Chapter 16 – Shocking Revelation

Wynn, Jack and Elizabeth left the house and walked to the car in silence. They left the property before Jack finally spoke.

"Was Andrew's father my father?" Jack asked.

"No." Wynn said. "What do you know about your father's family?"

"What does that mean?" Jack asked. "Why are you asking about his family? You knew him better than I did?"

"Jack." Elizabeth said. "Don't get that way. Wynn is trying to help us. He has always been on our side."

Jack let out a harsh breath.

"Sorry, Sir." Jack said. "I don't know much. Dad never really talked about them, neither did Ma. I met my grandmother a few times before she died, but she didn't talk much about family except to tell me where we came from in Scotland. Again, why do you ask?"

"Did your father have any siblings?" Wynn asked.

"Umm …." Jack said. "I think that there was an older brother, but I never met him. He died when I was young. They never talked about him. I happen to hear my grandmother mention him once, but she wouldn't talk about him. I just figured it hurt too much since he was gone. I dropped it."

"Do you happen to remember his name?" Wynn asked.

Elizabeth could see where this conversation was going, but she just held Jack's hand for support. Jack rubbed his brow trying to remember the name he heard so many years before.

"Carl … no … Cal …." Jack muttered. "Callen Thornton, that is it. Callen Thornton was his name."

"Do you know how he died?" Wynn asked.

"Not really." Jack said. "I think he was a soldier or something. I don't know. Can you please explain what is going on?"

"Okay." Wynn said. "I will try, but most of my notes are at home."

"Then let's just wait until we get home." Jack said.

The rest of the ride was quiet, but went quickly. Elizabeth had snuggled into Jack's side and he wrapped his arm around her. She leaned up and gave him a kiss, not caring her uncle was right there. Jack deepened the kiss because he needed Elizabeth at that moment.

When they got home, Wynn spoke to Dee for a moment and he went to the library to retrieve a file. Everyone else got washed up for supper and sat in the dining room

"Sorry it is just leftovers." Aunt Elizabeth said. "But this is what we usually do on Sunday night and I didn't think that you would mind."

"No." Jack said. "You are a wonderful cook and there is no point in wasting food."

Once everyone was seated, Wynn asked Jack to lead the prayer. Jack looked at him and he nodded his head. Jack took a quick breath and then said the blessing.

"Heavenly Father." Jack prayed. "We ask Your blessing on us tonight. We ask for open hearts and understanding as we talk about these things. Please give us peace for what we are to learn. Bless this food to our bodies and bless our time together. Please watch over little Beth and Sarah as they continue to learn to live without their father, please put good people on their path that they can go to. Amen."

"Amen." Everyone said.

"My Elizabeth." Wynn said. "Please excuse us, as we talk business over our supper. I know that you don't like that, but there are things Jack as well as Elizabeth need to know. Especially after our visit to the Russells tonight."

"This time I fully understand." Aunt Elizabeth said.

"So Callen Thornton." Jack said. "What does my dead uncle have to do with this? I know nothing about him and I have no other relations to ask at this point. If my mother knows something, she hasn't said, granted I haven't asked."

"So your grandparents, Alexander and Margaret." Wynn said. "They came from Kildonan, Scotland with their three children. Well technically, Thomas was born in Canada shortly after their arrival."

"Three." Jack said, almost choking on his food.

"Yes." Wynn said. "Your father Thomas was the youngest. He has two older siblings – Callen and Caitlin who were twins. They were about ten years older than Thomas. Caitlin passed away from influenza when Thomas was quite young. Callen left home and joined the armed forces when he was seventeen. He later left the service and married a widow with two young children. From what I can tell, Callen or Nicholas as he called himself."

"That makes sense." Elizabeth interrupted. "Since they have similar meanings, it would be easier to say and more common if one wants to distance himself from someone or something."

Jack looked at Elizabeth and shook his head.

"Seriously." Jack said. "Is there anything you don't know?"

Elizabeth blushed.

"I like languages and the meaning of names." Elizabeth said.

"Anyway." Wynn said "I was saying it appeared that Callen had several relationships outside of his marriage resulting in at least one child. I have been able to confirm that Callen Thornton was the birth father of the child that was adopted and named Andrew John Russell."

"You mean …." Jack said. "Those two little girls are blood related to me."

"Yes, they would be your cousin's children." Wynn said.

"Wow." Jack said, sitting back in his chair.

