Chapter 5

Cat Montgomery was surprised to see two of the guests from the boarding house walk through the door of the hotel. According to Nancy Tucker the whole family was quiet, with the mother and daughter in particular keeping very much to themselves since they arrived. There was something not right about them Cat thought as she watched them stop to look around, then laughing silently to herself she wondered if she spent too much of her time around Mounties and was looking for problems that weren't actually there. Putting down the tray of glasses that she had just carried from the kitchen she moved across to greet them, trying to make her smile as warm and welcoming as possible. "Good morning Mrs West. Ruth. Is there something I can help you with?"

The woman seemed to shrink into herself, the uncertainty in her eyes making Cat fearful that something bad had happened. It was the young girl who spoke then, her voice surprisingly clear and confident. "We are here to see the French lady. My mother is a seamstress and my father spoke with Mister Saint German this morning after overhearing him talk about her needing some mending done."

Cat had to work hard to keep her face still and not react to the way the girl had pronounced the Frenchman's name before replying, "Of course, although I am surprised she didn't request it from me as we do have an excellent group of Chinese seamstresses here in town whose standard of work is exceptional … and she has certainly managed to ask for almost everything else." Suddenly realising she had spoken the last part out loud she quickly continued. "If you can just wait here I will go and tell her that you have arrived."

At that moment Fiona descended the stairs, the expression on her face making it quite clear that her hairdressing session with the woman had not been easy. Having caught Cat's words she stopped at the bottom, "She's not in a good mood, I'm afraid, although I wonder if she ever is. After she sent Opal away in a fit I thought it best if I came personally to deal with her, although if I'm honest Opal is much better with these more modern styles than me these days. Nothing was right but I got the impression that she didn't really know what she wanted. Then she started asking me about Cecilia Grant, which makes me think that having her hair done was not the purpose of the appointment."

Only then did she notice the other two standing behind Cat and so added, "but I could just be imagining that. Michael was up half the night with teething problems so neither Ed nor I had very much sleep. Then there is the amount of work I still have to do before the town council meeting tomorrow. I probably took my resentment at having to go in there with me and she reacted." She hoped those words would cover the feeling that she had about the woman upstairs sufficiently to stop them from saying anything when they went up.

As she bade everyone farewell memories of past troubles in Hope Valley suddenly filled her mind and she thought of the vow that she had made to herself when taking over as Mayor. Nothing should be deemed trivial or irrelevant. If she had a funny feeling about anything then she would speak to Ed or Jim. This town and its people meant too much to her to let go unmentioned a situation that could threaten the peace they all enjoyed. Now Nathan was here as well so she was confident that between them they would be able to find out if anything untoward was going on.

She tried hard to lift her mood as she headed towards The Mercantile, reminding herself that one of the most pleasing things in the past few years was seeing how the good that was achieved in Hope Valley after the Bouchard reign came to an end was being shared by everyone. It was almost as though those hard times and the tragedy that unfolded had brought a new level of consciousness to the community, making them determined never to allow anything bad to happen to one of their own without them realising and fixing it. People were encouraged to check on neighbours on a regular basis, to share whatever they had in abundance with those less fortunate and, above all, to care. This same ethos was applied to those passing through town, many of the current residents having once been those travellers seeking a new and better life for their family who had decided to stay.

Florence and Ned were in an ideal position to identify those in need, the counting out of scant coins and replacing of goods back on the shelves when there wasn't enough a clear indication that someone was struggling. But people were often too proud to simply accept charity and so a way to help without offending was always sought. There had been talk that perhaps this family fitted into that category and yet others said that if they could afford to stay at the boarding house then their situation must not be that bad. Fiona made a note to go back later to check with Cat that they were paying their bill as they went and not planning to flee in the middle of the night as some before had done.

The generosity of the townspeople was incredible and many added staple items to their weekly shop only to then leave them at the side of the counter with the instruction that they were to be placed in "the boxes out the back". At other times there would be a working party arranged to help when a farmer needed something done that was beyond his capability. The men would gather with their tools and the women with food to keep everyone going. As ever, Lee Coulthard's generosity was unwavering in providing "offcuts" that he assured them would only be discarded, telling the recipient that they were doing him a favour by taking them. It was a generosity of spirit from those on whom God had looked favourably towards those still waiting for their turn of good fortune.

With the same thoughts in mind Joseph Canfield was heading out of town to visit those in the outlying areas, the simple farmers who scraped a living on land that was never going to offer as much as they hoped. His car was full of a selection of Minnie's cakes and pies that he liked to share with those whom he believed needed a change from the humdrum of their life, along with other goods that Ned felt would be better given in that way. Joseph always felt it was easier to share one's troubles when your stomach was full and if this was what it took to learn what these people needed then he was happy to be the one carrying out the mission.

