Elizabeth yawned as she cleaned her chalkboard after her afternoon lessons. Despite the fact she only taught a half-day that day, she was exhausted. As if the pregnancy weren't enough, the empty spot in her marital bed more than assured she'd have a sleepless night. Add to that the worrying about what urgent 'business' had taken him away in the first place, and she was beside herself by early evening. Why was he so cryptic? Was he in danger?

The first thing that morning, Elizabeth determined to find out what was happening only to find out Lucas had checked out of the lodge at midnight the previous night. She had hoped she'd hear from him before school, but she didn't. And so, to say she was a bit distracted that afternoon was an understatement. She needed him home, and she needed him home now.

Closing her desk drawer, Elizabeth placed a couple of books in her basket, bundled up with her coat, and began to leave. She planned on stopping by the library then heading home. Maybe he was home.

Elizabeth opened the door and immediately fell backward, narrowly avoiding a nasty spill on the floor as her husband caught her in his arms. The books went flying as she threw her arms around his neck.

"Whoa, there!" Lucas said, helping her stand up straight again.

Elizabeth threw her arms around him, squeezing him with a firm hug before letting go and then hitting him in the chest.

"You worried me to death!" she said, stepping backward and setting her basket on a nearby chair.

"I'm sorry, I didn't intend to." He said, stepping into the room and bending to pick up her books.

"Well, you did," she said, taking a book at a time from him and putting them back into her basket. "I certainly hope you have a good explanation for this business that ruined a beautiful night's sleep."

Lucas looked at her guiltily. "I do," he replied. "But first, we need to go home where we can talk in private. I've asked the Coulters if they can watch Jack for us, and he'll be spending the night."

"Really?" she asked as he ushered her out the door and toward his car.

"Yes. I need to talk to you in private, and then later tonight, I would like to have dinner at the Queen with a couple of friends."

"Who?"

"I'll tell you later, " he replied, opening the car door so that she could get in.

"Lucas?!"

"Once we're home," he responded, shutting the door behind her and turning to go.

Arriving at their house, the Bouchards entered, and Elizabeth immediately noticed two things. His overnight bag was sitting on the floor in the hallway, an indicator that he had been there already, and every blind and drape in the house was drawn shut – something very unusual since they were almost always open in the cooler months to take advantage of the natural heat the sun provided during the day and to let light into the house.

"Lucas, why are the shades drawn?" she asked.

He walked over to her and reached out his hand. "May I take your coat?"

Elizabeth frowned, shrugging off the garment and watching him as he hung it in the closet.

Lucas crossed the room and motioned for her with his hand. "Please, sit," he said, then seeing her comply, he walked over to the fireplace where an iron tea kettle was hanging, already warming over the glowing coals that had been burning for some time.

"How long were you home?" she asked as he poured both of them some tea.

"I got home a little after you left for school. I had hoped to drive you there but must have missed you."

"I see," she replied. "Did you get any sleep? I was worried when I found out that you drove all night."

He nodded, taking a seat next to her. "I did. I pulled off to the side of the road around five o'clock in the morning and slept for about an hour, then drove on."

"You didn't sleep with the car running? Did you?"

Lucas smiled. "No, Mrs. Bouchard. I did not. I have a spare blanket under the seat, and when it got too cold, I started up the motor and drove again. It was enough to get me home; then, I took another nap this afternoon."

Elizabeth shook her head with approval. "So, what is it that you wanted to tell me?"

Lucas took a deep breath and smiled at her, not really knowing where or how to start. He had tried to think of words to acclimate her to this new knowledge about his past but faltered when it came to saying them. How does one tell one's wife that he is a government spy? You start from the beginning.

"Elizabeth, I've told you a lot about my life and my past, but up until now, there has been a part of my life that I've kept hidden from you, not because I didn't trust you, but because I wasn't permitted to talk about it."

Elizabeth furrowed her brow. "Not permitted to talk about it? Not permitted by whom?"

"You might not believe me if I told you," he chuckled nervously.

"Try me," she responded, crossing her arms.

Lucas nodded tentatively. "Do you remember the time, not long after we first met, when you marched into the saloon holding a deck of cards ready to read me the riot act for, what you thought was, teaching a child to gamble?"

