an adequate way to confess your love for someone especially if this is someone you hope to marry and raise a family with one day. Your declaration must be intentional and direct! If he has already told you twice, it is now your turn. You have to figure out a way to tell him that you are in love with him and please Dear, not over the phone."
She let that sink in and then continued "How does your Mountie respond to your little son?"
Thinking of Nathan with Little Jack made Elizabeth smile warmly and she replied, "Nathan loves Little Jack as if he were his own child and Little Jack just adores him too." She continued with, "Nathan is experienced with young children. He raised his niece since she was four years old. He recently adopted her, so that makes her his daughter now."
Edna's next question seemed obvious, "And how do you relate to her, his daughter?"
"Allie and I did have a very close relationship – even more than just teacher and student – until I treated them horribly. Now, I don't think she wants anything to do with me. I am praying for her to forgive me for my terrible behaviour toward her and her dad."
Elizabeth was quiet as she felt the grief and sorrow welling up in her throat. She had cried so much in the last week or so and wondered when it would ever end. She bit her lips and felt the wave of emotion rise in her chest as she raised her eyes to look out the window, trying to hold in the tears. She was fighting a losing battle. She reached into her pocket desperately, hoping there would be something there to soak up the flood of tears she knew was coming.
Relieved to find she did have a handkerchief in her pocket, she pulled it out and brought it to her face as the first tears spilled over. The texture was different. It wasn't soft and lacy, like she was used to. She wiped her eyes and looked at it more closely, a bit bewildered. She quickly remembered this was the handkerchief Nathan had offered her that day in his row house. Elizabeth had stuffed it in her pocket and the skirt had not been laundered since then.
Nathan's handkerchief was pressed between her hands tightly.
It felt like a lifeline between her and the man she loved so much.
Mamabethany - Thank you, my friend for all your contributions!