Bill had remained patient and was in no hurry as he could see that Virgil had been reflecting on something from the past but now they took a deep breath as they steadily made their way towards the main office and Captain Bedford. Virgil had been wondering what sort of reception that he might receive and whether he would be required to explain his abrupt absence from the post. Somehow he felt a lot less hostile after returning and meeting his men again. They walked inside and he saw his desk and nothing appeared to have changed at all since he left so suddenly. He noticed that any work that he was handling at the time had not been reviewed or attended to by anyone. They knocked on the captain's door and there was no answer so they knocked again more forcibly and there was still no response forthcoming. Virgil opened the door and he stood there with his mouth open, he was amazed at the pathetic sight that was before him.

Captain Bedford had always been refined and polished with his appearance as the commander of the post but now the captain, as Virgil had known him, was nowhere to be seen. He didn't even bother or show any inclination to look up from his desk let alone, acknowledge the arrival of colleagues who he knew. He was just sitting there at his desk unkempt and unshaven looking like his life was over and at an end. Without looking at anyone he remarked, "I wish that I could go back two weeks and undo the mess that I made. I wake up every morning and realise again that it is not just a bad dream and I really did cause the death of one of my men. I couldn't look his mother in her eye and I don't deserve your help." Up till now Virgil would probably have agreed with him and held the captain in complete contempt but now, after the passage of time, any further hand out of blame was not going to achieve anything.

Virgil immediately recalled the rescue of the little boy and how he might have felt if it hadn't gone like it did and the boy was safe. He might have blamed himself and never let anyone tell him that he had done his best. He was sure that he would never have recovered from that if he had lost the little boy even if nobody had held him responsible, facing the mother would have destroyed him if she had lost her son. He had a lump in his throat and he felt now that he could completely understand how the captain was feeling. "Captain, Adrian and Tully were in Rainsford and on their way to Hope Valley to see Judge Avery and the fire happened while they were there. You never forced him into that burning house, he decided that on his own and we may never know if any of us would have had his courage to do the same. I met the mother and the little girl who he had saved and she would not be here if not for him, she is a bit worse for wear but she survived thanks to Adrian. Sir, you should go there and see her and it may provide some meaning for you, to think that little girl would most certainly have perished inside that inferno."

The captain could not ignore the fact that he had failed one of his men and, to him, that was unforgivable, however, he was grateful at the thought that the little girl was safe and he said that he would most definitely make the journey to Rainsford see her. His men had unconditionally declared their support for him and he was grateful for that but he felt that he didn't deserve it. As he saw it, an officer in command cannot lose control and make mistakes like this and ultimately cause a catastrophic loss. "I have to be honest sir; Tully is finding it very hard at the moment and he blames himself for Adrian's death but he is at Hope Valley and in the safe hands of Captain Foster and a young girl called Amy. He will survive but it is going to take some time for him."

Virgil stared at his captain and thought to himself, "This was a bad judgement made in haste which could have easily been rectified within not much more than a week as the two men, upon reaching Hope Valley and seeing Judge Avery, would have had their commissions restored immediately. They may have chosen to continue their service somewhere else such as Fort Clay and the unfortunate issue would have been settled and forgotten in passing time. Fate had since intervened with a vengeance and many people's lives were to be affected and life for them and everyone would never be the same again. Judge Avery would have taken charge and he most probably would have provided some very stern advice for his much younger colleague who would have learned a valuable lesson from this experience."

Bill and Virgil sat down with the captain who was completely unmoved and unresponsive and then they set about planning their next move. This was an unacceptable situation and Virgil was going to see that it would no longer continue. As he saw it, there were two major tasks to attend to without delay, restore the captain to his duty and get hold of Fred Burns and ensure that he understands the situation completely. Virgil was a direct subordinate but he was certainly not going to let that stand in his way, Captain Bedford had to be made to realise that he had a responsibility to his men and that he should get a hold of himself and start right now. Bill was the right man for the job, He, along with Virgil took heed of the advice that had been forthcoming before they departed from Union City. Virgil now put it directly to him how the situation was and he was just going to have to accept it.

