Chapter 153: New Beginnings
When the Sisters returned from their Lunch Outing, Viola was still in quite the mood.
In fact, all three sisters seemed rather subdued to Godfrey when they entered the Thatcher Mansion.
And not in a good way.
Godfrey knew this meant trouble had brewed its ugly head among the three sisters.
The Butler was an expert at reading these three young ladies, as he had had a lifetime doing so.
Perhaps even more so than anyone in the Thatcher Household, including their parents!
"Good Afternoon, Lady Townsend, Mrs. G., and Miss Julie."
"Good afternoon," was the non-impressive response from all three sisters, as though it was obligatory to say so.
"Lady Townsend, Lord Townsend requests the pleasure of your company at the East Portico in twenty minutes' time. But he suggested I give you an opportunity to change for a personal outing in the Carriage, first."
"Okay, Godfrey. I suppose I'll change then."
"Mrs. G., I'm afraid the Chief Inspector has been called to Mountie Headquarters."
"Mountie Headquarters? Surely not!" shrieked Elizabeth. "The Ball is in a few hours' time! What was he thinking?"
"Mrs. G. There was no choice, as the Commissioner himself made the request. But I can assure you the Chief will do his best to return in time for this evening's Ball. We have a limousine on standby to transport him the moment he can leave."
"But what if he can't make it, Godfrey? Then what will we do?"
"Then you, Mrs. G. will represent him, and you will do it proudly, just like a Grant would do! But we'll cross that bridge if and when we come to it. The children are upstairs in the Playroom if you'd like to check in on them."
"Thanks, Godfrey, but let me know the minute you hear anything from my Husband!"
"Of course, Mrs. G."
"Talk about a day, Godfrey! Here I thought this was going to be the best day ever, and it turns out to be awful. Just plain awful!"
"Miss Julie, why don't you go into the Drawing Room, and I'll bring you some celebratory cake and punch after you tell your great news to your Mother and Mrs. Grant?"
"That sounds perfect, Godfrey! Thanks for reminding me to let them know. At least, they'll be excited!"
Godfrey shook his head as his Miss Julie happily took off for the Drawing Room.
There was never a dull moment in the Thatcher household.
Godfrey knew that for certain since he had managed it for more years than he cared to count…
"What's all this?" asked a very confused Viola, staring down at her husband from the doorway of the entrance leading to the East Portico.
The Carriage was bedecked in her favorite hot pink roses, which were often hard to find in England along with huge white orchids.
And there stood her husband in his best afternoon tail coat.
"I thought we should celebrate, Viola."
"Celebrate what, Anthony?"
"You, of course!"
She looked at him even more puzzled.
"Take a ride with me?"
She nodded and held out her hand.
But instead of just leading her into the Carriage, he paused and kissed her hand, quite romantically.
Then he looked straight into her beautiful eyes.
"Everything starts over right now, Viola. For you and for me. And I must say, after all these years, you are still the most beautiful woman I've ever seen!"
She couldn't say anything. She was simply non-plussed. But Anthony was right, she looked absolutely gorgeous, dressed in a stunning new teal dress with a matching hat and lacey summer gloves.
Even her kid shoes matched perfectly.
Ever proper, she carried the tiniest of matching lace handbags that held only her sterling silver compact containing her powder and lipstick.
Confused, she allowed Anthony, himself, to assist her into the carriage instead of the usual footman.
She began to breathe heavily, feeling very nervous, not knowing what to expect.
Something was different about her husband!
Very different.
As her husband sat beside her, he did an even odder thing.
He reached for her hand, but he gently lifted her ring finger, took off her Diamond Encrusted Ruby Engagement Ring, removed the Diamond Bands, and put the Ruby on her right hand, lifting it to his lips where he placed a kiss. After, he placed her Diamond Wedding Bands back where they had been.
He then looked away, straight ahead, as though he had just done the most natural thing in the world!
"Lovely day, we're having! The perfect day for a beautiful carriage ride! I'm glad we're doing this, Viola. We're ready to go, Sir!"
Yes, he was different, alright. He seemed confident and even happy. Yes, confident and happy, that was it!
Two emotions, Viola realized, that she normally never associated with her husband.
Could that be her fault?
Did she not see her husband as he was?
Viola was more puzzled than ever as the carriage took off, and headed for the back path that led behind the garden, and through the meadow.
It was a beautiful path, leading to the water. She had taken it many times with her first beau, but never with Anthony.
Suddenly Viola couldn't hold it in anymore.
She buried her head into her hands and started sobbing.
"Viola, my Darling, whatever is wrong?"
