The snow was falling steadily as New Hope Orphanage came into view. Ideally, heading straight for town would be the best course of action. The report that had come into the Clearwater office had indicated that the snow could be heavy at times. However, Gabriel knew that he at least needed to let Lillian know he had made it back to Brookfield, even if the news for Grace may need to wait for another day.
As he approached the house, Gabriel noticed Lillian step out onto the porch. She was holding her winter coat closed around her, though she had neglected any other winter garments. It was clear to Gabriel that she had been watching for him.
"I am glad you made it home. Chuck said the report from other towns say the storm could get bad."
Gabriel nodded. "Some towns report steady snow and light winds, while other towns are reporting heavy snow and strong gusts. I think it will depend on what part of the storm hits us. Tell Grace that I have news for her but I think it will have to wait," Gabriel said, looking up at the skies. The snow was already getting heavier.
"Or you both could just stay here with us," Lillian suggested. "You are probably cold after the trip and it will take a while to warm your place. Not to mention the snow is already coming down steadily. There is still a room upstairs that is not being used."
Gabriel would have easily accepted the invitation if it was just him. However, it wasn't just him. He had to take into account how Billy would feel given his uneasiness with being at the orphanage on other occasions.
"What do you say, Billy? Are you okay to spend the night here?" Gabriel asked the boy sitting behind him on the horse.
"That would be okay," Billy replied, a hesitancy in his voice though he was trying to sound brave.
"Let me get Apollo bedded down in the barn and I will be right in," Gabriel told Lillian. "You should go back inside."
Lillian nodded. "Could you feed the other animals while your out there? Christian and Vincent usually do it after dinner but it might be better not to have to send them out."
"I will take care of it," Gabriel told her, before turning Apollo in the direction of the barn, while Lillian headed back inside.
Just being out of the snow and wind was a relief as Gabriel led Apollo into the barn. Reaching up, he helped Billy down from the horse. Having picked up on things from watching Gabriel saddle and unsaddle Apollo, Billy was now able to be of assistance in the process. The two worked in tandem and soon the gear was removed from Apollo and the horse settled next to Benson, whom he got along with well. The three horses and Virginia, the cow, were taken care of. Gabriel even milked the cow, giving Billy a quick lesson as he completed the task.
When things were completed in the barn, Gabriel found a length of rope. He secured it on the hook by the door outside the barn. Billy had the pail of milk and his father's sketch book while Gabriel had the rest of the gear from their trail ride. The wind had picked up, blowing the falling snow, but the house was still visible from the barn. The lights shining through the windows were beacons in the fading light.
"Stay close to me, Billy," Gabriel instructed as he set out toward the house, unraveling the rope as he went. The rope might not be necessary but he would rather set it for no reason, then risk getting lost if he needed to make it back out to the barn.
The pair reached the house without incident. As the kitchen door was closer to the barn than the front door, it was the one Gabriel had gone to. Having anticipated the action, Lillian opened the kitchen door as they approached. Gabriel motioned Billy toward the open door as he tied the rope to the anchor he had installed before winter had set in.
After tying the rope, Gabriel followed Billy into the house. Christian and Vincent were helping Billy. Eleanor had the pail of milk, the sketchbook was on one of the two chairs placed by the stove, and the two boys were taking Billy's winter garments as he took them off.
"Let's get you over by the stove as well," Lillian said, closing the door behind him.
Feeling the warmth from the stove, Gabriel finally realized just how cold he was from the trail ride. He moved over to the stove without complaint placing the things he was carrying on the floor near the second chair.
"I have both hot chocolate and coffee on," Eleanor said. "Both should be ready soon."
"Thank-you, Eleanor," Gabriel said, handing his hat and gloves to Lillian who had reached out for them. .
Gabriel had to admit that being fussed over was a lot nicer than coming home after being out on Apollo in the cold and having to light a fire himself to start warming up.
Later that evening, Eleanor took Ellie into the kitchen. The two were going to bake cookies together. Lillian had the older children gathered around the dining room table, working on school work. That gave Gabriel an opportunity to talk to Grace alone in the sitting room.
Sitting on the settee next to Gabriel, Grace placed her hands under her legs in an attempt to keep them from shaking. Noticing her nervousness, Gabriel reached out and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"Relax, Grace," Gabriel told her. "I know this has been a stressful situation for you but I actually have some good news for you."
