Chapter 19
The mid-afternoon sun was blazing in the sky by the time Elizabeth made her
way out of the saloon. Despite the straw hat she wore, Elizabeth had to
squint her eyes as she looked up and down the busy main street of Heaven.
As it was usual for the middle of the afternoon, a parade of buggies,
horses, and folks passed by the saloon. She was relieved very few folks
seemed to take notice of her. Perhaps people were already beginning to
forget...
"Can you ride on your own Elizabeth?"
The sound of Jason's voice made her turn around in front of the saloon
doors. Confused by his question, she apologised shyly, "I'm sorry, Jason.
Can you repeat what you just said?"
Under the rim of his hat, Jason's unnerving eyes met her wide ones. "It'll
take longer if we take the wagon than if we ride horseback. If you can
ride, you can take Carly's mare, until we get you one of your own from the
livery."
"Yes, I can ride..." Elizabeth began softly as she clutched the basket of
food in her hands. "But we picked up my bicycle from the farm...I can ride
that."
The mention of her visit to her grandmother's farm wasn't lost on Jason, but
he let it go without comment as he shook his head. "In town or on trails,
that bicycle is fine but you'll need a horse when we go places that don't
have trails. Where we're going, there's not many trails yet."
Exactly where were they going? Her curiosity was screaming at her,
but she was not quite brave enough to ask the man before her. So she tried
to concentrate on the other matter at hand. The horse...while she wasn't as
comfortable on a horse as she was on her bicycle, she remembered a number of
times when riding her bicycle was almost slower than walking because of the
rough terrain. "Alright, Jason." She glanced at the horses tied to the
wooden rail and asked, "Which one is Carly's mare?"
"This one." Jason untied the reigns to a beautiful cream coloured mare with
a golden mane and led it away from the other horses. Looking towards
Elizabeth, he held out his hand to her. "I'll help you mount."
Elizabeth walked hesitantly in his direction, but ignored his hand.
Instead, she walked up to the horse, and gently placed her hand on the side
of its head. "Hello..." She glanced at Jason and asked softly, "What's her
name?"
A little taken aback by Elizabeth's actions, Jason answered curtly, "Nelly."
He watched as a slow smile spread over the girl's face as she whispered,
"Hello, Nelly. You're quite the beauty, aren't you?" The animal turned its
head into Elizabeth's hand until it could lick her hand in acknowledgement.
A small giggle escaped Elizabeth but it quickly died as her eyes fell on
Jason.
While she would never describe the imposing man before her as soft, a moment
ago his face had by no means been the granite that it was now. How did he
do that? Not one single emotion could be deciphered from his face...no, as an
uneasy Elizabeth looked into his turbulent blue eyes which were staring over
her shoulder, she could see there was emotion there. She just couldn't
quite name it...
Turning around slowly, Elizabeth saw that the crowd of people and buggies on
the street had somehow parted to line the street on either side to allow two
black coaches to slowly make their way down the street. As the front coach
made its way by, she recognised the two occupants all decked in black.
Beneath the black hat the woman was wearing, she looked dreadfully pale as
her eyes widened. She turned her head to speak to her husband, and a moment
later he too was looking out the window. Elizabeth noticed how their
glances switched between Jason and herself. And she had no idea how to
acknowledge her new in-laws. Oh dear, wasn't it terribly rude of her to
simply stand here like this staring at them? But Jason's rigid form
indicated he was not about to make a movement towards them.
She was still in an awkward state of indecision when Jason said tightly, "We
better get going." And as she was completely unsure of what to do, she
slowly took his hand and allowed him to help her onto the saddle. Despite
the fact she was quite aware of all the eyes on them, Elizabeth couldn't
help but notice how warm his hands were on her waist, and how easily he
lifted her onto the horse. And when she was safely seated, it took her a
moment to realise he was once again holding out his hand. Following his
gaze to the basket in her hands, she realised he was waiting for her to hand
it to him. She quickly passed it over, and Jason tied the basket of food to
the back of the saddle.
As she took hold of the reins, Elizabeth's attention was once again caught
by the black coaches. The second coach approaching them held an elegant
elderly lady decked in widow's black. Lila Quartermaine. Elizabeth had
seen the woman in town on a number of occasions but she knew very little
about the matriarch of the Quartermaine clan. But from what she had heard
Lila Quartermaine was a wonderful woman with a warm heart, and as the lady's
eyes through a thin veil of black met Elizabeth's, the girl had the
strangest feeling of kinship.
"Please halt, George."
As the coach came to a stop, Elizabeth glanced at Jason, who was in the
process of untying his horse from the railing and mounting. He turned
around at the sound of his grandmother's voice.
"Grandmother, the service is to start at two-"
Elizabeth hadn't noticed until the moment the coach door opened that AJ
Quartermaine occupied the seat beside his grandmother. The elderly lady
descended from the coach, shaking off her grandson's hand on her arm.
"Really, AJ, it will certainly not start without us." She raised the black
lace from her face to look up at Elizabeth. "Besides, I do believe I should
at least introduce myself to Jason's lovely bride. You are Elizabeth, are
you not, my dear?"
Blushing, Elizabeth nodded her head slowly. "Yes." Then realising she was
still rudely seated, she made to dismount, when Lila shook her head and said
firmly. "There is no need to dismount, my dear. We will be on our way
soon." She smiled up kindly at the shy young woman. So this was Jason's
Elizabeth. She was lovely...but so young. Lila hoped she would be able to
handle being married into the Quartermaine clan. But as the old woman
thought of all she had heard of the girl, she had the suspicion everything
would work out. From her actions on Jason's behalf, the young lady showed
she had honour and loyalty. That was something that the Quartermaines
needed...and even more importantly that was something that Jason needed in his
life. "I am Jason's grandmother, Lila."
Righting herself on her seat, Elizabeth replied softly, "It is a pleasure to
meet you, Mrs. Quartermaine."
"Please call me Lila, my dear. Welcome to our family." An elegant wrinkled
hand reached up to gently pat the younger hands tightly clenching the reins.
As crystal blue eyes caught sight of the golden band on the girl's hand,
small laugh lines crinkled around the elderly lady's eyes.
For some strange reason, the warm words of kindness brought the beginnings
of tears to Elizabeth's eyes. She blinked away the wetness, as she said,
"Thank you...Lila."
Keeping her hand on the girl's, Lila turned toward her youngest grandson who
had made his way toward her. "I was happy to read the wedding was so
beautiful, Jason. Miss Davis certainly knows how to pen an event. I will
save the article for your sister. She will be anxious to read it once she
arrives, but I am sure she will be eager to get all the details from you and
Elizabeth."
"Emily is coming to Heaven?" Jason asked. The last he'd heard, Emily was
still in New York at finishing school.
"Yes. She insisted on coming home after we sent her a telegram about
Edward. And you know your sister, Jason. Once she sets her mind on
something...She indicated she is also quite anxious to see you again."
Jason nodded. While he had kept in contact with her, he hadn't seen his
sister in years...since he'd left Heaven. It would be good to see her again.
Lila glanced down at the gold band on Jason's hand and then at its match on
Elizabeth's. "I am pleased the bands fit so well."
Elizabeth noted the softening of Jason's eyes as he replied, "Yes, thank
you, again, Lila." And unlike the other day when he spoke to his brother
and father, there was no anger in his voice. In fact, it was a gentle tone
she had never heard him use before.
