Chapter Four- The First Steps
Grace Thatcher watched her husband greet the Mountie and his daughter, sighing at the tension between them. She couldn't help but smile at the young girl's obvious loyalty to her father, her arms crossed defiantly as she moved to stand beside him. Grace had seen that stubbornness in her middle daughter often enough to know that William didn't have a chance. When the girl reluctantly started across the street and the men entered the Mounted Police office, she made her way into the infirmary.
Julie was, as expected, fussing loudly and dramatically over her sister's injuries. Her little boy huddled against Elizabeth's uninjured side, staring wide-eyed with trepidation as Julie exclaimed over every cut, bruise, and bandage.
"Darling, you're scaring Jack," Grace chided gently as she crossed the room. Placing a hand firmly on Julie's back in a silent request to hush, she smiled down at her grandson. "My, how you've grown, young man!" she declared proudly. "The last time you visited, you were just a little baby but look at you now! You're such a big boy!"
Jack beamed and Elizabeth mouthed a heartfelt "thank you" to her mother. Turning to her sister, she offered a smile. "I would hug you, but…" Her left arm was still bandaged and her right was holding Jack, but she managed to wiggle her fingers in greeting.
"Well I'll just have to do the hugging then," Julie proclaimed, leaning over the bed to wrap her arms tightly around Elizabeth. She hastily dropped them when her sister hissed with pain. "Sorry," she added sheepishly.
Elizabeth forced a smile but was silent until the throbbing eased. "I am very happy to see you, but please go easy on me. I've got a pretty good hole in that shoulder."
Julie turned her attention to Jack, scooping her nephew up and tickling him. His excited laughter bolstered all their spirits.
"So where is Father?" Elizabeth asked.
Grace and Julie exchanged looks before Mrs. Thatcher sat in the chair beside the bed and took her daughter's hand. "We saw Inspector Grant and his daughter preparing to leave as we were arriving. Your father wanted to get the latest details about the investigation before they departed."
"And to interrogate Nathan?" Elizabeth added suspiciously.
"Well, what do you expect?" Julie asked indignantly. "The man was supposed to protect you, not get you shot!"
"It wasn't his fault!" Elizabeth exclaimed. Even Jack went silent. "I am entirely to blame for what happened to me. Nathan gave specific instructions for me and all the townspeople and I chose not to listen. I thought I could help, so I left Jack with Bill and went to the hotel. I'm lucky that Bill realized what I had done so quickly. He took Jack to the Coulters and ran into town. If he and Nathan hadn't found me…" She trailed off with a shudder, not wanting to put into words what they could all imagine the men ransacking the saloon would have done to her.
"You're safe now," Grace said quickly, reassuring herself as well as her daughters. "Once you're recovered enough to leave, we are taking you back to Union City with us.
"Mother," Elizabeth started to argue. "That won't be necessary. I'll be fine."
"Oh really," Julie chimed in smugly. "And how exactly are you going to care for yourself, let alone your son, when you can't even raise your arm? How are you going to cook? Bathe? Tuck him in?"
Elizabeth started to argue again, but Grace shook her head. "You have been on your own here for years now and your father and I couldn't be prouder of your spirit and your strength. You have been through a lot lately. Let us take care of you for a while."
Conceding, at least for now, Elizabeth agreed to their plans. While she was in the infirmary, her parents and Julie would stay at her house. Her parents could use her room, while Julie would have to share with Jack. Chucking inwardly, she wondered how her mother in particular would deal with the lack of indoor plumbing.
Dr. Carter was preparing to shoo the Thatchers out so Elizabeth could rest just as William arrived. She allowed him a brief visit, and then suggested they take Jack and their things back to the row house, allowing her patient time to rest. With promises to return with dinner later, William, Grace, Julie, and Jack left.
Though she was reluctant to admit it, Elizabeth was relieved to have her family's help. Julie, being familiar with most of the town, quickly became a regular at the café and made daily trips to the library to get new books for Elizabeth to read, along with keeping her abreast of the latest news and gossip. William borrowed Lee's office to make a number of calls back to his office in Hamilton and the Mountie office in Union City but was surprisingly willing to sit back and just enjoy time with his family. Jack was thrilled to get to show his grandparents and aunt his favorite places and people, with frequent stops to see Sargent at the livery and many minutes watching all the men in red serge moving around town. He stopped every one of them to ask if they knew Nathan or his Daddy and listened attentively if they had any stories to tell. Even Grace started to settle into small town life, though she spent most of her time either at home with Jack or at the infirmary with Elizabeth.
The Thatchers had been in Hope Valley for a week when Faith and Carson finally gave the okay for Elizabeth to be released. Since they were leaving on the afternoon train for Union City, there wasn't time for her and Jack to say their good-byes to everyone in person, but there was quite a crowd at the station to see them off.
