A/N There's a mention of miscarriage in this chapter.
...
Elizabeth smiled as she watched William and Emma running around the yard, chasing the grasshoppers that jumped up at the sound of their footsteps.
"It's good to see you smile, dear," Grace said as she joined her in the doorway.
Elizabeth looked over at her mother, her smile fading just a bit. "No matter what is going on in my life, no matter how terrible things seem, those two bring me such joy." She sighed. "I can't imagine what I'll do if they're taken from me."
"Beth, darling. That won't happen. Those children belong with you, and Matthew and Lucille Spencer will just have to deal with that."
She turned back toward the children, her heart feeling heavy. "But what if they succeed? What if I lose them?"'
Grace put an arm around her. "They won't," she insisted. "I'm sure of it."
"I already lost one," Elizabeth admitted suddenly. "I've been thinking about her a lot lately."
"Elizabeth…" Grace whispered. "What are you talking about?"
"I was pregnant when I left James to come here. I had figured it out just a few days before I decided to leave."
"Sweetheart." Grace rubbed her daughter's back gently. "I'm so sorry. When did you lose her?"
"When I first arrived here." She met her mother's eyes, her own filled with tears. "I didn't know about the baby for very long, but I had a feeling it was a girl. I think I would've named her Anne." She leaned her head on Grace's shoulder and sighed. "Faith said it's James's fault that I lost the baby."
Grace was quiet for a few moments, just trying to process the things her daughter was telling her. She knew Elizabeth had been through a lot, but it was different to hear the details about it directly from her.
"I'm so sorry, dear." She took her daughter's hand. "I don't know what else to say. If your father and I had known…"
"It's okay, mother. I never wanted you to burden you with all of this."
"Still. We could've helped you."
She squeezed her mother's fingers. "You're helping me now."
"We're going to make sure the Spencers are out of your life for good. I promise."
"Thank you, mother." She returned her attention to the children, who were unaware of the heavy conversation happening nearby. A smile played on her lips once more as she observed the unrestrained joy on their faces.
A knock sounded at the front door, and both women turned toward the sound.
"I'll get that." Grace crossed the room, freezing when she saw who was on the other side of the door. "Lucille."
"Grace." Lucille gave her a curt nod. "I was wondering if I might speak with Elizabeth."
"I'm sure she doesn't want to speak with you."
Elizabeth hobbled over, leaning on the crutch that Faith had lent her. "It's fine, mother."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes." She nodded. "Why don't you go keep an eye on the children?"
"Okay," Grace relented. "I'll be just outside, so call out if you need anything." She gave Lucille a stern look before heading back out to her grandchildren.
"Please, come in and have a seat." Elizabeth stepped aside to let Lucille in. "Would you like some tea? Or perhaps a glass of water?"
"I'm fine, thank you." Lucille followed her to the small sitting area. "How long have you and the children been living in this house?" she questioned as she took a seat, staying on the edge of the chair, as though she would be contaminated by something if she sat fully on it.
"Not long. Just a week or two." Elizabeth lowered herself onto the sofa, situating her casted leg in front of her. "I assume you didn't come over here to talk about my house."
"You're correct." She clasped her hands in her lap, looking every bit the proper woman she wanted everyone to believe she was. "I know we haven't always seen eye to eye, but I don't want to return home knowing you hate us."
"I don't hate you." Elizabeth cleared her throat. "I can't say that I really like you, but I don't hate you."
"I'm truly sorry for everything that's happened."
"Are you?" Elizabeth furrowed her brow, trying to gauge her sincerity. "You knew what he was doing to me, and you didn't try to stop him. You tried to have me arrested, and now, you're trying to take my children from me."
"Elizabeth, dear, Matthew and I just want what's best for our grandchildren."
"And you think it's best to take them from their mother? They aren't very familiar with you and Matthew. You'd be taking them to a city they barely know."
"They barely know this town," she retorted.
"Have you spoken to them since you've been here? They love it here. They have friends. They get to be children, without the worries they had before. Please," she implored, "stop trying to take them from this, from me. It'll only do more harm to them, and God knows they've already had enough of that for a lifetime."
"We wouldn't be having this conversation if you had just done your job," Lucille claimed.
"My job?" She shook her head, confused. "My job is to keep them safe, to make sure they have what they need. I'd say I've done that."
"No," Lucille disagreed. "As a wife, our job is to make our husband's life easier, to make him look good, to keep your children quiet and obedient. If only you tried a little harder, James wouldn't have had to keep you in line so much, and everything would be as it should."
With that statement, Elizabeth suddenly felt sorry for the woman sitting in front of her. She had been taught to be submissive, to do whatever she was told without question. She wondered if Lucille's life had been anything like her own. Did Matthew ever beat her? Did she ever consider leaving? Elizabeth feared that she may have ended up the same way as the woman in front of her if she hadn't left.