"Grandmother, we really must be going. I'm sure Jason will understand that
while he seems to be off on an outing with his...uh...wife...some of us wish to
pay our last respects to Grandfather."
Elizabeth's eyes flew towards AJ who was leaning out the open coach door.
The irritation in his eyes was unmistakable. She nervously glanced back
toward Jason, and saw his face was once again stone.
Lila gave her oldest grandson a look of disapproval, and then turned
understanding eyes toward Jason. "I hope you have a lovely outing with your
wife, Jason." She lifted her hand from Elizabeth's, and placing her palm on
his cheek, she said softly, "Life must go on..." She paused before
continuing, "But indeed we should be going."
The look of grief that passed over the lady's face made her look every one
of her seventy years. Elizabeth wanted nothing more than to embrace the
woman, and as if sharing her thoughts, Jason leaned down to place a gentle
kiss on Lila's cheek. The great woman smiled lovingly at her grandson
before turning toward Elizabeth. "It was a pleasure meeting you, my dear.
I look forward to becoming better acquainted with you."
Elizabeth responded softly, "As do I, Mrs. Quar-Lila." She paused before
continuing with sad eyes, "I am so terribly sorry for your loss."
Something in the girl's dark blue eyes made Lila believe that Elizabeth was
acquainted with loss...poor dear. There was an aura of loneliness about the
shy girl...she must not have had an easy life with that Audrey Hardy. But
Lila had a feeling there were hidden depths to this girl...perhaps if the
fates were kind, Jason could help her discover them. "Thank you,
Elizabeth." Lila turned to Jason and squeezed his hand. "I will see you
tomorrow, Jason." Her voice dropped as she said, "Please come by at noon,
my dear. I will have spoken to everyone by then."
At Jason's nod, the elderly lady pulled the black lace down over her face,
and headed back to the coach. The driver assisted her back inside, and soon
the coach departed following the other coach toward the church cemetery.
Elizabeth's attention was so caught up in watching the coaches depart, she
didn't realise Jason had mounted his horse, until he called out. "We should
go Elizabeth."
She guided her horse toward his direction, and nodded her agreement. But as
she followed Jason out of the town, thoughts of the Quartermaines ran
through her mind. How could one family consist of such different
individuals? Lila seemed so kind, whereas the other Quartermaines seemed
so...cold and angry. And she had to admit she found it strange that Jason was
not attending his own grandfather's funeral. Did he hate the man that much?
What had happened to cause such a rift between Jason and his family? And
why were they keeping Rebecca away from him? As she urged Nelly to match
the other horse's speed, Elizabeth had the feeling that finding the answers
to all those questions would go a long way in understanding the man who was
now her husband.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
They rode in silence for a long stretch before they passed the Quartermaine
apple orchards. And for the first time in days Elizabeth thought of the
pond and the sketches she kept hidden there. She found she missed the
comfort of being able to simply draw...and now she had so many things...and
people...she wanted to sketch. Perhaps she could find some time alone to go
to the pond...
All thoughts of drawing were pushed out of her head as she realised they
were heading past Quartermaine land towards the river. Through all the
years she had lived at the farm, she had never been this far past
Quartermaine land. She saw how the grass was a richer green as they neared
the river. Thick bushes lined the bank, and it took Elizabeth a moment
before she could make out the small wooden bridge crossing a narrow section
of the river.
She urged Nelly to follow Jason's horse as it made its way across the
bridge. They rode a short distance more up a small hill before Jason
finally reined in his horse. "We'll stop here."
As she pulled gently on the reins to slow Nelly, Elizabeth looked at Jason
to find him tense as he looked down the hillside. Curious to see what had
captured his attention, she followed Jason's gaze...
There a little distance away from the bottom of the hillside was a farm, but
its fenced areas, and large barn appeared to be completely empty. As her
eyes moved over the abandoned area, it finally came to rest on a large three
story dark wooden structure. While she had never seen the place before, a
strange feeling of familiarity passed through her...
Jason carefully watched Elizabeth's face as she looked over the farm. He
hadn't been here with someone since...shaking off the thought, he waited for
her reaction. But as she continued to take in the land before her, he
wondered what was going through her mind. He had no doubt she was curious
about why they were there. Jason had to admit he wasn't quite sure
himself...could he really be considering settling down here?
Feeling Jason's gaze on her, Elizabeth asked with eyes still on the grand
house, "What is this place, Jason?"
"It could be where we live, if you want it to be."
Elizabeth's blue eyes widened as they flew to his face. "What? Live here?
But how can..."
"I own this land." He urged his horse to make its way down the slope of the
hill.
"Oh..." Elizabeth exclaimed softly as she followed him. As they moved closer
to the farm, she could now see clearly it was somewhat run-down from lack of
care. The fences needed repairing, and the barn obviously needed
repainting. The small garden in front of the house was now overgrown with
weeds.
Just as they reached the outside fencing, Jason halted his horse and
dismounted. He waited for Elizabeth to slow down Nelly, before offering her
his hand, and helping her down. As his arms went around her waist to set
her down to the ground, he became aware of just how tiny Elizabeth was. She
weighed next to nothing, and even with that straw bonnet on, she barely
reached his shoulder. It was hard to believe this girl was actually his
wife.
As his hands remained on her waist, Elizabeth was having a hard time
breathing and was all too aware of the rapid galloping of her heart. What
was the matter with her? The image of her waking up that morning next to
him in his bed flew through her head...she remembered the same feeling
of nervousness...and also this strange sensation of warmth. Blushing, she
took a nervous step backwards.
At her rapid movement, Jason realised he still had his hands on her waist,
and quickly withdrew them. He cleared his throat and not quite looking at
her, he suggested, "Why don't you have a look around, Elizabeth, and see if
you like the place."
Still flushed, Elizabeth blinked in surprise. "You want me to just...just
look around by myself?"
"Yes," he answered shortly, "I want to know if you think this would be a
good place for us to bring Rebecca."
For a moment Elizabeth just stared at him. He couldn't just expect her to
make this kind of decision for them, could he? She asked hesitantly, "Are
you saying that if I say we should live here, we will?"
Jason turned to look at her. "Yes. Is there something wrong, Elizabeth?"
She swallowed hard before beginning, "I-I don't even know what you think..."
"As I said, it's up to you. If you want to live here, we will."
Shaking her head, Elizabeth protested, "But, I don't know anything about
picking a place to live."
He looked at her for a moment in consideration before he said, "You don't
need to know anything, Elizabeth. You just have to tell me how you feel.
Does it feel like a place where you can live?"
Elizabeth looked around the farm, and slowly in her mind's eye she could
picture what the place would look like with some loving care. The barn with
it's peeling dark brown paint could be painted a fresh bright red. And with
some mending the fences could house all sorts of animals...why perhaps Burt
could come and live here! A small smile played on her lips at the wonderful
thought. Her blue eyes moved toward the house, and she imagined how lovely
it could be with a blooming garden in the front, and some fresh white paint...
"Why don't you go inside the house, Elizabeth?" Jason suggested as he saw
her eyes rest on the building.
Elizabeth looked back at him, and reflected on how strangely he was
behaving. Why did he keep telling her to explore rather than showing her
around himself? And why did he seem so unsettled here? She asked, "Can you
come in with me, Jason?"
After a moment, he nodded curtly and started to head toward the house.
