AN: Hello my wonderful readers! Your reviews make me smile! THanks so much for reading my little story!
She held tightly to Jack's hand the next morning as they stood on the steps of the saloon waiting. She had asked Florence Blakely to teach at the school for the day, and Jack had made his morning rounds early so that they could face her father together. He squeezed her hand, and kissed her hair gently.
"Don't worry Elizabeth. No matter what, I'm here." Jack smiled reassuringly, though he too felt nervous. He knew that the chances were slim, but what if her parent's somehow persuaded her that she had to come back to Hamilton? He shook the thought off. If she had been able to reject Charles, her oldest friend, she wouldn't be swayed now...would she? No, He thought, He trusted her with his life. She wouldn't betray him now.
"I know. And no matter what my father says, remember that I love you, and I want to marry you more than anything else on earth." Elizabeth assured him. "I would never- could never, change my mind. Like you said, it isn't so much a choice. When you love someone as much as I love you, the only thing you can do is marry them."
"I love you, Elizabeth Thatcher." He smiled.
"In sixty four days, it'll be Elizabeth Thornton." She said, and his smile grew broader.
"I'll bet it'll take your students a while to adjust to calling you Mrs. Thornton, instead of Miss Thatcher." Jack said.
"Probably. But they'll get used to it...eventually…" Elizabeth trailed off as she saw the stage coming down the long dirt road. "God help us…"
"Don't worry, Miss Thatcher. I'll protect you." Jack said, attempting a joke.
"Thank you constable. I might just need protection now." Elizabeth swallowed as the stage came to a stop. Together, they walked down the steps to meet it. Two young men exited and went towards the saloon, and then her Father emerged. She stepped forward to greet him, when suddenly her father turned to assist her mother, and then her older sister. "What?" She asked quietly. She remembered then that the telegram had said "on our way". But she had just assumed that it had only meant her father. She waited a moment for Julie, and was a bit perplexed when she didn't emerge from the stage.
"Beth." Her father greeted her, and stepped forward to embrace her. Elizabeth kept hold of Jack's hand and embraced her father with her free arm.
"Papa." She said nervously, and then was embraced by her mother, and her sister. "Where's Julie?"
"Constable Thornton." Her father said icily, and stared at the place where their joined hands rested.
"Mr. Thatcher." Jack nodded.
"Is there a more private place we could continue our discussion?" Her father asked.
"Yes, the back room of the cafe." Elizabeth said, and pointed out the way. "I don't know how long you plan to stay, but I'm afraid there isn't any hotel in town. There are rooms above the saloon, however, and they're quite comfortable."
"I don't know that we'll be staying long." Viola sniffed.
"Well, follow me to the cafe then. Abigail set aside some of her blueberry scones for us. Just wait until you've tried them- they're the most delicious thing on earth." Elizabeth said as they started off towards the cafe. No one spoke a word. Jack held the door open for her, and her family, and then made to follow her in.
"I think that this had better be family only, if you don't mind." Mr. Thatcher said, and he and Jack locked eyes.
"Father!" Elizabeth gasped. "Jack is my fiancee! He's as much a part of this family as anyone."
"Elizabeth, I don't want to cause trouble-"
"Jack. Come in. Anything my family has to say to me, they can say to my future husband." Elizabeth said through her teeth. Jack didn't need to be asked twice. He shut the door behind himself, and took a seat beside Elizabeth, who calmed noticeably as he did so. "Where's Julie?"
"We were hoping you would know." Viola said, looking at her feet.
"What?" Elizabeth gasped.
"She ran away. She didn't say where she was going. We thought that since you were her favorite, she might have told you where she thought to go." Viola explained.
"My goodness! No, she didn't. I received a letter from her yesterday that seemed cryptic, but I assumed that she had sent it from home!" Elizabeth said, looking at Jack.
"I don't know why we have to ask where she's gone. She was going to run away with Thornton once, She probably ran to him again. You Thorntons just love to stir up trouble, don't you?" Mr. Thatcher said.
"Father, that really isn't fair. Jack cannot be held accountable for Tom's actions. Jack hasn't done anything wrong." Elizabeth said.
"What about proposing to my daughter?" Her father asked, and Elizabeth's mouth fell open.
"Excuse me, Mr. Thatcher, but I don't see how one event is related to the other." Jack said, concealing his emotions well.
"If Elizabeth hadn't been out here in the wilds, filling Julie's head with tales of unlikely suitors, and danger, Julie never would have thought to run away from home!" Mr. Thatcher shouted.
