this has been buzzing around in my head for a while but i've worked crazy hours so that's where it remained until now. hopefully i'll get it finished and posted by midnight

Lying on his bed William swiped away at the tears pooling in his eyes. He’d seen her again today as he worked his way around Toronto chasing down witnesses and leads; the lady in red. The woman with the light brown hair and deep red dress which reminded him so vividly of Liza, his beloved Liza.

It had been 6 months since he’d stood at her grave and wept over the loss of his rock. Six months since he’d said goodbye to the woman who had loved him completely and helped him to trust and love again.

He was aware he held back from allowing his heart to love; the loss of his mother and brother and Susannah’s decision to join the convent plus the torment suffered at the hands of his father had left him afraid to love, afraid to risk the pain of loss again. And now he was alone again. Despite Liza’s request that he move on, find another woman to love he couldn’t yet say goodbye, couldn’t yet open his heart to another woman.

Just two weeks after he’d stood at Liza’s grave Brackenreid had exhorted him to ‘find yourself another woman. It doesn’t do a man any good to be alone……’ he’d even quoted the Bible at him; ‘it isn’t good for man to be alone……’ even now William wasn’t sure if he were angrier at the inspector for his crass use of scriptures or his belief that he could step out with another woman so soon after Liza’s death.

Turning over he picked up the photograph of Liza taken the day after she’d accepted his proposal. Her hair was loose, floating lightly in the gentle summer breeze, her smile wide and her light blue eyes sparkling with joy. In addition to the photograph of Liza he had paid for a photograph of the two of them together. This photograph had been buried with her as had the ring he’d given her. Other than sweet memories of Liza William had a lock of her hair, the photograph and a small silver horse hanging on a chain which had been a birthday gift to her. His most treasured possession was the gold pocket watch Liza had given to him on his birthday; the last birthday they would celebrate before she passed away.

Even now he found it hard to believe how quickly she had succumbed to the ravages of consumption. As if to remind him of the cruelties of this disease his landlord Arthur Kitchen could be heard downstairs coughing and gasping for breath. Unlike Liza he had suffered the effects of consumption for almost two years pulling back from the brink of death more times than William could remember but each fight left his friend weaker and they all knew that one day he would lose the fight.

As her fiancée and in the absence of any family it ad been left to William to arrange the funeral; a task he had found difficult in the extreme. In truth though it had been easier than watching his beloved fiancée die slowly and painfully her spongy lungs gasping for air.

He had chosen to have her buried in the deep red dress she had worn on the day he proposed. It was always his favourite colour on her but now he was regretting his choice.

It had been around two months since he’d first seen her the woman in red but now she was almost haunting him; not deliberately he knew that and yet each time he saw her his heart was torn with longing and grief. The still raw wound of her loss ripped opened and eviscerated almost daily.

Turning to lie on his back William stared up at the ceiling, his hands locked behind his head as he considered her final words spoken just hours before she passed from his life in to the presence of God.

‘Remember I love you William and I always will…….. and I know you will always remember me…… William do not spend the rest of your life mourning my loss…… you are a very special man sweet William and you deserve to be happy, deserve to have a wife who will love you as I do, a woman who you will cherish as you have cherished me…….. children who will love you deeply, who you will love and cherish……. remember sweet William you are nothing like your father…… my only regret in all of this is that we had no time as husband and wife…….’ Soon after that he had lain on the bed beside her as she lapsed in to unconsciousness and held her in his arms until she passed on her laboured breathing finally stilled.

Digging around he located the order of service reading again the poem she had asked him to read at his funeral. The words were beautiful and summed up their shared faith but left an ache in his heart tempered by the comfort he felt each time he remembered that one day they would meet again. He wanted her beside him now not in the next life

The Ship

I am standing upon the seashore.
A ship at my side spreads her white sails in the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean.
She is an object of beauty and strength
and I stand and watch until at last she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea
and sky come down to mingle with each other.
Then someone at my side says,
"There, she's gone!”

