The staff of about thirty in the big office, who had gladly given their time to the returned sea captain raised a resounding cheer for him as he hugged Lydia and then his two lady friends. "I am never going to be able to repay you all for what you have done for us," he said with a broken voice. Lydia responded with love in her heart for this man, "Captain Glover, it was and always will be our great pleasure to help out someone like you who has given so much of his time for his country, it is the least that we can do. We are about two thousand miles away from there and the nearest big city to it is Union City. We will provide directions for you for all three places on our list but I strongly and respectfully suggest that you try this one first." Peter returned to the spacious map and just stared at the tiny minuscule little dot with the title that was barely discernible to the naked eye. It looked as if it was way out in the backblocks but that didn't concern him at all. He now had to wonder what had drawn his beloved wife to go and live there. "Thank you so much, you people have found my wife for me and I will never forget you all."
The raging sea had thrown everything at him over the years and there were many times where he had thought that their time had come no matter how hard they would persevere. He had been frightened for himself but also for the crew but now this was different, "I have to be honest with you," as he tried hard to confess to Marjorie and Sonya who knew exactly how he was feeling, "I've never been so scared in all my life as I am now. Four years has been a long time and she couldn't be blamed if she had found a new life." He had been feeling rather foolish having written that letter to her and he thought that, in hindsight that it might have been premature. The ladies could understand his uncertainty and they agreed that four years had most definitely been a long time but they tried to reassure him and say that she was out there waiting for him and he had better hurry up. They were powerless to do any more than that. There was only one way to find out and he had better steel himself for the long trip to Hope Valley and whatever awaited him when he got there. Marjorie thought to herself, "I would wait over a hundred years for him if that's what it took."
From his discharge weeks and weeks ago, he was engrossed in making every effort to search the country for Christine but now that the journey was coming to a conclusion, he had reached the part that worried him the most. His first setback at Bakersfield had not deterred him but it had forced him at that time to reassess his progress. He was now faced with having to come to grips with something that he couldn't bear. Lydia had done her part in showing them all how the resources of the national postal system could find the answers but now the rest was up to Peter. "We are glad that we could be of some help to you so now, God speed Captain Glover and we will all be praying for you and your wife."
All he needed now was for Marjorie and Sonya to see him off at the railway station but he was finding it a very hard proposition to say goodbye to the people who had given up so much to help him find the answers that he was looking for. Nothing was resolved by any means and his heart was very heavy and it was going to have to take the long train trip before he would know. He was carrying a lot of tension and pessimism which was now starting to become unbearable. He was not looking forward to the weeklong train trip and what he might find at the end of it. He had been quietly pondering over the possibility of returning to sea duty, after all, his superiors had almost begged him to take over the new ship. He didn't plan to speak of it but once he was on the train he could easily make a snap decision to divert his trip back to the dockyard and get himself reinstated even though it wasn't his preferred option and nobody would have to know.
He could barely look Sonya and Marjorie in the eye as he almost felt drained and defeated, by all accounts, his wife had gone to Hope Valley but what if it was only a temporary visit. She could have easily moved on somewhere else and with some other person and he might be back to square one with only his remaining list to follow up on. Both ladies were clinging to him as they walked back to the car, they could see how vulnerable he was and they could offer no answer for him. He was just going to have to find out for himself whether it be good or bad. Just as they were climbing aboard and now he had one final request, "Before you drop me off at the train station I would like you to come with me to say goodbye to another friend who tried his very best for me but without any success. Is that okay with you?" He sadly didn't have much more to say about anything so Marjorie directed herself to the district police station. She parked the car as she was desperately hoping that all would turn out well for him but she knew how he wasn't going to know for as least a long drawn out week on the train. They entered through the main doors and waited in the busy line for their turn to state their business at the desk. Both Sonya and Marjorie had no idea why they were here but they waited patiently with Peter.
