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"Please let me come too." Abigail said, as Henry put on a brown hat. They were in their designated room at Mrs. Brightley's home. Henry suggested that he go to the town nearby to get access to a telephone to call Hope Valley. Abigail wrote the number down for him.

It had been three days since the unfortunate incident at Mr. Andrews' niece's wedding. Mrs. Brightley suggested to them that they should lay low since the men most probably would be around looking for them. Henry finally decided that he should now be making a move.

Their plan was that Henry would call Bill at Hope Valley to try and mobilise a group of mounties to get to Ancaster and also get the local mounties to escort them back to Hope Valley, safely.

Henry straightened his jacket. He turned up the collar of the jacket and lowered his hat such that no one could see his face.

"I think you should stay at the house with Mrs. Brightley." Henry replied and Abigail seemed worried. He went over to her and put his hand on her shoulder. "Trust me on this. The men will still be out looking for you. They will most probably also be on a look out for a man and a woman. It is better I do this by myself." He said, reassuringly. Mrs. Brightley also suggested that she go and make the phone call herself but Henry and Abigail both did not want her to be in any kind of danger, especially because of them.

"But I will be worried sick until you come back. I would rather be with you." She pressed on. Henry put his hand on her cheek.

"I promise I will return." Henry said. She looked at him, not wanting to let him go.

"Fine, I cannot convince you otherwise. But I need you to take care of yourself." She said and then handed him one of the guns they had collected from the men. He thanked her.

They both went downstairs where Mrs. Brightley was waiting anxiously. Henry went to tell her he was leaving to go to town.

"Dear…" she said as Henry was about to walk to the door. He stopped at her voice. She folded a piece of paper and put it in his jacket pocket. "This is my friend's address. If you need any help, just go to her house. in fact, there is a telephone booth next to her house that you can use. Just tell her I have sent you to her." she said to Henry. Henry thanked her. "One more thing…" she said and opened the kitchen drawer to remove an envelope. She put it in his jacket pocket. "And this is just extra, in the event you need it." She said. Henry felt the envelope with his hands.

"What is it?" He asked.

"This is some money. You may need it." She said gently.

"Oh, thank you Mrs. Brightley. I do have money with me." He said and remembered how he had left with him some money from the wedding day.

"I know you do, but this is just in the event you need it. Return it to me if you do not use it." She said. Henry looked at Abigail. Abigail nodded, signaling him to take the money. Henry dropped his hand that was touching the envelope.

"Thank you, Mrs. Brightley. I do not know how I will ever pay for your kindness." Henry said.

"By returning to me, safe and sound." She said, tears forming in her eyes. Henry was unsure why Mrs. Brightley was emotional. Abigail, too, looked surprised.

"I will see you soon." Henry announced and looked one last time at Abigail. Her eyes, too, moistened.

Henry then left. Abigail went over to Mrs. Brightley, trying to comfort her.

"Let's have some tea, dear." She said, gently, as she put on the stove a kettle of water. Abigail looked over at her gracious host. When they first met Mrs. Brightley, she seemed strict. Now, slowly, Mrs. Brightley has started warming up to them. In fact, Mrs. Brightley had grown fond of the two of them.

"You should visit Hope Valley…once all this is over." Abigail said as she set down the cups of tea on the table while Mrs. Brightley brought over the freshly brewed tea.

"I would love that dear." Mrs. Brightley said as she sat down. Abigail poured them the tea.

"You have been so warm and so hospitable. I really do thank you for protecting us." Abigail said. She then sat down, a worried frown on her face.

"I see you worry about him." Mrs. Brightley said, closely watching Abigail.

"I do. He is the reason why I am here, alive and well. He fought so hard with those horrible men…and took quite some beating." Abigail said.

"How do you know him?" Mrs. Brightley asked.

"He…he used to live in Hope Valley. He was the former mayor there." Abigail said.

"I see…and are you not married yourself? And what about Henry?" Mrs. Brightley probed.

"I am widowed." Abigail said, with a hint of sadness. Mrs. Brightley reached out for Abigail's hand.

