Chapter 10

This chapter has been researched in depth, so the subject matter is as close to accurate as possible. This may be a rough one to read, but its necessary for the story to move forward. try to enjoy.


The community of Hope Valley was buzzing at the news of the engagement of Elizabeth Thornton and Lucas Bouchard. Elizabeth was walking around on cloud nine, and when Elise did see Mr Bouchard, which was not often, he seemed to be prouder than a peacock. She was happy for them, and hoped they would both be happy.

Elise on the other hand was miserable. She was missing Nathan and Allie, and she hated the taste test of what her life was going to be like once Nathan met the one he was supposed to spend his life with. She tried to shake the feeling off, but that was easier said than done.

She had been busy drafting an estate plan for an older couple when she realized her stomach was starting to rumble, so she decided to take a quick lunch and head over to the cafe for a bite to eat. Minnie put together a sandwich and a bowl of soup for her, and on the way back to her office she saw Rosemary and Elizabeth cross the street. Elizabeth was talking quite animatedly, and when Elise was close enough to hear, Elizabeth said "They didn't have a problem with Jack, but they do with Lucas? A successful business owner who can offer us the world? Why Rosemary, why? I just don't understand!" Rosemary then guided Elizabeth into the office of Coulter Lumber and shut the door.


Nathan and Allie were relaxing next to one of the most beautiful mountain lakes they had seen so far this trip. Nathan was taking in the clouds, lost in his thoughts, while Allie was engrossed in Jane Austin's Pride and Prejudice. The trip was exactly what they needed. It was just missing one thing. Elise. Elise was something Nathan had wanted to talk to Allie about. And there was no better time than the present.

"Allie, what do you think of Miss Monteith?"

"I think she's amazing. What do you think of her? Do you like-like her?"

"I do".

"More than you like-liked Mrs. Thornton?"

"It's a different type of like-like. It's hard to explain".

"Different like you realizing maybe you didn't really like-like Mtrs. Thornton?"

"Maybe." He turned his head towards Allie. "You're pretty good at this like-like thing".

"I think Miss Monteith is pretty good for us. And were good for her".

"I think so too kiddo."

"You know what else may be good for us?"

"We're not getting a dog".

Allie laughed, "No, not that. It might be good for us if I call you dad".

"I do too".

Allie scootched over to Nathan and laid her head on his shoulder.

"I love you dad."

Nathan's breath caught, and he replied back "I love you too, my daughter".


The week was going so slow for Elise. She could not wait until Nathan and Allie were home. Her life was definitely much lonelier without them in it. She needed to get up and stretch, so she decided to take a walk through town to get some air.

The street was busy. With so much going on in the area, Hope Valley was no longer a sleepy little town. She was nearing the saloon and in front of her was someone she never thought she would see in Hope Valley.

"Thomas, is that you?"

"Elise? What are you doing here?"

"I live here! What are you doing here?"

Thomas Wright is the son of one of the managing partners, and the only reason why he would be here would be for something big. Very big. "I'm here on official Wright and Phillips business. I'm about to check into the hotel then get to work. So this is where you landed? It looks like a nice little town".

"It is, I like it a lot. What kind of business?"

"Well, since you're the barrister here, I'm not going to tell you. I'm sure you will know soon enough. How about we catch up over dinner? Is there a good place to eat around here?"

"Yeah, the cafe. How does 6 sound?"

"Perfect. Maybe then we can talk about the case".

"See you then".


Elise was reviewing another contract for Lee when she heard a knock at her office door. She stood up from her desk, walked across the room and opened the door. Elizabeth Thorton stood there, her eyes red and puffy from crying.

"Mrs Thorton, please come in, have a seat. How can I help you?" Elise made her way to her chair, leaned back, crossed her legs and waited for Elizabeth to tell her why she was there.

