Authors Note: Sorry it took so long to get back to this story. I hope to slowly get my stories back up and running as well as douin regular updates. Going to HFR this year was refreshing and got my writer juices flowing again.


The following day, the ladies and Nathan were all up and around early since he had to get ready to go to work. Allie and William were still asleep.

As they were eating breakfast, they began reviewing their plan for lunchtime. It was time for Alice and her little band of tormentors to be dealt with finally.

"I've done some thinking about that," Elizabeth said. "I think we should not have lunch together."

"What do you mean?" Catherine asked.

"If you are with me, she won't show her true colors. I only wish Faith were here, but I have devised another plan. While we are in town, I want you and Aunt Agatha to sit away from me." Then, she began to outline the rest of her plan.

"Actually, Lizbeth, why don't you come to find me when you arrive? Then we can be sure to have lunch. Ma is going to stay here with Allie and your father. I think we should keep him hidden a bit longer because I'm concerned they might recognize him."

"That's a good point," Moira said.

"Won't they recognize Catherine?" William asked.

"They know me as a friend of Moira, but I don't believe they know me as a matchmaker," Catherine replied.

"Perhaps, but maybe you should let Agatha go alone. I can have Maryann, the pastor's wife, meet up with her and take her for lunch at the café."

After thinking about it, the group agreed it might be the best idea. After Moira made a call, it was decided that Catherine would stay with Allie, and then Moira and William dropped Agatha off at the church.

"Allie's dresses and jumpers are ready to be picked up," Elizabeth said with a grin. "If I'm lucky, I will run into them before that and stir up their feathers before lunch."

"Well, I had better go," Nathan said reluctantly. "Elizabeth, will you walk me out?"

Elizabeth smiled and eagerly jumped up, and the couple headed toward the door. Once they were gone, the other ladies continued their conversation.

"I have never seen my girl so happy, and I owe it all to the two of you arranging it," Agatha said. "William even agrees with the match."

"I could say the same about my boy, Agatha. I certainly couldn't imagine anyone more perfect to be a mother to Allie either," Moira said. "Elizabeth is definitely the answer to my prayers, and I know Colleen would have been happy with her."

"What day are we having the official adoption ceremony? Do they know yet, Moira?"

"That may be something she should check on when she gets to town. I'll remind her of it," Moira answered. "I would imagine sometime this week. Nathan has to register everything with Headquarters, which could help him get a town posting or something less dangerous."

As if summoned, they heard Nathan riding off, followed by Elizabeth walking in, her cheeks flushed and looking slightly flustered. The ladies looked at each other knowingly and smirked as they each took a sip of tea, not wanting to embarrass her. It also brought back memories of their times as a new bride. Though Moira had a lot of heartbreak with Archie in their later years, she still loved to recall those early memories.

There was no shortage of townspeople ready to help them finally put the Pattersons in their place. The townspeople weren't mean-spirited but simply tired of being disrespected and looked down on by the family. But they had been privy to too many unkind things said about Elizabeth and the attempts to sabotage her and Faith's reputation in the community. Some even considered it their Christian or civic duty to help after overhearing plans to try to interfere in Nathan and Elizabeth's relationship even more.

Elizabeth took the wagon into town to meet Nathan and go by the dress shop. An hour later, William and Moira drove Agatha in the Grant's truck to the church so that she could see Alice for herself. While William and Moira returned to the ranch, Agatha and the pastor's wife, MaryAnn, walked to the café for lunch. As expected, Alice and her friends Amy and Brenda were there simpering and gossiping as they drank tea as if holding court.

MaryAnn led Agatha to a seat nearby where they could easily hear and observe the pot stirrers. The waitress had just approached the table to take their order when Elizabeth walked in. Elizabeth didn't acknowledge her aunt but kept walking to a table in the corner, returning the occasional greeting with a soft smile as she passed by.

Immediately, Agatha and MaryAnn could see a nasty look as if she sucked on a lemon come across Alice's face as she and her friends watched her pass. Elizabeth just smiled, nodded a greeting to the girls, and kept going. Her bearing reflected her influential Hamilton upbringing, making her aunt proud.

People enthusiastically greeted Elizabeth, and she responded in kind. Alice scowled, not liking the interactions one bit. It was clear that many in the town were fond of Elizabeth. Agatha had difficulty keeping a neutral face as she observed the situation. When she went to say something, MaryAnn touched her hand to stay with her and gave a subtle shake of her head.

"Oh look, Amy, it's the mail-order bride herself." Alice sneered in disgust as her friends giggled. "Or one of them."

"I just can't see what is so great about her." Amy piped up. "I mean, what kind of woman basically sells herself to a stranger."

"Well, obviously a desperate one," Alice replied smugly. She added an eye roll to emphasize the sarcasm in her words. "Wouldn't you agree, Brenda?"

