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Chapter One hundred and forty-two
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Checking Things off the List
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"Thank you so much for your willingness to help! You will continue to be a blessing and we will be the recipients. According to Peter, the construction should be completed by the end of February, so the property will be transferred into my name at that time and I will begin to pay you both."
After a tour of the Hotel conference rooms, Nathan and Elizabeth met briefly with the Cooks back at home.
Nathan blushed slightly, continuing to share, "I confess this is all new to me. In Hope Valley I hired a woman to handle our laundry and hired people to clean for others in town, but this feels very different to me. Please forgive me if I flounder and you need something, or need supplies, or the schedule isn't working for you?"
"Nathan, please do not think anything of it." Grinning, Jake Cook admitted, "We will surely keep you informed of needs and anything around the house that I cannot handle alone, we can tackle together or I will advise on the best tradesman to hire and oversee the repairs. Irma and I already know all of you, and we adore you both and your dear children! I am grateful for the flexibility, within reason, and that we can continue to contribute to the financial care of our granddaughter while doing things we love. I will be happy to chauffer sweet Allie and after the wedding, when you are living here and need to leave your vehicle for Elizabeth, I can even arrange to transport you both to your Academies. In the winter, I'll get here early for snow removal and can even stay the night in the stable if I must. Although I wish we had a larger paddock in which they could run, I will continue to care for and exercise the horses daily."
"Elizabeth, dear, I will help however you wish. I could make a meal a few nights a week, launder, iron and clean as you requested, care for Jack if you had an errand to run… the possibilities are endless and there is nothing that is beneath me to do. Really, I am quite familiar with housekeeping and enjoy your sweet family! Honestly, I will enjoy playing a small part in your writing endeavors by allowing you the time to work." Irma reassured Elizabeth and Nathan.
Relieved, Elizabeth spoke for both her fiancé and herself, "We are very grateful!"
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"So, you really don't care?" Elizabeth observed Nathan intently as they enjoyed a roaring fire and another evening with the lit Christmas tree. "Really?"
"Lisbeth, I don't. Whatever you choose is fine with me. You will be beautiful no matter what! Short, long, old-fashioned, up-to-date… Whatever makes you happy! That's my only request."
Nathan paused, raising his finger and taking a quick breath, "Well, there is another request. Will you please wear your hair up so that I can, ah…" Nathan swallowed hard, "So I can let your hair down? I'm sort of looking forward to that." Nathan's voice had stilled to a whisper and his cheeks pinked.
"I think I am looking forward to that too." Elizabeth whispered and searched his face before gently patting his cheek and kissing him. Meant to be a brief peck, they responded to each other until Nathan leaned back, albeit reluctantly.
A little embarrassed and giggling nervously, Elizabeth whispered, "It doesn't take much for us to get a little lost…"
Shaking his head, Nathan agreed, "No, it doesn't. How many days until March fifth?"
"Too many! Yet, I have plenty to do." Elizabeth reined in their conversation and returned to her original concerns. "You aren't embarrassed to see my ankles?"
Nathan chuckled and offered his half-smile. "I rather like it. That's a new style I can get behind, partly because it appears to give women more freedom and partly because some Victorian norms are ridiculous in my opinion. As a Mountie I've seen more than ankles and lived to tell the tale!"
"True. So, it's okay if I shorten some other skirts a few inches above my ankles? Maybe Carol can help me if she has time because it does make it easier in the winter weather. Plus a part of me wants to be a stylish wife for my handsome Sergeant!"
"You only have to be your authentic self, Honey, no role-playing. Now, we must discuss the reception location! Do you have your heart set on the ballroom or do you like the conference hall equally well. It is very austere compared to the extravagance of the ballroom."
"As I have said, marrying you is more important than where we celebrate, but please tell me your hesitation with the ballroom?"
"A few things, it is enormous and I am thinking it will feel too large for the number of guests. Secondly, it is so overly decorated, tasteful, yes, but out-of-the-comfort zone for our Hope Valley friends. It feels like we are in a European castle. That's just not them, or me, although it befits your sister, Viola."
"Okay. I've thought about the size. By placing some panels to partition part of the ballroom, and placing food service tables, you know the cake and punch and appetizers, in front of the panels it reduces the length of the room. All the seating for guests is in the middle section and we can shrink the width by how the tables are located. The dance floor is at the end by the stage, but various tall palms and ferns below them will fill some space in front to the stage and I think with those adjustments it would be fine. Can you picture that?" Elizabeth paused.
"I guess so. I hadn't thought of using panels and palms but it might be lovely and would reduce the size of the space for our group. What about what everyone will think?" Nathan got thoughtful, "I guess I've experienced Mountie Balls, but I imagine many townspeople can't even imagine those, let alone this opulence."
