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And the Heart is Brave
Chapter 27
As Nathan and Allie walked past the mercantile the next day, Allie tugged on his arm. "Please Uncle Nathan, can I go get some candy?" she pleaded.
"Allie, I don't have time right now," her uncle replied, just as Allie spotted Mrs. Thornton inside the doors.
"Mrs. Thornton is there," Allie said. "Can I go in while she's there? I promise to stay with her," Allie pleaded.
Nathan sighed. He supposed it would be alright, if Allie stayed with Elizabeth. Besides he couldn't really keep her under lock and key forever. "Alright," he agreed. "But make sure you stay with Mrs. Thornton and then come home right after," he instructed, and handed her a nickle, as Allie nodded happily, then bounded to head into the mercantile. Nathan turned in the direction of his office.
"Oh hello, Allie," Elizabeth greeted the young girl at her entrance into the mercantile.
"Hello, Mrs. Thornton," Allie dutifully replied. "My uncle said I could come in and get some candy as long as I stayed with you," Allie informed her. Elizabeth knew that Nathan didn't want his niece interacting with her grandfather so she understood Allie's statement. She was just finishing up her own shopping and could certainly stay while Allie picked out her candy.
"That's fine, Allie, what kind of candy are you going to get?" she smiled the question.
"Jawbreakers! They're the best!" Allie enthused. As the two leaned forward to eye the jars of brightly coloured candy, they didn't notice the tall older man who entered the store. But Ned, the shopkeeper, did, and he caught Elizabeth's eye as he inclined his head towards the door.
Elizabeth turned to see Silas Grant just inside the mercantile doors. She had seen him around town already, but had never spoken to him, not having been introduced to him by Nathan or anyone else.
Silas Grant spotted the woman next to his granddaughter and he approached the pair, as Allie now looked over too to see what Mrs. Thornton was looking at. Immediately she too recognized the man and she stiffened in reaction.
"You're Allie, aren't you?" the man said as he drew up to the pair, as he eyed the child up and down.
Allie nodded politely but something in her manner and reaction to the man alarmed Elizabeth.
"I'm your grandfather," Silas said what Allie already knew. "Seems like your uncle doesn't want me around you," he said bitterly. "Me, your own grandfather. Well, I'll not let him or anybody else stop me for doing what I want," he said with something of a challenge in his voice. "How about you and I get to know each other better? How about lunch at the cafe? Surely your uncle can't object to that," he said, perhaps unaware that Nathan would indeed object to that. That he would object very strongly.
But as her grandfather spoke, Allie had reached a hand to Elizabeth's arm and was now squeezing it tightly. Elizabeth realized instinctively that Allie was frightened...frightened of her grandfather. She didn't quite understand it, but she knew Allie was asking for help, her help.
"Mr. Grant, I'm Mrs. Thornton, Allie's teacher," she quickly introduced herself. "Allie promised to come to my house today and help me out with a few things. Perhaps you could have lunch another day," she made the suggestion.
Silas Grant merely grunted at her, then he turned and strode from the store. Allie visibly slumped in relief at his departure.
"Allie, pick out your candy and then let's go. You're coming home with me," Elizabeth said. She hadn't liked that she's just lied to Silas Grant, she didn't like lying to anyone, so she would bring Allie home with her. At least that way there would be some truth to what she'd said.
A few moments later as the pair made they way to Elizabeth's rowhouse, a small paper bag of candy in Allie's hand, Elizabeth brought it up as the pair walked side by side. "Allie, you were frightened of your grandfather back there, weren't you?" she asked.
From the corner of her eye Elizabeth could see Allie nodding at her side. Elizabeth stopped and turned to face Allie. "But why?" she asked. "I know...I know he was in prison, but why are you frightened of him?" she asked, wondering at Allie's strong reaction, her aversion to the man.
"It's because of what he did to Uncle Nathan," Allie replied truthfully.
"What did he do to Uncle Nathan?" Elizabeth asked. What did Silas Grant do? Other than be a harsh parent and a swindler who'd ended up in jail.
"It's because he put those marks on Uncle Nathan's back when he was a little boy," Allie informed her. Elizabeth's eyes grew wide.
"What marks?" she asked. What marks could Allie possibly mean.
"The scars," Allie said. "Uncle Nathan said grandpa put those scars on his back," she said.
Elizabeth sucked in her breath, finally understanding. Possibly it was because she had been protected all her life from such things, from even knowing such things happened, that it shocked her now to realize the extent of Nathan's "harsh" upbringing. "Allie...Allie, I don't know if you should be telling me all this," she was hesitant now, not sure Nathan would want her to know, that it was almost beyond comprehension anyway.
"Did I...did I do something wrong?" Allie asked, worried now she had spoken out of turn.
"No, it's fine," Elizabeth said, patting Allie's hand reassuringly. "Let's get on home," she said as the pair turned to resume their walk.
It was later that day that Elizabeth spotted Nathan striding down the pathway in front of the rowhouses and she went out to intercept him.
"Nathan, Allie is at my house," she told him.
"Why? What's wrong?" Nathan was immediately on the alert.
"Nothing's wrong," Elizabeth said. "But I think you should know, though, that her grandfather came into the mercantile while we were there. He wanted to take Allie to the cafe, said he wanted to get to know her," Elizabeth informed him.
"And?" Nathan ground the word out, not liking the sounds of this.
"And I told him Allie had promised to help me today, so we came here," Elizabeth summed up.
Nathan let out a breath of relief. "Thank you, Elizabeth," he said, grateful that she had intervened, but knowing too that this was the one step that would force the issue with his father. There was no more wait and see about it. His father had done the one thing to force his hand. The one thing he could not ignore.
He had tried to get to Allie.