Elizabeth followed still puzzled by his behaviour. But she soon was
preoccupied with another mystery. While the paint on the grand house was a
dull brown, it did not look old at all, and the rusty-coloured brick-lined
path to the house looked not older than a few years. The wood of the steps
and porch also did not have the appearance of age...just neglect. And as
Elizabeth finally came to stand in front of the intricately carved large oak
door with its beautiful stained glass window of red roses...she realised the
house must have been built only a few years ago.
Jason opened the door, and motioned for her to enter first. She cautiously
took a step into the front foyer. As the faint aroma of dust and mildew
tickled her nose, Elizabeth's eyes adjusted to the darkness of the house.
Straight ahead she could make out a long hallway lined by a rich red carpet,
and to her left a strip of light revealed the thick oak railing of a long
winding staircase. As she moved down the hall in silence with Jason behind
her, she could see there was a salon to the right and what looked to be a
study to the left. The door to each room was left open so she could see the
white sheets draped over the furnishings.
As they reached the back of the house, and stepped into a cosy kitchen with
large windows, Elizabeth stopped and turned around. She couldn't make out
Jason's face under the rim of his hat, but she had the feeling he was
waiting for her to say something. Taking in the beautiful iron fire stove,
and indoor water pump, the first of this kind she had seen, she said, "It's
a beautiful house, Jason."
Jason only replied, "Did you want to see the other floors?"
She shook her head. "No," she began as she began to nervously clasp her
hands in front of her, "Why don't you tell me what's up there."
"The next floor contains five bedchambers. The floor above is the attic."
Elizabeth blinked. "Oh my, it's quite large isn't it?"
Jason nodded. He had actually planned on making the house much smaller...
"But if we're going to have all those little ones you're planning, we'll
need the room, Jason."
"Jason?"
Shaking off the memory, Jason looked down at Elizabeth. "Yes?"
"Is something wrong?"
With a short shake of his head, Jason looked around the kitchen and asked,
"So what do you think? Do you want to live here?"
"I-I..." Elizabeth nibbled on her lower lip, before turning the question back
on him, "Do you want to live here?"
"I already told you, we'll do what you want."
Without thought, Elizabeth let out a frustrated sigh. Why was it like
pulling teeth trying to get him to tell her how he felt? Before she could
say anything, Jason asked in a reasonable tone, "Is there something wrong?
If it's something about the house, we don't have to live here."
Before she could prevent herself, she blurted out, "No, it's nothing about
the house! The house is lovely. It's you. Why won't you tell me what you
think?-oh!" Her eyes widened as she saw the surprised statement on his
face at her outburst. Blushing fiercely, she stammered, "I-I'm sorry. I
shouldn't have said that..."
For a moment Jason was silent, and then the strangest thing happened. His
lips started to twitch. He didn't know why but the astonishing sight of the
girl getting all riled up vanished the suffocating memories that had
descended upon him as soon as he stepped into the house. Jason wondered if
Elizabeth knew her eyes sparkled when she was angry...
Elizabeth's eyes narrowed slightly. Was the man laughing at her? But a
moment later, his face was once again unreadable as he said seriously, "You
shouldn't apologise for how you feel, Elizabeth. You should let it out more
often. And as for what I think. I think I want to make sure you're
comfortable here before we decide anything."
Elizabeth sighed softly, "I know. I'm sorry, but you should feel
comfortable with where we live as well, Jason," she paused before continuing
hesitantly, "You said I should tell you how I feel...well, I feel you're
uneasy in this house."
Jason ran a hand along his jaw line, as he met Elizabeth's questioning eyes.
He knew she had a right to know about the place before deciding to live
there, but he just didn't want to drag up the old memories. But it seemed
no matter how much he tried to put the past to rest, it wouldn't go away
peacefully. "You're right, Elizabeth." He turned around towards the door,
"There's some things I need to tell you, but why don't we have that lunch
Sonny made first?"
As Jason had already made his way through the kitchen door, Elizabeth had no
recourse but to follow him.
They made their way out of the house, and back to their horses, where Jason
untied the basket from Nelly's saddle. With basket in hand, he led them
away from the farm through some trees, and finally came to a stop at the
bank of the river.
Jason placed the basket on the ground beside a large tree, a few feet away
from the river's edge but before Elizabeth could sit down, he took of his
jacket and laid it down. "The ground could be damp."
"Oh, I cannot sit on your jacket, Jason," Elizabeth said nervously as she
glanced at the gun in the holster at his waist. Moving a short distance,
she sat down on the grass. She leaned over to open the basket and started
to unwrap the bread and jam from the cloth.
He peered down at the top of her straw hat for a moment before putting the
jacket back on. As he sat down next to Elizabeth by the tree, he noticed
she was struggling to take the lid off the jar of jam. Reaching out for it,
he suggested, "Here let me."
Elizabeth didn't even look up as she continued to struggle with the lid,
until she gave a small exclamation of delight as the lid twisted open. "Got
it!" As the sweet smell of strawberry filled her senses, she realised how
hungry she really was. Mouth watering she turned to reach for a slice of
bread, and the knife in the basket. She had just started to spread the jam
on the bread, when she suddenly realised Jason was staring at her.
Seeing her startle as if she had just remembered his presence, Jason had to
smile.
Elizabeth blinked as his lips curled upwards. Now, that was definitely a
smile. Seeing his amusement, she asked tentatively, "What is it Jason?"
Letting out a deep chuckle, he replied honestly, "I don't think I've ever
seen someone get so wrapped up in the presence of food. It's hard to
believe you're so tiny."
A deep red flush spread over her face, as she looked ashamedly down at the
jam covered bread in her hand. Holding it out to him, she murmured, "I'm
terribly sorry, Jason. How could I be so rude?!"
He shook his head, as he took off his hat. "I didn't mean it as a rebuke,
Elizabeth. I like watching you eat."
She blinked. "You do?"
He nodded as he reached for a slice of bread. "Yes. Eat."
As he reached for the knife, his hand brushed hers causing her to nervously
release it. She moved slightly away to lean against the tree, and quickly
turned her eyes away from him to the view of the river before her. As the
sweet taste of strawberries burst in her mouth, Elizabeth's eyes followed
the dancing of the sunlight on the ripples of water.
With the warm breeze of summer teasing the curls under her bonnet, and the
singing of birds playing in her ears, Elizabeth let herself forget about all
the changes that had so recently occurred in her life, and just be...
Through the corner of his eye, Jason could see how the peaceful setting was
working its magic on Elizabeth. The scenery was one of the reasons he had
loved this place since we was a young lad. He remembered all the times he
would spend hours sitting here reading, fishing, or simply thinking. There
had always been this sense of belonging with the land and river here...always
until that night...
Staring ahead at the river, he asked abruptly, "How much have you heard
about me, Elizabeth?"
Surprised by the question, she almost choked on the piece of bread she
swallowed. With a little cough, she replied cautiously, "What do you mean?"
He kept his gaze on the water. "I know that in a town the size of Heaven,
it would be a damn miracle if you hadn't heard something about my past."
"Yes...you are somewhat infamous," Elizabeth murmured. She thought a moment
before saying, "But then again, I reckon I'm somewhat infamous myself now..."
This comment brought another smile to Jason's face. "I think that may be an
understatement." The smile disappeared as he continued, "As my wife, I
think there are a few things you need to know about me. Tell me what you've
heard."
Elizabeth shrugged as she played nervously with the rim of her hat. "I
really don't know much about your past. I've only heard a few things here
and there." She paused before asking, "Why don't you tell me what you want
me to know?"
