Elizabeth stretched her arms over her head as she lay in bed; it was Saturday morning which meant no school, and she relished the few extra moments she could spend relaxing and thinking about her time in Coal Valley. Her one-week trial had come and gone without comment from any of the Mothers. Elizabeth had raised it with Abigail the evening it came due, who advised her to keep teaching and forget all about it. If the mothers were unhappy, they could bring it up.
Elizabeth felt she had made real progress; after a few false starts, she had found a way to engage her students. Sitting at their desks and listening to Elizabeth talk was not how they learned. The children of Coal Valley needed a mix of listening balanced with lots of activity inside and outside the Saloon. Elizabeth had watched their faces each day, their smiles for her growing brighter as time passed, calling out a greeting as they rushed inside. Elizabeth could tell their mothers were pleased and more than a little relieved to see the change in their children's attitude to school. Florence Blakely even went as far as acknowledging her son Paul was enthusiastic about learning, something he hadn't been when home-schooled by his mother.
As she rolled over in bed, pain flared up in her face, reminding her of the one low point which happened the day before. Gabe and James had fought about the plank retrieved from the mine, each claiming it belonged to them. Elizabeth had made the mistake of trying to break apart the fight when it escalated to violence. A swinging arm struck her in the right eye as the boys punched each other. She wasn't even sure which of the boys had been responsible. All she felt was the explosion of pain, causing her to cry out.
Gabe and James had been contrite, immediately ceasing their argument to come to their Teacher's aide. Elizabeth had downplayed her injury, continuing with her class after resting for a few moments with the ice pack prepared by Rachael. Abigail was horrified when she saw her that evening, but Elizabeth assured her she was okay.
Jumping out of bed, Elizabeth rushed to the mirror to look at her face and gasped when she saw her blackened, puffy eye. Tilting her head back, forward, and sideways, she sighed; whatever angle you used, it looked terrible. No amount of makeup was going to cover it.
Elizabeth bounced down the stairs to the kitchen, where she could hear Abigail pottering around. The delicious smells of whatever she was baking drifted up to Elizabeth, making her eager to investigate what she was cooking.
Abigail looked up as Elizabeth reached the last step, grimacing as she saw her face, "Oh, Elizabeth," she said, "all the colours came out overnight; you won't be able to hide that."
Elizabeth nodded and shrugged, "I am resigned to the fact that everybody is going to find out, and I feel terrible for Gabe and James. It was an accident, and I don't want them to get in trouble with their mothers or anybody else for that matter."
"I'm sure if you explain, Elizabeth word will get around quickly. Although everyone will have already heard, I am sure. The children would love to tell anyone who will listen how their Teacher got a black eye at school." Abigail smiled kindly at Elizabeth; she would get to know how fast news like that spread in a small town.
Nathan strode out of the Mountie office and headed to the mercantile. As he walked the short distance, he looked around the Town; people were milling around chatting or walking through to their next destination, and all of those he saw greeted him warmly.
Nathan had spoken to most of the town's widows and some miners since they had found the plank. Everyone, it seemed, was interested in, or wanted to lay claim to the plank. So far, no one had produced any evidence to satisfy him that the plank was from their deceased relative, much to their disappointment. He knew he would have to tell Henry Gowan and the Town something soon, and he didn't want to disappoint them. One widow hadn't come to see him yet, which surprised him, given she had lost both her husband and son in the tragedy. He wondered what could be keeping her away.
Stepping into the Mercantile, he greeted Ned Yost as frantic whispering from a group of women near the counter caught his attention. As the women noticed Nathan Dotti Ramsey broke away from the group and approached him, her voice raised; she asked, "so Constable, tell me, do you intend to do anything about the assault on the schoolteacher in the Saloon?" Nathan looked to Ned Yost for an explanation, but he shook his head and rolled his eyes, raising his hands in resignation.
Nathan's heart skipped, his stomach dropped, and his hands clenched into fists. He realised Mrs Ramsey had noticed his reaction and consciously relaxed his hands, taking a deep breath.
Taking a step toward the woman, he asked, "would you mind elaborating on what you just said, Mrs Ramsey? This is the first I'm hearing about it." Nathan was pleased he had managed to keep his voice calm, controlling the emotions flooding through him
"My son came home from school full of tales about Miss Thatcher's assault during lessons in the Saloon. It has caused quite a stir in Town," Dotti exclaimed.
"I imagine it has Mrs Ramsey." Nathan said, smiling at the women, "assaulting the schoolteacher or anyone is a serious matter. Thank you for bringing it to my attention; I shall investigate immediately." Nodding to Ned, Nathan abandoned his original plans of buying supplies and quickly hurried out.