"Captain, we all accept that you are responsible for a decision and an action which caused grave consequences but that is now done with and you now have to find a way to cope with the future for your own sake and that of your men. Nobody can change the past and we all have to bear the consequences of our actions, good or bad and it's how we cope with the future is how we will be remembered. Before we left to come here we were inundated with the grave concerns of two men in particular. One was Captain Edwards from Union City and the other was Pastor Canfield from Hope Valley. They had reacted to the news of Adrian's death but they were also concerned with the welfare of the captain at Cape Fullarton. Sir, there are people from far away who you have never met who care about you so we implore you to find the strength to resume your life and your command for the sake of your men and many other people everywhere, quite frankly, you owe it to all of them to do so."

It was a very refreshing story to hear and it was one time where you should always remember fondly when you had your first job and somebody depended on you doing your best. This was something that Vance had never experienced as he was not long out of finishing his schooling and his father has gone to great lengths to try and find a worthwhile job for him. Peter was still amazed at how this young man could find so much exuberance at now being a valued part of the workforce. "I said before that I'm not afraid of hard work and I want to fit in with the rest of the team and make them proud of me." Peter found this quite refreshing and he was pleased to hear that from such a young man and it reminded him of some of the crew back on the ship. They were all different in their make-up, some were talkative and many were quiet but overall, they were all reliable as part of a team.

There must have been a strong bond in Vance's family and his father would have to be very proud of the way he had turned out. They would have to wait until early next morning to see him as he was heading for the stop just before Buxton. Vance had only been away for two weeks but it had seemed like an eternity. His parents were no longer going to see a schoolboy when he would arrive back as now he was a fully-fledged working man earning a wage for a living. He would be talking to Peter and occasionally looking out the window but he was hanging on to his pay packet with pride.

There were other members of his team heading home as well and they were all together as a group along the carriage and Vance and Peter could hear frivolity from some and the moans and groans from others with the result of playing cards. It must have been a card game where there was money changing hands from time to time but Vance was taking little notice and he continued his company and chat with Peter. Occasionally, Vance would be silent as he stared at the countryside as it went by and that gave Peter a chance to remember that little girl who went to sleep in his arms. She had the most beautiful eyes and it reminded him of his mother back in Ashford, she would be most pleased to receive a phone call from him in a day or so, that would be if the lines were back in action.

"Hey Vance, come and play a few hands with us," shouted one of the group from the camp. It was only one person who had asked Vance as the others didn't care whether he came to play or not. The young man looked at Peter who noticed the uneasy look on his face. Vance looked at the man and shook his head and then declined the invitation. That didn't seem to be acceptable to the man who appeared to be one of the type who usually got his way and a denial like this, well he took that as a rejection and an insult. Vance clutched his pay packet to his chest and didn't want any interference, all he wanted to do was go home to his family. He whispered to Peter, "I don't even know how to play those card games when they play for money and I don't want to lose all my pay."

The big man stared in their direction for some time stoney faced and then he eventually got up and came over to Vance and put his firm hand on Vance's shoulder and then he attempted to pull him up as if to indicate that no was not an option after his request. Vance's first ever pay was in his hand and he could see it being taken from him and then he wouldn't be able to face his father after losing it. The man's efforts were now becoming more intent despite Vance's protests and one more horrified look from the lad prompted Peter to intervene. "Why don't you let the boy loose, you can see that he doesn't want to play. He is just looking forward to going home to see his parents again." Peter's calm but determined look was unmistakable and the man tried to ignore him one more time and continue coaxing Vance.

Peter knew exactly what was going on and he was disgusted by this man's plan to relieve someone of their pay. He now put a gentle but firm hand on this man's broad shoulder and this seemed to convince him that he should take a reluctant backward step and leave Vance alone. He looked Peter up and down, "you're a sailor man ain't you," he sneered, "I can see by the fancy officer's uniform." He was clearly annoyed by Peter's intervention and he considered upon aggressively taking the matter further but now the conductor had just entered the carriage and he was someone who could make a damming report which could see him lose his job. He shook Peter's arm off and stared at him as he slowly returned to his seat.