Gone Where? Gone from my sight… that is all.
She is just as large in mast and hull and spar
as she was when she left my side
and just as able to bear her load of living freight to the place of destination.

Her diminished size is in me, not in her.
And, just at the moment when someone at my side says, “There she's gone,” there are other eyes watching her coming and other voices ready to take up the glad shout,
“There, she comes!”

Rev. Henry Jackson Van Dyke (1852-1933)

He’d promised himself he wouldn’t weep at her loss yet the tears he had held back as she suffered and died poured out the moment she left him and had barely ceased since. Sure he’d continued to work, Brackenreid had expected nothing less, and his clear-up rate was as high as ever but when he was no longer able to keep busy at work and returned home he had to face his grief and loneliness.

And seeing her had only added to that grief; it hadn’t been the dress that caught his attention at first it was her warm smile. Like Liza she didn’t adhere to the social norms of Victorian Toronto and he’d been more than a little surprised when she’d flashed a friendly smile in his direction as he stood aside to allow her to exit the bakers shop rather than keeping her head down and avoiding his gaze.

Placing the order of service with his other treasured memories William turned on to his side and prayed that tonight he would sleep.

Cath....Welcome Back! I've missed you! And Welcome to the challenge!

Wonderful beginning! It's like all the backstory about William that we WANT to know, but don't! Is the woman Julia??

Looking forward to more!!

Wow gripping beginning Cath I could fell William despair so easily...and the poem was...perfect!

Now, I am wondering it he's thinking about Julia??
Josy

Chapter 2

The breeze from his open window brought with it the familiar scent of her perfume stirring vivid memories as William slept. The gentle touch of her hand on his brought tears to his eyes.

‘Liza?’

‘Yes my love, it’s me….. I have a message for you sweet William……….’

His eyes opened as his bed dipped a little and William swallowed back the tears pooling in his eyes. His beloved Liza was here, resplendent in the dress he loved so much; she was as beautiful as he remembered. No longer pale and gaunt, no longer ravaged by the consumption but fit and healthy, love and peace shining in her eyes. Her skin was warm and vibrant sending shivers of pleasure through his body and warm memories through his head.

‘A message?’ he whispered.

‘I’ve seen her William, she’s beautiful……. a woman who will love you as you deserve…… I know you still grieve for me sweet William but I want you to know I’m ok; I don’t want you to be sad and lonely. I want to see you grow old loved by a wonderful woman, children and grandchildren…… I have the new body God’s word promises William, I see Him clearly each day and feel His love more deeply than ever before……… William, don’t hold on to the past. Allow yourself to love and be loved, to have the life you’ve always dreamed of…..’

‘I can’t Liza….. it feels so wrong. To think of another woman seems like a betrayal of all that we had, all that we hoped to have…….. all that we lost…….’

‘No William…….. I loved you…… I still do. But I see now that my role was to help you love again…. not to be the reason you’re afraid to love again……..let me go William allow yourself to fall in love again, to be loved as you deserve…….’

Tears spilled down his cheeks and his hand reached out to caress her cheek only to find she had gone. The breeze took with it the familiar touch, the rustle of her dress and the scent of her perfume.

And with it the breeze took his grief and pain and in its place were healing and hope.

Closing his eyes he slept well for the first time since Liza had died.

That was so sweet!! Poor William . . . he needed a word from Liza . . .

Oh what a wonderful beginning. You write Will so well that you can feel his pain. Waiting impatiently for more. Oh be still my aching heart.

Fantastic a challenge story from cath woohoo and will Murdoch but its so for will who loved liza but lets hope its someone with your faith like liza wants for you cant wait for more cath
Lin

Cath, I am so happy to see you here in the challenge!! And, you have definitely caught William perfectly!! I can feel his grief and desire to not let go, until Liza comes to him and tells him it's all right to move on!!!

Now, is this mystery woman in red possibly Julia???

Joy

Again...such a poignant post!!
Josy

An overwhelming piece of writing Cath...beautifully done. But boy does it get to my

heart

ps I think we need some Murdoch smilies now.

