Rosemary was bored. Travelling in first-class was much better than travelling in economy; the food was better, and the seats were more comfortable, but there was no way to shorten the trip. She was enjoying Elizabeth's company, and she knew Elizabeth was fascinated by the stories she had shared about her acting days, but she didn't want to spend the whole trip inside the one compartment. Elizabeth hadn't even wanted to leave the compartment for meals. Frowning, she would need to think of a way to talk her into attending the dining car for meals for the remainder of the trip.
Elizabeth sat back with her eyes closed; Rosemary was a lovely companion but so full of energy she took some getting used to. Elizabeth didn't regret her decision to help her, but she wondered if it would be better to get out and about, join other people and see something different than the inside of the compartment.
"Rosemary?" "Elizabeth?"
They laughed as they each spoke at the same time. "Please, you go, Rosemary," Elizabeth invited, curious to see what Rosemary proposed.
"I wondered if you were interested in having dinner in the dining car. I don't want to sound ungrateful; I love being in such an excellent compartment, but I do feel the need to stretch my legs, and I am sure you could do with a break from all my stories," Rosemary suggested.
"Oh, No, Rosemary!" Elizabeth protested, "I am enjoying your stories very much." Pausing, she smiled, "but I agree, sitting all day even in this compartment is dull. Now that I have your company, I would feel very comfortable eating in the dining carriage, maybe even stretching our legs walking through the train."
Rosemary clapped her hands, delighted. "Yes, let's do that, Elizabeth." Tilting her head to the side, she queried, "Are you always called Elizabeth? Have you been called anything else? A nickname, perhaps?"
"No," Elizabeth responded, "I have never had a nickname, my parents wouldn't allow anyone to shorter mine or my sister's names, so I have always been Elizabeth." Thinking about it, Elizabeth realised that no one had asked her that before; people had just accepted they called her by her full name. "What about you, Rosemary? Do you have a nickname?"
"I often get called Rosie by people close to me." Rosemary advised, "Please, Elizabeth, call me Rosie if you are comfortable, and I will think of something to call you. We can test it out over dinner."
Elizabeth opened her mouth to protest but closed it without speaking; the look of delight on Rosemary's...sorry, Rosie's face stopped her; she didn't want to disappoint her. Although she wasn't sure, she could use 'Rosie' just yet.
Nathan sat watching Gabe sleep, deciding that he couldn't wait for his friend to wake up; he needed to stretch his legs. Sitting in an economy seat for any length of time, for someone of his height, was very uncomfortable, and he wanted to check on the horses. His horse Newton hadn't travelled on a train before, so he wanted to check he was comfortable.
"Gabe, are you awake?" he asked quietly.
"I am now," he grumbled, twisting in his seat, trying to get comfortable. "Although I am not sure I was actually sleeping, these seats don't lend themselves to it." Gabe stretched his arms above his head, "how do you feel about stretching our legs?"
Nathan smiled, glad his friend was on board, "Sounds good to me. Should we start with the horses?"
Rosemary convinced Elizabeth they should walk the length of the train before eating dinner; that way, they could stretch their legs and work up and appetite. Elizabeth allowed Rosemary to convince her, even though she knew it was more about being seen and finding out who else was travelling with them than stretching her legs.
Elizabeth and Rosemary walked the length of the first-class cabin and dining area before moving back through the train. They ventured through to the economy class seats, and Rosemary whispered to Elizabeth her gratitude once more. "I can't imagine sitting out here for the length of the trip; thank you again for your generosity Elizabeth she whispered.
Elizabeth shook her head at her new friend, "not at all, Rosemary; you have done me a favour with your company. I am not sure I would have ventured out of the compartment. Certainly not this far down the train; the only thing we haven't explored is the animal transportation carriage next door," she exclaimed. "Although that might be an interesting thing to see."
"While I am an animal lover, I do not want to smell them in such close confines; I am much happier to see them from a distance," Rosemary said, shuddering at it.