Vance took some time before he could settle back down and regain composure and he was still shaking as he had found himself to be right in the middle of an aggressive standoff and this was something that he was not used to from his upbringing. "Thanks Peter for helping me out, I truly don't know how to play cards for money and I never want to learn. He didn't care and I could see that I would have lost everything and I couldn't face my father after that." Vance was a much smaller build than the other man and he would have been an easy target but for Peter's intervention. Peter told him about one of the ratings on the ship not long after he had started his sea duty. "This man was used to deception and had no qualms about cheating someone out of their food or cigarettes and it was always somebody else's fault."

"He never bothered with money as there was nowhere to spend it while on sea duty and one day he deliberately injured a fine sailor over next to nothing. There was no inquest at all, some of just took it upon ourselves to see that he spent the rest of the voyage under lock and key and then, on arrival, he was quickly placed in police custody. That was the start of my promotion as Captain Perkins found out how we fixed the situation." Vance had listened closely as Peter had described the situation and he was so impressed. He saw Peter as an honest and upstanding man who could readily take on huge responsibility and any man who would serve under his command would see him as their leader and mentor. "I hope that someday I will be at least half the man that you are Peter but I am happy at least that I know to always do my best for my boss."

Other than the man staring periodically at Peter to indicate his displeasure, it was an uneventful night and sure enough, early next morning, the stop before Buxton came slowly into view. Vance could see out the window and his parents and little sister were there on the little platform waiting impatiently for him to arrive. There were hugs and kisses all round and Peter was relieved that it had all turned out the way that it did and that the hateful man hadn't cheated Vance out of his pay. He couldn't help but notice the pride that showed in the father's eyes, he was proud of his son. Peter had explained the event to the conductor who was going to ensure that every two weeks when the camp disbursed, that Vance could sit with him in the conductor's section if necessary. He would also make it quite plain that nobody was to be roped in to a card game against their will. "It's the nearest thing to extorsion that I can imagine. I will toss them off the train if they don't comply with my standing instructions." He was quite adept at preparing reports of this nature and he planned to do so as soon as the train would arrive at its final destination.

The man ignored Peter from then on but he was well aware of his presence so finally in about one hour Buxton would appear and then Peter was thankful and jubilant that he would be on the road to Hope Valley and train travel would be left behind. It seemed like months ago when he waved goodbye to Sonya and Marjorie back in Masterton and he planned as one of his first jobs to write to them and tell them about Christine and the little town that they had helped him find. He remembered even before that when he had first heard of that little dot on the map and now it was going to be real in a few hours. Two of the men from the card game were sitting quite disconsolate on their own, "Buster cleaned us out of most of our pay and now we have hardly anything to live on for the next two weeks." Peter was sorry for them but he thought how some folks had to learn some difficult lessons the hard way. He couldn't help but show his complete contempt for a man like this who would deliberately take advantage of others to their disadvantage and not bat an eyelid. Peter knew that blatant disregard like this would eventually catch up with him and he would have no one else to blame except himself.

There was the occasional homestead to be seen from the window of the train and there was no sealed roads like the big city and already Peter felt as if he was home so far out in the wilderness. He had so much to look forward to, he would be seeing Christine soon after four years, who did the little dog belong to and there would be the schoolteacher and then there would be the two little twin girls who he had read about. He could hardly wait to meet the two Mounties, there was so much to talk about. This was farming country and Peter knew that Bert would have liked it out here. He thought that this was much better than the hustle and bustle of the big forbidding concrete city where people and cars raced around like ants in a hurry. He preferred the thought of being able to stop and take a look around you and take in the surroundings and talk to someone in the street. Hopefully, the cities like Masterton would be well behind him from now on. The conductor came along the aisle, "we will arrive in Buxton in ten minutes."

