Lucas Bouchard was a determined man. Once he set his mind to something it was very rare that he wavered in the pursuit of his objective, seeing every challenge through to the end. Or at least to a point where he knew that a successful outcome could not be achieved. That was how he felt about Elizabeth Thornton. Although there was something different about this, the chance to thwart the Mountie adding more spice to the battle for the schoolteacher.
After helping her into the car he made a show of waving goodbye to Little Jack as Elizabeth looked back at her son in Rosemary's arms, calling softly "Be good my sweet boy". As the car moved away he could just make out Lee's voice as he turned to his wife, "Just one problem. Who is going to tell Nathan?"
Lucas was impatient to get away from feeling as though Nathan Grant was everywhere, even if only in people's minds when it came to Elizabeth. He was looking forward to some undisturbed time to woo her, with no needy child to distract her nor a man in red serge to cause confusion in her mind.
Once they were married, and he had no doubt that would happen as it was the end game after all, he would persuade her that the boy would go further in life if he was given the very best education from a young age. In fact, unbeknownst to Elizabeth, he had already put Little Jack's name down at a number of prestigious schools, as far away as possible from Hope Valley. And from Hamilton, as that was where he intended for them to eventually settle.
But for now he had his plan to execute, something he had worked out carefully, paying attention to every detail. This was where it began. Like his literary hero the Vicomte de Valmont he intended to seduce Elizabeth, using her vulnerability as a Mountie's widow to make her believe that he was the one who could offer everything she needed without her having to live in fear.
He smiled to himself. This trip to Union City was like an amuse bouche at the start of a gourmet dinner, a taste of the possibilities that were to come, an awakening of the senses that would leave her wanting more.
However, as much as he was determined he was also impatient and for that reason he had a twist to this plan. An added insurance to make it all happen quickly and definitively. An extra ticket purchased for the Virginia Woolf book reading and delivered to the very person who could and would destroy Elizabeth's teaching career if he knew she was spending the night there unchaperoned was a touch of genius, he thought. Once Mr Landis saw them together he would not be able to resist investigating the circumstances of their stay and the rest would be history.
Lucas would of course act horrified at the thought that he had brought this upon her, professing his ignorance of the potential consequences of what was a simple gesture of friendship, all the while respecting her wishes to take things slowly as friends. He would admit that having a chaperone with them had never crossed his mind, she was a widow after all and he hadn't realised that the same rules of propriety still applied.
Of course he would then insist that they wed as quickly as possible to protect her reputation, although sadly this would not restore her job as a teacher as married women were not allowed to continue in that position. He had no doubt it would take little time for Elizabeth to become bored with life in Hope Valley if she was unable to fulfill her dream and the obvious decision would be for them to move to Hamilton…and the life of wealth he hoped to enjoy there.
Yes, Lucas had a plan and he was confident that within a few days it would all have worked out exactly as he anticipated.
Nathan was in a good mood. The visit to Cape Fullerton had gone well and he was looking forward to catching up on Allie's news and hopefully getting an opportunity to speak with Elizabeth that evening. It was one of the things he enjoyed the most, being able to share his thoughts about life with her knowing that she saw beyond the quiet persona he presented to the world and understood there was a lot more to him as a man.
He smiled as he walked towards the Mountie Office, feeling quite good about life, his bag slung casually over his shoulder. He could see Rosemary and Lee walking along with Little Jack, knowing how desperately they wanted children but not yet having been blessed with their own he knew they often helped Elizabeth when she was busy, "I see you are giving Elizabeth a break," he called out, not thinking any more of it.
Glancing towards Florence and Molly he was surprised by how abruptly they stopped their conversation when they saw him, the embarrassed looks they cast in his direction causing him to wonder what had happened now. It seemed that these ladies had nothing better to do some days than gossip, with him seemingly one of their most popular subjects.
As tired as he was from travelling he knew he had paperwork to catch up on so settled down quickly in his chair, wanting to get as much done before it was time to go home to Allie. When her face appeared around the door, an uncertain expression in her eyes, he was certain something was wrong.
She hesitated before speaking but finally got her words out, "If you know something that you think is going to upset someone would you still tell them?" Nathan looked at her, unsure where this was going but could see that she was struggling to know what to do. So he waited, leaning back in his chair, nothing preparing for what he was about to hear.
When he was finally alone with his thoughts he let the despair overcome him. Right now his heart felt as though it was in his boots, the realisation that what he had believed to be a slowly growing relationship with Elizabeth having just been chopped off at the base. She had chosen Lucas. At least now he knew where he stood and there was no need any more for him to look for anything in her words or actions. They would be acquaintances, he the town Mountie and she the schoolteacher. That was all.
Still he felt frustration building within. Changed out of his uniform now he stood in front of the wood pile trying to stop his mind from wondering about all the what ifs. Should he have said something, gotten over his guilt that she was Jack Thornton's widow and asked her out? Would that have made a difference? He had no answer. Blanking it all from his mind he reached for a log, bringing the axe down to split it with a fervour that he hoped would help to release at least some of the tension he was feeling.
Bill Avery had seen Allie leave the Mountie Office, followed a few moments later by Nathan whose body language now was so different from the happy man he had seen arrive back in Hope Valley a few hours earlier. He knows, he thought to himself.