Elizabeth laughed; she agreed with Rosemary; while she loved horses, she had never really ridden one, her main transportation having been a carriage drawn by a horse. Elizabeth asked, "are you ready to turn around, Rosemary? I am feeling a little hungry now."
"Let's," Rosemary agreed as she took Elizabeth's arm to turn her around. A sound behind her caught her attention, and she turned to see it.
Elizabeth followed Rosemary's gaze and realised the door to the animals' compartment was opening as someone exited. Rosemary was right; the smell wafting out of the open door was quite overpowering.
A young boy, not quite a teenager by his appearance, walked out of the carriage and stopped upon seeing them, "Good afternoon Maam's. Are you wishing to enter the carriage; let me get the door for you. Do you have animals you are going to visit?
"Oh no," exclaimed Elizabeth; "we were stretching our legs. Out of curiosity, are there many animals on board the train?
"No, Ma'am, just a few horses, two belonging to the Mounties and three belonging to a man relocating."
"It makes sense to send the Mountie horses to them via the train. I hadn't thought about how they transported them now; it would save the Mountie's time," Rosemary said.
"These hoses are travelling with the Mounties; there are two on the train with us, travelling to Benson Hills before heading to their posting," he explained. "I would love to join the Mounties, so I have been asking lots of questions; they even let me help feed the horses apples." The young man's face was lit up with joy, thinking about his interactions with the Mounties.
Elizabeth could see the delight on the young man's face and was so pleased that the Mounties had been kind to a young man with such hero worship.
"Well, I must say," announced Rosemary, "the train suddenly feels much safer now I know two strong Mounties are travelling with us."
Elizabeth rolled her eyes, laughing at Rosemary's antics. "Oh yes, the train is such a dangerous place, Rosemary." Tugging on her arm, she said, "We should get back and let this young man be on his way." As she finished her sentence, the carriage door opened again, and she saw a flash of red. 'Red serge,' she thought, her heart racing.
Gabe could hear voices as he opened the carriage door; Tom, the young boy who had become like a shadow to he and Nathan, was standing talking to two women, a blonde and a brunette. They turned as they heard the door, and he realised that he knew one of them, Elizabeth Thatcher.
"Well, there he is, a real live Mountie," exclaimed the blonde. Extending her hand enthusiastically, she said, "Rosemary Leveaux, pleased to meet you." Rosemary glanced at Elizabeth, "have I mentioned my father was a Mountie?"
"No, you haven't," Elizabeth said, unable to believe there was information Rosemary hadn't shared. Looking curiously at Gabe, she said, "Do we know each other? You look familiar to me, but I can't place you?"
"We have met, Ms Thatcher, but it's understandable you don't remember me; you had just been hit on the head by a baseball; my fellow trainee Mountie, Nathan Grant, came to your assistance. My name is Gabriel Kinslow."
"Of course, I remember you; my apologies for not recognising you immediately." Elizabeth blushed; how could she have forgotten Constable Kinslow? As soon as he mentioned the baseball incident, she remembered Nathan speaking to him. Unfortunately, she had been distracted by either embarrassment or a pair of striking blue eyes.
"Well, that certainly sounds like a story I want to hear all about," said Rosemary, curious at the reason for Elizabeth's blush; surely it wasn't being involved in an accident.
"Is Nathan coming out?" asked Tom, "or is he staying with Newton?"
Gabe looked at the young man and said, "he is staying with Newton for the moment, he is still quite unsettled, and he doesn't want him to injure himself." He grimaced and explained to the ladies, "Newton is Nathan's horse; he doesn't like being cooped up in the train, so he is a little distressed."
"Nathan is here, on this train with you? " Elizabeth asked, her voice a little breathy and high-pitched due to panic. She could not see Nathan Grant again, not after he had rejected her; it would be too humiliating. "It was nice to see you again, Constable, but we have to go." Grabbing Rosemary's arm, she yanked her friend along with her, rushing her away before she could ask any questions.