"So what happened to Callen?" Elizabeth asked.

"From what I can tell." Wynn said. "His family cut him off since they didn't approve of his actions and he never made any move to adopt the children of the widow he was married to. Callen had a decent job, but also drank and gambled a lot. He fell in with a bad crowd and started spending more time gambling then working. Eventually, he was involved in a robbery to support his gambling and that was what led to his death."

Wynn looked over at Jack and saw his face was pale.

"Jack, are you okay?" Wynn asked.

"I think so." Jack said. "I never knew about my family and I guess it is hard to hear that one of them was less than honorable. Dad always taught us to be honorable. He rarely drank and never gambled, he said it wasn't the way a gentleman behaved."

"Understandable." Wynn said. "There is more, do you want me to continue?"

"Please." Jack said. "As hard as it is, I need to know the truth about my family."

"When was Callen killed?" Elizabeth asked.

"November 27, 1899." Wynn said.

Jack's head shot up and he looked between Wynn and Elizabeth.

"Yes," Wynn said. "Callen was one of the other men killed when your father was injured. When I later questioned Thomas about it, he admitted that it was his brother, but no one else knew. As the senior officer, I went and had the names of the dead outlaws and all files sealed to protect Thomas and his family. I didn't want someone coming back and trying to get even though the other men were dead or got very long prison sentences. I knew that I had to do whatever I could to protect Charlotte and you boys."

"Thank you." Jack said. "I don't know what to say. I am shocked to learn those things about my uncle, but he was a man I never knew. A man that was never talked about. I don't know what to feel."

"It is okay to be confused." Aunt Elizabeth said. "You think you should feel bad because it was someone to whom you were related, but had no knowledge of. Because of that, there is no emotional connection. I would suggest that you just file it away as facts about your family that you can't change."

"I guess." Jack said. "So, wow, … it is hard to believe, I mean beyond being the daughters of a fellow Mountie, there was another reason that I felt drawn to those little girls. I was drawn to them because we are related. Honestly, when I looked at Little Beth I thought she could have been Elizabeth's daughter."

"Most likely that was what you felt." Dee said. "It is strange how things like that are connected, but I thought you knew he was a Mountie."

"I guess I did in some way." Jack said. "I never really connected it in my head as there was so much else going on when I learned the information. It really hit seeing the uniform. As I thought about it while there, I guess I knew the information, but had not ever really connected to the event."

"Understandable." Wynn said.

"So what happened to the two children of Callen's wife?" Jack asked.

"Both fell into a life of crime." Wynn said. "I have reached out to the widow, but she hasn't responded. The Mounties working for me have also tracked down the two boys who Callen was a step-father to."

"Please tell me they are dead or in prison." Jack said. "I don't want them coming back and trying to cause trouble for those little girls or myself for that matter."

"They are both locked up now." Wynn said.

"I don't understand." Jack said. "Why do you say, now?"

"They are the ones that killed Andrew and took Anne and the girls." Wynn said.

Jack's face dropped as he realized what was said.

"What is it?" Dee asked.

"On the train." Jack said. "I introduced myself as Constable Thornton. When the Mounties took him off the train he tried to rush me, but the other constables were able to restrain him. I was holding Little Beth and just turned to shield her."

Elizabeth reached over and squeezed Jack's hand to show her support. As hard as it was for her to hear about this, she knew it was ten times worse for Jack.

"You don't need to worry about them." Dee said. "They are both going to hang for their crimes. We were able to catch the other brother here in Hamilton after you foiled the kidnapping."

"At least they can never hurt those little girls again." Elizabeth said. "What about the mother?"

"She will do time for her part." Wynn said. "Andrew Sr and his wife have been given full custody of the girls. Anne can never hurt them again. The judge had terminated her rights and the Russells can raise the girls as they see fit. I think though that was why the added security measures have been added to their property, but I am not sure."

"This was why you didn't want to say anything more when we were there." Jack said.

"Yes." Wynn said. "I wanted you to know first and beyond that, I don't know if they need to know the details."

"Agreed." Jack said. "Maybe just tell them who Callen was in general terms. Let them know he was a soldier, married with two step-children who passed away. If they ask if I am related to Callen you let them know that my father and Callen were brothers, but Thomas is also gone and there is no other family that you know of other than me and my brother. I don't think that they need details of what Callen did or his step-children for the matter."

