Chapter 33

Charlotte Thornton was feeling nostalgic as she watched the boys running around the field behind The Coulter's house chased by their uncle. In the same way that she had immediately embraced the idea of Patrick as a grandson alongside Little Jack, so too had Tom accepted that he had another nephew. Seeing them now it was like stepping back in time to when her boys would be playing like this. With the contrast in height and colouring of this pair much the same as between her two at that age, tears came to her eyes as she thought about the cruelty of the world that meant Jack was not here to see his son grow up.

She had no doubt Jack would have been an excellent and loving father, after all he was a wonderful man. Would it have made a difference to Elizabeth, she asked herself? What life would he and Little Jack have had if her madness had still manifested itself in a similar way? Would the fear of losing him have still driven her to the same fate? For a moment she felt that perhaps it was better that he never found out but then quickly shook that thought from her mind. She knew in her heart that Jack should not have died when he did.

There was something niggling at the back of her mind that she was trying to remember from a long time ago. It was not often that her late husband, Thomas, would talk to her about Mountie business but there was one incident that had affected him so deeply that he had to unburden himself to her. Now she desperately needed to try to work out if recent events had any connection to what happened all those years ago. She was going into town in a while to talk with Nathan and Bill to check on the plans for tomorrow's interment. Perhaps she should mention her suspicion to them then as she was sure they would be able to find the answer and know if it was of any help with their investigation.

Realising that the boys had stopped and were now all looking at her she quickly put a smile on her face before shouting out, "Who would like a cup of hot chocolate to warm up?" Three figures running towards her answered the question. Inside the house Rosemary and Lee were watching the interaction between The Thorntons and their sons, grateful once again that they had been blessed with such a wonderful extended family.

The generosity of William Thatcher towards Patrick had been amazing, a trust fund having been set up in the boy's name to give him similar financial security in the future as Little Jack. Lee had been reticent to accept so much at first but Julie Thatcher had taken him aside to explain that this was something the whole family wanted to do. If there was any disparity between the boys as they grew up it would only lead to upset and resentment, something no-one was going to allow to happen.

Tomorrow they knew that the whole town would gather along with the Thornton family as once again they dealt with the loss of Jack. So many people here had loved him like a brother that the pain of his death was still with them after all these years. That did not take away from their respect and love for Nathan. They felt blessed to have had both of these exceptional men to care for their town.

It had been a difficult decision whether Little Jack should be there but in the end it was Rosemary who had the final word. The young boy had been through so much in recent weeks, she said, with the incident in Brookfield and then the disappearance from his life of Elizabeth, that she wanted to protect him from any more upset. His knowledge of his father was of the hero Mountie in the photograph by his bed and that was perfect for him right now. One day, as he got older, they would tell him more about how he died. So Cecilia had offered to look after the boys while Rosemary and Lee attended the service. Not having known Jack Thornton herself she wanted to ensure that everyone else was free to go. She was also aware just how difficult a time it would be for Nathan, yet not something for which her presence was needed to help ease his pain.

She knew that sometimes as a Mountie's wife and daughter you had to step back and let the fellowship of other officers take precedence over your own place by your husband or father. It often meant sacrificing your own needs for a while but the responsibility these men carried and the danger they faced at times often called for something that only another Mountie could give. It didn't diminish the love you had for each other, in fact she believed it made it stronger. So she and Allie would do what they could to support Nathan, the Thornton Family, the other Mounties and the people of Hope Valley from a place in the background, knowing that there would undoubtedly come a time when their needs would be the priority and he would do what was best for them.

Nathan and Bill had decided that the investigation behind the warehouse would continue tomorrow with the small team already committed to it. They had planned to ask Walter and Patrick to take over but before they had a chance both men had come forward to offer when they heard of Gabe's departure. It was clear they felt a bond to all the Chinese people to see this through and get justice for those they had lost. Everything else was being put on hold for the day as the duties of the other Mounties were changed to ceremonial. There would be an honour guard to escort the coffin, with men positioned at the cemetery to fire a ten gun salute. Both Bill and Nathan would escort the members of Jack's family who were here in Hope Valley, as well as speaking at the request of Charlotte Thornton.