Brenda nodded before adding, "I just don't understand why Nathan or Gabe would willingly put themselves in such an embarrassing situation. They are quite handsome, so why resort to Mail Order brides?"

"At least Gabe's has some usefulness outside of the home. But why would Nathan choose someone like Elizabeth when he could have the qualities of a woman like you, Alice?" Amy piped up.

Alice preened at the compliment.

"I think it is because he was so heartbroken after you rejected his proposal," Brenda stated. "In fact, I bet when he kisses her, he thinks of you." All three girls giggled at this.

"Mama thinks he is pretending to be happy with her to make me jealous, so I'll return to him. But there are too many finer prospects out there than to settle for a mere Mountie. If I had wanted him, I wouldn't have turned him down in the first place."

Unbeknownst to Alice, Nathan had approached from behind and heard her last comment. "Is that so, Alice?"

She quickly turned around and gave him a sheepish look. "Nathan, you gave me a fright."

Nathan refused to be deterred and asked the question again.

"Is what so?" Alice replied, trying to deflect.

"That I'm pretending to be happy with my wife to make you jealous in an effort to get you back? Then, of course, everything else that followed those ridiculous words."

"Oh well… Uh..." She stammered.

"Since you haven't grasped the reality that I have happily moved on, let me explain it again. I am not pretending to be happily married to Elizabeth, but I am happily married. You don't even enter my thoughts unless it is with disgust and aggravation, and I feel that I dodged a bullet when you turned me down. So do yourself a favor and move on to those much finer prospects with this mere Mountie's blessings, and stop trying to find ways to get me alone. For your information, Elizabeth and Faith are worth ten of any of you."

Then he moved towards Elizabeth, who was grinning from ear to ear. "How is my beautiful wife today?"

Elizabeth couldn't get a word out because Nathan took her in his arms and kissed her thoroughly, not caring that they were in a public place. All but Alice's table quickly averted their eyes, hiding their amused faces, while the ladies stared in shock with their mouths open.

Having picked up lunch for her and Georgiana, Helena had observed the whole interaction. She chuckled as she passed by their table. She paused by their table and, leaning over, said. "Close your mouths, girls. You look like a fish waiting for a worm."

At their gasp of outrage, she said, "Let me offer a piece of advice. What you just saw was proof of true love. One that is deep and abiding and will last through life's ups and downs. It is unshakeable, and only the pure of hearts looking for love will find it because they treasure it as the gift it is. It cannot be purchased or faked, so don't waste your time trying to interfere."

Then, with a wink, she headed toward the door. After opening it, she paused in the doorway and called out, "Oh, girls? You shouldn't judge a book by its cover because you might find yourself in a very awkward situation."

The door barely closed behind her. Alice and her friends stood, and after casting glares toward Elizabeth, they quickly followed, accompanied by the snickers of the diners.

Having heard enough, Agatha headed back to the parsonage with the pastor's wife to call Moira to come and get her since Elizabeth had to finish her errands. As they headed to the church, she could hear murmurings from Alice as she talked with her mother, telling a completely different story.

After returning to the ranch and Allie down for a nap, Agatha wasted no time telling them what had happened.

"Honestly, William, she reminded me of Viola and her little friends. They spoke quite nastily, and some of what they alluded to was unconscionable and not for polite society."

"What did she say?" William growled.

After reminding him that Allie was sleeping, Agatha proceeded to tell him.

"You would have been so proud of our girl, William," Agatha said smugly. "She just greeted them as if she hadn't heard them with the grace of a queen and refused to rise to their bait.

"Hmmph! As if I could find a man that would be desperate enough to accept Alice," Catherine scoffed. "I wish I could have seen the look on those girl's faces when Nathan caught them in the act."

"Well, I would have loved to see them after Helena had gotten through with them," Moira chuckled.

Agatha laughed, "Oh, it was great. I wish you could have seen them when she said they looked like fish waiting for a worm."

When she imitated what they looked like, the table erupted in laughter. After they calmed down, William brought up what he had found out.

"Of course, then, as MaryAnn, a lovely woman, and I passed her on the way back to the church, I heard her talking to her mother and giving a completely different account.

"From what I have managed to find out, they are pretentious social climbers. I spoke with Frederick Allen, a good friend from Cape Fullerton. He said she tried to get her hooks into his oldest boy, Martin. The Pattersons claimed their boy had led her to believe an engagement was in the works. From what his wife said, her mother threw quite a fit when the engagement happened with her niece and not her daughter."

"Oh, to have been a fly on that wall for those conversations," Catherine said, clapping her hands gleefully.

"Apparently, she has quite the reputation in Cape Fullerton for being fast," William added.

"That doesn't surprise me at all," Moira said dryly.

"Regardless, these girls need to be put in their place," William said. "So, what is the plan, ladies? Because I know you have one."

"You know us well, William," Agatha said with a wicked smile as she looked at Catherine and Moira.

"I can't wait. It's been a long time coming," Moira retorted with excitement.