"I'm sorry, Lucille. I'm sorry that you can't see that you're stuck, or that you'll never be anyone other than Matthew Spencer's wife. You could've been your own person, you know. You still could be, if you stand up to him."
She stood up abruptly, clearly offended. "I will not be spoken to this way."
"You're welcome to leave, then." Elizabeth motioned toward the door, ready to be rid of the Spencers for good. "I'm sorry that I won't be able to make it to the funeral, but given the injuries I sustained—because of your son—I can't make the trip right now. Safe travels to you and Matthew. If you change your mind about things, I would love to bring the children for a visit sometime."
Lucille huffed. "To think we ever approved of you as a match for our son."
Elizabeth just watched her leave, unsurprised when she slammed the door closed behind her. A sigh of relief escaped her lips, though she knew it would be short-lived. As far as she knew, Lucille and Matthew would be even more determined to take the children from her now, to keep them from turning out like her. But at the moment, she couldn't bring herself to care. It felt good to stand up to Lucille Spencer, and she only wished she had been strong enough to do it before.
...
"Just like that? They're leaving?" William asked as he and Jack made their way down the row of houses. "And they aren't going to try to take the children from Elizabeth?"
"That's what he said." Jack shrugged. "I don't know what happened to change their minds, just that Lucille came into the saloon looking awfully upset about something. After she spoke to Matthew, they came to me and Bill and told us to forget everything they said and that they'll be on the first stage out in the morning."
"Well, I can't say I'll be sad to see them go," William admitted.
"I think we'll all do a little cheer when those two leave town," Jack joked. "The people here really care about your daughter and grandchildren. I know it's been tough for everyone to see what the Spencers have been trying to do."
"As much as Grace and I wish she would come back to Hamilton, we can see that this town has been good for her. I'm glad she found this place." He stopped walking. "I'm glad she has you."
Jack dropped his gaze to the ground, trying to will away the heat he could feel rising in his cheeks. "Mr. Thatcher, sir, I—"
William clapped him on the back and chuckled. "Son, I've seen the way you look at her. There's no need to be embarrassed about that."
"I would never…" he shook his head, stumbling over his words. "She's just… I…"
"I would be happy to see her with a man like you, Jack."
"Sir, I…"
"There you are!" Grace called out from Elizabeth's front porch. "We have dinner waiting."
"Wonderful." William continued walking, leaving a flustered Jack a few steps behind him. "The Constable and I have some news for Elizabeth. You will join us for dinner, won't you?" He turned, looking at Jack expectantly.
"Oh, I wouldn't want—"
"You were invited, Jack. It's not an imposition," Grace insisted. "We have plenty of food."
"Well, I suppose I could stay for dinner. Allie is staying over at a friend's house tonight." He followed William into the house, hanging his hat on the rack near the door.
"Hi, Mr. Mountie!" Little William greeted him, wrapping his arms around Jack's legs. "Are you having dinner with us?"
"I sure am. I hope that's okay."
"Yeah!" He took Jack's hand and pulled him over to the table. "You can sit by me."
Elizabeth was already seated at the table. She smiled nervously when he approached. "Hi."
"Hi. Um, I was just coming to give you some news, and your mother insisted I stay for dinner."
"Good news, I hope." She sat up a little straighter.
"Great news, I would say. The Spencers are leaving town tomorrow, and I don't think they'll be coming back."
"They're going to leave us alone?"
"I assume so. They told me and Bill to forget they were ever here."
Grace took a seat beside her daughter. "What was it that you said to Lucille, dear?"
She shrugged. "Not much. Just that I feel sorry for her that she can't see that Matthew has her trapped. She was pretty upset that I spoke to her so plainly."
William laughed. "I wish I could've seen that interaction."
"I really thought she would be even more determined to go through with their plans after our conversation." She glanced between the children, not wanting to tip them off to the fact that their grandparents had been in town for the purpose of removing them from her care.
"Well, I say we don't question it," Grace suggested. "We just celebrate."
"Like a party?" Little William asked.
"Something like that. Maybe Grandma Grace and I can go into town after dinner to pick up some dessert."
Emma's eyes lit up. "Cookies?"
"Maybe." Grace chuckled. "We'll have to see what Miss Abigail has left."
...
After dinner, William and Grace headed to town with the children in tow, leaving Jack and Elizabeth alone at the house.
Jack cleared the plates from the table and carried them over to the sink, pouring in a jug of water to begin cleaning them.
"You don't need to clean up, Jack," Elizabeth told him. "You're a guest."
"I don't mind." He shot her a smile as he rolled up his sleeves. "My mother taught me to help out whenever I can."
"Well, if you insist, then at least let me dry."
"I won't say no to that." He tossed her a towel before he started scrubbing the dishes. "Has Faith told you when your cast can come off?"
"No." She took the clean plate he handed to her. "It'll be another couple of weeks, at least. She said I'll need to go back to the hospital in Union City for that, though."
"It's too bad you won't be ready to get it off tomorrow. I'm headed out to Union City for the day."
