Trials of the Heart - Episode #2001 – Saturday, April 25, 2015

Spoiler Alert - Do Not Read If You Prefer to be Surprised

In Trials of the Heart, Elizabeth (Erin Krakow) and Jack (Daniel Lissing) take their relationship to new heights after their first kiss. But before they can get serious, Elizabeth receives a telegram from home; her mother has fallen ill. Jack insists on accompanying Elizabeth back to her hometown of Hamilton, but when they arrive, Elizabeth’s high-society parents, William and Grace (Garwin Sanford and Lynda Boyd), as well as her tough sister, Viola (Devon Weigel), aren’t pleased to see Elizabeth cozying up to a Mountie. Meanwhile, back in Coal Valley, Abigail (Lori Loughlin) is avoiding forensic investigator Bill Avery (Jack Wagner) after her heartbreaking discovery of his wedding ring, while focusing on the trial against Gowen (Martin Cummins) and the Pacific Northwest Mining Company. Abigail hopes to convict the greedy coal baron for the mine explosion that took her late husband and son’s lives—and clear her family of any wrongdoing. With emotions running high among the widows, they are all shocked when the prosecutor arrives and it is a woman, Samantha Madison (Laura Mennell). Not everyone has faith Samantha will be a formidable opponent against Gowen and the corrupt new judge, Judge Roy Parker (Serge Houde), but Sam hopes to surprise them with a promising witness. Then, when Abigail finally confronts Bill about his secrets, she discovers they have much more in common than she expected, and perhaps their love story is only just beginning. As the trial gets underway, an upsetting betrayal might mean heavy hearts for all of Coal Valley, just as Elizabeth encounters an old friend whose new flirtation could trouble her own heart.

Elizabeth’s childhood friend, the dashing Charles Kensington (Marcus Rosner), continues vying for her affections as Jack meets up with his troubled younger brother, Tom (Max Lloyd-Jones), whose run-ins with the law have always worried Jack. In a Coal Valley court room, Abigail and prosecutor Samantha think their case is lost against Gowen after their key witness lies on the stand, but Sam proves she won’t be underestimated when she calls another, shocking witness to speak—one who has a meaningful and hidden connection to Abigail’s family. After her testimony, Judge Parker hands down the surprising verdict, giving the whole town a cause for celebration.

Then, newcomer Lee Coulter (Kavan Smith), a businessman with a heart of gold, gives Coal Valley a reason to hope—and piques Rosemary’s (Pascale Hutton) interest. With the trial behind her, Abigail realizes she may finally be ready to move forward, possibly with the affections of Bill, but she doesn’t know that he may not be the honest widower she thought he was. Back in Hamilton, Elizabeth and her sisters catch Jack and Tom in the middle of a bar fight, and an elegant dinner at the Thatcher household soon positions Jack and Charles as rivals. After an encounter with Elizabeth’s father William, Jack gains a deeper understanding about Elizabeth’s life, and disappointedly decides to return to the frontier without her, as Elizabeth faces unanswered questions about their future together.