The next morning, Rosemary's article appeared in The Valley Voice. It was blunt, clear, and to the point. Running on the front page of the newspaper, the story was out there for all to see.
Hope Valley has long been a place of acceptance and love. People come here to visit, but they stay because of the community. We are known for kindness, compassion, for helping our neighbors in need. Some might say we live in a bubble. I have always believed it was a bubble worth living in. The world could use more of the love shown to our neighbors in this fair town.
But every so often, something happens to remind us that we're only human. Lately, two members of our community have faced judgment and scrutiny for their perceived indiscretion. A sudden marriage and a pregnancy made people believe that wrongdoing occurred.
That couldn't be further from the truth. Today, you are going to hear the full story.
Six months ago, Elizabeth Grant experienced a horrific assault in her home. Many of you will remember Julius Spurlock, a Pinkerton who lived on the outskirts of town. He was a convict charged with the murder of several Mounties and the subsequent rape of their wives. Despite being sentenced to life in prison, he managed to escape. He came to Hope Valley, where he hoped to seek revenge on Jack Thornton for putting his cousin in prison years before. Since Jack was not here, Spurlock took his revenge on Jack's widow, raping her the way he had the wives of the Mounties he murdered.
Constable Nathan Grant arrested Spurlock and escorted him back to prison, where the criminal will spend the rest of his miserable life. But for Elizabeth, that was only the beginning. She conceived a child that night. When she realized she was pregnant, Nathan offered to marry her, an offer that saved her job as teacher and an offer that he hoped would prevent the rumor mill from tarnishing Elizabeth's reputation. Her job was indeed saved by their marriage, but her reputation and Nathan's have been dragged through the mud over the past months. They have been accused of many things, all of which are blatantly untrue. They never committed any kind of wrong. If anything, their actions displayed a love and sacrifice that is stunning to behold, yet people have been harsh, unkind, and judgmental in their assumptions about the Grants.
Though the marriage started as one of convenience, Nathan and Elizabeth fell deeply in love with each other. They didn't think it necessary to tell their story for the world to hear. However, they agreed to the posting of this article because the truth needed to be known.
This author firmly believes it was the right thing to do. I would like to remind the good people of Hope Valley that things are rarely what they seem. This is a good time to remember that we are called to be loving to one another. We don't know what another person has suffered. In our assumptions and judgments, sometimes we hurt people who are already hurting deeply. We add suffering to suffering. This must stop.
As the scriptures so eloquently tell us, "in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you."
The article struck the hearts of the people of their town. Between that and Joseph's sermon, the truth finally came to light. Both Elizabeth and Nathan had people approach them to apologize for their behavior and words. Some still ignored them, and Elizabeth heard more than one person say they thought the whole thing was a cover up. She chose not to dwell on the unkindness. The support was much greater.
As the weeks passed, the article brought about an effect Elizabeth hadn't expected. A few days after its publication, a woman approached Elizabeth shyly, thanking her for her courage in telling her story. She didn't say anything else, and Elizabeth didn't see her again. A week later, another woman found her after school. She introduced herself as Simone. After a few pleasantries, Simone bit her lip and looked down, clearly struggling with something. When she raised her head, tears were sparkling in her eyes.
"I was raped two years ago," she said, her words quiet and halting. "I never told anyone. I was so ashamed of what happened. For so long, I've felt utterly alone." A tear slipped from her eye. "But when I read your story in the paper, I realized I'm not alone." She leaned in, embracing Elizabeth. "Thank you for sharing your story, Mrs. Grant. I'm sorry you went through what you did, but in a sense I'm relieved to know someone else out there understands what I went through." She sniffed, pulling back with an awkward laugh. "Does that make sense?"
Elizabeth took Simone's hands, looking directly into her eyes. "It does," she said softly. "And you're definitely not alone." She squeezed the other woman's hands. "If you ever need to talk, my door is always open."
She received three more visits like that in the next few weeks. Each time, the women thanked her for her courage and for opening the door to talking about the pain and suffering endured by far too many. It opened Elizabeth's eyes to the fact that assaults like hers were more common than one might think. It simply wasn't talked about. Her heart ached for these women, women like her who felt that they had no one to confide in, no one to help them through their struggle. It made her think – where would she be now if Nathan hadn't offered to marry her? How hopeless would her life have felt? Would she have carried around her despair quietly, pretending everything was fine on the outside when her world felt like it was crashing around her on the inside? She shuddered at the thought. A renewed sense of gratitude for Nathan's love washed over her. As they lay in bed that night, she reached out, taking his hand.
"Thank you for marrying me," she whispered, holding his hand to her heart. "Thank you for loving me."
