The Emerald Key

CHAPTER 21





Beth, Colin, Ryan, and Jamie enjoyed their cold lemonades as they watched the Saturday shoppers pass them by from the steps of the St. Catharines post office. It had been four days since the shootout at the locks. Jamie had reported the strange discovery of a body jamming the waterwheel in the brand new sawmill to Mr. Montgomery himself. Both Mr. Montgomery and Jamie agreed that the discovery of a dead body in their new mill would make for a lot of bad publicity and a possible delay to the final phase of construction for the canal. Mr. Montgomery hired several trusted men to quietly clean up the mess. Everyone agreed that it was best if the incident were simply forgotten.

Jamie kept glancing north along the long expanse of St. Paul Street.

“So do you think it will be today?” asked Colin.

“I really don’t know,” said Jamie. “But we’ll keep coming out here to the post office every day at this time to wait until they do show up.”

“I’m glad you could join us, Ryan,” said Beth.

“I am too,” said Ryan, hoisting up his lemonade in salute. “All those foul-tasting liquids the doctor kept pouring down my throat seem to have done the trick.”

“Well, take it easy, brother,” said Jamie, examining the cloth sling that helped to immobilize Ryan’s arm. “Even if the bullet didn’t hit anything major, you still lost a lot of blood. You don’t want those sutures to pull apart and start the bleeding all over again.”

“Hello, there,” called out a friendly voice. They looked to the street where a man and a woman waved to them from atop their rolling four-wheeled wagon. It was an older couple. The man sported a wide-brimmed straw hat on top of a head of tight grey curls, his pants held up with a pair of dark blue suspenders. The open face of the wife was lined from constant outdoor work, but her smile was warm and genuine. She shielded herself from the sun with a colourful bonnet and a long, checkered dress. The farmer pulled the old mare to a stop in front of them.

“Are you Aunt Sharon and Uncle Robson?” asked Jamie, standing up.

“Yes, we are,” the woman said, warmly. “And you must be Jamie Galway, the young man who wrote us that beautiful letter. Oh … and there is Colin!”

Jamie took Colin’s hand and led him to the cart. Beth and Ryan followed close behind. Colin’s aunt and uncle climbed down and met them at the sidewalk. She lowered herself onto one knee and wrapped her arms around the little boy as tears flowed down her cheeks.

“Thank you so much, Mr. Galway,” she sighed, cuddling the little boy in her arms.

Jamie, choked by the emotion of the moment, could only nod.

“To have Colin here with me means more than I can say. I couldn’t believe your letter when I first read it. Erin and her family … all gone.”

She gave Colin another kiss on the cheek, then turned to Beth.

“And this must be Beth, the young girl we’ve heard so much about.”

“I heard you’ve done a great job looking after Colin,” added Uncle Rob. “You’ve travelled all the way from Quebec City with him and kept him safe? That’s quite an accomplishment for someone so young.”

“I had Jamie helping me,” she added, blushing at the compliment.

Jamie chuckled. “It’s more likely the other way around. Beth saved my life more than once. She’s an amazing young woman. I’m going to miss her lots.”

Beth looked at Jamie quizzically. “Miss me? What do you mean?”

“Colin’s aunt and uncle have agreed to adopt you as well, Beth.”

Beth froze in shock. “What?”

Aunt Sharon walked to Beth and wrapped her up in a loving hug. “Jamie asked if we could use a caring young woman on the farm. Rob and I agreed without hesitation. We would love to have you join us in our home, Beth. My children have all left and we could use the extra help around the house. Plus, I’m sure Colin would love to have an older sister as he grows up.”

Beth looked to Jamie, to Aunt Sharon, then back to Jamie. “But … I was going to go back to Ireland with you, Jamie!”

Jamie knelt down and looked her in the eyes. “There will be nothing for you in Ireland, Beth. When I return, I’ll be once again taking on my duties as a priest. Your place is here. Colin needs you. Sharon and Rob need you. This is where your parents wanted you to be. Don’t get me wrong. I’ll miss you and Colin. You’re both like family to me now. But this is what your family would have wanted for you. This is where you belong.”

Beth sniffed and wiped a tear. “Will I ever see you again?”

Jamie took her hands. “I promise we’ll meet again.”

Colin’s Uncle Rob stepped up. “Beth, it would be an honour to have you join us on our farm and have you become part of our family.”

Beth turned to Colin and looked at him in wonder. “I guess I’m going to be your new sister.”

“Yes!” shouted Colin. “Beth’s my sister!”

Everyone laughed. Soon, Beth and Colin’s meagre belongings were safely stowed in the back of the wagon. Colin was sitting on his aunt’s lap up on the bench. Beth sat in the back of the wagon, her legs dangling out the back.

“Are you going to be rejoining the Brotherhood?” she asked Jamie as he circled to the back to say goodbye.

Jamie thought for a moment. “I’m not sure.”

“Then do you mind if I keep this?”

She held up his ring. It was sitting on her fourth finger.

He eyed her suspiciously. “You took it out of the satchel?”

Beth’s freckled cheeks flushed red with embarrassment. “I wasn’t going to take it without asking you. If you don’t want it any more, I’d love to have it so that I can remember our time together.”

He smiled. “How many times did you save my life again?”

“Too many to remember,” she teased.

“Then it’s yours.”

“Really?”

He nodded.

Beth jumped down to give Jamie a final hug. He then lifted her back onto the cart, went around to the front to give Colin a final rustling of his hair, and then stepped back onto the sidewalk beside his brother. Uncle Rob nodded to the boys, then clicked his tongue. The old mare lurched the wagon forward. Ryan and Jamie stood on the steps of the post office as Beth continued to wave until the wagon rolled out of sight.

“So, now what?” asked Ryan.

“Well, you’re in need of some rest, and I hear that Niagara Falls is a spectacular site. Let’s go explore the Falls, and while we’re there, I’ll introduce you to some good friends of mine who have just recently moved to the United States of America.”