"Did they find out who took the money?" Grace asked hopefully, that being the best outcome she could think of.
"Not exactly," Gabriel admitted. "The case of the two hundred dollars that went missing the night you ran away was actually left as an unsolved case. The matron of the orphanage reported both you and the money missing, though her statement to the Constable investigating the case said that she did not believe you took the money given your behavior while at the home."
"I would not just take money," Grace said.
Gabriel nodded. "They searched for you as well as investigated the missing money. Obviously, they never located you. They also had no other definite leads for the missing money. There was a reference to a later theft from the Orphanage that was solved, though nothing could be directly linked to the previous missing money. However, that case is what led them to decide to leave this case as unsolved. Because you were a minor and nothing definite was known, the local judge ordered the file for the unsolved case sealed. Super Intendant O'Reilly however looked into the referenced case involving the Bindford Orphanage."
"Apparently, two months after you ran away, the matron of the orphanage caught the cook stealing money from the petty cash box. The cook gave investigators a story about a sick mother out east that she needed the money for but the woman would not provide a name to follow up on the story. She claimed that was the first time she had taken any money. She was convicted for that theft, given two years in jail. The matron of the orphanage agreed to end the other investigation believing that despite what the cook had said, she had taken the previous money as well."
"But there is no concrete evidence of that?"
Gabriel shook his head. "However, there is also no evidence against you either. Now that your whereabouts are known though, Super Intendant O'Reilly wants a statement from you about that night. That statement will be added to the file. Once he has the statement, O'Reilly will enter a statement of his own in the file stating that you were questioned and cleared as a suspect."
"Am I going to have to go somewhere to make that statement?" Grace asked still nervous.
"No," Gabriel said. "I can either get the proper form and bring it out here or you can stop by my office. I will send the form to Super Intendant O'Reilly in Union City who will take care of the rest."
Grace brought her hands out from under her, as she sank back against the settee.
"O'Reilly's suggestion is to also seek a judge's order to unseal the file if you are okay with it," Gabriel told her. "As the file will state that you were cleared, it will actually cause more suspicion if the file is sealed than just letting anyone who goes looking for it to see exactly what happened."
Grace now had her hands clasped in her laps. "What do you suggest I do?" she asked, her voice wavering with emotion.
Gabriel let the hand he still had on Grace's shoulder slide behind her so that he could pull her close. He could tell the emotional toll all of this was having on her, despite the relatively good news. Given that she had been living in fear of this accusation for a while now, he understood the emotion.
"Professionally, I cannot give you advice at this point, Grace," he told her as he held her against him. "However, as your future brother-in-law, my advice is to let the file be unsealed. Your statement will be there, as will O'Reilly's statement that you were cleared as a suspect. The Children's Society already knows about the accusation. You gain nothing by keeping the file sealed at this point."
"All right," Grace managed to get out before the tears started to fall. "Oh, this is embarrassing. I should be happy not crying," she said, reaching up to wipe tears away.
"You have no reason to be embarrassed, Grace," Gabriel told her. Tentatively, he reached out to pull her into a hug, unsure if she would allow him to.
Though stiff in his embrace, Grace leaned toward him, her head resting on his shoulder, one hand reaching across to rest on his other shoulder.
"In just a matter of weeks this will all be settled," Gabriel told her. "You will not ever have to worry about it surprising you again."
"Thank-you," Grace whispered.
"You are welcome," Gabriel told her, continuing to hug her close, letting Grace work through the emotional turmoil that the news had caused.
Lillian sat alone in the sitting room. She had tucked the two older girls in while Gabriel was trying to get the boys settled for the night. The snow was still falling steadily outside and she could hear the wind howling. However, the children, Grace, Eleanor and even Gabriel were all safe and snug in this house with her. That fact made Lillian feel content.
Despite the free bedroom having two twin beds in it, Christen and Vincent had convinced Billy to spend the night in their room, telling the other boy it would be like a sleep over. Lillian had seen the skepticism in Gabriel's eyes even as he allowed Billy to join the other two boys. Christian had lent Billy a pair of pajamas.
Grace had retreated to her room soon after her conversation with Gabriel. Her sister had filled her in on what Gabriel had discovered while Gabriel had kept an eye on the children in the dining room. Lillian understood Grace's need to be alone for a bit. Though good news, it was also emotionally taxing. Lillian was just thankful that Grace now had some sort of closure on the subject.