While Nathan made his way out to the warehouse compound to make sure that Lucas had been settled in properly in one of the cells, Bill walked across to the church to check with Joseph the arrangements for tomorrow. Tonight he needed to write his speech, something he had been putting off but could now defer no longer. Every time he thought of Jack the pain of losing him reappeared, not just for himself but for what it had done to Elizabeth and to the little boy who had never known his father.

Thinking about Jack turned his thoughts to Martin, the son he had with Nora. At times his faith in God was tested as he thought about these two young men he had loved as sons but then he realised that in each instance another had been sent to him. Not as a replacement but as a gift that gave him the strength to go on. Martin and Jack were gone. But Nathan was back here now and Bill was determined to do everything in his power to keep him safe. He couldn't lose another.

Molly was busy laying out their clothes for tomorrow but in truth she was not really concentrating as it had been a long time since she had felt so upset about something. Realising that she had put red socks out for Bill she tried to bring her mind back to the task at hand but still her thoughts overtook her. She didn't want to bother him or Nathan but knew that she had to do something. It was going to be a difficult enough day for so many of the people in Hope Valley as they said a final goodbye to a man they had grown to love as one of their own. So she was determined that nothing was going to affect this, yet she could not let such bigotry prevail. Jack Thornton would have understood exactly why she had to do something, after all he had quite rightly called her and Florence out a few times when they had expressed narrow and insular views themselves and how glad she was that he had.

She knew there would be all manner of reasons given for the woman's behaviour by those she had persuaded to listen. Her Christian beliefs would be put forward but when Molly had a quiet word with Joseph about such intolerant views he had been quite clear that this was no excuse. "We are all God's children" he had said "and no matter the differences between us we should be fully embracing such diversity for surely it was he who made us". Some would say that financial worries had affected her reasoning, whilst others would use loneliness because of the estrangement from her family as a defence for what she had said and done.

But in Molly's mind that meant nothing. So many other people had experienced great misery over recent years and yet they showed their compassion for the suffering of the Chinese people by supporting everything that was being done to help them. Was she guilty of being intolerant towards the woman? She didn't think so, the cruelty of her words was unforgivable. Besides, it had been her experience that those who moaned the most about not being understood were usually the ones who showed the least consideration to others. But for now, the problem was how to go about this without causing more work for those already dealing with so much.

Her mind was so far from what she was doing that she didn't hear Bill enter the bedroom until he whispered in her ear, "A penny for your thoughts." She quickly tried to hide the dismay on her face as she turned with a big smile towards her husband but Bill was not having it. "Don't pretend nothing is wrong Molly Avery, I know you too well to believe that. You are the one who always tells me that a problem shared is a problem halved, so come on, tell me what is troubling you. I may not have the answer but at least you won't lie awake worrying on your own."

Molly knew he was right but had to make sure that he would promise to wait until after everything had quietened down before he acted. "I will only tell you if you agree to do nothing until after tomorrow. Whilst I may be angry, it is something that can wait another day. Paying our respects to Jack is our only concern until then." Bill knew that it must be something serious but was relieved that he would not have to allow the matter to distract him from his duties tomorrow. At least he hoped that would still be his view after he had heard what Molly had to say. "I promise. Unless it is something that I feel demands the immediate attention of one of our officers."

Molly nodded, plonking herself down on the side of the bed as she worked out where to begin. "You know that The Valley Voice is not the only weekly publication in this area? There is also a newsletter called The Plain Speak, which was started by that Handsworth woman who lives on one of the farms out past the Woolf property." Bill nodded, acknowledging his awareness of it. He had met the woman a number of times and always found her quite intense and unrelenting in her opinions. Certainly not a charitable woman in her attitude towards anyone who had a different viewpoint."

"Well, she came to Rosemary some time ago asking if she would publish her articles but Rosemary was still finding her way with The Valley Voice and the pressure she was getting from Lucas. So she encouraged her to set up her own paper, even giving advice on how to do it. Everything was fine at first and we also tried to offer our support but then gradually some of us noticed that she was more or less echoing everything Rosemary did. There was very little originality in what she published, just a a bigoted version, although she pretended she was representing the views of the people out of town and therefore it was different." Molly watched as Bill nodded again, Trying hard to stop himself from telling her to get on with it.