Elizabeth sat down in one of the chairs, took a deep breath and began. "I'm sure you have heard by now that Lucas has proposed to me, and I have accepted. We have decided we want to get married before the end of the summer, so I don't have to take time off during the school year. I contacted my parents, obviously very excited. Unfortunately, they were not. I thought we would discuss it again, but then this morning, a solicitor representing the law firm my father uses showed up with these." Elizabeth handed the envelope over to Elise. "I don't know why they are doing this. When I married Jack, I knew they weren't happy, but solicitors or barristers never got involved. Lucas is a good man, who runs multiple, good businesses. I just don't understand."

Elise opened the envelope and withdrew the documents. On the top was a letter from Peter Wright at Wright and Phillps asking that they receive a response to be returned with Thomas. She flipped to the next page, and immediately knew what this was all about. It was a project she had worked on when she was at Wright and Phillips. A prenuptial agreement. She secured her glasses over her eyes, and paid attention to the fine print.

The documents stated that if the document was not signed, then Elizabeth and any future children would be disinherited. All monies from her parents estate would go directly to Little Jack, with Charles Kensington to be the executor of the estate.

Charles Kensington. That name was familiar. And about a minute later she knew why.

"Your father is William Thatcher? You are Elizabeth Thatcher?" Elise looked up from the papers and looked at Elizabeth.

"Yes I am".

Elise stood up from her desk and laid the papers down. "Mrs Thornton, I would like some time to go over these a little better, and to speak to Judge Avery regarding how well these would stick in court. Could we meet back up around 3 today?"

"Yes, I can make that work". Elizabeth stood and headed to the door. She was about to step through it when Elise spoke again.

"Mrs Thornton, I would bring Mr Bouchard with you."


As soon as Elizabeth was down the street, Elise picked up the papers, and went next door to Bill's office. She knocked, and heard his gruff "Come in". He looked up as she came through the door and said "oh thank goodness, I need a break. I don't know how solicitors and barristers actually like law books".

"You got it half right. We like the law." She wasn't going to beat around the bush. "Bill, I need your help. Well, more like Elizabeth Thornton needs our help." She handed the papers over to him and sat in the chair across from him. "It's a prenuptial agreement. It looks like her father had one drawn up and they want Lucas to sign it."

"And Elizabeth was upset?"

"Yes, because if you look down you will see that if he doesn't sign it, she will be disinherited, along with any future children. But it will all go to Little Jack."

"Which makes Little Jack a very wealthy little boy".

"Not just wealthy. The Thatchers are one of the wealthiest families in Canada. It makes him a possible target. This is more than just about money. It's about the safety of Little Jack. I also think the Thatchers investigated Lucas. I know he looks clean, but he isn't, and the big problem is that this town has enable him."

"Elise what are you talking about?"

"Bill, it's 1920. Just like our neighbors to the south, we are in a time of Prohibition. This is a dry country, and right down the street there is an illegal saloon in operation. Not to mention the gambling, which is also illegal. That is at least two felonies and prison time. And that is the man Elizabeth wants to marry. Her parents will not tolerate it. I may not know them well, but I do know William Thatcher. He will not budge on this"

Bill leaned back in his chair. "Can I be there when you talk to Elizabeth?"

"Yes. She will be back in my office at 3. Lucas will be with her."


At 3pm Elizabeth and Lucas walked through the door into Elise's office. They were holding hands, and appeared to be taking a unified stance. They were surprised to see Bill in the room.

"Before we begin, do you mind that Judge Avery is in the room? I wanted to get another opinion of this, and if this goes to trial, it would not be here, but in Hamilton, so Bill can be impartial and just help us focus on the facts." Elizabeth eagerly shook her head yes, while Lucas quickly nodded.

Elise was all business when she addressed the couple. "Prenuptial agreements have been around for hundreds of years. They were designed to support dowries and to protect legacies. Since the war, things have gotten very bad in England, and many of the long standing wealthy families are losing everything, mainly because they are trying to rescue other prominent families that have fallen on hard times. That long lasting wealth is gone. Here in Canada, wealthy families are trying to do the same thing - protect their legacies. In this situation, I suspect your father hired a private investigator when you first started courting and he found something in Mr Bouchard's past, or present, that your father didn't like. And when you announced your engagement, your father pulled the trigger. If that is the case, your father is just trying to protect his legacy."