"I've ruined everything!" she moaned. "I just keep ruining everything!"
"You, Viola, have ruined nothing. You and I together have ruined our marriage, and as I said we're starting over, all new, as of today, so all that's in the past, my Darling!"
She stopped her sobs and looked at him quizzically.
"Why would you even want to start over with someone like me?"
"Because I love you with all my heart, all my being. I simply don't exist without you. Don't you see, Viola? You are the single most important being in my life!"
"But I've treated you horribly!"
"You have. But you've treated yourself even more horribly."
"What do you mean?"
"You are miserable, Viola. Positively miserable, and I simply won't have that anymore. I love you too much. And if that means I have to let you go, then that's what I will do. Above all else, it pains me to look into your eyes. I see the hurt, I see the pain. I just don't know how to make it go away. What is it Viola that hurts you so?"
"It's not Father and Mother. Don't get me wrong. They were just busy being good parents. But it was Elizabeth, the beautiful, intelligent one, and it was Julie, the darling effervescent one who got all the attention. I was just the proper one, the elder one who saw to it that her sisters behaved within the decorum of society. I don't even remember my childhood, Anthony. I try, but all I see is Elizabeth, and Julie living their perfect ones."
Anthony sat silently, reaching for her hand.
"I know Father and Mother loved me and do love me. In fact, I just found out the desperate measures they went to, to even have me. But I felt like the adult of the family, not the child, and I was a child too, Anthony. I deserved what Elizabeth and Julie got, but I didn't get it."
Anthony chuckled.
"You find that funny?"
"I find that ironic. You know I miss my elder brother to this day. I loved him and still do. And I would give anything to have him back. But he was the one who was to inherit, not me, my Love. In my family, everything was catered to him, simply because he was the eldest, the one who would be in charge of everything, the one who would become Lord Townsend, heir of the entire Estate and Towndom. I was simply the spare, my Darling! The extra who didn't matter. And the truth is my poor baby sister didn't even count at all! So yes, I know exactly how you felt and feel. Because I was also the one unseen, Viola. Not because I was the eldest, like you, but expressly because I was the youngest male."
Viola laughed weakly.
"So, our childhoods, so very different, countries apart, are truly exactly the same?"
"Afraid so, my Darling. Some things are constants."
"But I don't want to bear this constant the rest of my life. I want to feel like I matter, Anthony!"
"Oh, my Darling, you matter more than you ever could know! You are everything to me. Don't you see I would love you if you were the ugly duckling of the family, but you never were that. You have always been the beautiful, stunning, proper elder Sister, the only one who knew how to assimilate into a centuries-old, archaic heirachy that is called the British Aristocracy. Can you see Elizabeth or Julie doing that?"
"No, but, Anthony, you know how to love. I don't. My childhood paralyzed me and made me think I was unlovable. Somewhere in the process, I stopped feeling and even forgot how to love. I just existed to make it through. The truth is I'm just existing now."
She looked at her husband, perhaps for the first time to tell his reaction.
He didn't waver. His face still held abundant love for her. He simply moved his thumb against her hand, soothingly.
"I know, and it pains me that I might be the reason for that."
"No, Anthony, it's not you. It's never been you. You've been my rock. You deserve more than what I can give you."
"Then how do we together change all this? How do we – how do I get you to see that you are lovely, Viola? You are so deserving of the greatest love. It's right here for you. You know my Family saw you at first as this rich American Interloper, who was going to change everything. But now they just see you as their beautiful daughter-in-law. Someone they would move heaven and earth for. That's how I see you, too, Viola. You are the only person in the world, I would slay dragons for."
She laid his head on her husband's shoulder.
And that's how they sat as the flowerbedecked carriage moved toward the water.
As they reached Anthony's favorite spot, the driver pulled the horses to a halt, lifted a wicker picnic basket and blanket from under his seat, placed them both on a huge boulder by the water, and then discreetly removed himself to give them privacy.
Anthony lifted a huge bouquet of hot pink roses intermingled with large white orchids, and then helped Viola down from the carriage, handing her the bouquet.
"These are my favorite, Anthony. So beautiful! The entire Carriage is beautiful!"
"Not nearly as beautiful as you, my Love!"
"Anthony?"
"Yes?"
"Thank you!"
He couldn't remember a single time when Viola had said those words to him, not even when he had gifted her with the family jewels.
But then again, Viola had never felt they were hers, they simply belonged to the family.
What was in his pocket, though, would be entirely hers, although he had spent a small fortune to make it happen.
He helped Viola sit on the blanket covering the boulder, and then opened the wicker picnic hamper, spreading out the loaf of French Bread, along with the cheeses and jams.
