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Nathan & Elizabeth: An Epic Love

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Chapter Twenty-Six

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Home

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Part II

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When Nathan rode Newton, through town, a little after 4 PM, he noticed the town seemed busier than usual, he also noticed a sleek, black and white, luxury car like no other he had seen before, parked in front of The Queen of Hearts.

'Now, that's a beauty and looks brand new! Must be yet another VIP visiting the Governor, especially since even the top Mountie Officers typically travel long distances by Train. Besides the Deputy Commissioner isn't due into town till in the morning,' he rationalized to himself.

Though tempted to go back into town to see what all was going on, after stabling Newton, he remembered Bill's instructions that he had given his word he would follow, so instead of heading back into town, he headed to his rowhouse as promised, now wondering what in the world his daughter had done to their home...

But when he turned the knob on his door, it didn't open, and so he knocked.

Thankfully, he could hear Allie running to the door!

"Just a second, Papa! I fixed the door like you taught me!"

"Allie, that's for criminals! I am your father, an Officer of the Law, remember?"

He could hear Allie giggle as she lifted the chair, she had propped under the doorknob so it wouldn't turn, and now he was getting really worried. Was it so bad she didn't want him to see what she and her girlfriends had done?

"Hi, Papa, how was your day?" asked Allie, barring his entry into their house by standing on their front porch in front of the now working door.

"It was interesting if you'd like a story about gypsies."

"Yes, please! Sounds like a perfect story for dinner! Hey, why are you carrying that? Isn't it a little small for you?"

"It's not for me, Kiddo! Just a little surprise I have to work on, so mum's the word! Promise?"

"Promise! Here, give it to me!"

She took the item that appeared to be for Jack and hid it between Nathan's desk and the wall, where it couldn't be seen.

"First, let me show you the house. Take my hand and close your eyes."

Now, he was really getting nervous!

"I have to close my eyes? Is it that bad?"

"Papa!"

Allie led him inside to the edge of their sitting area.

"Open your eyes, now, Papa!"

Nathan was stunned. Absolutely stunned. Not to mention speechless, too!

"What do you think?" she asked, anxious to get his reaction.

"Allie, you…you did all this?"

"Mostly. The girls helped me move stuff, but I guess the ideas were all mine."

"You, Young Lady, have excellent taste. This looks fantastic! I mean, it doesn't even look like the same place. I see your mother's paintings everywhere, which are stunning, by the way! Oh, Allie, I'm so sorry. We should have had these out all along!"

"I love them, but I'm not sure we were ready before, Papa. Now it feels like we are, though. You know what I mean?"

"I do, Sweetie! But I love having your Mama's art surrounding us now. It's like she's giving us a great big hug! And the cushions really make the whole sofa look better! How did you know to do that?"

"I saw it in a magazine and thought it was worth a try! Both the art and the cushions just add pops of color that were missing before. And look how pretty they blend with each other!"

"That they do! I'm so proud of you, Allie. Show me everything else you've done! But here, let me take my Serge off first. It always feels…"

"Scratchy after riding!"

"Am I that predictable?" he chuckled.

"That's a question you better ask Mama! But that's pretty much a yes for me!"

"Guilty as charged, I think! The area rug! Where did you find that area rug? I can't believe it fits our sitting area!"

"I was going through the trunks, and there it was laying, stashed in the far right corner of the room. Isn't it beautiful? The blues pick up all the blues in Mama's art and the blues in my cushions."

"I'm amazed. That rug brings back such great memories, too."

"What memories?"

"It's as old as the hills, but I love it. The rug belonged to my Grandmother Grant, your Great-Grandmother Grant, who brought it from her parents' house in Ireland. When your Mama and I were little, she would move all the breakables and put out all our toys on that rug and let us have at it! We would play for hours, as content as clams! You'll probably find splotches of watercolor because your mother always ended up painting something."

"How did you get it, Papa?"

"After your Mama passed, Nana Grant was never the same. I think she literally grieved herself to death for Collie. They were very close. Actually, the three of us were. We spent at least two weeks with her every summer in Montreal. But just before our two weeks were up, she would always call Mom and Dad and beg for us to stay the full month."

"Did Gramma and Grappa let you?"

"Hey, it was Nana asking. What do you think?"

Allie giggled.

"Your Mama and I were in heaven because she cooked us anything we could think up to want for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! Every day, she took us on a field trip, which she called our education for the day. Like one day we would go to a park, one day an art gallery, one day a cathedral, one day a fancy French restaurant, and the next maybe an authentic Irish Pub. Once, she even took us on a Ferris Wheel! She always kept us guessing, but whatever it was, was always such fun because we were with her."

"Besides the great memories, I think her rug warms the whole living area up and makes it really pretty."

"It does, Allie – thank you, and thank you for giving me all those wonderful memories back! Show me what else you've done!"

"I got out Mama's good china, crystal, and silverware. I know you put it away for me to use when I'm forty," giggled Allie.

Nathan chuckled along with her.

"You've got that right!" he continued the tease.

"But, I think it's better to use it now! It' so beautiful and Mama would want us to enjoy it, don't you think?"