"But it's my life, he can't just decide how I live my life".

"Yes he can. He's William Thatcher, one of the wealthiest men in this country, and you are his daughter. The only way you can say that is if you denounce any right to the estate, and do the same thing for Jack. But then you are doing the exact opposite of what your father is trying to do - secure his legacy and Jack's future."

Bill then interjected. "Bouchard, is there anything in your past, or present, that could put you in a dim light with William Thatcher?"

Lucas stood and started to pace. "No, I have always done things on the up and up. I've lied once in my life, and that was to protect someone, not myself. I won't lie, I've run away from problems, but I've never done anything wrong intentionally."

"Mr. Bouchard, I need to know everything about the acquisition of the saloon." Lucas looked confused, not sure what the saloon had to do with it.

"In 1917 I saw an ad for it down in New Orleans, everything was done via wire, and I bought it sight unseen. I took a gamble on it, and luckily it has paid off".

"Until now," Bill responded.

Lucas turned towards Bill and said "I don't understand. What does this have to do with my saloon?"

"Mr Bouchard, are you aware that Canada is in prohibition? And you're not allowed to gamble here?"

"I was led to believe that those laws are supposed to go from providence to providence, community to community. I bought the saloon before prohibition started here, but I was allowed to continue to operate. Plus continue to purchase from my vendors. That's why I have been able to operate for so long". Lucas looked confused and slightly bewildered.

"I can't speak for Constable Grant, but in a lot of towns, if an establishment was operating under those guidelines prior to when Prohibition started in 1918, they let it slide, as long as it was not a problem. Unfortunately, it appears that because of your relationship with Mrs Thornton, it has now put a bullseye on your back. If my suspicions are correct, Constable Grant and Judge Avery will no longer be able to let the operations slide."

Lucas sat back in the chair, pulled at the ascot at his neck, loosened it, then ran a hand through his hair. "What am I going to do? I'm going to lose everything."

"You still have Gowen Petroleum", Bill reminded him.

"The oil company is supported by the saloon. Things are turning around, but it's not out of the red yet."

"There has to be something we can do", Elizabeth pleaded.

"I am meeting with the representative from Wright and Phillips tonight. Let me see what he knows."


Just before six Elise entered the cafe, and Thomas was already there at a corner table. He stood up as he greeted her, then pulled her chair out for her."Thank you Thomas. I was surprised to see you today. You could have warned me though. My day became very interesting after your visit to Elizabeth Thornton."

"I'm sure it did. She looked quite surprised by my arrival."

"She thought they would continue to discuss the matter."

At that moment, the new waitress in the cafe arrived, told them the daily specials and took their drink order. Knowing they were going to be interrupted again in a few minutes, Elise got right to it.

"What does Mr Thatcher want?"

"He wants the gambler to leave his daughter alone. He doesn't want any blemishes near his family."

"Mr Bouchard is a businessman". Elise wanted to see what he knew.

"A businessman who will be going to prison for at least two felonies if he doesn't walk away."

And there it is. The waitress returned with their drinks and they placed their food order.

"Do you think Mr Thatcher could be persuaded at all? If the situation is not exactly what it seems?"

"You mean a misunderstanding?"

" Possibly. I am still trying to gather all of the facts".

"Well, there are a lot of facts."

The waitress was already bringing them back their food, but before Elise started on her pot roast, she wanted to know one more thing. "If we were to develop a proposal to rectify this, try to make everyone happy, do you think he would consider it".

"Possibly. This is really good. They don't have good food like this in Toronto." Thomas was shoveling food in his mouth like he had not eaten in a year. "If you put one together, do it quickly. I leave the day after tomorrow on the afternoon train. You know, I wonder if Thatcher would have made this big of a deal of everything if she would have chosen the mountie."

"Well, she did. Her husband was a mountie. He died."

"Oh, I know that, I mean the second one. Apparently she was being friendly with another mountie, and she chose Bouchard instead. That is the word I got from Thatcher, according to his youngest daughter".

Elise looked across the table at Thomas, and suddenly lost her appetite.