Nathan, Elizabeth and Clara watched, a little bleary-eyed, as the train moved past the industrial areas of Hamilton toward the station. Looking at his watch, Nathan could see that it was 1:54 a.m. Right on time.
Clara had at least gotten a few hours of sleep. Although Elizabeth and Nathan had gone to bed at the same time she had, they still hadn't slept. They'd laid down expecting to, but the moon was framed perfectly by the window, and they'd turned the mattresses and piled up pillows so that they could lie in each other's arms in the moonlight. One thing led to another, and before they'd known it, it was time to get up and get dressed.
Their reluctance to let go was due to the fact that both were thinking about the two nights they'd agreed to sleep apart once they reached the Thatcher mansion. Elizabeth's parents knew she was coming, but they didn't know Nathan would be with her, and they certainly didn't know about Clara.
The one member of the Thatcher household who had the most information about their arrival was the butler, Collins. It was hard for Elizabeth to think of him as simply a butler, because he had been with the family for nearly her entire lifetime. When they were children, Elizabeth, Julie, and Viola would manage to rope poor Mr. Collins into all sorts of non-butler activities. Tea parties, dress-ups, and puppet shows should not have been a part of his job description, but he was a very kind and fun-loving gentleman and there was very little he wouldn't do for the three Thatcher girls.
These days, Collins was a middle-aged gentleman who never failed to behave with the utmost dignity, but Elizabeth believed if she asked him to, he would still sit down for a tea party with Miss Elizabeth and her dolls.
She had shared the knowledge of her marriage with Collins and had asked him to keep the information to himself. Miss Viola was courting and should very soon be engaged to her beau, Sir Lionel, but there were still those in society who believed that the second daughter should at least wait for the first to be engaged before she runs off and gets married.
These matters had to be managed with a delicate hand, and were best discussed face-to-face rather than through wires or over unreliable telephone service. Elizabeth could imagine herself getting to the point of saying, "I'm married," and having the line go dead. No thank you, I'll do it in person.
So Elizabeth had sent a wire directly to Collins to be sure to have two rooms made up; her own childhood room for her, and the Red Room in the West Wing for Nathan. Elizabeth had chosen a room for him that was as far as possible from her own, suspecting that it might be difficult if they were too close.
Now that she was a married woman of nearly four long, exquisite days, Elizabeth knew that the distance between the rooms had been a very good idea indeed. As she and Nathan had basked in the moonlight on the train, they'd talked about how they would accomplish the task of breaking the news to Grace and William Thatcher.
The first order of business would be to find out how Elizabeth's mother was feeling. Once that was established, they would ask Collins to let them know when William and Grace were sitting down to tea, and they would simply tell them. But they did want to give her parents the opportunity to know Nathan a little before they sprung the news on them, hence the two nights.
Elizabeth was glad that Viola and Sir Lionel were spending a month at a winter resort in Tremblant and wouldn't be home for another two weeks. Julie was still at school, so the Thatchers were alone in the mansion with only the servants. Elizabeth didn't think it would be too complicated.
When they stepped off the train, a young man met them. "Miss Thatcher, my name is Thomas, and Mr. Collins said I should meet the two of you and bring you round to the great house." The young man, who seemed very young, made a deep bow.
Elizabeth smiled. "I've never seen you before, Thomas, are you a new driver?"
"Yes miss, just December. Came in for the Christmas parties and stayed on," he said crisply. He was beginning to frown just a little, as Clara walked up behind them. "I was told two, miss..."
Nodding, Elizabeth said, "Yes, I know, but we have another friend coming to stay with us. Miss Clara Weller," Elizabeth said, using the name Clara had asked her to use.
Thomas looked back at the car. "I might've brought the Pullman, miss, if I'd known..."
Elizabeth walked past him and said, smiling. "We're all very good friends, Thomas. We won't mind a little close quarters."
There was virtually no traffic at the early hours, and it only took them ten minutes to pull up in front of the Thatcher mansion.