"Okay." Wynn said. "So I have your permission to share with them. I will also give them your address in Hope Valley so they can stay in contact. I think that it would be good for the girls."

"I do as well." Elizabeth said. "I couldn't believe it when I saw the picture of Andy next to Jack. I knew Andy growing up, but I guess I never thought about it. He told me he was adopted when we were children. I guess it wasn't a big thing, because he didn't make it a big thing. But seeing the pictures, well yeah that was a surprise."

"We could have been twins." Jack said. "How did you not realize that?"

"Because." Elizabeth said. "Andy's eyes were blue like mine, and didn't have dimples like you. Andy was five years older than me. We didn't see each other a lot, except when there were social functions. Father didn't like him around me as he got older because of the age gap. Had he not gone into the Mounties, Father might have considered him as a suitor for either Viola or myself."

"No wonder I thought Little Beth could have been yours." Jack said. "I wonder if that is what our daughter will look like one day."

"Maybe." Elizabeth said. "You never know."

"I hope so." Jack said with a dimpled grin.

Jack and Elizabeth offered to do the dishes when they were done eating. Not only did Jack need to think, he wanted to help. Aunt Elizabeth didn't turn down the help. When Jack and Elizabeth had finished the dishes, they headed back to the library. Jack wanted to see if he could finish the sketch he was working on and Elizabeth wanted to read more. Jack ended up drawing a sketch of Little Beth and he used the picture to draw it with her father looking over her. He wanted to do one for Sarah as well and then give them to the girls.

Wynn joined them in the library to catch up on the paper that he had not had a chance to read. He enjoyed watching Beth and Jack from his desk. He loved how even though they were each doing their own thing, they were still connected. Elizabeth sat as close to Jack as she could while still allowing him movement of his arm to draw. Every now and then, Jack would stop and play with Elizabeth's hair for a moment before returning to his sketchbook. Whenever Elizabeth would pause, she would look over at Jack and smile.

Wynn couldn't help but see the love that flowed between them, it was plainly obvious. He knew that anyone that watched them for any amount of time would be able to see the love that they had for each other. He knew that Jack was an honorable man and a great Mountie, other than the fact that he didn't come from money or status, Wynn saw no reason that his brother-in-law was being so unreasonable. Wynn couldn't understand how William didn't see how happy Beth was and that she truly loved the person that she chose to spend her life with. Wynn wondered if William was that self absorbed that he would deny his daughter's happiness just to have his own way. All Wynn knew was that he was going to speak to his brother-in-law and see if he would be able to help him see reason. The other thing that Wynn observed while watching Jack and Elizabeth, was that he knew both were doing okay despite the emotional turmoil that they had been through the last couple of days. He knew that as long as they had each other they would be fine.

Wynn hated the way that William had spoken to Beth the day before. He also hated to see the pain in Beth's eyes when her father rejected her. He didn't understand how William could treat his daughter that way. William and Beth had always shared a special relationship, but to actually reject her for living her life as she saw fit, was just unreal. Wynn hoped that speaking to William didn't make things worse, but he knew that he had to be careful. He also knew that Jack and Beth had to return to Hope Valley, especially with the developments that they had learned the day before. Wynn had hoped that he would be able to help repair Beth's relationship with her family before she returned, but now saw that it probably wouldn't be possible.

Wynn also wondered what had happened with her father would it change what Elizabeth wanted to do about her birthright and the company. He knew that he needed to talk to her about it, but there was time and he didn't want to further upset Elizabeth. He was also waiting to hear from the lawyers that he had talked to, including his son-in-law. They were going over the documents and pulling others as needed. Wynn had told them to do whatever was needed. He wanted all of their options that were legally available to them. He actually wanted those before he talked to Jack and Elizabeth about what to do. He wanted to be able to lay out their options and help them choose what would be best for them. They were fine for money at the moment and the lawyer had assured Wynn that he could access the trust fund as soon as he was shown a legal marriage certificate which Wynn had received and turned over to the lawyer. Wynn also learned that no matter what William Thatcher said, he was unable to change or touch the trust fund set up by his father for Elizabeth. That was her money no matter what William wanted or said. Wynn also had the lawyers in Hamilton coordinating with his son-in-law in Ottawa as far as the papers and legal options. When questioned, Wynn said he wanted to keep it in the family and his son-in-law was great at finding ways to make things work that many others didn't see. Knowing who was asking, they agreed and were working with Andrew in Ottawa on legal options for Jack and Elizabeth.