Then he brought out a bottle of champagne, and expertly popped the cork, leaving a festive spirit to replace the solemnity of the morning.
Viola actually smiled.
"Let us be thankful, Viola, for all that we have. I believe it is much more than either of us know."
"Thanks be to God," she agreed.
She watched him, again puzzled. Who was this man? Was this the man she had married?
It didn't seem so.
"Anthony, I need to apologize."
"What for, Love?"
"That horrible episode this morning at breakfast. I was abominable and you know it! Please accept my deepest apology. To have spoken to you that way, even in private would be unacceptable. I'm appalled that I did it in front of the family, especially in front of our daughter. And I will apologize to her as well as publicly to the entire family too. But please accept my personal apology. You didn't deserve my outburst, and I give you my word, that will never happen again."
"I accept your heartfelt apology, Viola. Thank you for that. And thanks for the promise of not putting me through that again. I'm not sure I could survive it."
He wasn't rebuking her at all, just stating a fact.
A fact that proved he really did love her.
She had hurt him deeply, and she knew it.
She had emasculated him in front of his own daughter and her entire family, and she felt horrible for doing so.
Yet, he still loved her.
"I don't see you that way, Anthony. I truly don't."
"I'm glad, Viola. I wouldn't want you of all people to see me that way. That's not who I am."
"I know that. Anthony?"
"Yes, Viola?"
"We're four months pregnant. But, Dr. Jenkins explained to me this morning that my mother almost died when she was pregnant with me. It's a condition called Placenta Previa and I have several of the symptoms. He says we have to stay here in Hamilton till the baby is born, that it would be too risky to travel, which means I've messed everything up!"
"Viola, I can get special dispensation for the birth to be held at our Embassy, so that titles are clear if that's what you're concerned about. I'll see to it that a birthing facility is installed there just like at the hospital, along with the proper staff, so you and the baby will be safe."
Viola breathed a sigh of relief. She had been extremely concerned about that very thing. She better than anyone knew the archaic rules she had married into.
And to have a titled heir on non-British soil would cause all sorts of problems with the inheritance, including a hefty tax that would be impossible to pay.
"And you're not upset that we have to stay here for five more months?"
"Viola, I don't care where we are as long as we're together, and you and the baby are safe. You and the baby are my one and only priority."
"But we'll miss Hunting Season and all the Fall Social Events! Even the Holiday ones, too, even Christmas, as the baby will be too young to travel!"
"That will always be there for another year, Viola. None of that is important. Only you and the baby. Besides we can now give your Father that Family Christmas he was so set on."
Leave it to Anthony to find a positive.
"Anthony, as horrid as I was, and I am so very sorry, will you please come to my appointments with me?"
"I would be honored, Viola."
"I'm going to need you, Anthony. I'm not sure I can do this alone."
"You aren't alone, I will be there with you every single step of the way."
"I don't deserve you."
"Oh, but you do, Viola. You deserve the best part of me, and from now on that's what you're going to get."
"Anthony, Mother is sure the baby is a boy!"
"She is?"
"Yes, she is certain."
He couldn't hide his excitement, and Viola was touched by it deeply.
She reached out her hand and touched his cheek.
He placed his hand lovingly over hers.
"A toast my Darling, to the beautiful mother and the healthy baby we will have together!"
"But you didn't say, Son!"
"A Son would be nice, Viola, and I do trust your mother's intuition. So yes, it is probably a Son, and the family will be beyond thrilled. But know that I will love whatever sex of child we are given. I just want you both to be safe and healthy. That's all that matters!"
"You really mean that, don't you?"
"I most definitely do. I will not be disappointed whether it is a boy or a girl."
"But the inheritance."
"The inheritance doesn't matter. You and the baby do!"
Viola reached for his hand.
"Thank you, Anthony. That takes off all the pressure."
He was amazed. She had said 'thank you' yet again. And he wasn't at all used to this new Viola.
But he most certainly could become so.
Was it that they had gone through the motions of civility while losing the important intimacies that really mattered between husband and wife?
"Anthony, why did you move my Engagement ring to my right hand? Do you no longer wish to be married to me?"
Now it was Anthony's turn to be nonplussed.
He knelt at his wife's feet.
"Viola, I wish to be married to you all the days of my life, and if we could beyond that, I would say forever. You, and you alone, are the love of my life, the reason for my being."
He reached into his pocket and removed the brand new velvet box the Jeweler had given him.
Mr. Edmonton had been intrigued that Lord Townsend had insisted on that, but he had also noted Lord Townsend had been very careful to keep the old box and papers as well.