"Our guests will be staying in the Hotel, so by the time we have the wedding reception, the ballroom will not feel as overwhelming. Plus, for our friends, this is an opportunity they will never have again so why not give them a taste of a storybook setting? They know us and that we are down-to-earth people, so they will consider it a treat and not as though we are showing off anything. They'll know my father is giving this to us, so won't think we are wasting our hard-earned money either!"
"You sound like you really want this, Honey, so I guess it is okay with me. That is with the adjustments you've described."
"Thank you, Nathan. I know it is a far cry from the Queen of Hearts, but it will be memorable for everyone. It will also be beautiful." Elizabeth sighed happily then continued, "I'll tell Father in the morning, okay? We can also arrange for a dinner the night before the wedding and use the Conference Hall for that. With that venue we will begin to get everyone used to the surroundings."
"Okay. What else is on our list?"
"Our menu?"
"Can I let you and your parents decide that? Just as long as it doesn't include caviar or escargot, I'll be fine. I've tasted them, but I'm not a fan of fish eggs and snails and they reek of extremely high society," Nathan chuckled, "not to mention their odor!"
Laughing, Elizabeth commented, "Noted. No fish eggs or snails! Oysters or crab cakes or…"
"Now, those are fine with me, but probably not attainable in March." Nathan grinned. "We'll have them on our long honeymoon in the summer, eh?"
"Is that really going to happen, Honey?"
"It is! Tim gave permission and only asked for dates as soon as we know our plans!" Debating on whether to mention more news, Nathan decided to discuss the summer possibilities but keep the March honeymoon as a surprise.
"I spoke to your father about the summer trip and going to Prince Edward Island because I wondered about taking his Pullman since it is so far to travel with the children. He actually has a friend who owns a large beach house and he will contact the gentleman to see if we can stay there. What do you think of bringing our parents and the children? We could sneak off for private time and we would have readymade babysitters. It was actually your father's idea, knowing how Allie would love the land of Anne of Green Gables!"
"I think that is delightful, Nathan. I would love it and so would the children. Maybe we can stay a few nights in a Hotel or someplace apart from the family to afford more privacy?"
"Let's see what your father comes up with, okay? Then I can do some research. Don't worry, I want plenty of private time with my bride!" Nathan wiggled his eyebrows up and down, his eyes twinkling!
Delighted, Elizabeth responded, "We aren't even ready for our first honeymoon and I'm already daydreaming about our summer!"
"We have so much joy ahead of us, don't we, Lisbeth?" Nathan kissed the top of her head, then leaned his head against hers and stared unseeing into the fireplace.
Sighing, Elizabeth whispered, "I think you need to take me back to the apartment, my Love. Tomorrow will come early and you have the academy and I have some shopping to do!"
Nathan tiptoed down the hallway and, peeking through the crack in her door, saw Allie was sound asleep.
Back in the front room, he whispered, "Allie's in dreamland so I will lock-up and she'll be fine while we go."
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A telephone call surprised Elizabeth during breakfast. "Hello?"
"Elizabeth! It's me!" Rosemary's unmistakable enthusiasm traveled unabated through the telephone wire. "I'm calling to discuss when I can come and visit! Would arriving on the twenty-second be okay? I'm hoping Lee will join us as we both want to see all of you, but I'll make the trip with Patrick and Molly or somebody else if Lee can't come. He is waiting on a return telephone call, but I just couldn't wait any longer! I need to plan! What do you think? We could have such fun and maybe I could try on the dress you want me to wear and get some trousseau items as well. I am so excited I can't bear it…"
"Ahem!" Elizabeth cleared her throat to try to break Rosemary's stream of verbiage. "Rosemary."
"Oh, Elizabeth! Isn't this exciting? We have so much to catch up on both in your lives and in Hope Valley…"
"Rosemary!" Elizabeth interjected as she looked at the wall calendar on the wall beside the telephone table. "What day will you come?"
"The twenty-second and stay just under a week. Is that okay? You said your father had some rooms available at the Hotel, right? Could we stay in one of those?"
"You may stay in my apartment. I have a guest bedroom with two single beds, so whether you travel with Lee or a woman friend, you may be my guest. Patrick can stay with Jack. Now, you are talking about a Saturday?"
"Yes! Staying with you would be absolutely amazing! I want to see Nathan and Allie too though, so could we spend some time in the Cottage?"
"Of course. You cannot be with me and not find yourself with Nathan and Allie as well." Elizabeth chuckled. "We'll find plenty to do during the daytimes and spend our evenings with the Grants. The Collins's will have moved by then, unless Carol remains behind, so you may not meet them both, but you will in March. They have promised to return for the wedding."
