Chapter Ninety-One: Bits and Pieces
Nathan woke at the crack of Dawn.
He had an early 6:30 AM Appointment with Commissioner Blake and after that, he was scheduled to meet with the Commissioner when he conferenced with Nathaniel. Bill had been asked to sit in on that meeting with them as well.
To be honest, his entire Professional Career was at a crossroads that would be resolved on this very day, but none of that even crossed Nathan's mind.
Because, he and Elizabeth were Engaged to be Married, and nothing else mattered till he replayed her saying yes over and over in his mind!
His smile was firmly set in place, or perhaps it had never left from last night.
After all, he had dreamed about her all night long, and the dreams felt so real, part of him wasn't sure they weren't. He could smell her Lavender and White Lily Perfume and he could feel the touch of her lips on his. He could even feel her body pressed close to his as they danced together.
"Oh, Elizabeth, how I love you!" and then he made himself get up and get ready for his meeting with the Commissioner.
This was not a day Nathan had been looking forward to.
In his mind, it was the dreaded Awards Day. But he was thankful the Townsmen were going to be formally recognized. They deserved that because truthfully, the Mounties' job would have been made much more difficult without them. And quite frankly, Nathan wasn't even at all sure the end result would have been the same.
Nathan laid out both his Regular and Dress Uniforms, as he was having to wear the one and carry the other to Headquarters with him for the Parade, Ceremonies, and Celebratory Dinner that would occur later in the Day.
He then went to draw his Bath, Brush his Teeth, Comb his Hair, and Shave. All the perfunctory tasks of the Morning as it were…
There would be no time to come back to the Hotel, and definitely, no time to see Elizabeth, even if he got a hint as to what his new Job would look like. He would have to Shower and Change on Base for the Special Events.
He hated that he wouldn't be able to even communicate with Elizabeth, especially if he needed her direction or her opinion. He just couldn't make a life-changing decision without having her input.
It just didn't feel right.
And yet, here he was, squarely in the position of having to do that very thing!
As Nathan finished dressing, he heard a knock on his door.
"Elizabeth!"
"I just couldn't let you start your day, especially today, as it's such an important one, without me telling you that whatever happens, I'm okay with it, Darling. We'll make whatever it is work. You make your decision, and I'll support it completely. Just promise me, you'll follow your instincts and decide based on that, not on anything else."
And then she flung herself at her betrothed and kissed him a most proper kiss Good Morning.
Well, proper, if you considered it from Nathan's viewpoint; perhaps not so proper if you considered decorum.
"What in the World have I done to deserve this, and will you promise me this every single morning of our lives together?"
"I promise with all my heart! Every single morning…"
"But, Elizabeth! You shouldn't be in the halls by yourself this time of morning! Darling, what were you…"
"That's why I woke Godfrey up and brought him!"
Nathan stuck his head out into the Hallway.
"Godfrey, come on in! Thank you so much for taking care of Elizabeth!"
"It's my honor to be able to take care of her again. I've taken care of her, one way or the other, since she was a little Girl, Sir! And I might add, quite the handful then, too!"
"Can't wait to learn more about that, Godfrey!" winked Nathan, then he couldn't help but laugh thinking about his Elizabeth as the mischievous little Girl he knew she had to have been!
"I hate to have to leave, but if I don't now, I'll never make it. A lowly Constable is never late for the Commissioner, under any set of circumstances!"
"I'll just step back outside for a moment, Sir, to give you both a bit of privacy!" offered Godfrey, who was already half out the door.
"Thank you, Godfrey!"
"Elizabeth, thank you. I wish you could be with me when the decisions are made, but to know you're with me no matter what happens, that's more than enough! I'll follow what I think both our instincts would be, Darling. You carry equal weight. I promise you that."
Then the Constable took his Fiancee into his arms and left her with a kiss that was going to have to last them both for the entire Day!
"How can I possibly leave you after that?" she whispered.
"Because, if you don't, we'll never get to be together Tonight, after all this flurry of Today is over!"
"Fair enough, but I don't like it!" she pouted petulantly.
He grabbed his extra Uniform, Boots, and Toiletries.
"Oh, I promise, not nearly as much as I don't like it," and he kissed her once more quickly on the lips as he led her back out to the Hallway to Godfrey who was patiently waiting there.
She placed her hands on his cheeks, "I love you, Constable Grant!"
"Always, Darling! Thank you, Godfrey! I'll see you both later!" and with that, he was gone to face his Day.
