Claiming Their Nanny: A Cowboy Ménage Romance (Montana Ménage Book 1)
Page 25
I sign myself with the utmost regret and sincerity,
Arthur Van Dyke III
Abby read twice more in disbelief. Here, printed in black-and-white, was the end of her long nightmare.
"But…how?" she managed at last. "Why would he suddenly yield to the prodding of his conscience now?"
"Conscience, hah!" snorted Dan.
Jim was grinning proudly at her. "Well, since that no-good lowlife Van Dyke was kind enough to send us a letter with his full name and return address, plus a bunch of other useful information, we contacted your father and arranged to hire detectives from the Pinkerton Agency to track down the two men who were spreading that load of hogwash about you."
Dan added, "It took them a couple of months, but the Pinkertons finally located Brothers and Laville in Chicago. It didn’t take much to get them to confess that they'd never actually met you and to attest in writing that Van Dyke had hired them and told them exactly what kind of stories to spread about you."
Abby's knees suddenly turned to jelly. She sank down onto the rocking chair. "It was Arthur all along? He's the one who thought up all those vile falsehoods?"
Emma was right about his character, all along. How could I ever have fancied myself in love with him?
Dan nodded. "And it turns out that he'd gotten himself engaged to another woman last summer. The reason he sent Mrs. Kottinger and us those letters back in July was to blacken your reputation so thoroughly that no one would ever believe you if you tried to contact his new fiancée and tell her what really happened between the two of you."
Hearing that, Abigail felt sick as she realized how close Arthur's nefarious scheme had come to succeeding.
"And your Dad was the one who thought up the perfect punishment to expose Van Dyke for the kind of bottom-feeding scum sucker that he is, without doing anything that could get any of us sent to the hoosegow," Jim continued, radiating satisfaction. "He showed Van Dyke the sworn statements and gave him a choice: write a public letter of apology or face a lawsuit for slander."
"But Arthur is rich enough that a lawsuit wouldn't trouble him very much," Abby said. "Father wanted to sue him before, and he told us that he'd just hire an army of lawyers and draw out the proceedings until we went bankrupt from the expense."
"Well, he's not rich. Not anymore," Dan informed her. "Apparently Van Dyke's daddy happened to receive a detailed report from the Pinkertons about what his boy did to you." His smirk left no doubt about who had sent that report. "Well, he didn't like it one bit. So he promptly disowned and disinherited sonny-boy. Right now, Arthur Van Dyke the Third doesn't have two pennies to rub together, and none of his friends are willing to go near him with a ten-foot pole."
"Oh my," Abby said, overwhelmed with the news that Arthur had finally gotten his just deserts.
And that Jim and Dan, with the help of her father, had made it possible for her to receive justice at last.
That was when she noticed the letter tucked into the pages of the newspaper. It was addressed to her.
My dearest daughter,
Words cannot express how deeply your mother and I regret adding to your ordeal this past spring. As you will have surely seen by now, an investigation paid for by your husband and brother-in-law proved you innocent of all the dreadful slander arrayed against you, and we were able to extract some small measure of recompense for the injury done you.
Can you ever forgive us for doubting you? We miss you terribly and hope that you have found a measure of peace and happiness in your new home in the wilds of Montana. Should you ever decide to return to Philadelphia, your loving parents would welcome you home with open arms and open hearts. We miss you so very much, dearest Abigail.
With all our love,
Your Mother and Father
Tears welled up in her eyes, blurring the words on the page.
"How do you feel?" Jim asked, sounding anxious.
Abby wiped at her eyes before looking up from the letter to meet his concerned, loving gaze.
"Overjoyed that the issue has been resolved at last," she said, after a moment's consideration. "But I also realize that as horrible as Arthur was, if it hadn't been for his actions, I would have never left my home to take the job as your nanny." She smiled up at him, letting him see the love in her heart. "You have both made me happier than I ever thought I would be."
"I was thinking," Dan said. "That come spring, we should invite your parents and brothers and sisters out to the ranch this spring to meet all of us." He grinned crookedly at her. "And to reassure them that we don't have you tucked away in a tent or a log shack somewhere."
"Oh, yes!" Abby exclaimed. Seeing them all again would complete the happiness she had found here on the ranch with the Brody twins.
I'm not going to cry, Abby told herself fiercely, trying to keep her overflowing emotions in check.
Her two husbands drew her up out of the rocker and embraced her. They stood in the nursery with their children, their arms around each other.
Abby couldn't believe her good fortune.
Six months ago, she'd stepped off that train feeling lost and humiliated. She could never have dreamed that before this year ended, she would find the marriage and family that she’d always wanted, with love, acceptance, and best of all, respectability even in her unorthodox relationship.
Now, her future looked bright. Spring was coming, and with it, new life and new hopes for a happy future.
"Let's go to bed," suggested Jim. "And see if we can find a way to stay awake until midnight."
The End
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Historical Notes and References
Although this is a work of fiction, I've tried to stick as closely as possible to historical facts about 1880s life in the Montana Territory.
In addition to doing my own research by visiting the old frontier mining towns of Silverton, Colorado, and Bannack, Montana, and driving across the state of Montana to get a feel for the landscapes and distances, I also relied on the following documentaries, books, and articles:
Author unknown: "A Very Brief History of the Episcopal Diocese of Montana," (Episcopal Diocese of Montana) Article online at: https://diomontana.com/early-history/
Author Unknown: "19th-Century Life on the Rails: A Microcosm of American Society" (Historical Society of Pennsylvania and the Balch Institute for Ethnic Studies, no date given)
Bannack Association and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks: Bannack, a history and visitor information booklet
Buttolph, Miss Frank E.: The Buttolph collection of menus, 1851–1930 at the New York Public Library. Online at https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/collections/the-buttolph-collection-of-menus
Boylan, Matthew J.: "Cross Country Travel in 1912" (New York Public Library, 2013) Article online at https://www.nypl.org/blog/2013/03/15/cross-country-travel-1912
Dary, David: Seeking Pleasure in the Old West (University of Kansas Press, 1995)
Goldin, Claudia. 1980. "The work and wages of single women, 1870–1920." Journal of Economic History 40(1): 81–88. Article online at http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:2643864
Harris, Kristina: Victorian & Edwardian Fashions for Women, 1840–1919 (Schiffer Publishing, 1995)
Ives, Stephen: Ken Burns Presents: The West (documentary miniseries, 1996)
Weisner-Alexander, Kathy: Frontier Slang, Lingo & Phrases (Legends of America, 2015)
Whitaker, Jan, "Restaurant prices in the 19th century" ("Restauranting Through History," 2009) Article online at https://restaurant-ingthroughhistory.com/restaurant-prices/
W
inkler, Gail Caskey and Moss, Roger W.: Victorian Interior Decoration: American Interiors, 1830-1900 (Henry Holt & Sons, 1986)
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