"Julie's action have nothing to do with me, Papa!" Elizabeth hissed. "And I know that Jack isn't who you had in mind for me to marry-"
"You've got that right!" Mr. Thatcher huffed.
"But I'm a grown woman, father. And I love Jack, more than anything else on the earth. And if you can't accept that, I'm sorry, but you're going to have to be the one I break contact with." Elizabeth said solemnly.
"You'd choose this, Mountie, over your own family?" Mr. Thatcher asked quietly.
"This "mountie" has a name, Father. Jack Thornton. He's one of the most noble, kind, wonderful men on the face of the earth. And by some miracle, he loves me. There isn't a choice to be made, Papa. I have to be with Jack." Elizabeth said.
"You have to?" Her father asked, with wide eyes, and looked down at her flat stomach. "Elizabeth, if you say that that mountie touched you-"
"No! Oh, God, Father!" Elizabeth said, blushing furiously as she buried her face in her hands. "I am absolutely not pregnant! Jack is a perfect gentleman at all times! When I say that I have to be with him, I mean that when I'm not with him, the world loses meaning, nothing makes sense! But with Jack...Everything is clear."
"Oh!" Her mother gasped, and put her hand over her heart as she felt tears spring to her eyes. "She really loves him, dear-"
"Shush. Elizabeth, we want you to come home with us, there are many more eligible suitors there, just because Charles didn't suit your fancy doesn't mean that no one will-"
"Father! How could you even suggest that! My fiance is right here!" Elizabeth scoffed. "If you can't be civil, then I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
"Elizabeth, please. Don't do this. I would miss you, so much." Viola said.
"Why would you have to miss me, Viola? You could visit me, I could visit you. We could continue to write letters of course." Elizabeth said. "You're a grown woman, Viola. Will you cut me out of your life because of my marriage?"
"...No." Viola said quietly, and her father looked at her sharply. "I'm sorry father, and I wish that Elizabeth would change her mind and marry Charles, no offense Jack, but she is my sister. She is my sister. And though I disagree with some of her personal choices, I love her."
"I couldn't either William- Look at her, she loves him! It's up to her if she wants to live out...here...in all of...this." Her mother said. "And she's my baby. I can't keep her out of my life."
"We've heard Elizabeth talk quite a bit. What about you Constable Thornton? How will you provide for her?" William asked. "From what I remember of our conversations in Hamilton, you live in a prison cell, do you not? And a mounties salary-"
"You're right, Mr. Thatcher. I do live in the prison. But that's because I found the saloon to be too noisy and crowded. I obviously don't plan to continue living there once I'm married to your daughter. We're actually in the process of building a house." Jack said. Elizabeth reached over and took his hand. "And I promise you, Sir, I will never stop working to make Elizabeth happy."
"That...is everything a father wants to hear." William sighed, and pinched the bridge of his nose. "But what if she'd be happiest with us, in Hamilton? Would you let her go?"
"Father-"
"If that was genuinely what she wanted, Mr. Thatcher. But it isn't. I believe that with, or without me, Elizabeth would want to remain in Hope Valley. She's thriving here, Sir. The whole town adores her, almost as much as I do." Jack said, and Elizabeth felt her heart melt a little at his kind words. "And I know that I am not your first choice to be Elizabeth's husband- I may not be anywhere on your list of acceptable husbands. But I will do absolutely everything in my power to keep her happy, healthy, and safe."
"It would appear I am outnumbered." William sighed. "You know that Elizabeth doesn't receive any of my money for many years to come- so if you think that marrying her is an easy way to line your pockets-"
"I make a comfortable living, Sir. I've been saving my money since I first joined the Mounties. I can, and will, put a roof over your daughter's head, food on her table, and clothes on her back." Jack said.
"And you're really sure about this Beth? I don't want you to wake up a few years from now and regret this." Her father said.
"I'm absolutely sure about this, papa. I'm sure about Jack. Im sure about Hope Valley." Elizabeth said. "So please, please. Don't cut us out of your life."
"I never could say no to my Beth." William sighed, and ran his hand over his hair.
"Oh Papa!" Elizabeth sighed in relief, and ran to embrace him.
"You say you're building a house, Constable Thornton?" Her father asked Elizabeth pulled away from him.
"Yes- just on the outskirts of town." Jack nodded.
"It's amazing father! Most days he's out there working along side the townsmen who've volunteered to help us, after he's made his morning rounds, that is. But today I'm afraid I insisted that he stay with me." Elizabeth said, not wanting her father to think Jack was a slacker.
"I'd like to see this house." Mr. Thatcher said.