"Your parents will still be in Regina, correct? I'll get to see them too?"
"You will, Rosemary, but are you sure you want to come on such a long journey twice within a few weeks?"
"Absolutely! Lee does too. He has an idea he wants to investigate and Regina is just the place to do that. So how are you? Any plans solidified yet? This is so exciting!"
"I am sorry I cannot talk more right now, Rosemary, but Mother and I have an appointment at the dress shop and I still must finish my breakfast." Laughing, Elizabeth admitted, "I don't know who I am kidding. I am frequently too excited to eat and that's a good thing because I want to fit my wedding clothes!"
"Oh, I wish I was there now. What are you choosing today?"
"My wedding dress! I have a couple styles in mind, but needed to see if Nathan was okay with me raising my hemline a few inches. I know. Scandalous!" Elizabeth chuckled. "I recall what Fiona reported that Molly and Florence had said when she arrived!"
"You are fitting-in with the latest trends according to the magazines I've seen! Will you have one of those ridiculously long veils that will trail the length of the church aisle and then some?"
Chuckling at Rosemary's overly dramatic description, Elizabeth responded cagily, "You'll have to wait and see, but I really must go. I look forward to seeing you, Lee and Patrick soon! Confirm the details and the time for us to meet you at the station, okay?"
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"What do you think, Elizabeth? Is this the one?" Grace fluffed the veil once more smiling at Elizabeth's reflection. "You look like a vision. Nathan won't be able to breathe, so Zach will have to stand close-by!"
Giggling, Elizabeth looked at the side view, turned to see the back and then swayed to the front view once more. "This is it, Mother. This is my wedding dress!"
Madame Roche enthused, "Oh, Mrs. Thornton, you look like a dream and your Sergeant is one lucky fella! Now, let's adjust for the exact fit so on your final visit we only need to double check. Please face forward, Sweetheart?"
After trying on a couple styles for the headpiece, Elizabeth decided on a wreath of tulle wrapped with ribbons in which some flowers would be tucked in the back, above her chignon. The effect was beautiful against Elizabeth's dark hair and uniquely her own. At least she knew she had not seen that exact veil in any magazines!
"Now that you have decided on your style, Mrs. Thornton, you can decide on your attendants' styles as well."
"Yes, I'll do that. Madame Roche, could you please show me again the ones from which I must choose?"
"Of course, my dear," Madame Roche assured Elizabeth. "Marie? Please bring the dresses we are holding for this order? Merci!"
Once Elizabeth chose the style for Rosemary and Julie, keeping the silhouette similar to her own, she requested a couple adjustments with additional lace on that same dress for Allie. As a surprise, she wanted Allie to look the most like her bridal gown, planning to have Allie be her maid-of-honor as a last minute surprise!
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From the dress shop, Elizabeth and Grace walked to Lucinda's Florals, grateful for the warm sun on this brisk January day.
Describing her dress and headpiece, Elizabeth also made her request for a smaller bouquet than those she saw in the bridal magazines. She showed the florist her swatches so he knew the exact shades to work with.
"I don't want my arrangement to be too heavy as I want to be able to hold it with one hand so my other is free to hold my fiancé's arm. Can you show me some samples of the sizes you could make?"
"Ma'am, I can certainly do that, but first please tell me the flowers you would like to include and the colors of your wedding?"
"The colors for my wedding are rich red, dark blue, gold and these swatches I showed you." When she saw the florist gulp with shock, Elizabeth suddenly realized what he was imagining. Laughing, Elizabeth explained, "We are having our wedding at Depot with formal Mountie dress uniforms! For that reason, we must be careful with our flower selections or it will look like a child's first box of crayons!"
With the explanation, the group relaxed and had a good laugh. "I have never had the Mountie's color scheme described so vividly, Mrs. Thornton! That is priceless!"
"Well, Sir, I am a teacher and the mother of a five-year-old."
Again the florist's eyes widened, although he did realize she was addressed with a married name.
Seeing the man's questioning expression, Grace spoke up to explain that her daughter was a Mountie widow with a son and her fiancé was a Staff Sergeant Major at Depot who had an adopted teenage daughter. "They make a beautiful and unusual blended family and we are all overjoyed!"
"Well, congratulations many times over, Mrs. Thornton. God has truly blessed you all! Now, back to the flowers you would like to include?"
"May I tell you my favorite flowers and you can tell me what we can find for March fifth? Our date is not the best time for floral availability." Elizabeth listed her favorite flowers, hydrangea, lisianthus, some roses, and I was thinking of gold winterberry as that goes well with the brass buttons and braid of the men's uniforms. I don't know what to do to allow my attendants to carry more color other than add some dark blue ribbons. Do you have any ideas?"