The young constable who had completely misread Peter's enquiry some days ago immediately recognised him in his uniform and this time he quietly excused himself momentarily from the front desk and went to seek out the officer who had helped Peter before. He returned and immediately waved and ushered Peter and his friends to a quiet little cubicle. He smiled at Peter, "Our inspector will be right with you sir." The older officer hurriedly appeared and couldn't believe his good fortune at having seen Peter again after being so unsuccessful with his enquiries from before. As he wholeheartedly shook hands with the sea captain, his first assumption could have been to assume that one of these ladies was his long lost wife. "Sir, I have just called in here to say goodbye to you and thank you again for all the work that you did for me the other day." He took Sonya by the hand, "I also wanted to introduce Mrs Sonya French to you, formerly Sonya Radcliffe, the lady we tried ever so hard to find. She lives in Blacktown and, with an ounce of luck, it took Marjorie here to find her for me. With their help we have found out where my wife is and I'll never be able to repay them for all their help. Thank you again sir."
Peter offered his hand again in gratitude as he sadly rose to bid farewell but the officer motioned with a smile for him to please remain seated. Peter's gloomy appearance was unmistakable but understanding. He looked at the two ladies which seemed to indicate that they would be needed very soon. "Peter, since you left there has been a lot that has happened here, I know where your wife is and there is a lot that I have to tell you." He took Sonya by the hand, "Hello Sonya, I'm finally glad to meet you after all our efforts to locate you were in vain." She had a watery smile and then she handed him the copy of 'The Valley Voice'. "This is what helped us arrive at the conclusion where Christine had gone. She worked with me in Blacktown where she got her qualifications as a nurse and then she suddenly decided that she had to go and find her grandmother." The officer caught sight of a picture on the front page and pointed it out to Peter. "I think when you get to Hope Valley, Peter you should search out this lady. I suspect that she is the reason that we are all here today."
Peter looked at the photo where the officer had his finger pointed and saw the pretty lady again on the steps of what must be the local school surrounded by about twenty children. He had looked at that picture many times. "From what we know Peter, we could easily assume that she is the daughter of Mr William Thatcher, the shipping line owner. It was her who put two and two together and started the ball rolling to try and find you Peter, they had known for quite some time that you were back on dry land and looking for your wife." He could see that Peter was totally bewildered and had not really absorbed the fantastic content of this story so he asked an assistant to bring some coffee and cookies if he could find any.
The officer had been referring to a folder full of notes that he had brought with him. He was very patient with Peter who looked very vulnerable as he tried to listen intently. "Peter, you must surely be wondering how I come to know about all this, I can assure you that it is all authentic because I had a visit from two Mounted police, one Senior Constable Nathan Grant from Hope Valley and the other, Senior Constable Simon Morgan from Union City and they told me that you were interfering with their wedding plans. They have tailed you all the way across the country missed you by a whisker on more than one occasion." He could see that most of this information was going straight over the top of Peter, "Once they knew that you were somewhere out there Peter, the captain in command at Hope Valley threw every resource that he could access into the search but a massive storm intervened and stymied their plans. That's what caused him to decide to send his two officers on the trail to see if they could find you."
"Peter, can you cast your mind back some time ago when you felt obliged to write a note for the train conductor to pass on to someone in authority, it was those two officers who were on the same train as you who apprehended a rude and aggressive passenger." Peter was astounded and remembered at an instant the two men who were not in any uniform and how they resolved the situation on the train peacefully, he could now put a face to the names of Nathan and Simon. "Sir, I remember now how I was thankful that I didn't have to intervene myself after that man hit that poor young lady with the baby in her arms. I was very impressed with those two men and how they handled that situation." The officer went on to add how Nathan and Simon had met Susan just as his train was heading out of the station and how she was crying because she had just found out where her cousin was living.
"Peter, your wife is a much loved and respected member of the community of Hope Valley since she came there to find her grandmother and everyone was upset at how devastated she was at hearing that you were alive and not lost at sea but you weren't there with her. Nathan said that she is going crazy waiting for you to be with her again and she looks out at every incoming stagecoach hoping desperately that you will be on it. She has reminded everyone with pride that she is a qualified and dedicated nurse and her name is Mrs Christine Glover and it is always going to be just that." The officer put his gentle hand on Peter's shoulder as he could see the shock and disbelief on his face. Peter hadn't dared hope for this kind of news and it hit him very hard like a lightning bolt.
