When Hope Calls (2019–…): Season 1, Episode 8 - About a Girl - full transcript

Previously on When Hope Calls...

Russell.

I'm planning a party at the
orphanage for Grace's birthday.

That sounds like fun.

Do you think you'd be free
tomorrow night after work?

You gonna set the Mounties on me again?

It was an honest mistake.

Hold on.

What time tomorrow night?

- Pardon me, ma'am.
- Hey!

From what I understand,
stealing money from the bank,



that's not the worst of it.

Sinclair's operation
is much bigger than that.

- What do you mean?
- He's been using his money

to invest in businesses,

but then he starts demanding bigger
and bigger shares of the profit.

What if they don't wanna pay?

Ronnie!

- Are you okay?
- It's nothing, I'm fine.

Surprise!

Happy birthday, Grace!

- All done.
- Oh.

- Fixed the kitchen window.
- Thank you.

- Kids were playing ball.
- Well, was it a bad throw

- or a bad catch?
- It depends on who you ask.



Well, is there anything else you need?

Actually...

Oh. That's right. You like your lists.

What's wrong with lists?

They're just sort of
the enemy of spontaneity.

Well, spontaneity's
the enemy of efficiency.

Lillian?

This telegram just came in for you.

Thank you.

What's with Miss Lillian?

What's with Miss Lillian?

- What did you do?
- I don't know.

Helen, this just came!
We found your grandfather.

- You did?
- He's sending his lawyer tomorrow.

- He is?
- Yeah!

- More coffee?
- No, thank you.

Don't you ever get
tired of the food here?

I come here for the special.

There isn't a special.

Well, then you're not seeing
it from my perspective.

What's a girl gotta do
for service around here?

Eve?!

Hi!

- Oh, my...
- What? I...

I can't believe this!
I thought you were in San Francisco.

It's such a beautiful city.
You have to see it.

Well, yes. Someday I will.

But where did we say we'd end up?

- New York?!
- New York, that's right!

I'm on my way there,
but I thought I'd take

a slight detour to see my
oldest and dearest friend.

- A slight detour?
- Well, I'd travel

to China to see you.

Okay, so... how long are you staying?

As long as it takes.

For what?

To convince you to come with me.

As the banker in town,

you must have an idea of
what's being bought and sold.

Apart from financing
the purchase of 500 acres

for Ian McMichaels,
we haven't done much recently.

What about private investment?

Stuff that hasn't
gone through your bank?

Well...

The biggest is the hotel.

Yeah, well, as a Stewart, Ronnie
probably wouldn't need financing.

As far as I know,

Tess is the only one with
money in that family.

So, you're saying Ronnie
couldn't build it on his own?

No. He did try and get a
loan from us at one point.

Tried?

It was before my time.

Back when Mike Sinclair
was bank manager.

I saw the paperwork.

Ronnie applied,
but his application was denied.

So, where'd he get the money to build?

Your guess is as good as mine.

This is a beautiful little town.

It is.

But what happened to the Grace I knew

who was desperate to
move to the big city?

You got my letters.

Lillian happened.

I'm happy you reconnected
with your sister.

Thanks.

But... New York.

I know, I know.
We always talked about going

- to New York...
- It was more than just talk.

This was our dream.

It got us through the tough times.

There were a lot of them

They say over
5 million people live there.

Can you imagine?

Excuse me.

Hi!

- Can I help you?
- Ms. Joanna Larkin.

I have a reservation.

Okay...

There you are. Ms. Larkin.

Is it true about
the restorative properties?

The what?

"Feeling fatigued? Unhappy? Anxious?

"Come to the Royal
Brookfield and experience

the restorative properties
of this little hamlet."

Ronnie?

Ms. Larkin is responding

to your ad about the hotel's
restorative properties.

Ah, ah. Not the hotel's, the town's.

Why pay for a pricey wellness centre

when you can be
reinvigorated in Brookfield?

Ronnie.

Excuse me.