Jason was quiet for a long moment, before he spoke again. "The rumours I
was a hired gun these past two years are true." He waited to hear
exclamations of horror, but when none came, he turned to find Elizabeth
simply sitting there with her head tilted waiting for him to continue. "The
first time Sonny and I tracked down a man, it was a favour to a lady friend
of Sonny's, but after that, folks came to us. They would pay us to find
someone, and we found them."
Elizabeth searched Jason's eyes for a moment before asking, "What did you do
with them once you found them?"
"Are you asking me, if we killed them?"
Nervously swallowing and eyes wide, Elizabeth nodded her head.
Looking her in the eye, Jason nodded. "Sometimes it came to that, but
mostly we tried to bring them back alive to let the law deal with them. In
some cases, the law didn't deal with them and we did."
Elizabeth broke the eye contact, and asked quietly, "What did these men do?"
"Mostly theft and murder. Sometimes rape."
Elizabeth flinched at the word. Rape. She was not so sheltered as not to
recognise the simple word to describe a woman's worst nightmare. She was
quiet for a moment before beginning, "Why would you..."
"Why would I give up being a Quartermaine to become a hired gun?" At her
nod, Jason answered, "It actually pays quite well."
"And?" Elizabeth prompted. She didn't believe for one instant his becoming
a hired gun had anything to do with money.
He stared at her for a long moment before continuing, "And I was doing more
good as a bounty hunter than I was as a Quartermaine."
Hearing the edge in his voice, Elizabeth recalled their earlier encounter
with his family. She asked cautiously, "Why do you hate them so much?"
For a long moment he didn't answer as his jaw clenched. Finally, looking
back at her, he said, "The most important thing you need to know about the
Quartermaines is that except for Lila and my sister, Emily, they can't be
trusted. They'll do whatever it takes to obtain and keep power."
As she listened carefully to him, Elizabeth noted how he kept any hint of
emotion out of his voice as he spoke of his family.
"I'm sure you've already heard about what Edward was capable of from many of
the folks he's swindled in town. While I was out East, I only heard about
his actions in bits and pieces from Sonny, but when I came home I
experienced just how far he and the rest of them would go to get their way."
His tone remained flat as he continued, "But it wasn't until a couple of
months before I left Heaven that I finally made a clean break from the
family." Jason paused before he explaining, "There was a girl I was
planning on marrying whom they didn't agree would make a suitable
Quartermaine."
"Robin..." The name escaped as a soft whisper from Elizabeth's lips.
He wasn't surprised Elizabeth had heard about her. "Yes, Robin Scorpio. We
were planning on getting married as soon as possible, but we wanted to have
a place to live first. Robin wanted to stay near Heaven to be near her
family, and Lila had given me this land when I came of age. It had been
part of her inheritance from her father and Edward had no claim to it. We
decided to live here. There had once been a farm here years ago, but the
place was hardly liveable. Sonny helped me to fix up the barn."
Elizabeth nodded. "But you built the house, didn't you?"
His eyes rested on her face. "Yes, we built the house. The old farmhouse
was falling apart." Turning back to the view of the river, he said, "To
make a long story short, things didn't work out with Robin, so when I left
Heaven, I gave this place away to Sonny's father, Deke."
She was not surprised he had not mentioned exactly why things had not worked
out...she recalled all too well the story of Robin marrying Nikolas Cassadine.
Was Jason still in love with her? Was that why he so obviously still
carried the memory of her with him? Was that why he could barely walk into
that house? She had so many questions, but only asked, "This land must
carry many memories for you...why do you want to live here again, Jason?"
"We can't live at the saloon with Rebecca, and the hotel is hardly a place
to raise a child. This house has a lot of room and the land..."
Elizabeth nodded as she looked down the river toward the distant bridge lost
in thought, "Yes, this would be a wonderful place to raise a child with so
much room for her to run free...Why she could help care for and play with Burt
and the other animals. And she could play in the garden. With a little bit
of tending, I'm sure it would bloom. And yes, the house is rather large,
but imagine all of the adventures she could have in the place with the
friends she would invite over."
Elizabeth's words conjured up in Jason's mind the vivid image of Rebecca
growing up on this land and in the house. He was so caught up in the idea,
he didn't hear Elizabeth's next words at first.
"But if you don't feel comfortable living here, it won't be much of a home
for Rebecca."
After a moment of reflection, Jason admitted to himself he hadn't felt
comfortable on this land for years...and had only brought up the idea of
living on it as a simple solution to their problems. But Elizabeth's words
showed him something he hadn't seen when he had come here this morning
surrounded by the past...a possible future.
Leaning back against the tree, and crossing his arms in front of him, he
asked her once again, "Elizabeth, how do you feel about this place?"
Like she belonged. Elizabeth blinked as the words popped into her
head. She looked over at Jason to find him carefully watching her with those
unbelievably blue eyes. Even the sky paled in comparison. "I like it
here." When he did not respond, she added, "I-I don't know how to describe
it...but I feel it could be a-"
When she cut off her sentence, Jason finished for her, "Home?"
Unsure of his reaction, she nodded.
"Good. I think we should bring Rebecca here."
Taken off guard, Elizabeth exclaimed, "You do?"
"I couldn't really see it before, but you've made me see Rebecca growing up
here."
"I have?"
Jason nodded, before adding, "I want Rebecca to have the childhood you
described Elizabeth. I want her to have the home you described."
"So do I," Elizabeth whispered, "I want her to feel secure in the fact she
will always have a home."
The sadness in her voice spoke volumes. He wondered what her childhood had
been like growing up on the Hardy farm. For the first time, he realised how
very little he knew about this woman before him, this woman he married.
Sure he knew she had a tendency to get into trouble, and possessed a strong
sense of loyalty but what were her hopes and dreams? And why did he
suddenly care? Pushing aside the thought, he said, "Thank you, Elizabeth."
Deep blue eyes met his in curiosity. "For what?"
"For caring about my daughter. You haven't even met her yet."
Elizabeth smiled shyly, before responding quietly, "But I have met her
father, and he's a good man." The turning quickly, she busied herself with
putting away the remainders of their lunch.
Jason ran a hand through his hair as he stared at her in bemusement. After
all he'd told her, her only judgement of him was that he was a 'good man'.
He would wager most other females would be horrified by what he had done the
last two years, but not Elizabeth. But then again, hadn't she called him
'nice' when all he had done was yell at her? He had to admit Elizabeth
Webber-no Morgan, now-was sure one unpredictable female. But as he caught
her furtive glance up at him, he gave her a smile.
At his easy smile, Elizabeth felt a strange flutter in her stomach. A
strange shift in their relationship seemed to have just occurred. It was
as if they were beginning to become friends...well perhaps not quite friends
yet, but their whole situation seemed decidedly less frightening...
After putting on his hat, Jason lifted the basket and suggested, "I think we
better head back to town before it gets late." He rose to his feet and
offered her his hand. "Besides I think you offered to help the boys with
something...something to do with a hat?" He wondered what Francis and Johnny
were up to.
As her hand became engulfed in his, Elizabeth let out a giggle as she
remembered Johnny and Francis's bicycle riding incident earlier. "I'm
sorry, but I promised not to tell."
Now Jason was curious, but he decided he'd have a talk with the two
men later to find out what was going on. He pulled her up to her feet and
said, "Alright. But be sure they don't drag you into any trouble."
Elizabeth shook her head emphatically. "Oh no, there won't be any trouble."
And as they headed back towards the horses, Elizabeth thought, 'What
possible trouble could there be in teaching two men to ride a bicycle?'
