Chapter 3 Dinner with the New Girl in Town

Thank you everyone for you feedback! This chapter was fun to write, even if it did take a little longer then I had hoped, and it didn't end quite the way I thought it would, but I saw an opprotunity, and I ran with it. I'm really looking forward to the upcoming chapters. Enjoy!


The rowhouse was sparsely furnished, but it would do until Elise's belongings arrived from Toronto. Minnie Canfield stopped by to introduce herself, and after finding out that Elise had very little with her, brought over sheets, blankets and a pillow until her things arrived. She discovered wood outside the back door when she opened it, along with the outhouse. She laughed to herself – it was just like being at home, but with a different view. Hope Valley was a far cry from Toronto, but Elise was not a big city girl. That was why coming west intrigued her – something different but familiar at the same time. Or at least she hoped.

She drew herself a bath, and after being on the train for so long and in the same clothes, she felt human again. She brushed her long hair, and pinned it back off her face, but where it would flow down her back. Many of her friends in school voiced that she needed to cut it, to look more sophisticated and professional, but her hair was her favorite thing about herself. Her mother had always said it was her crowning beauty, and she had always treated it as such.

Elise did not think she was an attractive woman, which led her to the motto she lived by – 'Being smart is better than being pretty'. Being on the short side did not help her much with people taking her seriously, until they got to know her. During her years at university and law school, she did not date because her most of the young men were attracted to the tall beauties that surrounded her. She was one of the only females in her law classes at Osgoode Hall, and she proved to be smarter than most of her male counterparts. In many ways, she intimidated them, or she was just too plain for them. What she lacked in physical appearance, she tried to fill in with her wardrobe. She only had a portion of it with her, but she found a fashionable blue skirt and ivory blouse that would work well for her first supper in Hope Valley. As she looked at the mirror in her bedroom and critiqued herself. She did not look as thin as she imagined most of the women in town would look, but her time in Toronto had liberated her. She no longer wore a corset, even though she did have one for special occasions. She felt they were simply not practical for her.

She grabbed a shawl from her luggage and her hand purse and made her way down the stairs of her row house to the front door. Just as she was opening it, Lee Coulter was about to start knocking on it.

"Miss Monteith! My wife and I were wondering if we could offer you a ride to the café instead of your walking?"

"I would appreciate that very much, thank you!" Elise stepped down to the car at the base of her steps, and Lee opened the rear door for her.

A beautiful blond with energetic eyes turned around in her seat and thrust her hand out to Elise. "I'm Rosemary Coulter, Lee's wife and editor in chief of The Valley Voice. I could not believe it when Lee said that our new barrister was a woman! I am so excited to learn all about you! Maybe I could do a story on you, to introduce you to Hope Valley!" Rosemary just kept going on and on until Lee final said "Rosie, you need to breathe". Elise found a lot of humor in the woman in front of her, and she hoped that maybe they could become friends.

The drive to the café was a short one. Lee opened the door, and Elise saw that the café was busy but not full. People were smiling, and the food in front of them appeared to be delicious. She was looking forward to a good meal after eating food on the train for the last several days.

Bill had reserved a table for 6 in a corner of café for his friends and the newcomer to town. "Everyone, take a seat. I can bring you menu's or I can let you know the special tonight is my special meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans and of course my rolls. For dessert, there is chocolate cream pie. I will come back once Nathan and Allie get here." Bill disappeared back into the kitchen then quickly returned carrying plates to diners.

Elise, Lee, and Rosemary were chatting when the café door opened and Nathan and a little girl of no older then 12 or 13 walked in. Nathan was in his civilian attire, and Elise immediately noticed that the blue in his shirt brought out the blue in his eyes.

The walked over, and Nathan said "Allie, this is Miss Monteith. Miss Monteith, this is my niece Allie".

Elise stood to shake Allie's hand. "Its nice to meet you Allie". She looked between her and Nathan and knew instantly there was a story there.

Bill came back to the table, greeted Nathan and Allie, and repeated what the special was. Everyone agreed that it sounded wonderful, so he went back to the kitchen to put the order in. A few moments later he returned and sat at the end of the table.

"So, Miss Monteith, I am not known to beat around the bush, so I am just going to get down to it. Why did you choose Hope Valley? A sophisticated, big city girl like you? What do you know that we don't" Bill hammered at her.

