Most of the mail that would arrive daily at any police station was usually of a general and departmental and routine nature consisting of various instructions and procedures emanating from head office. Letters would be addressed to the officer in charge and any work that resulted from them would be farmed out to poor unsuspecting officers at the station. Occasionally there would be requests to locate or investigate current suspects in a case that had arisen and also, to help out, there would be wanted posters to help distribute to various locations. One particular piece of correspondence arrived at Simon's desk one particular morning which grabbed his attention as the address appeared quite interesting. It was addressed simply to Mountie Simon at Union City Police station and strangely, it did not show a return address on the back. A rather puzzled Simon opened it carefully and then his attention became glued to the contents, "Dear Simon, I have been planning to do this for months and I have kept my promise to you. I said to you that I was going to write a letter to you and now I have. Allie and all the children and Mrs Thornton and Florence have helped me learn so much so that I can now write to you on my own. I haven't seen you since that awful day when you had to save me from those bad men. I think you stopped them from hurting me and you were able to bring me back home safely. I can never thank you enough for doing that for me because you were in danger as well. I am so happy that you are getting married, and I hear that she is a nurse, and she was the one who helped Nathan get better. I have never met her, but I love her so much just like I love you and Nathan. I'm coming to the wedding even if I have to walk there. I might be able to dance with Earl if I ask him nicely. It's so sad that you are so far away. Allie says that I could be a schoolteacher one day if I keep working hard. I can only do all this because Nathan and you helped me so much and I won't forget it. Please Simon, never forget me even though you are so far away, so much love, Amy."
Simon sat quietly brushing away a tear and clutching the letter tightly almost in disbelief. Earl saw him and was horrified, "My goodness Simon, what's wrong? can I help?" Simon looked away and just handed him the letter. He thought that he had just as much right to see it as anyone after cleverly getting rid of her dreadful father from Hope Valley. Earl read the letter in silence and was feeling the same as Simon. Neither of them could find the words as they were completely dumbfounded as so many thoughts were going round and round in their heads. They looked at the letter again and marvelled at how she had done all this when she, not so long ago couldn't read or write at all. They were both very proud of her and, of course she would be coming to the wedding, and everyone would have to dance with her. Simon's voice was very shaky, "Can you believe that Earl, she asked us not to ever forget her, my goodness, she is always in my heart every day." He looked at Earl, "Did you teach her how to dance?" Earl smiled and explained how he showed her, just on the off chance in the middle of the street and how Christine volunteered to show how it was done. They were so pleased that Amy had remembered that, and she must have practiced her dance steps every day. They showed the letter to Captain Edwards and explained how they knew Amy and he said how pleased he was that sometimes we have some success in our duties. "With your permission I would like to bring some of the contents of this letter to all the Mounties stationed here to show the positivity of what we all try to achieve. Simon watched the tears fill Janie's eyes when she was given the letter to read. She knew that her fiancé had faced danger to rescue Amy on that day and now this girl was able to read and write and make her place in the world. Simon said that he had promised that he would keep his letter in his pocket for always.
In between looking after the stables and taking Sergeant and the other horses for exercise, Amy would be found at the classroom learning herself and being a great help for Elizabeth. "I really don't know what I would do without you Amy. You seem to know exactly how to help the little ones especially when they lose confidence in themselves. They all love you so much and they are all better students because of you." Amy was starting to really believe in herself, and she was very proud of her effort in writing that letter to Simon just like she had promised. She waited in the classroom at the end of the day and soon she was alone with Mrs Thornton who was steadily packing up and getting ready to go home. She had been thinking about the type of work that Amy had been doing which was very much like a teacher's aide so she would be entitled to some payment. Amy wouldn't hear of it, "If what I am doing makes you happy Mrs Thornton then that is payment enough for me. I'm very happy to be doing something nice for everyone, besides, Florence looks after me like a daughter." Amy came and sat down in the front seat, "Mrs Thornton, that was really nice what that captain said at the service yesterday, I had tears in my eyes and I have them now when I think about how he said about having to send his Mounties out when they have to face danger. He would not rest easy and relax until they were all safely back home. I think that it would take a very special man who could do the job that he does and care so much." Elizabeth put her arm around her as Amy strangely started to sob, "Mrs Thornton, when I was in the courtroom, I was sure that the judge was going to put me in jail and Simon spoke up and the judge threatened him with contempt of court. I remember the captain standing up and calmly telling the judge that he would have to hold the entire Mounties at Fort Clay in contempt if he did that. If it wasn't for him and My Avery speaking out for me, I'm sure that I would have to have gone to jail. I will never forget what they did for me."