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
The mid-afternoon sun was blazing in the sky by the time Elizabeth made her
way out of the saloon. Despite the straw hat she wore, Elizabeth had to
squint her eyes as she looked up and down the busy main street of Heaven.
As it was usual for the middle of the afternoon, a parade of buggies,
horses, and folks passed by the saloon. She was relieved very few folks
seemed to take notice of her. Perhaps people were already beginning to
forget...
"Can you ride on your own Elizabeth?"
The sound of Jason's voice made her turn around in front of the saloon
doors. Confused by his question, she apologised shyly, "I'm sorry, Jason.
Can you repeat what you just said?"
Under the rim of his hat, Jason's unnerving eyes met her wide ones. "It'll
take longer if we take the wagon than if we ride horseback. If you can
ride, you can take Carly's mare, until we get you one of your own from the
livery."
"Yes, I can ride..." Elizabeth began softly as she clutched the basket of
food in her hands. "But we picked up my bicycle from the farm...I can ride
that."
The mention of her visit to her grandmother's farm wasn't lost on Jason, but
he let it go without comment as he shook his head. "In town or on trails,
that bicycle is fine but you'll need a horse when we go places that don't
have trails. Where we're going, there's not many trails yet."
Exactly where were they going? Her curiosity was screaming at her,
but she was not quite brave enough to ask the man before her. So she tried
to concentrate on the other matter at hand. The horse...while she wasn't as
comfortable on a horse as she was on her bicycle, she remembered a number of
times when riding her bicycle was almost slower than walking because of the
rough terrain. "Alright, Jason." She glanced at the horses tied to the
wooden rail and asked, "Which one is Carly's mare?"
"This one." Jason untied the reigns to a beautiful cream coloured mare with
a golden mane and led it away from the other horses. Looking towards
Elizabeth, he held out his hand to her. "I'll help you mount."
Elizabeth walked hesitantly in his direction, but ignored his hand.
Instead, she walked up to the horse, and gently placed her hand on the side
of its head. "Hello..." She glanced at Jason and asked softly, "What's her
name?"
A little taken aback by Elizabeth's actions, Jason answered curtly, "Nelly."
He watched as a slow smile spread over the girl's face as she whispered,
"Hello, Nelly. You're quite the beauty, aren't you?" The animal turned its
head into Elizabeth's hand until it could lick her hand in acknowledgement.
A small giggle escaped Elizabeth but it quickly died as her eyes fell on
Jason.
While she would never describe the imposing man before her as soft, a moment
ago his face had by no means been the granite that it was now. How did he
do that? Not one single emotion could be deciphered from his face...no, as an
uneasy Elizabeth looked into his turbulent blue eyes which were staring over
her shoulder, she could see there was emotion there. She just couldn't
quite name it...
Turning around slowly, Elizabeth saw that the crowd of people and buggies on
the street had somehow parted to line the street on either side to allow two
black coaches to slowly make their way down the street. As the front coach
made its way by, she recognised the two occupants all decked in black.
Beneath the black hat the woman was wearing, she looked dreadfully pale as
her eyes widened. She turned her head to speak to her husband, and a moment
later he too was looking out the window. Elizabeth noticed how their
glances switched between Jason and herself. And she had no idea how to
acknowledge her new in-laws. Oh dear, wasn't it terribly rude of her to
simply stand here like this staring at them? But Jason's rigid form
indicated he was not about to make a movement towards them.
She was still in an awkward state of indecision when Jason said tightly, "We
better get going." And as she was completely unsure of what to do, she
slowly took his hand and allowed him to help her onto the saddle. Despite
the fact she was quite aware of all the eyes on them, Elizabeth couldn't
help but notice how warm his hands were on her waist, and how easily he
lifted her onto the horse. And when she was safely seated, it took her a
moment to realise he was once again holding out his hand. Following his
gaze to the basket in her hands, she realised he was waiting for her to hand
it to him. She quickly passed it over, and Jason tied the basket of food to
the back of the saddle.
As she took hold of the reins, Elizabeth's attention was once again caught
by the black coaches. The second coach approaching them held an elegant
elderly lady decked in widow's black. Lila Quartermaine. Elizabeth had
seen the woman in town on a number of occasions but she knew very little
about the matriarch of the Quartermaine clan. But from what she had heard
Lila Quartermaine was a wonderful woman with a warm heart, and as the lady's
eyes through a thin veil of black met Elizabeth's, the girl had the
strangest feeling of kinship.
"Please halt, George."
As the coach came to a stop, Elizabeth glanced at Jason, who was in the
process of untying his horse from the railing and mounting. He turned
around at the sound of his grandmother's voice.
"Grandmother, the service is to start at two-"
Elizabeth hadn't noticed until the moment the coach door opened that AJ
Quartermaine occupied the seat beside his grandmother. The elderly lady
descended from the coach, shaking off her grandson's hand on her arm.
"Really, AJ, it will certainly not start without us." She raised the black
lace from her face to look up at Elizabeth. "Besides, I do believe I should
at least introduce myself to Jason's lovely bride. You are Elizabeth, are
you not, my dear?"
Blushing, Elizabeth nodded her head slowly. "Yes." Then realising she was
still rudely seated, she made to dismount, when Lila shook her head and said
firmly. "There is no need to dismount, my dear. We will be on our way
soon." She smiled up kindly at the shy young woman. So this was Jason's
Elizabeth. She was lovely...but so young. Lila hoped she would be able to
handle being married into the Quartermaine clan. But as the old woman
thought of all she had heard of the girl, she had the suspicion everything
would work out. From her actions on Jason's behalf, the young lady showed
she had honour and loyalty. That was something that the Quartermaines
needed...and even more importantly that was something that Jason needed in his
life. "I am Jason's grandmother, Lila."
Righting herself on her seat, Elizabeth replied softly, "It is a pleasure to
meet you, Mrs. Quartermaine."
"Please call me Lila, my dear. Welcome to our family." An elegant wrinkled
hand reached up to gently pat the younger hands tightly clenching the reins.
As crystal blue eyes caught sight of the golden band on the girl's hand,
small laugh lines crinkled around the elderly lady's eyes.
For some strange reason, the warm words of kindness brought the beginnings
of tears to Elizabeth's eyes. She blinked away the wetness, as she said,
"Thank you...Lila."
Keeping her hand on the girl's, Lila turned toward her youngest grandson who
had made his way toward her. "I was happy to read the wedding was so
beautiful, Jason. Miss Davis certainly knows how to pen an event. I will
save the article for your sister. She will be anxious to read it once she
arrives, but I am sure she will be eager to get all the details from you and
Elizabeth."
"Emily is coming to Heaven?" Jason asked. The last he'd heard, Emily was
still in New York at finishing school.
"Yes. She insisted on coming home after we sent her a telegram about
Edward. And you know your sister, Jason. Once she sets her mind on
something...She indicated she is also quite anxious to see you again."
Jason nodded. While he had kept in contact with her, he hadn't seen his
sister in years...since he'd left Heaven. It would be good to see her again.
Lila glanced down at the gold band on Jason's hand and then at its match on
Elizabeth's. "I am pleased the bands fit so well."
Elizabeth noted the softening of Jason's eyes as he replied, "Yes, thank
you, again, Lila." And unlike the other day when he spoke to his brother
and father, there was no anger in his voice. In fact, it was a gentle tone
she had never heard him use before.
"Grandmother, we really must be going. I'm sure Jason will understand that
while he seems to be off on an outing with his...uh...wife...some of us wish to
pay our last respects to Grandfather."