He put his hand to his eyes and couldn't stop himself from sinking to the floor. He could hardly breathe and he started to cry as he lay there on the floor. Sonya and Marjorie came to his aid and hugged him on the floor and told him that everything was now going to be alright and how pleased they were knowing that his wife was waiting for him. He wailed through the tears, "I thought that I was going to arrive on her doorstep and she would meet me at the front door with a couple of kids after she had remarried. Nobody could have blamed her after four years of wondering if I was still alive or lost at sea. I couldn't bear the thought of seeing that and I would have been devastated and just walked away and I don't know what I would have done after that." His breathing wasn't getting much easier and he was still sobbing in Marjorie's arms as he was trying somehow to talk.
"Even when I was on my ship I would wonder occasionally if I would ever see her again, we promised each other that it was true love but the closer I got to knowing where she was the more frightened I became and the truth be known, I even wondered whether I should just return to sea duty and be done with it all." The officer smiled at him and revealed one more piece of information, "Peter, these people have never met you but they love you dearly and they decided to leave nothing to chance. If you had considered making any move to return to the sea you application would have been refused because that very clever and resourceful schoolteacher had anticipated just that possibility and she had contacted her father to make sure that you never set foot in a ship ever again, and he would have been able to tell you where Christine has been living." Marjorie put her arms around him and almost refused to ever let him go. He added, "Peter, I have tried in vain to phone and telegraph the captain at Hope Valley but I imagine that the storm has taken its toll over the last few weeks."
Once the wheelchair was secure on the landing, Jason leaned over to tap on the door but before he could, the door opened and Elizabeth appeared and, if she had been holding anything it most assuredly would have been dropped in total astonishment. Two sets of eyes locked on to each other and not a word was spoken. Something was desperately wrong but for now all that Sandra could see was that Elizabeth was safe. Elizabeth could see the terror in her face and then the relief that came with seeing her friend and confidant again. The tears started to come as they hugged each other and then Sandra was wheeled inside to see the captain. She knew him better than most and she could tell the stress that his face showed . A quick look around the room revealed many glum faces from people she hadn't met before. There was no Nathan or Simon and she really started to worry, "Eric, tell me what has happened please," and now she waited while she held her breath for him to gather his thoughts.
Sandra was somewhat relieved that she was not receiving devastating news involving Nathan and Simon but she needed Elizabeth to sit with her arm around her as she listened to Eric tell her about the ghastly tale of how a young Mountie perished in the house fire yesterday morning. It didn't take long for her to understand why Eric had asked her to come here as she knew that it would be very close to Elizabeth's heart and the memory of Jack Thornton would sadly come flooding back even more than ever before. She could now see how the vision that she had of Eric and Elizabeth standing together beside a gravesite somewhere may involve this very courageous young man but her very vivid vision of them being together at someone's bedside at a hospital was still a frightening mystery to her. Maybe it was something that hadn't happened yet.
She had conjured up many different scenarios on the journey from Fort Clay, none that she shared with Jason and now she was partly relieved that none of them were happening. She was still guarded though as she carefully scanned the room again and then she asked, with a lump in her throat, where Nathan and Simon might be. She didn't care who answered her question and now her eyes were closed in anticipation of a response that she was too frightened to hear. The captain responded kindly, "We have them out on an assignment and they could be anywhere by now, this is going to be a terrible shock for them when they eventually return which could be anytime." She felt that she could loosen up now that she thought that most of the story and facts were out in the open, but there were people here that she didn't know and the traumatic appearance of the Mountie sitting quietly in the chair with a pretty young nurse next to him meant that he must have had some involvement in the tragedy that had befallen them.
"The captain here has sent our two Mounties on a mission to try and find my husband. He has been at sea for four years and now he's coming home." Christine started from the beginning as she sat with her arms around Earl and provided rather an abridged version of events. She looked tired and drained as she described the letters from her cousin and Peter's mother and the one also from Peter himself. She started to sob, "I just want him home to be with me after all this time, I want to dance with my husband at Nathan's wedding and I want to dance with Earl at Simon's wedding." She looked longingly at Earl, "Can we make a promise to each other that we will do that?" The only thing that Earl could see was the remains of a young man lying in the street who had his life cut short by tragedy. He was thankful for having Christine there to be with him and, even though he couldn't focus on anything else, he made a promise with her.
