They had allowed themselves plenty of time to get to Union City before the day would come to an end and darkness would set in. They knew as always that the horses needed a bit of a spell and somewhere to have a drink before they would get underway again. It was good that they were able to get Earl to engage in some sort of conversation. He was concerned about Gene Tully, "do you think that Gene is going to be alright?" he asked. "Adrian's death has hit him really hard and I can't imagine how he will recover from this." Virgil knew his friend much better than anyone here so he had his own observation, "he will improve just a little with each day that passes just like what it will be for you Earl, it's going to be a big help for him with that young woman sitting with him. We are all so lucky if we have someone like her to care for us when we need it so badly."

Earl remembered when she needed someone to care for her in a crisis, "Virgil, you haven't met my best friend Simon Morgan, he will be back home in Union City today and it was he who saved Amy's life from kidnappers who would most easily done away with her without a care in the world. He hatched a plan to capture the two men and I had to be prepared to be shot by them while they robbed a bank. I put my faith in him as he had replaced their shells with blanks when they weren't looking. When he rescued her she was still so frightened and hysterical and begging for her life but he managed to get her to settle down and then he put on his uniform. She had a huge sigh of relief and then hugged him tightly as he now looked like Nathan. Those men are now serving many years for a murder charge and they won't bother her ever again. Simon is going to be devastated when he finds out about Adrian and he will need his fiancé for support. The nurse who was at Rainsford with me is his fiancé, her father is the doctor who was there as well. I can't imagine how she must be coping."

To get Earl to open up a little was a blessing and they were so engrossed they hardly noticed when the big city came into view. It was Laura who he was yearning for and they headed straight for home which was on the way past the pharmacy where she worked. A co-worker saw him and raced outside to tell him that she was at the hospital with the doctor and his daughter Janie. "Oh, and Earl, Simon is back and he's with them at the hospital as well." There was no thought of reporting in at the police station, all he wanted to do was to find Laura and Simon now that he knew that he was back home. He knew that Captain Edwards would completely understand as he had been updated with all events by Captain Foster.

It was a sombre mood around the reception area as they entered the building as they all knew Earl Grey as one of their own and they had all been informed of the events of the other day. They vaguely remembered Judge Avery from a time here before with another Mountie but now, here among them was a new one that they didn't know of. Earl's face told them everything so all they did was try their best to comfort him while they waited for Laura to show up. She was hurrying down the corridor after being summoned and she was horrified when she saw him. There was no need to ask him how he was as she could see exactly how he was. The best place for him as far as she was concerned was for him to be with her. She knew that the responsibility of his job had put him in some precarious situations in the past but this was something vastly different.

She was followed up very smartly by Janie and Simon and they were all amazed how Janie was now far more concerned about Earl than she was for herself. Her professionalism came to the fore when it was needed and she would be the strength for everyone just like her father. Simon put his arm around his good friend and already Earl felt relieved to be back at home. Virgil stood quietly marvelling at Laura and Janie's attention to Earl and he could see that he was in good hands. Earl then took him by the arm and introduced the man who had tears in his eyes and had not spoken since he was there, "Everyone, I want you to meet Virgil McCain from Cape Fullarton," they all pricked their ears up when they heard that, "he is a good friend to both men, Adrian and Gene and he was at Rainsford the next day and he saw the ashes and the grave and the people of the town."

Virgil was close to tears as Simon put his arm around him, "I wish that it was better circumstances to meet you Virgil." Laura came to him and hugged him tearfully and looked him directly in his eye, "Thank you for being there for my husband, I want you to know that we are all here for you. There is nothing that you could have done to change any of this, none of this has been your fault. They all could see Earl's condition but now they could see how this man was suffering so badly, his mood was extremely savage as he now felt the need to speak out, "I worked directly with the captain and I should have recognised what was happening much sooner but I didn't. My friend is dead and buried now because I was too weak to stand up for him when it mattered. His partner and also my friend is now a shell of a man sitting in a cell with no thought of any future, some friend I was." Bill watched all this play out with much trepidation and he knew that he would need to have Virgil's approach with much less venom if we were to take heed of Pastor Joseph's advice.

