After listening to Mary Louise's bedtime prayers, touched at her plea to God to keep Mountie Gabriel safe, Lillian tucked the girl into bed. Leaning over, she kissed the child's forehead and told her goodnight. As she turned from the bunk bed, the orphanage proprietress found herself face to face with Allie.
"It's going to be okay, Aunt Lillian," the teen told her. It had touched her when Allie and Jack had asked if they could start calling her Aunt Lillian as she was going to marry their Uncle Gabe. "Dad will make sure Uncle Gabe is home safely soon."
"I know he will," Lillian said, starting to let herself believe the words. Allie's strength in that belief was starting to get through to her. The girl opened her arms and Lillian accepted the offered hug, drawing the girl close to her. Allie's maturity today had impressed her. "Thank you for your strength today. You've not only helped the other children but me as well. You have been very grown up," she told the girl as she released her.
"I had to grow up fast. Until I moved to Hope Valley, I was the only one Dad had to look after him when Uncle Gabe wasn't around," Allie replied. She looked over to where Elizabeth was sitting on the edge of the bottom mattress of the other bunk bed, quietly reading a story to Jack who was fighting sleep. The young boy had insisted on being in the same room as his sister. "I like having a mother to help with that task now."
"You have a good one," Lillian told her. "Can I tuck you in?" Lillian asked, not sure if that was something the girl allowed anymore or not. The boys in her care had all declared they were too old to be tucked in.
Allie nodded and climbed up on the bunk above Jack. She moved to the top of the bed and slipped under the quilt. Standing just behind Elizabeth, Lillian reached up and tucked the quilt up around Allie.
"I know it might seem childish, but I always find it comforting to have Dad or Mama tuck me in at night," Allie admitted softly.
"There is nothing childish about comfort," Lillian told her. "I wouldn't mind being tucked into bed some nights, myself," she confessed.
"Well, after you're married, Uncle Gabe can do that," Allie replied, a mischievous smile on her face.
Lillian blushed. "I suppose he can," she admitted. "Good night, Allie."
"Good night, Aunt Lillian," the girl replied.
Lillian took a step back from the bed. In the bunk below, Jack reached his arms out. "Hug please," the boy requested.
Lillian smiled at the request. Except for that first Christmas Eve when he was born, today was the first time she had met the little boy. Other than a little shyness at first, Jack had been affectionate with everyone.
Elizabeth got to her feet to give Lillian room and the orphanage proprietress leaned in and gave the boy a hug. "G'night Aunt Lily," Jack told her. He had tried several times to repeat her name after Allie pronounced it for him, finally settling on the shortened version. Though her name had never been shortened before, she had to admit it sounded sweet from the boy's mouth.
"Good night, Jack," Lillian replied hugging the boy back. Releasing him, she took a step back, surprised when he took her hand.
"Mama said she's sharing your room?" Jack asked.
Though originally Nathan and Elizabeth were going to stay in the cottage until the wedding and then use Lillian's room while they were helping with the children, with Nathan gone it didn't make sense to have Elizabeth out in the cottage alone or with Jack. Lillian had offered to share the big bed in the main bedroom that she occupied until Nathan came back.
With Gabriel, Lillian reminded herself before answering Jack. "She is. We showed you where the room was. Do you remember?"
Jack nodded. "If I get scared, can I come join you?"
Lillian squatted down next to the bed. "You are more than welcome to if you need to, but you've got Allie and Mary Louise in this room with you. They'll keep you safe too."
"Okay," Jack said. "Mama, one more story?" he requested.
"Yes, please," both Mary Louise and Allie added.
"One more story and then all three of you need to try getting some sleep," Elizabeth consented.
Lillian laughed, reminded of Grace being persuaded by Helen, Sophia and Mary Louise for one more story when they had first started the orphanage.
"I will go check on the boys and then see if Eleanor and Abigail need any help in the kitchen," Lillian told Elizabeth.
"All right," Elizabeth said, as she moved to sit on a chair where she could see each of the children as she told her story.
Leaving the room, Lillian crossed the hallway to the room where the boys shared. Standing outside, she knocked on the cracked bedroom door. The whispered voices from within stopped and Vincent called out.
"Come in."
Lillian pushed the door open and stepped into the room. She was happy to see that at least all four of the boys were in their beds.
"I just wanted to come in and say good night," Lillian told the boys, looking around and making eye contact with each of them. One by one, they all echoed her good night.
"Mountie Grant is going to be home soon with Mount Gabriel, so we should continue with preparations for the wedding," Vincent said, his voice confident. "So, whatever you need me and Cody to do, just say the word."
