AN: So this is longer it should be for a drabble but I am still posting it in the collection. It is a follow up to my previous posted drabble and now I am hoping my muse will return to one of my full length stories.
Though Nathan had asked her to dinner again after their kiss in the Mounted Police Office, Elizabeth had once again not given him an answer. At least she had managed a coherent explanation for her hesitation this time.
There was another person who had been hurt in all this. Elizabeth did not feel right about trying to pursue a relationship with Nathan until she had Ally's approval. The girl had been hurt enough in all of this.
Which was why on this Saturday afternoon Elizabeth was setting her table for tea for two. She had put a lace tablecloth over the table and a vase of flowers, a bouquet from Nathan actually, was in the center. She had prepared finger sandwiches and made carrot cake, which Nathan said was Ally's favorite. She had given the invitation to tea to Nathan to give to Ally as she was afraid the girl would not accept it from her.
Elizabeth still worried that Ally might not show. She kept seeing Ally's hurt expression as she ripped the invitation she had made into pieces at the school house. Until school that had been the last she had seen of Ally and at school Ally had been quiet and distant.
There was a knock at the door. Elizabeth took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to calm her nerves. Fixing her relationship with Ally hinged on the words she would speak in the next few minutes. She prayed for the Lord to help her find the right words.
Opening the door, she found a very sullen looking Ally on her front stoop. It was clear she was not looking forward to this tea with joy. Ally's words echoed that sentiment.
"Uncle Nathan said that if you were making an overture to apologize then the polite thing to do was let you apologize," Ally stated.
Elizabeth nodded. "Fair enough," she said, motioning the girl in. She took Ally's coat from her and hung it up. "How about I make the apology before we sit down to tea," Elizabeth told her, motioning the girl to the settee.
Ally sat stiffly on the edge of the settee. The girl's eyes focused on the floor in front of her feet.
Being respective of Ally's personal space, Elizabeth sat down.
"Ally, I failed you," Elizabeth said, deciding the best way was to just plunge into the apology. "I failed you as a teacher and as a friend. I failed to see how close we were really coming. I did not anticipate you starting to see me as a mother figure and I should have but I was too wrapped up in my own fear and inner turmoil."
"I thought you cared about us," Ally sated quietly.
"I did. I do. You and your uncle are very special to me. But it was not that simple for me. Ally, you know my previous husband was a Mountie right."
Ally nodded.
"I loved him very much. In some ways, I think I might still be working on letting him go. The idea of losing someone else special to me the way I lost my first husband was terrifying, so despite what my heart felt, I listened to my head. My head saw Mr. Bouchard as safety from ever having to go through that pain again."
"But it is not a guarantee. My mom was not a Mountie. Mr. Coulter was not a Mountie and he almost died last year."
Elizabeth nodded. Nothing like the logic of a child to show you how irrational you were being.
"My grieving heart could not see things that way."
Ally nodded slowly. After a few moments of silence she looked at Elizabeth. "It still hurt. You have helped me with so many things since I came to Hope Valley, just like a mother would have. Your rejection of Uncle Nathan felt like a rejection of me," she said, her voice wavering as a few tears rolled down her cheeks.
Elizabeth reached out and wiped the tears away. "I am sorry," she said, not trying to argue against that sentiment. Ally's feelings were valid even if they were not what Elizabeth had intended. "I do care about you, Ally. Seeing your hurt that day in the school house started waking me up to how my actions were hurting other people. I cannot change what happened, but I do want to repair our relationship."
"I think I would like that too," Ally admitted. "I love Uncle Nathan and he does his best but there are some things I cannot talk to him about and Mrs. Weise tries but it isn't the same."
"Then know that whatever happens between me and your uncle from this point out, I will always care about you. You can always come to me with anything."
Ally titled her head. "Aren't you seeing Mr. Bouchard?"
Elizabeth shook her head. "Mr. Bouchard broke up with me telling me that I basically needed to figure out my feelings before we could continue our relationship. He was right to do so, because once I really started listening to my heart I knew he was right. My heart was not really in our relationship."
Ally nodded. "So does this mean you do like, like my Uncle?"
Elizabeth smiled. Oh to be that young again. "Yes," she admitted. "Now, try not to get your hopes up again, Ally. I do not know where this will go. However, your uncle asked me to dinner and I told him that before I could tell him yes, I needed your approval."
"I want Uncle Nathan to be happy. He is happy when he is with you," Ally said. "However, I give my permission on one condition."
"Oh?" Elizabeth said.
"After you and Uncle Nathan have your date, I want a raincheck on our group dinner at the café."
Elizabeth smiled. "I like that condition. How about we do that next Friday?"
Ally nodded as she opened her arms and put them around Elizabeth. Smiling, Elizabeth hugged her back finally feeling a peace she had not felt in years.