Thanks to those two ladies, Earl and Virgil became much more settled and composed and they were soon ready to report in to Captain Edwards. Simon hugged his beloved fiancé over and over again as it was her and Laura who were systematically helping the two men restore their lives back again. They all walked along to the police station with horses in tow. Virgil remembered the young woman in the cell with Gene, "Simon, Earl told me how you rescued that girl from the kidnappers, she was wonderful just when Gene needs someone to care for him." Simon was not surprised, "Virgil, you would have met Nathan while you were there at Hope Valley, when he first met her she held him at gunpoint and after she was captured with her two companions, he eventually decided to give her another chance. She has grabbed it and has since, learned to read and write and now she is going to be able to have the world at her feet thanks to Nathan and Captain Foster."

They soon found their way into the station and all the men gathered around Earl before the captain appeared from his office. Emotions were running high especially when Raymond approached and put his arm around Earl. He, from the communications desk was also a first responder and he recalled vividly the call he had initially received from Mr Wallace from Rainsford. It was he who had the job of sending Earl into the cauldron before Doctor Parker and Janie could get there. He had not slept since that phone call and he knew that it would affect him for the rest of his life. The newcomer was just another red jacket until the captain notice him and introduced himself, "Hello, I'm Captain Edwards and I don't believe that we have ever had you here before." Virgil was more than happy to remain in the background and he remained quiet and reserved but he was very happy and relieved to see Earl in good hands with all his colleagues who only wished the best for him.

His job was done for now, having got Earl back home with his family and all of friends, now he began to think of his next unenviable task which would soon commence when he would return reluctantly to Cape Fullarton and see how Captain Bedford appeared in the aftermath of his outlandish action from the last few days. "I'm Virgil McCain sir and I'm from Cape Fullarton and I worked closely with Captain Bedford until I walked out the other day after the news of Constable Metcalfe's death." Captain Edwards found it to be a very tense introduction and he could see what was going to happen if this man returned to the cape under circumstances like this. He called Virgil and Bill into his office and proceeded to address this venomous situation before they would depart while he had them here in Union City. "Gentlemen, I can fully appreciate how you must feel and I, for the life of me, can't possibly imagine what could have caused your captain to make a decision like that and carry it out without any consultation. All it would have taken would be a phone call to me or anyone else and we would have put it to an end very smartly."

"Bill, I remember you from the time when you helped Constable Grant after his accident and recovery. None of us will ever forget that in a hurry. You now have a new responsibility to deal with and I don't envy you. Maybe you think that this man doesn't deserve our concern and care after what he has done, my goodness, he didn't seem to show any regard for his men when they needed it and look what happened." Virgil had taken notice of Pastor Joseph's words back at Hope Valley but the captain here was saying much the same thing but his words were far more intense. "I'm sorry to have to emphasise this but you have a responsibility that nobody should have to impose upon you. I think that when you see your captain again you will be flabbergasted at the reaction that you might receive. I believe that his life and any future that he might have will depend on you. My friends, it is that serious and I'm sure that none of us will want to have his demise on our conscience for the rest of our lives."

If it hadn't dawned on her before, she now realised that this was going to be a long journey heading way out west. She had occasionally travelled in the east in built up and established areas but now she was excited to imagine the huge expanse of land between the towns out there. She imagined a cupboard full of magazines but that would still be not enough so she relaxed and settled in to watch out the window and see the miles go by. She thought how Peter had only just come through this way two days ago and she even wondered whether she was sitting on the same side of the carriage that he was or even in the same chair. What must he be thinking about while he was on this long journey, surely by now he must be relaxed and carefree. He would naturally get excited the closer he would get to Hope Valley.

Two weeks ago, she had just completed successfully a training secondment at another hospital and she had received more than just a satisfactory appraisal and her future seemed secure. This was what she had worked so hard for and now she was looking to get as much experience as possible so that she could make a firm contribution with her life. She had no plans to let anything else interfere with her goal of serving the people when they needed it the most, "Excuse me miss, it's the most uncanny thing, they say that everybody has a twin somewhere in the world and now I'm sure that I saw yours. This pretty young thing was in a nurses outfit and walking down the steps from the main hospital in Glenburg. I swear, if I saw you both together, I'm sure that I would need a new pair of glasses."

