Chapter 121

What a Surprise

. . .

"Again, a hearty welcome! We are simply delighted and honored to have all of you join us for tonight's celebration! But we'll turn you over to Nathan and Millicent for now. Please let us know if there is anything at all you need," enthused Victoria, with Edward standing beside her.

"We'll definitely be in touch throughout the night. Just enjoy the party!" added Edward as the two smiled and began to leave.

"We most certainly will," smiled the commanding presence leading the entourage.

"Thank you, Mother, Father," smiled Millicent. "For greeting and dining with our guests!"

Nathan simply couldn't believe his eyes!

Standing there, lined up before Millicent and him, directly behind Commissioner Anderson and his wife, were many of his new Officer colleagues.

He couldn't believe they were here, as most of them, due to his new position, he was just starting to get to know on a personal level.

Yet here they were, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police's top brass, attending his Engagement party in full dress regalia, honoring him by offering their support.

He was indeed surprised and extremely honored, but somehow having his comrades here with him instantly made him feel even more at home.

"Mrs. Anderson, Commissioner Anderson, Sir!"

The two men saluted, then Nathan embraced Caroline.

"At ease, Chief Inspector! This is your Engagement Party! And we're all so sorry to be late, but we had visiting dignitaries from New York City and Boston who couldn't possibly be rescheduled. Believe me, I tried! However, Victoria saw that we were treated to an exact replica of the wonderful meal you all enjoyed earlier. And what a meal it was!"

"The meal was divine as was the company, and this home is positively beautiful, as well as remarkable! But my name is Caroline, Nathan! None of this Mrs. Anderson stuff! Remember, we agreed!"

"I'm sorry, Caroline! I'm working on that. I truly am."

She smiled.

"Well, continue to do so, Dear Man!"

Then she turned to Millicent, embracing her as though she were a long-lost daughter.

"My dear Millicent! It's so wonderful to see you again!"

"It's delightful to have you here in our home, Caroline. Welcome to all of you! You've just made Nathan's night!" beamed Millicent enthusiastically.

"She's right, you know. What a wonderful surprise! So very honored you all are here. It means everything. Our Engagement celebration now feels complete! All we ask is that you just relax, enjoy the party, and have a great time!"

And Nathan meant it.

Not only were the Commissioner and his wife there, but every Superintendent, Inspector, and their spouse within a 500-mile radius.

Together, they made quite a large and rather impressive contingent.

"You have your beautiful fiancée to thank for us being here, Son! When she contacted us, we all agreed, we somehow had to make this happen to show our support. And though most of us must return home for Christmas Day, we'll all be back for that Wedding in ten days! We have some tricks up our sleeves, don't we, men?"

The Superintendents and Inspectors made gleeful comments in unison, along with threatening chuckles, causing Nathan to raise his eyebrows and be slightly leery about precisely what his colleagues had planned for his coming Wedding.

"Honestly, that's what I'm afraid of, Sir. But I'll have all of you know my soon-to-be brother-in-law is a jokester extraordinaire, king of them all, so I'm going to need you all there by my side protecting me and reining him in, not at all coming up with more frivolity. I'm sure he's already planned quite enough for the entire RCMP. In fact, sturdy handcuffs might be a good thing to have on each of your persons, just in case! I can see Richard now, furiously chained to the Baptistry, which, come to think of it, might actually become a necessity at some point throughout the night!"

The men chuckled, knowing they could easily make that happen if needed.

"So noted, Nathan," laughed Superintendent Bergeron, who was attending with his wife, Amelia, but everyone knew that little plea of Nathan's had gone in one ear and out the other, as the Superintendent was also quite wily himself, especially when it came to having some good clean fun.

And where better to do that than a comrade's Wedding?

"Don't worry, Nathan. I'll rein them in. Well, at least this one!" added his wife conspiratorially.

"Thank you, Amelia. It's nice to know I have one person on my side!"

"Grant, you're going to have the first 'Senior Officers' Arch' ever, so don't you dare complain," teased Superintendent Jaynor. "Why I've had to practice that blamed ceremony all over again, backward and forward, having not done one since being a mere Cadet!"

"Stop complaining, my Dear! We had a lovely arch for our Wedding all those years ago! It's about time you pay it forward," winked Eleanor, his wife.

The Commissioner just smiled compassionately and shook his head at his senior men, who were excelling at making their new colleague squirm more than a little.

Razzing each other was part of the brotherhood, an important role, and deep down, Commissioner Anderson was thankful that particular type of camaraderie would never stop, no matter his men's ages or rank!

