Chapter 3
While Gabe explained that they now believed that the fire could have been deliberately lit Nathan and Bill were observing the Scott children, trying to gauge any reaction from them to this disclosure. They had huddled closer on the benches at the table, a girl of about 11 comforting two little ones on the side nearest to the fire whilst opposite her the oldest of the boys, who was around 10 years, was speaking in a low voice to the younger brothers sat either side of him. At the end, a little curly haired girl sat in a high chair, her fingers squishing around in her porridge as she remained oblivious to what was going on.
The three men discussed with Lillian and Grace how best to do this. It was Bill who spoke up, suggesting that Nathan would be the best person to do the questioning. "I've seen him do this numerous times. He has a manner with children that puts them at ease. For some reason they trust him and he knows exactly how to get them to answer his questions." Gabe was nodding beside him, having also seen this first hand. "You should be with him too Lillian", he smiled at the woman who had long ago stolen his heart, "the children know you now, at least more than anyone here. It will help to make them feel safe. The last thing we want is for any of them to think they are in trouble."
The oldest girl, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, disentangled herself from the others and stood up, her head lifted high as she approached the group of adults. "You can start with me. And then I will need to be with my sisters and brothers when you question them. They are frightened enough as it is, I don't want you to make things worse." There was a sense of defiance about her, a need to be strong for the smaller children, yet underneath this they could also hear vulnerability and fear in her voice Noticing the slight tremble to her shoulders Elizabeth moved further into her line of sight, hoping that a sympathetic look would let her know that the people here cared. How quickly her childhood had come to an end and she has had to grow up. One minute she will have been learning how to do chores from her mother, preparing her for life in the future, then suddenly she must feel that she had become the mother with six siblings all looking to her to reassure them.
How little we know what lies ahead for us, she thought. If she had imagined she would lose Jack so soon after their wedding would she have still married him? Could she face that fear again with Nathan? She gave a little gasp as she realised how naturally the thought of being with him came to her. Of course she knew that not all Mounties were killed because of their job. Bill was still here and in that moment she searched the room for him, seeing once more the connection that drew Abigail and him together as they were now deep in conversation by the doorway. They were so right for each other, perhaps they just needed a little push to get them to see that. Turning back towards Nathan she wondered if when this investigation was finished they could work alongside each other to help their friends overcome whatever obstacles were in their way. Hadn't he once told her that love was always worth fighting for? They needed to make their friends understand this.
Elizabeth desperately wanted to offer to help Nathan with the children but she knew that for now it was better to let the others get on with that while she did what she could to keep the rest of them occupied. If they were struggling with the questioning then perhaps Nathan would think to ask for her assistance, her experience as a school teacher maybe offering a different approach to make them feel comfortable enough to speak. For now she would fill in where she could most be of use and hope that the answers Nathan and Bill were seeking would be quickly forthcoming.
With Christmas only a few days away she knew that he would be desperate to get back to Hope Valley to spend it with Allie. The bond between those two was something unique, formed from a family tragedy but now so embedded in each of them that she had a feeling Nathan Grant may be the only man to survive the teenage years without too much trouble. Would a woman by his side make it any different? Easier or harder? She knew that if Nathan were to choose to share his life with someone then it would always mean a package deal of him and Allie. Just as she came with Little Jack. Would Lucas be able to accept that?
The orphanage seemed to suddenly burst into life then as they tried to keep the routine for the children as normal as possible, making little of what was happening in the small office and focusing on activities to keep them occupied. Bill and Gabe set about bringing in the wood that would be needed for the day, gathering the boys to help them with the full knowledge that a snowball fight would undoubtedly be part of the task.
Little Jack looked beseechingly at his mother, desperately wanting her nod to say that he could go. Just as he was about to speak hands grabbed him from behind and lifting him onto his shoulders Nathan winked at Elizabeth, "Bill and Gabe will make sure he is safe out there, don't you worry. I just need to ask them something before I start speaking with the first of the children so if you tell me which is his coat, hat and gloves then I'll wrap him up and take him out to them."