He smiled, turning toward her in the dark and pulling her into his arms. "It was my pleasure, Elizabeth." He held her close for a few moments before speaking again. "I take it you've had more visitors?"
She nodded. Because the women had come to her in confidence, she hadn't revealed their names to Nathan. She had simply told him that others who experienced the trauma of rape had been seeking her out.
"They are so alone," she whispered. "I can't imagine trying to face life holding onto a secret like that. At least I had you, Lee and Rosemary, Bill and Faith to talk to as I was recovering in those initial months. None of the women I've talked to had any kind of support." She shuddered again, burrowing closer to Nathan. "That would have made everything so much worse."
Nathan tightened his hold on her. She could feel his heart beating against her cheek. The feel and the gentle, rhythmic sound soothed her. She soon fell into a deep sleep, safely cocooned in her husband's arms.
A week later, the day before they were set to move into their new home, Opal's mother came to visit. She brought her daughter, much to Allie's delight. The two girls ran into the backyard. The April sunshine had warmed the air enough for them to play outside with only light coats. Jack was upstairs, taking his afternoon nap.
Ellen Weise accepted Elizabeth's invitation for tea. As she prepared the beverage, the two women exchanged small talk.
"I can't believe you're moving tomorrow," Ellen said, smiling at Elizabeth from her spot at the table. "Opal has been lamenting the fact that Allie won't be next door anymore."
Elizabeth chuckled. "Allie has been saying the same thing. She's excited about the new house, but she's going to miss having her best friend close by." She took the pot of boiling water from the stove, pouring it into two mugs to steep the tea. "I told her we would make sure she and Opal still have lots of time to spend together." She brought the mugs to the table, setting on in front of Ellen before taking a seat across from her.
A faraway look had filled Ellen's eyes. For a moment, Elizabeth wondered if the other woman remembered where she was. She reached out, touching her hand. "Ellen? Are you alright?"
"Hmm?" Ellen blinked, shaking herself. "Sorry, Elizabeth. I got lost in thought, I'm afraid." She curled her hands around the tea mug, gripping it tightly. Elizabeth's brow furrowed. If she didn't know better, she'd think Ellen was nervous.
Staring at her teacup, Ellen finally spoke. "I've been debating whether to bring this up for the last month, ever since Rosemary's article about you came out," she said. "What you went through, Elizabeth…" Her words trailed off. She finally looked up. "I wish I had known. I could have been a better friend to you through it."
Elizabeth reached out, covering Ellen's hand with hers. "It's alright, Ellen," she said softly. "I wasn't in a place to reveal what had happened then, not to people in general. I had support from loved ones, and I didn't want the general population to know what happened to me. I was too ashamed for too long, and I also thought it simply wasn't the business of others." She placed a hand on her growing stomach. "When it became obvious that I was carrying this little one, I knew it was time for the truth to come out."
Ellen studied her. "And how has it felt with the truth being out?"
"Honestly?" Elizabeth smiled gently. "It's felt incredibly freeing. It feels like I don't have to hide anymore."
Her friend swallowed hard. "I've been hiding for years, Elizabeth."
Elizabeth tilted her head. "What do you mean?" A sinking feeling formed inside. This conversation felt similar to how others over the last month began.
Gulping in a breath for courage, Ellen pressed on. "I experienced a situation very, very similar to yours," she said, her words almost too quiet to be heard.
Elizabeth gasped. "What?"
"It's true," Ellen said, her voice gaining a little strength. "When Bruce and I were first married, he was called away on a business trip for over five months. He didn't want to go, but it was a chance of a lifetime. I urged him to go. I told him I would be fine while he was gone, that I would stay with my parents." Her hands began to tremble slightly. She tightened her grip on the teacup. "Two months before Bruce came home, I had to get a medication for my mother. It had come into the mercantile, but since it was dark out, she begged me to wait until the morning."
Elizabeth's stomach dropped. "You didn't wait?" she guessed quietly.
Ellen shook her head. "My mother was out of her medicine, and she was in a lot of pain. I didn't want to see her go through that all night, so I went anyway. Everything went fine until I was almost home." Her voice broke. "My parents lived on a remote farm. There were no neighbors within a mile. Someone grabbed me as I passed the gate, dragging me behind some bushes." Tears spilled onto her cheeks at the memory. "I fought him, Elizabeth. I fought hard. I almost got away, but then he hit me on the back of my head with his fist. It dazed me, and…well, I imagine you know what happened next."
Elizabeth placed her hand on Ellen's arm. "Was he ever caught?" she asked. "Did the Mounties put him in jail?"
Ellen shook her head. "I didn't report it," she admitted. "I was so ashamed. I didn't even tell my parents. When I finally stopped crying and picked myself up to go inside the house, they wondered what took me so long. I told them I saw a friend at the mercantile and lost track of time talking with her."