"Anyway, to cut a long story short, she was very nasty to a few people recently who expressed a different opinion to her. She even called on one person at home to try to push her own beliefs on them. Fortunately they were having none of it and cut her off. But dear Rosemary still tried to be understanding, until just recently, that is, when she had to take a step back." By now Bill was interested, aware that a few people had been talking about how blatantly she seemed to be emulating Rosemary and he had to admit he had noticed some things himself. Personally he found the lack of fact checking in the little he had read the most worrisome as he knew how much it could potentially influence an investigation and the attitude towards what they were doing.

"I can see why Rosemary would be annoyed about the way this woman has been copying her work but why is it suddenly a big issue for you today." Bill asked, not understanding why his wife was so upset.

"Because of this!" From under the clothes on the bed Molly flourished the latest copy of The Plain Speak, pointing angrily at the article on the front page. "Does the woman have no empathy for the plight of other human beings? She calls herself a Christian woman but she has the most unchristian attitude towards others." Molly was in full flow now, all her frustration pouring out. "Florence says that whenever she comes into The Mercantile she is putting everyone down for what they do but to their face she is sweetness and light. Mostly we all try to ignore her but I feel that this is personal. She knows what our plans are for the poor Chinese refugees, especially the children, yet she speaks out in this manner. Calling them evil and a blight on our society! That we shouldn't be assisting them to have, not just a decent life, but a better life! Has she bothered to look around and see how some so called upstanding members of the community act towards others while pretending to be so righteous? We should be tolerant and inclusive to everyone, not shutting them out. She needs to be stopped but I don't know how."

Bill had taken his wife in his arms as she spoke, feeling the distress and anger coursing through her body as she burst into tears. His strong Molly who faced every crisis head on was feeling heartbroken, not for herself but for people who deserved nothing but kindness and care after the horrors they had endured. Sadly, he knew that this attitude was not unique to one woman but prevalent across the country where fear of change and misguided beliefs made people less tolerant of the suffering and needs of others. As a Mountie and now judge he had seen it far too often, especially when those who behaved in this way then accused others of harassment when they called them out.

"Let us get through tomorrow and then I will look into what we can do. If there is a legal precedent to stop her spreading her poison then I will find it, otherwise I'm sure Nathan and I will come up with a way to discourage this woman from printing this type of propaganda. Perhaps a town bylaw needs to be put in place to protect the rights of all disadvantaged people in Hope Valley. If we are going to move forward as a community then a way needs to be found for acceptance of everyone, as discrimination is the weapon of those who choose not to understand." By now Molly could see that the wheels were turning in Bill's mind as possible plans were being formulated. She was relieved that he hadn't thought her silly for getting upset over the article and that he knew it was about more than that. Molly tried to see the best in everyone and could never understand how someone could treat others cruelly. After all the pain the good people of Hope Valley had been through this was just the final straw. To her, doing nothing was as bad as the crime itself.

"Do you remember that man who came to discuss the railway here all those years ago, wanting to change the route away from Hope Valley?" she asked Bill. "I certainly do. He didn't realise that he was coming up against such a formidable group of townspeople, led by our invincible mayor Abigail Stanton." He smiled as he thought about what they had done to keep Jacob Westin here in the hope of persuading him to change his mind. "How Cody and the children said their bit still makes me proud to this day. What were his words again? That's right….bad things happen when good people do nothing."

He hadn't noticed that Molly had stopped listening for a moment as she felt a twinge of jealousy hearing Bill speak of their past mayor. She knew she had no reason to doubt his love for her but his history with Abigail sometimes made her question whether he ever regretted the way things turned out between them. Bill read the look on her face and tilting her head up stared straight into her eyes, "I would choose you every time, never doubt that my darling. Now let's get to bed as tomorrow is going to be hard on all of us."

In the warehouse Lucas was fuming. He was angry with Nathan Grant for putting him here but even more than that he had been furious to know that Andrew Hargreaves had been taken into the jail. His mother may think that he didn't know what the man had done but he had found out a long time ago. In fact, it was his cousin who explained to him what had happened on the night his father and brother had died. And in the years following. A night of too much whisky had loosened Gustav's lips. Now here he was being held in these horrendous conditions, with Gustav in a critical condition in the hospital and the only mother he had ever known seeing what he now knew was her plan for freedom brought into the jail cell in handcuffs. Suddenly he realised that things were looking very bleak for all of them. How had it come to this?

