Chapter 2

William Thatcher sat back in his chair at the top of the table, looking around at the people gathered there. They were friends and family, people he had known for years, who he was close to, and yet still sometimes he felt very alone sitting here. The dinner had been magnificent, once again their chef living up to the reputation as the best in Hamilton. But tonight he had too many other things on his mind to have properly enjoyed the meal.

He had been watching the interaction between his middle daughter and son-in-law, which had led him to reflect on the first time he met Nathan Grant, when his fears of his daughter being hurt again had been quickly allayed as he realised that nothing was going to stop the feelings these two had for each other. Now, as then, there was no question to anyone who saw them that the two were deeply in love. But did they truly understand each other, he wondered. Or more precisely, did Elizabeth know what her husband needed to make him happy?

Even before he met Nathan he had acquired an admiration for the man, his investigation into the Mountie's past showing someone who had such strength of character that he never shied away from whatever challenge was put in front of him. But the turmoil Elizabeth had gone through after losing her first husband left him wondering if the effort Nathan had to make to win her over would have an impact on their marriage. He knew very well how much the sense of an imbalance in feelings could weigh on a man.

There had been that unfortunate short-lived dalliance she had with the saloon owner, although William knew it had been nothing more than flirtation, a form of defence to hold the man she truly loved at arms length while she sorted out her own emotions. He knew it had never amounted to anything and Elizabeth had come to her senses when the invitation to visit Union City had been made. No honourable man would expect a woman of her standing, a school teacher no less, to entertain accepting such an offer and he was proud of his daughter for saying no.

His new son-in-law was seated at the other end of the table, laughing at the jokes that Charles Kensington was telling and giving the impression that he genuinely liked the other man despite the difference in so many things about them. He hoped that was the case for the Kensington family were very close to his own and so it would make life much easier in the future if there was no bad blood between anyone. Societal expectations often made it hard to get away from happenings of the past, something he knew first hand. But Elizabeth had assured him that Nathan was aware of her history with Charles, who had moved on quickly from her refusal of his marriage proposal and now only a fool would miss the loving looks he sent along the table towards his wife.

And whilst the same would probably be thought of Elizabeth and Nathan by someone who didn't know them better, he could tell that there was definitely some tension hanging there between them, something they were both trying to keep hidden.

Believing that no-one would notice if he slipped away for a while William rose and left the table, turning back for a moment at the door to once again look at the people sitting there. He knew that these gatherings were important to Grace, it had been this way since the very start of their marriage, and so he had always acquiesced to her plans whenever she spoke about their entertaining schedule over the holidays. Whatever she wanted he would give her, if it was within his means. He had a feeling Nathan felt the same about Elizabeth. With a final loving glance at his wife who was busy in conversation he left the room and headed off on his mission.

He climbed the stairs, then quickly walked along the first floor hallway towards the nursery that Grace would probably be surprised to find he knew well. It was here that he had spent many hours with his middle daughter, reading to her on a variety of subjects in which her two sisters showed no interest. That had been where their bond had been formed and now there was a young girl with whom he hoped to do the same. He knew where he would find her, curled up in one of the big chairs by the fire, reading one of the books that filled the wall of shelves on the other side of the room.

He knocked quietly on the door before slowly opening it. As he suspected Allie was indeed there and she looked up as he came into the room, a big smile breaking out on her face.

"Mr Thatcher, shouldn't you be downstairs with all the other adults?", she asked, her surprise to see him standing there clear in her voice.

"I should, Allie, but to be honest I was sitting with all the people down there wishing I was up here reading a book just like I knew you would be. There are only so many times you can hear James Wilton talk about how he fought off a bear singlehandedly without butting in and telling him how much his story has changed over the years and that it hadn't happened exactly like that!"

Allie's laugh was like music to his ears and suddenly he felt a longing for the days when this house reverberated with the sound of children playing, not just his own daughters but all their friends who would chase each other from room to room downstairs, their giggles and squeals filling the air. He would often sit with his study door slightly ajar just so that he could hear them but eventually one of the staff would shoo them upstairs to play so they wouldn't disturb him. So many times he had wanted to go to the door and call down the hallway that it was okay, he didn't mind, the sound of their happiness gave him joy.

Now he looked at the young girl who had risen from her chair, waiting for him to enter the room.

There was a quality about Allie Grant that made her different from so many of the children he had met in recent years, Viola's mouselike pair being a great example of what happens when you don't let children be themselves. But with this girl you could see a fieriness in her eyes, a willingness to embrace all that life would give her and to face the tough times head on. He had seen that in Elizabeth and had been determined to feed that flame within her to follow her chosen path but somewhere along the way he had let Grace's doubts get in the way of that. He hoped that perhaps now he had a chance to atone for how he had tried to challenge her decision to marry a Mountie and then to attempt to force Jack into becoming someone he wasn't in order to give Elizabeth the life his wife thought she should have.