Sandra had been watching both of them as Christine had been relating her story and she was so sorry for Earl as she knew that he had must have seen something that nobody should ever have to witness. "I am very happy to meet you Earl as she took his hand but we could have had better circumstances and I'm very happy to meet you to Christine, I am Sandra Mills and I come from Fort Clay where my father is the Superintendent, I know Captain Foster very well. Can you tell me where you come from?" Earl looked up and stared at her and he soon realised that this was no ordinary woman sitting here in front of him in a wheelchair. She had wisdom well beyond her years and just to see her face drew him to the tears that needed to be shed. "What am I going to tell Virgil," he cried, "He told me that they were good men and we needed to find them and tell them how much we cared for them. I failed them and now we lost one of them."
It sounded very much like to Sandra that he was taking on much more onto his shoulders than he needed to but, so far, she knew so very little of what had happened the days before. "Ma'am, I come from Union City and I was keeping a look out for the two men from Cape Fullarton but it was too late." Sandra wasn't trying to press him for information by any means but she knew that the more he could open up, the easier it would be for him. "If you come from Union City then you must know Simon Morgan who used to be with us at Fort Clay." The captain and Elizabeth could see how Sandra had not been here for very long but she was having some influence already. "Thank you captain for bringing her here, I know that it was you who organised this and that was very thoughtful of you." So much had happened since Elizabeth had seen Sandra at Fort Clay and now she wasn't going to feel so alone.
"Simon is my best friend and we talk about everything, I hate to think what awaits him when he returns, his fiancé is Doctor Parker's daughter and they were both there with me at Rainsford and they saw the remains of that young Mountie. She looked after the little girl who he saved from the fire." Earl put his head back in his hands and just sat there in complete disbelief that all this had happened. "She is going to need her father and Simon more than ever from now on." There was so much that Sandra didn't know but she was patient and understanding and on top of everything else, she was a good listener, she would be here for them for as long as it was going to take. She could see the concern that Christine had for him and she knew that he was in good hands. She thought to herself, "I've heard that term before about being in good hands, I wonder if he was the Mountie who was in charge here while Elizabeth was at Fort Clay. He might be the one who Jack referred to who looked after that young lady when she needed it."
Jason had seen to the carriage and looked after the horses while he left Sandra in the company of his captain and the others, he knew the way to the stables and he had many mixed memories of the town of Hope Valley. He had seen from the open door that there was a room full of people at the jailhouse so the worry of something being badly wrong was weighing heavily on his shoulders. This was his fourth visit here and he felt that he knew just about every inch of the place. A hesitant look over at the saloon brought back the terrible memory of the 'hell on earth' six weeks of trying every conceivable avenue of searching for Nathan. He never wanted to have to go through that again but when he came back again and spent some time with Allie who he called his little sister, his outlook improved markedly. He then remembered how he was more than ready to sort out Amy's father right there in the middle of the street and how that was the first time that he had met Earl Grey.
He was trying desperately not to focus on what might have happened here, something that necessitated bringing Sandra here in such a hurry, it appeared as if it must have something to do with Mrs Thornton but he saw her in the open door, Surely, after spending all that time searching for Nathan and having him rescued and restored to his home of Hope Valley, surely nothing could have happened to him again. He parked the carriage under cover and now the horses were looked after, he headed straight for Allie and Fiona to find out for sure. He knew that he shouldn't anticipate the worst but he couldn't help it. Sandra had told him so many times and she was the only one at the fort who he would share any of his thoughts with as his family was hundreds of miles to the south-east of the country.
Allie flew out the front door as soon as she saw the young Mountie on foot from down the road and she knew straightaway who it was. She rushed to his arms as Simon and him were as close to big brothers as what she could ever hope to get. He hugged her tightly and tried to see from her demeanour what might be wrong, if it had been Nathan then she would have been shattered to have seen him. Fiona appeared surprised at the front door and welcomed the young Mountie and asked him what brought him here to see them. "Captain Foster got Mrs Yost to ask for Sandra to be brought here as soon as possible and I'm still not exactly sure why. I hate to have to ask but is Nathan is alright or has something happened." Both Allie and Fiona could see the anxiety in his face so they acted quickly to relieve his fears.