"Now tell me, which one of you is Cheryl and who is Eleanor, your names featured in the article that we saw but now I'd like to know who is who." The two girls resembled each other so very closely but the darker haired one was Cheryl. She held the letter so carefully out in front so that both of them could read it. Mrs Tierney was treating it like a prised family heirloom. The letter showed that there had been someone who had come from adversity but was now, with the help of others, making a life for herself. Her situation was a little different from the two girls here but there were many similarities. Jean had her arms around them as they had their hearts in their mouths with every word on the paper. "My goodness, Mrs Tierney, what a determined young woman she is, she actually taught herself to read and write and then sent this letter to you. She sounds like a woman of her word who would be an example to us all." The girls could see some blotches where there would have been teardrops. Jean told them how she had the support of the whole town such was the type of young person that she was, "It didn't start out that way though, she had gotten mixed up with the wrong crowd and she became involved in a holdup where she held a gun to a Mountie."

"She was eventually captured and placed in a cell and the Mountie could see her remorse and shame and he decided that she deserved another chance. She was eventually called to the district court and my father who was the judge was of a mind to send her to prison. It took a standoff with the captain from Fort Clay to make him realise that some compassion was required here." Mrs Tierney was near to tears again as she recalled the frightening event. "My husband was terminally ill and, at that time he had little compassion for anyone, however, this young lady somehow changed his outlook and he lived the rest of his life far more relaxed and contented. She and her letter gave me a new lease of life and I owe her far more than she will ever know. I thank my lucky stars that Nathan, the young Mountie was moved enough to give her another chance."

One of the startled young ladies put her hand to her mouth in absolute amazement and she looked at her sister, "It couldn't possibly be true could it, we met two fine looking young Mounties on the train and one of them was called Nathan Grant. They looked very tired and they said that they were returning from a long trip. It can't possibly be the same man surely, could it." The two girls had loved those two Mounties and they could just imagine the compassion that Nathan would have had for the young girl who needed him. Mrs Tierney was no longer surprised with anything that involved Amy, "did he say where he was heading, my dear?" Cheryl was unsure as she was still remembering Nathan's heartfelt story but Eleanor was quite adamant that it was a little place called Hope Valley, "the other man was going somewhere else but I'm sure that Nathan said that he was going to Hope Valley."

Mrs Tierney allowed Jean to continue as she had been the one who had gone to Hope Valley upon the receipt of Amy's letter, she stared at the two girls who were now virtually breathless, "I have to tell you, Senior Constable Nathan Grant is the resident Mountie from Hope Valley and I can remember how taken aback he would have been to have me, someone who he didn't know, crying in his arms. He didn't have to help her after having a gun pointed at him but he did." Mrs Tierney could see how overcome they were after hearing all about someone they didn't even know because it was exactly how she had felt when Amy's letter came that day. "That poor young slip of a girl with the awful upbringing that she had saved my life and gave me a new lease on it. Now, tell me who was the other Mountie who was with Nathan."

The answer came and she wasn't surprised in the slightest, "Girls, let me tell you something about Senior Constable Simon Morgan." She proceeded to tell them how Simon hadn't even met Amy but he was well up with the case once he knew that the two men had escaped. "He successfully infiltrated the group and he saved her from the kidnappers after putting his life on the line for her. She had been so frightened even after he had got her away from them but she had relaxed once he donned his uniform and suddenly looked like Nathan. I have never met them but we just might show up at their weddings when they get around to it."

The two girls were completely worn out after hearing of this totally fanciful story which just so happened to be true. "I think that you have had enough waffling on from us so you must go and settle in and we will begin with you in the morning and see if we can find out who you are, you must be prepared for some very intense questioning from all of us and some of our people who you haven't even met yet. It will be done with great kindness but it might upset you but I'm sure that there will be some clue that will come out of all of this to lead us on our way, goodnight girls." Jean smiled at them, "don't mind Lachlan, he has the run of the house and he sleeps on everyone's bed so he might be with you to greet you in the morning and you might not even know he's there.

I haven't been here for some years and that was for my son's wedding and, so far, I haven't heard of any grandchildren on the way. I'm going to want some sort of explanation for that as I'm getting rather impatient. This was different to the other stops along the way as, when the train pulled into the station, it was right next to the bustling main street. Marjorie stepped down, arm in arm with Mrs Renshaw and marvelled at the sight that she now saw. It was quite a majestic panorama and she felt as if she was stepping back many years in time. A city girl like her was not generally about to venture thousands of miles into the country where many of the comforts of home would be left behind and do this without a good reason. She had to try and catch her breath as she gazed upon this beautiful little country town.