"I am sorry, dear." She said and Abigail smiled lightly.

"Henry and I…we have a strange relationship." She said, looking ahead at, nothing in particular.

"I only see genuine care and concern…" Mrs. Brightley said and then leaned in slightly and whispered "…and a little bit of love, frankly." She said. Abigail smiled.

"There are many factors to consider." Abigail said.

"There always are many factors to consider. Only the triumphant from amongst ourselves will move beyond those factors." Mrs. Brightley said and looked at her in her eyes. "He has this sincerity in his eyes…something I would see in my son's eyes too…" she said and looked lost in a moment. "I see the way he looks at you, Abigail." She said and looked at Abigail, who also looked at her. "I see respect…I see trust…I see love. He would never do anything to hurt you." She finished.

"They say that eyes are the windows to the soul. I have always seen the genuineness in him, Mrs. Brightley. I have always encouraged him to be a good man. He would always hide behind a tough exterior. But I know that deep down, he is a very good man." Abigail said.

"But something holds you back." Mrs. Brightley said and Abigail nodded.

"Like I said, we have a strange relationship." Abigail said.

"Maybe you are unable to accept that you have found love again?" Mrs. Brightley said and Abigail looked at her as if her words scalded her with hot water. "my dear, you are the mayor of your town…you can escape danger, you can operate a gun…I have never seen you nervous. You are very well put. Why are you scared of love?" She asked. Abigail really could not find an answer. "I know moving on is hard. You will feel that you are cheating on your deceased husband. And you are the mayor of your town…people look up to you, so a love interest could be a scandal waiting to happen?" Mrs. Brightley said and Abigail could not believe how this lady, who she has known for only three days could see her inside out. Mrs. Brightley smiled. "It seems from your expressions that I am accurate about your internal struggles."

"You are." Abigail said and smiled gently.

"I asked myself three questions when I was doubtful about marrying Mr. Brightley. 1 – is he a good man? 2 – Can I trust him with my life? 3 – Can I imagine my life without him? And I knew, he was the man. We had a wonderful 43 years together, Abigail. So many years do not happen just like that. There are sacrifices involved, fights, arguments but the beautiful moments were far too many for me to think of the bad times. I knew I could fight the world for him, and that he would do the same for me. That is all I needed." Mrs. Brightley said. Abigail's heart suddenly skipped a beat. His face flashed in front of her and she felt a pang inside of her. She knew she should have gone with him. And now, all she can do is hope that he comes back safely, because if anything were to happen to him, her life would be incomplete.

MEANWHILE IN ANCASTER TOWN

Henry crossed the road. He had arrived at Ancaster town, a good two-hour carriage ride from Mrs. Brightley's home. A few carriages and cars passed around him. Ancaster town had a medieval feel to it, European influence. Cobblestone paths and telephone booths everywhere. He stopped at in front of a building and unfolded the piece of paper on which Mrs. Brightley wrote her friend's address. It read: Beatrice Wallace Barington, 7895, Sullivan Street, Ancaster. He looked up at the building in front of him. He was at Beatrice's address. He looked around and saw a telephone booth there. He looked around himself for the thousandth time for signs that he is being followed. He did see a familiar face that he has been seeing since he left Mrs. Brightley's house and the same man had been following him. He knew he had to get the man off his tracks. He pulled up his collar higher and looked to cross the road. The man followed him again.

Henry figured that if he called Bill at this point, the man following him would know his plan and perhaps try and harm Abigail. It was best that he try and shake the man off his trail. So he decided to walk to a crowded area. He entered into a bustling market and made his way quickly between the random people. Lucky for Henry, there were many people and he found himself disappearing between them. He passed by, walking fast, a stall where hats were sold. He picked up a white hat and left a few coins and his brown hat in its place. He then rushed ahead to a jacket stall and picked a white trench coat and left his old one with a few more dollars at the stall, in its stead. All the while, the man was following him. Henry then picked up his pace and got himself a scarf from another stall, the man still following him, a little further behind. This is where the crowd again was advantageous to Henry. The man kept on running into the crowd, sidetracked by groups of women, especially.