He knew best of all that sometimes the most demanding of jobs required that degree of levity just in order to keep your mind calm and sane in order to survive.

Sadly, the higher your rank, the more your need for brotherly frivolity.

Every good Mountie knew you kept tension at bay using laughter and lots of it!

That the Commissioner's Officers participated in the hazing of Cadets, often conjuring it up from the top, didn't preclude them from doing the same to their fellow officers, which kept all of his men a bit on guard.

A fact the Commissioner considered an excellent thing.

But in addition to their fun, unknown to his men, Commissioner Anderson also fully intended to protect his new Chief Inspector. Well, at least, as much as he could.

Though for tonight, the Commissioner couldn't allow his hand to be shown.

Instead, he released a rather ominous-sounding chuckle to tease his new protégé, which his men immediately joined, leaving Nathan nervously reconsidering what lay ahead.

"Come on, guys, don't make me worry about you all, too!"

"Welcome to the Top Officer Ranks, Chief Inspector!" grinned the still chuckling Commissioner…


As the men in red and their spouses quickly spread out over the dance floor, the socialites of Montreal were instantly intrigued, having never seen so many handsome men in dress uniform in one place, especially in a social setting!

To say they were impressed was quite an understatement.

Truth be told, most were a little jealous of the beautiful women who were dancing with the handsome officers in their crisp uniforms trimmed in gold.

Undoubtedly, the insurgence of red brought an additional influx of sizzling energy to the party!

How could it not, with so many handsome men in uniform?

It wasn't long till many of the female guests maneuvered their own husbands to cut in on the Officers in order to dance with their wives so that they, in turn, could dance with the uniformed men.

Watching the little exchange of partners taking place, Nathan laughed, shaking his head.

Millicent giggled, too, also clearly understanding what was happening.

"This is one time I'm happy to be wearing a tux, my Darling, and not my Dress Reds!"

Millicent giggled.

"What can I say? What woman doesn't love a man in uniform? But it matters not what you're wearing my dearest Nathan, for you, my Darling, are quite taken!"

Nathan's face broke out in his signature crooked grin as he possessively wrapped his arm around Millicent's waist.

"As far as I'm concerned, as long as the man in uniform beside you is me, Love, I'm terrific!"

"Oh, absolutely. Only you!" she teased, both knowing there would be the odd times each would have to dance with others, but that didn't mean they had to relish the thought.

"Mil, thank you from the bottom of my heart!"

"Whatever for?"

"For going to the trouble of inviting and getting the Commissioner and so many of the Officers here. How did you know I needed their presence, having not even realized it myself?" he asked incredulously.

She simply smiled back at him brilliantly.

But suddenly, he knew.

"You invited them to make me feel more comfortable."

It was a statement because now he knew for sure.

"I might have added their names to the guest list! After all, you are brothers in arms."

"That we are! Leave it to you, my darling fiancée. I can't tell you how much that means to me, how much you mean to me. And I know for certain, it was a lot more than simply adding their names to the guestlist!"

She reached for his opposite hand, squeezed it tightly, then entwined her long thin fingers into his even lengthier, stronger ones, so pleased to see her idea had made him so happy.

"It was all worth it. Your happiness fills my very heart, Love! Happy Engagement, my Darling!"

He squeezed her hand back, using his thumb to rub her entwined palm.

"What a marvelous surprise to see old Training Officers, now new colleagues, and soon-to-be friends, especially when unexpected! Best gift ever! Happy Engagement, my Darling!"

"You know, Nathan, those men are a significant part of you. They, indeed are your colleagues, now your peers. Of course, they should be here! I'm just sorry they had to be delayed and couldn't eat with us!"

He smiled and bent to kiss her cheek so reverently.

"That doesn't matter at all, Babe. They're here now. I love you so!"

"I love you, too, desperately!"

"But really, how did you coordinate all their schedules?" quizzed Nathan, still dumbfounded she had even thought of it, much less attempted to make it happen.

"I have my secrets. But if you must know, Caroline helped immensely and seemed thrilled to do so. I even got to speak with each of the wives by phone, too, some a couple of times. So now we feel like we know each other, at least a little!"

"That's fantastic! I want you and need you in every part of my life, Millicent Bradford. Personal and professional. Don't ever forget that. But for now, Beautiful Lady, may I please, please have this dance…"


As the couple walked to the dance floor, a fun version of the foxtrot began to play, but delightedly with a heavy emphasis on the blues influence of ragtime music, drawing just about everyone else to the dance floor along with the guests of honor, with one exception, who had more pressing matters at hand.