"Jason, Nathan is fine as far as we know, he and Simon are halfway round the country on the job of finding Christine's husband, she is our nurse here." Jason interrupted her, "Yes, I remember her from when I was here the last time, she and Earl were dancing in the street." Fiona invited him inside, "Jason, Captain Foster came here late yesterday and told us about a young Mountie who died yesterday morning in a house fire about a hundred miles away. He wanted us to be aware of this as Nathan is going to be very upset when he returns as he had experienced all this tragedy before, we feel so sorry for Elizabeth and I would say that this is what has brought Sandra to us. Mrs Thornton is going to need her as the memory of her own husband will be very distressing for her. They were inseparable when we were all at Fort Clay."
Jason heaved a sigh of relief after finding out that Nathan was not involved but he was distressed at the thought of losing one of our Mounties and in a house fire as well. He wondered what Hope Valley had to do with this tragedy so he thanked Fiona and Allie and immediately headed back to the jailhouse to find out. He was confident in his captain's ability to take charge of every situation as it might arise and how he cared to think of bringing Sandra here, he knew how he was like Simon and himself and how they relied on her so often. He had never seen his captain flustered or unable to be in control and he had always tried to model his actions on his commanding officer. She was good counsel when he needed it.
"Elizabeth, who are those two sitting there in the cell, they haven't moved at all since I've been here." Sandra had been listening to Earl and Christine but after a while she had seen the forlorn pair sitting in the cell who she didn't know. Elizabeth couldn't have asked for more when she had opened the door and saw Sandra and she had been in a state of shock ever since. She noticed that Sandra had the same look of despair that she had seen back at Fort Clay when she had learned of what had to be Jack's message to Elizabeth. It seemed that Sandra had other things on her mind when she wheeled herself inside. She whispered, "Sandra, the young man in there is the partner of the young Mountie who lost his life at Rainsford and he blames himself for it. Earl brought him here and I have never seen anyone so inconsolable as when he arrived here at the doorstep." Elizabeth's voice became even quieter, "Do you remember me saying how it had to be Jack with a message about our young lady with some danger but she was in good hands. Well, that's Amy sitting in there and it was Earl who had got her out of the way to a farm out of town just in time to avoid a confrontation with her estranged father. Jason arrived here and they hatched the plan to get rid of him forever. Amy knows nothing of this and she is our pride and joy and loved by everyone in this town. She has been with that man ever since he arrived here and I have never seen anyone show so much care and attention for someone when he needed it."
Sandra looked in with a tear in her eye to see this pretty young woman who Elizabeth spoke so highly of and now she was being a tower of strength for a young man who had been dealt a crushing blow. She wheeled herself into the cell with what little room she could find, "Hello Amy, I'm here to help in any way that I can, I'm Sandra from Fort Clay and Mrs Thornton has spoken many times to me about the young lady here at Hope Valley who had defied all the odds and turned into a lovely young woman. I am so happy to finally get to meet you after all this time but I know that there is work to be done." She hugged Amy just as if she was her sister or her niece and she could see that Amy was every bit as Elizabeth had described. Amy put her hands to her face in astonishment, "Oh, my goodness, Mrs Thornton never goes a day without saying how you looked after her at Fort Clay when she was there, I was scared for her but she had you to care for her." Sandra loved her right from the beginning, "Amy, will you please tell me about the young man sitting here beside you?" She took his hand in hers and squeezed it as she looked at the broken man sitting virtually with no life left in him on the cot.
Amy did it for him as she outlined as best as she could the events of the last couple of days. He had no energy and it seemed to him that the trip here was not much more than a waste of time. She introduced him as Gene Tully and how he was a Mountie from Cape Fullarton up until a few days ago. Sandra heard the story about the dismissal and how they were on the way here but then his partner entered the burning house early in the morning and saved the life of a little girl. "I killed my partner ma'am, it's plain and simple and it should have been me in that fire." His outlook had barely changed since he had arrived despite Amy's determined efforts but now he noticed the lady sitting in a wheelchair. "Can I ask you please ma'am, about how you come to be in that wheelchair." He still had and always would have, the ghastly vision of Adrian lying in the street but now he saw this kindly captivating woman caring about him like Amy did and how she was stuck probably for life in this wheelchair unable to walk.
