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Nathan & Elizabeth: An Epic Love
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Chapter Sixty-two
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Monday of Wedding Week
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Part IV
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Out on the Boardwalk, Rosemary greeted Elizabeth, Grace, and Julie with an enthusiasm that was even beyond her normal directorial dramatic self.
At the same time, Lee warmly greeted William and Nathan.
"Grace, it's so lovely to see you! And you are looking just divine!" exclaimed Rosemary.
"You, too, Rosemary, and I can't wait to meet this beautiful little Goldie I've heard so much about!"
"Oh, Grace, there's nothing like her! We are just so blessed. And to think we are going to be finding our forever home to raise her in is just the most exciting thing ever! But of course, Mollie is keeping her for us this evening as the night air is just a bit too risky to bring her with us!"
"Hello, all!" greeted Bill, coming from the RCMP Office and taking charge. "Let's see, William, this first carriage is for you, Grace, and Jack, along with Nathan and Elizabeth. Rosemary and Lee, let's hop in this second carriage with Julie and Allie and be on our way! We'll have to wait and eat dinner after we return. I made reservations at The Queen of Hearts for all of us, and since we know the owners, we should be good!"
Everyone laughed, ready for their outing.
"Uncle Bill, I can't believe we're building a house!"
"That we are, Little Mountie! And you'll have the prettiest room this town has ever seen if I have anything to say about it!"
Nathan assisted in getting William and Grace in the front seat of their carriage along with Jack, who wanted to sit up front in his Grandpapa's lap. Then Nathan helped Elizabeth into the back seat, climbing in after her, taking her hand, and kissing her as soon as he sat beside her, with Elizabeth automatically snuggling into him.
In the second carriage, Lee helped Rosemary into the front seat while Bill assisted Julie and Allie into the back seat and got in behind the girls. Still, before anyone knew what was happening, Scout jumped in the back of the carriage, too, quickly settling at Allie's and Julie's feet.
The mood in both carriages was pure excitement, everyone anxious to see this new land that was going to be home for the Grant Family, Coulter Family, and Bill…
As they reached Bill's land, the sun had just begun to splay forth dramatic jewel-tone colors across the sky that could only be seen in a Hope Valley sunset or, oddly enough, perhaps a tropical one.
Collective gasps from the carriages could be heard.
"Nathan, Love, tonight's sunset, again, looks like it's a Rose Valley sunset! This is just so stunning, and two nights in a row. Is this what we have to look forward to each night?"
Nathan couldn't resist whispering in his fiancée's ear.
"My Darling, we have these beautiful sunsets to look forward to and so much more!"
She smiled ever so beautifully, totally getting his loving inference.
They would be together in four days' time, sharing their lives, and she could not wait!"
"I can't believe I'm the lucky woman who gets to spend the rest of my life with you!" she whispered back.
He wrapped his arm around hers so very tenderly and lifted her out of the carriage onto what was now their land, but neither could resist the sweet, sweet kiss that inevitably followed.
"Come, Jack, let's go explore while it's still light," suggested Allie enthusiastically after having jumped out of the second carriage with the assistance of her Uncle Bill. "Come, Scout!"
"Stay where we can see you, kids," warned their Uncle Bill. "And don't let Scout get in that river!"
"We'll stay in sight, Uncle Bill, and we won't let Scout get in any river," assured Allie.
"And don't you kids either!"
"We're not going swimming, Uncle Bill, just walking!"
Bill sighed, ever watchful. In fact, he would have tagged alone, but he had some business to take care of.
"Lee, I never imagined anything this stunning!"
"Me neither, Rosie. This is extraordinary! By their kiss, I take it this is Nathan and Elizabeth's plat?"
"This is it!" confirmed Bill. "Let me show you what I was thinkin' about for you and Rosie and Goldie. It's the only spot I have two plots together close to Elizabeth and Nathan, but the more I thought about it since Elizabeth has the land next to her for Jack, I thought you two might want to do the same and have the plot next to yours for Goldie when she gets to be an adult!"
"Lee, absolutely, we do! Thank goodness you thought of that, Bill. It had never even entered our minds!"
"So, what two plots of land are we talking about, Bill?"
"Where we drove the carriages in will eventually be a paved street for the neighborhood, the ritziest one in all of Hope Valley, I might add. I thought Rosie would want to be as close to Elizabeth, so you two would probably want this plat by the tributary so the water would run the length of your property. It's a lot calmer than the river, and as you can see, Nathan and Elizabeth also have it running along the far side of their property, so the two plats are very similar in topography. Plus, you would be directly across the street from each other!"