After a rocky start to Nathan's placement here the two men had found that despite being such different characters they actually liked each other. So it was hard for him to think of Nathan hurting like this. He had hoped to be the one to break the news to him gently but of course he should have known that Allie would not have left him in the dark for any longer than was necessary. The pair of them would do anything to prevent the other suffering pain no matter how difficult it was for them.
Now as he approached the woodpile he could hear the steady thud of axehead hitting wood. Nathan didn't look up, just reached for another log and positioned it on the block before raising the axe up once more. "I know Bill and I am fine." Thud, another log was split.
Bill stayed quiet for a moment, watching the muscles of Nathan's arms work as he continued to swing the axe up and down, noticing in his stance someone who needed to let their anger out in this way. He had come to know the man, so understood that the disappointment would eat away at him for a while but eventually he would bury it deep and go on, the wall that he kept around himself and Allie as a means of protection just growing slightly higher.
So he said nothing, merely stepped forward to pick up another axe leaning against the side of the building and taking a log from the pile he placed it upon the other block then quickly fell into rhythm with his friend.
They continued like that until Ned's shout interrupted them and both stopped, waiting for the storekeeper to reach them. "Nathan, Bill! We have a problem. Or I should say, Elizabeth has a problem." He paused then, bending over to catch his breath after running. "Mr Landis, the School Inspector, has just telephoned for her. When Florence said she wasn't available he asked if he could leave a message. He needs to reschedule his visit here as he has been lucky enough to acquire a ticket to the Virginia Woolf book reading in Union City tonight. An anonymous gift from someone apparently."
No words were needed for all three men to understand the implications of this upon Elizabeth. Nathan was torn, his wounded pride battling with his feelings for the woman. Should he let her suffer the consequences of her choice? Or should he put aside his own hurt and find a way to rescue her from this situation? Bill could see the turmoil on Nathan's face but said nothing, knowing that the man had to make his own decision as to whether he wished to do anything.
Busying himself putting the axes away and stacking the newly chopped logs onto the corner pile Nathan knew deep down that he could not stand back knowing what would happen and yet he felt the weight once more of having to be responsible for solving another person's problem. Why was it always this way? Maybe one day someone would be there for him. Then he thought of Allie and realised he had all he needed in her. She was his rock.
His expression hardened as he looked up then. "Okay, I know what to do but we need to act fast."
Elizabeth was getting more excited the closer they got to Union City. Her sister Viola had sent her a copy of the novel, The Voyage Out, and she had devoured every word of it. To read something that described the emotion this young woman felt as she embarked on a journey to another land was refreshing and something she dreamed of being able to write. That the author did not give the joyful ending that had become expected of female writers gave her hope that depicting life as it actually was, not just some fairy tale version of it, could actually be done. It certainly gave her encouragement for her own work and now the thought of being able to discuss it with Virginia Woolf herself was almost too much.
Their journey had been pleasant, Lucas being the perfect gentleman as he had done everything possible to make her feel comfortable. She had been worried that he would not abide by her wish to just be friends for now but it seemed he had taken her words on board and she was glad. There really was a side to him that others seemed unable to see. When he spoke to her she could hear the sincerity in his words and see the truly caring man he was. Him organising this trip for her was evidence of that.
An image of Nathan suddenly flashed across her mind and she felt a sadness knowing that he would be hurt by her decision. There was a connection between them that neither could deny and yet he seemed to have a reason to hold himself back in some way, as if he was afraid to take that next step. She knew that if he would only have asked her out then she would have said yes. But she couldn't wait for something that may never be and so she had to grasp hold of whatever pleasures presented themselves. Jack's death had shown her that life was too short to do otherwise.
Looking sideways at Lucas she could see he had a smile on his face. A happy man, she thought. He may have been a bit difficult when he first arrived in town, in fact shady was the word many used to describe him, but he had told her how he wanted to put his gambling past behind him and she believed him.
They were just approaching the outskirts of the city when their progress was stopped, a Mountie on horseback blocking the road. He dismounted quickly and walked around to her side of the car. "Mrs Elizabeth Thornton?"
She nodded, unable to speak as the panic that something had happened to Little Jack overcame her. When she managed to whisper a yes in response the officer continued. "I need you to come with me. There is a car arriving in a few moments that will take you to the Mountie Office here in Union City where everything will be explained to you. I have been asked to assure you that your son is fine, as are all your family and friends. This is about a different matter."
Lucas went to interrupt but the Mountie gave him a withering look before finishing, "This is something that is to be discussed with Mrs Thornton alone."
As Nathan replaced the telephone receiver he turned to look at Bill, an almost detached manner to his movement. "She has been brought in and knows the situation. I have told them that you will be leaving here shortly to drive over there to bring her home so arrangements have been made for her to stay at the hotel. They have also checked with the organisers of the book reading and a third ticket for the event was purchased by a Mr Lucas Bouchard." Nathan kept his face expressionless, not acknowledging any feeling on what was happening with Elizabeth. "All that people here need to know is that she realised the foolishness of her actions and asked you to come to get her. Nothing more."
Bill nodded. "And you my friend, how do you feel?"
Nathan looked back at him then, a hardness to his blue eyes that Bill had never seen before. "I am glad that we have been able to prevent any disgrace for Elizabeth but that does not alter the choice that she made. Me? I feel nothing. That is my choice."