There were barely any cars around and the streets were dirt roads and this was home to all these people walking along the footpaths or riding in the horse drawn carts. Mrs Renshaw could see Marjorie's glazed eyes, "this is quite different than where you have come from isn't it my dear, I can still clearly remember how my grandmother said how it was for her and how they made their home and they were very happy." Marjorie just stared out into space, "I can understand how you just had to be here and see it for herself, this is what Masterton and Blacktown would have been like many years ago." She closed her eyes and took in the country air, "it is really different here Mrs Renshaw and I like it; I never really took the time to experience the outdoors as I was always hurrying from one place to another with my study or my job."

Mrs Renshaw, did you bring me here to bring me to tears because if you did, you have succeeded, we are still in the same country but this is so different and it's so lovely." She stopped for a moment and remembered that Peter would have arrived here only recently and he would have been able to tell that lady here where his wife is living. She was pleased to feel that she had even just a small part in Peter's search for Christine and that lady must be so happy for him after all this time. "Mrs Renshaw, I want to see your family but I also need to find that woman who sent Peter to Masterton to find Sonya, I hope that I can do both before the train goes hopefully with me in it." Mrs Renshaw hurriedly took Marjorie's arm, "You're quite right, my dear, we must hurry to the post office and find out where David might be, I think that I can remember the way."

They barely set foot inside the door when the proprietor heartedly greeted them and welcomed the newcomers to Grampton. "Hello ladies, I haven't seen you around here before so you must be from out of town, how can I help you?" Mrs Renshaw wandered inside and with her usual cheeky smile she said, "I seem to remember when my son got married here, there was a man who ran the post office called Ted." He took another look at her and now he was embarrassed, "my goodness, hello Mrs Renshaw, it is good to see you again, David is going to be so pleased to see you and I can tell you, it has been far too long." Marjorie was not surprised to see Mrs Renshaw in action and how she had a way with people who she knew, "I'm sure that it would be too much to expect, but have you seen David in town by any chance today or do we have to borrow a horse and cart to get to his farm."

"I haven't seen him today but your very tiresome daughter-in-law comes in here at five minute intervals asking if there are any letters for her to pick up. She thinks that everybody else has nothing else to do except write to her, God forbid that some of us have got work to do." Mrs Renshaw remembered him with a smile from last time and how he had asked Susan how much she paid for the ring. She had jumped back at him very smartly and it seemed that the ruder they got with each other, the warmer the hug was. They were indeed the best of friends and he always looked forward to seeing her every time. His wife was at her wits end with the both of them. "I think they should go fishing together," she had remarked, "I'd buy tickets to see that."

First things first, meeting with Mrs Renshaw's family and then trying somehow to find the lady who sent Peter on his quest to Masterton, she now had little idea on how she might achieve this seeing that Grampton looked like having quite a healthy population, but maybe Mrs Renshaw's family may have some ideas for her. Whoever she may be, there was the link to Sonya Radcliffe that Marjorie was intrigued by as well. The impish smile reappeared on Ted's face, "I hope you're not hanging out for grandchildren in any hurry ma'am, Susan has a very busy social calendar to attend to and she couldn't possibly be hindered by little children running about, however, I would love to see it and I'm sure she would purposely bring them in here to run amuck."

Marjorie didn't even consider asking this cheeky postal officer anything because she didn't really know what to ask him, she could always ask him whether he had seen the man in the navy uniform and that might prompt some sort of a response. She started to try and introduce herself after being amused with the back and forth but she was interrupted by a very pretty dark haired lady entering the office without closing the door behind her. Ted was not amused as usual, "Oh, I'm so sorry that I wasn't there to open the door for you your majesty, I'm busy here having to entertain your family in your absence." She had her response ready for him even before he had finished, "All the other shops have door closers on them but you are far too much of a cheapskate to think of that."