Elizabeth's eyes flew towards AJ who was leaning out the open coach door.
The irritation in his eyes was unmistakable. She nervously glanced back
toward Jason, and saw his face was once again stone.
Lila gave her oldest grandson a look of disapproval, and then turned
understanding eyes toward Jason. "I hope you have a lovely outing with your
wife, Jason." She lifted her hand from Elizabeth's, and placing her palm on
his cheek, she said softly, "Life must go on..." She paused before
continuing, "But indeed we should be going."
The look of grief that passed over the lady's face made her look every one
of her seventy years. Elizabeth wanted nothing more than to embrace the
woman, and as if sharing her thoughts, Jason leaned down to place a gentle
kiss on Lila's cheek. The great woman smiled lovingly at her grandson
before turning toward Elizabeth. "It was a pleasure meeting you, my dear.
I look forward to becoming better acquainted with you."
Elizabeth responded softly, "As do I, Mrs. Quar-Lila." She paused before
continuing with sad eyes, "I am so terribly sorry for your loss."
Something in the girl's dark blue eyes made Lila believe that Elizabeth was
acquainted with loss...poor dear. There was an aura of loneliness about the
shy girl...she must not have had an easy life with that Audrey Hardy. But
Lila had a feeling there were hidden depths to this girl...perhaps if the
fates were kind, Jason could help her discover them. "Thank you,
Elizabeth." Lila turned to Jason and squeezed his hand. "I will see you
tomorrow, Jason." Her voice dropped as she said, "Please come by at noon,
my dear. I will have spoken to everyone by then."
At Jason's nod, the elderly lady pulled the black lace down over her face,
and headed back to the coach. The driver assisted her back inside, and soon
the coach departed following the other coach toward the church cemetery.
Elizabeth's attention was so caught up in watching the coaches depart, she
didn't realise Jason had mounted his horse, until he called out. "We should
go Elizabeth."
She guided her horse toward his direction, and nodded her agreement. But as
she followed Jason out of the town, thoughts of the Quartermaines ran
through her mind. How could one family consist of such different
individuals? Lila seemed so kind, whereas the other Quartermaines seemed
so...cold and angry. And she had to admit she found it strange that Jason was
not attending his own grandfather's funeral. Did he hate the man that much?
What had happened to cause such a rift between Jason and his family? And
why were they keeping Rebecca away from him? As she urged Nelly to match
the other horse's speed, Elizabeth had the feeling that finding the answers
to all those questions would go a long way in understanding the man who was
now her husband.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
They rode in silence for a long stretch before they passed the Quartermaine
apple orchards. And for the first time in days Elizabeth thought of the
pond and the sketches she kept hidden there. She found she missed the
comfort of being able to simply draw...and now she had so many things...and
people...she wanted to sketch. Perhaps she could find some time alone to go
to the pond...
All thoughts of drawing were pushed out of her head as she realised they
were heading past Quartermaine land towards the river. Through all the
years she had lived at the farm, she had never been this far past
Quartermaine land. She saw how the grass was a richer green as they neared
the river. Thick bushes lined the bank, and it took Elizabeth a moment
before she could make out the small wooden bridge crossing a narrow section
of the river.
She urged Nelly to follow Jason's horse as it made its way across the
bridge. They rode a short distance more up a small hill before Jason
finally reined in his horse. "We'll stop here."
As she pulled gently on the reins to slow Nelly, Elizabeth looked at Jason
to find him tense as he looked down the hillside. Curious to see what had
captured his attention, she followed Jason's gaze...
There a little distance away from the bottom of the hillside was a farm, but
its fenced areas, and large barn appeared to be completely empty. As her
eyes moved over the abandoned area, it finally came to rest on a large three
story dark wooden structure. While she had never seen the place before, a
strange feeling of familiarity passed through her...
Jason carefully watched Elizabeth's face as she looked over the farm. He
hadn't been here with someone since...shaking off the thought, he waited for
her reaction. But as she continued to take in the land before her, he
wondered what was going through her mind. He had no doubt she was curious
about why they were there. Jason had to admit he wasn't quite sure
himself...could he really be considering settling down here?
Feeling Jason's gaze on her, Elizabeth asked with eyes still on the grand
house, "What is this place, Jason?"
"It could be where we live, if you want it to be."
Elizabeth's blue eyes widened as they flew to his face. "What? Live here?
But how can..."
"I own this land." He urged his horse to make its way down the slope of the
hill.
"Oh..." Elizabeth exclaimed softly as she followed him. As they moved closer
to the farm, she could now see clearly it was somewhat run-down from lack of
care. The fences needed repairing, and the barn obviously needed
repainting. The small garden in front of the house was now overgrown with
weeds.
Just as they reached the outside fencing, Jason halted his horse and
dismounted. He waited for Elizabeth to slow down Nelly, before offering her
his hand, and helping her down. As his arms went around her waist to set
her down to the ground, he became aware of just how tiny Elizabeth was. She
weighed next to nothing, and even with that straw bonnet on, she barely
reached his shoulder. It was hard to believe this girl was actually his
wife.
As his hands remained on her waist, Elizabeth was having a hard time
breathing and was all too aware of the rapid galloping of her heart. What
was the matter with her? The image of her waking up that morning next to
him in his bed flew through her head...she remembered the same feeling
of nervousness...and also this strange sensation of warmth. Blushing, she
took a nervous step backwards.
At her rapid movement, Jason realised he still had his hands on her waist,
and quickly withdrew them. He cleared his throat and not quite looking at
her, he suggested, "Why don't you have a look around, Elizabeth, and see if
you like the place."
Still flushed, Elizabeth blinked in surprise. "You want me to just...just
look around by myself?"
"Yes," he answered shortly, "I want to know if you think this would be a
good place for us to bring Rebecca."
For a moment Elizabeth just stared at him. He couldn't just expect her to
make this kind of decision for them, could he? She asked hesitantly, "Are
you saying that if I say we should live here, we will?"
Jason turned to look at her. "Yes. Is there something wrong, Elizabeth?"
She swallowed hard before beginning, "I-I don't even know what you think..."
"As I said, it's up to you. If you want to live here, we will."
Shaking her head, Elizabeth protested, "But, I don't know anything about
picking a place to live."
He looked at her for a moment in consideration before he said, "You don't
need to know anything, Elizabeth. You just have to tell me how you feel.
Does it feel like a place where you can live?"
Elizabeth looked around the farm, and slowly in her mind's eye she could
picture what the place would look like with some loving care. The barn with
it's peeling dark brown paint could be painted a fresh bright red. And with
some mending the fences could house all sorts of animals...why perhaps Burt
could come and live here! A small smile played on her lips at the wonderful
thought. Her blue eyes moved toward the house, and she imagined how lovely
it could be with a blooming garden in the front, and some fresh white paint...
"Why don't you go inside the house, Elizabeth?" Jason suggested as he saw
her eyes rest on the building.
Elizabeth looked back at him, and reflected on how strangely he was
behaving. Why did he keep telling her to explore rather than showing her
around himself? And why did he seem so unsettled here? She asked, "Can you
come in with me, Jason?"
After a moment, he nodded curtly and started to head toward the house.