Elizabeth nodded unsmilingly. "I remember it well. And I had a right to be angry if that had been what you were doing."

"I agree with that," Lucas replied. "Gambling is one of those leisure activities that can easily become a vice. In undisciplined hands, its corrupting influence has led to many a man's ruin, and those who engage should always consider that there are greater things in life than winning money."

"Yes, that's true," Elizabeth said. "But, I do not object to your gambling because you've always kept it in check. It's, as you said, leisurely entertainment, and you know when to quit."

"What if I told you there was a time where it wasn't just leisurely entertainment?"

"Are you saying you had a gambling problem?" she asked.

Lucas shook his head. "No, not at all. But what if I told you there was a point in my life where my skills as a gambler were used for a greater good? One of the greatest of goods, the protection of the realm?"

Elizabeth looked at him curiously. "I would find that interesting. Care to explain?"

Lucas smiled softly. "It started in Monte Carlo in the summer of aught eight. I had been on my own for a full four years following the Daphne fiasco and spent much of that time traveling the world, trying to find my place in it. Because of what happened with the de Lacys, I wasn't about to be invited to any grand balls or social gatherings. However, because of my family name, I still found myself increasingly being invited to engage in more clandestine activities."

"Such as?"

"Well, some of the sons of my parent's friends, young men I used to socialize with when I was growing up, reached out to me and invited me to play poker with them whenever I'd visit London or Paris. I believe they did so at first because they felt sorry for me. They knew who Daphne was and knew I had gotten the wrong end of that deal. But the more I played, the more they saw that I was good at the game, and the more I'd get invited." He chuckled. "Some even placed side-wagers on me winning, which usually paid off."

He picked up his teacup and took a sip. "You know, tea without sugar is actually pretty nice. I'm getting used to it."

Elizabeth stared at him incredulously. "Okay."

"Have you tried it?" He asked.

She shook her head. "Yes, I have had tea without sugar. Since when did you stop taking sugar with your tea?"

"Since father's diagnosis," he said, setting the cup down and she noted in his own little way he'd just given her a peek at one of his secret sorrows. She reached out her hand and touched his thigh and he smiled, accepting the comfort then continued.

"Anyway, as I was saying, that went on for about a year and a half, until late 1906 when one of the young men told me that his father, who was always a no-nonsense sort of gentleman, requested my presence at the annual tournament that was to be held in Monte Carlo just before Thanksgiving. Growing up in those circles, I knew about this tournament, and my father would play in it occasionally. It was considered both prestigious and quite scandalous at the same time; and, yet all the great European families participated in it. For me, it was a signal. To be brought back into the fold like that was a signal to me that I was accepted, at least privately. Of course, they'd deny they knew me and spit in my face in public if I'd ever tried to press that association since most of them were beholden to Hugh de Lacy. But privately, at least at the tournaments, by some of them, I was treated with a measure of respect – especially when I managed to win all of their chips."

Elizabeth smiled softly at the image of her handsome but lonely Tumbleweed obtaining a silent victory over the blackballing the de Lacy family did toward him after he left their daughter.

"And so, for the next two years, that was part of my life. I still moved around from place to place and did other things – had many adventures. Sometimes, I'd be in London, sometimes in Paris, sometimes in New Orleans or Chicago, never staying anywhere for long. And at least four times a year, I'd go to these tournaments – high stakes poker where men could put entire fortunes on the line. It was pleasurable, challenging, and often quite sad. Good men lost it all, not knowing when to stop."

Elizabeth raised her hand to pause him, unsure how this story related to the fact she'd been left alone the night before due to business. "So, are you telling me that you went to play Poker last night?"

"I -what? Sorry?" Lucas asked, confused.

"This conversation started with you telling me what you weren't 'allowed' to tell me about before," she replied. "Is it some clandestine poker tournament you left me at home alone last night for?"

He laughed. "Oh! No. No. Not at all. It truly was business, albeit of a personal nature - sort of."

Elizabeth scrunched up her face and Lucas quickly took her hand. "Please, I'm sorry if this story is frustrating you, but I promise it will make sense. Just let me get it out."