"It looks like a museum," Nathan said, gazing at the six massive white columns at the entrance of the Edwardian mansion.
Clara's eyes were wide as saucers. "This is bigger than the museums I saw in Cape Fullerton..."
"Miss! How good to see you again!" A tall, balding gentleman with a ruff of salt and pepper hair came out of the front door. He was wearing what looked to Nathan like a full tuxedo, complete with white gloves, at three in the morning. He was speaking softly, though the living quarters were far away from the front entrance. He approached them formally and bowed slightly.
"Collins!" Elizabeth said, throwing her arms around him. Smiling, the butler's demeanor changed completely as his arms went around Elizabeth. He pulled away and held her at arm's length.
"Well, there is something decidedly different about you, Miss Elizabeth," he said, not sounding unhappy with what he was seeing. Elizabeth held up her left hand and wiggled it in front of his eyes. She knew she had to take her wedding band off soon, but she was wearing it right up until the last minute.
Collins' eyes went soft. "Ah, yes. Not Miss Elizabeth any longer." He looked at Nathan who was standing a short distance behind them. "Constable Grant, I presume?" Collins said. "An honor to meet you, sir."
Nathan put out his hand. "And you, Mr. Collins. I've heard all about you from Elizabeth."
Collins arched an eyebrow and looked at Elizabeth. "I'll hope she hasn't told you everything," he said.
Nathan sensed a kindred spirit and his crooked smile appeared. "About the tea parties and the puppet shows?" He shook his head solemnly. "Not a word."
Smiling, Collins lifted his chin. "Good to have some secrets." Then he did the same as Thomas had, and looked past them to see Clara, who was still in awe of the columns at the front entrance. Collins looked at Elizabeth and raised his eyebrows.
"This is Miss Clara Weller, a friend of ours. Might there be a bedroom in the East Wing close to mine?"
Without missing a beat, Collins nodded. "Absolutely, miss." He turned to the valets behind him. "Please take Miss Weller's things up to the Coral Room, Miss Elizabeth's to her bedroom, and Constable Grant's to the Red Room." He arched an eyebrow at the two valets as they picked up the bags. "Silently, please."
He turned back to the party of travelers. "Are you hungry?" Collins asked.
"No, thank you, but we will be when we wake. Please tell Mother and Father that we'll sleep in and probably will come down mid-morning."
"Yes, miss," Collins said, and then he leaned in and smiled conspiratorially, "Ma'am."
"Not for another two days, Collins. For now, I am still Miss Elizabeth."
She kissed him lightly on the cheek and Nathan and Clara watched as his face took on a pink glow. He looked at all three as they began to climb the stairs. "Pull the bell if you need anything at all."
"Thank you, Collins," Elizabeth said, putting her arm through Nathan's.
Collins took a deep breath and allowed himself a small sigh. All grown up and married. Miss Elizabeth. He shook his head as he watched them turn the corner at the top of the grand staircase.
Oh. He'd forgotten to tell Miss Elizabeth that Miss Julie had come home last night. For a moment he considered climbing the stairs to tell her, but then a yawn overtook him and he smiled. Miss Julie likes nothing better than surprising people. And what a surprise it will be when the two girls are together again.
After getting Clara settled, Elizabeth walked Nathan around the upstairs balcony on the way to his room, pointing out books on the shelves and rooms down below beyond the railing. They stood and whispered at the large windows that overlooked the back gardens, and even with only the moonlight illuminating them, Nathan could see how they stretched out into the distance.
"Those are the stables," Elizabeth said softly, pointing at a large dark building.
Nathan shook his head, peering into the darkness. "It looks like half the town of Hope Valley could fit in there," he said. "How many horses?"
"Twelve, last time I was here," she said.
"Can't believe I never asked you this, but what's your horse's name?" Nathan said softly, pressing his face up against the cool window.
"I don't have a horse, Nathan. No one rides our horses. They pull wagons and carts and carriages."
