.

.

And the Heart is Brave

Chapter 10

Nathan and Jack had been in the same graduating class? The words rolled around in Elizabeth's mind as she stared at the photograph in her hand. How was that possible? Why had Nathan never mentioned it? Had he not remembered Jack? There were only 12 of them in the graduating class. Surely he would have remembered? Even if it was more than 10 years ago. Surely he would have remembered? She had asked Nathan when he first came to Hope Valley if he'd known Jack and he had said he hadn't. Had he lied to her? For what purpose?

The questions swirled in Elizabeth's mind, now that the initial surprise of seeing his photograph had worn off, leaving only a growing confusion in its place.

She would have to ask Nathan. She would have to find out.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

The next morning, Elizabeth drew up her skirts as she stepped up onto the sidewalk outside the Mountie office. In her arms were some textbooks, hidden among them a manila envelope containing a photograph. She braced herself, then turned the handle of the office door.

"Elizabeth!" Nathan said, turning from his place near the far wall at the sound of the door opening. "What are you doing here so bright and early?" he asked, wondering what had brought her to his office this early, before the start of the school day.

Elizabeth crept further into the room. "I was wondering if we could talk," she began, for some reason not meeting his eyes, her words low and serious.

"Of course!" Nathan said, sensing now that something of grave import was on Elizabeth's mind. "What is it?" he asked.

Elizabeth looked around her. "Not here. Now now," she said carefully, knowing there was little time before school began and more than that, she didn't want to discuss things here. "Can you come by the schoolhouse, today, after school?" she asked, only now looking up to meet his eyes.

"Of course," Nathan replied, a light chill tingling down his spine. Something was wrong. Elizabeth was troubled by something. "I'll come by right after school is out," he said.

Elizabeth nodded her thanks, then turned quickly from the room, leaving Nathan to stare after her, wondering what this was all about. Something in her manner, her tone, alarmed him and he knew it was going to be a long wait until he saw her at 4. His eyes glanced at the clock, already counting down the hours.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

It was not Elizabeth's finest day as a teacher. How could it be? When her mind was so otherwise pre-occupied by the questions swirling in her mind. But she went through the motions as best she could. At 10 minutes to 4 she dismissed her students then moved to sit behind her desk.

And wait.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Nathan ascended the schoolhouse stairs with some trepidation, his hat in hand. Under less formidable circumstances, it might have been comical. His trepidation, after being called to the schoolhouse by the teacher. Like he'd been a wayward schoolboy about to be reprimanded for some erroneous oversight. But he was a grown man, not a schoolboy, so he grit his teeth and pushed on.

Elizabeth looked up from her place at her desk at the sight of Nathan striding down the schoolhouse aisle. Slowly she rose to greet him, coming around her desk as they met, face-to-face.

"Nathan," she spoke his name.

"Elizabeth," he replied, a slight question in his tone.

"I know you're wondering why I asked you here," she began.

"Is Allie...?" Nathan trailed off, wondering if their meeting was about his boisterous niece and the difficulties she sometimes got into.

"No, this is not about Allie," Elizabeth cut him off. "I wanted to ask you about something I don't understand," she said carefully.

"What is that?" Nathan asked.

Elizabeth turned, pulling the photograph from between two books on her desk and holding it out before him. "This," she said simply.

Nathan stared down at the photo Elizabeth held in her hands before him, the Mountie graduating class of 1905, his class, his and Jack's, and something clenched in his jaw. Damn. He'd forgotten about the photograph, wouldn't have even thought she'd ever even see it even if he had remembered.

"Where did you get that?" he looked up to ask her.

"Superintendent O'Reilly gave it to me. It's Jack's graduating class. The superintendent thought I'd like to have it, as a remembrance of Jack," she told him to Nathan's nod of understanding. "Nathan?" she said his name with a question, her eyes scanning over his. "Nathan, you're in the photograph too. You graduated in the same class as Jack. Did you...did you forget him? Did you not remember him?"

Knowing he couldn't lie, that he had never lied to her, not in so many words, Nathan answered quietly, "No, I didn't forget him."

"Then why, Nathan? Why?" Elizabeth asked, turning to set the photo back on her desk. "Why didn't you tell me you knew him?" she asked, something creeping into her voice, hurt maybe, as she stared up at him, her eyes beseeching an answer.

"Elizabeth..." Nathan struggled for words. "Elizabeth, I can't tell you why," he said.

"Can't tell me!" she exclaimed, astounded. "Why can't you tell me?" she repeated, incredulous.

Nathan moved his head around, searching the air for words. "I knew Jack a short time from the academy," he said, telling her what he could, now that she knew this much, what he'd avoided telling her before only because it made the rest of it easier. "We were in the academy together for about six months. After graduation, we went our separate ways. Lost touch. Our assignments sent us on different paths. I hadn't heard from him in all the years since. Not in the ten years since," Nathan explained.

"But you remembered him. You knew who he was," Elizabeth stated the obvious. "And when he...when he died...you would have known who it was," she continued. News of a fallen Mountie would have spread quickly through the ranks. If Nathan had heard, he would have known who Jack was. Nathan nodded, affirming her summation. A sudden realization came to Elizabeth. "My God! You were there at the funeral, weren't you?" she asked, accusing, demanding. "Of course you were!" Elizabeth practically shouted. Mounties had come from 100 miles or more that day, to honour one of their own, one of the fallen. If Nathan had known Jack, had heard of his death, he would have come too. She wouldn't have known him, or remembered or recognized him. All she had seen that day was a sea of red coats.

"I was there," Nathan said quietly, remembering how the sight of Elizabeth and her raw grief that day had torn at him.

Elizabeth shook her head in disbelief. This was all too much. "Nathan, when you first came to Hope Valley, I asked you if you had known Jack! You told me you didn't!" Elizabeth said accusingly.

Nathan raised a clarifying hand. "No, no, I said I'd never served with him. And that was true," Nathan explained, he'd never lied, he'd tried very hard not to. Their various assignments had taken them in different directions and it was true they'd never served together.

"But you knew what I meant!" Elizabeth rebounded, shaking her head. "When you first got here you accused Lucas of being secretive. But it wasn't him! It was you, Nathan! You're the one with the secrets!" she castigated. Suddenly, her tone turned pleading. "Please, Nathan, I'm trying to understand. Please tell me what this is all about."

Nathan's jaw clenched. "I can't."

"Can't or won't?" Elizabeth spat at him, accusingly, something raw behind her eyes, pain and hurt. "Nathan," she drew out his name warningly. "Nathan, our friendship is on the line here," she told him, informing him his refusal to explain would come at a high price. At Nathan's silent stance before her, Elizabeth swallowed deeply, understanding even that had no sway on him. "I see," she said at length, her spine stiffening and something cold and hard washing over her. "Well, Nathan, I guess there's only one thing you can do for me now. And that's to stay away from me!" Elizabeth shouted forcefully, turning quickly from him to stride down the aisle of the schoolhouse.