As they walked down the corridor, he heard Rosemary ask, "what in the world, Elizabeth?" And he wondered the same thing. The colour had drained from Elizabeth Thatcher's face at hearing Nathan's name, and he wondered why? Turning, he went back into the carriage to talk to Nathan; he was curious about his reaction when he heard about their travelling companions.
Nathan stood stroking Newton's neck, whispering soothing words and noises. He hated to see Newton distressed; he wished he could speed up the trip to get him off the train; if his distress continued, he might have to do that. As the carriage door opened, he was surprised to see Gabe returning. "Is everything alright, Gabe?"
"It's fine, Nathan; I just came back to tell you that I ran into someone we know as they walked around on the train with their travelling companion."
Nathan knew Gabe was hiding something; his eyes were bright with curiosity and mischief, "are you going to tell me who it was or make me play a guessing game?"
"Elizabeth Thatcher is on this train with a woman named Rosemary LeVeaux." Grinning, he continued, "I just spoke to them both right outside the carriage."
Nathan's heart jolted; he couldn't believe Elizabeth was on this train and he would get the opportunity to speak to her and explain the missing letter. "Why did you let them leave?" He asked his friend, desperation in his tone. He headed towards the exit, intending to go after her.
"Nathan," he said, catching him by the arm and stalling him. "She seemed quite keen to leave when I told her you were here. I am not sure she wants to talk to you." There was no way to break the news gently, and he could see from his friend's face that he was very disappointed. "I'm sorry, Nathan, if it's any consolation, she reacted quite strongly to the news, so I don't believe she is indifferent, but she left in a hurry."
As Nathan started to reply and tell him about the missing letter, Newton reared back in his stall, still unsettled. As the horse landed back on his feet, he bumped into the side of the stall, cutting his hind leg, blood blossoming instantly from the wound.
"Gabe, I need to get Newton off this train," Nathan said, checking the horse over, "he will injure himself further if forced to stay here. I can ride the rest of the way to Coal Valley." All thoughts of Elizabeth went out of his head, Newton demanding and getting his full attention.
Gabe nodded, understanding this was what Nathan had to do; he would do the same himself if his horse Apollo were in that situation. "Of course, Nathan, but we are riding via Benson Hills; I will make arrangements for our things to be ready to collect and the wagons we had organised to be delayed until we arrive.
"Thanks, Gabe, but I don't expect you to come with me, stay on the train!" Nathan exclaimed.
Clapping his friend on the shoulder, Gabe shook his head, "I want to travel with you, Nathan; who knows how long until we catch up again; besides, we aren't expected for another couple of days; we have time on our side." He left to find the Conductor; he needed to organise to get off at the next stop and secure their other items until they arrived.
Rosemary struggled to keep up with Elizabeth as she hurried down the corridor heading back to their compartment. "Slow down, Elizabeth," Rosemary begged, "people are staring."
Elizabeth heard Rosemary and tried to slow down; she realised she was causing a scene and thought of her mother and her horror if she could see her. She took a deep breath and slowed to a normal pace but continued to the compartment.
Elizabeth closed the compartment door and dropped into the seat, holding her hands over her burning cheeks.
Rosemary sat opposite her friend and took hold of her hands, moving them away from her face. "What was that about Elizabeth? Surely you can't be upset about the incident with a baseball," she exclaimed.
Elizabeth told Rosemary the story of Nathan Grant. She explained how Nathan had assisted her after she had been injured, that he escorted her home and then never contacted her. Elizabeth told Rosemary about her reaction to Nathan, that she had never felt that way before, and how she had hoped to see him again. Elizabeth blushed as she admitted to writing to him when he didn't reach out and how sad she was Nathan hadn't bothered to respond.
Rosemary could tell her friend was upset and embarrassed. "Elizabeth people are scorned in love all the time, well…not me, but other people and they are fine. You can't lock yourself away because one Mountie didn't return your feelings."
Elizabeth laughed at Rosemary's confidence; of course, it would never happen to Rosemary LeVeaux. "I haven't been scorned, Rosemary, we never had more than that one day, and he didn't want to see me again, so now…I don't want to see him."