- Can we talk?
- Certainly.

Have a cup of coffee and
I'll be right with you.

I mean in my office.

Uh, why there?

It's official business.

Well, surely you can see how busy I am.

Are you?

Another time, please.

Tomorrow morning?

Sure. Sure.

I'll see you then.

Lillian, I want you to meet Eve.

Eve Gardener?

The one and only.

Oh, it is so nice to meet you!

I've heard so much about you.

And I've heard about you.

Wow. Something has the girls excited.

Take a look.

Excuse me.

Helen!

We, uh...

we tracked down the grandfather
of one of our children.

Wow.

Finding family, that's the dream.

- It is.
- Can I give you a hand?

That'd be great. Thank you.
You can start with the peas.

Sure.

So... Grace tells me
you grew up in this house.

Yeah, that's right.

It's a far cry from
the dormitory Grace and I

shared with eight other girls
at the Binford Orphanage.

Yeah, I bet.

She told me about those days.
That must've been hard.

I protected her as best I could.

What do you mean?

We had a couple... bullies.

I kept them away from her.

Oh.

I didn't know.

You two were apart for a long time.

Yeah, we were.

Helen wants a special
hairdo for tomorrow.

It's just his lawyer,
not quite her grandfather.

Well, it's close enough.

I'm gonna try out some
hairdos on her after I finish

helping you with dinner.

Oh, you can do it now if you like.

- Are you sure?
- Yeah.

I'll help.
Grace does the best French braids.

_

Ahem.

- Ronnie.
- Good. Heh heh. You're here.

Well, so can I, uh...
how can I help you?

Have a seat.

Well you know, as it turns out,
we are quite busy this morning.

Maybe we should just reschedule, and...

It'll only take a minute.

Ah. Ahem.

So, as you know,
I was in the hospital for a while.

Yes! And may I say, you were always

in our thoughts and prayers.

I appreciate that.

So, I'm still trying
to catch up with all

that went on while I was gone.

Oh, I'll bet.

So, during that time,
you built your beautiful hotel.

I did that. She is my pride and joy.

- It must've been pretty costly.
- Well, it wasn't cheap.

How'd you afford it?

Oh, well you know.

No, I don't.

Well, I borrowed some money.

- From?
- The bank.

- The bank here in town?
- Mm-hmm.

The bank manager told me
your loan application was denied.

Oh, wait.

That's what I meant to say.

That's actually the opposite
of what you just said.

Uh...

Golly, do you have a fire
on in here? It, um...

No. So, you were saying about
where you got the money?

Uh, right. Well, to be honest,

the reason I mentioned the
whole bank thing is because

she didn't want anyone to know.

- Who?
- My sister-in-law, Tess.

You borrowed the money
from Tess Stewart?

Yes. She recognized
the strong investment opportunity.

And if I were to ask her,
she'd back you up on this?

Oh, of course she would. Pff.

100%.

Yeah.

Thanks, Ronnie.

Wonderful chatting.

When is his stagecoach gonna be here?

Oh, soon, I'm sure.

How do I look?

Beautiful.

Thanks for letting me stay
home from school today.

Yeah, we know this is
a special day for you.

Would you excuse me?

Gabriel.

- Did you hear the news?
- No.

We found Helen's grandfather.

- Really?
- You were such an important

- part of that search.
- I'm just glad I could help.

He's sending his lawyer today.

Why a lawyer?

Oh, I'm sure there's some
paperwork we have to sign

for him to take custody of her.

Is it true?
Helen is being reunited with her family?

- It is.
- Oh, that is so wonderful!

There it is!

Whoa.

- Mr. Charles Talbot?
- Yes.

I'm Lillian.

- This is Grace, and this...
- Oh, don't tell me.

You must be...

- Helen.
- That's right.

So, our orphanage is
just at the end of town.

I'm going to check in and wash up.
Then, I'll meet you there.

- When do I see my grandpa?
- Well, first things first.

I'm sure there are some
papers we have to sign.