"I think the entire town is out on that platform," William said wryly, watching out the window as the train started to pull away. He wasn't entirely surprised; it was plain to see that Elizabeth and Jack were well-loved in Hope Valley.
The trip to Union City was quick and comfortable, thanks to the first-class compartment William had arranged for them, and they were met at the station with a car to take them to their hotel. At William and Grace's insistence, Elizabeth was checked by a physician upon their arrival. He agreed with Faith and Carson's assessment of her injuries and their plan for her recovery. A part of that plan included daily walks, short at first but gradually getting longer as her strength increased.
While on one of those walks, they ran into Nathan. Grace, Elizabeth, Julie, and Jack were sitting in a café enjoying coffee and a snack when they heard the tinkling of the bell over the door. Elizabeth froze, holding her coffee cup in mid-air. Julie laughed, turning to see what had captured her sister's attention, and saw the tall man in red serge staring back at them. Realizing he'd been spotted, Nathan crossed the room to their table, greeting the women and Jack politely. With a mischievous smile, Julie invited him to join them.
Grace was hard pressed to keep Julie silent as they watched Elizabeth and Nathan. Their conversation was stilted and quite formal, but there was hope shining clearly in their eyes.
"How are you feeling?" Nathan asked, gesturing towards her arm.
"I'm fine," Elizabeth replied, lifting her hand in a short wave. "Almost as good as new." She smiled shyly then asked, "How is the investigation going?"
"Very well, thankfully," Nathan assured her. "Between Lucas's confession, the evidence we found in the saloon, and the statements from the men we captured, we are finally unraveling everything. It should be over soon." He wanted to make sure Elizabeth and her family knew they were safe, without giving away too many specifics of the case.
Jack, who had happily scrambled into Nathan's lap as soon as he sat down, waited with surprising patience for his turn for the Mountie's attention. Nathan played with him for several minutes, bouncing him on his knee and listening to his stories about their train ride and the things he had seen around town.
When a pair of Mounties arrived and caught his eye across the room, Nathan rose, taking his leave of Jack and the Thatcher women. That he was reluctant to part from Elizabeth was obvious, but they all knew that duty called. He glanced back as he and his colleagues took their seats on the other side of the restaurant, to find Elizabeth still watching him.
After seeing them together, Julie was instantly won over to the idea of Nathan and Elizabeth as a couple and joined her father in conspiring to get them together. Thanks to their previous work together, William knew some of Nathan's favorite places around town. Julie dragged her sister to all of them, in the guise of getting to know the city. Even if it was just a few minutes at a time over coffee, a new book, or a walk in the park, they were rebuilding the foundation of their friendship. She also encouraged her sister to write letters to Nathan and Allie, hoping to push their reunion along.
Grace, reluctant at first because she still hoped her daughter would marry a man from their social standing, couldn't help but agree that Elizabeth and Nathan made a fine couple. Like William, she was touched by how much he clearly cared for Jack, and his obvious love for their daughter. When one of William's contrived outings found them joining Nathan and Allie on their walk home from school, Grace couldn't help but see a bit of her daughter as a teenager in the girl. While things were still a bit awkward between Elizabeth and her former student, they found common ground talking about a book Allie was reading in her literature class and the plants she was studying in biology, comparing the latter to an experiment Elizabeth had done in her own classroom that fall.
"I know what you're doing," Elizabeth said, studying her father over the top of her book.
"I haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about, my dear," he answered, barely glancing up from the paper in front of him.
The two had gotten into the habit of sitting together after dinner, him reading business reports and various newspapers and her a book. Sometimes they sat in silence, while other evenings included quiet conversation like they hadn't had since she was a teenager.
"So, all these 'chance meetings' with Nathan and Allie…you have no idea how that keeps happening?" This time she waited until her father looked up. When their eyes finally met, his cheeks were slightly pink and his gaze sheepish.
"I'm just trying to help," he shrugged. "Every father wants to see his daughter happy, and it's clear that Inspector Grant… I haven't seen you light up like that since Jack."
"And the notes that just happen to make their way between us… is that your doing, as well?"
William laughed. "No, that is your sister's department. I draw the line at passing love notes between my daughter and her suitor."
Elizabeth flushed. "They aren't love notes…and he's not my suitor. It's not as though we're courting..."
"Aren't you?"
Elizabeth looked down at her book, not actually seeing any of the words but refusing to acknowledge her father's question. They were both quiet for several minutes before she spoke again. "You didn't have to stay here, you know. You could have just hired a nurse to care for me and gone back to your life and your business in Hamilton. Thank you."
"No thanks necessary, my dear," William replied, leaning forward to put a hand over hers. "You needed us, so here we are."
"Still, thank you."