The Glover family would reflect upon these last few days with mixed feelings for many years to come. Nobody lives forever and it had seemed for quite a while that Bert's time was approaching but then, right out of the blue, there was the sudden return of Peter just in time to say farewell. Peter would have liked to spend more time with his family; however, Bert's final words were now etched into his mind and now he had a steely resolve to search wherever it would take him to find his wife. His mother knew her son very well and she could see where his attention lay. There would be time to have him back when he could bring Christine to see them. She saw him off at the railway station after he had helped attend to last details for his grandfather. "Mum, I will find Christine and I will bring her back here to see you, that is my promise." She was now more than thankful that his years at sea were finally behind him. She could hardly imagine what he had been through all that time. She waved goodbye and wished him good fortune and watched him disappear in the distance. None of his destinations were going to be short in distance but he selected one place from his list which was a little town called Grampton. The elderly couple with all the vegetables had recalled a family of Pennington's who came from there. He was sorry that he had to leave his family so soon after the funeral, but this was a quest that could not wait. Bert's final words told him that he would have success and he would eventually return here as a married couple.
Elizabeth wasn't only a country schoolteacher by any means, on the contrary, she was one of the daughters of a prominent shipping magnate, and, against his advice, she had used her own gumption to follow her own destiny. She was a very capable and perceptive woman, and she was very intrigued at the presence of this mystery Mountie captain in their midst. It hadn't gone unnoticed to her how he had said that he wasn't entirely sure why he had come to Hope Valley. There had been a lot of things that he had said at the service that had sparked her interest so, armed with some of her best cookies, she set off for the jailhouse even if only to give him some thanks for coming here. As she was wandering thoughtfully along the track, she could see Nathan on his rounds so that may mean that the captain could be in the office on his own. She knocked politely on the front door before entering just in case he was busily in thought with some of his work or on the phone. He looked up and saw her standing in the light with her basket of cookies. "Good afternoon, Mrs Thornton do come in; this is a very pleasant surprise. I could do with a break from some of the decisions that I will have to make when I get through all this detail." She sauntered inside hoping that it wasn't going to be hard to break the ice with this man. "I'd like to offer you a coffee," he said, "but the coffee in here leaves a lot to be desired." Elizabeth smiled, "You'll find that it's much better in the café across the street. You might not have met Clara so far; she is there by herself while Bill Avery is away. I hope that you might find my cookies may make the coffee at least acceptable." The captain nodded in appreciation and said thank you, "Would you like to join me Mrs Thornton?" While she made the coffee, he cleared up all his papers and documents to make some room. He looked rather concerned. "I will be glad when all this is done, I hate having to make a choice of who is to lead a group on a mission that could run into some peril. We have many Mounties who have proved that they are more than capable, but things can still go wrong even with our best planning."
"That was very nice what you said at the Sunday service yesterday. It made us all think about what it must be like to be the one in charge when people are asked to be put in compromising situations. Captain, have you had a moment to figure out why you came here? You said yesterday that you weren't sure, and it sounded like it might be causing you some unease." He looked at her while enjoying one of her cookies, "You know Mrs Thornton, I noticed Emily sitting with her new parents. I hadn't seen her since she was a baby and there she was in the front row. I knew Sarah and how they were such a happy family with their little daughter. The saddest thing is that Emily will never know how wonderful and full of life her mother was. It looked like time eventually healed it for Simon and I'm so pleased that he found Janie who incidentally looks a lot like Sarah. I can't imagine dealing with such tragedy and having to try to rebuild my life after that." Elizabeth could see how puzzled he seemed, but he looked as if he needed to talk about it. It looked very much like he was forever carrying the load of all his men under his command. "Mrs Thornton, I think it was two things that drew me here to Hope Valley, one was Amy and her life here and the other is you." This really put Elizabeth off balance, she looked at him in disbelief. He started to try his best to explain to her, "Soon after I arrived and took up my appointment at Fort Clay, I was made aware of a bad accident that had happened to one of our Mounties out in the field. To lose one of ours so tragically in a training accident is something that should never have happened, and we have spent endless meetings with leadership groups and numerous investigations to try and ensure that this never happens again." This was hard for Elizabeth to have to relive this all over again. She loved the gentle, soothing and disarming tone of his voice which was full of sincerity and honesty. "The Superintendent was still settling into his new position and then I met Sandra, and we became good friends. She was another story of heroics after her accident. I was amazed how instrumental she was in helping the Mounties who had been badly affected by Jack's demise. I can still remember the time I heard that he had a wife and child in a place called Hope Valley and how she had set an example to all on how to recover from such a tragedy." She looked into the depth of his eyes as she was hanging on to every word. "Mrs Thornton, it's no wonder they named the little chapel after you. I'm not sure whether it was Sandra's idea, but I know that it was unanimous."
Grampton was just another little town along the rail line, so the three-hour journey thankfully didn't have to include meeting up with the stage. It wasn't just a whistle stop like some of the other towns that he had passed through as the main street was quite a bustling area of business and it had a small police station to look after the town and surrounding district. Peter had not been given any address so he hoped that a visit to the police station would be able to shed some light for him. He asked directions from a porter on the platform and found out that he just had to head in the direction that he indicated and then he couldn't miss it on the left side of the street. People were quite taken with someone in an officer's uniform and full kit walking down their street many miles away from the sea. It was indeed a far cry from the four years of rolling seas and constant gales and storms. The door to the police station had an open sign on it so Peter was thankful that there would be someone inside that could help him. He walked inside to the astonishment of the officer behind the desk, "Good afternoon sir," he said, "We don't usually get naval officers wandering through our little town, I'm at your service sir, how may I help you?" Peter tried to outlay his story as briefly as possible so that the officer could search out any families from his records in the district by the name of Pennington. Apparently, there were two, one being a middle-aged couple who were well known around the community and the other being a young woman who had recently been married.