Nathan headed straight to Abigail Stanton's home to find Elizabeth; while he assumed Dotti had been exaggerating, there must be some truth to the rumour. He knew if the assault had occurred the way Dotti implied, he would have heard about it. After striding up the stairs to Abigail's rowhouse, Nathan paused and took a steadying breath, calming his nerves and slowing down his racing heart. He raised his hand and knocked sharply on the door, listening; after a few moments, he heard footsteps approaching, and the door swung open.
Seeing Elizabeth standing before him, he let out the breath he hadn't realised he had been holding. He couldn't stop his instinctive reaction to seeing Elizabeth's injury. Nathan had told himself to treat her the way he would anyone else, professionally, without emotion, but seeing her bruised, puffy eye, he couldn't do it.
Nathan stepped toward Elizabeth, his hand outstretched, wanting to comfort her; pulling his hand back, he walked inside without waiting for an invitation.
Elizabeth stepped back, opening the door wider for Nathan to enter. Someone had told him about what had happened; she could tell by his tight expression he was disturbed by the way she looked. She frowned; she didn't want anyone to make a fuss; she had caused enough of a stir for a lifetime.
"Elizabeth," Nathan said urgently, "I heard about what happened. Who did this to you?"
Shaking her head, she said, "it's fine, Nathan; really, it was an accident.
"Tell me what happened. I was in the Mercantile, and Dottie Ramsey told me you were assaulted in the Saloon.
Elizabeth gasped, shocked, "they were talking about it in the Mercantile?"
Abigail entered the room and rolled her eyes; she couldn't help overhearing. "Good Morning, Nathan; please don't believe half of what you hear from Dottie Ramsey or anyone in the Mercantile. Dottie loves being dramatic for an audience. I'm afraid she deliberately exaggerated what occurred."
Nathan greeted Abigail, "well, he said, gesturing toward Elizabeth's eye, "something happened, and I would like to know what it was and who did it. Elizabeth, would you please tell me."
"Constable," Abigail said, smiling at him, "we were just about to sit and have breakfast; why don't you join us, and Elizabeth can tell you all about it."
Nathan looked to Elizabeth, checking she was comfortable for him to join them, hoping she would say yes. The smells inside the little house were incredible, and his stomach grumbled, reminding him that he hadn't bought any groceries for breakfast.
Elizabeth smiled as she heard Nathan's stomach grumble, watching his cheeks flush. Without a word, she walked to the buffet and got items for another place setting at the table.
As he sat opposite Elizabeth at the dining table, he shook his head; the two women didn't seem upset at all about her eye. Elizabeth didn't even seem to mind him seeing her bruised eye; he thought she would be concerned or embarrassed, although he thought, taking another look, it would be hard to hide it from anyone.
Nathan was distracted from his thoughts when Abigail put the most delicious-looking breakfast down in front of him; he couldn't remember the last time he had eaten something this delicious. There were fluffy scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, and a bread roll. Abigail put a plate of pastries in the middle of the table as she poured him a cup of strong black coffee.
Nathan opened his mouth to thank Abigail, but Elizabeth beat him to it, "Abigail, this looks and smells amazing, thank you."
Abigail blushed and said, "I love to cook, but I have not had many reasons to do much baking lately."
Nathan looked up from his plate and grinned, "Abigail," he said, "if you ever need an excuse to do some baking, I'm happy to be the reason."
Abigail laughed as she sat at the table, reaching out her hands to Elizabeth and Nathan, who held them and bowed their heads in thanks.
"Nathan, why don't we eat and then you can ask your questions," Abigail suggested.
Nodding eagerly, Nathan picked up his knife and fork and started eating, Abigail and Elizabeth chuckling at his enthusiasm.
The three mainly ate in silence, enjoying their wonderful meal. Nathan was pleased to find the meal tasted even better than it looked.
Abigail looked at Elizabeth, who sheepishly reached for her second scone, "Abigail, I can't eat like this every day, or none of my clothes will fit me. These pastries are divine. They taste much better than anything the chefs my parents hired ever baked.
'Elizabeth, that's very kind." Abigail smiled.
Nathan said, 'Oh, she's not being kind, Abigail. My mother is an excellent cook, but your pastries and scones are much better than hers, although I will deny it if you tell her I said that." He smiled wide as he took another bite of a scone.
As Elizabeth and Abigail laughed at him, he grew serious and sat back in his chair. "Now, Elizabeth, are you ready to tell me what happened yesterday?"