He found it relaxing to sing as he drove, his deep voice echoing through the trees as he chose hymns of joy and gratitude. It always lifted his spirits ready to face what was often a difficult situation as he called on people for whom he may be the only visitor they had that week. The loneliness was particularly clear with the older members of the community and yet it was the children on the farthest out farms for whom he felt the greatest sadness. He thought of his own two, Cooper so headstrong at times but after a period when he lost his way and questioned his faith he had turned into a serious youth committed to following his father into the church. Angela had already overcome so much yet it worried both him and Minnie that life was only going to get harder for her. Thankfully her music was the one thing that she had made her own, playing in the church every Sunday and at many an evening in the hotel when the community came together. Rosemary had a recording of the famous Swedish Nightingale, Jenny Lind, that she often played when they were visiting the Coulter house and Joseph was convinced that his daughter was every bit as talented.

At the school Cecilia had started her day in the youngest children's classroom, knowing that the excitement levels there would be much harder for their teacher to contain. She always brought with her a small piece that she had written especially for them, a short story about one of the characters in her latest book. Her friend Catherine, a brilliant artist she had met at college, still did the illustrations for her Mountie Series books and was always happy to do some for this. Of course the children loved knowing that they were the first to hear the extra tale and she was told that the few minutes before she began were the quietest they ever were during the school year as they waited with great anticipation. It was a little thing but it gave her so much joy to see their faces as she read it to them, especially as this year their teacher provided her with a list of names so that she could make sure that each one was included. The look of incredulity as each child realised they were part of the story was worth every second she spent writing.

Time with children was her greatest pleasure and the thought that her books brought joy to so many was something she would never take lightly. These young minds needed stretching, to know that there was a world away from what they saw in Hope Valley, plus an understanding that bad things could happen anywhere but for every person who committed evil there were so many more who stood up for goodness and decency. This was the message that she tried to impart to them. Now, reading through what they had written she was visibly moved that they had found solace or inspiration from so many of her characters, not just the Mounties.

Most of this class were too young to remember the hard times that Hope Valley had endured but she knew it was different with the older children. There were still a few at the school who had been here when the town was called Coal Valley, when almost a whole generation of students had become fatherless. Now there was definitely an optimism about the way they spoke of their future dreams and wishes, an acceptance that so much was possible if they worked hard. It wasn't always about academia or fame. For some following their parents onto the land was all they wanted, while for others it was a life of service in a variety of fields or working in the commercial world. But no matter where their ambitions lay their teachers were adamant that they would leave school with an education that allowed them to follow their chosen path equipped with the necessary tools.

It was this determination that Cecilia found herself admiring as she read through the stories written by the children, their past pain clear in their words, the limitations they placed on themselves by circumstance upsetting at times but she felt positive that once identified others would do everything possible to help them overcome such obstacles where they could. This was what she loved so much about Hope Valley and the people here who had become her friends. She hoped that what she had to say would add to that, showing that great possibilities lay ahead for each one of them whichever path they took.

Now she looked at the clock again, knowing that she needed to start her talk but wanting to give Sarah a little more time. Something must have happened at home and she wondered if she should get a message to Jim Buchanan to go out and check the Cunningham farm in case they needed help. That was the only explanation for the young woman not to have turned up at school on this day that she would have been looking forward to since her visit last year.

When Katie Yost's face appeared at the doorway she could tell immediately that the teacher shared her concern and despite already guessing the answer she quietly asked, "Has anyone heard from her?"

Katie shook her head and speaking softly she said, "Nothing". Then echoing Cecilia's thoughts a moment earlier she continued, "Do you think we should get someone to go and check? They don't have a telephone out there so it will take some time." The look of worry on her face deepened then, "This is so unlike her, especially on this day when she was so excited to be working with you. Something must be seriously wrong."

Almost at the same time both women realised that the children were taking in every word they were saying so Cecilia turned to their young audience now seated quietly on the benches in front of her, thinking quickly how to explain their conversation. Making her best attempt at a smile for them she paused, her expression showing a comical seriousness that she wasn't feeling. "You do know that a writer, especially someone who tells stories about Mountie work, is always thinking of the plots for their next adventure. I so appreciate Miss Yost's input into a little story I am working on right now. In fact it is so exciting that we can't stop talking about it! And, of course, I have all of you in mind for some of the characters!"

She was relieved to see the grins break out on their faces and as the sound of their conversations with each other rose again she turned to Katie and nodded, before adding in a small whisper, "See if you can find Nathan, he will know what to do. He always does."