The captain's workload that he had brought with him from Fort Clay was excessive and he needed a break from it periodically, so he would wander along the street greeting the townsfolk or riding his horse when Amy would allow him to do so. She took him to the stables, and he immediately admired the work that she was doing each day. It didn't escape him by any means the huge turnaround for her from her first introduction to Hope Valley. He still remembered the phone call from Nathan asking for approval to disregard the normal procedure of placing serious charges against her which would have no doubt resulted in a lengthy period of incarceration. It had been an unusual request from Nathan but now he knew it was the right choice. She introduced him to Jack's horse Sergeant and as he patted him, a flood of gloomy thoughts came to him. He could hardly imagine how Elizabeth could carry on when everything around her would remind her of her husband. He could see how Amy loved all the horses and how they would readily respond to her as she glided around doing her work and talking to them. He rode around waiting for school to finish for the day so that he could call in and apologise to Mrs Thornton for yesterday. She was soon standing with the bell in hand by the steps with a smile for all the children as they departed on their way home for the day. She noticed the captain and waved as he slowly rode up. "Would you like to come in for a moment?" she asked. He stood inside and marvelled again at the little classroom and some of the work written on the blackboard. "Sitting in this room, Mrs Thornton, answers a lot of questions for me, you are a schoolteacher first and foremost and I'm sure that this is how you were able to find some meaning to life after losing Jack. Sandra said how you met our Mrs Hammond back at Fort Clay. She said how the children were overjoyed at meeting you and loved what you had said to them. When Mrs Hammond lost her mother to a bad illness, she found life very difficult to handle and she became very secluded. Sandra spoke to her about you and after many tears, she found refuge in the children and slowly but surely, her life was back on track."
"Mrs Thornton, I want to apologise for rambling on so much yesterday and again today. I never meant to impose on you, but I can't help wanting to get to know you because you have been such an inspiration to us all." Elizabeth had known how she had helped and inspired many of the schoolchildren over the years but, until her visit to Fort Clay, she hadn't fully realized the impact that she had made to all those people so far away. She was very impressed with this man who had shown so much dedication and care for everyone that he would meet. "Captain, Amy told me all about what you did for her when she was at the courtroom. That would have taken a great deal of courage to have to face a hostile judge like that. She was certain that she was going to prison, but you stepped in for her." The captain explained how Bill Avery had then taken the judge aside and spoke with him at length. "I'm not entirely sure what would have happened had Bill not intervened, but I know that I was going to follow through with my stance." She could just imagine him being cool, calm and with the same authority of his rank, stand and issue his ultimatum. He would be just the right man if a real standoff had resulted. She could now understand the high regard that Nathan and Simon had for him. "I remember when Nathan came to Fort Clay in a very agitated state and the Superintendent had to get to the bottom of his troubles. I don't mean to pry Mrs Thornton, but it sounded like you and him had some history of sorts. It seemed to cause him a great deal of distress if he felt that he had done wrong by you somehow." She remembered that time quite vividly and the stress that they were both under. "It had all been very complicated for a long time with Nathan and then I eventually got to know a wonderful man who owned the saloon which has now been closed up since he had gone to a new job in Union City. We had a courtship, and we were going to be married but right at the last step I decided that I couldn't leave Hope Valley and have my son go to school in the big city. We wouldn't have our library in our town if it wasn't for him." She told the captain how the children wouldn't allow her to mope around and feel sorry for herself and how they showed up on her doorstep and said that they were all ready for school. He smiled at her and loved the strength and commitment that she showed for everyone. "Captain Foster, if you wouldn't mind, I would love to have you come and speak to the children while you are here."
Peter had found the middle-aged couple, with the help of the police constable, who lived close in the township. Sadly, they didn't know any Christine from Bakersfield, but they could help Peter with some other names that he didn't have on his list in other towns. They didn't know anything ,however, about the young lady who had recently been married in the town. The home of the newlyweds was about twenty minutes out of town according to the precise handwritten directions from the officer at the police station who had obtained the information from the man at the post office. He would have preferred to travel there straight away but even though it was getting late in the afternoon, he needed to eat somewhere, and he had seen a little café on his way before calling into the police station. The waitress found him some meatloaf and coffee as Peter had asked for something that would be quick. "I don't want to run out of daylight because I'm looking for the recently wedded couple who live out of town." She knew David Madison who was a farmer in the district, but she had little knowledge of the bride who had been new to the town. "He did very well for himself, she is a very pretty dark-haired lady." she said. "You can borrow my horse and cart if you like. He's all tied up out the front and it is always ready to go because I use it for our many deliveries." Peter was most grateful as he hadn't had any opportunity to source any horse to hire for the little trip out of town and he was also thankful that he didn't have to repeat his whole story and reason for being here. "Is there any deliveries that are needed along that route, I'll gladly do them for you." said a cheerful Peter. She said no and besides, he would run out of daylight if he had to make any stops along the way.
