Author's Note: This chapter (and beyond) repeats a smiliar theme from my other E/N story. I mentioned I would be doing this (essentially re-imaginging my imaginging!) so I hope it all makes sense. Please let me know if you are still following along and are interested in me continuing...I find comments hugely motivating. Thank you!

And the Heart is Brave

Chapter 25

Nathan Grant had been watching the stagecoach arrivals for the past three days with trepidation. He knew his father would be arriving any day now, released early from his prison sentence. Released early for good behaviour. Nathan almost snorted at that. Good behaviour. The man didn't know the meaning of the words. Nathan didn't want him here, there was no pleasure in the prospect of seeing him. He would have tried to forestall his coming to Hope Valley, but he'd had no way to contact him. All he had was the brief telegram informing him of his upcoming arrival.

So as the day of his estimated appearance approached, Nathan had taken to meeting the stagecoach on its daily arrivals to Hope Valley. He never stood too close to the platform, rather he eyed the passengers as they got off from a distance, his arms crossed as he leaned against a pillar.

There was only a slight stiffening of his body that particular day, when he recognized a certain passenger as he departed the stagecoach. But otherwise Nathan Grant appeared unchanged in his stance. The passenger, an older man, tall but with greying hair, surveyed around him as he got off and almost immediately spotted the splash of red in the coat of the man standing across the way. Their eyes met and still Nathan did not move. He waited. He waited for his father to come to him.

"Won't you come over to greet your own father?" the man asked, when he drew up in front of Nathan and the pair eyed each other.

Since when have you ever been a father to me? Nathan thought in his mind. Instead he delivered a curt nod to the older man. "What are you doing here?" he asked cryptically, wondering at his father's motives.

"What am I doing here? Can't I visit my own son? My own granddaughter?" the man asked. Nathan's eyes had darkened at the mention of Allie and his jaw clenched slightly. "It's been six years since we last saw each other," the man said.

"So it has," Nathan agreed. The best six years of my life, Nathan thought, knowing his father was locked up in prison and prevented from harming anyone. "I think it's best for everyone if you just leave," Nathan said, not mincing words. He wasn't wanted here, not by him, nor anyone else in this town.

"Now why would I do that?" Silas Grant challenged his son. "Guess I'll go check into the hotel," he said, looking around, knowing now that his son would not be putting him up.

Nathan Grant let out a deep breath, then turned around and strode away.

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"Nathan, why didn't you tell me your father was coming?" Elizabeth eyed Nathan in disbelief as they stood in her rowhouse. He'd known for more than 10 days that his father was coming, that he'd been released from prison, and had only now told her, now that his father was actually here. She knew Nathan was a taciturn man, but this defied belief.

"I saw no point in telling you until he was actually here," Nathan explained, his eyes clouding over with his dark thoughts. Maybe he had hoped it was all a mistake and his father would not show up and he could have avoided telling her altogether.

"Nathan, I know you said your father had been in prison," Elizabeth prodded gently. "But what did he actually do?" she asked.

Nathan sighed. "He hurt a lot of people, Elizabeth. He cheated a lot of people out of their life savings. He committed fraud, he was a swindler on a grand scale. He never did a lick of work his whole life, not if he could swindle someone else out of their life's work. He's...he's not a good person, Elizabeth," Nathan said, the truthful words painful for him to say nonetheless.

"Nathan, that was a long time ago. He's been in prison for six years. Maybe he has changed?" she said hopefully, but Nathan knew otherwise. Knew the deep-seated evil that lay inside his father's being and that no amount of prison time would eradicate it. "Maybe being in Hope Valley will be good for him. Good for you both," Elizabeth said. "Maybe redemption is not as impossible as you think," she said.

Nathan's eyes darkened at her words. Redemption. How he would have welcomed that. But for redemption there had to be an admission of wrongs, the asking of forgiveness, attempts of restitution, none of which his father had ever done, nor, Nathan knew, ever would. "No, Elizabeth," Nathan said simply. As Elizabeth made to make another plea for hopefulness Nathan cut her off. "Elizabeth, stay out of this!" he said, more harshly than he wanted, then in his own frustration he turned and left the house, as Elizabeth watched his retreating back, worry on her face.

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"Well, I don't know if I like this!" Florence Blakeley admitted to a small group gathered in the mercantile a day or two later. "Our Mountie's father has been in jail. A criminal!" she said in a shocked voice. "Constable Grant is supposed to uphold the law and here his own father has been in jail!" she said, as other shocked citizens nodded in agreement.

It certainly did not look good, or inspire much confidence in their local lawman to know his own father had been in prison. And Silas Grant was making no secret of that fact. It was almost as if he was taking pleasure in letting people know of it, almost as if he took pleasure in besmirching his son's name by making sure it was connected to his own sullied one.

And it did not take Nathan long to realize it either. He could tell people were talking about him and his father behind his back. He watched them whisper to each other behind their hands whenever he walked past. And in a way he couldn't blame them. He knew his own reputation was affected by things his father had done, and the fact that he was a Mountie only intensified it. Because a Mountie was supposed to be honourable, above the law, of impeccable character and Nathan knew his father's misdeeds reflected on him, unfairly or not.

Oh, he knew not everyone thought that way. Bill had offered his support early on, as did Lee Coulter, and some of the other townsfolk too. They'd expressed their support for him, both as a Mountie and as a person going through a difficult family situation. And of course, there was Elizabeth. But her support opened up a whole new conundrum for Nathan, one he was mulling on more and more of late.

