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Chapter One hundred fifty-eight
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Bill Arrives
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Bill Avery stared out the window for a while before extracting Adeli's most recent letter to read it once again. He was sorry that she would be leaving Regina even as he was arriving, but hoped that by living in her former apartment their connection would remain, their correspondence could continue, and their relationship would grow. Today though, travelling between Hope Valley and Regina, Bill felt his aloneness. Often content on his own, today he felt different, even melancholic missing Adeli, the Grants and the Thorntons.
Compared to the busyness of the last few weeks, Bill's current solitude made him feel his life's losses acutely so he was spending much of this journey reliving memories, both sorrowful and joyous.
He had thought of his childhood, a childhood that no one of his current circle even knew. He thought that if anyone was to understand it would be Nathan, but knowing all that was happening in this dear man's life right now, Bill's confessions would and could wait a while longer.
He sighed and sipped his cup of coffee, too weak for his tastes, yet the only coffee available on the train, as he recalled that childhood.
An orphan at eight, Bill had been an angry, scrappy boy who held everyone at bay and ran away from the orphanage out east to fend for himself at age ten…
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Reaching into his briefcase, Bill found the photographs inside the back cover of his Bible. He extracted the treasured keepsakes and examined the two photos he had of his parents, one to mark their wedding and the second holding him as a child. On the backside of the third photo, he read the familiar words of a poet who had known sorrow and depression yet in spite of it had trusted God and found joy.
Considering the various stages of his history, Bill began to recall the events of the past few months. His eyes closed, Bill silently thanked God for His wondrous works as he quietly hummed the hymn tune. He let his thoughts repeat the words he knew from memory.
'God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform.
He plants His footsteps in the sea and rides upon the storm.
Deep in unfathomable mines of never-failing skill;
He treasures up His bright designs, and works His sov'reign will.
Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take; the clouds ye so much dread
are big with mercy and shall break in blessings on your head.'
Opening his eyes again, Bill read the remaining three verses.
'Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, but trust Him for his grace;
Behind a frowning providence He hides a smiling face.
His purposes will ripen fast, unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste, but sweet will be the flow'r.
Blind unbelief is sure to err, and scan His work in vain;
God is His own interpreter, and He will make it plain.' (*93)
Bill rubbed his thumb over the author's name, William Cowper, who not only shared his given name but he had been educated as an attorney. Bill pondered the fact that these words were penned almost one hundred fifty years ago by a suffering saint, yet still held true today.
'Eventually God will reveal His plans,' Bill concluded. He had seen some plans unfolding and trusted he would see even more revealed according to God's timing.
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Elizabeth, Jack, and Hudson met the train on Monday afternoon, excited to welcome Bill back to Regina.
"There he is! There's Uncle Bill!" Jack cried, excitedly tugging on his mother's hand. "Uncle Bill! Uncle Bill! It's me! Jack!"
Bill grinned from ear-to-ear as he hurriedly approached, crying out, "Well! If it isn't my family here to welcome me home!"
Setting his luggage down, Bill was quickly smothered in hugs. Getting teary-eyed, he shrugged his shoulders as he extended his hand to Hudson, "Good to see you again, my friend. Thanks for coming to meet me."
"Our pleasure, Bill. Glad you are here now and had a safe trip." Hudson pointed towards the other end of the platform as he took one of Bill's suitcases, "William has that truck awaiting your belongings, and we have our car here too. Did you bring your vehicle?"
"I sure did. I'll really get some use out of that here and poor Nathan can have his own car back. How is our boy, Elizabeth?" Bill motioned for everyone to accompany him as he moved towards the baggage car, receipt in hand. "The conductor told me to wait over here while they unload. You want to watch, Jack?"
As Jack nodded vigorously, his mother smiled, "You know it, Bill!" Elizabeth admitted, "He is equally as excited to see you as he is anything involving a train!"