"But we wouldn't want our Goldie separated from us by the water, Bill."
"I didn't think so. That's why she would own this first plat as you enter the neighborhood! Unless, of course, you wanted to switch, but I didn't think you two gals would like that. See, at first, I actually wanted this plat to save for myself. But then I realized you'd need two, and I don't, so I'm alright with givin' this to the two of you."
"Then where would you be?" asked Rosie.
"I'd be okay takin' that second lot across from where Goldie will be when she's all grown up!"
"Bill's right, Lee! I guess in my mind, I thought that being next door to Elizabeth and Nathan would be nice, but the truth is, I think I like being directly across the street better. We can watch each other's houses much closer, and to tell you the truth, I don't want all that farmland they've got behind them. We're city people, Lee, and I want terraces and fancy gardens, not vegetable gardens!"
"That's another good point," nudged Bill, having worked long enough with Rosemary to know when to lead and when to hold back.
"Well, Rosie, I do agree about that, too. As it's pretty clear, I'm a businessman, not a farmer! How many acres for these two, Bill?"
"I'll have to check the exact acreage, but I do know it's about half those on the other side of the street which are planned to be farms, and ranches, that sort of thing!"
"Then, if you're sure, Bill, pencil us in for these two!"
"Oh, Lee, this is absolutely perfect. Except, Bill, you'll have to help me make Elizabeth and Nathan understand because they'll just be devastated that we aren't going to be next door!"
"Absolutely! But I'll help numb the sting as much as I can…"
Back at The Queen of Hearts, a hearty dinner was had by all!
"Rosemary, you have positively outdone yourself with your hotel renovations, not the least of which is this delicious menu you've developed! Haven't had a single thing yet that hasn't been delicious!" declared William.
"William is right, Rosemary; every single thing we've had tonight is five-star worthy," added Grace.
Since Rosemary was sitting by Elizabeth, in a low voice, she asked the question that had been on her mind all evening.
"Elizabeth, is Jack's land beyond the tributary on your property?"
"Yes!"
"But what are you going to do with it?"
"Well, they don't know it yet, but it will belong to the children, of course!"
"Do you think Lee and I should purchase Goldie's land across from them on the other side of what will be our land instead of that first plat? Because you know the children would want to be together!"
Bill overheard, feeling on pins and needles again.
"I suppose either would be fine," offered Elizabeth. "Though it would be nice for them to be together!"
"I need to talk to Lee when we get home. Of course, we would still have to purchase the same plot of land for us, as we would still need to be next to Goldie, just like you are next to yours!"
Bill breathed a huge sigh of relief!
Elizabeth gave Nathan a 'help me' look.
So, Nathan quickly tingled his glass as he knew Elizabeth wanted to officially make her announcement.
She smiled as all eyes moved toward her.
"We are so thrilled to be here together with our dear family and friends that are also family! I have a huge surprise that I want to give to our children a few nights earlier, before our Wedding and their Adoptions. But I want them to know, and you all to know, how very much Nathan and I love them. That everyone loved Bill's land, and I suppose now our land, this evening means so much to us, and we are especially excited about having all our closest friends, who are truly family, right next to us!"
She paused a moment, excited about her announcement.
"As many of you know, the land Jack and I purchased together borders what is now Nathan's and my land beyond the tributary, which means we no longer need the land that Jack and I bought. Nathan is in agreement with what I want to do, and I even believe Jack Senior would also be in agreement if he could be with us tonight. Allie, Jack, I am splitting the land equally and gifting it to the two of you to have as your own when you become adults, and it's a lot of acreage, large enough for a couple of farms or ranches and more. Nathan and I understand there is no way you can know where life will take you at this point, but you will always have a home with us, and now, with this land, you will always have a second home of your own in Hope Valley, if you so wish!"
Allie looked up like she was about to cry.
"But Mama, shouldn't that all be Jack's land?"
The question pierced the hearts of all the adults present.
"No, I don't think so. See, when Jack Senior and I bought the land, we bought one plat for us and one plat for our first child. Don't you see, Allie, Jack will still have what he was meant to have, and now so will you, Sweetheart, just the same as Jack!"
Allie started out and out crying and walked to her Mama to hug her.