Elizabeth brushed scone crumbs from her hands, "Nathan, I'm so sorry that someone wasted your time by sending you here; Dottie really did exaggerate. Technically, I received a black eye in the Saloon but wasn't assaulted. I was trying to break up a fight between two of my students." Shaking her head, she said, "It was an accident."
Nathan's eyes narrowed, he had a pretty good idea who the students were, but he needed Elizabeth to confirm it. "Which students, Elizabeth?"
"Nathan, it was an accident. I spoke to them about it. I'm convinced it won't happen again. I don't want them to get into any trouble.
Nathan didn't break eye contact and waited. He focused his steely expression on Elizabeth, needing her to understand he wouldn't let it go.
"Fine, it was Gabe and James; they argued about the plank. Gabe is convinced that it belongs to him, and James was teasing him about it." Elizabeth looked beseechingly at him, "please let it go, Nathan, they didn't mean to hurt me, and it is something Gabe is very emotional about. James deliberately goaded him."
"Thank you for trusting me, Elizabeth." Nathan had no desire to punish the two boys; however, a word or two wouldn't go astray. Nathan had suspected Gabe was involved; it was clear the young man could be riled up quickly, and Elizabeth was right; he was fixated on the wood plank.
Nathan glanced at Abigail, and she nodded, understanding he intended to speak to the boys. The boys in Coal Valley needed guidance and support from a good man, and she sensed Nathan was a good man who could provide the right influence. The loss of so many men in Town would have long-reaching impacts on their children, and their mothers would appreciate the assistance as they grew into men.
"Elizabeth, it will be okay; I trust that Nathan will know how to handle the boys," Abigail said, lending her support to Nathan.
Sighing, Elizabeth smiled at both of them, giving in to the inevitable, "Thank you for coming to check on me, Nathan; I do appreciate your concern."
"Of course, Elizabeth, I would check in on any member of my town if I heard they had been assaulted," Nathan explained.
Abigail snorted softly when she heard Nathan's comment and was glad, she had started to clear the table, and he couldn't see her face. Placing dishes in the sink, she smiled; she didn't believe the Constable for one minute; his interest in Elizabeth was evident to everyone, except maybe Elizabeth.
Turning back to the table, Abigail asked, "so now we have cleared up the misunderstanding, what do you have planned for your weekend in Coal Valley, Constable?"
"I intend to do my rounds, make sure everything is okay, and get to know the people living out of town a little better. I also need to know the area, so I will explore too." Nathan explained. "Newton needs the exercise, and he will appreciate the ride. I also need to purchase some things from the Mercantile; my shopping plans were interrupted by Dotti Ramsey and me coming here, not that I am complaining."
"It's a lovely day for a ride, Nathan; you should go with him, Elizabeth. It would be a good way to see where some of your students live." Abigail encouraged, hiding her smile.
"I don't think so, Abigail. I don't know how to ride a horse," she paused and laughed, "if you ever come across my wagon driver Colin you can talk to him about his experience of our ride into Town from the broken-down wagon.
"You have to tell us about it now," Nathan said, unable to believe someone couldn't ride a horse, which was second nature to him.
"Poor Colin nearly fell off his horse laughing at how I was riding." Elizabeth paused, then continued, "Colin was amused by how I and the decorations on my hat were flopping around. I ended up tearing them off halfway to Town. With some instruction from Colin, I managed to at least stay on my horse, but it wasn't pretty."
Nathan's eyes widened in surprise, remembering the collection of decorations and feathers he pulled out of the tree on his ride into Coal Valley. He wondered whether he had somehow known they were Elizabeth's, which was why he had slipped them into his pocket and kept them. He would have to be careful she never found them in his office drawer because now he knew they were hers; he would be keeping them.
"Elizabeth," Abigail said thoughtfully, "you really should learn how to ride a horse, you may have to travel out to see one of your students or visit their families, and it is the only way to get there."
"I hadn't thought of that," Elizabeth said, "but you're right. Nathan, do you think, one day, when you have time, you could teach me how to ride?"
"Of course, Elizabeth," Nathan said, smiling widely. "I will make the time; it is important to be able to ride." Internally Nathan was celebrating at such an easy solution to spend more time with Elizabeth. He resisted looking at Abigail, knowing she had planned this to push the two of them together. Nathan had the feeling he could count on Abigail to help him win Elizabeth over.
Abigail hid her smile much more successfully than Nathan had. She knew Nathan had feelings for Elizabeth, and as far as Abigail had observed in the short time they had been there, Elizabeth and Nathan were well suited. She knew Elizabeth was concerned about establishing herself as the Teacher, but as long as she didn't burn down any more buildings, Abigail believed she had already done that.