It was going to be a long night. After being moved from the jail cell he had requested a meeting with Nathan but had been told that would not be possible for another day as everyone would be busy with Jack Thornton's service tomorrow. Lucas was of a mixed mind. While he was desperate to get this done he also realised this gave him more time to work out exactly what to say. Despite what they may think, Nathan Grant and Bill Avery were two men he greatly admired. In fact, they were probably the only men he truly admired. Something about their unwavering integrity made him wonder if a different life might have been available to him had the right example been set. Then he remembered Archie Grant and knew that there was more to it than that. There was something so inately honourable about Nathan that nothing would ever stop him from treating everyone in a fair and equal manner.

Looking around the other cells in the warehouse he could see people watching him, probably relishing the sight of their one time boss now sunk to the same level as themselves. He was truly shocked to realise the conditions the immigrants had been kept in, knowing that it was far worse than what he was experiencing now. To think he had been a part of it dismayed him. He realised how Mei Sou had used their relationship while working for the Vancouver mobster and could now see her for what she was. It seemed that all the women in his life had been cut from the same cloth. But now he needed to decide what approach to take with Nathan. They had a clouded history, mostly of his doing, and it had always surprised him how Nathan could still rise above everything and do what was right. Taking Allie away from Hope Valley must have been a difficult decision to make and yet he had put the needs of his daughter before anything else.

Lucas felt a twinge of envy as he thought about Cecilia Grant. Meeting her must certainly have gone a long way in healing the pain of their departure. He knew there was a moral there somewhere and that there was a reason why women like her didn't choose men like him. All his life he had felt as though he didn't belong and it was only when the truth of his past became clear to him that he understood why he was always going to be different. How he wished he was a fly on the wall in the jail to see Andrew Hargreaves' reaction to the news that it was Jack Thornton's body being interred tomorrow. He would be wondering what evidence the Mounties may have found when they recovered him. This thought made Lucas smile.

He decided that it was time to speak up and tell Nathan everything. He only hoped he would be believed when they found out exactly what had been the catalyst for everything that had happened.

The next day dawned bright and at the Coulter house Rosemary was busy getting breakfast for the boys before she got herself ready. She had risen early, telling herself that she needed to make sure the house was tidy for Cecilia who was coming out to look after the boys, but the truth was that she hadn't been able to sleep and needed to stay busy to keep the memories of Jack from overwhelming her. He had been her first love and while she knew Lee was her true love there was still a piece of her heart that would always belong to Jack. How blessed she had been to have shared such wonderful times with him, first as his fiancée and then as a good friend. There were few men better than Jack Thornton had been, a truly brave and honest hero, and some light had gone out of the world the day he had been killed. Now it was time to once again show just how much he had meant to them.

Stirring the oatmeal in the pan she heard the boys clattering down the stairs and smiled to herself. That was a sound she would never tire of, the house coming alive as soon as they were up and about. She could not imagine what life would be like without them. Without turning she called out over her shoulder. "I hope you two are washed and dressed properly for Mrs Grant. I put your play clothes out on your chairs last night." A mumbled reply was not unusual from this pair so she went on, "This is almost ready so someone please shout up the stairs to daddy and then get yourselves seated."

Little Jack's voice made her stop, a strange inflection in it bringing thoughts of Jack rushing back as she detected a determination very rarely heard in the young boy. "We aren't wearing our play clothes today and Mrs Grant won't need to come out to look after us." Rosemary spun around then and looked at her sons, both dressed in their Sunday clothes standing side by side in the kitchen doorway, serious expressions on their faces. Although she guessed the answer already, she still asked, "And why would that be?"

"I know what is happening today, some of the bigger boys at school have been talking about it when they thought I couldn't hear them. So I asked them and they said they were not supposed to tell me or Patrick." At this moment she was relieved to see Lee step up behind the boys, placing a hand on a shoulder of each. "Why don't we all sit down and talk about this while we're eating breakfast. Let's get the table set quickly so that mummy can serve it." Giving his sons' hair a ruffle as he walked past them into the kitchen, he whispered to his wife "we've got this", as he reached for the pot of coffee brewing on the stove. Rosemary didn't know what to say, her mind racing at the thought of all the questions this may bring up as Little Jack wondered about what had happened to his father. Would it make him ask about Elizabeth as well?