Nathan immediately broke in "Bill, this isn't an inquisition", while Lee and Rosemary also interjected. Allie's eyes raised, taking in everything, wondering if this was how adults really behaved.

"Everyone, its fine," Elise began. "I expected this. Maybe not this soon, but I did expect it. I will answer all your questions. I feel I am an open book, I do not hide much, but it is because I do not have anything to hide. Rosemary, you mentioned you were the editor in chief of the paper and might like to do an interview. Your more then welcome to take notes to write an article if you would like. I'm here for all the right reasons".

Rosemary looked at Bill and asked, "Do you have a note pad?"

"Back in the kitchen, just don't steal any of the recipes I've been working on".

Elise looked back at Bill and said "A gunslinging ex-Mountie turned judge who can flip pancakes and make a mean meatloaf and peels potatoes – that sounds like a more interesting story then mine".

Everyone around the table laughed at the new vision of Bill, including Bill.

"Touché, but right now its about you".

Elise took a drink of her lemonade and began to tell her story.

"When I graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School, I joined Wright and Phillips as an associate. I had interned there the summer before, developed a good rapport, and figured it would be a good place to start my career. There are two reasons why anyone wants to work in law – to make money or make a difference. I want to make a difference, and I discovered that the firm just really wanted to make money. As an associate, I spent most of my time studying briefs, then handing my work over to the lead counsels, where they would go in and win the case based on my work. They even had me developing new ways to continue to drum up business, especially to their high end clients. It was not about accolades, but there was little or no appreciation at all. Then about 2 years ago, I was walking to work, and I walked by a newspaper cart, and I saw a magazine called Business and Industry. It caught my attention because of the woman on the cover. I purchased it, put it in my bag, and later that night I had a chance to read it. It was about a young woman who left her home in San Francisco and through her career as a telephone repair technician, came to the frontier town of Hope Valley. at the time, I thought that sounds like an amazing place to live because they support and encourage an environment for strong and independent women."

"That was the story that was supposed to be about Henry Gowen, but the writer thought Fiona was more interesting" Rosemary interjected.

"And they never quoted me!" Bill noted.

"I ended up holding on to the magazine. The next year and a half, things proceeded to not get better with the firm, and I slowly started to explore my options." She looked at Bill. "I am not a big city girl, I am actually from a small town as far east as you can go, and I kept remembering why I went into law, and I realized that was where my heart is, not doing what I was doing. So, I went back to that article, and started to do my research on Hope Valley. I discovered that there was going to be an influx of people into the area with the new factory, and that the area was not already being serviced by a solicitor or barrister, so I finished up the cases I was working on, quit my job, gave up my apartment, and the rest is history."

Lee spoke up next. "You do realize that most of the people around here can not afford your services, right?"

"I do know that will be a real possibility. I am not wealthy by any scope of the imagination, but I am comfortable. I am ok with services in kind – eggs, meat, all those things can be figured out. Like I said, I went into law because I wanted to make a difference. My father was my hero, and even though I was a girl, I always wanted to be just like him, but because I WAS a girl, his chosen profession was considered inappropriate for me. So, I chose the closest thing I could, which was practice law."

Nathan asked, "What did your father do".

Elise looked right at him and said, "He was a constable, Constable".

Just then, Minnie came through the curtain with plates of meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and green beans. She also refilled everyone's glasses and brought out a basket of Bill's yeast rolls.

Once everyone started to eat the delicious food, Allie asked, "So was he a Mountie like my Uncle Nathan?"

"No, we did not have Mounties, just Constables. No handsome men in red serge".

Nathan's eyes shot up from his plate and looked straight at Elise.

"Doesn't most of Canada have Mounties?"

"Most of Canada does, but not where I am from."

"Where is that?" Allie asked between bites.

"Have you ever read Anne of Green Gables?"

Allie dropped her fork into her potatoes as she looked across the table. "That is my favorite book! I've read it more times than I can count!"

Elise laughed. "Its mine too. I am actually from Cavendish, Price Edward Island".

Allie's eyes were about to come out of her eyes, "You're from Prince Edward Island? Is it as beautiful as the book makes it out to be?"

"Look at the sea girls – all silver and shadow and vision of things not seen. We couldn't enjoy its loveliness anymore if we had millions of dollars and ropes of diamonds" Elise quoted. "Yes, it is just as beautiful as the book makes it out to be. Especially Cavandish, because that is exactly where Lucy was describing. Cavendish is actually the inspiration for Avonlea".

