Clara couldn't stand it for another minute.

She'd spent the night trying to sleep listening to the enormous man in the seat next to her snore so loudly that she thought she felt the windows rattling. Not to mention he had slowly nursed a bottle of brandy that was hidden inside his coat until the bottle was empty and he now smelled like a distillery. Add to that his pungent body odor and the fact that he continued to move further into her seat and would soon be on top of her, Clara finally was forced to make a decision.

How she would get past him was the first hurdle. She tried tapping his arm and then resorted to an elbow in the ribs, and he still hadn't responded. Finally, she reached into her purse, got out her sewing kit, said a quick prayer for forgiveness, and poked his leg with a needle.

That got his attention. He howled and stood up, and Clara slipped by him, moving blissfully into the center aisle and toward the door. She would stand for the rest of the night if she had to.

And just then, she felt the train slow. She looked out of the window and saw the sign for Winnipeg, unable to believe her good luck. A porter was walking down the aisle checking tickets to see who was planning to get off the train here.

"Excuse me," Clara said, "How long is the stop?"

"An hour, miss," he said, continuing down the aisle.

An hour. Clara breathed a sigh of relief. Fresh air. A chance to walk a little. And then when she boarded the train again, she would see if there were any other seats open.

Clara quickly got her pink coat from the rack, and made her way to the door. She knew that midnight in Winnipeg might not be a good idea, but if she had to, she would just stay in the station near the train and try to find some fresh air.

"Is there anywhere that's safe to walk or should I stay nearby?" she asked the porter as she stepped down off the train.

"There's a path, miss, with electric lights and a view of the city and the river," he said. "Stay in the lights and you'll be fine. And only an hour, miss. We leave the station on time. Best be back early."

Clara smiled. "I will! And thank you so much. I would dearly love to walk a little." More people were stepping on and off the train, and Clara walked in the direction the porter had pointed.

It was beautiful. After being cooped up in her seat next to that vile man, Clara breathed deeply of the fresh air off of the river and leaned on the railing looking at the lights of the city in the distance. For a moment, she closed her eyes.

It's all going to be okay. Of course she was nervous. Starting a new job in a new city, and one even bigger than Cape Fullerton. But she had to get used to the fact that she was the only one paying for her father's doctor bills right now, and the secretarial job with Mr. Fletcher in Hamilton would pay twice as much as she was making at the Miners Supply. The flat she'd found didn't sound too bad, though of course she'd had to send the first month's rent sight unseen.

She would just have to find out when she got there. Clara knew that she was a very resourceful girl and a hard worker. She would make her way in Hamilton in the same way she had in Cape Fullerton. By putting one foot in front of the other...

"Well, ain't you a pretty little thing..."

Clara turned, realizing that she was so lost in her thoughts that she'd broken the cardinal rule of being outside at night alone. She'd lost track of her surroundings.

He was filthy and appeared to be missing a number of teeth. But the worst part was that he was also much taller than Clara and looked to be very strong. Clara could be fast when she needed to be, but he had her trapped in the space between the railing and a large tree, so that if she tried to run around him all he would need to do was put out an arm.

So she would have to talk her way out of it.

"Yes," she said, trying to keep her voice calm. "My husband thinks so." Clara was kicking herself for not wearing her wedding ring. It made her sad to wear it, so she had taken it off on the train and put it in her purse. She slipped her left hand into the pocket of her coat and began moving sideways just a little.

The man leered at her, showing that the few teeth he had left were yellowed and rotted. "And where might he be, missus?" he said, his voice a disgustingly lascivious growl.

"Coming up behind you," she said, looking over his shoulder and getting ready to make a run for it.

The man took the bait and turned, and Clara snuck around him, starting to run. But she was wearing a scarf around her neck and he grabbed it and held tight, choking her.

"Now, that wasn't very nice, was it?" he said, pulling her back toward him. Clara struggled to pull the scarf over her head, but it was too tight. In fact, she was having a little trouble catching her breath. He now had her close enough to put his arm around her neck and turn her so she was facing him. His breath was so revolting that Clara thought she might actually pass out as he leaned down, meaning to kiss her.

She was fighting as hard as she could and making no headway. She tried to get her knee up toward his groin, but her coat was buttoned all the way down and was restricting her. The scarf was still around her neck and it was getting harder to breathe...

And then she heard the click.

"Let go of the lady and you might live."

Clara opened her eyes wide and saw red serge. The relief she felt caused her eyes to fill with tears and she stumbled backwards as the man let go of her. At first she thought she might fall, but she felt soft arms go around her and for some reason, she thought she smelled lavender.

Then everything went black.

