A blanket of silence dropped over them. Elizabeth didn't say anything. She was, however, smiling. "This is when you say yes!" Elena prodded.
"Yes." Elizabeth said happily, the newly engaged couple hugged each other. Then they hugged Elena.
Elizabeth and Jack's engagement party was a huge success. A happy danger free week came and went. Then Elena came home to find Elizabeth staring at a telegram, "Who's it from?" Elena asked curiously.
"My parents. They're arriving early. Tomorrow. Early." Elizabeth her eyes raising to Elena's in alarm.
"Oh, well that just ruined my day. I wonder what they'll think of me. A girl Mountie who can shoot. Where are they going to stay?" Elena asked, smiling.
"Above the saloon." Elizabeth said.
"Good. I was hoping we could put them there. Does Jack know?" Elena laughed.
"Does Jack know what?" The mountie said coming into the small house with a big grin on his face.
"Does Jack know that Elizabeth's parents are coming tomorrow? And that they are going to sleep in the saloon? Can I tell Rosemary? Ooh ooh please!?" Elenaasked addressing the last question to the bride to be.
Elizabeth nodded as Jack came and sat down next to her. Elena shoved her shoes on and ran to tell Rosemary. Five seconds later, she came back with a look of horror on her face.
"What is it?" Jack asked getting up.
"Your parents are here now. They are coming here now." Elena said
.
There was a knock on the door. Elena opened it. A tall man with gray eyes and gray hair entered with a brunette woman with brown eyes. They looked around in surprise. "Mother!" Elizabeth said her voice high as she walked over to hug them both.
"We decided to come and see your obviously delightful town. Now where is the hotel?" Her mother said, looking around trying to find something nice and failing.
Elena had slipped out and ran over to the saloon which had hotel rooms over it. She could see Elizabeth talking to her parents. Jack had her arm through his. They made it to the saloon steps.
"Welcome to the Saloon Ma'am. We hope you enjoy your stay here in Hope Valley. If you want a good dinner Abigail's Cafe is the best eatin place around these parts." Elena said in her most countrified voice.
"They have bellboys in Mountie uniforms?" Elizabeth's mother, Grace asked.
"I am a Mountie ma'am. I took the oath when I was ten and Commissioner Roberts instated me." Elenasaid trying to hold back a laugh.
"Oh how nice. Elizabeth, do you know this girl?" Her father asked.
"Yes, I do. She stays with me." Elizabeth answered.
They walked into the saloon. Jack and Elizabeth went to the cafe. They walked away laughing quietly. Elizabeth's parents looked around in horror. "Where are the water closets?" Her father, Tim asked.
"There's an outhouse outside." Elizabeth tried to placate her parents by bringing them to their rooms.
She brought them to their rooms. When they were 'freshened up' Elizabeth led them to the cafe.
Jack and Elenawere laughing over two plates of ham and cheese omelets. Elisabth led her parents to the table next to the two Mounties. Jack and Elenaboth loved breakfast for lunch and breakfast for dinner. Mr. And Mrs. Thatcher ordered two steaks with mashed potatoes, biscuits and gravy. Elizabeth had spaghetti.
"So Elizabeth, let's take them on a tour of Hope Valley. We can take them around the pond, to the mill, the jail, and around town." Elena said. Elizabeth nodded eagerly. She was still in shock that her parents were in Hope Valley. After they ate, Elena and Jack played tour guide. They walked around the pond, then they showed them the jail.
"Cody Stanton, are you in jail again? What did you do this time?" Elena asked.
"I stole cookies." Cody said dejectedly, shaking his head miming tears.
The Thatcher's were surprised, "You really arrest children as young as this." Mr. Thatcher asked.
"Yes, if they do something wrong. We either arrest them or have Bill Avery talk to them. That usually works." Elena said.
"I wasn't talking to you. You insolent girl. I was talking to the Mountie." Mr. Thatcher smacked her across the face and pushed her into the wall.
"You addressed the question to the group. And she is a real Mountie. Anyone here can tell you that. If you so much as lay a finger on her again. I have every right to arrest you. Elena, are you ok?" Jack said his voice was like iron.
"I'm fine. Mr. Thatcher, if you talk to me like that again I won't hold my patience and someone here could get hurt." She answered, going closer to Jack.
"You're just a girl. You can't do anything to hurt me." Mr. Thatcher sneered.
Elena held her patience. Mr. Thatcher decided to push her further, "You're just a stupid servant girl. Dressed like her dead pa. Her dead pa died because he was a bad Mountie too." Mr. Thatcher stopped.
"No one calls my father a bad Mountie. He was the best there was." Elena said she had tears in her eyes.
"Elizabeth, take them on the rest of the tour." Jack told his fiance. Elizabeth nodded and then took her parents out.
Elenahad moved in front of the door when he had yelled at her and he violently shoved her out of the way. Elena fell to the ground.
"Father!" Elizabeth yelled.
"Elizabeth, ladies must not raise their voices." Her mother said, warningly turning to face her daughter.
"I will raise my voice when I see it fit to, Mother." Elizabeth said, whipping towards her mother, no one could treat her daughter like this.
She led her parents out of jail. Jack immediately helped Elena up, "So how do you like your father in law?" Elena smirked.
"Ha. Are you ok?" Jack questioned worriedly.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Wait no I'm not. I landed wrong on my arm." She said rubbing it, "It's not broken though. But why does he hate me?!" She asked angrily.
"He's a bit of a traditionalist. He doesn't think people should marry out of their class and he thinks a woman's job is to marry well and look pretty." Jack answered.
"I don't like him." Elena bluntly said.
Jack laughed and then nodded.
"I just hope he doesn't talk to me like that again. Actually I do. In front of Bill Avery." Elena laughed.
"You did a good job keeping your temper." Jack commented.
"I almost whacked him over the head." Elena said softly, falling into silence.
"What's wrong?" Jack asked.
"He called my father a bad Mountie. It's not true." Elena wept, "I can't wait till they leave." Elenaangrily said.
"Don't worry they'll only be here for a week." Jack chuckled.
"Good." Elena shouted a bit louder than attended.
"I'm going to go over to the house ok. Stay here." Jack said.
Elenanodded. He had been gone for about five minutes when the door opened again.
"Back already?" She asked, thinking it was Jack.
"YEs, I'm back. You insolent Mountie." Mr. Thatcher said, smacking her across the face.
Elena stumbled back with a surprised gasp.
"What do you want?" Elena queried in pain.
"I want you to stop being a Mountie." He said.
"Why?" She questioned.
"Because I said so." He said, advancing toward her.
"No. Being a Mountie is honoring my father and I would be dead if I wasn't one." She said quietly.
"I think we can arrange that." Mr. Thatcher shouted. He wrenched her arm so far that it broke. Elena shrieked in agony. He kicked her to the ground. She hit her forehead on the corner of the desk and the wound started to bleed. She tried to fight back but she couldn't. She was about to make a move for her gun when the door opened.
"Sir, I think we need you to step into that cell." She heard Bill Avery say before she passed out.