"Marry me, Viola. But this time, not for the money, nor for the title, but for me. Love me, Viola, and live life with me as my equal partner. Let's love each other together."
"But, I don't know how to love."
"Then I'll teach you. You deserve love, Viola, and it is my mission to see that you have it. Our children deserve love, Viola, and it is up to you and me to give it to them. Can you do that, my Darling?"
He opened the velvet box, and the sunlight caught the huge diamond, flashing sparkles everywhere, and Viola gasped.
"This is yours, Viola, yours alone, to remind you every single time you look at it how very much I adore you, how very much I love you. And always will."
Viola had a pained look on her face.
She was so embarrassed.
She didn't deserve this, but she had never felt like the huge Ruby encrusted with Diamonds was hers. It was simply a family heirloom. She had never felt like she had been proposed to either.
But today, she was being proposed to by her husband of ten years, with a ring he had chosen just for her.
How had she wasted what could have been ten beautiful, extraordinary years?
She had done it by closing herself off.
By not feeling worthy of love.
By not loving, by not giving.
She had been too afraid.
"Anthony, this is the most spectacular piece of jewelry I've ever seen, and today, unlike your first proposal where I held back...well, today, I do give you my heart. I can't promise what that looks like, but I do promise I give it all to you!"
He reached up and she reached down, and the two kissed for what was probably the first time in ten years a kiss of pure passion.
It was a kiss that was laden with hope for the future, a kiss that personified their promise to each other to give their all, whatever that might prove to be, leaving a kiss that would never be forgotten by either because it was their first kiss of giving themselves to each other.
They parted to breathe, and he slipped the ring in all its exquisite beauty onto her slender ring finger.
"It was important to me that this ring be only yours, and it is and it always will be only yours. But I must confess, it does have a history. It once belonged to Queen Alexandra, and I am giving it to you, my Queen Viola."
Viola started crying. She knew the ring was exquisite, and it only made sense it had belonged to a Queen. Did she mean that much to her husband, that he would purchase something so extravagant and so remarkable just for her?
She looked into his eyes and saw that she did mean that much to Anthony.
And that knowledge gave her hope that they would find their way together.
Starting now.
"Anthony, I love you. With all my heart, broken such as it is, I can honestly say all the pieces love you."
"Then all we have to do is put the pieces back together again, my Darling. And together we will spend the rest of our lives doing just that."
As he drew her closer to him, she believed him.
For the first time in her life, she could feel and totally believe that her heart was starting to mend, and finally, now, she was determined to give it all she had within her to make sure her heart completely healed.
Arabella deserved that, and so did this new baby brother or sister.
But most of all, her husband deserved a new beginning full of love, and so did she…
The Chief Inspector and Commissioner were in the limousine Godfrey had sent to stay at Headquarters to be there the moment Nathan could return home.
But right now, the Commissioner and his Chief Inspector were borrowing it along with its chauffeur to pay a visit to the various banks in town,
Top on the list was Hamilton International Bank, where the initial heist had taken place.
The two intended to conduct interviews, most importantly including with their prime suspect.
The man who was an exact doppelganger for one Lucas Bouchard.
"I've already placed a hold on the other banks just in case, Commissioner. I get the feeling this isn't a smalltown operation. Hope Valley is only a ploy. This is Hamilton-based and bound to have even more serious implications than what we've already seen. I don't believe this is limited to just one Hamilton bank."
"I agree. You know, though, we aren't going to be the most popular among the Hamilton Elite, don't you, with freezing their accounts and all."
"Yes, I do. But it's the right thing to do to save them from this crime. Imagine their horror waking up to see that their entire bank accounts have been wiped out! Surely when all is said and done, even they will understand a little inconvenience."
"I hope you're right, Son. It seems to me you'll be the one walking into the Lion's Den tonight with this Ball!"
"Perhaps you need to join me? You know the Thatchers would welcome you with open arms."
"Maybe, but I think you can handle this. Afraid I have other work that also needs my attention after we get this straightened out! But we'll see how this goes."
"Oh, by the way. I just spoke with Bill, and he confirms Lucas Bouchard is in fact, in Hope Valley. So, we need to find out what this look-alike is all about…"
The man's name turned out to be Laurent Baffier.
Or so he said.
Nathan noticed the twitch in his right hand as the man said his own name, which told the Chief the man was clearly lying.
And why was his name the same initials as Lucas Bouchard?
There was a reason for that, and Nathan had worked long enough to know that was his key to this case.
Why?
There was a connection. Nathan could feel it. He just couldn't put his finger on the reason why.