When Clara opened her eyes, she was still seeing red serge, but she seemed to be lying in a bed. She'd never seen the inside of a sleeping cabin on a train before, but she assumed this is what one looked like.

The first thing she began to process was that The Mountie was also The Groom. Clara blinked and said, in time-honored fashion, "Where am I?"

The Mountie smiled and said, "You're back on the train." He looked at her kindly. "What's your name?"

"Clara Stan... Weller..." Clara said, taking a deep breath. She was starting to feel a little better.

"Do you remember what happened, Miss Stanweller?"

Clara smiled. "No, just Weller. Clara Weller. And... that man... that horrible man..." Clara squinted and closed her eyes, remembering. "I was by the river..." Now she began to take in more of the room. The Bride was standing beside The Groom, looking very concerned. Behind them both was the porter who had pointed out the path to her. He was looking extremely nervous.

"You're a Mountie," Clara said, stating the obvious. "I've always just thought of you as The Groom." She laughed softly, realizing how inane that sounded, but Nathan and Elizabeth laughed too.

"My name is Nathan, Miss Weller. This is my wife, Elizabeth. We've seen you in the dining car, haven't we?"

"It makes sense you would think of us that way," Elizabeth said, moving closer. "Can you sit up, Miss Weller?" Clara thought that Elizabeth had the kindest, softest voice she'd ever heard, almost as if she was speaking to a child.

Clara nodded and said, "I'm fine, and, please, call me Clara." She swung her legs around and sat up. She really did feel fine. "Did I faint?"

"Yes," Nathan said. "I carried you back here. This cabin was used by a passenger who got off the train in Winnipeg. The man who attacked you is in custody. Local Mounties know him. He prowls the river walk..."

Jonathan moved forward, distraught. "Oh, Miss Weller, I never would have suggested you walk there if I'd known. I'm so sorry..."

He was so upset that Clara began to feel bad for him. "No, it's not your fault. I wasn't paying attention. I know better than that." Clara took another deep breath, feeling her head clearing. She looked at Nathan. "Good. So you caught him, and he won't be able to frighten any more women." She started to stand up and began to see stars again, so she sat back down.

Elizabeth sat next to her on the bed. "Just take a minute, Clara."

Clara looked around. "I really do appreciate your kindness, but I'm fine."

"Jonathan says you don't have a sleeping cabin on the train? Where are you headed?" Elizabeth asked.

"No, I don't. I just have a seat. And I'm going to Hamilton," Clara said.

"Oh!" Elizabeth said brightly. "So are we!"

Nathan looked at Jonathan. "So the person in this cabin got off in Winnipeg? And is it booked again before Hamilton?"

Jonathan said, "No, it's empty until the return trip..." He frowned suddenly, seeing where this was going. "Oh, but we couldn't possibly... it won't be cleaned until Hamilton... we can't..." He saw the look on Nathan's face, but most particularly the look in his eyes. The blue was disconcerting under the dark brows, especially with the focus Nathan was training on him.

Nathan looked around. "It doesn't really look dirty to me, Jonathan."

"But the bed... the sheets..." Jonathan said, already feeling like he wasn't going to win this argument.

Now Nathan smiled and said, "But you have extra sheets on board the train, don't you, Jonathan?"

Elizabeth and Clara were watching this in some combination of awe and delight. Elizabeth had seen Nathan at his duties, of course, a number of times. But this was even a new Nathan to her. He spoke in a voice that was soft but compelling, almost as if there was no other reasonable thing to do than what he was asking. The red serge was the final deciding factor. Jonathan sighed and nodded.

"I suppose it wouldn't do any harm." He gave Clara a contrite look. "It's the least I can do after sending you out to that path." Jonathan went to the door. "I'll be back with clean sheets and towels," he said. "Housekeeping isn't on duty this time of night..."

Elizabeth smiled and said, "Oh, don't worry about it, Jonathan! We'll take care of everything."

"Well, thank you," Jonathan said. "Thank you." He closed the door and the three of them looked at each other.

Clara's eyes were wide as she looked up at Nathan. "Did you just get me a sleeping cabin for the next two nights?" she asked, unable to believe it.

Elizabeth laughed. "I believe he did." She gazed up at Nathan with such admiration and love that he shrugged and took a small bow.

Clara shook her head. "I... I don't know what to say."

Elizabeth stood. "Do you feel like you can stand up, Clara? I suppose we should get these sheets off before he gets back."

Clara stood up and smiled. "I feel fine," she said, looking back and forth at both of them. "And... you are the kindest people I think I've ever met."

"Oh, goodness," Elizabeth said, raising an eyebrow. "We weren't going to leave you down by the river, were we?"

Clara suddenly felt overwhelmed and without thinking, she threw her arms around Elizabeth and hugged her. "Thank you!" she said fervently. Then she pulled away and smiled. "Oh, you're the one who caught me. Lavender."