Elise thought Allie was about to fall out of her chair, and Nathan had to reach over to make sure she did not. "So, you've actually been there?".

"Yes, I have played along the shores of the Lake of Shining Waters, and ran along the North Shore, and laid on grass the color of emeralds. It was an amazing place to grow up. You know, the young man who locals have reason to believe inspired the character of Gilbert, was actually the first love of Lucy's. His name was Nate".

"Uncle Nathan, that's your name" Allie shrieked as she her hand was hitting the table, and Nathan had to use his other hand to help calm her down. Elise just sat there and chuckled some more.

"If you loved it so much, why did you leave?" Rosemary inquired.

"My mother died when I was young, so it was just myself and my father. He knew I had big dreams, so he supported by decision to go to Prince of Wales College in Charlottetown. I was in my last year there when my father died unexpectedly. Between being Constable and running the family farm, it got to be too much for him, and he died from angina." Elise was quiet for a moment, lost in the memory. "After he died, a neighbor offered to buy the farm, and I accepted. Sometimes I wonder if I made the right decision but going back would not be the same. Now I just have wonderful memories of a childhood I was very blessed with".

The table grew quiet for a moment. Bill broke the ice. "And now you're here, to help make a difference."

"Yes, now I am here, to help make a difference."


"Thank you so much for the wonderful meal, Judge Avery," Elise said as she was about to depart the café.

"I think after all of that, you have earned the right to call me Bill."

"Thank you, Bill. Please, call me Elise. I look forward to working with you. I believe you will keep me on my game".

"And I believe you will keep me on my toes," Bill said with a smirk on his face.

Elise wrapped her shawl around her shoulders and stepped out onto the boardwalk. She looked up into the nights sky and took in the stars. She heard Nathan and Allie come out behind her.

"I bet you didn't see this in Toronto", Nathan said.

"No, I did not. You do not realize until you lose, or walk away from, something how much it means to you. This is the first time in years I have really seen the stars."

The moment was interrupted when Lee and Rosemary stepped out on to the boardwalk, with Rosemary talking a mile a minute again. "I really want to go to the office and start on Miss Monteiths story, and I need your help, Lee."

"But I need to take Miss Monteith home, Rosie. We drove her in, we should drive her home".

Allie quickly piped in "She could walk with us! We are going in the same direction anyways."

Elise looked at Nathan and Allie with an inquisitive look on her face, then Nathan said "We live in the rowhouses also. All the way at the end. It wouldn't be a problem, plus this way, you can look at the stars longer."

"I would like that, thank you. Thank you so much Mr. and Mrs. Coulter for the warm welcome".

"Its Lee and Rosemary. We've broken bread together, were friends now! How about I find you tomorrow and we can look at the story I am going to put together on you, see if I have any more questions", Rosemary asked.

"That would be wonderful. Have a wonderful evening," Elise said as the Coulters turned and walked arm in arm towards their office.

Elise, Nathan, and Allie started the short walk towards the rowhouses. The conversation was light and refreshing. Then just in front of them, a shooting star passed through the sky.

"Allie, close you eyes and make a wish", Elise encouraged. Nathan looked over at the grown woman next to him and watched as she made a wish on the shooting star. She finished, opened her eyes, and realized that Nathan was looking at her.

"Your never too old to make wishes on the stars".

"No, I guess you aren't," Nathan said.

As the trio made the turn at the first rowhouse, Elise noticed that Nathan had grown quiet and that his eyes darted towards the black car sitting out in front. The sound of Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake" could be heard coming from inside. Allie also noticed, took his hand, and said, "Come on Uncle Nathan".

Four doors down, they arrived at Elise's steps. "Thank you for walking me home. That is something else I haven't experienced in a while. Chivalry."

"Maybe we can talk about Anne again! It really is my favorite book!" Allie exclaimed.

"I would love that, Allie. Have a good night, and a good day at school tomorrow. Good night Constable Grant".

"Good night Miss Monteith", Nathan said, still looking a touch forlorn.

As the Grant's walked down the path to their rowhouse, Elise wondered what made the constable so sad. But then again, maybe she did not really want to know.


Montgomery, L. M. (1976). Anne of Green gables. New York: Bantam Books.