Hamilton, December 24, 1909

Elizabeth Thatcher approached the church steps with her Aunt Agatha on her arm while Faith and Catherine followed behind them. She always loved the sounds of the church bells ringing, but on Christmas, the sounds of the different tones always seemed majestic as befitting of the special night they were celebrating. As she escorted her aunt to the family pew, she spied the beautiful manger where the baby Jesus lay between his loving parents, Joseph and Mary, looking down adoringly at him.

The sight of the loving family always managed to stir deep emotions within her heart. The sight of the babe always moved her and stirred up deep emotions within her as she thought of the God responsible for creating him. A God of love, grace, and mercy providing the gift of a son who would be the savior of the world. But lately, she had a deep longing for a loving family of her own. One where she was accepted and loved for who she was. Not sought after merely because of her pedigree or to be used as a pawn to further connections.

She joined the choir on the platform as services prepared to start. Elizabeth could see that her family was settling themselves in the family pew in front of her Aunt Agatha. Normally they would have sat with her aunt, but with the addition of Faith and Aunt Catherine, there wouldn't have been enough room. It didn't escape Elizabeth's notice that Charles was accompanying them as well with Julie. Elizabeth wondered, given how big Julie was smiling, if there was a specific reason for it. She attempted to offer a smile to her mother and father but quickly faltered at his disapproving look. She was broken out of her reverie by Mrs. Nelson, the choir director. "Are you ready, Elizabeth?"

"Yes, I am, Mrs. Nelson," Elizabeth said. With a nod, she moved to the children's director and then signaled to the Pastor to begin the service.

She looked over and saw that her Sunday school students, Billy, Thomas, Harry, Jenny, Betsy, and Rose, were standing a bit nervously, ready to read the scriptures. As the lights dimmed, Mrs. Andrews began to play softly on the piano. The service began with a reading of the children taking turns reading scriptures from the bible.

Billy stepped forward to the podium where the bible was placed and began to read. "Therefore, the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." (1)

Then he turned to another page and stepped back. Then Betsy stepped forward and, after clearing her voice, nervously said. "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son, is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." *(2)

Then like Billy, she turned the page to another before stepping back into her spot as Thomas stepped forward to read. At this point, the choir began to hum softly as a single light from above shined down on him, and the other lights were turned off.

"And in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father, David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom, there shall be no end. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore, also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God, nothing shall be impossible. And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her."(*3)

The lighting changed back to dimmed lights, and the spotlight was turned off. Thomas turned the page and stepped back as Rose stepped forward. She nervously wiped her hands on her dress before starting to read. "And it came to pass in those days that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, everyone into his own city. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered." (*4)

She stepped back as Jenny came forward nervously. "And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. And in the same country shepherds abided in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. (*5)

She quickly stepped back and almost ran into Harry as he approached. Harry just walked up as if a near collision didn't happen and read loudly as the spotlight returned to him. "And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men." (*6)

Then Mrs. Nelson nodded to Elizabeth to step forward. Mrs. Andrews began to play. Elizabeth sang O Come All Ye Faithful.

"O Come All Ye Faithful, Joyful, and triumphant," Elizabeth sang, letting the words resonate and spring from her heart. How could one not be joyful on a night such as this? A celebration of the night a son was given from a loving heavenly father to a lost world.' She thought.

As the last note faded, Elizabeth sighed, and her smile was bright as she felt a lightness in her heart. It was as if an unspoken prayer was heard and looked favorably upon. She was so joyful that the heavy burden she had carried in her before church started was eliminated. Elizabeth felt a wonderful piece flood her as she looked at the baby in the Manger. It was then she realized she was accepted and adored for who she was by a loving father. After the closing remarks by their pastor, followed by a prayer, the family headed home. But this time, her walk was filled with the resolve to follow the path she felt she had been called. One that could only come from knowing that she was on the right track and all would be well.

Dinner that night was a bit tense, but Elizabeth avoided situations where her father could find her alone. She refused to have cross words ruin a wonderful evening of worship and celebration. To her surprise, Charles had finally received permission from his parents to propose to Julie. Plans for the formal announcement were made for it to occur at the New Year's Eve Gala. Throughout the evening, Elizabeth could feel disapproving eyes on her from the Kensingtons, Viola, and her parents. At one point, she thought she heard her mother and Charles' mother speak of how scandalous and irresponsible she was. But that peace she had upon leaving church refused to budge, and she found that excitement for the next chapter in her life was growing.

A few hours later, after exchanging gifts, Agatha and Catherine decided it was time to go. When it was announced that the Carringtons would join them tomorrow, Elizabeth knew that she would not be back. There was no way she would subject herself to a day full of pressure to change her mind.

When they got home, the ladies were sitting in the library drinking a cup of chamomile tea when Elizabeth spoke up, "Aunt Catherine, I wish tomorrow was the 26th already. I'm so ready to get started on the journey. I have no intention of going there tomorrow, which will displease them greatly. I can't believe that he would try to pressure me like this after I made my answer clear." Faith came over and sat down beside Elizabeth. They began speaking quietly, not realizing that her words had sparked another conversation.

Agatha looked at Catherine with a raised brow. Catherine looked at her friend, shocked but began to give the idea some thought. "It would certainly be a surprise, and by the time they are aware of It, we will be gone," Catherine whispered to her friend.

"Go call the station and see when the train leaves and if accommodations are available," Agatha whispered. "If there is, then I say, what's wrong with leaving tomorrow? We have already celebrated here, and I would rather not have Elizabeth subjected to the Carringtons. It would not surprise me that William would come here and get her if she stayed home. But if you are on the train, there's nothing he can do."

Catherine went to call the station and a short time later came back with a smile. "It's all set, and we leave at 6 AM. I will have a telegram sent to Moira since the phones are still down, letting her know of our early arrival.

"Excellent. William won't know what hit him." Agatha said with a smile.

Catherine called out, "Elizabeth and Faith, I have something to tell you," Once she saw she had their attention, she said with a smile. "Agatha and I have talked, and we decided that there isn't any reason we shouldn't leave tomorrow. We will need to be at the station early in the morning, and we must be sure that we have everything ready to go. I will have the trunks taken to the station tonight, so they will already be there. I need you girls to ensure they are ready within the hour."

"What about Father? He will expect me to arrive tomorrow with you, Aunt Agatha." Elizabeth said.

"You leave your father to me, Elizabeth. Now you must do what Aunt Catherine says and prepare to leave." Agatha said.

Elizabeth smiled big and, after giving both of them a hug, followed Faith up the stairs. Agatha and Catherine smiled as they heard the giggles from them as they ran up to their rooms.

"I guess I better do the same," Catherine said with a twinkle in her eyes. "Care to join me?"

"Since this is our last night together, dear friend, I suppose I should," Agatha said with a grin. The rest of the evening turned festive; singing and lots of laughter rang throughout the house. It was such a wonderful sound that it inevitably spread throughout the house, and even the servants started making merry. The ladies finally sought their beds much later than they had planned.