Marjorie had got rather tired of thumbing through her collection of magazines, she was only looking at the pictures anyway so she put them away and then gazed out the window at all the endless countryside. She had made a list of towns that she would pass through along the journey and she had asked the conductor to confirm where she had to link up with a stage to connect with another train. She dared not to miss that as she thought that she could wind up anywhere out in the wilderness and far out of the way. She watched people and families come and go at different stops and any little children on the long trip would be asleep for most of the time. She could have done with a cushion or two as it was very uncomfortable when you would be closing your eyes and dozing off for periods of time. She, like most people, never took it for granted that there had been many years of toil and hardship by so many men gone before her to make it so that you could now travel from one side of the country to the other.

She was now really starting to enjoy the journey and becoming excited at what this new experience was going to deliver for her when she would arrive in Hope Valley. A kindly much older lady had been sitting and glancing at her quizzically from time to time, she had only recently joined the train and had sat somewhere else until she couldn't help noticing Marjorie, a young lady sitting alone. She came over and sat opposite her and was in awe and disbelief. She couldn't help but mention the lady who she saw back in Glenburg. "My dear, you have an identical twin back there and you don't even know her. Marjorie sat quietly listening to this happy vibrant elderly lady telling her a story about someone who looks like her, she had barely focussed on what she was hearing as she must have just awoken but now she realised what this lady was talking about.

Marjorie smiled at her and explained, "I only recently returned back home to Masterton after spending six weeks on secondment as a nurse at a hospital in, have a guess where. It must have been me who you saw in Glenburg, I had a training program set for me and they were sad to see me go after I finished, they said that I can come back to work there if I ever want to." The lady threw her hands in the air and understood what had happened. "My goodness, my dear, you are a long stretch, way away from home and now you are heading somewhere in the opposite direction." She sat with such a surprised look on her face so Marjorie was more than happy to talk with her and have some company for the trip.

"I'm very glad to make your acquaintance my dear, I'm Mrs Renshaw and I'm on my way to visit my son and see if I can remember how to ride a horse." It was so nice as Marjorie found this pleasant lady so easy to talk to and soon she found herself discussing her imminent nursing career and future and then fate intervened and put her with a very vulnerable sea captain named Peter Glover. "Mrs Renshaw, my world has been turned totally upside down from about a week ago and now confusion is just an understatement." She told her about the captain and his wife and how he was now searching the entire country for any scrap of information where she might be living. "Four years had been a very long time Mrs Renshaw and he was starting to have doubts whether things for her had changed and maybe she had made a new life for herself, you could see the suffering in his eyes and we could hardly help him. He was quietly tearing himself apart."

She told this kindly old lady how Peter had virtually collapsed from relief when a police inspector back in Masterton had been given information on Christine's whereabouts and how she was so desperately waiting for him after four long years, now that she had found out that he was back on land. "Mrs Renshaw, he is the most wonderful man that I have ever seen and now I feel that I have to go all the way across the country to see for myself what true love really is. His wife must be an amazing woman for him to search high and low and not take a backward step even when some of his searches came to nothing. I cried when he described how she had said how she was going to wait forever for him to return. She saw him off at the railway station. I have never felt anything like this in my entire life and, like I said, I am totally confused. Since he left I can hardly eat or sleep or concentrate on what I have studied for all these years. I just have to know in my heart that they are going to be alright."

There were many life long experiences for this lady to draw upon and now her first impression, after hearing Marjorie's heartfelt rendition, was to assume that she had fallen for somebody's husband and she was now going to do something about it. She was very wary and now she thought that she had to be careful how she might handle this situation. "Nobody ever chased me around the world, they took one look and ran the other way and I suppose that I can't blame them, all the men I knew were only interested in one thing, whether I had any money and whether they could get a hold of any of it." Marjorie didn't believe that for one second, she could see that this lady would have been very attractive in her youth and she could enlarge on the truth when she wanted to. "We all learned to dance when we were at school so I could hold my own on the dance floor. At one dance, I consented to dance with this 'over the top' suave gentleman who gave the impression that he was smooth and that it was my lucky day. He broke three of my toes and I couldn't walk for a fortnight."