The horse trotted along with the cart in tow. Peter wondered how long he would have to be searching and how many towns he would he have to visit. He would need to keep his nerves in check, but each and every new meeting would hopefully lead him closer to Christine. The gate was open, so he turned the horse along their roadway up to the home of the Madison's. He was full of expectations as he knocked on the front door. A young man answered the door and immediately noticed the uniform of a man who must be a long way from home. "You must be David Madison," enquired Peter who then introduced himself as Peter Glover. "I've been at sea for the last four years after getting married and now I'm searching for my wife who is Christine Pennington. I'm wondering whether your new wife who is a Pennington, might know where she is. The officer back at the police station had said that her maiden name was Pennington." David smiled and beckoned Peter inside, "I'll see if my wife can help you, take a seat while I get her." Peter sat there admiring the farmhouse and how David must have worked hard to now have his farm and a business that he loved. He could see down the hallway and noticed David's wife in the kitchen. His heart sank and he felt sick to the stomach, and he could hardly breathe. He could see that It was Christine standing there as plain as day. He knew that this was a possibility but now that it had happened it was such a shock to him. This was the worst news that he could possibly have imagined. He had his heart set on reuniting with his wife and living happily ever after but now it was not to be. How could have he expected her to wait these four long years and not having any idea when he might return. Unfortunately, it seemed that Bert's final most comforting words were going to turn out wrong. He was decimated to the bone and he felt so empty and shattered. Now he thought that his only recourse was to sadly return to the place where he was recently discharged and ask to be reinstated indefinitely to that new ship that Mr Thatcher had offered. He thought of just quickly leaving their home and not even facing her as she would find it to be just as hard as he was now feeling.
She came down the passage just as Peter was shaping to make an exit, "Hello sir, I'm Susan Madison, David says that you are looking for my cousin Christine. Peter looked up after having his head in his hands and, through tear filled eyes he could see that she was ever so close to looking like a twin for Christine but there was a difference. She could see how all the colour had left Peter's face and how he was close to fainting. "David, help this man to sit down and I'll get him some water." When she returned Peter was still shaking and he could not take his eyes off her, it was like looking at Christine. "I could have sworn you were Christine and I nearly had heart failure. Don't ever do that to me again." he said trying to manage a smile. She sat next to him and hugged him, "So you're the one who married Christine, I couldn't make it to the wedding and then I found out that you had gone and soon after she left and hasn't been seen since. When we were growing up, I was often mistaken for her." Susan was close to tears and visibly upset after thinking how sad he must have felt if she had been his wife who was now with someone else. "I'm so sorry to have given you such a shock, it must have been a horrible few moments for you." She sat with her arm around him until she was satisfied that he was no longer going to fall over and that he would be alright. She looked in his eyes and could understand how her cousin had fallen for him and married him at such short notice. She would not hear of him leaving here until morning so he was to have tea at their place and David would obediently run the cart back to the café for him. This man was family.
Peter had his glass of water, "Nothing in four years of sea duty could have prepared me for a shock like that Susan, I never realised how I would have felt if Christine really wasn't waiting for me to return. I thought that I would be able to accept it, but I don't think that I could have. I can't believe how closely you resemble her, same looks, same voice, same everything." Over tea at the table, they discussed the farm, four years of sea duty and how Susan and Christine would have so much fun playing havoc with their families with their similar looks. She tapped him on the arm, "Let me have a look at that list of yours, I want to help you with all of this. You know I'm not ever going to sleep again until you find her." She gave him the same exasperated look that he had seen on Christine. "I'm going to write to all my family hoping that somebody knows where she is so you must keep in touch with me from now on." she ordered. Peter loved how she was issuing out instructions and laying down the law to both him and her husband. He thought that she was more like Christine than Christine was herself. "We talked many times growing up and we vowed that we would know true love when it would come our way and it would be forever. I have always known her better than anyone else." She took David's hand and then took Peter's hand as well. "I'm very glad to have met you Peter and you can take my word for it that everything is going to be alright. You are family and I want you to bring her back here the first chance that you get, we'll be waiting."
"I have a nice surprise for you all this afternoon after lunch," said a beaming schoolteacher, "we are going to have a visitor who is coming to talk to us. I want you all to be on your best behaviour while he is here." The children had seen the new Mountie around the town for the last few days so they knew that it must be him who was coming to see them at the school. He was a big, tall man like their Mountie Nathan, so he looked indeed a very commanding figure when he entered the classroom. He waited patiently at the back of the room so that he wouldn't be imposing on Mrs Thornton's daily lessons. It wasn't very long before she asked him to come to the front of the class as the children's attention had been on him as soon as he had arrived and anything that she still had to say was going to fall on deaf ears anyway. They had been so looking forward to this ever since Mrs Thornton had told them that he was coming. She couldn't help thinking what a real gentleman he was, as he looked very confident in his manner but not in an overbearing sort of way. She was very pleased to introduce him as the captain and second in charge at Fort Clay. As she finished her introduction, she thought what a young man he was to have such responsibility thrust upon him, yet he seemed to grasp it with a high level of self-assurance and poise. He obviously didn't rise to the level of captain by accident. She could see it in his eyes the driven level of determination but a discernible gentleness to go with it. It seemed like he had a job to do right through his career and he was going to be there to see that it was going to be done right. "Thank you for welcoming me into your classroom today. I am only here for a few days, but I would not have missed the chance to come and see you all. Mrs Thornton invited me, but I was going to come anyway. We have a school just like this one back at Fort Clay with around about the same number of children and the teacher's name is Mrs Hammond. I often go and see and talk to them about life and what it means to be a Mountie like your Senior Constable Grant."