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Assisting the movers that William Thatcher had provided, Bill directed them to place his furniture in Adeline's former apartment and the larger pieces were arranged when Elizabeth arrived with her mother.
"Hello, Bill! Welcome to Regina!" Grace gave Bill two air kisses in the formal manner.
"Thank you so much, Grace! I am grateful to be here and maybe I can relax after all the rigmarole of packing everything and closing my office in Hope Valley. I slept well on the train though so I have enough energy to make my bed and rustle up some breakfast items for the morning."
"No need, Bill," Elizabeth patted his arm and continued, "Mother and I prepared a basket with some basic supplies, along with coffee, eggs, bacon, butter, and scones. They are not Minnie's or Clara's but they are passable for now. We will also make up your bed if you can direct us to your linens? Did you remember to pack the bedclothes and towels in a suitcase?"
Laughing, Bill shook his head, "You would think I never moved before, Elizabeth! I relocated plenty of times as a Mountie and an Inspector! However, to answer your question, that suitcase contains the items you mentioned, along with my pajamas and robe. The blankets are in the black trunk, but I need to get the key." Rummaging in his satchel, Bill retrieved the keys and lifted the lid on the trunk. "There we go. Thank you, ladies. This is a welcome surprise."
"You're welcome, Bill. Why don't you unpack the basket we brought so you know what you have and then find your plate, mug, frying pan and coffee pot. Better to get prepared now while it is still light and you are wide awake!" Grace admonished as she headed into the bedroom.
Once the bedroom was settled and towels neatly hung over towel rods in the bathroom, the ladies returned to the parlor and Elizabeth asked, "What else may we do to help you, Bill? Shall we unpack and hang your suits to give them some time to straighten out the wrinkles? Also, may we help unpack your kitchen items? You can direct us where you want them located. Fortunately Adeli left this place spotless for you!"
"She did, didn't she? What a blessing. If you could handle the suits that would be wonderful! That same black trunk has one suit and this oversize suitcase has others. The wooden hangers are tucked on the trunk's side. Let me find the kitchen boxes while you do that."
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"Nathan!" exclaimed Bill as he followed Elizabeth and Jack into the Cottage and lowered his satchel to the floor. "What a relief to see you so much better than I had imagined!" Bill hurriedly stepped in front of Nathan and gave him a careful hug, avoiding his sling.
"Bill! I am so happy to see you too! Don't worry, I won't break. The sling is less for support now and more to remind me to use my shoulder deliberately and not overdue it." Nathan stood aside as Allie sidled up to her uncle.
"Uncle Bill…" Allie's tears were immediate and her hug was fierce.
"Oh Sweetheart! I have missed you so much and, wait… did you grow taller in just one month?"
Shrugging, Allie looked into her uncle's face and blushed, "I don't know. Maybe?"
Bill wiped her wet cheeks then, hugging her again, he whispered, "You are as beautiful as ever though."
"I'm not young and beautiful," Carol laughed coming to hug Bill, "yet I need a hug too! I have missed my sous chef you know! Welcome back to Regina, Bill Avery, and welcome home."
"Thank you, Carol. We'll have to find some times to cook together over this coming month, eh?"
Releasing his hug, Bill questioned, "What smells so delicious in here now? Is that your doing, Carol?"
"I prepared our meal to allow Elizabeth to assist you, but Allie made our dessert. Settle in for a bit, we are not quite ready to serve. Allie? You may stay here with your uncle if you wish. The table is set and maybe Elizabeth can assist in the kitchen for a bit?"
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With the flavor of an orange sponge still on their taste buds, the family sipped coffee or hot chocolate as they continued to catch up on happenings in Hope Valley and Regina.
"Did you know, Aunt Rosie and Uncle Lee are coming to Regina?" Allie had been patiently waiting for the subject to be introduced during dinner, then finally had waited long enough.
"Of course, Allie. Isn't Rosemary in the wedding?" Bill continued his comments, "I can't see them missing that, although I was surprised they travelled so far so close to that event."