Elizabeth nodded. "Alright, I'm listening."

"Alright, where was I?" he asked.

"Men losing their fortunes at the tournaments," she said.

"Yes. And so, they did. But not I. I was a sure bet for a while and became quite the fixture at these meetings, almost an oddity. My table was always surrounded by gawkers, people who'd quit for the evening, and not a few women who wanted to get my attention and my wallet. I can assure you categorically, none of them did," he added. Elizabeth smiled.

"But the most important thing about those days was the fact I was trusted. Even though I couldn't show my face at Mother's favorite country club, I was still one of them. A black sheep, but their black sheep. Most of these people had known me since I was a toddler, knew my parents, knew my whole history - and here I was an independent, well-traveled, well-liked, wealthy young man who, despite being ostracized from polite society, was nevertheless part of them except I came with one added bonus - I was Canadian – which made me perfect!"

"Perfect?" she asked. "I'm sorry, I don't understand. Perfect for what?"

"His majesty's Secret Intelligence Service - the inaugural class of 1909," he replied, pausing a moment for it to sink in.

Elizabeth processed his last words then blinked. "Wait!" she said. "Secret Intelligence?! Lucas are you saying - you were a spy?"

Lucas set down his teacup. "An intelligence agent, to be precise, working for the crown and providing information to the admiralty from time to time."

"You're kidding me?! You never said anything about this. Your parents…"?

"Didn't know. Nobody knew that didn't have a need to know. They still don't."

Elizabeth's eyes grew wide, and she looked at him eagerly, leaning forward. "Please! Tell me more."

Lucas relaxed, seeing his wife was more intrigued than upset with the news.

"At the time, there was building tension between the government at London and Berlin, with the former being very concerned that there were German spies sprinkled throughout all its citizenry – not without reason, we would find out later. Kaiser Wilhelm was very busy seeking out whatever information he could to aid his imperialistic aims. Therefore, seeing that several of the financiers of these nefarious activities were perceived to be a part of the international gathering of aristocrats at these tournaments, one of the longstanding participants in the games, Sir Percival Dudley, a cousin of Queen Alexandra, approached yours truly to help in the cause. Percy, as we called him, was working with the crown and the British Navy to combat this perceived threat. He saw in me the perfect choice of one who could get close to our German colleagues and draw out information about their activities. The Germans looked at me as naïve because of Daphne, but since my father often did business in Germany, and since I had visited their country in the past and spoke favorably of it, they didn't perceive me to be a threat. It was actually quite easy to embed myself in their conversations without the least one suspecting me.

"So, were they spying?"

"The gentlemen directly involved in the tournament were not. But while having dinner with one of the couples one evening, the wife let it slip that a certain Baron was staying at our same hotel, something which at the time was highly suspicious given his known association with the Kaiser. Through that bit of information, I discovered that one of the government leaders in the country we were in was passing this Baron our naval ships' coordinates, creating a real vulnerability in our national defense. I obtained the maps without compromising my cover, and the leak was stopped."

"You say you obtained the maps. How?" she asked.

"Simple. I broke into his room," Lucas said with a smirk.

"Lucas! You didn't!"

"I did." he said excitedly. "It was one of the scariest things I've ever done. The Baron and his wife had gone out on a tour, and I slipped into their room when room service wasn't looking. I hid behind the drapes until they left, and once I was assured that they weren't coming back, I quickly went about picking the lock to the safe in the room. I had just obtained the maps when I heard the sound of a key jiggling in the door."

"Oh, my goodness!"

"Yes!" Lucas said with excitement. "The Baron and his wife had returned early because he had taken ill. I hid my six-foot-two frame under the bed until the morning when the Baron went to take his shower and the wife her tea, mixed with vodka, out on the balcony.

Nobody could admit that the maps were stolen, and to this day, nobody but SIS, and now you, knows who did it. For my effort, I was brought before Captain Cumming, the head of SIS, and given an award. He also asked me to formally join 'the company.' I was young and felt like I had nothing to lose, and I longed for something meaningful to do with my life. So, I agreed to serve.