"Mountie business?"
He shook his head, giving her another plate. "Personal. I'm going to speak with the judge there about adopting Allie."
"Oh, Jack. That's wonderful."
He smiled. "It's something I should've done a long time ago, but I wasn't really sure about what I could do since, as far as I know, her father is still alive."
"Does he ever see her?"
"No." His smile faded. "He left before Colleen passed, and he hasn't tried to contact any of us. Allie was a toddler when he left, so she doesn't even remember him. She just knows he decided he didn't want to be a part of their family anymore."
"Well, thank goodness she has you to show her what a father should be like…" she trailed off when he met her eyes, their gazes holding for just a moment before she turned her attention back to the dish she had been drying.
"So, um," he cleared his throat, obviously as flustered by the interaction as she was. "How long are your parents going to stay in town?"
"I'm not sure." She let out a little chuckle. "Honestly, I'm surprised they're still here. Life in Hope Valley is nothing like life in Hamilton. I never would've pictured them willingly spending more than a day or two in a place like this."
"I'm sure." Jack watched her dry another plate, trying to imagine her growing up in a big house in Hamilton, then running a household in Toronto. "Do you ever miss it? Living in a big city?"
She paused for a moment, trying to formulate her answer. "Not really. I'm sure I'll miss being closer to my family once my parents return home, and I do miss having indoor plumbing," she laughed quietly, "but I don't really miss anything else about it. All the parties and social events, I never enjoyed those as much as my sisters did. If my parents hadn't arranged my marriage to James, I think I would've left a long time ago."
"What would you have done? If you never married James, I mean."
She sighed, placing another plate on the stack in front of her. "I'm not sure. I never really thought I had another option."
"What did you want to be when you were young?"
"An author," she said quietly. "I've always loved to read, and I would dream that, someday, I'd see a book with my name on it."
Finished with the dishes, he took a seat across the table from her. "You could still do that. Just start writing, see what you can come up with."
"Oh, I don't know. It was just a silly dream I had as a child."
"I don't think it's silly," he earnestly told her.
"No, it is. I mean, me? A published author? It's ridiculous."
"Elizabeth." He moved to the seat beside her. "You got out of a terrible situation. You're free now. Free to do whatever you set your mind to. Maybe you don't become an author, but don't give up on your dreams."
She dropped her gaze to her lap, where she was wringing her hands together. Could she actually do it? James had torn her down so much, and now here was a man who was building her back up, who was supporting dreams she hadn't thought about in years.
He had faith in her, he believed in her dreams. She didn't know what to think about that. She looked back up at him, his eyes sparkling and the hint of a smile playing on his lips.
"Jack."
"You have so much to offer, Elizabeth." He put a gentle hand on her arm. "Please, don't let yourself believe the things James and his family have said about you."
"Why?"
Jack furrowed his brow, wondering what she was asking about. "Why what?"
"Why do you care so much about my life?"
He saw unshed tears shining in her eyes as she spoke, and his heart broke for her. She had spent so many years being beaten down—physically and emotionally. He felt an overwhelming urge to pull her into his arms, to show her what she had been missing.
Instead, he decided to just tell her the truth. "Because I care about you. You didn't deserve what you went through with James. You deserve the world, Elizabeth. You deserve to live your life on your own terms."
"I…" She couldn't sort through her thoughts, couldn't comprehend why the man beside her—who didn't know she even existed just a month before—would be saying those things to her.
Before she could come up with a coherent response, William and Emma burst through the door, followed by her parents.
"Mama! We got cake!" William exclaimed.
She quickly wiped her eyes, not wanting any questions about the conversation she and Jack had just had, still unsure of how she felt about it. "Oh, good! I can't wait to try it."
...
Jack slowly walked toward his house, hands in his pockets. He had expected a quiet evening at home alone, but ended up experiencing the opposite. It had been absolutely wonderful, spending time with Elizabeth and her family, sharing a delicious meal. And then there was the time he'd had alone with Elizabeth.
It had been so easy to talk to her, felt so natural to do something so mundane as washing dishes with her.
He could no longer deny that he felt something for her that he had never felt before. He could see a life with her, washing dishes together while they talked about their days, their hopes and dreams for the future. Walking hand in hand around the pond while the children tossed pebbles into the water.
But he couldn't help but worry that he'd ruined his chances of living that life. He'd nearly admitted that he was falling for her, even though he knew she wasn't ready for anything like that, might not ever be ready for that.
He sighed, going up the steps into his empty house, lying down in his empty bed. He wondered if there would ever be a day when he would have someone to come home to. He had never desired that so much as he had since he met Elizabeth.
He said a silent prayer, asking for guidance, asking to keep Elizabeth in his life, no matter how that looked. As he drifted off, a few lines of a hymn popped into his head, feeling like an answer to his prayers.
"Be still, my soul; thy God doth undertake to guide the future as He has the past."