"Did they ever find out?" Elizabeth asked softly.
Ellen shook her head. "No. I never told them."
Elizabeth's next question was even quieter. "Does Bruce know?"
"Yes," Ellen said. "At first, I wanted to hide the truth. It was so painful. But he began wondering why I couldn't stand to let him touch me when he got home. I wanted to show him affection, but…but…"
Elizabeth nodded sympathetically. "I understand," she said, looking her friend in the eyes. "Believe me, I know exactly how you felt."
Ellen sniffed. "I thought you might," she said. Elizabeth offered her a handkerchief. Ellen smiled her thanks before continuing. "A few weeks later after he got home, I realized I was pregnant. It wasn't possible for the baby to be Bruce's. I was terrified. It took me nearly a month to gather up the courage to tell him about my pregnancy." A smile tugged at her lips. "He took it better than I expected. He just held me and told me we would get through it together." She took a sip of tea. "And we did. Even when people began whispering. They knew Bruce had been gone for a long time. They knew if I had become pregnant before Bruce left, I would have been showing before he came home. If I became pregnant after he got home, I wouldn't have been showing yet." She sighed. "The general consensus was that I'd had an affair while my new husband was on his business trip. The names they called me…well, they don't bear repeating." She shook her head. "I was so hurt. I knew I had to give birth to the child, but I didn't think I would be able to keep it. I didn't want the baby to be judged for what people perceived my actions to be, and honestly, I didn't want the reminder of the man who assaulted me. Bruce told me he would support me whether I chose to keep the baby or give it up for adoption. A month before the baby was born, I finally decided on adoption."
Elizabeth's heart hurt for Ellen. How difficult that must have been. "Did you have a say in the home your baby went to?"
Ellen's eyes softened. "No. It would have all been closed records. I wouldn't have known where she ended up."
Brow furrowing, Elizabeth searched Ellen's face. "'Would have been'?"
A soft chuckle escaped the other woman. "Yes. When I gave birth to my baby girl and held her in my arms, I knew I couldn't give her up. She was so precious. I fell in love with her immediately. So did Bruce. We kept her."
Bruce and Ellen only had one child. Which meant…
"Opal?" Elizabeth gasped, leaning back in her chair in shock.
Ellen nodded. "Yes." She smiled again, her gaze tender as she thought of her daughter. "Being raped was the worst experience of my life. That night was awful. But it gave me my sweet little girl. She has been the greatest blessing of my life." She shook her head. "It's a paradox, isn't it? Such pain and suffering led to something beautiful." She pursed her lips. "I still struggle, Elizabeth. Opal's delivery was rough. My womb somehow ripped in the birthing process. We almost lost her." She was quiet for a moment. "The doctors had to take my uterus. I lost the ability to have more children." She closed her eyes. "I was never able to have a baby with my husband. That hurt badly. The man who assaulted me not only hurt me physically and emotionally, he robbed me of the chance to have more children. Sometimes I still get angry about that. I wanted so badly to give Bruce babies. We talked about having a large family. That was taken from us."
"Oh, Ellen," Elizabeth whispered, covering her hand tightly. "I'm so sorry."
"It is what it is," Ellen said simply. "We have Opal. Bruce loves that child as if she was his own flesh and blood. I thank God everyday for the gift of my daughter. But that doesn't mean I don't wonder about what ifs." She reached out to take Elizabeth's other hand in hers. "I wanted you to know that you're not alone, Elizabeth. And I wanted to tell another person my story. Bruce is the only one who knows. We had to leave our hometown because people were so unkind after Opal's birth. That's how we eventually came to Hope Valley. No one knew our story. No one could judge us." She squeezed Elizabeth's hand. "I'm sorry you've experienced the pain of unfounded judgment."
Elizabeth shook her head. "I'll admit it has hurt, but I've been fortunate to have Nathan and my friends to support me. It certainly hasn't been easy over the last seven months. Healing is slow. I still struggle with the thought of Nathan touching me in certain ways." Her cheeks heated at the admission, but Ellen simply nodded in understanding.
"It will continue to be a process," Ellen said. "But it gets easier every day." She smiled. "If you ever need to talk, I'm here."
"Same to you," Elizabeth said. The women stood and embraced, a sense of sisterhood enveloping them. Here was someone who knew exactly what Elizabeth had gone through. Ellen could empathize with her, as Elizabeth could with Ellen. When they sat once more, they enjoyed their tea and turned the subject to lighter matters.
Though the two women had already been friends, a strong bond had formed between them as they shared about their common experience. Elizabeth was thankful for Ellen's honesty.
It gave her more hope for the future.