Another evening's conversation brought them to Jack. Elizabeth had always known that her parents never approved of him as a suitor. They respected the Constable professionally for how he looked after Elizabeth and Hope Valley, but never accepted Jack Thornton as a man worthy of their daughter. While he admired the courage it took for the young Mountie to come ask his belated blessing on their marriage, it was with great reluctance that William had gone to Hope Valley to give her away.
"Perhaps if I had made him more welcome, he wouldn't have felt the need to prove himself. He might still be alive."
Elizabeth smiled sadly, shaking her head. "That was Jack. I know he loved me, and he would have done anything for me and our children, but he was always going to be looking for the next wrong to right, always ready to fight the good fight."
"And you could accept that?"
She shrugged. "I loved him. I couldn't ask him to stop doing the job he loved any more than he would have expected me to give up teaching."
William studied her for a moment. "And this young man… Inspector Grant. If he repeated his offer to quit the Mounted Police, would you let him?"
Elizabeth was surprised that her father knew about the first offer. She shook her head again. "If he was doing it for me, no. If he wanted to leave for himself, because he wanted to do something else or to give Allie a different life, that's one thing. I will never ask him to change anything about himself just for me."
"Sounds to me like you've given this some thought. I'm proud of you, sweetheart." William smiled contently as he went back to reading his paper. "When are you going to tell him?"
"There's something I have to do first. Someone I need to speak to."
Nathan scowled the entire drive out to the prison. He understood Elizabeth's need to confront her former fiancé and finally put their relationship behind her, but the idea of her walking into that place...
"Thank you for arranging this," Elizabeth said quietly. "I'm sure you had other things to do today. You didn't have to be the one to accompany me. I could have asked my father, or you could have assigned one of your men to bring me. I'm sure this isn't easy for you." She studied his sullen profile.
Nathan glanced quickly at her before turning back to watch the road in front of them. "I would never allow you to go in there alone, and I wasn't going to send you with a stranger." He took a deep breath and released it before admitting, "I want to be the one beside you when you face him."
Elizabeth reached across the space between them and placed her hand on his arm. "Thank you. That means the world to me."
He looked down at her hand, so small and pale against his uniform sleeve, and smiled softly at her. "You are most welcome."
He parked in front of the prison and looked over, studying her intently. "Are you sure you want to do this? You can write him a letter, or I can arrange a phone call. You don't have to see him."
Elizabeth took a breath and held it, releasing it slowly before facing him. "I need to do this. I have to know if… I want to put it all behind me. I want to move forward."
Nathan nodded, getting out of the car and hurrying around to open the other door and help her out.
"Inspector Nathan Grant. We have an appointment."
One of the guards searched Elizabeth's purse before allowing her inside and they were escorted to a small room. There was a barred window on the far side of the room, and a single chair at the counter in front of it. Nathan urged her to stay back by the door, not wanting her any closer to the prisoner than necessary.
A door creaked open on the other side of the window, and a disheveled man dropped into the chair on that side. The guard stepped back towards the door behind him but remained in the room.
"Inspector Grant," the prisoner sneered. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
Lucas Bouchard was far from the well-kept, successful man he'd been in Hope Valley. His beard and mustache were uneven, his hair unkept, and his clothes wrinkled, but it was his eyes that were the most striking. They had lost their shine, instead standing out for their haunted and almost desperate appearance. It was clear that the last few months had not been kind to him, but Nathan found it difficult to offer any sympathy.
"There's someone here to see you," the Mountie said gruffly, stepping aside to allow Lucas to see the rest of the room for the first time.
His face paled and his eyes widened, certain for a moment he was seeing a ghost. His hand shook as he raised it, pointing to the woman across the room. "Elizabeth…" he whispered. Then his eyes narrowed, and he turned to glare at Nathan.
"You lied to me! You told me she was killed! I have been torturing myself for weeks!"
"I didn't lie," Nathan smirked. "I told you she'd been shot. She was. You assumed that she was killed, and I let you believe that." His eyes narrowed into an icy glare. "You deserved it, for all the pain and suffering you put her through."
Lucas continued to glare as Nathan stepped back and finally allowed Elizabeth to approach. He helped her into the chair and remained standing by her side.
Elizabeth studied the man in front of her for a moment. Gone was the cocky grin and confident air. In their place was a man who looked utterly defeated. Nathan had told her enough about the case for her to know that Lucas had no one on his side. All the parties involved had turned on one another, each hoping to lessen their own punishment by implicating the others. Even the man on the inside at Thatcher Shipping had offered testimony against him. They had never met in person, but the manager of the team overseeing the loading and unloading of the shipping crates had letters and receipts showing that Lucas had been the one to pay him to hide the jewels in Thatcher crates. The manager was serving his own sentence in a prison outside Hamilton, but he would be released in a matter of months. Lucas was facing years, possibly the rest of his life, behind bars.