Lillian had missed her sister's alto voice in their sing along that night. It had been Ellie's request that they sang songs and the other children had happily agreed. Each child had picked a song, even Billy. Lillian had been happy that she had the music for the hymn Billy had requested, which was The Old Rugged Cross. He had said he remembered his mom singing it.
Gabriel had even played a song for them, finding a familiar song in Lillian's song books. He had been getting familiar with the instrument again and though his playing had been tentative at first, by the end of the song Lillian had no doubt that his playing had once been quite fluent.
Footsteps on the steps drew her attention. Looking toward the stairs, Lillian spotted Gabriel coming downstairs in the borrowed clothes she had found him. Some of her father's old clothes had been in the attic. The shirt was too big, as her father had been more broad shoulder than Gabriel, and the pants were a bit too short but Gabriel had thanked her, grateful to be able to change out of his uniform.
"Are they boys tucked in?" Lillian asked.
"Yes, though I am not entirely convinced that Billy will stay there," Gabriel replied.
Lillian patted the cushion beside her as an invitation for him to join her.
"I made sure he knew where the room I will be sleeping in was and told him he could come join me at anytime," Gabriel told her as he sat down next to her.
"Perhaps I should have made the second bed," Lillian said, the extra bedroom having two twin beds in it, though they had not yet used it for any of the children in their care.
Gabriel shook his head. "You have already been very accommodating for us. If you could leave me some extra linens, I can make the bed if Billy finds his way to the room."
"I can do that," Lillian replied.
Gabriel put his arm across the back of the settee and Lillian slid over close, resting her head on his shoulder. The two took advantage of the rare opportunity of being alone to discuss plans for their future. Gabriel even brought up the possible promotion that O'Reilly had brought up, along with his idea that Gabriel stayed based in Brookfield and made a weekly trip into Clearwater.
"Would that be something you could deal with Lillian?" Gabriel asked her.
Lillian did not answer right away as she considered the question. Finally she spoke.
"Having you make that trip, even once a week wouldn't be my first choice, but I suppose it would make me worry less than you going out chasing criminals and not knowing when you would be back," Lillian told him. "What about you? It could mean a lot of traveling. Also, would you be okay basically taking an office job. I heard you turned one down before."
Gabriel nodded. "I did. This is a different situation than that was though. I would be choosing to take this promotion and position, not being forced into it. As for the traveling, knowing that I was coming home to you every night would make it bearable. Supervising for the Clearwater headquarters would have its advantages. Another Mountie would be posted to take my place in Brookfield. As you pointed out, I wouldn't have to go tracking criminals. My hours would be a little more predictable. However, I cannot rule out that there may be times that I would need to stay in Clearwater over night. There could even still be work trips that took me away."
"Work can take you away from me even now," Lillian said. "If you are offered the promotion, and you want it, then I think you should take it. We can work it out."
Gabriel nodded. "That we can," he replied.
Slow footsteps caught both Lillian and Gabriel's attention. It was Billy who was making his way tentatively down the steps.
"I could not fall asleep in that room," Billy said quietly, seeing that he had both adults' attention. "I tried. I know Christian and Vincent wanted me to sleep in their room, but I just could not fall asleep."
"Come here," Gabriel told Billy, holding a hand out to him.
Lillian lifted her head from Gabriel's shoulder as she sat up. However, she did not move away from Gabriel even as Billy made his way over. Lillian watched as Gabriel pulled Billy into his lap.
"Why could you not fall asleep?" Gabriel asked, patience and understanding in his voice.
"I think it was the bunk beds. The other two orphanages I stayed in, we all had bunk beds. I was afraid to close my eyes and find myself back at one of those other two places. I know. It is silly."
"There is nothing silly about that," Gabriel told him, hugging the boy against him. "It is a legitimate fear and fears can become more real when we sleep."
Lillian knew Gabriel was thinking of his ow n struggles with nightmares. Something that she was familiar with herself.
Lillian got to her feet. "I will go make up the other bed in the extra bedroom for you, Billy," she said.
"Thank you, Miss Walsh," Billy replied, as he rested his head against Gabriel.
"It is no problem, Billy. I just want you to feel comfortable," Lillian told him, already heading for the stairs.