He grabbed a chair with Mrs Thornton's permission and sat with the children in the middle of the aisle and they all sat glued to every word. His words were unhurried, genuine and caring which made Elizabeth's heart nearly miss a beat as she watched on in wonder. "I'm sure that you must love coming here to school in this little building and being able to learn all kinds of things along the way. I know some of the history of this special place and the name of it after the man who helped build it. I have to say how proud I am of all of you how you helped Amy out and how she can now read and write all because of you. I know her story and how she nearly didn't get this chance to be here and stay in Hope Valley. Your Mountie Nathan made a special decision to go against all the rules and when he rang me at Fort Clay, I gave him the approval to keep Amy here. It's our job as Mounties and yours as well to make the right choices and decisions when the time comes because we ultimately have to live by them and be judged on them." Elizabeth had been unaware of how the captain had been part of the decision to spare Amy of any criminal proceedings. She thought what a team the superintendent and he made together at Fort Clay. "I could not be happier than to see Amy thriving in this community with you all to help her. In every case it helps to have really good people around you which provides you with good examples and inspiration. You don't have to look very far to see your Mountie Nathan who is one of the most dedicated people I know who will always be there for you. What an inspiration Amy has been to overcome her shortcomings and be who she is today and of course, there is Mrs Thornton. She chose to come here years ago even though she could have taken a good job in her home city near her family. You have all the inspiration you need right here around you all." After a while he asked if the children had any questions as it was about time to start thinking that it was school closing time. The children weren't the least bit interested in going home yet. "Captain, are you married?" came the first question from some of the girls much to the amusement of Mrs Thornton. She was starting to recall how she had gradually over time fallen in love with Lucas. "No, I'm not, even though there are a lot of nice ladies around but running and supervising the Mounties at Fort Clay has demanded my full attention and there is no time for anything else." Elizabeth thought he would be quite a catch for any woman. "What made you want to be a Mountie sir?" asked Allie. Captain Foster became quite thoughtful as if he was remembering something from the past, "When I was very young, my parents took me on a journey in a coach to the big city. On the way when we were on a bumpy road, a wheel broke, and the carriage tipped over and my mother got badly injures with bumps to the head and other grazes. The driver and my dad weren't able to do anything but soon a squad of Mounties came along and stopped to help us. They were ever so careful in helping my mother out of the carriage as she was in a great deal of pain. One of them was able to provide some medical assistance and they all didn't rest until they were sure that she would be alright. Other Mounties did a good job of mending the carriage which was worse for wear, and they were all very fussy about getting it right. I decided then and there that I was going to become a Mountie and care about other people just like they did for my mother." We have a very nice young woman back at Fort Clay who is an inspiration to all of us. She had a bad horse riding accident when she was young and now, she is confined to a wheelchair. To see her every day you would hardly ever notice that she was disabled. We all love her dearly and we depend on her much more than we are supposed to. Her name is Sandra and I invite all of you to write her a letter sometime. Elizabeth had to fight back the tears as she dismissed the reluctant children from the classroom.
The train ride now for Peter was full of mixed emotions next morning as it ground its way through the countryside. It had been a tearful farewell back at the station as Susan had fallen in love with her new cousin and she wanted desperately for Peter to hurry up and find his wife wherever she might be and reunite their life together. She had given him strict instructions to head to the next target of her parents who had been at his wedding four years ago. They lived in a little town called Clifton which was about one hundred and fifty miles from here on this very train line. Susan cried in her husband's arms as the train had pulled out of the station, "What he must have thought when he saw me and thought that I was Christine." David comforted her as they waited and saw the train disappear from view and out of sight. "I'm only sorry that we won't be there when he eventually finds her wherever she is, that is going to be a moment to treasure." They headed home and she said sternly, "I am very busy from now on, I've got lots of letters to write. David, I'm going to find that wife of his and I'm going to reacquaint myself with my cousin." He had hardly seen her more determined as they headed for home. Peter sat on the train still breathless after the shock of seeing Susan for the first time. He could hardly contain the tears in his eyes and the lump in his throat as he tried to sort out his feelings after yesterday. On the ship there was hardly a time in all the four years of his service when he wasn't fully in control of a situation even though he had been tested at times. He had completely lost control yesterday and this was going to take some time for him to get over it. He couldn't believe that he was faced with how he would feel if in fact Christine was now going to be with someone else. David and Susan had given him renewed confidence and some direction to now follow. Now there was family ready and willing to help him in his search. It was a watery smile that he had as he thought of Susan and how she was distraught at seeing him like that. He was bursting at the thought of seeing his wife again, he knew she was out there somewhere, and he would not rest until he found her. Bert's words were still with him as they would always be and now, as he was still trying to regain his composure, he felt that he was on the right track. Every day would be one step closer to finding her.