"No, Uncle Bill. They are moving here to stay! They'll stay in Miss Bess's apartment at the Hotel after Dad and she go on their honeymoon," Allie explained, leaving out the key information Bill needed to understand!
Elizabeth spoke up to explain, "Lee and his brother-in-law are beginning a furniture making and retail business downtown. They are on their way to Hope Valley to pack and move here right before the wedding. We saw…"
"What?" Flabbergasted, Bill questioned, "They are moving here too?"
Nathan nodded, "They are. Isn't it incredible? We'll have half of Hope Valley swelling the population count in Regina now!"
"What it tells me, is that I am not the only one who misses the two, well the four of you after you departed. This is marvelous news! I didn't know a thing about it, so they kept it quiet very well!" Bill chuckled, realizing his Mountie Inspector instincts had been thwarted.
"No one knew until they arrived and shared the possibility with us. Lee had various meetings with the mayor and business leaders, then chose one of two buildings and now, the place is theirs." Nudging Nathan, Elizabeth whispered, "Tell him, Honey…"
"Team-tagging our conversations, eh?" Nathan grinned, but happily complied. "Lee offered the manager position to my Dad, Bill! How about that?" Nathan paused to let Bill absorb this new information. "Dad will be accepting the offer as soon as the Coulters arrive in Hope Valley and prepare to relocate here. Our prayers are that the main house will be ready for Allie and me to move into before Zach's graduation, then Mom and Dad will be settling here in the Cottage! It's a veritable merry-go-round here!"
"I'll say. That is wonderful news for your parents, Nathan. I know its been difficult to have them so far away." Catching a glimpse of Carol wiping a tear from the corner of her eye, Bill acknowledged softly, "I am just sorry that all these wonderful moves are happening when you and Peter are moving away. I guess you'll just have to visit!"
Although with watery eyes, Carol responded, "We will and the best thing is that Nathan and Elizabeth have agreed to allow us to keep the apartment for ourselves so we can visit. We'll give them space to become a family unit, but we'll find our way west soon enough! Peter is talking about adding an outer door so we can come and go without interfering with the children."
"You know you will not be interfering, Carol. You are welcome as often as you can come," Nathan admonished. "Please remember that!"
"Nathan is right, Carol," Reaching her hand to Carol's, Elizabeth added, "Our doors are always open to family!"
Having just adjusted to Uncle Bill's return, Allie quickly rose from her chair and went to hug Carol from behind. Leaning her head onto Carol's shoulder, Allie whispered, "We love you Gramma Carol. Always remember that!"
Not to be outdone by his big sister, Jack quickly slid out of his chair and made his way to Carol's side, wrapping his arms around her waist. "I love you, Gramma Carol."
Handkerchiefs immerged from the pockets of every adult and Bill commented, "What is it with this family? We are always needing crates of handkerchiefs!"
With one hand covering Allie's and her other patting Jack's back, Carol retorted, "You just wait until the wedding, Bill Avery! That's when we'll need crates of tissues!"
"You're probably right. Hey, how about we open some presents I brought with me, eh?"
"Presents, Uncle Bill? For me?" Jack released Carol and followed his uncle as he collected the satchel near the front door.
"Well, there just might be something in here with your name on it, Jack! Let's go back to the dining table, okay?" Bill grinned at his Godson and followed the skipping little boy into the dining room. "I get to play Santa tonight!"
The first item that Bill retrieved was a large, soft, square gift which he handed to Elizabeth. "This is for both of you from Molly. She won't be able to attend the wedding, but wanted you to have this in advance, so it doesn't get lost with other gifts that might be travelling this way."
