Chapter 9 – Talking to Mother

Jack was tired when they turned in that night. He was grateful for the warm comfortable bed. He was even more grateful that he had Elizabeth with him. Jack was laying on his back and Elizabeth was curled into his side. She was playing with a button on his nightshirt. Jack kissed Elizabeth's head and pulled her tighter.

"Everything will be alright." Jack said. "We are together and no one can change that."

"Father is going to be mad." Elizabeth said.

"Let him." Jack said. "I will be there to protect you and if that is the way that they are going to act, then they don't have a place in our lives."

"I know." Elizabeth said. "But it doesn't make it easier."

"Want to pray together about it?" Jack said.

"Would you mind?" Elizabeth asked.

"I wouldn't have suggested it if I wasn't serious." Jack said.

Jack helped Elizabeth sit up and both moved to sit on the edge of the bed facing each other. Jack took Elizabeth's hands in his.

"Heavenly Father." Jack prayed. "We come before You and ask that you give Elizabeth peace. You know that she is worried about talking to her family. I ask that You give her the words that she needs to speak tomorrow. Whatever her family choses, please give Elizabeth peace that You are in control of the situation. I also ask that You are with Tom and Julie. Please heal their injuries and help them come to realize that they are not on the path that You chose for them. I don't know if they are meant to be together, but I know that You don't intend for your children to lie and sneak around. Please help them change their ways. I also ask that You be with the people of Hope Valley. Help them to be safe and to trust the two Mounties that were sent there to protect them. Give them and Bill wisdom about what to do. Thank you for all that You have given me and Elizabeth. Thank you for the chance to make things right with her family and getting us here safe. Amen."

"Amen." Elizabeth said. "Thank you, Jack."

"Anytime." Jack said. "I am your husband and as such, I am the spiritual leader of our family. Now let's try to get some sleep, we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

Jack helped Elizabeth back under the covers and once again pulled her close to him. It didn't take long for Elizabeth to fall asleep. Jack had a hard time not falling asleep before Elizabeth, but her breathing finally did even out. After Jack closed his eyes it didn't take long and he was sound asleep. Elizabeth was up before Jack the next morning. She eased from his arms and wrapped a robe around herself. She then grabbed her journal and went out to the sitting room and started writing. She figured that she should have done it the night before and she would have maybe slept better, but what was done was done. She had so much turmoil raging inside of herself, that she just had to write out what was going on. After she finished writing, she felt better about going and talking to her mother. If they absolutely refused to accept Jack then that was their choice, but she knew that her and Jack were meant to be together. She wasn't going to let her family drive them apart, no matter how much they tried.

Elizabeth was able to slip back into her room before the rest of the house woke up. She had crawled back in bed and rested her head on Jack's chest. She loved how she just fit to him when curled up to his side. She also loved how he would instinctively wrap his arms around her. Jack knew when she needed a hug for comfort or just to be close to him for his strength. They understood each other and looked out for each other's needs. Even though they had not been together too long, it was like they just knew what the other one needed. Elizabeth remembered how Abigail said it was as if they had known each other their entire lives.

The alarm went off and Jack reached over to silence it. When he moved, Elizabeth opened her eyes and looked at Jack. She leaned up and kissed him.

"Morning love." Elizabeth said.

"Morning Bella." Jack said. "How did you sleep?"

"Good." Elizabeth said. "How about you?"

"Good." Jack said.

Jack and Elizabeth got up and dressed for the day. Jack chose not to wear his Mountie uniform. He only had two other pairs of pants and three shirts. He hoped that things would get resolved quickly and not because he didn't bring a lot of clothes, it was more that he wanted to get back to Hope Valley. It wasn't that Jack didn't like being in Hamilton, he just was over dealing with the problems that his brother created. Jack felt that he should be home protecting the town he was assigned to, especially with dangerous outlaws in the area.

Jack and Elizabeth headed out to have breakfast with everyone. Aunt Elizabeth had fixed her niece's favorite – French toast and bacon. She encouraged Jack and Elizabeth to sit and eat. She assured them that Dee and Wynn would be down in time. They usually didn't get up as early on Saturday if they didn't have to. It was the second time that Jack had had French toast that week. Aunt Elizabeth's tasted different. Not that Elizabeth's wasn't good, this one was just different.

"This is good." Jack said. "Elizabeth made this for me Wednesday morning. Hers was good also, but it tastes different."

"I accidently added some nutmeg one time." Aunt Elizabeth said. "Dee loved it. So now I add a sprinkle of nutmeg to the egg/milk mixture."

"I will have to remember that." Elizabeth said. "I have to agree. I love the taste. I am surprised that you remember that it was my favorite."

"I had actually forgotten." Aunt Elizabeth said. "I made it because it is a special occasion having you here."

"Works for me." Jack said with a smile.

Wynn and Dee came and joined Jack and Elizabeth when they were about half way done eating. Jack stayed at the table and enjoyed a second cup of coffee. He liked a more slow paced morning. It seemed that even on the weekends, he felt rushed. If nothing else came of the trip to Hamilton, Jack was going to enjoy every second that he could.

"Jack." Wynn said. "I forgot to tell you last night. Please take my car while you are here. It will be easier. I can use Dee's or get one of the young eager Mounties to drive me."

"Are you sure?" Jack asked.

"Absolutely." Wynn said.