Ted smiled and extended his hand out and then she saw her mother in-law and she squealed, "mum, we knew that you were coming here but we didn't know when." She was so pleased to see her as it had been a long time and it had taken a great deal of begging before Mrs Renshaw finally agreed to make the trip. Mrs Renshaw needed to make sure that Susan understood that Marjorie had a train to catch but she was happy to meet the family before she departed. "You are in luck; David will be here shortly but I'm not sure that we have time to take you out to our farm for lunch and I would hate for you to miss the train on our account." She told them how she was waiting hopefully for a letter to come from her cousin and she didn't care if she was making a pest of herself. "Ted, can you remember to tell David when he gets here that we will be over at the café and he is welcome to join us, he is going to be so surprised to see his mother again." He snorted as he made out to remove the imaginary crumbs off the bench, "what am I, just a message service around here, see, look at that, she comes in here every day but she never buys anything." She yelled back at him; you haven't got anything worth looking at.

It came up pretty early how Mrs Renshaw had introduced herself to the young lady on the train who looked like she could use the company and things had just progressed from there. "I loved having someone to pour my heart and soul out when I needed it and she was a great help." Mrs Renshaw took Marjorie by the hands and said how it was so good for the both of them. "It's nice to meet you Susan, I'm Marjorie and I have come all the way from Blacktown and I love your little town. It's a very refreshing change to breathe the country air and not have noisy cars and trucks by the dozens to deal with. I've spent my time studying hard and working as a nurse and I was expected to return to my position at the hospital but now I've had the need to travel out west."

Susan was intrigued to hear Marjorie talk of the need to travel way out west but then she was further intrigued when she was asked to help find someone who she needed to talk to before the train would depart and that she knew that this person was from Grampton. "I helped a man find someone and it seemed to be his last hope as he really appeared to be losing faith, I was so glad to be there for him when he desperately needed someone. He didn't confide in us but we could see what was happening and we were powerless to help him other than be there for him. It was amazing to see this amazing man who had been a leader in his field and in charge of many men in a team for some years and now he had to put himself in our hands, even under duress, he was still a gentleman first and last."

Susan was listening very intently and made no effort to interrupt as Marjorie pressed on, "Susan, I saw this man at his most vulnerable time and right at the very last, it was only when a police inspector was able to tell him that his wife going out of her mind waiting for him and he was able to tell him where she was. He collapsed on the floor in a heap and he was overcome with relief as he cried. I have never, ever seen anything like that in my life and I didn't know whether to feel happy or sad." We saw him off at the train station and I was barely able to eat or sleep since as I have to know that he is going to be alright. I can't rest until I see them together, this is what true love must be. He said how he hunted for her all over the country and was never going to stop looking for her and now I'm sure that his quest is nearly over."

Marjorie was surprised to see Susan starting to sob but she knew that it had been a story that was spellbinding and heart wrenching. She took Marjorie's hands in hers as Mrs Renshaw looked on in surprise, "Marjorie, I'm the one who sent Peter Glover to Masterton to try and find Sonya Radcliffe. His wife Christine is my cousin who I haven't seen in years and I got a letter from his mother telling us where she was and his train was just pulling him out from the station right here and I could have spared him all that anguish and he would be there in Hope Valley with her even now. I was crying on the station platform when the two Mounties came over to me and they thought that I was Christine as we look so alike. They were the boys who told the police inspector where Christine was and they had been sent by their police captain. Marjorie, I can understand how you must be feeling as I too, fell in love with Peter and I fell in love with those two young Mounties as well, they are planning weddings and I'm going to be there and I told them so."

They cried in each other's arms and Marjorie described how Sonya had said how Christine had done her nursing training with her at Blacktown and had left in a hurry after seeing a little newspaper with a little dog on the front page. She smiled cheekily at Mrs Renshaw and then glared at her as she took a hand, "I told all this stuff to Mrs Renshaw on the train and she was no help at all, she says that I have had some experience with true love and now I'm ready to marry the first man that I trip over." She frowned and then laughed and tried not to cry. "Sonya is not Sonya Radcliffe anymore; she is now Mrs Sonya French and her husband is a doctor." Susan was still trying to catch her breath, "I have been hoping every day for a letter to come from Christine, when you see her in Hope Valley you will think that it is me."