Friday, Dec 30,1909 Hamilton

William Thatcher sat in his study after lunch with a heavy heart. Once again, he read the letter that he had received from Elizabeth before she left town.


Dear Father,

Though I already told you my answer, it appeared that you did not believe me. Forgive me in advance for not telling you before I left. As you read this, I am most likely in a position on the western frontier. I would also beg forgiveness for not being there on Christmas Day as you and Mother anticipated, but I hope you will understand my reasons. I knew when you arranged with the Carringtons to come early that your intentions were to pressure me into changing my mind. This was hurtful because it showed that you truly don't know me, Father. I know that you only want my happiness but let me assure you that a societal marriage without love would be the farthest thing to accomplish it.

I pray that I did not cause you, Mother, or my sisters too much embarrassment. I also pray that this will not cause any permanent damage to our relationship, for though I have chosen a different path, I still love you. Some day I hope for you to accept the man I choose to marry, along with any children, with open arms and know that I will always do the same as long as you treat me and mine with the same respect I offer you. One last thing, Father, please do not hold Aunt Agatha or Aunt Catherine responsible for what I have done because they aren't to blame. If anyone is to blame, then let it rest between you and me because we are the ones who made the choices, and I hope you will agree.

Your Loving Daughter, Beth


He closed the letter up once again and slid it into the envelope. Once again, the deep regret hit him hard as William recalled his actions that pushed Elizabeth away. "What can I do to fix this?" He said to himself, or so William had thought. While he had been deep in his thoughts, his sister-in-law had entered his study.

"You can take what your daughter said to heart and accept what choices she chooses to make. You can apologize to her for manipulating her into doing what you wanted instead of doing what you should have done and listening to her." Agatha said, coming to sit down in the chair opposite him.

"Do you know where she is?" William asked.

"I do, but before you ask, I will not reveal it, so don't waste your breath. I can tell you that she arrived safely, and from what I heard in her voice and from what Catherine said, she is very happy, William."

"She went with Catherine, didn't she?" William asked. "You don't have to say where, and I promise not to look for her."

Since William was a man of his word, Agatha said, "Yes, she did. They left Christmas morning on the train."

William wanted to ask if marriage was the position that she had mentioned, but he didn't have the courage to ask. He also worried that if his supposition was confirmed that his reaction would cause more damage. For if Elizabeth had married someone as a Mail order bride, then at this point, there was nothing he could do to change it. She was right when she told him he was not Lady Catherine and had no right to accept a proposal on her behalf.

"Are the people she is with good people?" Will they take care of her and keep her safe?" William asked.

"I can assure you that the people she is with are very well known to Catherine, and I don't have to tell you how Catherine looks at Elizabeth. The people will cherish her, do everything they can to ensure her happiness, and will die to keep her safe. William, may I see the letter that she wrote to you?" Agatha asked.

He reached into his desk and pulled it out to hand it to her. There was more she wanted to say, but she didn't want to overshare. Agatha could see that it had been read more than once and that there was a smear, almost as if something dropped on it. She read it over quickly and then looked up at her brother-in-law. She could see now that he was hurting and regretted his actions. Handing the letter back to him, she contemplated everything that had transpired over the past ten days, and she reached a conclusion.

Handing the letter back, she said, "William, I think it's time for us to have a long overdue conversation. Why don't we move over to the chairs by the fireplace and get something to drink? But I have to warn you that I'm not going to hold back and will be giving you some hard truths to swallow. Are you amenable to that?" Agatha said, raising her brow.

William just looked at the formidable woman sitting across from him. She was so unlike her sister, his wife, but he always respected her and Catherine, too, though she chose to marry a Mountie instead of him. It had taken a while for him and James to develop an ease and a sort of friendship whenever they met for family functions. If he was truthful, he had felt a bit jealous when James and Robert captured Elizabeth's affections. It rankled that she looked at them as father figures and had grieved deeply when they passed.

"Agatha, in all the time I have known you, I have not known you to hold back, so I don't see why you should now." William teased. "Those chairs would definitely be comfortable, and if you have something to say, I probably deserve to hear it."

Agatha smiled as they settled down in the chairs. He brought her a glass of wine and settled in a chair across from her with a brandy. Before she could say anything, Grace walked in. "Here you two are, but then it shouldn't surprise me. The Carringtons had an invitation to the Opera with the Bensons. I do hope that their daughter Linda doesn't get any ideas about Phillip."

"Grace, I think that you should grab some wine and come have a seat because you need to hear what I am about to say to William," Agatha said, reaching her limit after her sister's remarks.

Grace did as she was told, for it would never occur to her to do otherwise. Finally, taking the seat next to William's chair, she sat waiting.

"Has William read you the letter that Elizabeth wrote?" Agatha asked.

"Yes, he did. But we have already been over all of that, and you were supposed to convince her to come home. She is just being naughty and will be home as soon as she realizes she can't make it without us." Grace said dismissively.

