"I heard screaming, is everyone okay?"
As if there weren't enough people suddenly in Elizabeth's bedroom, Clara came around the corner and stood blinking in the doorway with her hair in a shambles and wearing only her nightdress.
It took quite a lot to stun the Thatcher family into silence, but it seemed that this new addition had finally done it. Julie was still on the bed, though she'd managed to move from her perch on Nathan's stomach to the small space between her sister and her new husband.
Grace and William Thatcher were standing just inside the room, trying to decide if a marriage was good news or bad news - when this stranger in a nightdress suddenly appeared.
Grace looked at Clara and took a deep breath that sounded more like a wheeze. In her astonishment, her manners had entirely left her. "Who are you?" she said indelicately.
Clara smiled, wanting to make a good impression, although she feared she may have walked into something rather complicated. But Nathan was still under the covers, so it looked to her as if the two sisters were simply having a sweet reunion on the bed.
She put her hand out firmly and said, "Clara Weller. And you're Mrs. Thatcher? I want to thank you for your hospitality. I'll be off to my own flat today, but it was so kind of you..." Grace was looking at her blankly, and Clara frowned, not feeling as if she was getting the reception she'd hoped for, so her voice trailed off and she put her hand down. She looked over at Elizabeth and raised her eyebrows in a question.
Elizabeth sighed deeply and managed a small smile to Clara. "Mother, Father, this is a friend we met on the train."
"On the..." William Thatcher managed finally to say. A man in my daughter's bed and a waif picked up on a train. He narrowed his eyes at his daughter. "Any more surprises, Elizabeth?"
Feeling like the small child she had been in this four-poster bed for so many years, Elizabeth looked down and said softly, "No, Father, I think that's about it."
That did it. Hearing Elizabeth facing this music alone convinced Nathan that he couldn't stay under the covers any longer. Not only did he need to help his wife through this, but the heavy quilts were actually making it difficult to breathe. With a firm resolve, Nathan summoned his courage and made the decisive move to sit up with as much dignity as he possibly could.
"Oh!" Clara said, seeing Nathan pop up from under the covers. Though they had the sheets pulled up as far as possible, he and Elizabeth were both in a very obvious state of undress, and Clara was beginning to understand what all the screaming might have been about.
"Ooh," she said softly again, realization dawning. Clara thought she might not be helping the situation, so she backed slowly out of the doorway. She looked at Elizabeth, grimacing. "I'll just go... get dressed... um..."
Elizabeth gave her a weak smile. "We'll come get you for breakfast, Clara, and we'll have proper introductions..."
"Proper!" Grace managed to spit out, as if the word had been spoken in an alien tongue. "Proper..." she said again, slightly dazed.
Elizabeth looked at her mother and realized that the first order of business in their plan had been to ask about Grace's health.
"How are you feeling, Mother?" Elizabeth said, trying for cheerfulness.
Perhaps it wasn't the right time for Elizabeth to show her concern, but in the back of her mind she was thinking that if Grace had survived the last few minutes, her heart must be quite healthy.
Nathan peered at Grace and thought she was looking more and more like a recently landed trout, with her mouth opening and closing the way it was. This needs to be over, he thought. And although he was sitting with a pink satin bedspread pulled up to his bare shoulders in front of his new in-laws, Nathan imagined that he was instead wearing the red serge, and modulated his voice accordingly.
"Mr. and Mrs. Thatcher, I think you'll agree that we will all be able to process this much better downstairs and... clothed." Nathan lifted his chin slightly and placed himself firmly in the position of the person in charge of this debacle, as he had so many times as Constable Nathan Grant.
"So, Elizabeth and I will dress and meet you for breakfast, and we will discuss our happy news. Is that agreeable?" He sat up as straight as was possible and set his mouth firmly.
William Thatcher narrowed his eyes ominously, but in truth, he was finding it remarkable that this young man managed to sound authoritative considering the position he was in. Before he could prevent it, a corner of his mouth turned up, and his youngest daughter saw it.