Henry suddenly slowed down near a food stall and pretended that he was looking at some food. He could see the man running towards him from the corner of his eyes. He reached for his gun in anticipation of a possible run in with the man, but the man passed him, his head frantically moving from one side to another. It seemed that he had lost Henry. Henry then returned from where he had entered the market and exited from in-between two clothing stalls. He turned around the corner to check if there are any telephone booths. The fact that he shook off the man might have triggered a reaction with the rest of the men, and he was worried that he may have set the men off to go to Mrs. Brightley's house.

He finally saw a telephone booth and dialed the number as quickly as he could. He gripped the paper on which the number was written as he listened, looking around him in intervals to see if someone was following him. He reached for his gun instinctively, ready to fire off. Fiona answered the phone.

"Can I please speak to Bill Avery. It is very urgent." He said, not waiting to exchange pleasantries.

"Sure, who is on the line?" Fiona asked.

"Henry Gowen. Please get him on the line as fast as you can. It is really very urgent." Henry said in-between breaths.

"Certainly…please hold on the line." Fiona replied. She recognized the urgency in Henry's voice. She ran across to Abigail's café. "Bill!" she called out and sure enough, Bill got up from one of the tables. Fiona ran over to him. "Henry Gowen is on the telephone wanting to speak to you. It sounds urgent!" she said desperately. Bill nodded and they both ran. Elizabeth heard that and she too rushed behind them.

"Henry!" Bill talked on the phone.

"Bill, I am in Ancaster. Abigail is also here. Some men from Pacific Mining are after her because she refused to grant them permission to mine at Hope Valley. I will explain later. I need you to please get in contact with the mounties here in Ancaster. They need to go and get Abigail. Do you have a paper and a pen?" Henry said hurriedly. Bill looked around and motioned Fiona for a pen. Fiona quickly opened the drawer and gave Bill a pen and a paper.

"Give me her address." Bill said and jotted down Mrs. Brightley's address. "I will send some men over to this address."

"Thank you…please make sure they get to Abigail as fast as they can." Henry said. "Goodbye…" Henry finished but Bill interrupted.

"Where are you?" Bill asked.

"I am in Ancaster town. If we meet again, I will explain but right now, you need to get Abigail to safety…please." He said.

"I will call the local sheriff in Ancaster." Bill said. "Take care Henry and hope to see you soon." Bill finally put the phone down.

Bill quickly dialed up Sheriff Noland's number and spoke to him briefly before rushing to his office. He returned and informed Fiona that he was on his way to Ancaster, without giving an explanation. He updated Nathan and Elizabeth as fast as he could on the situation and rushed off on his stagecoach.

Meanwhile in Ancaster, Henry put down the telephone and searched for a mode of transportation. He finally managed to get into a taxi car. It was expensive but he figured that at this moment, it was the fastest way for him to get to Mrs. Brightley's house. His two-hour journey was shortened to an hour and a half. As he reached the house, everything seemed still and quiet. He paid the taxi car driver extra money to wait for him in case he and Abigail needed to escape. He cautiously made his way to Mrs. Brightley's home, gun in his hand. He knocked on the door, but no one opened. He opened it himself and it opened wide without any resistance. He knew something was off. He looked around the living room and the kitchen and did not see anyone. He slowly made his way up the stairs, first checked into Mrs. Brightley's room. No one there either. He then slowly made his way to the room he shared with Abigail. When he walked in, he found four men, sitting idly on the beds, with Abigail and Mrs. Brightley tied up on chairs and gagged. The men had their guns pointed at Abigail and Mrs. Brightley.

On seeing Henry, Abigail's eyes filled with tears of relief. Mrs. Brightley too seemed like life had been breathed into her again.

"Took you long enough…" said one of the men, who walked over to Abigail's side. "She…" the man said and ran his finger over her cheek, "she waited long for you." he said. Henry's jaw clenched at that.

"Do not touch her." Henry said, his eyes steely looking at the man.