"Thank you ever so much Captain for coming here to speak to the children. They could tell that you were speaking from the heart, and they will keep your words with them forever as I will." She thought of all the great men that she knew from her father, Jack, Bill, Nathan, Simon and of course Lucas who would always be in her heart. She could now add another one to that list, someone who she could go to and depend on when she was in need. "It was my pleasure Mrs Thornton, and I can see that you are doing a great job with all the children of the families here in Hope Valley. You took a big chance and a risk in coming here from the big city life and planning to make a difference here. Will you tell me a bit about what it was like for you in the beginning if you don't mind. I imagine that it was quite a challenge." Elizabeth could remember quite vividly the response that she had received from her family when she had said that she was taking the job way out in the country. "My father reluctantly gave his blessing and I then set out into the unknown. I had quite a rude awakening when I eventually got here as many of the folks were less than accepting when they saw me at first. There were none of the comforts of back home and that took some getting used to, but I was determined not to be a failure and I soon found out that they really needed me." She looked back with pride at her long-standing achievements as she told her story to the captain. He listened without any interruption, and they sat there together even though it was getting late into the day. She wouldn't normally relate her extensive background to anyone, but this man seemed so genuine and caring and so easy to talk to. She had hung on every word when he had spoken to the people at the Sunday service and again to the children at the school. He couldn't believe the strength that she had shown at the many adversities that had come her way. "They had only recently had the mining disaster which killed many of the menfolk and the ladies had to battle on themselves. I was inspired by them to do my very best for their children after their tragedy." He recalled how she had her own tragedy with Jack's death which would have finished many people, but she had somehow rose above it as an amazing example to the people of Hope Valley. Then there was the romance with Lucas and how she had to eventually tell Nathan that she was not going to be with him. "That was such a sad time in my life as they are both good men and for me to be stuck in the middle was distressing."
Elizabeth thought that she could never tell another soul about any of this other than Sandra or Rosemary. "Captain, I was all set to marry Lucas but when he was forced out of his saloon, I had to choose between him and Hope Valley. It was an agonising decision, and I will never forget leaving him at the altar at our wedding and suddenly rushing home." Elizabeth was now sobbing at now having to recall this distressing time of her life. "Then there was the time of Nathan's injury and how the Mounties were searching for him everywhere." The captain had a very vivid recollection of that time, "We both have got something in common Mrs Thornton, during that time I had never felt the feeling of such helplessness as I had then. We were all so powerless and all we could do was wait and hope even as the weeks went by that there would be a good outcome." He took her hand in the sincerest act of friendship and asked, "Mrs Thornton, I know that this might be difficult, but I wonder if you could find it in your heart to confide in me about what had happened to you back at Fort Clay." She was initially taken aback as it was strictly a personal matter that nobody would believe, and it would be none of anyone's' business anyway. It was such a touching and heartfelt request from him though, so she felt completely at ease with him. "Captain, I first got the agonising thought of maybe returning to Fort Clay as being some kind of closure for me. I tried to put it out of my mind for weeks because I could hardly bear the thought of it but eventually, I realised that it might help some of the men who had been there with Jack when it all happened. And there was Sandra and the little chapel that I wanted to be part of. She sent me the most wonderful letter and then I knew that I had to go back there." She hesitated and stared for a while then looked into his eyes, "Captain, I sat at Jack's gravesite and spoke to him just like as if he was there with me. I told him how I was trying so hard to bring up Little Jack and how I could easily have married Lucas. I had shut my eyes and felt his presence and heard his voice tell me that whatever decision I made was always going to be the right one. Then he told me that there was trouble brewing for my young lady but not to worry because she was in good hands." Captain Foster could hardly breathe, "and that's when you rushed back to ask for that phone call." He had suspected something like this all along, "Mrs Thornton, I can understand what you must be going through. Anyone else would think that it was all so fanciful but there can be no denying that there was a degree of trouble brewing for Amy and you had been alerted ahead of time. How else could Earl Grey have made his judgement and been ready if my phone call hadn't provided him with early suspicion. I can't see how we could dispute what we both know actually happened. I am so thankful that you could let me be part of this and I know that Jack would approve." He hesitated a little, "I went there and asked him."