I was sworn in as an official SIS agent in April 1910, two weeks before the king died. And they began to use me, not just in the tournaments but at other events as well. Most of the time, they were small, easy assignments – nothing glamorous."

"Did it all involve the Germans?"

"That was the primary reason the admiralty had created the organization. However, it evolved quickly to encompass the greater security of the kingdom and all of its territories. That went on for the rest of the year, and then I heard nothing at all for over a year. Eventually, I assumed they were finished with me and went on to other things – some in the states but mostly in Europe, where I stayed until 1912.

About mid-year, I had just returned to Montreal from Paris and had decided to travel west. I arrived at the train station, intent on boarding a train to Denver, when a man approached me in the train station."
...

Lucas recalled the scene.
...

"Excuse me? That's my ticket!" he said to a tall thin man wearing a derby hat and wired spectacles.

"Change in plans," the man said.

"I'm sorry?"

The man stuck out his hand, placing a newspaper into Lucas's hand. "Sam Jones is the name. I'll see you on the train." He walked away.

Lucas waited a moment, then opened the newspaper. Inside was a ticket to Vancouver, taped there under a handwritten green letter "C."

...

"The letter C?" Elizabeth asked.

"The calling card of Captain Cumming himself. I was being given another assignment. I boarded the train and made my way to my cabin, which adjoined another. Once inside, Sam Jones, a SIS agent, introduced me to Harry Winston, his superior. The agency had gotten word that an alleged outlaw named Simon Gunanoot, born Simon Peter Johnson, had been spotted living in Vancouver with his wife and family. Gunanoot was a wealthy trapper and merchant from the Gitxsan Indians. He was wanted for murdering a man in 1906 in a disorderly house where he'd been playing cards and had successfully evaded the Royal Mounties, Bounty Hunters, and even the Pinkertons."

"All of those people? He must have been an escape artist!" Elizabeth responded.

"He was well protected."

"Protected? Why would anyone protect a murderer? He must have been feared."

"The common people would protect him, and I would say he is feared, but not for the reasons you might expect," Lucas said. "But first, back to my arrival. This part is important."

Elizabeth mimed turning a key to lock her lips and listened intently as Lucas continued.

"I checked into the Crawford Hotel, where I was introduced to Sam's brother, Corbin Jones, and his wife, Liling. They own the hotel and several other establishments in Canada. Corbin is also a high-ranking SIS officer. His wife Liling is a communications expert from China, but she poses as a seamstress. They were who I was visiting with last night.

Corbin and Liling have lived in the Vancouver area about two blocks from Chinatown for the past twenty years. Nobody suspects they are anything other than the owners of the hotel. Noone must ever know.

Immediately upon checking me into my room, they arranged for an introduction to a well-known betting broker within Chinatown named Tao Ming. Ming was given my real name and, after doing a little investigation as to my credentials as a gambler, invited me to join in with some of the swankier games. I knew if I were going to see Gunanoot that it would be in one of these places because a man of his wealth and status couldn't go anyplace else – and since the police in Vancouver are often bribed to look the other way – if he was there, I knew it was a matter of time before I would know."

"If law enforcement were bribed, what would you do? You didn't have the power to arrest him, did you?" she asked.

"No. We don't have that power. However, the town mayor could lean on the commissioner to do his job – and, seeing that the mayor was one of my poker opponents several nights a week and wouldn't want to go to jail….You get the picture?"

Elizabeth nodded.

"To make a long story short, I had been there for six months and had seen nothing of Gunanoot. I honestly felt like it was a dead-end and was about to report it when I ran into a woman in the nearby grocery. She was dressed in fine apparel carrying an Indian child. Two older children stood nearby. Something about her, her demeanor, a nervousness in how she carried herself captured my attention.

I helped her retrieve some canned goods from a higher shelf and stayed close by, just observing, as she checked out."

"Thank you, Sarah." The grocery clerk said as the woman took her money and handed the bags to the older children. "Tell Mr. Johnson I said hello."

"I'll tell Simon when he gets home." she said.