"Or what, huh? What will you do?" the man said daringly as he ran his hand up and down Abigail's arm. Abigail narrowed her eyes at the man. Henry cocked his gun and pointed at the man. "Oh you want to kill me now?" he asked. Henry's objective was to get the man's attention off Abigail and he succeeded in doing so. The said man and one other man walked over to Henry, pointing their guns at him. The other man kicked Henry on the ribs and Henry fell to the ground, gun in his hand. Abigail jerked at the impact and she looked on as her eyes filled with tears, in horror. "Easy…" the man told Henry's assailant. "We need them alive for Big B. He should be almost here. Once the woman signs, they are ours to deal as we please." He said and yanked the gun off Henry. They roughly picked up Henry and tied his hands tightly.

Just then, two other men with guns entered the room.

"Big B wants everyone outside." One of the men said. Henry, Abigail, and Mrs. Brightley were bundled out of the house. Out there were at least seven other men with guns. Then came the supposed Big B. For someone who is feared, he seemed to be a meagre figure, a short stout man with lots of gold jewellery and a fancy hat. He walked over to Abigail and ordered the man holding her to untie her hands and mouth and to present her with the papers and a pen, which she refused to take.

"Madam mayor, what a pleasure to be in the presence of a woman of your stature…so strong, powerful, beautiful…" he said and Henry felt his blood boil. He tried to resist the man who was holding him but his hands were tied. Big B turned around and walked to Henry. "I liked you better when you were a bad boy, Henry." He said and Henry looked closely and recognized him. He was Samuel Engerfield. Henry had had a dealing with him previously on a business where he tried to bribe his way into the market to sell illegally obtained goods. Unfortunately, Henry helped his people with contacts.

"Sam, let her go." Henry said.

"You seem to be rather…protective…of madam mayor here…" he said and walked over halfway between Henry and Abigail. "My men told me of your bravery…to save her." he said and looked at Abigail.

"All she wants is safety of her people." Henry said.

"She is a good one." Samuel said, still looking at Abigail. "But madam mayor, you cannot have your quaint little town grow without risks…" he said.

"I refuse to take risks that endanger the lives of my people." Abigail said, determination in her eyes. Henry took a moment to admire her for that.

"Well, you leave me with no choice then…" Samuel said and walked over to where Henry was. He took the gun off the man holding Henry and put it on Henry's temple. "Sign or he dies." He said.

Abigail looked shocked and scared at the same time.

"He has nothing to do with this. Leave him out of it." Abigail said.

"That is the deal I am offering you, a signature for his life." Sam said. Abigail hesitated as she swallowed hard. Sam cocked the gun.

"Do not sign Abigail…" Henry pleaded with her. "Do not let him break your resolve."

"I will kill you!" said Sam and suddenly Abigail heard a gun go off. She stared in horror at Henry's pale face, blood sprayed over it. She held her stomach and collapsed on the ground in shock. She heard a man scream in agony but she had gone numb. There it was…her life, ending before her eyes and she could not do anything about it.

"Drop your guns everyone!" said someone. She could tell between her blurry sight that the law enforcement had come, but it was too late! Her gaze dropped on the ground as she leaned forward in prostration. She did not care anymore who said what or who came to the rescue. Henry was no more! She felt someone rush down to her level and lift her up from her current position.

"Abigail…" the man said but she was too numb to answer him. The world around her was spinning, men were running, guns were being fired and in between all those chaos, there was one voice calling her. "Abigail…" he said, "stay with me. Please…" he said and shook her. She did not meet his eyes. She just rested her face on his chest, too tired to look. "Abigail…" he said again. "Look at me." He said but she did not move. Her limbs went numb and her eyes, blinked in intervals, slowly. She was in a trance. "Abigail…" the man said again and cupped her face in his hands and turned her face up to look at him. "You are safe! You are fine now." He said and when she did look up at him, she saw a man with blood on his face. It took her a few seconds to recognize him.

"Henry…" she whispered but at that moment, she felt her conscious slip out of her body. She passed out.

Sheriff Noland had seen one too many crime scenes in his life but the scene unfolding before him, a man holding a woman in his arms, desperately trying to revive her intrigued him, a little more than usual.