Chapter 155 – Gathering at the Cafe
Wynn turned back to McGinty and pulled a folded note from his pocket.
"If Mr Nichols looks at you weird." Wynn said. "Just tell him that it is okay. This is in the Cree language. It is going to a trusted contact in Ottawa Mountie station. I know that he is there as he always works on holidays to give those with family close by a break. He will get it and probably respond right away. It may come back in Cree, but that is okay. When you get back here, please bring any response back to me and me alone. I will either be here at the cafe, with Jack and Beth or in the saloon. Check here first and if I am not here Abigail will know where I am."
"Yes, Sir." McGinty said. "Can I ask what this is about in case more information is needed."
"If he is looking for more information." Wynn said. "Tell him to look ask Andrew. He will know what that means. If he needs more than that, tell him he will need to gather what he can and then head to Hamilton tomorrow."
"Got it." McGinty said. "Ask Andrew or gather what you have and head to Hamilton."
McGinty scribbled the note in his notebook, then put his notebook and the message from Wynn in his pocket.
"I will head out as soon as I gather what I need." McGinty said. "I won't push Bandit, so it should take me about three hours to get to Benson Hills and about half an hour to gather my things from the Mountie station. I will then find Mr Nichols. Once I have a response, I will ride back."
"Very well." Wynn said. "It is not that much after eleven. I expect to hear from you by eight tonight. That is giving you plenty of time."
McGinty nodded and then headed to the livery as Jacobs walked up.
"Everything okay?" Jacobs asked.
"Yes." Wynn said. "He requested to head back to Benson Hills and gather some items as he hadn't planned on an extended stay. He wanted to ask if it was okay before he took off. I also am having him run an errand for me while he is there."
"Is he coming back tonight?" Jacobs asked.
"Yes." Wynn said.
"Then I won't worry." Jacobs said.
Wynn and Jacobs walked into the cafe and immediately drew questioning looks from Jack and Elizabeth Rose. Wynn closed his eyes and counted to ten to try and clear his mind and enjoy some family time.
"Wynn." Jack said. "Have you seen my mother? I thought she would be here."
Wynn and Jacobs took a seat at the table with Jack. They had barely sat down and Frank walked in and joined them.
"Us ladies will leave you guys to talk." Elizabeth Rose said.
She stood up, went over to her husband, leaned down and whispered to him.
"We will talk later about what is going on." Elizabeth Rose whispered to her husband.
Wynn nodded. With that Elizabeth Rose and Elizabeth left the guys alone and went to the kitchen. Wynn waited a moment and then turned to Jack.
"Your mother is fine." Wynn said. "According to Bill, she needed some space, so he took her to one of the hunting cabins in the area. He gave a couple days' provisions and according to him, she will be back probably Monday or Tuesday."
Jack let out a harsh breath.
"Jackson." Wynn said with a tone. "Don't blame yourself. She had a hard time at Rock Creek and once she calms down she will realize that she overstepped with you."
"I suppose you are right." Jack said.
"Jack." Frank said. "I don't know if you know or not, but it was Charlotte and Bill that first found out what had happened at the settlement there. It was Charlotte that had to find those poor children and then care for them. She also helped prepare all the bodies for burial. She was the one that made sure that each of those children were held one last time before they were laid in those coffins. I figured that it was hard on her, but all she said was that she needed to do it and couldn't or wouldn't explain."
"I guess." Jack said. "It probably doesn't help that harsh words were exchanged yesterday between her and Elizabeth and I."
"Probably not." Frank said. "If she told Bill that she would be back Monday or Tuesday, we will let her have the time that she needs. If she is not back then, I will personally find out from Bill where she is and go check on her."
"Thank you." Jack said. "I know that you are right. I am still trying to figure out how to navigate things with both Elizabeth and Charlotte. I am trying to be a husband and father-to-be while also learning how to deal with a mother who still sees me as her child that she needs to protect."
