"That was really good, Mrs. Spencer," Allie stated as she set her spoon down.
"Thank you, Allie," Elizabeth replied with a smile. "I'm glad you liked it."
"It was yummy, mama," William agreed.
"I think you cook better than Uncle Jack." Allie glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.
"Hey!" Jack pretended to be offended, but failed when he started to laugh. "I've kept you from starving all this time."
"That's because Miss Abigail cooks for us a lot," she stated matter-of-factly.
Elizabeth stifled a laugh as she watched the interaction between uncle and niece. It warmed her heart to see how well the two of them got along.
"Miss Abigail makes good cookies," William added, licking his lips. "Mama, can we get cookies from Miss Abigail tomorrow?"
"We'll see, Willie." She chuckled, ruffling his hair.
"Mama?" Emma whined. "I'm sleepy."
"Let's get you to bed." She lifted her from her seat, excusing herself before heading upstairs to get her ready for bed.
By the time she returned downstairs, she found Jack at the sink, washing the dishes. She just stood and watched him for a few moments, a bit baffled by the sight. She wasn't sure if James had ever even set foot in their kitchen, let alone do the dishes. Then here was Jack, willingly doing the dishes in her kitchen for the second time since they met.
"You don't have to do that," she told him as she rejoined him. "You're a guest this evening."
"I needed something to do. Allie and William went outside to play, and I felt bad just sitting there." He reached over and handed her a towel. "You can dry, if it'll make you feel better."
She chuckled and took a clean bowl from him. "Well, I want you to know that when I invite you here for dinner, I'm never expecting you to do the dishes after."
"I don't mind it." He gave her a half-hearted smile and started to scrub the next dish.
He fell quiet for a few moments, brow furrowing as he focused on his task. Elizabeth began to worry.
"Jack, is something on your mind?"
Jack gazed out the window, watching Allie giggle as William chased her around. He sighed. "I got some news today, and I'm not sure what to do about it."
"Do you want to talk about it? You don't have to," she added quickly, "but I'm a pretty good listener."
He shifted his focus to her, meeting her eyes. "Allie has a brother."
Her eyes widened, not expecting that revelation. "She does?"
He nodded and set down the bowl he had been washing. "He's three years old. We had reached out to his mother when we were looking for Dylan, and she didn't respond until now. She wants her son to meet Allie."
"But you don't know if you want them to meet?" she guessed, sensing his dilemma.
"What would you do, Elizabeth?"
"Allie is yours, Jack. It's not my place to give my opinion."
"But you already understand a bit of this. If you knew that William and Emma had another sibling out there, would you want them to meet?"
She shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe not? It would probably just confuse them." She wrung the towel in her hands. "They don't know their father was unfaithful. But Allie might understand."
He let out a harsh breath. "I just don't know."
"Well, you don't need to decide right now. Just think about it." She put a hand on his arm. "And I'm here if you want to talk about it any more."
"Thank you, Elizabeth."
...
Charles Kensington was engrossed in a book when he heard a knock at his door. Marking his page, he set the book on his desk and wandered into the entryway, wondering who could possibly be at his door. He wasn't expecting any visitors, and his family was out of town, so he had no idea who it could be.
He opened the door, shocked when he saw who was standing there.
"Charles." The man gave him a nod. "I don't know if you remember me…"
"Sir Spencer, yes. Of course, I remember you. Come in, please." He opened the door wider to allow Matthew to enter.
"I'm sure you're wondering why I'm here." He followed Charles into his study, taking a seat in the large leather chair that Charles indicated.
He poured a glass of whisky, handing it to the older man before taking his own seat. "I assume you have a good reason for coming all this way."
"I do indeed." He took a sip of his drink. "You were close with our daughter-in-law, yes?"
"We were friends, and I'd say we were fairly close as children," Charles confirmed. "Although I didn't see her nearly as much after she married your son. I'm sorry for your loss, by the way. I heard what happened. Terrible thing."
"Thank you." He cleared his throat. "Anyway, onto the reason I'm here. Lucille is heartbroken that our grandchildren are stuck in that backwater town out west, but it seems Elizabeth has no desire to leave. We need somebody to convince her it would be in her best interest to move back east."
"You want my help?" Charles swirled his glass, looking over the rim at Matthew.
"She likes you. She trusts you. I think you might be just the person who could get her to come back."
"I don't know…" He stared into the liquid in his glass. "If her family couldn't convince her to come home, I don't think I'll be able to, either."
"A woman in love will follow a man just about anywhere."
"Love?" Charles sputtered.
"Don't worry. I'm not saying you need to marry her or anything. Just help her see what she can have if she leaves that horrible place."
"Sir, I don't—"
Matthew cut him off. "I'll give you a little something for your trouble. Lucille really wants her grandchildren back."
"Surely there's another way, sir. This seems complicated."
He shook his head. "We've spoken with our lawyer. This is the only way, since he said it's unlikely a judge would grant us custody."
"Well, you say I just need to convince her to move back here?"
"That's right." He set down his now-empty glass. "And there's a handsome reward in it if you succeed."
"Can I have some time to think about it?"
"Don't think for too long. The more time she spends in the town, the less likely it is that she'll willingly leave." He stood, giving him a slight nod. "Charles. I can see myself out. Good day to you."
...
Rosemary smoothed down the last of Elizabeth's curls. "Are you excited for your first real date with Jack?"
"If I'm being honest, I'm very nervous."
"Oh, everything is going to be great. You're going to have a wonderful time." She walked around to look at her handiwork from the front. A smile spread across her face. "And Jack is going to be speechless when he sees you tonight."
She reached up to touch her hair. "You really think so?"