Elizabeth followed still puzzled by his behaviour. But she soon was
preoccupied with another mystery. While the paint on the grand house was a
dull brown, it did not look old at all, and the rusty-coloured brick-lined
path to the house looked not older than a few years. The wood of the steps
and porch also did not have the appearance of age...just neglect. And as
Elizabeth finally came to stand in front of the intricately carved large oak
door with its beautiful stained glass window of red roses...she realised the
house must have been built only a few years ago.
Jason opened the door, and motioned for her to enter first. She cautiously
took a step into the front foyer. As the faint aroma of dust and mildew
tickled her nose, Elizabeth's eyes adjusted to the darkness of the house.
Straight ahead she could make out a long hallway lined by a rich red carpet,
and to her left a strip of light revealed the thick oak railing of a long
winding staircase. As she moved down the hall in silence with Jason behind
her, she could see there was a salon to the right and what looked to be a
study to the left. The door to each room was left open so she could see the
white sheets draped over the furnishings.
As they reached the back of the house, and stepped into a cosy kitchen with
large windows, Elizabeth stopped and turned around. She couldn't make out
Jason's face under the rim of his hat, but she had the feeling he was
waiting for her to say something. Taking in the beautiful iron fire stove,
and indoor water pump, the first of this kind she had seen, she said, "It's
a beautiful house, Jason."
Jason only replied, "Did you want to see the other floors?"
She shook her head. "No," she began as she began to nervously clasp her
hands in front of her, "Why don't you tell me what's up there."
"The next floor contains five bedchambers. The floor above is the attic."
Elizabeth blinked. "Oh my, it's quite large isn't it?"
Jason nodded. He had actually planned on making the house much smaller...
"But if we're going to have all those little ones you're planning, we'll
need the room, Jason."
"Jason?"
Shaking off the memory, Jason looked down at Elizabeth. "Yes?"
"Is something wrong?"
With a short shake of his head, Jason looked around the kitchen and asked,
"So what do you think? Do you want to live here?"
"I-I..." Elizabeth nibbled on her lower lip, before turning the question back
on him, "Do you want to live here?"
"I already told you, we'll do what you want."
Without thought, Elizabeth let out a frustrated sigh. Why was it like
pulling teeth trying to get him to tell her how he felt? Before she could
say anything, Jason asked in a reasonable tone, "Is there something wrong?
If it's something about the house, we don't have to live here."
Before she could prevent herself, she blurted out, "No, it's nothing about
the house! The house is lovely. It's you. Why won't you tell me what you
think?-oh!" Her eyes widened as she saw the surprised statement on his
face at her outburst. Blushing fiercely, she stammered, "I-I'm sorry. I
shouldn't have said that..."
For a moment Jason was silent, and then the strangest thing happened. His
lips started to twitch. He didn't know why but the astonishing sight of the
girl getting all riled up vanished the suffocating memories that had
descended upon him as soon as he stepped into the house. Jason wondered if
Elizabeth knew her eyes sparkled when she was angry...
Elizabeth's eyes narrowed slightly. Was the man laughing at her? But a
moment later, his face was once again unreadable as he said seriously, "You
shouldn't apologise for how you feel, Elizabeth. You should let it out more
often. And as for what I think. I think I want to make sure you're
comfortable here before we decide anything."
Elizabeth sighed softly, "I know. I'm sorry, but you should feel
comfortable with where we live as well, Jason," she paused before continuing
hesitantly, "You said I should tell you how I feel...well, I feel you're
uneasy in this house."
Jason ran a hand along his jaw line, as he met Elizabeth's questioning eyes.
He knew she had a right to know about the place before deciding to live
there, but he just didn't want to drag up the old memories. But it seemed
no matter how much he tried to put the past to rest, it wouldn't go away
peacefully. "You're right, Elizabeth." He turned around towards the door,
"There's some things I need to tell you, but why don't we have that lunch
Sonny made first?"
As Jason had already made his way through the kitchen door, Elizabeth had no
recourse but to follow him.
They made their way out of the house, and back to their horses, where Jason
untied the basket from Nelly's saddle. With basket in hand, he led them
away from the farm through some trees, and finally came to a stop at the
bank of the river.
Jason placed the basket on the ground beside a large tree, a few feet away
from the river's edge but before Elizabeth could sit down, he took of his
jacket and laid it down. "The ground could be damp."
"Oh, I cannot sit on your jacket, Jason," Elizabeth said nervously as she
glanced at the gun in the holster at his waist. Moving a short distance,
she sat down on the grass. She leaned over to open the basket and started
to unwrap the bread and jam from the cloth.
He peered down at the top of her straw hat for a moment before putting the
jacket back on. As he sat down next to Elizabeth by the tree, he noticed
she was struggling to take the lid off the jar of jam. Reaching out for it,
he suggested, "Here let me."
Elizabeth didn't even look up as she continued to struggle with the lid,
until she gave a small exclamation of delight as the lid twisted open. "Got
it!" As the sweet smell of strawberry filled her senses, she realised how
hungry she really was. Mouth watering she turned to reach for a slice of
bread, and the knife in the basket. She had just started to spread the jam
on the bread, when she suddenly realised Jason was staring at her.
Seeing her startle as if she had just remembered his presence, Jason had to
smile.
Elizabeth blinked as his lips curled upwards. Now, that was definitely a
smile. Seeing his amusement, she asked tentatively, "What is it Jason?"
Letting out a deep chuckle, he replied honestly, "I don't think I've ever
seen someone get so wrapped up in the presence of food. It's hard to
believe you're so tiny."
A deep red flush spread over her face, as she looked ashamedly down at the
jam covered bread in her hand. Holding it out to him, she murmured, "I'm
terribly sorry, Jason. How could I be so rude?!"
He shook his head, as he took off his hat. "I didn't mean it as a rebuke,
Elizabeth. I like watching you eat."
She blinked. "You do?"
He nodded as he reached for a slice of bread. "Yes. Eat."
As he reached for the knife, his hand brushed hers causing her to nervously
release it. She moved slightly away to lean against the tree, and quickly
turned her eyes away from him to the view of the river before her. As the
sweet taste of strawberries burst in her mouth, Elizabeth's eyes followed
the dancing of the sunlight on the ripples of water.
With the warm breeze of summer teasing the curls under her bonnet, and the
singing of birds playing in her ears, Elizabeth let herself forget about all
the changes that had so recently occurred in her life, and just be...
Through the corner of his eye, Jason could see how the peaceful setting was
working its magic on Elizabeth. The scenery was one of the reasons he had
loved this place since we was a young lad. He remembered all the times he
would spend hours sitting here reading, fishing, or simply thinking. There
had always been this sense of belonging with the land and river here...always
until that night...
Staring ahead at the river, he asked abruptly, "How much have you heard
about me, Elizabeth?"
Surprised by the question, she almost choked on the piece of bread she
swallowed. With a little cough, she replied cautiously, "What do you mean?"
He kept his gaze on the water. "I know that in a town the size of Heaven,
it would be a damn miracle if you hadn't heard something about my past."
"Yes...you are somewhat infamous," Elizabeth murmured. She thought a moment
before saying, "But then again, I reckon I'm somewhat infamous myself now..."
This comment brought another smile to Jason's face. "I think that may be an
understatement." The smile disappeared as he continued, "As my wife, I
think there are a few things you need to know about me. Tell me what you've
heard."
Elizabeth shrugged as she played nervously with the rim of her hat. "I
really don't know much about your past. I've only heard a few things here
and there." She paused before asking, "Why don't you tell me what you want
me to know?"