Out of the corner of her eye Abigail had noticed the expression on Elizabeth's face change when Nathan left the room. She had seen that look before directed towards another Mountie and, as she had back then, she wondered whether her help would be needed to make her friend see what was clear to everyone else. That was the thing about a true and deep friendship, you knew the other person almost as well as they did themselves. In some instances even better. Suddenly memories of the times she had been part of the journey that Jack and Elizabeth had taken to finding each other came rushing back. Was this what she was meant to do again? Guide Elizabeth to accept what was really in her heart?
In the dining room Elizabeth and Abigail gathered the girls around the big table, setting out in the middle the big bowls of popcorn and cranberries they had prepared last night while catching up on each other's news. Heavy cotton thread and blunt ended needles were in a box ready to be used for making the garlands that would be hung on the tree and along the rails of the porch that surrounded all sides of the orphanage.
The two youngest of the children were happily making noise in their high chairs, as both Grace and Mrs Winters handed them pieces of apple and carrot to munch on, the apple pies almost ready to go in the oven and the carrots added to a pan of salted water to be cooked for lunch. With even more adults to feed now it was a challenge for them to stay on top of what was needed, not overdoing things but eeking out their supplies so that all the generous gifts that Elizabeth had brought from the people of Hope Valley would last them for quite some time.
It was a scene of tranquillity and one that belied the sadness that lay just beneath the surface of most of their thoughts. Children were so resilient that it was hard to believe what many of them here had recently suffered and yet from experience they all knew that it was never far away, hidden just beneath the surface as though waiting for a trigger when it would all burst out and their fear and sadness would overwhelm them.
Lillian and Grace did the most wonderful job of bringing joy into these young lives, comforting them when the darkness fell and helping them see that there was light in the world and that as long as they kept those they had lost in their hearts then they were never truly gone. But now, as she looked around, Abigail realised that this number of children was just too much for them to be able to continue doing that for everyone. She and Elizabeth caught each other's eye at that moment and she had the sense that their thoughts were on the same track. Was it such a silly idea, she wondered?
In the small office by the front door Nathan had returned from getting Little Jack sorted outside with the other boys. The look of joy on the young fellow's face had made his heart swell and he thought about how much having a father figure around would mean as he grew up. Would Lucas Bouchard be able to give him what he needed, what Jack Thornton would want for his son? His own father may have been present at times throughout his childhood but his contribution to anything positive had been lacking and Nathan knew that much of his distrust of people stemmed from that. He made a vow then that whatever path Elizabeth decided to follow he would always be there for him.
He closed the door quietly and indicated for Lillian and Chloe to sit down on the bench seat by the window. Then taking the chair from behind the desk he brought it around to face them, sinking low into it to be as close to their height as possible. He didn't want to intimidate the child, for despite the steely look on her face that was what she was. A little girl who had lost everything so suddenly and now found herself having to be the strong one.
He thought of Allie and the possibility of not being with her for Christmas made his heart sink. She had been like these children, a lost little soul not sure what was happening in her life and he was honest enough to admit that he had felt much the same. Losing his sister Colleen was a struggle itself but once he realised that no-one else was there to look after her he felt the extra weight of that as he battled with what to do. Sometimes he had wondered if she would have been better off in an orphanage like this, surrounded by women who would give her all that he could not. But then he remembered that this was an exception and most children were lucky enough to find themselves somewhere that looked after their soul as well as their body.
Looking up at Lillian he quietly thanked God for people like her and Grace. To have suffered loss themselves as children and be able to turn that into something so positive was truly amazing. They both said that finding each other again had been like a new beginning for them, a rebirth from what had been missing before, and they were determined to save other children from suffering as they had.