Accepting the package, Elizabeth looked at Nathan. When he nodded, she carefully untied the beautiful, rich green ribbon, pulled open the paper folds, and discovered a needlepoint pillow, causing Elizabeth to burst into tears. Unable to speak, Elizabeth turned the pillow to allow everyone to see the image of the Jack Thornton School, with the sun illuminating it against a backdrop of deep, green trees, and a couple pots of colorful blossoms beside the front steps.
"Oh! Wow! That is beautiful work!" Nathan admired the workmanship, then to Elizabeth, added softly, "This is a special, meaningful gift, Lisbeth. To have that reminder of the schoolhouse that Jack built and in which you taught for so many years. Really this has meaning to us all, right Allie?"
"I didn't know what it was for, but Mrs. Sullivan and Mrs. Yost asked me to draw a picture of the schoolhouse when I was working at the Switchboard. They were very specific about the size of the drawing and I think maybe they used my drawing as a template. Wow! That's really cool that it is for you, Miss Bess."
Having recovered her speech, Elizabeth corrected her daughter-to-be, "It is for all of us, Honey. We all have many precious memories in that building." Looking at Nathan, she added, "Though not always good memories, they are ours and we will choose to focus on the best ones."
Nathan reached his arm over the chair in which Jack had been seated during the meal, and gently patted her shoulder.
"What else did you bring, Uncle Bill?" Jack was anxious to continue the revelations from the depths of his uncle's leather bag.
"Hmmmm… Let's see now… Oh, I think this says 'To Jack' doesn't it? Bill handed a small locomotive-shaped tin, into Jack's eager palms.
"Ohhh..." Jack shook it and looked up, "There is something inside Uncle Bill. I hear it." Handing the tin back, he asked, "Open it?"
Elizabeth said his name with a tone of warning, "Jack?"
"Oh, right, please?" Distractedly, Jack added the expected civility and explanation, "It's candy. My own candy for my drawer!"
"That's from Mountie Paul. He wanted you to remember him and to remember you promised to make a picture for his wall. Do you remember that?"
Embarrassed, Jack ducked his head, "I forgot."
"That's okay, Son, Mountie Paul will understand knowing all the activities around the holidays and then Patrick's visit. Maybe you can draw a thank you note to him this coming week, alright? I am sure Daddy, Mommy, or I will help you, and you can ask Allie too!"
Perking up at that prospect, Jack raised his head again and offered a candy to Allie, pleading, "Will you, Allie? Will you help me make a picture?"
"Of course, Jack," As Bill handed a package to Allie, she looked up, "Thank you, Uncle Bill."
Unwrapping the brown paper, Allie found an autograph book, tied with dark blue ribbon. Opening it, she saw all her fellow students had completed a page for her. There we drawings, poems, pressed flowers and mini-letters that unfolded. Towards the back, she read pages from Dr. Faith, Miss Fiona, Mr. Henry, Pastor Joseph, and Mrs. Minnie. Mrs. Clara had pasted an embroidered heart on a page where she wrote, 'We miss you, Allie, and send our love and hugs. Mrs. Clara.' Even Mr. Jesse had signed it.
"Wow! This is from everybody. It's a little like Jack's photo book he brought back with him… Oh!" There on the back few pages were photographs. One of the townsfolk gathered on the steps of the church, another of the students in front of the new school, and one of the front of their old row house. Allie held the book close to her heart before she handed it to her Dad and Mom-to-be.
"This is so great! I'll explain who everyone is, Gramma Carol. Some of my friends you'll meet at the wedding, but maybe everyone cannot come."
"May I continue? I have another big item here for Nathan. I know what it is because I have a similar one. Here, Son."
Nathan took the large square package from Bill and slid off the ribbon. "Oh my stars! It's Newton!" Nathan held up another needlepoint pillow for all to see the portrait of his horse's regal head and flowing mane. "This is marvelous!"
"I'm not sure who made that one, maybe Florence? Clara made one for me of Hero, only mine is on a green background and yours is on dark blue."
