Chapter 134 – Jack's Reaction to the Letter
Elizabeth sat there as Jack read the letter. When he finally put it down, he turned to her. She knew what she was feeling, but she couldn't quite read what Jack was thinking. It was one time that she wished that he didn't revert to his Mountie training to hide his emotions. Jack took a couple deep breaths and was watching Elizabeth. He could clearly see what she was thinking. Jack's head was spinning even more than it had been when he had first seen the paperwork. Several images kept popping into Jack's head. Finally he shook his head and focused on Elizabeth.
"What are you thinking?" Elizabeth asked.
"I think that we need to do this." Jack said. "I know that we said we would think and pray about it, but I really feel that we need to do this."
"I think so as well." Elizabeth said. "I was thinking that we write to him and accept, list our concerns and also let him know about the baby. I think that as soon as we are in the new house, we offer to take the girls. Even if we have help."
"As long as the help knows what they are getting into." Jack said. "Remember, we still won't have all the modern conveniences that they have in the city."
"True." Elizabeth said.
"What are you two talking about over there?" Charlotte asked.
Jack and Elizabeth looked at each other. Jack held out his hand to Elizabeth and she took it. Jack stood and pulled Elizabeth to him for a moment, then they walked to the table and sat with Charlotte.
"Last night." Jack said. "We opened that letter we got. It was from a lawyer in Hamilton."
"What did Tommy do now?" Charlotte asked.
"It isn't about Tommy." Jack said. "Remember the little girls that I rescued and then visited."
Elizabeth got up to get the frame of them with the new picture, not knowing that Jack had previously shown it to Charlotte.
"Yes." Charlotte said.
"This is paperwork from their grandfather." Jack said.
"Here are the girls." Elizabeth said. "That is also a picture of their father Andy."
Elizabeth held out the frame to Charlotte, but she didn't take it, so Elizabeth sat in front of her and looked at Jack.
"Jack told me about Andy." Charlotte said coolly. "What does the grandfather want now?"
Elizabeth could clearly hear the tone in Charlotte's voice and she wasn't happy about it. She took a breath and tried to hold her temper, even though she had several different emotions rolling through her.
"He wants us to take custody of the girls." Elizabeth said. "I knew Andy and I agree with his father that this is what he would have wanted."
"You just got married." Charlotte said. "And you are expecting your own child."
"So." Jack said.
"Those girls are going to need a lot of help and attention." Charlotte said. "Who is going to provide that?"
"We will." Elizabeth said. "We may also hire some help, but we both already love those girls and they are comfortable with us. I even speak their language."
Charlotte looked at her son and daughter-in-law and shook her head.
"Ma." Jack said. "What is the problem? Those girls need someone to love and raise them and I feel that it is my duty not only as their blood relation, I also feel that I owe it to my brother in arms who died trying to protect his family."
"You already have your hands full." Charlotte said. "Besides where are you going to put those girls, much less live in help."
"It isn't like they are coming tomorrow." Elizabeth said with a tone of her own. "But even if they were, we would make do."
"Don't forget that I am building a huge house." Jack said. "It will be done by the end of summer. I was thinking that we would talk to Andrew Russell and talk about when he wants us to take the girls, letting him know that I was building a house and could it wait until after then."
Charlotte just sat there. Jack and Elizabeth weren't sure what to think about how Charlotte was acting. Elizabeth was upset and overly emotional. Little did Elizabeth know that Jack was also upset with his mother's attitude and tone. Finally not being about to deal with Charlotte's silence, Elizabeth spoke up.
"Why are you being this way?" Elizabeth asked. "Is it because of what you know about them or their family or is something else you are worried about? Because I would like to know what the tone and attitude are about since we mentioned it."
"What do you mean?" Charlotte asked.
"I mean." Elizabeth said. "Is your problem because Andy was a blood relation to Jack or is your problem that they come from money. Because yes, the girls will come with trust funds that we could use if we needed. Otherwise they will be there for the girls when they are old enough. Because if it is about the money, then I don't understand. Do you have a problem because I come from money? Or do you just have a problem with money in general? I would really like to know. I mean does money change who I am? Although I think you knew about the money before you met me, that doesn't change who I am or what I have chosen to do with the money. I am not spoiled and selfish like some people. Is this always going to be an issue, because if it is, I don't think I can do this?"