"You look beautiful, Elizabeth." Rosemary put a hand on her shoulder. "I really hope the two of you have a wonderful evening. You deserve a fun night. Now," she handed Elizabeth a small mirror. "What do you think?"
She gazed at her reflection, turning her head slightly to one side then the other. She almost didn't recognize herself. It wasn't just the hair and the makeup and the new dress, it was the light that had returned to her eyes, the happiness in her face.
She felt like she was becoming herself again, who she was before James turned her into a shell of the person she once knew.
"Thank you, Rosemary," she murmured. "Thank you for being such a good friend."
She wrapped her in a hug. "I'm so grateful you decided to come here."
"So am I."
With one final squeeze, Rosemary took a step back. "Well, I should get back to my house. I need to finish getting ready, and Jack should be here to pick you up any minute."
"I'll see you soon." Elizabeth waved as her friend left the house to return next door.
With Rosemary gone, the house was quiet. William and Emma had gone with Allie to Abigail's earlier in the day, so Elizabeth was left alone until Jack arrived.
She glanced down, reaching a shaking hand to smooth a wrinkle in her skirt. The dress was new, a gift from Rosemary. The cream-colored fabric was fitted to her waist, then flowed out in a skirt down to her ankles. Short sleeves were trimmed with a bit of lace to match the lace adorning the neckline, and a satin belt was tied in a bow around her waist. It was simple and elegant. Certainly not the fanciest dress she had ever worn, but it seemed perfect for a Hope Valley dance.
Looking in the mirror once more, a smile played on her lips. She felt beautiful for the first time in a very long time. And more than that, she felt comfortable. Of course, she wanted to look nice for Jack, but she didn't feel the pressure to look perfect like she so often had throughout her marriage to James.
A soft knock sounded at the door, pulling her from her thoughts. Nerves rose up in her, feeling like a swarm of butterflies filling her stomach. She took a deep breath and made her way down the stairs, rubbing her palms against her skirt before opening the door.
Her breath caught in her throat. She'd known Jack was a handsome man the first time they met, but seeing him now, standing on the porch in a blue suit, his hair freshly trimmed and slicked back, she didn't even have words.
"Elizabeth," he breathed, blinking a few times as though trying to prove she wasn't just a figment of his imagination. "You…you look lovely."
"Thank you." She ducked her head, trying to hide the blush in her cheeks. "You look…rather handsome yourself."
"Oh, uh," he shifted nervously, holding out a small bouquet of flowers. "These are for you."
"They're beautiful. Thank you." She stepped back into the house. "Just let me put these in some water, and we can get going."
A few minutes later, they were on their way to town, Elizabeth's arm threaded through Jack's. She smiled and leaned into him, just a bit.
"I'm glad we're doing this, Jack."
"So am I. I'm, uh, I'm a little nervous, though."
She chuckled. "Me too, but I don't know why."
"Well, let's just enjoy ourselves. There's no pressure."
...
Elizabeth felt like everybody was watching her as she stepped through the door with Jack. While it wasn't a secret that they were seeing each other, she hadn't really told anybody except Rosemary and Abigail. Now, she wasn't so sure she was ready for their relationship to be out in the open.
Jack squeezed her hand when he sensed her hesitation. "Hey," he whispered. "It's okay. No pressure, remember?" He led her further into the saloon, finding a place for them away from the crowd.
"They're all looking at us, Jack."
He gingerly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, a smile playing on his lips. "They're just thinking that you look absolutely beautiful this evening. That's all."
She cast her gaze to the floor, her own lips turning up into a smile.
The band struck up a tune behind them, and Jack held out his hand. "Dance with me?"
Elizabeth hesitated for a moment. She knew that Jack had invited her to a dance, but she hadn't thought about actually dancing with him. For years, she had been forced to dance with James at various functions. Even at their wedding, before she knew who he really was, dancing with him had been awkward. She always felt relief when the music ended and they could separate.
But dancing with Jack… Surely that would be different. He truly cared for her, and she was well on her way to falling for him. Finally, she gave him a small nod and slipped her fingers into his.
She sucked in a breath at the feeling of his hand on her back, suddenly flooded with bad memories. She closed her eyes tightly, reminding herself that this was Jack, and he wasn't going to hurt her.
"You can trust me, Elizabeth," he said softly, as though he could read her mind.
"I know." She relaxed a bit.
"Elizabeth, I want you to know that you can say no to me. If anything makes you uncomfortable…"
"I know. Thank you." She stepped closer to him as they slowly turned in a circle. "You dance pretty well for a constable," she teased, trying to lighten the mood.
He let out a quiet chuckle. "Thank you." He gently squeezed her hand. "It helps that I have a good partner."
"It's probably good for you to get some practice. After all, you'll have to dance with Allie at her wedding someday."
"Oh, don't talk about that," he groaned. "She's only eight. It'll be a very long time before I have to worry about that."
She laughed, feeling much more at ease as they continued to chat, about their days, about their children. Before she knew it, they had danced through four songs. Jack slowed his steps, suggesting they take a break to have some refreshments.
"You look like you're having a wonderful time," Rosemary said, sidling up to Elizabeth after she saw Jack step away to get drinks.
"I really am." A smile stretched across her face, but quickly faltered as she watched Jack collect two glasses of lemonade.
"Then what's wrong?"
"I just…" she sighed, "I'm worried that I'll never be able to get over what James did to me. I know Jack isn't like him at all, but the memories keep coming back."
Rosemary put a hand on her back. "It'll take time, but I believe you'll be able to get past all of the terrible things that man and his family did."
"I certainly hope so, because…" she trailed off, her gaze drawn to the man who had just come through the door. "Why is he here?" she mumbled under her breath.
"Who?" Rosemary turned to see who had Elizabeth's attention. "Is that…?"
"Charles Kensington."