"Congratulations." Frank said. "I hadn't heard about you and Elizabeth."
"We just found out earlier this week." Jack said. "We haven't told many people. Wynn, Dee and Elizabeth Rose know. Abigail and my mother also knew. I guess Elizabeth wrote a note to her mother and aunt as well. We aren't hiding it, but also aren't explicitly telling people."
"I won't say anything." Frank said.
"Jack." Wynn said. "As far as navigating things. I have been married almost thirty years and I am still trying to figure that out. Granted, my in-laws have passed as well as my own parents, but still."
"When is your anniversary?" Jack asked. "I don't think that Elizabeth ever told me."
"End of the month." Wynn said. "Elizabeth and I will have been married for twenty-nine years."
"So you were already a Mountie when you were married?" Frank asked.
"Yes." Wynn said. "I had graduated from training and was a full Mountie when we married."
"So you had been out of the academy about two years then." Jack said.
"I graduated from training in June 1880." Wynn said. "We were only required to have one year of on the job training back then. I was actually promoted to Corporal shortly after our wedding. I had joined the officer's training path in the academy, so several of my first promotions were fast tracked. Yet, to gain experience, I was sent all over the place. I think that it was hard on Elizabeth. Especially, when we lost our first son. When we found out that she was expecting again, I requested to be moved from a remote posting to at least a fort that had a doctor. That was granted and it was at Fort George that I first met your father, Jack. Dee was born there and when he was one we moved to Cape Fullerton and then Hamilton when he was about five. I spent a lot of time on the road and was only home about three or four months of the year when Dee and Sophie were little.
I realized that it was wrong of me. It was only after your father died, Jack, that I requested to be assigned back to Hamilton full time. After that I was back and forth between Cape Fullerton and Hamilton. The difference was my family was with me as much as possible. Elizabeth taught the kids and did private tutoring. She also covered other teachers who needed short periods of time off. During those times, the children went to regular school."
"That couldn't have been easy." Frank said.
"We made it work." Wynn said. "It is only as I look at the children around here that I realize what I missed with my children."
"But look at all the experiences that your children had that most children never have." Frank said.
"True." Wynn said. "It helped that both of my children are incredibly smart and were finished with regular school by the time that they were about thirteen or fourteen."
"So it is true that Dee joined the academy at fifteen?" Jack asked.
"Yes." Wynn said. "He turned fifteen in December and joined his troop in January."
"Wow." Frank said.
"I agree." Jack said. "I thought he was kidding me."
"No." Wynn said. "The brass wasn't going to let him in until I convinced them to let him take the entrance exam."
"Which is probably aced." Jack said.
"Yep." Wynn said. "Some of the superintendents thought I had let him see the test and he learned what he needed to know."
"How did you convince them otherwise?" Frank asked.
"I didn't." Wynn said. "Dee convinced them himself. He said that if they thought it was cheating, they could write a different test and he would take it in front of them. They wrote an exam that most senior cadets would have had a hard time passing. They gave Dee three hours to take the test and he finished it in just over two. Again they thought he cheated, but he argued that there was no way that he could have known what they would have asked him. Finally they let him join, but didn't think that he would make it. I will admit that he struggled sometimes to keep up with the other cadets who were physically bigger than him. However, he had a major growth spurt shortly after his sixteenth birthday, then that winter and early spring he filled out. Suddenly, the instructors were much more aware of how strong Dee was. I mean he still isn't back to the weight he was before he went to Cape Fullerton, but he is close. So for someone who is over six foot, he is surprisingly strong."
"Are you talking about me again?" Dee said as he came into the cafe.
"I was just asking your father some questions." Jack said.
"Sorry, it is my fault." Frank said.
Wynn mouthed 'thank you' to Frank while Dee came over and took a seat with them.
"So where did Sophie go to college?" Jacobs asked.
Wynn and Dee both closed their eyes and took a deep breath.