The florist excitedly excused himself, saying, "I may have just the thing!"
Returning from his workroom a short time later, the man carried samples of Elizabeth's requested flowers in white, while waving a dark, blue-black stem of small berries. "These are black pearl ligustrum berries that I special order and with these mixed in with white flowers and greens and just a touch of the golden winterberries you mentioned, the ladies would have a stunning hint of color, but fit beautifully with the uniforms. Something like this…" Quickly putting together a bouquet as he had described, he showed Elizabeth and Grace. "Of course, you have the other option of red roses for your ladies and you cannot go wrong with them. Again, we could add just a hint of the golden or the dark ligustrum. I wouldn't recommend them all together though as you said, they would look like a box of crayons!"
"As romantic as red roses are, I would prefer the white with hints of the dark and the golden berries, or just one or the other if that is better. It would make our bouquets a little different from each other. Mother? What do you think? Red roses or the white with either berry?"
After Grace Thatcher assured the proprietor that cost was not an issue, it took a while, but the decisions were made for the personal bouquets, two arrangements for the Chapel, and arrangements of flowers for the reception tables.
"Le Chateaux has many palms and ferns, so we will use them, although I believe we'll need flowers for the piano or the guest book stand. Shall I tour the facilities and discuss what is available with the Hotel manager?" Grace questioned.
Once the florist assured them that he would meet with the manager to discuss the plans, the flowers were ordered, and another wedding decision was crossed off their list.
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The ladies' final stop was to meet the engraver at the printer's shop who had agreed to put in a rush order to get the engraving done for the wedding invitations. Grace had begun the order a couple weeks ago when she and William had written an extra invitation that would be included with those that were sent to the Hope Valley friends letting them know about the travel and accommodation arrangements that were offered to allow guests to come without regard for the cost. The printing firm was awaiting the final decision on the reception location in order to proceed. After proofreading the invitation, the order was finalized and the two sets of envelopes were prepared for delivery to their apartments later in the afternoon so Elizabeth could begin addressing them according to the guest lists.
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Although they had begun their day early, Elizabeth and Grace were quite late for lunch and decided to stop at the Hotel's Café for a sandwich before going upstairs.
Hudson had been watching or, more truthfully, playing with Jack all morning and had even included a tour down the elevator, around the lobby, and an ice cream treat after lunch in the Hotel's Café. Jack charmed the Hotel staff and a daily tour had become a regular event for Jack, although ice cream was not always included! Today though, it was a fun surprise when his mommy and grandmommy entered to order their lunch!
"Mommy! Grandmommy! I'm having fizzy ice cream! You want to taste it? It's yummy!"
"Well, hello, young man! Isn't this a lovely surprise." Elizabeth hurried to kiss her son on the top of his blond waves. "Mr. Hudson brought you to get a treat?"
Hudson quickly stood to make room for the ladies to join them in their booth and chuckled as he explained, "I said it was a special occasion, but not a regular treat!"
As he sat down again, Hudson lifted his hand to get the waiter's attention and the ladies ordered their sandwiches and cups of tea.
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At supper in the Cottage, Nathan and Allie, Carol and Peter heard all about Jack's and Hudson's excursion and the fizzy ice cream. "Granddaddy was working, so he couldn't come. Daddy? You and Allie will have to come visit when Granddaddy isn't working so you can try the fizzy ice cream too. It was yummy and I had chocolate!"
"Care to translate, Lisbeth?"
"An ice cream float! It was a novelty to use a straw and not a spoon."
"That does sound delicious, Buddy! Did you indulge, Lisbeth?" Nathan grinned as he inquired.
"I was tempted, but no, not until after our wedding. I had a fitting today so I need to be careful!"
"Oh? What did you fit?" Nathan glanced at Allie and received the expected response.
"Daaad… The wedding gown of course," Allie explained, "but you can't know about it until the ceremony!"
"That's hardly fair!" Raising his eyebrow and grinning, Nathan explained, "I mean Miss Bessie knows what I'm going to wear, so I should at least hear about it even if I can't see it."
"Nice try, but end of discussion, Honey." Smiling, Elizabeth patted Nathan's arm and suggested, "Let me tell you about the flowers and the invitations!"
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After Jack was asleep on top of Nathan's bed and Allie was in her room, Elizabeth snuggled into Nathan's side and shared about Rosemary's telephone call and potential visit. "I don't want to announce it to anyone until they are on the train."
"Any hint on the reason they are coming all this way even before the wedding? She just said Lee had an idea to pursue? I am very curious!" Nathan queried.
"My Mountie is already investigating, right?" Elizabeth chuckled. "We will all have to wait and see!"
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