It turned out that Jonathan felt very guilty. Enough to bring sandwiches, fruit, cookies and tea from the Club Car.

Elizabeth and Clara changed the bed while Nathan got the chairs from their cabin, and within minutes, the three of them were sitting around the small table. It was nearly three o'clock in the morning, but the type of excitement they'd all just experienced wasn't really conducive to sleep.

"Do you have relatives in Hamilton?" Elizabeth asked Clara, cutting up an apple for all of them.

"No. A job. I was working in Cape Fullerton but the one in Hamilton pays more, so I took it." She took a bite of the turkey sandwich and sighed. "This is delicious," she said, closing her eyes.

Clara was using her lunch in the dining room as her only meal of the day to save money, and she was hungry. She tried not to eat too fast, but she was enjoying it so much it was hard to slow down. She was sitting in a sleeping cabin on a train and sharing a meal with The Bride and Groom. It was a scenario that Clara could never have imagined for herself. She was still getting her bearings.

But she did remember her manners. A person asks you a question, and then you ask one back. "And you?" she said to Elizabeth, "Do you have relatives in Hamilton?"

"It's where I grew up," Elizabeth said, nodding.

"And you got on in Benson Hills," Clara said, and then she blushed a little. "Sorry, I just noticed..."

Elizabeth laughed and looked at Nathan. "We were pretty conspicuous, I'm afraid."

"Oh, no, you were magical!" Clara said. Then, blushing a little more, she said, "I'm so sorry, that was a strange thing to say..."

Elizabeth laughed and put her hand on Clara's shoulder. "It was a very sweet thing to say. And..." she looked at Nathan, her eyes soft. "...we were pretty magical." Nathan lifted Elizabeth's hand and kissed it.

Clara watched, feeling a combination of happiness and envy that brought tears to her eyes. It had been a long night. She'd been terrified, she'd fainted, she hadn't slept a wink, and now, with a full stomach and a perfect love on display in front of her, she fell to pieces.

"Oh, Clara!" Elizabeth said, pulling her chair closer and putting her arm around Clara's shoulder. "What is it?"

"I was married," Clara said, unable to stop herself as large, heavy tears coursed down her cheeks. She was tired of keeping secrets, tired of pretending, and suddenly it all spilled out. "He died in a mining accident in June, along with his father, but they didn't find their bodies until July. I loved him so much..." Now she was sobbing, and didn't notice the look that was passing between Nathan and Elizabeth.

"Where was the accident, Clara? What town?" Elizabeth said softly.

"Coal Valley, in Alberta," Clara said, her sobs turning to hiccups and her green napkin to her face.

"What was your husband's name?" Nathan asked, his voice very soft.

"Peter," Clara said, looking up at him. "Peter Stanton."

Nathan and Elizabeth were unable to stop themselves from turning and looking at each other. Both were trying to think of something to say.

Clara saw them and said, "What?" She looked first at Elizabeth and then at Nathan.

Frowning, Nathan said, "Clara, we're from Coal Valley."

Elizabeth said quickly, "Actually, it's not Coal Valley anymore, the name has been changed to Hope Valley." She looked at Nathan, who was tilting his head slightly, as if to say, not helpful. Elizabeth smiled and nodded.

Clara looked confused. "You're from Coal Valley?" Her eyes darted between the two of them. "Did you know Peter?"

"No," Nathan said softly. "We both arrived after Peter died." He put his hand on Clara's shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Clara. We had no idea that Peter was married."

Taking a deep breath, Clara said, "Well, you wouldn't, because we kept it a secret. Peter thought his parents would think we were too young. He wanted to prove himself before we told them."

"Any… children?" Elizabeth asked.

Clara sighed. "No. We were… careful. It was complicated enough to keep the marriage a secret. That would have been… too much," Clara said, her eyes filling again.

"And did you ever try to contact Peter's mother?" Nathan said, trying to look into Clara's eyes.

Clara looked up sharply at Nathan and then at Elizabeth. "Oh, Lord," she said suddenly. "You know Abigail."

"Yes," Elizabeth said. "She's a very dear friend of ours."

"And I've told you all this…" Clara said, her eyes filling.

"Would you like to meet her, Clara?" Elizabeth said.

A large tear slid down Clara's cheek. "Of course I would. She's Peter's mother. But we kept that secret from her, and now he's gone. She would be so angry, wouldn't she? Why on earth would she want to meet me?"

Elizabeth put her arm around Clara again. "I can tell you a very good reason why she would want to meet you." Reaching up with the napkin to catch Clara's tears, Elizabeth smiled.

"Clara. You're the only family she has left."