"While Sophie officially has a degrees from University College in Toronto." Wynn said. "Most of her classes were taken as correspondence courses and with private tutors."
"I don't understand." Frank said. "You said that she was really smart."
"In 1905 when Sophie was seventeen." Wynn said. "She was in a horrific accident when she was traveling with Beth. Beth's mother Grace and aunt Agatha had arranged for a trip to New York. They invited Sophie along. Beth's two sisters also went along. They made a stop at Niagara Falls since Beth wanted to. While they were at the Falls, a man tried to take Beth. When she screamed, the man pushed Sophie down the cliff of the path they were on. William had hired several Mounties to travel with the girls and they were able to kill the man before he got away. However, Sophie was severely injured. We didn't know if she would live or not.
When she woke, she had little feeling in her legs and feet. She also had several broken bones and scars on her face and arms. As she healed and rehabbed she took several courses and finished both an accounting degree as well as an English degree. She was the first woman to graduate with both from University College. She works from home as an independent editor for several publishing companies. She also does typing and bookkeeping for her husband's law firm."
"Before you ask." Dee said. "Andrew and Sophie met through Dad. Andrew was a junior lawyer who was doing some work for the Mounties. He saw past the scars and issues and fell in love with my sister. Granted it took him a year to convince her that it was worth trusting him with her heart. They will be married for two years tomorrow."
"What an inspiring story." Frank said. "I am sure that Becky would benefit from hearing it."
"She had already heard most of it from both Dee and myself." Wynn said.
"Good." Frank said. "I look forward to meeting Sophie if she ever comes here."
"So it sounds like you plan on sticking around." Jack said.
"I will be here as long as the people of Hope Valley want me here." Frank said. "I am hoping that is a very long time."
As Frank was speaking he looked longingly at the kitchen. His gaze was not missed by the rest of the men at the table. Wynn knew that he was going to do what he could to help Abigail realize that she could open her heart again.
While the guys were relaxing and visiting in the dining room, the ladies were busy at work in the kitchen.
"I am surprised that Charlotte is not here." Elizabeth said. "Especially with her tent gone from our house."
"I know." Elizabeth Rose said. "I haven't seen her all morning."
"I saw her ride out with Bill shortly after sun up this morning." Abigail said. "I don't know where they were going, but Bill was alone when he returned about an hour later."
"I have a feeling that my husband and/or son know where she is." Elizabeth Rose said. "Honestly, I wouldn't worry right now. If I know Charlotte, she just needed some space. She said she would help with school this week, so I am sure that she will be back by Tuesday night."
"Then I won't worry." Elizabeth said. "Jack said that she was upset and demanded an apology after we had words yesterday."
"Beth." Elizabeth Rose said. "Please don't worry about it. It is like Ann said yesterday, you need to do what is right for you. Whatever is going on, Charlotte will realize that she shouldn't have said whatever she said."
"I don't know." Elizabeth said. "She was really upset at just the possibility of Jack and I doing something. I don't know how she will react when we tell her that we are going ahead with it."
"I will say it again." Ann said. "If you and Jack have prayed about it and know in your hearts that you are making the right decision, then it shouldn't matter what other people think. Would their support be great? Yes, but you can't do things just because other people don't agree. Where would we be if we allowed other people to always dictate what we do."
"You are right." Elizabeth said. "I became a teacher, came out here and even married Jack despite what my father wanted for me. It is just hard, because I thought that Charlotte would have been excited for us."
"Hopefully she will come around." Elizabeth Rose said.
"I will keep you in my prayers." Marsha said. "From what I have seen, you have plenty of people in this town that support you. I don't know what is going on, but those that don't support you or agree with your choices, were not true friends to start with."
"Very well said." Patty said.
Sensing that both Elizabeth and her aunt were getting uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation, Ann decided to change it. She knew if she didn't that her mother would ask a ton of questions and that was not what was needed at the moment.