"I think you're right. That's the lrish lace tablecloth our Mom bought her after she got married."

"It's beautiful too, look how intricate!"

"But hey, the table direction is changed!"

"Do you like it, Papa?"

"I love it! Look how much more room we have around it. And I love the solid blue tablecloth under the lace one. That's really clever. But Allie, why is the table set with flowers? And for four people?"

"That's the most important part! We have to show off our new look to Mama and Jack! Miss Minnie made her homemade Beef Stew today, and I got us some for dinner with all the extras. Even got us hot rolls, a salad, and a couple of desserts."

"Yum, what's for dessert?"

"Papa, you only care about the sweets! A butterscotch pie, which I know is Mama's favorite, and a coconut pie, which is yours! I've already made the orange spice iced tea, too, and have already sliced the oranges."

"You did all this decorating and got dinner ready, too? That's amazing, Allie. But I'd better go and get cleaned up. I'm all dusty from my ride!"

"One more thing, I swapped out some of our accessories with what was upstairs, if that's alright, and we girls made the flower bouquets for the living room and your desk, too.

"Thanks, Kiddo, they really brighten up the place. Everything looks great, Allie! Really great. I know I'm impressed, and I don't see how Elizabeth can't be too."

Allie beamed.

"I also brought some of your old books down that I thought I might try to read. Is that okay?"

"That's great! I may go back and re-read a few myself!"

"Oh, and Mrs. Havens helped reorganize the kitchen, so it makes a whole lot more sense, although you aren't going to know where anything is for a while. And Papa, why do we have a copper set of pots and pans? I even found a roaster!"

"Oh, those belonged to Nana Mayes. And since Mom already had her own set, she gave them to us. But as to where things are in our newly revamped kitchen, you'll have to teach me! Allie, you've really outdone yourself! This is all so impressive!"

"It took forever to clean all those copper pieces, but look how pretty and shiny they look hanging in our kitchen! I just love them!"

Nathan peeked his head in the doorway.

"Wow! Looks like a restaurant!" (*67)

"Mama taught us in school that food cooks faster in them. And I think the food's supposed to taste better since it's supposed to cook more evenly, too."

"We'll have to check that out. Speaking of your Mama, when are she and Jack coming for dinner?"

That was when they both heard the knock on the front door.

"Right now! Hurry, go upstairs and change! And Papa, try your best to look good for Mama. Another words, wear what I laid out on your bed, with no surprises. Okay?"

"Yes, Ma'am!" he enthused, saluting his daughter while loving her to pieces as he enthusiastically took the steps three at a time.

Though he couldn't help but ask himself:

'What would I have ever done without my sweet Allie, old soul that she is, who has always been the real organizer for the two of us in our home? And though embarrassing, if I'm being completely forthcoming, that was probably the case since the first day she arrived at four years of age!'

Nathan's heart couldn't help but swell with pride for his precious daughter and her many talents…

"Allie, my goodness! What have you and your father done? The house looks stunning! Did you have someone come in and decorate?" asked a shocked Elizabeth.

Allie giggled, pleased her new Mama loved her work.

"No, Mama! I just looked through some magazines and got some ideas to buy some cushions and flowers. Then I went through all the trunks upstairs and found all sort of goodies. Probably the most important being my first Mama's art."

"Oh, Allie, these are your mother's paintings?"

"Yes, Ma'am!"

"Allie, I had no idea! Your mother was clearly a real professional artist. These are just extraordinary! I don't even know what to say! They brighten up everything so beautifully. And it just feels like she is here with us. I love them all, and I love getting to know her through her paintings!"

"Papa said having them up around us felt like she is giving us a giant hug!"

"That's so beautiful, and yes, that's exactly what it feels like! I don't know where to look first! Everything just blends so perfectly. I can't believe you did all this, Allie. It's just wonderful!"

"I think everything's very pretty, Allie!" smiled Jack.

"Thank you, Mama, thank you, Jack!"

"This rug is something else. Why, it's exquisite!"

"Papa said he and Mama played on it at Nana Grant's house in Montreal every summer."

"So it's a family heirloom?"

"I don't know about that, but Papa says my Great-grandmother Grant brought it from her parents' house in Ireland."

"That means this exquisite rug is definitely a family heirloom. I love that, and that your father and mother played on it! That's just so perfect!"

"That is pretty neat, isn't it?"

"I love that! And look at all the books and pretty crystal. Everything is just so lovely!" enthused Elizabeth.

"Have you seen all the first floor?" asked Allie.

"I think everything except what's behind that door. And I'll admit, since I don't have that in my rowhouse, I've been curious as to what it is!"

"Come, I'll show you. It's our water closet, but it's the bigger one with a tub. The smaller one is upstairs, but I'm afraid it doesn't have a tub, because we couldn't fit it in without taking one of the bedrooms. And Papa wouldn't let them do it. But it's enough. We just keep extra robes in here, so we can come and take our baths whenever we want."

"You have indoor plumbing? I'm flabbergasted. I didn't know any of the rowhouses had that!"

"Papa had it put in when we first moved. He didn't want me going outside to an outhouse when he wasn't here. Said it wasn't safe."