More than that, my client needs to know

that this young lady is
actually his granddaughter.

- I'm sure you can understand.
- There's no doubt.

- Just look at the poster.
- I did.

She definitely bears a resemblance,

but that's not enough.

What do you mean?

I have a questionnaire
prepared by my client.

You just need to answer some questions,

and then we can go from there.

If you'll excuse me.

It's gonna be okay.

Lillian. I just saw Helen
headed back to the orphanage.

- Is she okay?
- Yeah, the lawyer just wants

to ask her some questions, but...
it'll be fine.

So, Grace tells me you two
were together for seven years.

Seven years at the Binford Orphanage,

and then another three on our own.

She ran away from that orphanage.

Yes, well, two years after
I was discharged.

How'd you two meet back up again?

That was always the plan.

Oh.

It must be so strange to have
been away from her for so long.

Yeah. We still have
some catching up to do.

What would you like to know about her?

First crush?

Her first job? Her first heartbreak?

Did you know she's allergic to walnuts?

No. No, I... I didn't know that.

She always forgets to tell people.

I'll be right back with that.

Oh, Grace.
I've gotta leave for a few hours.

- What about the lunch rush?
- Sorry, you're on your own.

Mr. Stewart?

What is our itinerary for the day?

- Itinerary?
- Well, you must have

some schedule for your
restorative program?

Ah... oh! Excuse me.

- Table for one, please.
- One of my customers

- requires your services.
- Oh. What ails her?

Well, you're the nurse!

The first part of our wellness program

is a complete and private
consultation with our, uh,

our nurse. Ms. Larkin,
please meet Nurse Parsons.

Now, if you'll excuse me,
she'll take good care of you.

- How do you do?
- How do you do?

Ahem.

There we go.

Oh, for the love of Pete!

- Hey, Ronnie.
- Oh!

- You leaving town?
- Yeah, on business.

You know, it won't be long. Just, uh...

negotiating some beef
prices with a supplier.

Gotta run a tight ship, you know.

Keep those costs down.

That's what folks expect.

Anywho, toodles.

Sometimes it needs a little push.

Yeah, let me give you a hand with that.

Thank you. Ahem.

Thank you.

- Coffee?
- I think you know the answer to that.

One sugar, black.

Eggs runny and toast almost burnt.

Oh, hold on.

Hi!

I've gone to a few
doctors in Union City,

but none of them seem to
be able to get to the root

- of the problem.
- Well, what are your symptoms?

I feel anxious.

I don't have any energy.

Food hasn't been tasting good.

I'm afraid there's something
seriously wrong with me.

Are you...

generally... unhappy?

Well, you might be suffering
from melancholy.

Some of the doctors have said that,

but no one seems able to fix it.

No, because there's no sure way.

Therapies range from inducing dizziness

by spinning on a stool to having part

of your brain removed,
which I don't recommend.

I'm not totally sold on this
restorative mumbo-jumbo.

If I'm wasting my time,
please let me know.

Well, there is nature
all around us here,

which can make some
people feel rejuvenated.

I'm at my wits end.

I'll try anything.

Yeah.

The bay looks like she's
favouring her front fetlock.

I'll have a look.

Oh, look who it is.

Well, this is a nice surprise.

Well, I don't get out
here as much as I'd like,

that's for sure.

- Chuck.
- Uncle Ronnie.

Hey, can we-can we talk?

In-in private?

I'll check out the horse.

Gabriel is asking where my
financing is coming from.

He's like a dog with a bone.
And I'm this juicy shank!

- Take it easy.
- How?!

It's bad enough that
Sinclair is demanding

bigger profits from the hotel,
now I got a Mountie

breathing down my neck.

You should've never taken the money

from Sinclair to build the hotel.

Receiving stolen property is a crime.

- You can go to jail.
- I didn't know he was a crook.

- Hmm.
- Well, at least I wasn't sure!

Uh-huh. You should've come
to me for the money.

Well, I'm coming to you now!