"Honey, those are Florence's initials tucked underneath the mane, F.B.Y. so she created this. We'll have to ask how everyone made such a good likeness." Elizabeth wondered if she could commission a pillow of Sergeant from someone when they attended the wedding. Aloud, Elizabeth confessed, "She always had a soft spot for you, Nathan."
Eyes glistening, Nathan spoke in low tones, "These gifts for all of us are so special. There is no place like Hope Valley, you know?"
"There are also these," Bill handed letters from Joseph and from Henry to Nathan, then sorted the remaining envelopes for Elizabeth and Allie. "I think these are from the students."
"Oh wait! This is for you, Carol, from Minnie Canfield. She's the owner of the Café in town and after I told her about our meals and birthday celebration, she wanted you to have this recipe. I think it has her secret ingredient revealed for this one," Bill winked as he pushed the envelope towards Carol.
"For me? That was thoughtful… I wonder why…" Carol only had to glance at the ingredients to see the special addition. "Ah ha! Coffee! I will have to try that. Maybe we can bake a chocolate cake together this week, Allie?"
"Can I lick the spoon? Chocolate is my favorite," Jack reminded the family just in case they had forgotten this important preference.
"There is one more thing in here for you two," Bill lifted out an oval plaque and turned it so Nathan and Elizabeth could see it. "I believe you mistakenly left this behind?"
"Oh Bill! Thank you. My heart has been broken since I realized I didn't take that with me. The sentiment is fine for everyone to see in the Library, but you carved it for me, Nathan, and it has many special meanings for us." After gliding her hands over the words, 'Always do what you are afraid to do. Ralph Waldo Emmerson,' (*10) Elizabeth handed the wooden carving to Carol, proudly stating that Nathan had created that for her his first year in town.
"He knew you well even that long ago, Sweetheart. You are a blessed woman to have the love of such a fine man."
Getting lost in his sky blue eyes, Elizabeth nodded as she agreed, "Oh, I am most blessed…"
After many grateful hugs and farewells, Bill walked Carol to the main house, allowing Elizabeth and Nathan a few moments to say goodnight before he drove the Thorntons back to the Hotel.
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"I am amazed at everyone's thoughtfulness, aren't you?" Nathan and Elizabeth stood in each other's embrace as Nathan shared his thoughts. "Maybe we should purchase a notebook to keep track of gifts so we don't forget to thank anyone?"
Laughing softly, Elizabeth admitted, "We already have one, Honey. Mother found this two-volume set that fit together into a box on the shelf. One is a guest book for the wedding reception, and the other is a book for lists, and notes, and to record gifts given. I've begun to make notes in it already, so I will add our beautiful pillows and Allie's autograph book. We'll want to peruse that book ourselves if she will allow us to."
"I'm sure she will. We need to say goodnight now though, my Lisbeth. I love you," Nathan whispered against her lips before gently kissing them.
"And, my dear man, I love you too, Nathan. Sleep well tonight and I'll see you tomorrow afternoon."
"Goodnight…" Again, Nathan kissed her lightly before confessing, "I don't want to let you go…"
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Now at home in his new apartment, Bill took the time to acclimate himself to the place, noting where the wall sconces and switches were, examining every surface, and opening every cupboard door hoping to find something left behind. Had anyone asked he wouldn't have been able to explain, however he was alone and was a man with a long history of observation and investigations! He searched in vain, so finding nothing, he planned his suit, shirt, and tie choices for the following day.
As Bill was preparing for bed he reached for the medicine cabinet to store his toothbrush, holding the small, glass knob to open the mirrored door. It was then that he saw it! His heart leapt with excitement as he read 'Bill' in a feminine script scrawled across an envelope and propped behind a small wrapped box.
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(*93) "God Moves in a Mysterious Way," (Also known as 'Light Shining From Darkness') by William Cowper, 1774. Public Domain.
(*10) Quote from "Essays" by Ralph Waldo Emerson, from the essay "Heroism," May 1841. Public Domain.
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