So far Nathan had managed to keep Allie away from her grandfather, and he intended to keep it that way. Although Allie knew he was in town and had questions, Nathan hoped the two would never meet. He hoped to protect her in this one way at least, although he knew that she must find the gossip and whispered talk difficult too.

But the longer this all went on, Nathan's thoughts turned more and more towards Elizabeth. He and Allie, well, they were born to it. It was their cross to bear by the unhappy hand of fate, by the unlucky draw of their birth. But it wasn't fair to Elizabeth. For she too was indirectly affected by all the gossip, by her association with him and Nathan decided it was time. Time to let her off the hook. Because she had a choice and he would give it to her.

That night, as they sat as usual in the evening on her front stoop, Nathan began the conversation. "Elizabeth, I think I should tell you more about my family," he said.

"Okay," replied Elizabeth, grateful the time had finally come. She knew Nathan had been troubled lately, troubled by his father's visit and maybe more than that. She hadn't wanted to press for answers but she was grateful now he was going to tell her more.

"First," Nathan began. "You know about my father being in prison and that he's not a good person. I say that because he wasn't a good father either," Nathan said, admitting the difficult truth. "My sister and I...we had a rough childhood because of him. He was very stern with us, very mean and controlling. My mother passed when I was only 8 years old. I think it was partly from the difficulties of living with my father. I think he drove her to an early grave," Nathan said, pausing to read Elizabeth's expression as he recounted his early years. Seeing her polite yet sympathetic countenance he continued on. "And my sister...well, I think in her desperation to escape our unhappy home, well, she fell for the first scoundrel who paid her any attention." Nathan took a deep breath, knowing the next part would be shocking. "She was only 17 when she got with Allie," he said, revealing the information carefully. "Elizabeth, my sister and Allie's father were...were never married," he said, eyeing her as he informed her of that fact, something still shocking to say in polite company. "I know this is all very shocking..." he trailed off.

But Elizabeth was shaking her head. "Nathan, I understand the frailties of human nature. I'm made of sterner stuff than you think," she said gently.

Nathan took a relieved breath, then continued. "When my sister got with child, Allie's father deserted her. That is why Allie is Allie Grant, and not her father's name...because...because..."

"Because you don't know his name," Elizabeth supplied with sudden understanding.

Nathan nodded. "I know that's not the story I've told you before about her father, but I said what I did to protect Allie," he said looking to Elizabeth for understanding about him not revealing all this before, as Elizabeth nodded encouragement to him. "Anyway, when he left it broke my sister's heart, it broke her spirit and she never spoke of him again. She was never the same, even after Allie came. Even though she loved Allie with all her heart. So a few years later when she got sick, there was no fight in her and she passed away," Nathan spoke the words quietly, another painful chapter in his life.

"And that's when you stepped in and raised Allie," Elizabeth finished, just now realizing the responsibility of what Nathan had done. Why, he must have been still a young man himself, so young to assume such a responsibility.

Nathan nodded. "Elizabeth, I am telling you all this so you have a full understanding. A full understanding of what my family is like. I'm telling you all this so you have the full story when you make your choice," he said, finally reaching the point.

"My choice about what?" Elizabeth asked, her brow furrowing.

"The choice to continue with this," he waved a hand between them. "With us."

"Nathan!" Elizabeth said, well and truly shocked now. Shocked that Nathan would think she would end things between them because of the situations with his family. Things he had had no control over, that weren't his fault. And that he had done whatever he could to remediate, including taking on the raising of his niece.

"Elizabeth, you have your own reputation to think of," Nathan was outlining the facts to her shocked face. "You're a highly respected teacher. To be associated with me and my family...well, it affects you too," he said, knowing the gossip and ill-talk would touch her as well, the fact his father was a criminal. It was one of the reasons he had forced himself not to act upon his feelings for her sooner. Because he knew his life was one of darkness and that she deserved someone who brought lightness. Lightness and laughter. Someone like Lucas. But then she had cried there that day near the rowhouses and on impulse he had kissed her and suddenly it seemed like there was hope. Hope that his past didn't define his future and that maybe...maybe...Nathan shook his head. But it wasn't fair to her now. It wasn't fair to Elizabeth now that all this had come out about his father. And maybe more would come out one day too. So he had to give her the choice.

"Nathan, I can tell you right now that nothing you have said has changed my feelings in any way," Elizabeth was saying, already knowing her answer. It was no less than Nathan might have expected. Elizabeth was a loyal person, it was an admirable trait, but he wouldn't use it against her now.

"Elizabeth, I'm asking you to think it over. At least tonight," Nathan said. "Please just think it over tonight before you give me an answer," he pleaded.

Elizabeth took a deep breath. "Alright, Nathan, if you think I need to."

Nathan nodded. "I do. You can let me know tomorrow. And if...if you find you can't tell me in person, I will understand," he said, knowing that perhaps a decision in the negative would be difficult to deliver in person, and more than anything he wanted to make this easier for her. "So if you can't tell me in person, a note will do, or some other way to let me know," he said. "I will understand."

"Nathan," there was a pleading tone in Elizabeth's voice, that he was even thinking this way, that he even doubted her love. True, they had not yet spoken of love, of the truly deep feelings, but surely he must know, didn't he?

"I'll say goodnight now, Elizabeth," Nathan said with a brief nod, then got up from the porch, Elizabeth's eyes following him as he disappeared into the darkness.