"Now, what are the odds of a well-to-do native named Simon Johnson showing up in that particular area at that particular time and not being our guy. My gut said it was them. So, I did what any good spy would do; I followed them. I traveled on foot into Chinatown, always staying out of view until I watched Mrs. Gunanoot enter the home of none other than 'The King of Gamblers", Vancouver crime boss Shu Moy. He owns most of the illicit spots in the city and the politicians as well. I knew then I had to somehow get myself invited to one of his games."

...

Lucas again recalled the scene.

"No, Lucas! You no go! It's too dangerous!" Liling said, taking the young man she had grown fond of by the arm.

"I have to go," Lucas said. "I know Gunanoot is in there. He's been most wanted for years."

"I don't like it," Corbin replied. "What if your cover is blown?"

"Then I'll be dead," Lucas replied. "But how is it going to get blown? They already know I'm a gambler. There is nothing that ties me to anything else. The black sheep son of a wealthy family, why…I should demand to see Shu!"

"Nobody demands to see Shu," Corbin said. "I don't want you to go."

"I'm going."

"I can't protect you if you go."

"That's a risk I'll take," Lucas replied.

"And we can't talk you out of it?" Corbin asked.

"Not a chance," Lucas said.

Corbin reached his hand forward and touched Lucas's arm. "Then Godspeed, my friend."

"I will accept that blessing," Lucas said. "Heaven knows I need it."

...

"And so, I was off. It took a couple of days, but I got myself invited to Shu's by complaining that I was bored with the setting and needed a change of scenery, or me and my money was going to go elsewhere. And so, they took me directly where the action was – in the basement of Shu's house.

Shu's home was like a fortress but with surprises around every corner, one of which was a Brazilian nobleman with whom I'd played in a tournament sometime before. He introduced me to the other men at the table, all of whom had some sort of government function except for one – a broad-faced handsome Indian who was there at Shu's insistence."

"Simon. Simon Johnson," the man said to me as he shook my hand.

"Bouchard. Lucas Bouchard."

We played poker that evening well into the morning hours, and as we did, I tried to read the man to see what he was about. He spoke of his family and his wife and of where they'd been living over the last six years of the people who'd helped him, and the picture I got was of someone considerably different than who I was supposed to be hunting.

I don't know why he was so open, but he told me he was born near Hazelton, in northern British Columbia. He was one of the native children sent to residential schools for their education, or some might say indoctrination. Many of these schools have horrible histories that would astonish any decent person, but others were good and aided the native children. Simon fared well enough to read and write and was good with arithmetic and keeping books.

He was smart and industrious and built his own business. He started a family. He earned everyone's respect from not only the Indian culture but also from whites until the night he stopped by a disorderly house in Two Mile, which was two miles from Hazelton. He was supposed to be buying the family fish but stopped by that place and drank and gambled the night away. At some point, a rival of his stood and insulted Gunanoot's wife. He claimed that she'd been engaging in certain behaviors with another man. The next day that man and the accuser were found murdered, and Simon and his family had fled."

"Oh, no!" Elizabeth said. "That's awful!"

"It is. And they've been on the run ever since."

"So, you didn't catch him?"

Lucas smiled. "Oh, no. I did. It was about four in the morning, and a knock came on the door of Shu's home. The police were there, and we were being raided.

Now Shu is used to being raided but usually has enough time to clean up his joints before the police arrive, so they never catch him with anything big. But this was different. A lot of money was on the table and dignitaries all around the room. Shu was furious!

While he shouted at the police in Chinese, we all took off through the house and exited the building through the back door. There, we all scattered – except for Simon and me. I followed him as we ran through the alleyway then led him to the other side of town. I planned to talk him into turning himself in, but as we rounded the corner to return to the Crawford, we immediately saw police surrounding that place as well. Someone spotted him and began to chase after us both! We hid inside a dark doorway, and both of us heard an officer yell to his men that they were to take him dead or alive, preferably dead. Then, I looked into the man's eyes, and I saw into his soul. This man was no killer."

...

Lucas stopped for a moment, closing his eyes as he quietly remembered what happened next.

With the sound of police footsteps disappearing into the distance, Simon stood to run.

"No!" Lucas said. "Stay here."

"They will kill me," Simon replied."I have to find my family."

"Your family will be safe."

