When Calls the Heart Season 9 Episode 11: Smoke on the Water

Elizabeth checks to see how Rosemary is doing. Rosemary did not think it possible for her and Lee to conceive, and until she knows for sure she is pregnant she is going about life as if nothing has changed.

Florence finds signs seeking miners posted around town and tears them down. She runs into Lucas and tells him he could have stopped the mine reopening and is just as guilty as Henry.

Nathan stops by the pharmacy and hears rumbling in the back. He calls out to Mei, thinking she has returned, but it is Faith who is there getting cough syrup for Bill. Faith wonders whether Nathan has heard from Mei. He says he has gotten letters but admits she is still a mystery to him.

Elizabeth asks Lucas whether he wants to talk about what is going on with the mine, as he has not been himself lately. She suggests a horse ride together to cheer him up. He agrees a ride would be good for him but insists on going alone, as she has plans for a rescheduled day of beauty with Rosemary at the salon.

Florence asks Ned to close early and spend some time with her, as the mine news has made her quite upset. Ned agrees and suggests Florence take her mind off things by resuming her dancing.

Minnie and Angela arrive home. Minnie tells Joseph her family back home missed him, even her father, and she has a letter from her father for him. Joseph says he already expects it is about money. He assures Minnie he is the sole provider of this family and does not want her father's help.

At the old mine, Jerome expresses a concern to Henry. He does not think Fiona can run the oil business on her own and wants to bring in someone else who can until she learns the ropes.

At the salon, Elizabeth finds it hard to enjoy the day of beauty with Rosemary. She had thought Lucas was planning to give her an engagement ring for her birthday, but he has not given it to her yet.

Nathan gets a check-up from Faith for headaches he has been having. As he describes his symptoms, Faith finds it hard not to get lost in his eyes. She recommends he slow down and try to relax. Nathan appreciates Faith taking care of him and notices the poster of a nurse tending a wounded soldier.

Rosemary comes home from the office early. She is getting ready for a date with Lee and invites Elizabeth to come over for a makeover, as their day at the salon was a bust.

Jerome, Henry, Fiona, and Arthur listen to an expert on the safety of the mine reopening. Henry is shocked to hear his own expert, who once said the mine could not safely open, now state that it can be done. Henry accuses Jerome of paying the expert off.

At the saloon Rosemary reveals Elizabeth's makeover. She is wearing a beautiful red dress and lipstick, nearly identical to what Rosemary is wearing. Lucas and Lee are both impressed, and Lee wonders how they will tell the two apart.

Lucas tells Elizabeth his horse ride was good. Getting away from town helped him clear his mind and reminded him of how much he misses traveling to distant places like Paris and Madrid. Elizabeth is nervous that he is thinking about leaving.

Molly takes a call at the mercantile; it is Carson for Faith. Molly is happy to connect the call, as it is about helping Bill. She explains to Florence that Bill has not been well, as they watch a gravely ill looking Bill return to town on his horse, coughing up a storm.

Elizabeth confronts Lucas at his office about her fear that he was going to propose and has changed his mind. He pulls out her belated birthday gift. She opens the box and finds earrings. He apologizes if it was misleading. Elizabeth says she loves the earrings and Lucas.

Arthur visits Lee alone at the office with an offer. Hearst wants Lee to work for them writing opinion pieces. He can pick where he works, whether it is Chicago, New York, or Los Angeles. Arthur says he is leaving tomorrow and needs Lee's answer soon.

At the coal mine, Henry takes matters into his own hands and blows up the mine. The explosion can be heard throughout the whole town.

Bill suggests Henry lay low, as Jerome Smith will hold him accountable for collapsing the mine, and he needs time to figure out how to help Henry. Bill says he cannot condone what was done but does thank Henry.

Later, Molly and Faith discuss feelings of love and thoughts of marriage. Nearby, Bill and Nathan discuss the same: the idea of finding someone to love and take care of them. Bill and Molly both advise Faith and Nathan that if love comes your way, reach out and grab it.

Fiona says goodbye to Jerome and Arthur. Jerome assures her she will soon hear from her replacement to run the oil company. Just then, Hickam returns, much to Fiona's pleasure. She says she has so much to tell him.

Elizabeth stops by Lucas's office and finds he is gone. Gustave passes a letter to her from Lucas and confirms he has left town.

The episode ends the mine question by destruction: Henry takes matters into his own hands and blows up the coal mine, and the explosion is heard across Hope Valley, so the reopening is stopped by the collapse rather than by any agreement. Whether Henry faces a charge for it is not confirmed within the episode, and Bill only tells him to lay low while he works out how to help.

Lucas's absence is confirmed but not explained. Gustave hands Elizabeth a letter from Lucas and confirms he has left town, and Elizabeth finds his office empty, so where he has gone and when he will return are left unresolved.

Two threads carry into the finale with no resolution. Rosemary still has no confirmed pregnancy result: she tells Elizabeth she may be pregnant and the episode shows no test. Lee's offer from Hearst is also still open: Arthur says he is leaving tomorrow and needs an answer soon, and the episode does not show what Lee decides.