This is sooo sweet. you can really feel his grief.

I'll reiterate what everyone else has said, Cath! A wonderful post, heartrenching, touching, but filled with the peace and hope that only faith in God can bring. Beautiful!

Lynn

Chapter 3

‘I’m so sorry’ William looked up in to the smiling face of the girl in the red dress.

‘No, it was my fault’ he smiled, ‘I should have looked where I was going……’

He’d run in to the bakery to grab a few small cakes to take home for Arthur and Beatrice; a weekly treat he took home on pay day but in his haste had almost sent her flying.

‘Amy Slade……..’ to his surprise she stuck out a hand taking his and smiling warmly at him.

‘Detective Murdoch’ he mumbled.

‘Detective? That’s an unusual name’ she teased, ‘I’m guessing your parents wanted you to join the police………’

‘I’m not so sure’ William murmured sadly. Whenever his father was mentioned he returned to his unhappy childhood and the loss of his mother and brother.

He tried to pull his hand away but her grip was firm and she showed no signs of releasing him.

‘So ‘detective’ Murdoch. I was about to take a walk in the park, would you care to join me?’

Stunned by her direct question William could only nod silently before pulling out a few coins to purchase something to eat. Standing in line he cast a sideways glance at Miss Slade who was now leaning against the door. She was every bit as beautiful as he’d imagined from afar, red looked as good on her as it had on Liza. Silently he berated himself for allowing himself to think like that about another woman until Liza’s words filtered through his brain. Maybe she was the one to heal his broken heart.

‘So I guess ‘detective’ isn’t your real name?’ Amy smiled as they walked to the park.

‘No…… William’ he smiled.

‘William? I like that. A nice strong name…….. so, where do you detect?’

‘Huh?’

‘You are a detective?’ receiving an affirmative nod she continued, ‘so where do you work?’

‘Number four station……’

‘So that’s way I’ve seen you around so often’ Amy smiled, ‘I moved to Toronto five months ago. I work as a teacher at the elementary school on Queen’s Avenue.’

‘That’s nice’ he whispered memories of his strict Catholic school filling his head. Until his mom died school hadn’t been so bad but when he was taken to the orphanage to be educated by the monks it had gone downhill. Bullying and frequent beatings had been the significant memories of his education. His best efforts to learn and be good seemingly never enough to avoid the corporal punishment meted out by the brothers who took ‘spare the rod and spoil the child’ very seriously. Too seriously William now realised but back then he and the other boys had no choice but to accept whatever punishment was dished out by the brothers; some of whom verged on the almost sadistic.

‘Challenging’ she smiled and he knew that the children in her care would never be subjected to any kind of ridicule or abuse.

‘So you aren’t working today?’

‘Lunch……….’ No explanation was needed; he knew she’d seen him often enough to know he visited the store each week and a part of him was excited about the possibilities of a new relationship while another part remained fearful that to do so was to deny all that he and Liza had shared.

‘You seem sad’ Amy murmured as they sat on a bench together. At first he had been somewhat shocked by her boldness but after just a few moments he had relaxed in to her company finding it both stimulating and exciting.

‘Where did you live before Toronto?’ William asked softly swiftly changing the subject.

Recognising his desire not to talk just yet Amy smiled warmly losing herself in the deep brown eyes, ‘Montréal………. I had to get away from a broken heart……..’

‘I’m sorry……’

‘So was I’ Amy mumbled, ‘he broke our engagement two weeks before we were due to marry……. I found a post here and left him behind to marry his ‘one true love’’

‘He was a fool………’ he wasn’t sure who was the most surprised at his words. Having only just met her he had no idea what she was like. Was she warm and loving or a vicious shrew? His heart told him that she would be as warm and loving as Liza had always been and the man was indeed a monumental fool.

‘Thank you’ Amy smiled, ‘he decided he should marry the woman his father had always insisted he marry…… a woman from a wealthy family…..’