"I would as well!" Her mother grinned. "And we simply must discuss the details of the wedding! I'm sure I could get the club, and-"
"Actually, Mother, Jack and I are getting married in Hope Valley." Elizabeth said firmly.
"But Elizabeth- Hamilton is your home!" Her mother gasped.
"Hope Valley is my home." Elizabeth countered. "And the wedding won't be anything extravagant. We're getting married in the church that Jack paid for, and built most of, and then we'll be having a reception here, at the cafe."
"Well, it will be a small affair then, but that doesn't mean it can't be elegant. Have you thought about a dress? The dressmaker whose making Viola's dress does excellent work, and if we put in an order within the week it should be finished by April!"
"That would be a bit too late, Mother. Jack and I have set a date. February third. And a local woman is sewing my dress for me. She's very talented." Elizabeth said.
"So soon? That's hardly any time at all to plan!" Her mother gasped.
"Because there isn't much to plan! I want to be married to Jack, mother. The sooner, the better." Elizabeth said, silencing her mother effectively. There was an awkward silence for a few moments, until Jack stepped forward, and cleared his throat.
"I'd be honored, Mrs. Thatcher, Miss Thatcher, If you'd allow me to escort you to see Elizabeth's future home." Jack said gallently, offering an arm to her Elizabeth's mother, and then her older sister.
"Of course!" Her mother said, though she was still suffering whiplash from her daughter's wedding plans.
"Shall we?" Her father asked, giving Beth his arm.
"Certainly." She nodded, and followed Jack, her mother, and her sister out the door. "What are you going to do about Julie?"
"I'm torn Beth; Either I let her run, and hope that she'll come home, or I chase after her, and drag her back so that she'll loathe your mother and I for the rest of her life." Her father sighed.
"Perhaps I could go and see if she's with Tom. Well, Jack and I could go." Elizabeth suggested.
"No, no. You're going to be far too busy getting everything settled here. I'll see your mother and your sister off at the train station, and then I'll go myself." Her father insisted. Elizabeth nodded, and looked at her feet.
"Were you really going to disown me, daddy?" She asked sadly. Her father sighed.
"Honestly, I don't think I could have. I certainly didn't want to, Beth. But it's what society expects of our kind of people. You do realize that, even with your mother and my blessing, many doors in Hamilton will be closed to you, possibly forever?" Her father asked.
"If they are people who would shut their doors on me because I married Jack, then they aren't people I'd want to associate with." Elizabeth assured him.
"I know that I said that you wouldn't get any of my money for years to come, but I have had money set aside for each of you girls since the time of your birth, to be given to you when you're getting married." Her father said, and held up his hand when Elizabeth opened her mouth to protest. "It isn't that much, Elizabeth. Just enough to help you get started, and settle into your home." As he spoke, he reached into his pocket, and pulled out a neatly folded check. Elizabeth stared at is as they walked, and came to a realization.
"You never intended to disown me! You've had this ready all the time!" Elizabeth gasped.
"I told you before, I don't think I could have done it." Her father smiled. Elizabeth unfolded the check, and gasped again when she saw the amount on the line.
"Daddy- this, it's too much!" Elizabeth stammered.
"Nonsense."
"It's almost three times as much as I make in a year of teaching!" Elizabeth laughed in disbelief.
"It's what has been sitting in an account since the day you were born, Elizabeth. It was a significantly smaller amount then, but the interest has been generous." Her father said. "You would not deny your father the chance to give his daughter a wedding gift?" Elizabeth bit her lip. With this sort of money, she could furnish the entire house, and still have money left over. Money she could use to purchase books and supplies for the school house. Money to help buy food and things for the Hope Valley families in need.
"I don't know, Father. Jack is very firm about only using the money that we've earned. I'm afraid he'd see this as charity on your part." Elizabeth said.
"Nonsense, Beth. It's a wedding gift!"
"Most people buy vases or lamps." Elizabeth pointed out with a sly grin.
"I'm not "most people", Beth. I'm your father. Please, use this money to pay for the wedding, to pay for building materials, whatever you'd like. As your father, I should be paying for the wedding anyhow." He insisted. Elizabeth's face scrunched up in thought. "If you'd like, I could talk to Constable Thornton, explain to him that this is strictly a gift from father to daughter, one that all of my daughters will receive?"
"Maybe that would be helpful- but it would sound more convincing if you'd call him Jack, Father. He's going to be your son in law." Elizabeth said softly.
"I'm sorry, Beth. I think it will be a while before I am totally...er, comfortable, with your choice of husband." Her father said honestly.