Elizabeth's heart melted.

"Oh, Allie, he loves you so much, but he's right, especially being the daughter of a Mountie!"

"Yes, Ma'am, that's what he said."

"This is so lovely. Goodness, what I wouldn't give to have this! Look, Jack! This is what an indoor bathroom looks like!"

"A bathroom inside? Can I wash my hands for dinner?" asked an intrigued Jack.

"Yes, Jack," assured Allie. "You can wash your hands any time you want to. We're just waiting for Papa to get dressed! He was dusty from riding Newton back and forth to Buxton today!"

"Was Newton dirty too?"

"I'm sure he was, but he's already had his bath at the Livery!"

"Oh!"

"There are my favorite people," grinned Nathan, standing at the bottom of the staircase, looking handsome in his blue pinstripe shirt and navy slacks with matching vest.

"Papa! Papa! I missed you!" and Jack ran and lunged for Nathan, who lifted him high.

"Elizabeth was close behind."

"Good evening, Love! How was your day?"

Nathan reached down to kiss her while still holding Jack.

"I'll tell you about it when we eat! How was yours and Jack's day? I'm sure you can already tell Allie had a very busy one!"

"Ours was mostly waiting to be with you and Allie for our dinner! But goodness, Allie has accomplished a miracle. Nathan, I mean, everything was lovely before, but I can't get over how extra, extra lovely everything looks now! It's pure perfection! And I'm in love with each and every one of your sister's paintings! Why didn't you tell me how great she was?"

"We Grants don't like to brag; we just do our thing!"

"And quite well, I might add!"

"Papa, you take Mama upstairs to show her the rest of our house. Jack and I will get dinner ready."

"Would you like to see upstairs, Lizbeth?"

"Are you kidding? I'm still salivating over the fact that you have indoor plumbing with a soaking tub! Oh, my goodness! I'm so jealous…"

Upstairs, for a minute, both Nathan and Elizabeth felt a bit awkward, having never seen each other's bedrooms before.

"Well, I guess we'll start at the end of the hall with our half-bath, at least. I guess that's what they call it."

"I can't even imagine what it would be like to walk outside my bedroom door, and there's the water closet! I haven't had that since Hamilton!"

"Oh, don't get too excited. This isn't anything fancy, but it gets the job done! And yes, it's very handy to have in the middle of the night. I was worried about Allie going outside when I wasn't here. I just couldn't risk it, Lizbeth!"

"Totally understood! But my, on the other hand, what a luxury!"

"The room beside it to the right, is Allie's bedroom, the second-largest, and this room toward the staircase is an extra bedroom, we've been meaning to fix up as a guest room. But since we needed a storage room, it became a substitute for that instead. But now, with Allie having pretty much emptied everything out of it for her decorating re-do, except the empty trunks, the guest room should be fairly simple to turn into a third bedroom."

"Or maybe a little boy's room?" asked Elizabeth tentatively.

"Can't think of anything that would be more perfect! Want to take a look?"

He opened the door for her, and she gasped.

"This is even larger than what he's got now! Yet the outside doesn't look that much bigger."

"It must be an optical illusion because the rowhouses are all lined up together, but this one is definitely larger than all the ones I've seen. I know Bill mentioned to me as well that we were lucky to have the largest rowhouse. So, must be true!"

"I just can't get over the difference that much extra space makes. Even Allie's room is larger than I expected. It looks like her, too: cozy, warm, and full of all her interests. The way a bedroom should look!"

"Would you like to see the master bedroom?" he asked shyly.

She took his hand, whispering, "I'd love to!"

He let her walk in first, still holding her hand.

She couldn't believe how orderly and spotless everything was. And even though she knew he had just changed from his Serge into civilian clothes, it wasn't at all evident.

"Did you make all the furniture?"

"I did! It took me a while. But I needed a larger bed to work with my height, so there really was no choice," he admitted.

"Oh, Nathan, it's all just so beautiful. I can't believe you did all this intricate carving on the bedposts! The pieces look like priceless antique pieces. You are so talented!"

She ran her hand along one of the tall posts, amazed at the smoothness of each curve in the wood.

As though reading her thoughts, Nathan whispered in her ear from behind.

"I don't care whose bedroom we're in, Lizbeth. Just that we have one together at some point soon!" whispered Nathan.

She touched his face ever so lovingly.

"Is it alright that I think I do care?"

"You do?"

"I think, no, I know when the time comes, I want to be right here with you."

Whether proper or not, neither could help their lips coming together, once again dancing that beautiful dance as old as time, expressing their commitment, their profound love to one another.

And just like that, a momentous decision had been made.

"Now, Nathan Grant, you just have to get around to asking me!" she whispered in a sultry, almost chastising voice.

He chuckled low with his eyes twinkling, teasing her right back in his own lowered, raspy voice, though he wasn't at all sure she was completely teasing.

"When you least expect it, my Darling…"

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67. "Wow," a natural exclamation first recorded as Scottish in origin in the early 16th Century that means very impressed, surprised, or pleased; the word's use as a verb came along much later in the 1920s. Public Domain Information.