She kept the smile fixed on her face as she quickly filled bowls and placed them on the table before planting a kiss on the cheek of each of her boys. They were growing up so fast and she feared that today was going to be a big step for them as a little part of their childhood innocence was lost and an understanding of the harshness of life crept in. They had both already had so much tragedy in their young lives, did they need to face more so soon? And yet, perhaps it was the very hardships they had been through that was giving them the strength to ask what she knew was coming.

Lee could see a nervousness in his wife's expression, a slight shake to her hand as she reached into the cupboard for the honey. They had talked for a long time about what Little Jack should be told and it was Rosemary who felt he had been through enough without adding this to it. Now that he knew what was happening the situation was different. "How about you start by telling us what you overheard the other boys saying?" he said, placing a hand over his son's on the table. Little Jack looked first at his father and then his mother, no fear in his eyes about the stand he was about to take and in that moment Rosemary could see so much of his real father in him. She almost expected him to call her Rosie in the way Jack had so often done with exasperation and the memory nearly made her burst into tears. All she could do for now was nod for him to begin.

"They said that Daddy Jack's body had been found and that he had been returned to Hope Valley to be buried in his grave here. I know that the school has been closed today because of it and that they are all going to show respect for him because he was a hero." Patrick joined in, "Everyone says that Little Jack is too young to be there but we have talked about it and he really does understand. I think he should be allowed to go and that as his brother and best friend I need to be there to help him!"

There was no questioning the determination in the minds of these two boys and Rosemary and Lee just looked at each other, not sure how to proceed. Before either of them could speak Little Jack took up the narrative again, "I never had the chance to meet Daddy Jack and now with my mother being poorly I may never have another chance to do anything with either of them. This would be the one time that I can be with my father and say goodbye."

Rosemary could feel the tears welling in her eyes and knew Lee was feeling the same. "Do you know what will happen today? Everyone will be very sad and there will be a lot of talking about Daddy Jack. We will be out at the cemetery and the Mounties will be firing their rifles and acting very official. You won't be able to talk and will have to stay very still and just listen to everything."

Both boys nodded, seemingly unperturbed by the thought of what the day would bring, before Little Jack replied. "We know that. When we were hiding in Brookfield with Allie she told us a lot about what it was like to have a Mountie father, especially all the times when you have to be on your best behavior even if it meant listening to adults talking a lot. I will never be able to do that with Daddy Jack but at least I can be there with him today". Lee and Rosemary knew then that this was something they had to allow Little Jack to do. In the same way, Patrick had never had the opportunity to say goodbye to his parents so perhaps this was an important thing for him to go through with his brother.

Knowing that Lee agreed with her, Rosemary finally spoke, "Ok, we can see that this is something to which you have given a lot of thought so we will let you come. You will stay with us though and if at any time you find it all too upsetting and want to leave then you must say so. There is nothing wrong with doing that and Daddy Jack would understand. Is that agreed?" With the easy acceptance of children they smiled at their parents before Patrick reached for the honey pot. "Can we eat now, I'm starving!"

Greg Aldritt sat up straight in the saddle. Having been asked by Nathan to lead the procession along the Main Street of Hope Valley he hoped that he would be able to show due reverence to the man they were escorting to his final resting place. On either side of the wagon carrying Jack Thornton's coffin would be Mounties, Antoine DuPont leading the men on the right side with Bruce Wilson at the front of those on the left. Walking behind, at her insistence, Charlotte Thornton was to be flanked by Nathan and Bill, while Tom Thornton and Julie Thatcher followed beside Rosemary and Lee Coulter. Then the people of Hope Valley would make up the long group of people who trailed them.

There was to be little formality to the day, Charlotte had decided, although she accepted the need in these Mounties to follow certain protocols when farewelling one of their own and therefore acquiesced to their wishes to show proper respect. Ultimately, however, this was to be a reminder of who Jack was and a celebration of a life spent serving others. No-one knew that better than his brother Tom, who stood here today only because Jack had been there to guide him through a troublesome period of his life. After their father died it had been difficult for both boys, their usually strong mother unable to cope at first as grief overwhelmed her. Moving onto their uncle's farm had been a blessing, the freedom of life there for two small boys balanced out the loss they both felt deeply.