Nathan looked over at her, wondering how a young girl could resist a dozen horses right behind the house. Colleen never could, and Allie was shaping up to be the same. But Elizabeth had been inside, having tea parties with her sisters and Collins. Nathan smiled.
"We're going to choose you a horse while you're here. And we're going riding, if it's alright with your parents?"
Elizabeth laughed. "I'm not sure they even know how many horses we have. We have a stablemaster who cares for them." She lifted her chin and smiled. "I like that idea. Of choosing a horse." Elizabeth leaned up and kissed him. "Tomorrow. We'll do it tomorrow."
They finished their walk to the West Wing and Elizabeth stopped outside highly-polished mahogany double-doors that were nearly twice Elizabeth's height. She opened the doors and Nathan looked in, squinting in wonder. The room was about the size of Abigail's Café, and Nathan didn't need to ask why it was called the Red Room. Ornate rugs, luxurious satin quilts and pillows, the upholstery on the chairs and sofa arranged around the large marble fireplace – practically everything was some shade of red. Most of it was deep burgundy, but there were spots of brighter color.
Nathan laughed. "If I had my uniform on, I might disappear in here."
Elizabeth laughed softly too. "I thought you would like the color."
Nathan turned to her. "That's an awfully big bed to sleep in all alone..." He leaned down and kissed her and Elizabeth went weak in his arms. There was nothing she wanted more than to simply crawl into the huge four-poster bed with him and make love - here in this room that she'd played in as a child, that held such good memories for her. She knew how warm Nathan would be, how it would feel to sink into the quilts with her hands running over the smooth skin of his back...
Elizabeth moved her lips from his and said, "Oh, this is dangerous..." They were both breathing quickly, and Nathan leaned his chin on the top of her head, trying to recover his senses.
He laughed softly. "Well, this is familiar..." he said. Then he looked down at her and raised an eyebrow. "I didn't dream the last three days, did I?"
Her eyes soft in the lamplight, Elizabeth reached up and drew his head down to hers until their lips were touching again. "No, you didn't dream it." She kissed him in a way that she knew would remind him of their quiet hours in the train cabin, listening to the singing of the rails beneath them, and feeling the steady movement along the tracks. Their hands began to roam, and both knew that it was a very short step to closing the door and simply falling into the bed.
Nathan had a fleeting image of being caught here together, and it gave him the strength to pull away. Two nights, he thought. I'm a Mountie. I've endured two days and two nights in the wilderness with no water. I can last two nights without Elizabeth's body next to me.
He quickly put his arm through Elizabeth's and led her out of the door. "Where is your room?" he said, his voice deep and urgent. "I need to take you there, now."
Elizabeth sighed and made a face at him. "Fine. Back the way we came, but I can get there by myself, you know." She smiled, realizing the ridiculousness of this situation. Three in the morning and she was pouting because she couldn't sleep with her husband. The man she'd made love with more times than she could count in the last three days, and she was acting like a spoiled child.
She turned to him and smiled. "I'll be good," she said, making him laugh softly. To prove it, Elizabeth straightened up and walked like a lady with her hand on his arm, formally. They walked in silence until they came to a set of double doors much like the ones they'd just left, except that they were ivory with gold trim.
Elizabeth pushed open the doors and Nathan almost had to put his hand over his mouth to stifle a gasp. He had never seen so much lace in his life, bordering the pink satin canopy over the bed. The massive four-poster was awash in stuffed bears and dolls and pink satin pillows trimmed with even more lace. All of the furniture was the same ivory color as the door, and with the same gold trim. It was such a contrast to the masculinity of the Red Room that he was rendered speechless.
Nathan began to walk around, touching the leather binding of a book, a wooden cat with articulated limbs sitting on a shelf, a small pink frame with a picture of a little girl in curls. Elizabeth followed him silently, and she couldn't help but remember the thousands of hours she'd spent in this room dreaming of the man she would marry.