"How can you know that?" Simon said desperately. "I have to go!"

"Simon Gunanoot!" Lucas said sharply. "Stay here. You have my word as a gentleman that they will be taken care of. For now, we have to get you out of here."

"You know who I am?"

"I do. I was sent to find you."

Gunanoot swallowed. "Sent? By whom?"

"That's not important," Lucas said."I fulfilled my mission. I found you. Now, I will let you go."

Tears filled Simon Gunanoot's eyes. "But…you don't know me. Why would you do this thing?"

"I'm a good read of people. I know you didn't do it. I'm not going to let them capture you, at least not on my watch."
...

Lucas stopped for a moment, then looked at Elizabeth, "And so, I helped him escape. We snuck down to the pier by Vancouver harbor, and he hid there for a couple of days. Meanwhile, Shu got his local police back in order, the assistant to the commissioner who ordered the raid was reassigned, and I gained the trust of the Chinese who handed over Gunanoot's family so I could reunite them."

"Didn't that get you in trouble with your superiors?"

Lucas grinned. "Yes. And no. You see, in doing what I did, I lost a man who'd been alleged to have committed a crime, once. But I gained the trust of a man who was on their radar for quite some time for his illicit gambling parlors, opium dens, and prostitution rings. Shu now trusted me for helping one of his patrons escape, which opened all sorts of doors.

For the next year and a half, I was one of Shu's preferred customers. I spent most nights in his grand establishments and then would report what was being said to headquarters. We played it very close to the vest and nobody ever suspected.

With the information I collected, we took down three Opium suppliers, shut down the access rights of a couple of British diplomats who had a penchant for alcohol and an even greater penchant for spilling secrets, and captured a Chinese Tong gang leader who had come from San Francisco to do business with Shu. Shu himself has remained untouched and sits to this day with his entourage of guards, women, and 'right-hand men' who seem to just be looking for the chance to stab him in the back and inherit his kingdom. Most of them don't last too long. Shu has a way of making people disappear."

"That's terrifying. Lucas, I'm truly stunned at everything you just told me. I can't say amazed because I've learned that if anyone can amaze me, it's you – but I had no idea. I only have one question. What does this have to do with you being away last night?"

Lucas took her hand. "Wyman Walden came to see me. He wants to turn over a new leaf, and his first effort at doing so was to tell me about Darius Judson and what he believes his real plans are for Hope Valley. Walden wasn't quite sure what he was up to but knew enough to know when he saw a package from Vancouver addressed to Judson from a Shu Moy that it wasn't good."

"No!" Elizabeth gasped. "Judson's involved with him?"

"I had heard Shu wanted to branch out. So, if I know him well, and I do, he plans on building a gambling center outside of Vancouver where they don't have to worry about raids as much. Coming along with it, of course, will be the drugs and the women."

"Not in our Hope Valley, he doesn't!" Elizabeth said. "Lucas, he can't do that!"

"Which is why I called my friends. We're getting SIS involved. To date, nobody on that side knows who I really am. Shu's house had another raid in 1913, and I used that as an excuse to move on. He still thinks I'm one of his, so we're going to have to pretend."

"What?! Do you think he's here?"

"Not likely. He'd more likely send an emissary. But, the good thing is I know almost everyone around him. We'll know the guy when we see him," Lucas said. "I hope you aren't too upset that I didn't tell you before."

Elizabeth thought, "No. I'm not upset. My father has dealt with sensitive information before, so I understand protecting it. I'm just worried. This Shu sounds dangerous. What if he comes after you? What if he comes after us?"

"I've told you before; I'll never let anything happen to you."

"But what about you?"

"I'll be fine," Lucas said. "We haven't been brought this far to lose each other now." He leaned forward and gave her a tender kiss. "Now, I imagine you will want to change out of your school clothes and into something else."

"Why? Are we going somewhere?" she asked.

"Into town. Remember we're having dinner with friends. I've invited Bill and Nathan. There may be a point where we will need their help, and I want them having a full understanding of what's going on before Shu's people get here."