Julie had never been known for her control, and suddenly the entire situation tickled her beyond restraint and she started giggling. She turned to Nathan and put out her hand. "Very nice to meet you, brother-in-law," she said, raising an eyebrow and trying not to look at his bare shoulders and the very attractive masculine chest he was unable to cover completely with the bedspread.
Nathan immediately liked his new sister-in-law. She had the same twinkle in her eye as Elizabeth, and her smile was genuine and welcoming. He smiled back and shook her hand a little awkwardly as he tried to keep himself covered.
Julie turned to Elizabeth and made a face, whispering, "A Mountie? And so handsome..." She wiggled her eyebrows as Elizabeth tilted her head in warning. Then Julie wrinkled her nose adorably and said to the entire group, "Well, this was fun! That was the best Geronimo ever!"
And with that, she crawled over Nathan, none too gracefully, and jumped off the bed.
"Morning, Mother," Julie said, kissing her mother on the cheek as she walked past her. "Father," she said in a deep voice, looking stern.
"See you all at breakfast!"
Collins was waiting at the bottom of the stairs as Nathan and Elizabeth walked down with Clara. He was such a professional that no one would know what his thoughts were, but Elizabeth could see the slightly raised eyebrow.
"Constable and Mrs. Grant," he said formally, with a slight smile to Elizabeth. Then he turned to Clara. "Miss Weller, I trust you slept well?"
Clara nodded and gave him a huge smile. "That was the most comfortable bed I have ever slept in, Mr. Collins," she said.
"Very glad to hear it, Miss."
Elizabeth laughed softly, moving closer. "I take it you heard?" she said quietly.
"Miss Julie filled me in on the finer points of this morning's excitement, yes," he said, trying to suppress a smile.
Nathan sighed and smiled himself. "I'd be interested to hear her description..."
"Quite entertaining, sir," Collins said, nodding.
Nathan exhaled, "Oh, I'm sure it was."
"Breakfast is being served in the dining room," Collins said to all of them. Then he looked at Elizabeth. "Miss Julie ate early as she had an unexpected engagement. Your parents are waiting."
Elizabeth made a face. "Are they angry?" she asked softly.
Collins raised his chin. "Surprisingly placid... ma'am," he said, putting emphasis on the final word.
Elizabeth reached out and gave him a hug. "I'm so glad to see you," she said. Then she squared her shoulders and whispered, "I'll ring the bell if I need a distraction."
Collins smiled. "I'll have the cutlery box ready to drop on the tile floor in the butler's pantry," he said. "Accidentally, of course."
She smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Collins."
Nathan had opted for his white shirt, brown vest and brown wool jacket. They had actually discussed the possibility of him wearing the red serge, but had decided it felt a bit too heavy-handed. Plus Elizabeth knew her parents thought of the Mounted Police as just another class of civil servant; they didn't feel the same sense of patriotism that Elizabeth had always felt as a regiment rode by.
In their happiness, Nathan and Elizabeth had decided to look at the disastrous first-meeting philosophically – there was really nowhere to go but up.
Elizabeth always wondered how her parents could hear each other at opposite ends of the long dining room table. She had actually seen them speak through the servants in the large room: "Maisie, could you please ask Mr. Thatcher if he'd like more chicken?" "Alfred, see if Mrs. Thatcher has finished with the Times, will you?" And of course, they'd used the girls for the same purpose.
As Nathan, Elizabeth and Clara entered the dining room, Grace and William Thatcher didn't rise to greet them. Grace had a small amount of fruit on the plate in front of her, and she looked up without speaking from sipping her tea out of a fine china blue cup. Nathan began to understand Elizabeth's reluctance to rush the trip to Hamilton. To him, Grace looked to be the picture of health, and she was definitely dressed for a garden party.
William had just placed a sizable forkful of eggs into his mouth, and he brought his napkin up to his lips as they walked in. Nathan took the spot next to William to buffer Elizabeth. Clara sat next to her on the other side, by Grace.