"You're dismissed, Sir. We ask that you as well as the other employees do not travel."
"And what happens if we do?" the man asked pompously.
Nathan rose to his full height, looking down at the seated teller.
"You will be arrested for disobeying a direct order of the Law, and things will not go well for you from that point on."
The man blanched.
And Nathan clearly saw it.
He had something to hide.
And if it was the last thing Nathan did, he would find out what.
"You are dismissed."
Nathan watched as the man snickered and left, then he walked next door, and knocked...
"Commissioner," greeted Nathan as he stuck his head in the office his boss was using to conduct his own set of interviews. "Did you interview anyone with the initials LB?"
"No, why do you ask?"
"I think we have a network, Sir. And I believe we're going to find someone with the initials LB at each and every Hamilton Bank."
"Let's go find out…"
The Thatcher Mansion had never looked more magnificent.
Lights, via huge gas lanterns on tall posts, were lit everywhere outside, along with large Ficus Trees that had been brought in to line the long driveway, in huge ornate pots of Italian Clay.
Inside, the Mansion was covered with huge bouquets which had been changed today to all white, as Grace wasn't at all pleased with the previous arrangements.
Those would be taken and donated to the Hospital and Churches.
The new arrangements consisted of a plethora of white roses, interspersed with the same huge white orchids, Anthony had gotten for Viola.
The arrangements were stunning and made everything look exquisite.
The mood was both formal and festive, both outside and inside.
And all of Hamilton's High Society was making a coveted appearance.
But the Thatcher Family was nervous.
Nathan was nowhere to be seen.
"I know he'll try his best, Mother!"
"I know, Dear. It's just that we were so looking forward to introducing him to our friends!"
"That time will come, Mother. I know he will do his best to be here. He might be late, but we shouldn't give up hope. I have faith!"
"And so do I, my Darling! Let's go get dressed. Our guests will be arriving soon!"
"Mother, do you have a moment?" asked Viola.
"For you, my Darling, of course."
Grace put her arm around her daughter and led her into the Drawing Room.
"You look radiant, my Dear!"
"Thank you, Mother. But I want to apologize to you. I've already apologized to Anthony, and I will do so to the entire family, including my daughter, but you deserve a personal apology."
Grace looked at her daughter, not believing what she was hearing, but she did look different.
"Mother, this isn't your fault. I was the oldest, and I always felt my childhood was taken by Elizabeth and Julie. It was wrong of me, but that was what I felt. Elizabeth was beautiful and intelligent and Julie was always so adorable and lively. Then there was me."
"There was beautiful, elegant, extraordinary you, my Darling!"
"But, I didn't see that at all. I just couldn't and I just closed myself up, thinking I wasn't good enough."
"You were the one your Father and I wished all our children had been like. You always did the right thing, Viola, you always looked out for everyone else. You were the giver of our three daughters. Not the taker. You were and are lovely, Viola, our first beloved daughter, who never gave us a moment of mistrust or worry."
"I know that now. And I want to be that again. I want to love again."
"Viola, is that a new ring? My goodness, it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen!"
"Anthony gave it to me today, Mother, as my new engagement ring."
"Obviously you are happy with the ring! Who wouldn't be? But are you happy with him, Viola?"
"As I told him, I now know the broken pieces of my heart love him, and they want to heal. I want them to heal. My heart belongs to him, such as it is. I want to love Anthony, Mother, and I want to truly love Arabella and my new baby!"
Grace took her daughter into her arms and started crying.
"Oh, my first and darling daughter! The love is all there for you. You only have to reach out and grab it! From your father and me, your sisters, and from Anthony and Arabella. We all love you, Viola, so very much!"
"I'm beginning to realize that. I'm sorry it's taken me so long."
"No sorries, Viola. I'm the one who is sorry I haven't made that abundantly clear to you, my Darling. And I intend to change that!"
Viola smiled wanly.
"Your Father and I loved you first, Viola. You were the most precious gift we ever received and still are! We went through so much to get you here. And we both would do it all over again. You've never once disappointed, Child. Our hearts have bled only when we see you not accepting love and not loving back. Life is all about love, my Darling! Be open to it. It will take you places you've never been before. Beautiful, wonderful, magical places!"
"I'm beginning to see that, Mother. And it's there within us, isn't it?"
"It most certainly is!"
Viola nodded with a genuine smile that warmed her mother's heart.
"But now, we have a Ball to dress for, Mother!"
"That we do! Let's go wow them all, Lady Townsend!"
Her Mother's words were said with love and with pride.
And for the first time in a long time, Viola heard and felt both as she and her Mother climbed the stairs arm in arm…