"Victoria, I believe I'll sit this fast one out and go check on the children. I'll only be a moment, Dear!"

"Of course, Edward. Give them my love. And let me know if the children need anything," she smiled.

"I believe you already have your hands quite full with our guests here, Darling. Be right back!"

He kissed his wife on the cheek, who smiled lovingly back at him.

Both knew anyone but Victoria would be frantic by now, seeing to so many guests, although Edward had been a huge help continuously helping her check on everyone, chatting and making them feel welcome.

But tireless, she wasn't fazed in the least.

"I'll be fine! Take your time, Edward," she smiled.

Then the dignified, statuesque man hurriedly exited the Ballroom, with his wife's smiling face still following him till he left through the enormous doors.

Their love was even more complete, more fulminant than the first day they met when both were instantly smitten at their first glance of each other in that street, as though struck by lightning…


The fast, fun dance Edward was leaving behind consisted of long walking movements creating an iconic rise and fall motion, combining slow and quick steps.

With the slow steps taking up two beats and the quick ones taking only one beat, the dance was lively and vigorous, delighting all.

But, since the foxtrot was a livelier rendition than those previous, relatively slower, romantic ones, things suddenly began to feel less formal, finding Nathan and Millicent getting to talk most of their way through the dance, both wishing to simply converse one with the other about the little things.

These steps were so ingrained in them that there was no need for them to focus on their footwork other than just to improvise and enjoy the fast-paced rhythm of the music.

So, the couple simply relaxed and had fun.

"Your Mounties have definitely livened up our party, Love!"

"They have, haven't they?" chuckled Nathan.

"You know something funny, Mil? Not one of them seems to feel out of place. They're just all out here on the dance floor having a grand time."

"Sure looks like a grand time to me," she laughed.

"That truly warms my heart, Babe. Again, apparently, I was worried over nothing."

"Things tend to work out, my Darling, if we allow them to do so. We do have to have a bit of faith and then give it a little time, but usually, everything comes together just as it should. We are who we are, Nathan. Rich or poor, what's around us matters not. None of it changes who we are. People know the real us. At least the ones that matter."

He smiled at her wisdom.

"A lesson our daughter has certainly learned very quickly, he admitted."

Millicent smiled back; it was a given, both thought of Allie as 'their' daughter now, and that would last forever!

"Yes, she certainly has! I'm so very proud of her.

She's had a lot thrown at her, but Montreal has been good for her, you know. Although, I think we will have our hands full getting her back to Hope Valley. Oh no, and the kittens! I don't know what we will do with Persia and all her kittens. The frisky dozen is growing in leaps and bounds. They're also moving around a lot more now, too. Poor Essie keeps getting them taller baskets as they learn to climb further. She's also changing their papers constantly. Hendrix just laughs at her, knowing that with a full dozen, the whole situation is messy and pretty much hopeless. The little things are constantly escaping! But he does chase them down for her," she giggled.

"Hendrix and Essie are adorable together. Do you notice them touching each other as they pass by?"

"Yes, it's the sweetest. But don't tell them. Hendrix would be mortified if he knew we noticed!"

"I would never say a word! But what will we do about those kittens when we travel home after our Honeymoon, Mil? Allie is not going to be able to leave the little things here. How in the world will we travel back to Hope Valley with twelve kittens? Not to mention what will we do with them after we get there?"

"I haven't a clue, Love. But for now, Essie needs more help with them, especially since Allie is here with her cousins. I thought maybe after Christmas, I'd ask Margaret if Jackson and Maggie could come to stay with us. Surely the three of them can take care of the little munchkins during all the Wedding hoopla and relieve Essie a bit, don't you think?"

"It's a perfect plan. If it's not too much for you to have all three children underfoot."

"No, not at all. I figured the kids could camp out together in Allie's room at night. I just want Allie to be happy, and it seems she wants to spend every moment she can with her cousins and them with her. Really, who can blame them? It will be a long time until they see each other again till next summer."

"Those three are certainly as thick as thieves. I mean, I had no doubt they'd hit it off, but bosom buddies who are completely inseparable? I've never seen anything like it."

Millicent laughed.

"Oh, yes, you have, Love! You, Richard, Colleen, and me. Except we were the four musketeers instead of three! Don't you remember we were always at each other's houses?" *127

"Well, there is that! Maybe it's genetic?"

"I think so. But I'm so happy the cousins love each other so much. I see lots of letters, phone calls, visits, and even trips together in the future. 'Thick as thieves' is absolutely right…"

. . .

127. The Three Musketeers, Alexandre Dumas, 1844, Public Domain