Jason was quiet for a long moment, before he spoke again. "The rumours I
was a hired gun these past two years are true." He waited to hear
exclamations of horror, but when none came, he turned to find Elizabeth
simply sitting there with her head tilted waiting for him to continue. "The
first time Sonny and I tracked down a man, it was a favour to a lady friend
of Sonny's, but after that, folks came to us. They would pay us to find
someone, and we found them."
Elizabeth searched Jason's eyes for a moment before asking, "What did you do
with them once you found them?"
"Are you asking me, if we killed them?"
Nervously swallowing and eyes wide, Elizabeth nodded her head.
Looking her in the eye, Jason nodded. "Sometimes it came to that, but
mostly we tried to bring them back alive to let the law deal with them. In
some cases, the law didn't deal with them and we did."
Elizabeth broke the eye contact, and asked quietly, "What did these men do?"
"Mostly theft and murder. Sometimes rape."
Elizabeth flinched at the word. Rape. She was not so sheltered as not to
recognise the simple word to describe a woman's worst nightmare. She was
quiet for a moment before beginning, "Why would you..."
"Why would I give up being a Quartermaine to become a hired gun?" At her
nod, Jason answered, "It actually pays quite well."
"And?" Elizabeth prompted. She didn't believe for one instant his becoming
a hired gun had anything to do with money.
He stared at her for a long moment before continuing, "And I was doing more
good as a bounty hunter than I was as a Quartermaine."
Hearing the edge in his voice, Elizabeth recalled their earlier encounter
with his family. She asked cautiously, "Why do you hate them so much?"
For a long moment he didn't answer as his jaw clenched. Finally, looking
back at her, he said, "The most important thing you need to know about the
Quartermaines is that except for Lila and my sister, Emily, they can't be
trusted. They'll do whatever it takes to obtain and keep power."
As she listened carefully to him, Elizabeth noted how he kept any hint of
emotion out of his voice as he spoke of his family.
"I'm sure you've already heard about what Edward was capable of from many of
the folks he's swindled in town. While I was out East, I only heard about
his actions in bits and pieces from Sonny, but when I came home I
experienced just how far he and the rest of them would go to get their way."
His tone remained flat as he continued, "But it wasn't until a couple of
months before I left Heaven that I finally made a clean break from the
family." Jason paused before he explaining, "There was a girl I was
planning on marrying whom they didn't agree would make a suitable
Quartermaine."
"Robin..." The name escaped as a soft whisper from Elizabeth's lips.
He wasn't surprised Elizabeth had heard about her. "Yes, Robin Scorpio. We
were planning on getting married as soon as possible, but we wanted to have
a place to live first. Robin wanted to stay near Heaven to be near her
family, and Lila had given me this land when I came of age. It had been
part of her inheritance from her father and Edward had no claim to it. We
decided to live here. There had once been a farm here years ago, but the
place was hardly liveable. Sonny helped me to fix up the barn."
Elizabeth nodded. "But you built the house, didn't you?"
His eyes rested on her face. "Yes, we built the house. The old farmhouse
was falling apart." Turning back to the view of the river, he said, "To
make a long story short, things didn't work out with Robin, so when I left
Heaven, I gave this place away to Sonny's father, Deke."
She was not surprised he had not mentioned exactly why things had not worked
out...she recalled all too well the story of Robin marrying Nikolas Cassadine.
Was Jason still in love with her? Was that why he so obviously still
carried the memory of her with him? Was that why he could barely walk into
that house? She had so many questions, but only asked, "This land must
carry many memories for you...why do you want to live here again, Jason?"
"We can't live at the saloon with Rebecca, and the hotel is hardly a place
to raise a child. This house has a lot of room and the land..."
Elizabeth nodded as she looked down the river toward the distant bridge lost
in thought, "Yes, this would be a wonderful place to raise a child with so
much room for her to run free...Why she could help care for and play with Burt
and the other animals. And she could play in the garden. With a little bit
of tending, I'm sure it would bloom. And yes, the house is rather large,
but imagine all of the adventures she could have in the place with the
friends she would invite over."
Elizabeth's words conjured up in Jason's mind the vivid image of Rebecca
growing up on this land and in the house. He was so caught up in the idea,
he didn't hear Elizabeth's next words at first.
"But if you don't feel comfortable living here, it won't be much of a home
for Rebecca."
After a moment of reflection, Jason admitted to himself he hadn't felt
comfortable on this land for years...and had only brought up the idea of
living on it as a simple solution to their problems. But Elizabeth's words
showed him something he hadn't seen when he had come here this morning
surrounded by the past...a possible future.
Leaning back against the tree, and crossing his arms in front of him, he
asked her once again, "Elizabeth, how do you feel about this place?"
Like she belonged. Elizabeth blinked as the words popped into her
head. She looked over at Jason to find him carefully watching her with those
unbelievably blue eyes. Even the sky paled in comparison. "I like it
here." When he did not respond, she added, "I-I don't know how to describe
it...but I feel it could be a-"
When she cut off her sentence, Jason finished for her, "Home?"
Unsure of his reaction, she nodded.
"Good. I think we should bring Rebecca here."
Taken off guard, Elizabeth exclaimed, "You do?"
"I couldn't really see it before, but you've made me see Rebecca growing up
here."
"I have?"
Jason nodded, before adding, "I want Rebecca to have the childhood you
described Elizabeth. I want her to have the home you described."
"So do I," Elizabeth whispered, "I want her to feel secure in the fact she
will always have a home."
The sadness in her voice spoke volumes. He wondered what her childhood had
been like growing up on the Hardy farm. For the first time, he realised how
very little he knew about this woman before him, this woman he married.
Sure he knew she had a tendency to get into trouble, and possessed a strong
sense of loyalty but what were her hopes and dreams? And why did he
suddenly care? Pushing aside the thought, he said, "Thank you, Elizabeth."
Deep blue eyes met his in curiosity. "For what?"
"For caring about my daughter. You haven't even met her yet."
Elizabeth smiled shyly, before responding quietly, "But I have met her
father, and he's a good man." The turning quickly, she busied herself with
putting away the remainders of their lunch.
Jason ran a hand through his hair as he stared at her in bemusement. After
all he'd told her, her only judgement of him was that he was a 'good man'.
He would wager most other females would be horrified by what he had done the
last two years, but not Elizabeth. But then again, hadn't she called him
'nice' when all he had done was yell at her? He had to admit Elizabeth
Webber-no Morgan, now-was sure one unpredictable female. But as he caught
her furtive glance up at him, he gave her a smile.
At his easy smile, Elizabeth felt a strange flutter in her stomach. A
strange shift in their relationship seemed to have just occurred. It was
as if they were beginning to become friends...well perhaps not quite friends
yet, but their whole situation seemed decidedly less frightening...
After putting on his hat, Jason lifted the basket and suggested, "I think we
better head back to town before it gets late." He rose to his feet and
offered her his hand. "Besides I think you offered to help the boys with
something...something to do with a hat?" He wondered what Francis and Johnny
were up to.
As her hand became engulfed in his, Elizabeth let out a giggle as she
remembered Johnny and Francis's bicycle riding incident earlier. "I'm
sorry, but I promised not to tell."
Now Jason was curious, but he decided he'd have a talk with the two
men later to find out what was going on. He pulled her up to her feet and
said, "Alright. But be sure they don't drag you into any trouble."
Elizabeth shook her head emphatically. "Oh no, there won't be any trouble."
And as they headed back towards the horses, Elizabeth thought, 'What
possible trouble could there be in teaching two men to ride a bicycle?'
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