Charlotte didn't say anything. Elizabeth got up and gave Jack a kiss.
"I need some space." Elizabeth said.
She didn't say anything else, but went upstairs. Jack waited until he heard the bedroom door shut, then he turned to his mother.
"Ma." Jack said in a stern voice. "I want an answer right now. Are you going to treat those two little girls differently than the child that Elizabeth is carrying? Elizabeth is also right, you have had an attitude and I want to know if it is about the money. So, Elizabeth comes from money. She has been nothing but generous with it and has used it to help other people, especially children. I don't care about the money and it doesn't change the woman that I fell in love with. You need to figure it out. I thought we talked about this at Christmas."
"And if I say yes about the girls." Charlotte said.
"Then you will need to think twice about visiting." Jack said.
"What do you mean?" Charlotte said.
"If you can't accept those little girls who did nothing wrong." Jack said. "Then you are not the person that I thought you were. I get your issues with money and that you had bad experiences in your past. But Elizabeth is not those people. You always taught me to judge people by their actions as a whole and not by a moment in time or who they may be with or related to. I suggest that you take your own advice."
Jack didn't say anything else or allow his mother to respond, he just got up and went upstairs to be with Elizabeth. Charlotte didn't know what to think. She sat there and wondered if Jack would really keep her away from her grandchildren. She realized that she wasn't really angry with Jack and Elizabeth for opening their home to two little girls who needed them, but at her late husband's family and the way that they treated her. She knew very little about Thomas's family and then she learns what Jack told her about the brother-in-law that she never knew.
On top of everything else that was going on, it was just too much for Charlotte. She still really hadn't had time to deal with watching them bury all those children just a few days ago. There was a part of Charlotte that wanted to pack her stuff, jump on her horse and take off. Then she saw the lesson plans. She had promised to help at least this week at the school. She was a woman of her word. She would stay this week and help, but then she had to think about leaving. She needed time to think. She wasn't sure that she could be here and think like she needed. Maybe she could talk to Bill and find a hunter's cabin that she could go to for a few days.
Charlotte realized that it was Saturday and Elizabeth usually did laundry on Saturday. Charlotte went out, grabbed her things and then got the water heating. She cleared off the table and picked up Jack's sketchbook while she waited for the second pot of water. When she looked in the downstairs bedroom, she found the stuff that Wynn and Dee had left that needed to be washed. Once she got the laundry gathered, she looked at the stairs, but wasn't going to bother Jack and Elizabeth. She got everything ready and started doing the laundry just to keep her hands busy. Laundry was something that Charlotte could do that would help out around the house, but also didn't require a lot of thought on her part.
Elizabeth Rose got to the cafe and it was busy. She went back to the kitchen and didn't see Charlotte, but then she figured that whatever was going on with Wynn and the others, maybe she was with Jack and Beth. Elizabeth Rose nodded to Ann and then quickly made herself a plate with a biscuit and jam while she had a cup of coffee. After eating, she looked around and then grabbed an apron.
"What do you need?" Elizabeth Rose asked. "I am here to help. I am sure that Charlotte is busy with Jack and Beth, so just tell me what you need."
"What I really need is another batch of biscuits." Ann said. "I am almost out and it is busier than normal."
"On it." Elizabeth Rose said.
Elizabeth Rose and Ann worked on breakfast while Clara did dishes. Abigail was dealing with the customers. When Clara got caught up for a bit, she would jump in and help with other things. As they worked, the four ladies were talking and having a good time despite being busy. Abigail took a moment to look around when she walked back into the kitchen with an order. She realized that Wynn and Frank both had been right, there were plenty of people that were willing to help. Even Becky was helping by drying dishes. Abigail smiled when she looked at her kitchen. She knew that she was going to have to find a way to pay Ann for all that she had done. Abigail also knew that Elizabeth Rose would refuse the money if she offered, so she wasn't going to bother, but Abigail would have to think of something else that she could do for the woman who had helped her so much.