Times were gradually changing outside of the big city areas and now the towns in the frontier were starting to see more cars arriving on their streets than ever before. People walking in the streets always had to be wary of a horse drawn cart and now there were cars to contend with. Hope Valley was no different to anywhere else and one particular car pulled up right next to the café in the mid-afternoon. A very well-dressed young lady stepped out clutching a nice, coloured handkerchief as she was very tearful and constantly wiping away tears from her eyes. A man, possibly her husband comforted her as they both climbed the steps and wandered into the café. The young lady felt a little bit embarrassed, but she was having difficulty containing her tears. "I knew that I'd feel like this when we got here, I'm ever so sorry." Clara was one of the many people in the café who were concerned that this visitor to the town seemed so distressed, "My goodness, whatever is wrong?" she asked, "I'll get you a glass of water." The lady seemed to settle down a little, "I'm here to find a young woman named Amy, she never gave me a surname, but she lives here in Hope Valley. My name is Jean Campton, and this is my husband, Tony." Clara was horrified to think that Amy has caused this family some anguish of sorts. "We came here as soon as we could, Amy wrote our family the most wonderful letter that I have ever had and I can't wait to meet her, can you please tell me a little bit about her?" Clara took a breath of relief remembering her father being here looking for her and she didn't want a repeat of anything like that. She could see that this lady was genuine and telling her about Amy wouldn't do any harm. "Amy is down at the school just like everyday and most probably in the classroom at the moment and she won't be back here for about an hour. Can I offer you some coffee and muffins while you wait? Amy is quite the whirlwind, and she is loved by everyone in the town. All the people and the school children have taught her in such a short time how to read and write, it has been amazing how much progress she has made." Clara sat down with her for a while and tried to recount some of Amy's amazing history while they waited. Our young Mountie saw how genuine she was right from the beginning which moved him to give her the second chance that she so much deserved. Since then, she has overcome every hurdle and she is a shining light for us all.
It had been a heart-warming and, at times a heart wrenching discussion in the classroom and they eventually found out that it was dark outside by the time they were finished. "Please let me walk you home Mrs Thornton because it is so dark outside that you might get lost." It was so dark that she needed to cling to his arm as they carefully walked along. They went straight to Rosemary's so that she could introduce him to her and collect Little Jack who must have been wondering where his mother was. "I'm very pleased to meet you Mrs Coulter, I remember the work that you did for that elderly lady who passed away here, and you helped find her relations. You should be proud of how that turned out." Rosemary took an instant liking to this man. "I would like to visit her gravesite before I leave here to return to Fort Clay and hopefully you might accompany me." Before he bid them goodnight, he saw Emily and he couldn't help wondering whether she still remembered her father or was he sadly gone from her life forever. Rosemary got straight to the issue as she saw it, "My, he's a very handsome man Elizabeth." she remarked with her usual smirk which Elizabeth always had to endure during that accursed love triangle. It seemed that already to Elizabeth that Rosemary's vivid imagination was ready to start running wild again. "And a captain as well." A frustrated Elizabeth said, "You can stop right now if you like." She sat down with Rosemary becoming very serious, "Rosemary, I think he came here knowing that something that couldn't be explained happened to me at Fort Clay and he wanted to help. I think that's one of the nicest things that anyone has ever done for me. He wanted me to know that he understood. I don't think that he has any romantic designs on me at all. We aren't even on first name basis, and he was a perfect gentleman. We've hardly even met yet he came all the way here to do this for me." Rosemary, with arms folded was not convinced.
Jean sat with her husband in the café waiting with anticipation for when Amy might arrive back on the way to the Mercantile. She was clutching the letter that Amy had written to her family that had meant so much to her. "Dear family of Judge Tierney, my name is Amy, and I made a promise that when I was able to, I would write a letter to your family. I was brought up by a father who said that reading books and writing letters was a waste of time and that girls were not important. He told me many times about how he wished that he had a son instead of me and that all I was good for was looking after him. When I got old enough and when I could, I ran away with two men who said that they would help me and look after me. I got in terrible trouble with them, and I should have gone to jail but the ever so wonderful Mountie here in Hope Valley gave me a second chance and I was able to stay here and make a new life. I had to go to court, and I was frightened that I was going to be sent to jail by Judge Tierney but after the judge from here spoke with him he decided to let me off. It was only later that we found out the judge was very ill and had died. I was in our stables when I was told, and I cried and wished that he had been my father. One day I I am going to come and find his grave and sit with him and tell him how grateful I am and how much I love him. I will never let people down ever again and I am learning so hard with the help of our schoolteacher and the children. I am determined that I am going to do something good with my life and I will help everybody like they have helped me. God bless to all the family of Judge Tierney." Jean had read that letter well over a hundred times and felt like she already knew Amy even though they had never met.
Clifton was a quaint little town on the line working as a rail centre for the many surrounding villages. Susan had given Peter directions, but he still asked the man on the platform if he could help and also, if there was a local police station that would be open. He could only enquire, and you never knew what you might find out along the way. Susan's parents were Tom and Gail Pennington who lived in the fourth house just south of the railway station. Tom was the older brother of Christine's mother who had passed away when she was young. There was always a possibility that he might have some knowledge of where his niece might have gone. Peter located the little police station which wasn't much more than a one-man answering service. Any telegrams would be handled at the post office further down the street. He was pleased that it was in walking distance and , with all his kit he soon arrived on their doorstep. The Pennington's were very pleased to see him even though they weren't expecting him. Peter could just vaguely remember them from the wedding four years ago. He told them how he had got the fright of his life when he met Susan and how he had thought that she was Christine. Tom smiled with nostalgia, "Those two girls used to pride themselves in causing chaos with their families. They would make sure that they were a distance away so that you couldn't tell which one was which." said Tom. "I'm sorry that we can't help you Peter, we have no idea where Christine went but we did know that her foster parents left for overseas travel soon after the wedding." Peter had run into a dead end there, however, he still had quite a few names on his list to pursue. He remained undeterred and was prepared to travel to every town in the country if necessary. Before he would depart, he decided to talk to the local police officer about his journey to find his wife.