But as he got to the end of the Hall, he turned and flashed that crooked grin of his, and Elizabeth melted into a proverbial puddle.
Then he turned and quickly got into the Elevator, waving from inside the grated Entrance.
But then he was gone…
"Miss Elizabeth, I think I can see why you love Mr. Grant."
"Oh, Godfrey, you have no idea! No idea at all!" responded Elizabeth breathlessly.
And Godfrey promptly cleared his throat, "Yes, Miss! Shall we?"
As he and Elizabeth waited, facing the Elevator, waiting for it to return to them, Godfrey couldn't help but smile down at his Charge…
'I understand much better than you think, Miss,' he thought to himself, as he, himself, also thoroughly approved of this particular choice.
"Coffee, Constable?" asked Commissioner Blake in his normal booming voice.
"Yes, Sir! Please," responded Nathan formally.
"At ease, Constable. We have an awful lot to cover between us before Bill and Nathaniel join us. And this is a conversation where you and I need to be on the same page. In fact, I'm ordering you to be brutally honest with me. That's the only way this is going to work. Understood, Constable?"
"Understood, Sir!"
"Have a seat, Nathan…"
And that one single word, his name, was enough to alarm Nathan, because, never, ever had he known of Commissioner Blake calling one of his men by their first name in the work environment…especially, a lowly ranked Constable.
It simply wasn't done…
Their discussion lasted a full two hours, and Nathan's head was reeling, but there wasn't time.
The Commissioner's Senior Administrative Assistant interrupted them to announce that both the Judge and Prosecutor were ready to meet with them in the Conference Room down the Hall.
"I've had Breakfast set out for everyone, Sir! I hope that is satisfactory?"
"Yes, thank you! We'll be ready in just a few moments. If you'll give us another five…"
"Yes, Sir!" as the Senior Assistant saluted and backed out of the Commissioner's Office.
"I want to be sure we are good to proceed. But, you, Nathan, have to be absolutely sure, in order for this to work. We'll give you every ounce of support you need, whether it be location changes, money, staff, or even equipment. But whether this succeeds or fails is ultimately on your shoulders and my shoulders. It's a very daring undertaking, but one I'm convinced has huge rewards. And after reviewing all the finer aspects of this project, I can't professionally see us at this point, not taking the risk. Headquarters will benefit. Our Main Field Division will benefit greatly, and our overall Mission will be much better accomplished with you at the helm. Having said all that, I'd be remiss, if I didn't point out that it's a major change for what you do day in and day out. Bill and I have discussed this at length, and he feels you're more than ready for the Challenge, but he also is a bit hesitant about you being able to give up some of your current responsibilities, and if I'm perfectly honest, pretty much all of your current responsibilities, at least as you know them now. I know you love what you do. And I understand that. It's important, too. But, Nathan, this is on such a much larger scale."
"Yes, Sir. I do love being a Constable. But I must admit, your Proposal intrigues me."
"That makes me very happy to hear. You know, without me telling you. This is going to require a Commitment from you like none other. But I give you my word. I will be here, with just as large a Commitment to back you up on this end. Also, Bill, Aaron, and even Gabe, although to a lesser degree due to his location, all know they are to support you in any way you need. Other than the changes and requests you made earlier, is there anything else we need to cover?"
"You've been very thorough, Sir!"
"What do your instincts say?" and the Commissioner rose from his Leather Tufted Desk Chair.
And Nathan did the same, remembering he was considering instincts for two.
"They say, yes, Sir! I not only believe we can make it work, I believe we can make it work brilliantly!"
The Commissioner broke out into a broad grin, shook Nathan's hand soundly, and then clapped him on the back.
"You don't know how much I've wanted to hear that! This is absolutely extraordinary, Nathan. A momentous moment for the Academy and a momentous moment for your Career…Congratulations! It's a proud Day for all of us! A very proud Day, indeed!"
The Thatcher and the Grant Families had decided on a late Brunch instead of an early Breakfast and Lunch, so they wouldn't be so pressed for time in getting ready for the Parade.
Elizabeth's Father had once again reserved the Private Dining Room, and everyone was in especially high spirits given the events of last night.
Even Godfrey, with his missed sleep from escorting Elizabeth early this morning, was bright and chipper, as he oversaw the magnificent spread of Food that had been laid out on the Buffet.
"Elizabeth, did you sleep well, last night," asked William.
"Darling, she's newly engaged. I doubt she even got a wink of sleep!" surmised Grace.