"It is Cody and I," Lillian calmly corrected. "Thank you. And you are right. We should try to carry on normally."
"We need to believe that everything will turn out okay," Roy interjected. "You taught me that."
Lillian smiled. The boy had come a long way in the past year.
"Thank you for that reminder, Roy," Lillian replied. "Now it is time for you all to get some sleep."
The boys said goodnight to her, and Lillian slipped out, pulling the door shut partway again. She had a feeling there would be more whispering before sleep finally came for them but didn't wait to hear it resume. She could remember whispering with Grace long into the night when they were little. If she'd had a sibling when she had come to this home, she probably would have done so then as well.
Though she intended to go downstairs, Lillian's feet instead took her to her bedroom, where she had brought all the gifts that Gabriel had arrived with. They stood in one corner, a blanket thrown over them. Padding softly across the room, she lifted the blanket to stare at the wrapped gifts. She knew exactly how lucky she was to have found a man who not only loved her, but chose to devote himself to the children in her care as well.
"He doesn't deserve this."
"No, he doesn't," Elizabeth voice said softly from beside her, making Lillian realize that she had spoken out loud. "But when bad people want to get their way, they don't care if those they hurt in the process are good people or not. I got a reminder of that when Dixon held me hostage in the Queen of Hearts. It is a terrifying experience to have a gun held on you, isn't it?" As she asked the question, she slipped an arm around Lillian's waist.
Lillian let the blankets fall over the gifts. "The man had the gun pointed at Gabriel, not me," she protested.
"Who the gun was pointed at doesn't really change the fact that the gun was visible and the man holding it seemed willing to use it," Elizabeth observed.
"Why Gabriel?"
"Probably because Dylan feared he wouldn't get close to Hope Valley again without someone recognizing him, and he knew that taking Gabriel would get Nathan's attention."
"Does he want Allie back?"
"Only to use her for what he wants - money, his freedom or both." There was a silence for a bit before Elizabeth spoke again. "I'm sorry that the two of you got wrapped up in this. Nathan didn't even know the man was out of jail."
Lillian finally looked from the blanket-covered pile to Elizabeth. "I don't hold Nathan responsible for this. He can't control anyone's actions but his own. I know if he thought Gabriel was in danger, he would have warned him. I just never had a gun pulled on me before," Lillian admitted before breaking into tears. "Or pointed at someone I loved. And what if the children had been home!?"
Elizabeth reached out to take the other woman in her arms. She didn't try to stop the tears but simply held her tightly as she cried, knowing that Lillian needed this release of emotion.
"I'm sorry," Lillian murmured when the tears finally came to an end. She reached into the pocket of her skirt for a handkerchief. The wet spot on Elizabeth's dress from her tears seemed to stand out in the dim light of the room.
"Don't be," Elizabeth told her with a sympathetic smile. "Lord knows I've borrowed friends' shoulders to cry on numerous times over the years. Being the strength at home doesn't mean that we don't get to shed tears, but that we hold it together when there are others who need us. You've done that for your children today, Lillian, but they are tucked away in bed, and you need to deal with your emotions so that you can be their pillar of strength in the morning."
Having wiped her face with the handkerchief, Lillian nodded before blowing her nose. The release of tears had felt good.
"Let's go downstairs and get some tea and talk for a little bit."
Lillian nodded in agreement and let herself be led from the room. Reaching the kitchen, they found Abigail taking a couple loaves of bread out of the oven to cool for the morning.
"Eleanor already retired for the night," Abigail said as Lillian and Elizabeth entered the room. "As soon as the bread is cool enough to put away, I think I am going to follow her, unless you need me for anything, Lillian."
Lillian shook her head. "No, you've done so much already. In fact, don't worry about the bread. I'll take care of it when it cools. Thank you for being the rock the kids needed when I wasn't able to. Also, thank you both for helping me explain the situation to them. I could not have gotten through that conversation without the both of you."
"You're welcome," both Abigail and Elizabeth replied.
"I kept the water in the kettle hot for you and the chamomile tea out," Abigail told them. "After a day like today, it is probably your best choice before bed."
"Thank you, Abigail."
"Of course," Abigail said, moving forward and giving Lillian a hug. "Gabriel will be home safely soon. That is what you have to believe, or the worry will eat away at you," she whispered in the younger woman's ear as she held her tight.
"I'll try," Lillian replied, letting herself soak in the comfort of the other woman's embrace for a few moments. She wasn't alone, and that was what she had to focus on.