Abigail knew Elizabeth was the right Teacher for Coal Valley; she was caring and devoted to helping her students and their families, making her perfect for their Town. She was thankful the Teachers College had ignored her request for someone older.
"So, Nathan, you mentioned your mother was a good cook. Did she pass any of those skills on to you?" Abigail asked, smiling.
"I don't profess to be a good cook; I get by. My speciality is cooking fish. I love catching and eating fish, so I learned how to cook them."
"I haven't been fishing in the longest time," said Abigail, "I used to go all the time as a girl."
Elizabeth studied Nathan as he and Abigail chatted about fishing, worms, and other things she had no idea about and did not want to know about. Fishing wasn't like riding a horse; she didn't intend to learn how to do that. The thought of touching a slimy fish made her shudder. Watching Nathan, his eyes alight with excitement, she smiled, he really was handsome, and she enjoyed being around him and was looking forward to spending time with him as he taught her to ride. She knew why Abigail suggested it and should be upset with her, but she decided she didn't mind.
Elizabeth blinked as she realised, she had been staring, and Nathan and Abigail had caught her. One of them had asked her a question, and they were looking at her expectantly, waiting for her response. "Sorry, I was a million miles away," she said, blushing.
"I asked if you were a good cook," Nathan explained.
"No, I haven't tried to cook anything for myself. At home, we always had people to do that." Elizabeth admitted, blushing deeper now, but for different reasons.
"Well, you are fortunate to be living with Abigail; if you have to learn from anyone, it should be the best," Nathan said, smiling at Abigail.
"Oh, hush, Nathan, you're only saying that, so I invite you back," Abigail said as she swatted him with the tea towel, she was holding.
"I do hope you will invite me back, and I am not just saying it," Nathan said.
Abigail could see the sincerity in his eyes, and her thoughts turned to one of the empty shops in Town. The building was where a restaurant used to be; it served food for people who didn't want to go to the Saloon for a meal. It hadn't been profitable enough, and it was closed down. Abigail had recently dreamed of reopening it, making it into a Cafe where families could come to eat good, simple food. With Noah and Peter gone from her life, she needed a purpose and thought this could be it.
Standing up, Nathan said, "I should get going and let you Ladies get on with your day, and I need to start my rounds. Abigail, thank you again for breakfast. Elizabeth, it was lovely seeing you again, even if the circumstances weren't ideal."
Looking at Abigail, he said, "I also need to finalise my investigation into the true owner of the plank from the Mine. I have had a lot of people claim to own it, but ..." he trailed off. As he spoke, Abigail averted her eyes, no longer looking at him, and his suspicions were confirmed. Abigail knew who the message was for.
"Finalising the investigation will allow the Town to move on from it, Abigail, and I believe they need to. The people I have talked to need to understand who the message was meant for so they stop having false hope." Nathan kept his tone calm, trying to convey empathy for her situation.
Elizabeth glanced from Nathan to Abigail, knowing that his words had upset her friend for some reason. Elizabeth could see the tears in Abigail's eyes, saw her hands twisting the tea towel she held. Elizabeth said, "Nathan, it sounds like you have a busy day; let me walk you out."
"Of course," Nathan said, collecting his hat and saying goodbye to Abigail. Nathan smiled at her kindly when she made eye contact, trying to convey what he suspected, silently asking her to trust him.
As they stepped out of the row house and Nathan prepared to leave, he heard Elizabeth's angry voice from behind him asking, "why did you upset Abigail? Clearly, talking about the plank upsets her."
"Elizabeth, Abigail knows why I asked her about the plank," Nathan replied softly; he knew he was being evasive but telling her who owned the plank wasn't his place. "Abigail knows who it belongs to, and I need her to tell me so I can finalise the investigation."
"You don't know that, Nathan; you can't know that for sure," Elizabeth exclaimed angrily, wanting to protect Abigail.
"Yes, I do; it's my job to know when people aren't telling me the truth or are holding something back," Nathan said forcibly.
"Maybe you don't know everything, Nathan; you need to leave Abigail alone; I won't have you upsetting her." Elizabeth folded her arms across her chest; her body was tense, and her eyes flashed with anger.
"I will leave her alone, Elizabeth; I know she will do the right thing and come to me, and I expect you to support her when she does. Have a good day, Elizabeth." Nathan tipped his hat to Elizabeth and turned away, walking back toward Town. He could hear her footsteps, loud on the timber Verandah as she strode inside.
Sighing, Nathan strolled to Town; it didn't please him to know Elizabeth was upset with him, although it might help keep distance between them. Grinning, he thought nothing could keep him away from her; he wanted more time with her, and the upcoming riding lessons were a perfect excuse.