"I know. But thank you, for being willing to try." Elizabeth said. After a moment, she lifted her free arm to point out the church. "That there is the church on sundays, and the school house during the week. Jack donated his reward for capturing the Toliver gang, so that we could build it. Ask anyone and they'll tell you that Jack did a great deal of the actual building." She said loud enough for her mother and sister to hear where they were several paces in front of her.
"It looks very nice. Sturdy." Her father observed.
"That's where we'll be getting married." Elizabeth said with a smile.
"How quaint." Viola said with a genuine smile.
"It is very nice. And it's very near to the sight of the home Jack is building for us." Elizabeth said. "He's out there almost every day, every spare minute he has. I think that he might be determined enough to build it entirely on his own."
"Elizabeth exaggerates a bit. I'd be at a loss without Adam Miller, who helped to make the design, and Lee Colter, our friend at the mill." Jack said with a smile. "Lee is actually overseeing things as a favor this morning, so you'll be able to meet him."
"Ah, yes. Mr. Colter." Mr. Thatcher nodded. "From what Charles tells me he's very smart, and inventive. I've been thinking about increasing our business with him."
"I think that would be wonderful father! For Lee, and for all of the families in Hope Valley!" Elizabeth said.
"Well, our previous supplier has left the company wanting recently. If Beth has such a high opinion of this man and his business, then I know that he must be good." Her father laughed. He looked at his daughter seriously for a moment, and then spoke more quietly. "And if you, Beth, have such a high opinion of Constable Thor- Jack, Of Jack, then I know that he must be good." Elizabeth grinned, and gently squeezed his upper arm.
"Thank you, Papa." Elizabeth said.
"Well well well, is that Jack Thornton I see? With two beautiful ladies on his arms, and neither of them his fiance?" Lee called out as they approached. "My my, perhaps I should warn Elizabeth."
"Very funny, Lee." Jack rolled his eyes and grinned.
"Mr. Colter, this is my father, William Thatcher. His company is doing some business with yours, I believe." Elizabeth said, gesturing between the two of them.
"That is correct. It's an honor to meet you, Mr. Thatcher." Lee said, removing the work gloves he was wearing to shake the man's hand.
"Yes. Once we've finished our little tour, I'd actually like to discuss some business with you, Mr. Colter. If you can provide the merchandise, I see a substantial increase in our dealings with each other." Mr. Thatcher said with a smile.
"We certainly can, Sir. Name a time, and we can meet at my office to discuss it." Lee said.
"Excellent. Perhaps when we are finished here, Beth could show me to your office?" Her father suggested.
"Of course!" Elizabeth said.
"Then I'd better go get cleaned up, and get things in order. I'll see you in a while, Mr. Thatcher."
"Looking forward to it, Mr. Colter." Mr. Thatcher nodded. Elizabeth smiled fondly at Lee as he walked away, and then pulled her father over to where Jack was standing with her mother and sister. "My. How long have you been working on this house, Constable...Jack?"
"A little over two weeks sir. Since the day after our engagement." Jack said.
"You've made this much progress in two weeks?" Her father asked in amazement. Elizabeth smiled proudly, and took her fiance's hand. "I'm impressed."
"Again, I couldn't have done it without the help of the townsmen. They have all been more than helpful." Jack said.
"When Jack sets his mind to something, there's very little will stand in his way." Elizabeth said. She rubbed her thumb against the back of his hand and smiled at him.
"I can be a bit stubborn." Jack admitted.
"I don't think a man who wasn't would be able to handle my Beth. She can be more difficult than anyone I know...except for myself, of course." William laughed, and offered his wife his arm.
"She does get it from you, dear." She said, and he grinned even wider.
"This is a lovely little house...How big will it be exactly?" Viola asked.
"Two stories, a kitchen, sitting room, and wash room on the first floor, four bedrooms upstairs." Jack said.
"Quaint." Viola said. Elizabeth bit her tongue, and leaned in towards Jack.
"It's perfect." She whispered, and he smiled.
"Like you." He said, and leaned towards her, only stopping when he realized that her family was watching them, giving them their undivided attention. "Mmm." He cleared his throat, and looked around. "Oh, I should go and...check on that." He said vaguely, squeezed her hand, and walked over to where Mr. Graves was standing.
"Ah, young love." Her mother said dreamily. Viola smiled, but couldn't help but feel a bit envious of her sister- a ridiculous notion! Her own fiance was rich, handsome, and titled! She could not- would not be jealous of her younger sister's engagement to a Mountie, of all things.
AN: Did that chapter head a different direction than you thought it might? It certainly surprised me a little bit, and I'm the one writing it! I hope everyone had a great day today, and enjoyed this chapter! XO