Later that evening, Lucas and Elizabeth walked into the Queen of the Valley. He pointed her toward their typical reserved table in the back. He made his way back to the kitchen to put in a special order with Gustave, and as he was coming back out, he smiled as he saw Nathan and Bill entering the room.

"This better be good," Nathan said. "Emily wasn't happy with me skipping out on dinner tonight."

"Trust me, Constable, it will be worth your while," Lucas said.

"Now that's what I like to hear!" the female voice said, coming up from behind Lucas then stepping into his path.

Lucas froze for a moment; then his face broke into a broad smile. "Mabel?!"

"Come here, you handsome man, let your Mabel see you!" she said, taking Lucas by the hand and pulling him toward her then kissing him on the mouth.

Lucas pulled away and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

The next thing anyone heard was the clattering sound of silverware hitting the wooden floor and the clippety-clop of expensive Parisian heels bounding toward them from the back corner. Lucas was both elated and scared all at once.

Before he could say a word, the grip of his wife's hand around his arm made her introduction to Mabel Lee a necessity.

"Mabel, I would like for you to meet my wife, Elizabeth Bouchard. This is Mabel Lee. Mabel is from Vancouver."

Elizabeth looked angry, but as his words sank in, her angry grip turned to fear. He felt the change and gently cupped her hand in his.

"What are you doing in town?" he asked, trying to sound pleasant.

"Me and the big guy, we have some business."

"With whom?" Elizabeth asked.

"I can't talk about that here," Mabel said. "I join you for dinner?"

Lucas gazed at Bill and Nathan, who looked at him with confusion. Quickly, he thought back on what Mabel may have heard.

"After I, um... take care ... of the constable and judge," he said with a wink.

Mabel looked at the men and laughed. "Oh, yes…you 'take care' of them first," she chuckled. "I go sit with Elizabeth!"

A nervous Elizabeth ushered Mabel back to their table as Lucas walked Bill and Nathan toward the kitchen.

"What's going on?" Bill said. "I thought we were going to eat!"

"Gustave has a wonderful meal prepared for you," Lucas said, loud enough to hear. "But our meeting is canceled," he added in a whisper.

"Cancelled?!" Nathan said.

"Shhhh!" Lucas said. "Keep your voice down." Lucas walked over to Gustave and told him to put Nathan and Bill's meals in a bag for them to take away. After the chef stopped saying inappropriate things to him in French, Lucas returned.

"Listen, something really big is going down here, and I'm right in the middle of it. The town is in danger. Elizabeth and Jack are in danger. Everything is in danger. I will tell you all about it, but I can't right now."

"And, why not?" Bill asked.

"Because my worst nightmare is sitting at the table with my wife," he replied. "I need to go."

Lucas turned to leave.

"Lucas!" Nathan said. "Don't we even get a clue?"

"Nathan, I can't," Lucas said. "But I will tell you this, whatever I say, whatever I do, however it sounds – just play along. I know how this game goes; I've seen all his plays, and trust me, he will not win."

AUTHORS NOTE: SHU MOY & SIMON GANANOOT ARE ACTUAL HISTORICAL CHARACTERS FROM AROUND THIS TIME IN WESTERN CANADIAN HISTORY. SHU WAS A WELL-KNOWN GAMBLING JOINT OWNER WHO WAS KNOWN FOR BRIBING PUBLIC OFFICIALS. GANANOOT'S STORY IS LARGELY TRUE AS WELL EXCEPT FOR THE PART ABOUT OUR LUCAS. HE WAS NEVER CAPTURED AND WAS PROTECTED BY INDIGENOUS AMERICANS AND WHITES AND EVEN THE METHODIST MINISTER WHO BAPTIZED HIS GROWING FAMILY.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT OF THIS STORY. PLEASE REMEMBER TO LEAVE A REVIEW. I LOVE HEARING FROM YOU. IF YOU WANT TO HEAR MORE FROM ME, I WILL BE ON THE 'EVERYTHING ABOUT HALLMARK' PODCAST WITH LUCABETH LOUNGE & KATHY WATKINS ON FEBRUARY 27th RIGHT AFTER OUR SNEAK PEAK FOR SEASON 9. TWO SUNDAYS AND THE NEW SEASON IS HERE! SO EXCITED.