William finished his bite and sat back. Nathan felt he was being looked at the way Mr. Thatcher might eye a particularly suspect slab of fish, or perhaps a piece of machinery he was hoping to purchase for his shipping business.
"Constable Grant," he finally said. "So. Are you the Mountie posted to Coal Valley?"
Nathan smiled kindly at his new father-in-law. "I assumed you already knew that, sir, since you were the one who requested my posting."
William Thatcher's eyebrow shot up. Nathan knew he was taking a chance, but he assumed that no matter how formidable he was, Elizabeth's father would not request that his daughter's husband now be re-posted somewhere else. In any case, Nathan wouldn't go. His life was with Elizabeth and Allie and the people of Hope Valley.
And Nathan was not going to sit here and beg Mr. Thatcher for his respect. He knew that he would have to earn it, and that would take time. The best he could do was to be himself. He didn't know how to be anyone else.
Nathan filled the silence left by William's mild shock. "And I'd like to thank you for that posting, sir. There is truly no place I'd rather be." He looked at Elizabeth and smiled softly at her.
Grace finally found her tongue. "How were you married?" she asked suddenly, and everyone turned to look at her.
Nathan looked at Elizabeth as if to say, this one is yours. She smiled at him and turned back to her mother. "In a small ceremony in a town called Benson Hills, Mother. It was lovely."
Grace raised her chin just a little too high and asked the last question anyone expected during this first awkward discussion. "And what did you wear?"
Nathan had to look down at the plate that had just appeared before him to keep his feelings hidden. He actually felt he might laugh if he looked at Mrs. Thatcher at this point. Her middle daughter had been spirited away by a rogue Mountie she had never met, and her greatest concern was the bride's couture.
Elizabeth bit her lip, on exactly the same page with Nathan. "It was borrowed, Mother. From a very dear friend." Then Elizabeth looked at Clara next to her and put her hand over hers, speaking softly. "It was Abigail's, Clara. She wore it when she married Noah. Before Peter was born."
Clara let out a little gasp, and held Elizabeth's hand. "Oh, and it was so beautiful. I sew my own clothes, and I notice things like that. The lace, and all those buttons..."
Nathan choked on his coffee suddenly and everyone turned to him. Elizabeth patted him firmly on the back and turned her head to keep from laughing herself.
William Thatcher was seeing everything. He had to see everything in his business, and he had always brought that ability home with him. What he saw before him in the faces of his daughter and her new husband was a decided lack of concern about his approval. Rather than upsetting him, it gave him confidence in this relationship. They didn't need his blessing. They had already given it to themselves.
But he still had questions.
"Why, Elizabeth, in all the letters we've received from you, have you never mentioned this young man?" William asked, gazing at his daughter.
Elizabeth tilted her head and smiled at him. "Because, Father, we were afraid that you would have him re-posted elsewhere." Then she narrowed her eyes slightly at him. "And why, Father, did you give me such lovely speeches about independence and your admiration of my courage, when you were simultaneously having a babysitter from the North West Mounted Police assigned to my protection?"
William found that the smile was threatening the corner of his mouth again. Sweet little Elizabeth, the peacemaker, the dutiful middle daughter, has a bit of the spitfire in her. And William liked it.
"Touché, Elizabeth," he said, spearing another bite of eggs with his fork. He looked up and into his daughter's eyes. And now he finally smiled.
Looking back and forth between Nathan, Elizabeth and Clara, William Thatcher signaled to everyone that the discussion was over. "So, what are your plans for the day?"
Collins had watched the entire exchange from the butler's pantry. He did indeed have the box of cutlery at the ready, prepared to rescue Miss Elizabeth. Now with a smile, he put it away, knowing it wouldn't be needed.
Just after noon, they went to find Clara's new flat.
After a surprised look from Thomas at the address, he drove Clara, Nathan and Elizabeth out to the East End of Hamilton. They watched Clara's face grow ever more forlorn, as she realized that she could never walk alone in this neighborhood after nightfall, and probably shouldn't in full daylight.