Jean kept on asking Clara whether Amy would be coming soon or might she be going somewhere else. She would have loved to have gone down to the school to see her, but she thought the better of it reluctantly. She had come a long way so a few more minutes shouldn't be too hard to endure. Soon they could see Amy prancing along the street on the way home remembering the dance steps that Earl had taught her. Jean had been looking out the window but had gone to wait impatiently outside by the steps. She saw Amy and thought that she was exactly how she knew she would be, happy go lucky and full of beans. She rushed out to meet her and embraced her to the astonishment of Amy. She was teary and she hugged Amy ever so tightly. She stopped and looked Amy in the eye, "Amy, I'm Jean Campton and my grandpa was Judge Tierney." Amy was breathless, "Oh my goodness, you got my letter didn't you. I meant every word of it; I owe him so much." Amy looked over at Clara who was choking back tears at seeing the two women meet for the first time. "I don't care if we are a public spectacle, I rushed here as soon as I read your lovely letter and I just had to meet you. My grandpa would be very proud of you Amy." Nathan suddenly appeared on his doorstep out of his office. Jean asked, "Is he the Mountie you mentioned in your letter Amy?" Her handkerchief was saturated by now as her husband came over. "Amy, this is Tony and I begged him to drive me here straight away and he did. "Hello Amy, it's nice to meet you, Jean never gave me a moments peace as she was crying all the way here." he smiled. Jean could now manage a smile, "Amy, I have so much that I want to ask you." They went back into the café, and they became Clara's guests. She offered to go and get Florence from the mercantile and they were back within five minutes with a very hasty explanation. Clara introduced Florence as Amy's foster mother who ran the mercantile down the street. "Florence, your lovely daughter has given my mother a new lease of life. I was there when she got the letter from the postman, and she cried when she read it. Our grandpa had been a very prominent citizen in the community, but he became very sullen and withdrawn when he found out that he was very ill. Somehow after one of his cases he started to accept his situation and his final days were much easier for him. Amy, I think it was you who did this for him and made him see the light."
Jean listened to Amy's story with Florence's help and was amazed how she had been able to write a letter like this after such a short time. "Amy has bedazzled all of us with her fierce determination and dedication to her task. She had taken every opportunity and challenge and passed every test. We have a most wonderful schoolteacher here and you will see if you get to meet her how she was able to encourage all the children to be part of her learning process. Those little ones went about their task with a passion, and they would read to her over and over again until she could understand. There was never any hint of a complaint from anyone. I knew that Amy was planning to write some letters and she showed me this one, but I never saw the first one." Jean hung on to Amy and every word and was horrified when she was told how the Mountie from Union City had saved her from certain disaster. "Amy has been an inspiration to us all here in Hope Valley and we all love her so dearly." Jean wouldn't let go of Amy's hand and the hugs were starting to mount into the forties. "Florence, with your permission we would like to take you and Amy to my grandpa's grave and also, to meet my mother who is dying to meet you both. She has said that if we don't bring her back then we shouldn't bother coming back." she smiled. "She felt that she had nothing left to live for now that the judge was gone. They had been married for over fifty years and did everything together. Amy's letter gave her a renewed reason for living."
Clara brought Nathan to the café and Jean immediately gave him the warmest hug that she could muster. "This has been the most heart-warming story that I could ever imagine sir, Amy is here because of you, and you can be very proud of what you have done for her." He was surprised at all this attention as Amy had obviously not told anyone of her letters to Simon or this family. "It was not much more than a snap decision to give her a chance, but the result was the most amazing thing that I have ever seen. She has proved to be the most dedicated person that I have ever seen, and she is completely honest. We are in luck to have Captain Foster here for a few days from Fort Clay. He has had a big part in Amy's safety because he was the one who alerted the Mountie from Union City that she might be in some sort of danger. He is one of many of us who continually look out for Amy and make sure that she is okay." Jean and Tony drove them over to the row house to meet Elizabeth. As soon as she laid eyes on Elizabeth, she could see one of the main reasons for Amy's success. "I'm very pleased to meet you Mrs Thornton, we have quite a story to tell you." They sat in the living room and Elizabeth listened to Jean impart her heartfelt story about Amy's letter and how it had affected her family. Elizabeth recounted how Florence had come to her with the initial suspicion that Amy couldn't read or write and that they needed to do something about it. They were careful not to upset Amy but when they got started there was no stopping her and her thirst for knowledge was nothing short of amazing. Everybody had taken part in Amy's tuition. Jean thanked Elizabeth and told her of their plans to borrow Amy and Florence and to take them back with them for a while. A quick pack and they were on their way with a very excited Amy having a ride in the car to the big city. It was going to be a life changing experience for her.