Marjorie laughed as she had not expected that and thought that she had just heard a punch line at the end of a story which probably been told many times in the past. "Mrs Renshaw, I can't believe that something like that would have happened, you must be enhancing the story somewhat and flowering it up a little. Wow, I wonder if Captain Peter is a good dancer and what if he gets to Hope Valley and breaks some of his wife's toes, she'll send him back to his ship in disgrace." Mrs Renshaw couldn't disguise the little smirk on her face, "Well, it might not have happened as drastic as that but all I can say is that I gave him his marching orders after that lame dead fish excuse for a dance. He was so full of himself and he wasn't even offended. I was more annoyed that I seemed to attract types like him." She thought that the ice seemed to be broken enough so that she could ask a direct question without appearing to being too forward. "Marjorie, what are you expecting to happen when you get to Hope Valley yourself?"

That was a question that came right out of the blue and it made Marjorie sit up and take notice. She knew exactly what she was doing but now she was made to wonder and face what was going to happen as soon as she would step down from the stage probably in the main street. Now all of a sudden she wasn't sure what to expect but she felt the need to explain to Mrs Renshaw what she was looking for, "all I want is to know that Peter and Christine are back safely together finally and I have to see it for myself. I never knew anything about true love but now I'm jealous of people who share such a thing with someone and now I have to find out what it must be like. I'm going to meet Christine and then I will be happy and contented when I see them together. I'm sure that everybody deserves to have a love like that."

She had a smile of contentment after providing this detailed explanation as Mrs Renshaw had appeared to look quite concerned for some reason, "I can't deny that I fell in love with this man as I'm sure that every woman who he met would have done so as well. I'm sure that the nurse who was with us, helping to find where Christine was living, she would have fallen in love with him as well but she has a most wonderful husband and we talked about him for ages. This wonderful lady was the one who had trained Christine and she is going to be expecting a letter from her in due course." Marjorie grinned at her, "I'll worry about what I'll do when I step off the stage when I get there, it is going to be so exciting, and I don't care whether I make a complete fool of myself in the process."

The massive storm had done its severe damage from the last few weeks but now people could see that workers had started their jobs as soon as the storm had abated and now there was real progress and communications would be restored once again over the coming weeks. Peter remembered how he had sat with Danny through the violent storm that night , which seemed like a lifetime ago, and he thought how it felt like some of them that he had experienced on the high seas. He hoped that Doctor Carla was looking after George as his bad leg was going to need constant care and monitoring for the rest of his life. He smiled and shook his head as he peered out the window and thought how Judge Monroe and that cheeky, scheming cousin of Christine's had so much fun at his expense back there in Grampton. He had a good memory and he decided that he would find a way to get even. He couldn't help but notice how the train seemed to be doing not much more than walking pace from time to time and if it continued like this then they felt as if they would never get there. All the workers were wearing rubber boots and the ground looked heavy underfoot.

They had been fortunate to be able to keep the trains operating even though there were unscheduled delays and hold ups but everybody knew that track repairs and maintenance took time and it was not going to be like this forever. For the time being, any designated time of arrival at the town of your choice would out the window for the foreseeable future. Peter had plenty of time to reminisce of times during his sea duty, the day when he became a civilian again after the final docking of the Cherry Hills and then all the folks who had readily come to his aid during his exhaustive search for his wife, thankfully, it was all in the past now but he was finding it difficult to look to the future. This was a lot for him to take in and he would have to take it all one day at a time. He was more relaxed and contented knowing that this was the last leg of his journey, no more cousins and family to search out. The next family member would be his wife.

Every time he closed his eyes, the gorgeous little face of that enquiring look from that pretty little girl who had endured so much suffering in her short little life would reappear. He was so taken with her and how she had snuggled up to him and slept in his arms all night. He thought that the father who met them at the station had to be the luckiest man alive to have a dear little soul like her who he could call his own. Her face was now a permanent imprint for Peter and he would carry it forever. He hardly even noticed how the train seemed to be making better time and he asked the conductor who informed him that his best guess was an arrival into Buxton sometime early in the afternoon the next day to hopefully link up with the stage to Hope Valley.