Look, just please back up
my story, alright?

Tell Gabriel that you
invested in the hotel.

I am not gonna lie for you, Ronnie.

- Look, it's my only way out.
- And what about Sinclair?

One crisis at a time!

Look, we don't even
know what Gabriel knows.

I will go and talk to him.
You lie low here.

I will make up the spare room.
You can spend the night.

Okay. Good. Thank you.

Oh, I should let the hotel know
that I won't be back.

I'll see that that happens.

Thank you. Heh. Thank you.

What are you doing?

What's it look like?

It brings back memories, doesn't it?

Mm-hmm. Long hours and little pay.

But we made it work.

I'm so happy to see you.

I wasn't sure I'd ever see you again.

You know I'd never let you go.

Two peas in a pod?

Even if we're odd.

Miss Grace?

Helen's about to meet with the lawyer.

Oh. Uh, Ronnie's not back yet.

You should go.

- What?
- I'll cover for you.

- You sure?
- I've got your back.

Always have, always will.

Okay. Okay, okay. Let's go.

I'm really gonna miss you.

We'll always be friends.

You made it.

Of course.

Mr. Talbot is downstairs waiting.

I'm scared.

There's nothing to be scared of.

He's just gonna ask you a few questions.

That's it.

Oh.

Okay. Have a seat.

- This won't take long.
- Thank you.

Ahem.

So, Helen, what is your last name?

- McNeil.
- And the name of your parents?

Ethel and John.

How did they die?

We were on a boat.

It caught fire and sank.

And how old were you at the time?

Seven.

Do you know your mother's father's name?

It's the grandfather
who's looking for you.

Miss Walsh, you can be here
but you can't talk.

Sorry.

I don't remember his name.

He was always just Grandpapa.

She didn't call him by his name.

- I understand that.
- So are we all done here then?

Not quite.

Your grandfather had a nickname for you.

Can you tell me what it was?

Um...

I don't remember.

That's okay, Helen.
You got the other questions right.

What did your father do for a living?

I don't remember.

Can I see your right arm, please?

What are you doing?

The real Helen McNeil

had a little scar on her arm.

What do you mean, the real?

Hmm. I don't see one.

- Is this a scar?
- That's a freckle.

When did Helen get a scar?

She got cut by broken glass
when she was two.

That's 10 years ago.
It must have disappeared by now.

Helen, you left England
with your parents

when you were six. Before that,
you visited your grandfather often.

Can you tell me the city he lived in?

Um...

It was... um, Bayswater?

I don't think this is
the girl I'm looking for.

Well, of course it is!

This is the locket my mom gave me!

I don't have any record
of any locket. Sorry.

I think we're done here.

Wait!

You can't just walk away!

That's not the girl I'm looking for.

Helen hasn't seen her
grandfather in six years!

That's why she can't
remember certain things.

I'm sorry, Miss Walsh.

Okay, if it wasn't her,
then how would she have known

some of the other questions?

Four years ago, a story ran
in the Hamilton Free Press

about my client's search
for his granddaughter.

It laid out all the names
and some other details.

So, you're saying that Helen
is pretending to be someone

- that she's not?
- I'm saying

somebody already has.

Last year, a girl in a private orphanage

claimed to be Helen McNeil.
She had all the details.

Turned out, the matron

of the orphanage put her up to it.

I would never do anything like that.

You seem like a nice woman.

But I don't know you,

and I have to look after
my client's interests.

Well, right now,
you're not looking after them.

Last time, he got his hopes up,

and he was crushed
when he learned the truth.

I won't do that to him again.

So, what do you think?

Well, I'm, uh... I'm not really a...

a woodsy person.

Take it all in. Here, try this.

Breathe in this wonderful air.

So much cleaner than the city.

Oh! Are you alright?

- I swallowed an insect!
- Oh, dear.

Yeah?

There we go. Yeah.

Oh, dear.

Sorry, Helen.

I'll get you some water.