Was that what meeting Elizabeth had done for him? Suddenly with her there had been a clarity in his life and watching Allie bloom under her care and guidance had made everything feel right in their world. He looked out at the snow covered ground through the window and an image of their search for Allie's perfect Christmas Tree came to mind and the feeling he had as they followed her in the snow, as though no-one else existed, just them enveloped in the feeling of togetherness. It was like walking in a winter wonderland, so perfect a moment that he wished he could capture it in a jar and keep it forever.
He shook those thoughts from his head and looked down at the small girl in front of him. "My name is Constable Grant. But if you like you can call me Nathan." Watching her shrink down even smaller into Lillian's side he had a momentary wish that he didn't have to do this. Would reliving that night make things worse for these children? But if the fire had been deliberately started then it was imperative that they caught the culprit.
Standing, he unbuckled his Sam Browne and laying it to the side quickly removed his red serge, glad to see a slight nod from Lillian acknowledging that this was a good move. With that he pulled his chair a bit closer, not caring that the chill from the window was more noticeable as he sat there with only his henley on his upper half.
"I'm not going to ask you a lot of questions Chloe. What I want you to do is tell me what happened the night of the fire and then if there is something I need to know more about I will ask. Is that okay with you?"
He had softened his tone, keeping his voice low and clear in an effort to put the girl at ease. This was not the first time he had been required to do something like this and in each instance he found it easier if he thought about how Allie would feel being questioned. There was not a big difference in the two girls' ages, less than a year he guessed, and yet there was a toughness about Chloe that he felt had not been there a few weeks ago, as though she was bottling something up inside and using this hard countenance to keep from letting it be seen.
It was his job to find out what she may be hiding, not just for the investigation but to help the young girl heal. He knew full well what it was like to be burdened with the weight of events of the past and the battle that could rage inside you as you struggled to live with what you knew.
In the dining room there was a lightness in the air, the girls giggling as they saw their garlands grow longer with the addition of each piece of popcorn. Abigail had begun singing softly under her breath, the words of Away In A Manger having a particular poignancy with these children sitting around them. Elizabeth joined in as she reached the last verse,
Be near me Lord Jesus, I ask thee to stay
Close by me forever and love me I pray
Bless all the dear children in thy tender care
The kitchen door opened then and the rich tone of Bill's and Gabe's voices could be heard,
And take us to heaven to live with thee there.
We will make Christmas special for these orphans, for all of them. And then we will make sure that their future is one of hope and happiness. Little Jack came running up to her then, his face flushed from the cold but his eyes shining bright. "Mama, mama," the words came rushing out, "I chopped the wood. Uncle Bill helped me". She glanced over to where Bill had just finished stacking an armful of logs at the side of the stove, ready to admonish him for letting her son near the axe but her voice faltered as she noticed his eyes fixed on Abigail, a softness to his expression that she hadn't seen for such a long time. It was the same look she had seen so often on Jack's face.
She remembered the cushion she had made for him, lovingly kept on the chair in their bedroom until his death had made it too difficult for her to look at it. Did she still believe the words that she had embroidered? Love is patient, love is kind. She thought of Nathan and realised that she had also seen that look from him so many times but fear had made her deny what it meant. More words from Corinthians 13:4-8 came into her head, It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Was she too late? Had her trip to Union City with Lucas destroyed any chance for her with Nathan. She needed to talk to Abigail, she would know what she should do to make things right. How she had missed her wisdom. Then she would speak to Nathan. He had asked her once What was in her heart. She realised that she was getting closer to being able to answer him.
Feeling an optimism that had been missing for some time she stood up and began to cross the room towards her friend who had clearly seen the confusion on her face as she struggled to sort her thoughts. She silently mouthed the words, "I need to talk, I've been so foolish", but had only taken a few steps when the front door of the orphanage opened and Allie and Lucas came rushing in to the hallway, their breath blowing cold from the icy chill outside as they unwrapped the scarves around their faces.