"Mother's right, Father! Much too excited for that! Can you pass me more Pancakes, please?"
"Elizabeth, really? We'll never be able to get you into a Wedding Gown at this rate," laughed her Mother.
"Oh, Mother, that's…oh, my goodness, that's only five Months away! You're right, forget the Pancakes!"
"Yes, Darling, it is only five Months. That doesn't leave us much time to work our magic! Do you know where you'll hold the Ceremony, Elizabeth?" asked Grace.
"Technically, no. Nathan and I haven't really gotten to talk about it that much. Actually, only once, and that was just for the general Location. I'm pretty sure we're still on the same page as we discussed," and Elizabeth's eyes were bright with excitement.
"And what's that Elizabeth? The suspense is killing us," added Madelyne excitedly.
"I think our Wedding's going to be at the Lake. Our Lake Granda!"
"What a lovely idea and when will this Wedding be, might we ask?" asked Madelyne.
Elizabeth laughed, "I've always wanted a June Wedding since all my favorite flowers are in bloom then! But, now I think as early in June as possible! I just can't wait to be a real Couple and Family! School will be over, and I want to get Allie and Jack settled. Of course, Nathan has to build our house first, even though we'll be gone on my Book Tour most of the Summer. But, I just realized, we need to get the House completed, too, so all of you can stay there prior to the Wedding."
"Now, don't forget the most important part…" reminded Archie.
"What part?" asked Elizabeth innocently.
"Your Honeymoon!"
"Oh! Well, most of that has to be my Book Tour, and of course, we'll take the Children with us."
"But, you need time just for the two of you as well, Elizabeth. I'm sure you'll figure it out," encouraged Grace.
"I agree with Grace! Archie, remember that Bed and Breakfast we stayed in on our Wedding Night? It looked beautiful on the outside, but inside it was falling apart, including the bed!" and Madelyne blushed at the memory. "The next night we, decided to go back to the Ranch and we camped out the rest of our Honeymoon, as there was no House yet, but oh, those beautiful Stars. Pure magic!"
"I'll never forget it as long as I live, Madelyne. The Ranch didn't even exist. Just the Land. Those were the best of times. And remember the Bear? You were convinced there was a Bear near our Campsite. Which worked out fine for me. I sure wasn't complaining," laughed Archie, and everyone joined in.
"Oh, you! You could have at least tried to convince me Bears had never inhabited that area! Which I found out much later. But no, not you. You, Mr. Grant, played it up big time. 'Where there's one Bear, there's two! But don't worry, I'll protect you with my life,' you said!"
"And I did!"
Madelyne gave Archie a frowning look he clearly understood but didn't care because the memory was golden for him.
"Yes, from mosquitoes!" which caused both of them to laugh together!
"Ah, those mosquitoes! What about you two? What did you do for your Honeymoon?" asked Archie.
"Well, Grace was determined that we go to the Opera in New York City. I loathed the Opera but being the young Groom, oh how I wanted to please her, so I bought the very best tickets for every single Night we were there. Well, I lasted about the first ten minutes, the first Night, then fell soundly asleep…"
"And loudly snored! I was mortified. But what he's not telling you, was that he did the same thing each and every single Night we went. The Patrons next to us must have complained that last Night, so I woke him up, took his arm, and proudly exited, with my head held high! William didn't even know we were leaving early. When I got him outside, he kept telling me how lovely the Opera had been. That's when I finally set him straight, telling him he was probably barred from the Opera for Life, but I loved him anyway. And I thought we had better find something else to do together, that the both of us enjoyed!"
Everyone laughed.
"Mother, you've never told us Girls that story!"
"Why do you think your Father never accompanied me to the Opera all those years, dear Child?"
"That's actually pretty adorable, now that I know the story!"
"Well, she's not telling you the worst part," piped in William.
"Oh, Father, do tell us!"
"William, tread carefully," warned Grace.
"We had a Stalker on our Honeymoon!" he announced.
"A Stalker? Was it a serious threat?" asked Madelyne with wide eyes.
"Quite serious! You, see it was one of Grace's many old Beaus!"
"William…"
"It's the truth!" he declared.
"Mother, really? On your honeymoon?"
"Well, yes, Dear! But I had no idea!"
"Until he appeared in the same Hotel we were staying in and magically had Dinner reservations at every single restaurant we did. I'm telling you. There were three people on that Honeymoon! And I was not amused!" pronounced William, rather emphatically.