"I was brought up always on a post with the Mounties and I grew to love the horses and I learned to ride at a very young age. A lightning strike out of nowhere startled my horse one day and I came off very badly. I was twelve years old and I haven't walked since, maybe they shouldn't have moved me at the time rather than wait for the doctor. My dad is the superintendent at Fort Clay and he blamed himself terribly for my affliction and it took a very good friend of ours, Judge Tierney over two long years to be able to make him understand that it was an accident and that nobody was to blame. I decided soon after when I recovered that I needed to be part of the community and show them all that I could be self-sufficient. I know how dad feels every time he sees me in my chair but at least he came to terms with it."
Sandra needed to tell him, "I am so sorry that this has happened to you and I completely understand how you must feel, I know what it's like to have your life taken away from you in an instant. I'm sure that when the man who dismissed you and your partner from the force, when he comes to his senses, he will immediately reinstate you to your rank. I'm also sure that he will pay a very heavy price for such a poor decision and if he has any decency to call upon, he will take some of the responsibility for the young man's death." All this mattered little to Tully for the moment but he took heed of Sandra's words, "All I wanted in coming here was for Adrian to be reinstated, that's all I cared about." His head was still bowed in total despair. "Gene, I promise you that this is going to happen, I know Captain Foster here and he is a good and fair man, his first concern is always for his men and I know another thing that will surely happen, we will be very patient and one day you will see fit to put on your uniform again and resume your career in the force."
Jason was well on his way back to the main street when he was surprised by the unusual sight of an unknown Mountie riding slowly into the town. The man on his horse had a very serious and focussed look on his face as he spied Jason coming towards him. "Can you point me in the direction of the office please." Virgil had been continually reflecting on his poor inaction back at the cape and now that he had arrived here at Hope Valley, he wondered what he was now in front of him. Jason stood wondering who this man was as he tried to introduce himself but it was all to no avail. A very tired and miserable Mountie at least said thank you as he tied his horse up out front. It took him two deep breaths before he could muster up the courage to enter through the door. He was hesitant as he surveyed the room full of people who he didn't know, he saw the man in the captain's uniform but he paid little attention to it. The other occupants looked over in astonishment to see yet another Mountie arrive out of nowhere but all he was looking for was the Mountie from the cape who had been wronged very badly.
The familiar sight that he saw was sitting forlornly on the cot in the cell with two women beside him, one it seemed, was in a wheelchair. Jason shrugged his shoulders at his captain as if to indicate that he knew nothing of this man who had just arrived. Virgil walked slowly towards the cell straight past the captain, not showing any interest in formal procedure or protocol. He hadn't seen Tully since before their confinement to the barracks, "Gene," he cried as he entered the cell, "I'm so sorry," he knelt down beside his friend and put his hand on Tully's shoulder, he was glad that Tully didn't pull away, rather, he just sat there disconsolate almost unaware of anyone around him. "I should have spoken up and put a stop to it all, some of this is my fault and I'm so sorry." He barely knew what to say, he knew that Captain Bedford wasn't about to listen to reason at the time but he felt, all the same that he should have at least tried to speak up. Whether he would get in trouble was the least of his concern. It all happened so fast.
Tully finally looked up and took notice of Virgil and how distraught he was, he grabbed him with both hands and hugged him and cried in his arms. "Adrian is gone Virgil, we will never see him again, it should never have happened, it should have been me in that fire and he should have been home with his family. It was my idea to come here to see Judge Avery, it was the only thing that I could think of, surely he would have restored Adrian back to his position." They sat there arm in arm and Sandra reached out to the stranger, she could see that he was yet another good man. "Amy and I have sat here with Gene for some time now and I think your coming here is quite a blessing young sir." He looked sadly at Sandra and introduced himself, "Ma'am, I'm Virgil McCain and I'm from Cape Fullarton and I have worked with Tully and Adrian for some years, I came as soon as I found out what happened."