While Jack chose to follow his father into service, Tom had floundered, not knowing which direction he should go. Falling in with a bad crowd and a number of wrong decisions left him an outcast in many ways, lashing out at Jack each time he tried to help him. But if there was one thing you could say about Jack Thornton it was that he was persistent when he believed in something or someone. So whenever Tom transgressed Jack was there to pick up the pieces and set him on a new course in the hope that this time it would work out for his little brother. It had taken him to hit rock bottom before he finally saw the light with the realisation that he wasn't the only one hurting. Jack had lost so much too and yet he remained determined to be there for his mother and brother no matter what. It was going to be a hard day saying this final farewell but Tom knew his mother was right. The time for tears was over, this was a day to celebrate the life of the best of men and to thank God for allowing them to have him in their lives.

Cecilia Grant was just walking down the front steps of the house when Molly called her back. "Rosemary has just been on the telephone to say that you aren't needed to look after the boys today. Apparently Little Jack found out what is happening and has asked that he and Patrick be allowed to attend. I do hope that it isn't too much for those two young boys after all they have gone through but I'm sure it's a decision that Rosemary and Lee would not have made lightly."

In one way Cecilia was glad. She may not know Little Jack very well but her experience during the war had shown her just how much saying a proper goodbye meant to most people, especially children whose understanding of life and death was often greater than they were given credit for. To be denied that farewell, as so many had been, was something they would carry with them for the rest of their lives.

"I'm so glad she caught me before I headed out there", she replied to Molly. "It's a long way to not be needed but I do understand. I'd better go upstairs and get changed as I'll accompany you now if that is alright." It would be strange, she thought, as she had never met Jack Thornton and all her knowledge of him was formed from other people's accounts of what he meant to them. Plus, of course, what she had learnt from the situation that had arisen here with his widow Elizabeth. How sad that the woman he had loved so much, despite the constant turmoil it presented as he fought the battle between her and what he considered his calling, had now proven to be less than worthy.

Was it a blessing that the man had not lived to see the truth of who she was? Cecilia believed that, circumstances aside, there was something about Elizabeth Bouchard that would have come to the same ending one day. She had seen too many good people suffer far worse without succumbing to evil to understand that it existed in some no matter what. It was not so much a case of if but when.

She hurriedly changed into a dress more fitting for the day and brushed her hair into a style better suited to the black hat she lifted down from the cupboard shelf. As the wife and daughter of a Mountie being ready for days such as this was just a part of life and something she had accepted as her duty many years ago. Now it was about being there for whomever may need some extra support today, as often it was the strongest amongst them who found it the most difficult to cope.

As they gathered outside the Mountie Office preparing to start Nathan was watching Bill closely, worried that his friend and mentor would find all of this too much. He had already said his goodbyes many years ago to the man he thought of as a son, so to relive it now was not going to be easy. That Charlotte Thornton had asked for the day to be kept simple had been a blessing in his eyes. No-one wanted the pomp of a full Mountie funeral and yet it was important to all the members of the force who were here in Hope Valley to show proper respect. It had been his decision to limit the Mountie input to the escorting of the coffin out to the cemetery, before handing the actual interment over to Joseph and Bill to conduct, with the gun salute at the end the only other formal act. After all, Jack Thornton had been more than just a Mountie and it was important for them to commemorate every aspect of his life.

With that his thoughts turned to Elizabeth and as always happened he felt a deep sadness in his heart that a person with so much to give had been drawn into such a dark place. He tried to be understanding and forgiving but the memory of the gun she had pointed towards his wife was something he would never forget. Tomorrow they would return to the investigation, this time with a renewed vigour to break down the barriers and get to the truth. Who would give up the others first, he wondered?

Helen Bouchard was hard, her bitterness towards the world evident in every word she spoke no matter how much she tried to hide it. It was a matter of reading between the lines of what she said and finding the one thing that would break her. Lucas was a coward. It had quickly become clear that he was not clever enough to have controlled all that had happened and yet there was a weakness in him that gave Nathan the feeling that with a little more of a push he would crumble. How much he actually knew would be interesting but at the very least it would point them in the right direction. Then there was Andrew Hargreaves, his nemesis for such a long time. The advantage he had was that over all the years he had been doing battle with the man he had learnt a lot about how he worked. There was something in his past that drove his hatred. Now he needed to find out what that was and use the knowledge against him.

The next few days we're going to be important indeed but first they all had to get through this day that would have so much of an impact on everyone here. Sadness, love and profound memories, hopefully many of them happy ones, were going to be the emotions felt today. It was his job to ensure that nothing happened to spoil it.