I heard you talking to that lawyer.

I'm sorry.

Helen was so nervous.

Those questions...

She was so young at the time.

Maybe you should try to get
her to focus on something else.

What do you mean?

Well, when I need to clear my head,

there's always one thing that helps.

How can I help you?

Why are you harassing Ronnie?

I'm not harassing him.

I'm just asking a few questions.

You gonna charge him with something?

I don't know yet.

You don't have something better to do

than go poking around in his business?

Why don't you stick to ranching
and let me do my job?

I think Ronnie's got
himself into some trouble.

What's this all about?

I've got one question for you.

And I would think very
carefully before answering.

Are you an investor in his hotel?

Just feel the weight of it in your hand,

and keep your eye on the stick.

You think this is gonna help?

Um, Sam's right.

Sometimes,
changing focus clears your head.

I wanna go to my room.

Just play with us a little bit longer.

- Table for one?
- Please.

Does Grace have the day off today?

Well, she had to go to
the orphanage, so...

I'm holding down the fort.

Well, if you see her, let her know

that Uncle Ronnie's
not coming back today.

- Sure.
- Are you from around here?

No, I'm... an old friend of Grace's.

Coffee?

Please.

I'm a friend of Grace's as well.

- Really?
- Yeah.

Then maybe you can help me
convince her to leave town.

What do you mean, leave town?

Well, friends want what's best
for their friends, don't they?

Why don't you think Brookfield
is what's best for Grace?

Well, for starters,
she's not a one-horse-town kind of girl.

Well, I think I speak with
some authority in saying

there's plenty of horses here.

She wants to see the world.

See the world?

Starting with New York.

I was eaten alive in those woods.

The bugs certainly liked you.

You have no bites.

Afraid not. This should help.

It's made from
juniper berries and cloves.

Coming here was a big mistake,

but I had to do something.

- Where are you from?
- Hamilton.

Do you share a home?

No. I have an apartment on my own.

Why? What do you do for a living?

I operate an elevator in
a large office building.

- Hmm.
- What?

You see the same people every day.

Yes...

But do any of them know your name?

No.

Nice throw.

See if you can do better than that.

Okay. Focus.

- London.
- What?

My grandfather, he lived in London.

Why couldn't I think of that before?

- It's okay, Helen.
- No, it's not.

- I'm not gonna see my grandpa.
- Hey, look at me.

Never lose hope.

Somehow, some way,

you will see your grandfather again.

I promise.

- Where's Ronnie?
- Oh, I got word he's staying

at the Stewart ranch tonight.

Oh, I'm...

I'm so sorry you had to
cover for me this whole time.

It's no problem. How'd it go with Helen?

Um, not as well as we hoped, but...

we're not giving up.

You've always been so positive.

Well, there's no point
in being anything else.

Remember when couples
would come to the orphanage

looking to adopt?

Of course.

They'd line us all up,

and we both knew no one would choose us.

Do you remember what you'd say

when those people would leave
with one of the other kids?

That we'd choose each other.

We'd always choose each other.

Boy, I slept like a rock.

Boy, I slept like a rock.

Well, at least one of us did.

Uh, what's wrong?

I lied for you, Ronnie.

Oh...

- Thank you.
- Doesn't sit right with me.

Well, I-I-I appreciate it, Tess. I do.

Guess you'll be heading back to town?

Yeah, sure.
I won't be here when you get back.

Hey, just watch.

Lillian and Grace will
bring Mr. Talbot back.

How are they gonna convince him?

They'll find a way.

It's going to be alright.

What is it?

Maggie.

What's going on?

I need all of your help.

It's about Helen.

Hello, Miss.
I'm looking for Ronnie Stewart.

Oh, he's not here right now.

We had a business meeting.

Uh, well, I believe
he's at the Stewart ranch.

Thank you, Miss.

- Mr. Talbot hasn't come down?
- No.

Half an hour until the
stage coach arrives.

Well, hopefully Sam buys us some time.