"I think you are wrong; you should see him." Rosemary smiled, her eyes narrowing, "You should look fabulous; show him what he missed." Clapping her hands together, she said, "I could do a makeover, Elizabeth; what do you think?"
"No, " Elizabeth exclaimed, "thank you, Rosemary, but I will not change the way I look to try and attract some man, no matter how handsome or charming he is."
"Handsome and charming, how intriguing," Rosemary said. "That makes me more interested in meeting your Constable Grant. I have an idea, Elizabeth; I will ask them to dine with us." She announced, walking out of the compartment, ignoring Elizabeth's cries to stop.
Elizabeth sat back in her chair, unable to believe what Rosemary was doing. Looking out the window, she thought about Nathan Grant and his friend Gabriel Kinslow; just because Rosemary invited them to dinner didn't mean she had to attend; she could stay in the compartment and eat. She certainly wasn't going to allow Rosemary to dress her up; she was fine with how she looked and wouldn't change it for anyone.
"It's all arranged, Elizabeth," she stated, "the Conductor will extend the invitation to the Constables on board to join us for dinner." Sitting next to her friend, she said, "I think you should dress up and knock his socks off."
"No, Rosemary, if I attend and it is an IF, I am going to be myself." Elizabeth lay her head against the seat back and looked out the window. The train slowed and stopped at another station, and she began people watching. Elizabeth eventually looked at Rosemary and said, "does this stop take longer than others?"
Rosemary frowned, "it's hard to tell, I have never travelled this far on a train, so I am not sure what is normal."
Gabe and Nathan hurried to disembark from the train, careful that Newton was calm before walking him off. They knew they had to hurry; the train wasn't meant to stop for very long. Nathan gathered the personal items he would need on his ride to Coal Valley, glad Gabe had managed the arrangements for the rest of their items to get to Benson Hills. "Thank you again, Gabe; I appreciate all you have done to make this happen for us," Nathan said, "couldn't have done this without you."
Nathan stood with his gear, holding Newton's reins, watching as the train departed, knowing his chance to explain to Elizabeth was leaving with it. He looked down as he lost sight of the train, disappointed at a missed opportunity. Rousing himself, he looked to Gabe, who was closely watching him, glad he chose not to comment. They had a long ride ahead of them, but first, he needed to have someone check over Newton to make sure he could make the trip.
Elizabeth and Rosemary dressed for dinner, Elizabeth ignoring Rosemary's suggestions for how to wear her hair, make-up, and the outfit she should choose. When they had finally finished dressing, Elizabeth stood for Rosemary's scrutiny, smiling when she was given approval, even if it wasn't as enthusiastic as it could have been.
Elizabeth tried to control her nerves as she walked with Rosemary to the dining car, determined Nathan Grant would not know how much he had affected her or how much she wished he had reached out to her. As Elizabeth peered into the dining carriage, she couldn't see anyone in red serge, and Nathan was nowhere to be seen.
"I must apologise, Ladies, the constables won't be joining you this evening. Unfortunately, they had to disembark to tend to an injured animal, so I didn't bother to extend the invitation," the Conductor explained.
Rosemary said mildly, "How unfortunate. Will the Constables join a later train?"
"I believe they planned to ride to Benson Hills once the horse was treated and collect their personal items." The Conductor saw no harm in sharing this information, "they have booked wagons to take them the rest of the way to their destinations."
"Do you know what their destinations are?" Elizabeth asked, refusing to look at Rosemary. She was interested in the Mounties in general, she told herself, not Nathan Grant specifically.
"Oh dear, I know one Constable will be posted in Brookfield and the other in Coal Valley, but I can't for the life of me recall who is going where!" the Conductor exclaimed. "I am sorry I can't be more help, ladies."
Rosemary responded to the Conductor, saying something Elizabeth didn't hear. Could Nathan be the Mountie assigned to Coal Valley, and was it a coincidence? Elizabeth had a feeling there was more to the story than she knew, and she was determined to find out what it was.