‘Then he was almost certainly a fool and you’re better off not married to him……’

‘And you?’ Amy smiled.

‘Still a bachelor’ William admitted sadly.

‘I’m sure that out there is a woman who will make you very happy’ Amy whispered aching to offer some comfort. While she was reluctant to adhere to the stifling social norms of society she would not do so at the expense of others and she sensed that the man sitting beside her would not be comfortable with breaking taboos such as having physical contact with a woman in public.

‘There was……..’ suddenly changing the subject William pulled out his watch, ‘I should return to work before the inspector has my hide…….’

‘I should go too….. it was lovely to have lunch with you William…..’ Amy rose to her feet a little reluctantly.

Hearing the rustle of her dress as she moved William swallowed hard, memories of the previous night’s dream spurring him on.

‘Would you like to have dinner with me some time? Maybe tonight?’

‘I’d like that’ pulling out a pen and scrap of paper Amy wrote down her address.

‘I’ll call for you at 7’ William suggested after walking Amy back to school.

‘Looking forward to it’ Amy smiled.

Watching her walk towards the school her red dress swaying gently William smiled inwardly. Seeing red no longer spoke of grief and loss but of hope and love.

Fade

Word count 2,569

hope no-one is disappointed it's not Julia. i'm not sure about the whole William/Julia thing but that's possibly because i find her very annoying and silly!!

Hey, if THIS girl were on Murdoch Mysteries, I'd be for her! Great short story!! I loved that Murdoch bit the bullet and asked her out!!

that was fantastic so pleased it wasnt julie as I dont like her she drives me mad as well but pleased maybe william is seeing what liza wanted him to see i loved that from start to finsh Cath
Lin

That was wonderful, Cath. I like Amy much better than Julia and I think Liza does too or she would have spoken to William long before now. I like the way you carried his vision of Liza over into this story. It's like the medium had opened a link to them again and now William has the comfort of knowing that Liza is at peace with him letting go. I also like that Amy is a little more forward thinking than Murdoch -- otherwise I fear he would give Jack a run for his money in the turtle department!

kav

Well, I thought it was just me that didn't care for Julia. I'm so glad to know otherwise. I can't pin down why, she just never clicked with me. But Amy, on the other hand...Cath you have created just the type of person that I think would make William happy. A perfect ending with the promise of hope and love.

Thanks for a wonderful story, Cath!

Lynn

I liked that Amy...soft but bold in the same time.
The end was full of hope and promises
Lovely
Josy

Oh that was so beautiful. Could there be a sequal in the making???????????? It was nice to read a story about the original pairing. A story worth waiting for Cath.

Oh, I like Julia, but I most certainly liked your Amy as well. Sweet, poignant story. William's sadness was heartbreaking. I'm glad you left us full of hope.

I love this story, it gives us a sense of hope for William and a future without Liza.

Personally I do not feel Julia is the woman for him in the tv series, but with reading the books and other fan fictions I prefer Amy as a long term partner. Julia seems to be a very close friend, a person he could go to in times of need.

I'm getting distracted here, but Cath I like your descriptions, mainly the swish of the red dress. Love it and I hope you continue from this in a future story of yours.

I like Julia too, but I also have to agree that she might not be a perfect match for William!! She's too independent, and I always fear she's going to run him over!!!

Amy seems perfect, and I'm glad he asked her to go to dinner with him!! He's had a hard life, and I think Amy could definitely lead him into happiness!!!

Thanks for sharing, Cath!! I love every word!!!

Joy

Great job, you can tell both in the series and the books that Will is still in love with Liza!

That was great Cath. First my heart was broken for William's struggle with his grief over losing Liza. I actually wish she were still alive the way he loved her.

I agree with the not so much, ok, not really any chemistry between Will and Julia. Sorry for those who like them together.

I agree with Kav, good thing Amy made the first move or Will would have given Jack a run for his money for King turtle. But I like that he did ask her to dinner right away. She'll be good for him.

Thank you for sharing.