She looked at Nathan, and none of her dreams could hold a candle to the man standing before her. His blue eyes dancing, gazing around the room she'd grown up in, with his crooked smile and the full lips that she now wanted to kiss so badly that she thought it was beyond her willpower to prevent it. It was as if she wished to prove to the girl who grew up here that dreams really do come true, that life can be perfect, and that love can be complete and everlasting, just as she'd always imagined it.
Mindfully, deliberately, Elizabeth turned off the lights. Nathan looked at her with narrowed eyes as the moonlight drew long white rectangles on the flowered rug. "Elizabeth..." he said softly. "I should go."
"No," she said, her voice firm and low, "You're my husband. I want you to stay." And then she put her arms around his neck and pulled him to her, letting him know just how committed she was to the idea. She backed him down to the soft bed and together they scattered stuffed animals, dolls and frilled pillows to the floor, scrambled to remove their own and each other's clothing, and finally free, they pulled the soft quilts over themselves and Nathan forgot completely that the room was pink, and Elizabeth forgot completely why she'd thought he should spend the night in the Red Room.
And then, predictably spent, exhausted, and fervently in love, they fell asleep in each other's arms.
Julie Thatcher loved surprises. And because she did, she assumed that everyone else did as well. From the time they were little girls, she and Elizabeth had delighted in running into each other's rooms in the morning, taking a leap and yelling "Geronimo!" at the top of their lungs as they jumped on the bed of the last one awake.
Yes, we're all grown up, Julie thought. Yes, I should have moved past this. But will I do it anyway? Yes!
Pushing the door open silently, Julie peered in. She frowned slightly, seeing the piles of dolls, bears, pillows and clothes on the floor. Perhaps Mother was right, Julie thought. Perhaps the Wild West has taken all the civility out of Elizabeth. This certainly didn't look like the way her sister usually went to sleep, with everything hung up neatly, and rows of tidy animals and dolls on the window seat.
No, everything had been thrown, willy-nilly, onto the floor. Julie grinned. Just more to tease her about, she thought.
Julie took a step backwards to get the maximum distance before her leap.
"Geronimo!"
Nathan felt the wind being knocked out of him by a heavy object from above, and in the delirium of too-little sleep, he thought he was being attacked. Throwing his arms out, he managed to immobilize the intruder, who was currently screaming bloody murder in, of all things, a high voice belonging to a woman.
He squinted in the morning sunlight and was smothered in a mass of red curly hair and its owner, still screaming, was flailing about in such a fashion that there were going to be injuries if he didn't calm her down. "Stop fighting me!" Nathan said loudly, hoping to be heard. At the same time, Elizabeth sat up with her hands over her ears.
"Julie!" Elizabeth said, and finally the room quieted.
"Sister?" Julie said, looking at Elizabeth, confused. Then she looked down and saw the arms that were locked around her middle. Bare arms, lovely male arms, with a forest of fine dark hair and muscles that were straining to hold her still. In wonder, Julie reached down and touched the warm skin and then looked back at Elizabeth.
"Sister!" she said in shock, turning around to see Nathan, a curl of his hair falling down into his eyes, still squinting in the light and trying to calm his racing heart.
Nathan and Elizabeth didn't think this scenario could get any worse, but they were wrong.
A voice from the doorway boomed into the room.
"Elizabeth Marie Thatcher!" Her father's face was redder than she had ever seen it, and her mother's eyes looked ready to leave her head.
Elizabeth sat with the satin quilt pulled up to her bare shoulders, and Nathan slowly released his hold on Julie and did the same with the quilt on his side.
Elizabeth sighed. This hadn't gone at all to plan. She reached over to Nathan's hand and picked it up. She held it next to her own with the matching wedding bands alongside each other.
"Mother? Father? Julie?" Elizabeth said, looking from one to the other. "I'd like to introduce you to my husband. Constable Nathan Grant of the North West Mounted Police."
Nathan was at a loss. All he could think to do was to give them a weak salute. And then he simply leaned back and pulled the covers over his head.