"Oh, let's just say it. You were horrifically green with jealousy! And, yes, I suppose, in the public places, there were three of us! But we did have our own private Suite, Darling!"
"Thank Heaven for that, or he would have been there, too! I was ready to throttle the Man! In fact, that's what I finally had to do!"
"Father, you didn't?"
"Oh, yes, I did!"
"Oh, yes, he did. The Willenheimers didn't speak to us for the entire first three years of our Marriage! Bradford was their Son and Heir, and as you so eloquently put it, you seriously throttled him. Another words, he knocked him out cold on the steps of the Hotel, and then offered me his arm for our Dinner Date, and led me right past the poor thing lying there! In fact, your Father gallantly stepped right over him!"
"Well, he had it coming!"
"Darling, you broke his nose! And it was a fine nose, I might add. Well, at least, before. Very patrician. The poor young man had to have six surgeries to repair it! Never did look the same!"
"Well, I would have done exactly what William did! This Willenheimer guy had no business interrupting your Honeymoon. We Men have to stick together on that one! A Gentleman doesn't do that!" supported Archie.
"No, but a Lovesick Puppy does," roared William. "And he had it bad…still does"
"William Thatcher!"
"Grace, the poor man never married! He was still so besotted with you, Darling!"
Everybody burst out laughing, realizing this was a very old, but still very sore subject!
"Well, I for one think it's adorable that after all these years, you're still jealous of Bradford Willenheimer, Father. But, that broken nose sure does explain why we Girls never got invited to his Sister's Slumber Parties! Viola and I never could figure out what we had done to that Girl!"
The Grants laughed, as William reached for Grace's hand.
"Oh, the loves of the Parents! They haunt us our whole life through, don't they?" laughed Archie.
"Oh, you're one to talk! What about Miss Emily Baxter? That woman made my life miserable the entire time we courted! His first love…" explained Madelyne. "A little blonde beauty she was!"
"I think we've…er, had quite enough stories. We need to refocus and circle back here to our newly Engaged Couple!" recommended Archie, rather quickly.
"Nice save, Archie…" laughed William.
Never had Elizabeth seen her Parents so relaxed and never had she seen them so attentive to each other.
Elizabeth was also more sure than ever, Archie and Madelyne were definitely still in love…
Never in his wildest Dreams had Nathan ever imagined this…
What an opportunity and that they would locate the Operation in Hope Valley just made it that much more phenomenal.
As he and the Commissioner walked into the Conference Room to meet with Bill and Nathaniel, he could tell they both knew, because both of them were looking at him trying to discern his reaction.
He smiled back at them formally, as Commissioner Blake welcomed them and prepared to start their Meeting.
But really without giving anything at all away…
Back in her Suite, after a delicious, but light, Brunch, the Bride to Be was so happy that she was barely listening to Rosemary as she chattered away.
"Elizabeth, are you even listening to me?"
"Rosemary, I don't know…I think Nathan and I would prefer to have the Children return Home with us Tomorrow."
"But, Elizabeth, you both just got Engaged and you need private time to discuss your Future. The Train ride will be perfect for that. Besides Frederic is begging that Allie and Jack ride back with him," rationalized a very determined Rosemary. "They can even sleep over if they want."
"Allie, how do you feel about it?" asked Elizabeth.
"Well, I'd rather come back with you and Dad, but Auntie Rosie's right, you need some alone time without Jack and me tagging along," reasoned the Child who always seemed very wise Beyond her Years. "You all have a Wedding to plan! And the quicker we get that over with the better for all of us! Laura's having a ball, but she's anxious to get Home too!"
"Allie, you and Little Jack are welcome to go Home with your Father and me, but, if that's what you really want. Will Lee mind taking Laura Home for us?" asked Elizabeth.
"Of course, not!"
"Laura, are you all right with taking the Children back on the first Train with the Coulters?"
"Yes, Ma'am! We'll be fine. Come, Children, we have a Parade to get ready for!"
"See, all settled!" pronounced a beaming Rosemary. "I'll have Lee to switch the tickets! Wait, Frederic, give your Mama a big kiss!"
And Frederic happily ran to his beautiful Mama, giving her the biggest, most loving kiss, a Mother could ask for!
Laura then led the Children into their Bedroom, and Rosemary was ready to pounce…
"Now that we're alone, tell me absolutely every single detail! And do not dare leave anything out, Elizabeth! Not one single thing…"