"Thank you." Elizabeth said.

After breakfast, Jack and Elizabeth took a little time to read in the Bible and pray about their meeting. It was about mid-morning when they left for the Thatcher mansion. Jack could tell that Elizabeth was nervous, but he knew that he was going to be right there with her and not leave her side. They arrived at the Thatcher mansion. Jack parked the car in the courtyard and walked with Elizabeth to the front door. The butler greeted them at the door and ushered them inside. They were shown to the sitting room where Mrs Thatcher was. Elizabeth was glad to not see Viola anywhere. Jack and Elizabeth sat on the couch together. Jack took her hand and held it. It didn't go unnoticed by Grace. Grace rang a bell and when the servant appeared, she asked that tea be brought in for them.

"Who else is around?" Elizabeth asked.

"Viola is out." Grace said. "Your father is at the office and I assume that Julie is still in her room. She came down for supper last night, but refused to talk to anyone."

"Okay." Elizabeth said. "We want to talk to you."

"You sound so serious." Grace said.

"Well." Elizabeth said. "I am. I talked with Julie. Jack talked to Tom and we have both seen the accident report from the Mounties."

"How did you see that?" Grace asked.

"Uncle Wynn." Elizabeth said.

"Should have figured." Grace said. "Say what you have to say."

"Mother." Elizabeth said. "You need to get Father to back off this. If he keeps pressing this, Julie is the one that is going to be hurt. According to at least two separate witnesses, Julie was the one driving. The injuries that both Tom and Julie have also indicate that Julie was the one driving. The Mounties can't prove that Tom did anything other than be in the car with Julie. And we both know that Julie has taken Father's car before."

"Is what she is saying true?" Grace snapped at Jack.

"Yes ma'am." Jack said. "I am afraid that it is. Right now the Mounties have enough to go to a judge and convince him that Julie took the car, Julie was driving without a license and she was the one that caused the accident. Also from what the Mounties could tell, it was Julie that broke into the dance hall. I am in the process of arranging a job out of town for Tom. It will be made clear to him that he doesn't have a choice in the matter and that the best thing that he can do is to leave town."

"I will talk to William." Grace said. "He is convinced that it was Tom that put the idea in Julie's head, I don't know if there will be convincing him otherwise."

"Trust me ma'am." Jack said. "This will only end badly for Julie if Mr Thatcher doesn't back down."

"Okay." Grace said. "Now there is another matter that we need to address. You two are awfully close. Much more so than the last time that you were in town."

"Well, Mother." Elizabeth said. "Just remember, it was Father who cut me off. When I left back in October, I had no intention of coming back here. I told you that I was going to live my life the way that I saw fit. I don't appreciate Father sending Charles to Hope Valley with the promise that I would marry him."

"Beth dear." Grace said. "But you and Charles are perfect for one another. He even works for the company and …"

"Mother!" Elizabeth said. "I thought that I made this clear the last time that I was here. I love Jack and my life is with Jack."

"Yes." Grace said. "But no offense, he hasn't done anything about it. Besides, Father would never approve."

Elizabeth looked at Jack and he squeezed her hand. Elizabeth turned back to her mother.

"Well." Elizabeth said. "About that. Jack and I were married almost a month ago. He asked me and we did a short turn around to the wedding. We realized that we were stronger together then apart. We also understood the dangers of Jack's job and chose to start our lives together."

"What do you mean?" Grace said. "You never said anything about an engagement or wedding."

"Like I said." Elizabeth said. "Father was the one that cut me off and wouldn't listen to reason. The real reason that I didn't come home at Christmas was because Jack and I got married. Also your letter made it very clear that he wasn't welcome here. So if Jack isn't welcome here, then I guess that I am not welcome here either."

"Beth honey." Grace said. "I can't believe that you did this."

"Believe it." Elizabeth said. "Since I knew how you and Father felt about Jack, we didn't want you there. It was a lovely wedding. Aunt Elizabeth and Uncle Wynn enjoyed their time in Hope Valley. I have nothing else to say to you about the matter. You need to choose what happens. If you want to be a part of my life, well then it comes with Jack. If that is unacceptable to you then that is your choice. Talk to Father about what we said about Julie. You can call Aunt Elizabeth and let her know if Father backs off, if not, well remember Julie brought this one on herself."

Elizabeth squeezed Jack's hand and then stood up, but before she could say anything or leave, Grace spoke.

"Is that where you are staying?" Grace asked.

"And if we are?" Elizabeth said sharply.

"I am just concerned about you." Grace said.

"Mrs Thatcher." Jack said. "Does it matter where we are staying? Wynn and Elizabeth have been wonderful to us and they support our choices. They know how to reach us and that is all that you need to concern yourself with."

"Jack." Elizabeth said. "I would like to leave."

"Right behind you." Jack said. "Think about what we said. I don't want anything bad to happen to Julie, but I will say the same thing that I told Tom – she needs to grow up and take responsibility for one's actions."

With that Jack stood and followed Elizabeth out into the foyer. A servant retrieved their coats. Jack and Elizabeth left the Thatcher mansion and headed into town. Jack wanted to go talk to Tom, so he headed to the hospital. He also wanted Elizabeth close so he didn't take her back to her aunt and uncle's house before going to the hospital. Jack knew that they hadn't talked about it, but he could sense that Elizabeth wanted to be close to him as well.