The flat was dreadful, smelling of mildew, with a broken window and an actual hole in the floor going through to the foundation below. The landlord was a horrible man who kept repeating that Clara had signed a contract and was bound to take the apartment. When Nathan challenged him about getting her out of the lease, the man said he would have to charge her the full six months whether she stayed or not. And no, she wasn't getting a penny back of her first month's rent and deposit.
They left with Clara in tears.
"The deposit and rent and the train trip has taken practically everything I have," she said, sitting in the back seat with Nathan on one side and Elizabeth on the other. "I'm supposed to start my new job on Monday and now I have nowhere to live."
Elizabeth pulled her closer. "Of course that's not true, Clara. You'll stay with us as long as you need to." Elizabeth looked up at Nathan and raised her eyebrows in a question.
Nathan nodded and said, "And I'll go to the Mountie office here and see if I can get information on the landlord. I'm sure you're not the first one he's misrepresented that flat to..."
Clara looked up at both of them, her eyes filled with tears. "You're like angels, both of you. Guardian angels, like Peter sent you ..." she said softly as a large tear rolled down her cheek. "How can I ever thank you?"
Elizabeth wiped the tear away and smiled. "Make us a promise that you'll come visit us in Hope Valley sometime. That you'll come and meet Abigail."
Clara smiled a little at Elizabeth. "I promise." She turned to Nathan. "I'd like that."
The day had been busy and exhausting, but Nathan's one wish was to take a walk at sunset out to the stables. Clara was back in the Coral Room, ensconced in peach-colored quilts and reading, feeling for all the world like a princess.
Collins had stopped them before they'd walked out the back door. He directed his question to Nathan.
"May I assume, sir, that you will be wishing to sleep in a... different room tonight?"
Nathan laughed and nodded. "You assume correctly, Mr. Collins. I have a feeling another night in pink satin sheets might bring on nightmares."
"Hey!" Elizabeth said, laughing. "I love my sheets..." She hugged Nathan's arm tightly.
"In fact," Nathan said to Collins. "I believe Mrs. Grant and I will sleep in the Red Room tonight." He turned to Elizabeth who gazed at him with soft eyes and nodded.
Collins smiled, his heart full of happiness for Elizabeth. "I'll have it refreshed while you're on your walk." He tilted his head slightly at Nathan. "And do keep in mind, you have fourteen guest bedrooms from which to choose." He raised an eyebrow. "I suppose you could retire to a different room every night for your stay here."
Nathan and Elizabeth looked at each other with grins starting. Elizabeth reached out and gave Collins a hug. "We might just take you up on that," she said.
Collins smiled as he turned to walk down the hall.
"As you wish. Madam."
They hadn't had a moment to themselves all day. Before they even reached the gardens, Nathan pulled Elizabeth close to him. He grazed his lips across her cheek and murmured into her hair, "Do you know how long it's been since I've kissed you?"
Closing her eyes, Elizabeth sighed. "Too long..." Before she could say anything else, she felt the warmth of his lips on hers and she put her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. She knew exactly how long it had been since they had finally whispered goodnight the night before, still lost in their shared warmth under the satin sheets, their need for each other fulfilled and sleep beginning to take them.
And now she wanted him again.
Would this ever stop? This feeling of wanting all of him, remembering how it felt to have her fingers trailing across the rise of a muscle in his arm, or feeling the soft stubble of his chin moving along her shoulder, or her lips searching the place below his jaw where she could feel his pulse racing. Racing because he wanted her, too.
Nathan pulled away, catching his breath. He looked into her eyes in the fading light and what he saw there made up his mind.
"I can see the stables tomorrow," he said, his voice low and rough. He pressed his lips to hers again and said against them, "You think the Red Room is refreshed by now?"
Elizabeth laughed softly, breathlessly. "Collins is very fast..." she said, taking his hand and leading him back through the door.
"Collins is a good man," Nathan said, laughing softly and reaching around to close the garden door behind him.