He needed to make things right with his daughter.

Waving for Allie to sit back down he took the other seat by the fire, his eyes wandering around the room for just a moment before settling on the girl in front of him.

"And haven't I asked you to call me Grandpa William? After all we are family now. I thought it would be nice for us to have a little chat, especially as there is something I need your help with."

"I'm sorry, I keep forgetting. There are just so many new things for me to try to remember." She started ticking them off with her fingers. "Which knife to use. How to greet all the people we meet. What I am supposed to wear for all the different things we are doing. Not to run in the hallway."

She paused for a moment before continuing, "Why did you make them so long if we're not allowed to do that!"

William laughed, enchanted by this young girl. Elizabeth had told them all about Allie's past. About how when her mother died Nathan had taken her in and raised her as his own. It was yet another thing that he admired about the man. He thought of his own sister, Agatha, and hoped that he too would have stepped up to the mark had something happened to her.

"Actually, I made them that long so that you could do just that. But I'm afraid other people set the rules in this house not me."

"Then perhaps you could ask them to change just that one? Little Jack loves running up and down them and I think his cousins would rather like to do the same if they were allowed." She hesitated for a moment, as though unsure of whether to continue but then added, "Although I think it would take more than a rule change for them to be allowed to really enjoy themselves."

William had to stifle a laugh, knowing that Allie was right but not wanting to openly agree. Viola kept a strict control of her children, explaining it by going into great descriptions of how they were expected to behave in the social circle in which they mixed. Sorting that was another task he had put on his list of things to do this Christmas.

"Now, shall I tell you why I am really here? What it is I need your help with?"

Suddenly Allie forgot about the rules and shuffled about in the chair, drawing her knees up under her skirt, and finally with her eyes firmly fixed on William she nodded her assent.

"It's about tomorrow. I think there are some things that you and I need to do to make everyone happy."

Grace Thatcher had seen her husband leave the dining room and for a moment she considered going after him, ask him to stay at the table. She knew that these few days were always difficult for William and however much she sometimes wanted to do things differently she just didn't seem to know how. This, having all these people around, had been her way of coping for so long and she was scared of changing anything. Even after all these years.

She turned her attention back to her daughter Viola, wondering what would be the next thing she asked for to make their Christmas more European. More English, as she would put it. More what she thought it needed to be to be "correct".

She saw a lot of herself in Viola. Driven by a desire to fit into a world where you felt you didn't belong, striving to match up to something you believed was above you. Marrying a man for stability and position in society, even when your heart lay with someone else.

The truth was that Grace would like to change the way they did Christmas but, unlike Viola, she didn't wish to make it even fancier. She longed for a quieter day, time spent with their grandchildren, walks in the garden before all gathering around the table just enjoying being together. Having them all here now had made her begin to think about what was important in life. What mattered most. It had taken a long time for her to realise that she was the only one who could change things to how it should be. But was she brave enough to let go of many of the traditions she had been following for all these years?

Her eyes were immediately drawn to her new son-in-law, his quiet presence radiating with a subtle power that was missing in her oldest daughter's husband. For all his family wealth and standing, for the rich social life in which they mixed, Lionel was a man you could easily miss seeing. One who lived in the shadows. She wondered if he was happy, not just with Viola but with life in general.

Nathan, on the other hand, had a quiet confidence about himself. She knew this type of socialising would be an anathema to him for Elizabeth had told her how he enjoyed a much simpler life. Yet here he was, showing no sign of feeling out of place, as though this was where he wanted to be. This is what he was willing to do to make his wife happy. She hoped that Elizabeth appreciated that.

She thought of her own husband, William, and for how many years now he had been doing that very same thing. He knew where they stood when they got married, what her feelings were, and yet he had spent the years since doing everything in his power to make her happy. To try to make her love him. To not regret that decision they had made together when faced with the circumstances at the time.

Why hadn't she told him when her feelings changed? When she realised that she did love him, more than she could ever have imagined. That he was everything she needed and wanted. Perhaps it wasn't too late to let him know how she truly felt. That all she wanted for Christmas, every Christmas, was him. Now and forever.

Movement from the other end of the table caught her eye and she watched Nathan stand and turn to leave the room. With a quickly mumbled excuse to Viola she stood and walked out of the doorway at this end, knowing that he would have to pass there to reach the exit to the garden. Somehow she knew that was where he would be heading. Perhaps she would be overstepping standards of propriety in speaking to him as she intended but she had a feeling that he was just the person who would be able to help her. And perhaps in some small way she could help him too.