Tree's fallen just up ahead.

Right up the way,
there's another road to Brookfield.

Just set you back a couple hours.

Thank you. Much obliged.

Ooh!

Uh...

Maggie! Maggie!

I need some of that salve.

First, I need you to come with me.

What's this about?

It's about a girl who needs our help.

I can't wait any longer.

You have to come back to the orphanage.

- You two don't give up, do you?
- Not when it comes

- to our children, no.
- I'll report what I found.

If you'll excuse me,
I have a stagecoach to ca...

No, no. Helen's grandfather
lives in London.

Did you re-read the newspaper article?

- What are you talking about?
- That said my client

is a prominent banker in England.

Given that, London
would be a good guess.

Helen said Bayswater.

That's a neighbourhood in London.

Hmm. Never heard of it.

- Mr. Talbot!
- What's going on?

We're here to support Helen.

I have done my due diligence.

What's the harm in talking
to her one more time?

Stage coach is due here any moment.

In case anybody was waiting...

I just got word that the
stagecoach is going to be

a few hours late.

That gives you plenty of
time to talk to Helen.

Give Helen another chance.

We actually helped convince
that lawyer to try again.

We did it together.

Think they'll verify her identity?

I hope so.

What was your favourite toy growing up?

It wasn't a toy.

It was a doll.

Now, I have to ask this again,

because it's important.

What was your grandfather's
nickname for you?

I'll report back to my
client that this young lady

answered some of the
questions correctly,

and we'll go from there.

Poppy.

My grandfather called me Poppy.

We did it!

Ronnie.

Don't make me come up and get you.

I don't have your money right now.

That's unfortunate.

Come on down.

We'll talk about it like gentlemen.

That's funny.

Well, I mean, small-minded,

no integrity, limited intelligence.

I guess they don't make
gentlemen like they used to.

My business is with your brother-in-law.

Well, look, it's okay. I'm coming down.

Don't bother.

Your business here is done.

You tell Sinclair

that our Mountie's sniffing around

and we need to deal with him.

Oh, and yeah, one more thing.

From here on in, we deal with Sinclair,

not his messenger boy.

Okay, come on down.

Thank you.

How long until I see my grandpa?

Well, Mr. Talbot's gonna
wire your grandfather

in England, and then await instruction.

Thank you.

Oh!

Oh, your grandfather's
name is Edward Martin.

No. His name is Grandpapa.

Can we go outside?

Sure.

You hungry?

Thanks to you,
Helen's going to live a great life.

It's thanks to a lot of people.

When is it going to be your turn?

- What do you mean?
- For years, you and I dreamed

of leaving the orphanage and now,
here you are back in one.

I'm with my sister.

Living your sister's dream.

Not yours.

Yours is to live in New York.

I worked hard in San Francisco.

Saved my money.

Two train tickets.

To New York City...

The train leaves from
Clearwater tomorrow.

We could be on it... living our dream.

I feel... better.

Good!

- How did you know?
- Know what?

That getting me involved
with that girl and the lawyer

would make me feel better.

Well, I didn't.
But I do know we all need

a connection to something.
Otherwise, we're just...

rudderless ships in the night.

When I get to Hamilton,

I'm going to volunteer
at the local orphanage.

I think they could use an extra hand.

That would be just lovely.

- Thank you.
- Good luck.

- No, no, no! No, no! You're...
- What?

You're not actually...

Actually what?

Grace, I don't want you to go.

Cookies for the ride.

Thank you for holding that.

Well, I have to go see a horse now.

One of... many horses in this town.

- Bye.
- Bye.

You reunited a family.

There's nothing quite like it.

Thank you.

- I'll be in touch.
- I'll be waiting.

I can't wait to hear about New York.

I'll write. Take care of her.

We'll take care of each other.

Bye.

Does any part of you wish
you were in that stagecoach,

off on some worldly adventure?

No. I love Eve...

We we're always there for each other.

But you... are my sister.

And my best friend.

And I choose you.