"How are you?" Lucas asked, still a bit unsettled by her appearance in front of him.
"I'm getting better every day," she replied matter-of-factly. "Jack and I should be able to go home to Hope Valley in the next week or so."
"So, what he said was true? You were shot?"
"I was," she confirmed. "It seems some of your colleagues wanted to get rid of the evidence against them and I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. If it weren't for Nathan and Bill, I would have died that night."
Lucas swallowed hard. It took a moment before he met her eyes again. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry. I never meant for you to get caught up in all of that."
Elizabeth's eyes narrowed. "And what exactly did you plan for me?" she asked angrily. "If I had gone along with your plans and schemes, if my father had agreed to be part of your plans, what then? Do you wish I was in the cell beside you?"
"No!" Lucas exclaimed. "Of course not. You and I…. we were going to leave Hope Valley, maybe even leave Canada. We were going to be rich, travel the world…"
She shook her head. "So, I was what? Your cover story? Your alibi? If you were across the country with the little wife, you couldn't be held responsible for your crimes?"
Lucas shook his head. "No, that wasn't it…"
"Tell me, Lucas. Did any part of you ever really care about me, or was I just a pawn the entire time?"
Nathan smirked as he watched Lucas struggle to take in her anger and questions.
Realizing there was no point in lying now, Lucas sat back and shrugged. "It was mostly a game. You're an attractive, single woman whose family offers lots of prospects for social advancement. I wanted connections in high society, you needed a man to take care of you… our relationship could have been mutually beneficial."
"If I didn't have a child and mind of my own?" she said harshly, her face stoney and her eyes cold as ice. "All the flowers and kisses… they meant nothing?"
Lucas smirked, looking at the man beside her. "The kisses were nice, but they were actually more for the benefit of our town Constable. The more distracted he was by his broken heart, the less likely he was to catch on to my plans."
Nathan's replying smile sent a chill down Lucas's spine. "Too bad you bet it all on the wrong hand," he said smugly. "You thought Elizabeth would bow to your whims, and that I would give up without a fight."
Lucas tried to cover his unease. "You left town, didn't you?" he taunted.
The Mountie's grin widened. "Even from miles away I managed to bring you down." He put his hand on Elizabeth's shoulder. "Do you have any more questions, or are we done here?"
She smiled and allowed him to help her up from the chair. She paused in the doorway and glanced back at Lucas, who looked small and broken behind the bars of the window. She watched as the guard came to take him back to his cell, waiting until the door closed behind them before she let Nathan lead her back outside.
"Thank you," she said as they started driving back to Union City. "I'm sure some of those things were even harder for you to hear than they were for me. I'm sorry that you were pulled into this mess because of me."
Nathan stopped the car, pulling off on the side of the road so he could look her in the eye. "Elizabeth, none of this was your fault. You did what you thought best for you and your son; for a while, that meant the things that Lucas could offer you. When you realized that wasn't enough, you stood up to him. You helped us bring down him and his network of smugglers and thieves. You walked into a situation that most men would run from, all because you wanted to help."
"I was a fool," Elizabeth insisted. "When I ran to him instead of you, when I believed his lies, when I agreed to marry him. I nearly died because I thought I knew better than you and Bill. How can you even look at me?" She turned her face away, staring sadly at her hands and waiting for him to agree with her.
Nathan watched her for a moment. Sighing, he started the car and pulled back onto the road. They spent the rest of the trip in silence, both caught up in their own thoughts. It wasn't until Nathan pulled up in front of the Union City Grand that he spoke.
"I could look at you forever," he said quietly. "I think you know that. Yes, you said and did some terrible, painful, foolish things the last year or so, but I have forgiven you for them. These last few weeks, your notes and letters… they have meant the world to Allie and me. And all those 'surprise' encounters your father and sister keep arranging? Every one of them makes my day." He reached over, his hand grazing her cheek as he got lost in her eyes. "I want us to find a way forward. I want a future with you and Jack. But I think you still have to finish finding yourself again before we can move ahead with anything."
Elizabeth stared back at him, her heart warmed by the love glowing in his bright blue depths. "I want that, too," she admitted. "And I think you're right. I was so focused on being Elizabeth Thornton, the widow, that I need to get to know Elizabeth—the mother, teacher, daughter, sister, and friend—all over again." She put her hand up, holding his warm fingers against her cheek. "Will you wait for me?"
Nathan let go of her cheek and took her hand, raising it to his lips to brush a soft kiss on the back of her fingers. "I'll be here."
Releasing her hand, he nodded to the porter waiting politely and professionally outside. The man hurried forward to open her car door, escorting her into the hotel. As they reached the front door, Elizabeth looked back, offering Nathan a hopeful smile and a short wave before he pulled away.