"No, she won't be returning home, and she will not be marrying Phillip, so if Linda gets her hooks into him, he is free game. Second, you should know that though you have disinherited her, she is not without a means of support. I think it's time you both know that Elizabeth is an heiress apart from the Thatcher wealth." Agatha stated. She knew then that what she was saying hit home to William, and his face fell as the ramification set in.

"What do you mean?" Grace asked. "Her salary as a teacher will never be enough to support her to the style she is accustomed to."

"Grace, have you forgotten that neither Catherine nor I have children? What we do have, though, is a vast amount of wealth, and we have both made Elizabeth our heir should something happen to us. Now I have set aside small amounts for Viola and Julia, but the bulk will go to Elizabeth."

"What have I done," William gasped.

"Something that, in the end, really didn't have the effect you thought. However, I want you to know that Elizabeth is unlike Julia or Viola. She truly doesn't require expensive clothing or jewelry and doesn't really care for lavish social events. That girl knows I would be happy to get her anything she wants, but she has only asked me to pay for her to get her teaching certificate."

"What?" William asked. "You helped her get that?"

"I did," Agatha replied. "She knew that you would never allow her to get it."

"I thought she received a scholarship," William muttered.

"Technically, she did, only it was from me. Since then, I have established a scholarship in honor of her at the teacher's college." Agatha said proudly. "Are you aware that she graduated top of her class?"

"I was not aware of that," William said sadly. "I don't think I ever asked her about it truthfully,"

"I had a feeling neither of you had. Her professors considered her gifted when it comes to teaching. They said she had scored a perfect score on her accreditation exam and had attended a seminar in her spare time to learn more about learning difficulties and strategies for working with blind and deaf students. She was able to demonstrate enough proficiency that she is accredited to teach them as well." Agatha said smugly. "Suffice it to say that Elizabeth could look for jobs anywhere and would be highly sought out."

Grace just looked on in shock, and William stared down at the floor. "But she is supposed to marry well, and I don't know of any gentleman that would ever let their wife work," Grace said. "How could you undermine us like this, Agatha?"

"I didn't do anything other than stand by my niece and help her achieve her dreams, Grace. If you feel like that was undermining you and William, I'm sorry, but I would do it again." Agatha said.

Grace went to comment, but William said, "Grace, please be quiet. Agatha is right, and we should have done the same."

"What are you saying, William? How can you side with Agatha?" his wife asked, starting to cry.

"Because she is right," William said, standing up to go get the letter and bring it back. "It's all here in Beth's letter. We invited the Carringtons here early, specifically to increase the pressure on her on what was supposed to be an enjoyable family holiday. She spent Christmas Eve practically avoiding me, knowing that I would try to find a way to berate her. Throughout her whole letter, she continually begs forgiveness for making choices that were hers to make, Grace. Elizabeth even extended mercy by saying she knew I only wanted her happiness. Throughout her letter, she is humble and loving and even expresses concerns for the rest of us. It is all here, Grace; read it because I have more than once. Each time I have, I feel that much more ashamed of how I behaved toward her. Since receiving the letter, I have shed countless tears over what I have done. Instead of being proud of a daughter that anyone would be ecstatic to have, I treated her abominably." He handed the letter to his wife, and tears fell as she began to read it.

"You both are at a crossroads here, and there is still time to repair your relationship," Agatha said. "You have to realize that Elizabeth is not Viola or Julie. Viola is happy with Sir Lionel and chose him, and Julie is in love with Charles. Has it occurred to you yet what you were trying to push Elizabeth into?" Agatha inquired. "There is one thing, William, that you need to know. Elizabeth is like you and me as far as having a backbone, as you now see. She has always strived to make you proud of her and be the dutiful daughter you can always count on. She loves both of you very much, as you can see in the letter. William, you told Elizabeth that she wouldn't make it out there and wasn't strong enough to stand on her own two feet. That hurt her far more than anything else you could have said. All Elizabeth ever wanted was something that you never even attempted to give her."

"What was that?" Grace asked, upset by her sister's accusations. "We did our best to see that the girls had everything."

"You failed to give her the one thing she desperately wanted. You failed to love and accept her for who she is. Instead, you saw her as a means to further your connections within Hamilton society." Agatha stated. "Unlike your other two girls, you failed to get to know Elizabeth and see that she wasn't about to let you pigeonhole her into your expectations. So, when Elizabeth came to Catherine and me, we helped her without hesitation. Now you can either accept whatever path Elizabeth has chosen and support it or be faced with not being a part of her life. Because she is her father's daughter, in the end, you need to grasp that."

Rising, Agatha held two more envelopes in her hand. She left these for you. I was directed to give them to you when I felt you would be most receptive to them. As you read them, I hope you think over everything I have said and make the right decision. Elizabeth loves you both very much but doesn't need your approval to be happy. However, I know for a fact that she wants you in her life if you are willing to respect her choices and those in her life."

With that, Agatha gathered her things and left Elizabeth's parents holding the letters in silent contemplation. She quickly prayed that her words were heard and would be taken to heart. She almost told them about her marriage to Nathan and Allie. Maybe she would call her niece and Catherine about it later that evening. But news like that should probably come from Elizabeth soon.