That suddenly put things in a different light, up till now, he had been searching for his long lost wife for what seemed forever and travelling across the wilderness to find her and now he was going to be seeing her the very next day. This was reality that he hadn't considered for such a long time, he was now going to step off a stage in Hope Valley and then, what was he going to say when he would see her. "Hello, my dear, I'm home," he suddenly felt rather silly having thought of this but he still didn't know what he was going to say. What if she was working in a doctor's clinic and said, "I'm busy right now you will have to wait until I'm free." He tried to put it all out of his mind as he knew how preposterous this whole business was, He would step off the stage tomorrow afternoon and worry about it then and not before. He shut his eyes for a while hoping to find some relaxation.

Arrival times of stages lately from Buxton had been all over the place resulting from trains having to negotiate their way so carefully through railway track affected by the major storm. Christine had taken Nathan at his word and although she might be optimistic, she was still miserable at still having to wait for so long. Looking out the window of the infirmary was not enough; she would spend time sitting quietly on the steps where the stage would arrive at the depot and come to a stop. She had an air of expectancy with each arrival but there was still no sea captain to step out and embrace her. Maybe the next one would have him and then the waiting would be over. There was the shock announcement which came a few weeks ago from Elizabeth and she was completely helpless to do anything, the captain here had stopped her from doing something impulsive. He had convinced her to let him and his men do the job that they were trained for and now it looked like it was going to pay off.

Most people knew why Christine was sitting so forlornly on the steps of the depot and they knew that there was very little that they could say to cheer her up. They might not have been waiting themselves quite as desperately as Christine but she was family to them just like their wonderful schoolteacher and they wanted this sea captain right here in Hope Valley to be where he should belong. "Penny for your thoughts," came an enquiry from along the street. Elizabeth had seen her from the deck of the mercantile where she had thanked Florence for helping out with Sandra. "It's so sad for all of us to see you sitting here but Christine, the wait is nearly over, it's not going to be long when your husband will appear not more than ten yards from us and that is going to be more of a surprise for you than you can imagine."

Christine looked completely at a loss to make any sort of a reply and she just sat quietly staring out into space. "What a wonderful lady Sandra is and she came straight here without any question or delay to try and help us, that is a really nice thing to do." Elizabeth told her how the captain would report back to Fort Clay periodically and Sandra has known about the existence of her husband and how he had sent Nathan and Simon on the trail. "Christine, she has prayed for you both every day since she found out about him. You have to know that you have family who love you even as far away as Fort Clay." They put their arms around each other and sat quietly on the step.

Elizabeth smiled at her, "What do you think he'll say when he steps out of the stage and sees you, he might be annoyed that you haven't got his dinner ready for him. He might not be accustomed to having to wait, being a naval captain." Christine was now able to manage a smile after Elizabeth's stern appearance but it did make her think somewhat. "Now that you mention it, I have to admit that I have no idea what I'm going to say to him. I'll just have to worry about that when the time comes." Elizabeth smiled at her, "if it was me, I'd want to know where he has been and why it has taken so long for him to come home."

"The last time I saw him he was leaving on a train and he didn't even know where he was going to end up, we only had a few hours together and then, just like that, he was gone. I was newly married and now someone's wife and then suddenly, I was alone. I was in a daze for weeks after that and then I had to start all over again and make a new life for myself. I yearned so much for him but I never dared to dream that he would come back to me, I didn't even know where he was." Christine cried in Elizabeth's arms, "I wish so much that it was different for you Elizabeth, my husband is coming home but your husband didn't, he must have been such a wonderful man." She stared sadly out into space again, "I've spent the last four years having to live with, not even a single word, wondering whether he would be lost at sea and never be seen or heard of again." She looked again through the tears at Elizabeth, "I'm going to be able to tell him about my grandmother and show him where she is buried and I can tell him about my grandfather and how our family goes right back to Texas. Elizabeth, I have a family and a heritage that I'm very proud of."