Because, now she knew tangibly, once again, leaving no doubt, her Mama's love for them was exactly the same. It was the thought that meant the world to Allie, as her Mama wasn't leaving her out, nor was she making a difference. And though Jack really didn't understand her tears, nor even his gift, at all, he knew everything was alright.
He could just tell that even though his Allie was crying, it was a happy cry, and that was all that mattered to the Little Guy.
This was also the moment all three Thatchers glanced at each other, knowing with certainty that there would never be any difference in their love for Allie or Jack.
The problem was there wasn't a dry eye around the huge table because every single adult knew as best they could what this most thoughtful, wonderful gift meant to their dear, sweet Allie. They also knew from this day forward Elizabeth was already and would always be her mother, just the same as she was Jack's…
Back at Elizabeth's rowhouse, with Jack in bed upstairs and Allie in bed at the Grant rowhouse, Nathan desperately needed to talk to Elizabeth.
Sensing the importance of the conversation, Elizabeth had brought them ice-cold apple juice to share.
"Elizabeth, you know how we talked about classified information within the Mounties and how we are bound not to share it with anyone, even those we love?"
"Yes, Love! I understand all that."
"But what if it's going to be personally upsetting to you?"
Elizabeth sighed deeply and set down her glass of apple juice after taking a sip.
"This has to do with Jack's boots, doesn't it?"
"Theoretically speaking, yes."
"And Hargreaves does not want Jack's journals to protect Jack, but to protect himself?"
"Theoretically speaking, yes, my Love!"
"I've thought about this a lot, Nathan. Even just after Jack died, before I ever met you. And I want to share something with you that I've never ever shared before with anyone, not even Bill."
Nathan nodded, though solemnly.
"Jack's death never set right with me, Nathan. Call it foreboding, call it instinct, call it déjà vu – I didn't have the privilege of living with Jack long, but I knew him well enough to know he wouldn't walk into a dangerous situation with his men without a fight. Now, don't get me wrong, he himself was a risktaker, and yes, had it been just him alone, he would have taken any risk necessary. But not with his men. That's what told me there was much more to the story of his death, even back then. What has since happened with Hargreaves has only solidified all those feelings." (*133)
She paused.
"I know you love me completely, Nathan, and I know you are feeling guilty about marrying me without warning me that something difficult is about to happen. And I love you for that so very much! It tells me that we are a team, no matter what! And that you will always protect me to the very best of your ability. That's why I feel safe with you. That's why you are my home!"
She paused once more, averting her eyes for a moment while quickly meeting his again.
"Nathan, what I am going to learn, I believe I already know. And oddly, on some level, I have known since it happened. I just didn't know on whom to lay my blame, but now, after Hargreaves's visit and obvious guilt, I do. I am trying to tell you, my Darling, I know Jack was essentially murdered. And I want you to know I am prepared to hear that because I have believed it from the moment I heard of his death."
Nathan gathered her to him, caressing her, kissing her ever so tenderly, but without words, as she softly cried.
His heart broke for her to go through this, however, he was at least grateful, she was as prepared as much as possible.
He held her for several hours until she finally fell asleep on his shoulder.
Not knowing what he should do, he carried her upstairs to her bed, placed her on her pillows, and covered her with the comforter from the bottom of the bed.
"Sleep well, my Love! May God give you continued strength and wisdom as you deal with what is to come as relates to Jack's death. As prepared as we both now know you are, it will still be difficult to hear as an absolute fact. What I wouldn't give to bear that pain for you in a heartbeat, if only I could. My heart is completely intertwined and my soul is completely entwined with yours, my Darling, and that's been true from the first moment I met you. I love you, Lizbeth, with all my being, and not that you need it, I will still always, always watch over and protect you!"
He bent to gently kiss her forehead, then turned out the bedside light and turned to go downstairs to let himself out.
And as he walked home, he thanked God for preparing his Lizbeth...
With her eyes closed, Elizabeth smiled demurely, already half in Dreamland, as she heard this man who meant the world to her softly close and lock her front door.
"Goodnight, my great, great Love! You are the absolute light of my life!"
"As well as Allie's and Jack's young lives!"
"We are all three so very blessed and proud, Nathan Grant, to belong to you…"
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133. "Déjà Vu," the phenomenon of feeling like one has lived through a current situation before because it is similar to something that existed or happened before. Public Domain Information.