At one point in the morning, Pastor Frank came in. He saw that it was very busy, so he rolled up his sleeves, started on the dishes and had Clara work on getting things ready for lunch as it didn't look like there was going to be much of a break. While he did dishes, Pastor Frank had a nice chat with Becky. He was glad that he got a chance to talk to Becky. He really wanted to make her feel welcome. He had been hoping and praying that Abigail would adopt both of the children. If he was being completely honest, he also wanted to adopt them, but he had to take things slowly and do them in the right order. Without thinking, Frank reached up and touched the ring that was back around his neck. He hadn't minded letting Jack and Beth use the chain, but he was glad that the ring was back where it belonged for the moment. Becky saw him reach up and touch his collar. She had seen him do that one other time.
"Why did you touch your collar?" Becky asked.
It took Frank a moment to realize that Becky had asked him a question.
"What?" Frank asked.
"I asked why you touched your collar." Becky said. "I saw you do it before. You get a far away look in your eyes and hold your collar."
Frank wiped his hands and knelt in front of Becky.
"Here." Frank said. "I will show you."
Frank lifted the ring out from under his shirt so that Becky could see it.
"It was my mother's." Frank said. "It is the only thing that I have left of her. Sometimes when I think about her, I must grab it."
Frank knew that he wasn't being completely honest with Becky, but he couldn't tell her what he was really thinking.
"It is really pretty." Becky said. "I wish I had my mother's ring. I had it when I went to the orphanage, but they took it from me and I never saw it again."
"If you can tell me what it looked like." Frank said. "I will talk to Dee or Wynn and see if there isn't something that they can do. I know that the orphanage was shut down, but I don't know what happened to everything that was there."
"I will do that." Becky said. "I would really like it. It was not only my mother's, but from what I remember it had belonged to my grandmother on my father's side before that."
"Then I promise." Frank said. "I will do everything I can to help you find it."
"It is okay." Becky said. "You have more important things to do."
Frank stopped and took Becky's hands.
"If it is important to you." Frank said. "Then it is important to me. I know what it is like to not have something to remember your parents by. I don't tell many people this, but I lost my parents. I spent time bouncing around. I turned to life a crime because it was easy. I knew how to do certain things and other people took advantage of that. Then I was shot and ended up in jail. I turned my life around and became a pastor. When I was in jail, the person that I had asked to hold on to my mother's ring sent it back to me. It made me realize that I really needed to commit to the change that I had professed. I realized that I wasn't honoring my mother with the way that I had been previously living my life.
So now I wear this ring as a reminder that I need to daily commit to God and continue to work to be a better person. One day, I hope that this ring will be on the finger of someone special, but until then I wear it as a reminder that my mother would want better for me. So you see, I understand more than you think I do. Please don't ever be afraid to share something with me or Abigail. She may not have experienced losing her parents young, but she has had her share of tragedy. Most people in this town have. We are understanding to others who have suffered. We also understand what is important, like having something to remember your loved ones by. So you see why I said if it was important to you, then it was important to me."
Becky nodded.
"Good." Frank said. "I hope that you want to stay, because I think Hope Valley is a great place to live. Even if you go away to college, this place could be your place to come back to. Just something to think about."
Frank didn't say anything else, but stood up and went back to the dishes. He had hoped that he got through to Becky, because he had picked up on some attitude every once awhile from her. It wasn't that she was outright disrespectful, but just little things that she said while they were talking. Putting the whole conversation with Becky aside, Frank tried to refocus on what needed to be done in the cafe to help. He felt bad that he hadn't gotten back to talk to Abigail the night before, but he was going to try and talk to her later. He knew that she was busy, but he knew that she needed to talk to someone. He also had a couple of questions about some of the repairs.
Becky thought about what Frank had said and she had questions, but she wasn't going to ask them at the moment. Between what she had seen and the letters from Cody, she wondered if Frank wasn't sweet on Abigail. It would make sense why he offered to help without being asked. She wondered what would happen if Frank and Abigail got married. Would they want Cody and her there?