Jacksville was indeed a big city and the train slowly found its way through the built up area to the station which was right in the middle of town. It was an untimely arrival for the two youthful exuberant ladies and there was no one here to meet them. They were used to big forbidding cities and they knew about the task of making enquiries to let Mrs Campton know that they were in town finally. They knew from Jean's letter that the Campton and Tierney families were very prominent and influential here so finding them was surely not going to be a problem. It had been a long tiring trip so, first things first, they were hungry and weary and in need of a nice little café to settle for a while and recuperate.

They found a quaint little café not too far from the railway station called Aunt Sharon's Coffee House and they sat inside watching the hustle and bustle of busy people going by about their business. They were sure that all these folks would have families, uncles and aunties and maybe, little children to fuss over. These two had no family or relations right from when they could remember of times when they were little. The only family that they could speak of were the live in workers at the place where they had been brought up from a young age, at the orphanage. They could be lonely from time to time but they were fortunate to have each other and they had been inseparable for their entire existence. They would read Mrs Campton's letter over and over again, "I really hope Mrs Campton was serious when she said for us to come here, we have tried so very hard without having any success at all and I would hate it if we have come here for nothing." She focussed on the paper and carefully read the letter again.

"You two ladies look so serious and preoccupied, I'm sure that there must be something that we can offer you, maybe to put a spring and a bounce into your step if you need it." The young waiter had armed himself with a menu and a full coffee pot in his hand ready to go to work, "the first one for you lovely ladies is on the house," he said with a smile. This young man was good at his job and his smile had just the tonic that the two girls needed. It wasn't long for them to wait and soon a delicious meal was presented to them and now they had broad smiles on their faces. "I know that this is a big city but I know all our regulars and I'm sure that I would have recognised you if you had been here before, it looks like you have come a long way to be with us." They liked this young man who sounded so genuine and he wasn't trying to impose or clown around or tease them at any stage. He reminded them of the two Mounties who they had spent some time with back on the train.

"Welcome to Jacksville ladies and we hope our little café has brightened up your day even just a little bit, if there is anything else that we can help you with, please don't hesitate to ask. There is not much that happens here in our town that we don't know about." He set about clearing up the dishes when the two girls looked at each other and asked him to pause for a moment, "We got a letter from a lady who lives here, she read somewhere about our problem and has invited us here and has offered to help us. I wonder if you might have heard of her, her name is Mrs Jean Campton." The young waiter hurriedly put the dishes down before he dropped them onto the floor, they offered to show him the letter but he said that it wasn't necessary, "You two ladies have caught me by surprise," as he then asked to be allowed to sit down with them. "Mrs Campton is the daughter of the late Judge Tierney and they are among the most eminent families in this district. It was nearly the entire city that shut down at Judge Tierney's funeral, needless to say, he was held in the highest esteem. If Mrs Campton had offered her help to you then your welfare and any concerns that you have, will be in the best of hands."

Both girls drew a sigh of relief as they now knew that their journey was not going to have been in vain. The young man respectively did not press the girls for any details but he did want to offer any assistance that he could, "The work that this family has done for people over a long time has turned lives around for many unfortunate people who otherwise would never have had a chance." The girls were so thankful that they had set foot, even if only by chance, into this little establishment as the words and the tone coming from this young man seemed almost spiritual like nothing that they had ever heard before. "If you ladies could be patient for a little while, it would be my pleasure if you would allow me to make some enquiries on your behalf and maybe, it might save you a lot of wasted time. I recommend our famous sticky buns and he pointed to them on the menu."

By the time he returned to them, there seemed to be maple syrup, jam and cream from one end of the table to the other. There didn't seem to be enough napkins to wipe the stickiness away and they had licked their fingers again and again without much success. He laughed when he saw the crumbs everywhere, "It looks like you had quite a battle with these, everybody loves them and complains bitterly to us but they always come back for more." He had hot towels to give them which were gratefully accepted, "Mrs Campton will be here to collect you both in about fifteen minutes so she is actually on her way now. She is very disappointed that she missed picking you up from the station." The two girls gasped, "How did you do this so quickly?" They looked at each other in amazement, "Mrs Campton has got me to do some work for her in the past and I was more than happy to help where I could. I have never been to their place so I wasn't sure that I could be able to find her without numerous enquiries but it all worked out fine and you will love this lady, she has a heart of gold."