by Natalie Dean
Sarah was supposed to have an afternoon off every two weeks. It didn't always happen, but this time she managed to escape the house for a few hours. She wanted to go to the orphanage where the twins had been placed, but Sarah never felt courageous enough to go there until now. The gates of the imposing building were locked. Sarah could hear children and wondered if perhaps her niece and nephew were still there.
A nun came to the gate but dismissed her questions. She had no right to inquire about the children, she was told.
"Please Sister, I only want to know what happened to them. They were born on the 2nd of July and came here in early August. It was three years ago. A girl and boy by the name of Bracken."
Every month Sarah found her way to the orphanage and every month she left knowing nothing. Until one day, a younger nun replaced the grouchy old nun.
"Stay here, and I'll see what I can find out. Bracken, early August, three years ago, boy and girl.” The younger nun wasn't any more welcoming than the older nun, and Sarah seemed to be waiting for what seemed like an eternity for her return. So much so, she wondered if the nun was ever coming back.
"I found them. The twins didn't stay with us very long. The good news is they got a home together. They were lucky the couple wanted more than one child," the nun said in a very matter of fact way.
"Are they still in New York?" Sarah asked, a dream of perhaps seeing them crossing her mind.
"I'm not supposed to tell you," the nun said.
"Please, Sister. My sister died having them. Their dad was too enveloped in his grief, and I was too young to be of much use."
"The couple came from Buffalo, New York. That's all I know. Let them be. They have a life now. You get on with yours," was the last thing the nun said as she walked away.
"Thank you, Lord, for keeping them together. At least they have each other," Sarah prayed. What the nun had said was true. She needed to get on with her life and being a punching bag for a lunatic cook wasn't what she wanted. The trouble was she didn't know what other options she had. There were no young maids in the house to form friendships with, and Sarah had no outlet at all.
She sat in the park, dreading the thought of going back to the house. Sarah was wondering what the twins looked like. She wasn't sure what size children of that age were. Two young women sat on the bench beside her. They were quite giddy.
"Agnes, he proposed today. I'm going to Wyoming. Imagine it. In two weeks, I'll be married and living in Wyoming!"
The other woman wished her friend well.
"I'm not sure I know where Wyoming is, but it's far away from here. Do you think your fiancé has any nice friends? You won't forget about me when you get there, Lucy. You promise me," Agnes said to her friend.
"But Agnes, you don't need me to set you up. Look at the classified advertisements or the Matrimonial Times. There are loads of men desperate for God-fearing women to help them on their farms. You'd be working for yourself, not some old biddy who thinks she's younger and thinner than she really is. Did I tell you about Mrs. Weston's corset?" Lucy stopped speaking and stared over at Sarah who was looking at them. "Eavesdropping are you?" Lucy barked at Sarah.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…I only…" Lucy and Agnes stood up and walked away.
Sarah had to buy a newspaper and see what they were talking about. She couldn’t believe it. Men were actually advertising for women to come out west and marry them. Was this the Lord's work? Was this His way of giving her a chance to escape?
Chapter Two
"Are you sure we should get two?" Carson Edwards asked his wife, Maggie. Her eyes filled with tears and she nodded her head as she looked at the twins who were snuggled together. Her strong maternal desire of having a family was finally coming true.
"They're perfect. Carson, we'll have a boy and girl, at last," Maggie said.
The nun standing with them broke the moment of happiness. "Are you quite sure you want these two? The girl has a mark on her forehead. You don't have to take them."
"What's their background? Do you know?" Carson asked. He and Maggie had prayed for a family of their own, but poor Maggie didn't seem to be able to carry a baby for very long. She wanted to adopt, but Carson wasn't so sure.
"From our notes, it seems the mother died in childbirth," the nun looked with disdain at Maggie's cry of such a dreadful event and then continued, "the father couldn't cope, and it was thought best to bring them here. We have had them a month now."
"Can I hold them?" Maggie asked, and the nun nodded. The baby boy woke and cried as Maggie put her hand on him but as she lifted him up to cuddle him, his crying stopped, and Maggie beamed with pride.
"Take the little girl, Carson. She's missing her brother," Maggie encouraged her husband, but he looked petrified. He looked down at the baby girl who looked at him with her big blue eyes. As he lifted her, he was afraid his beard would frighten her but she didn't take much notice. Her tiny hand became free, and she grabbed his little finger as he went to stroke her face. She had captured his heart already, and Carson knew he wasn't going to be able to leave her behind. He began to cry, and he snuggled her into his chest. He made a vow that he'd never let anything bad happen to her or her brother.
"Carson, you'll smother her," Maggie laughed as she watched her husband. Then they swapped the babies over. The bond had already formed in just this short time. They were meant to be a family.
As the Edwards walked out of the orphanage with their children, they were ready for a new life. In a few days, they'd continue their journey out west and build a new life. No one would ever know that the babies weren't theirs. It was important to Carson. He didn't want any unnecessary judgments on his family. Maggie agreed.
"What names will we give them?" Carson asked as they sat in the little hotel room that was to be their home for the next few days.
"I was thinking William and Jane. But William is too manly for a little boy, so we'll call him Billy. And today will be their birthday. This is the day we'll celebrate, when they came into our family," Maggie decreed. And Carson agreed.
The babies looked strong enough for the journey to come. Maggie and Carson had bought a ranch in Bannack, Montana and had been careful with their money so that they would have enough for this journey. It was going to be arduous. They had to get to Independence, Missouri and join the wagon trail. Carson had read the Campbell's Guidebook and was following its instructions. It was going to take a few months to get to Fort Laramie and from there, head north instead of west to get to Bozeman and from there to Bannack.
Carson had it all planned out. He wanted Maggie to focus on the children. It was a perilous journey, but they finally arrived in Bannack.
"There's a hotel. Why don't you settle in there with the children and I'll go and find our plot?" Carson had instructions to go to the tea shop to talk to Cecilia Dexter about his plot. There was a lot of work to be done.
Maggie had become adept at handling the twins, and she made her way to the hotel without difficulty.
"A new family. How wonderful. Welcome to Bannack, I'm Mrs. Lavery, proprietress of this establishment and you are?" the elderly woman inquired.
"I'm Maggie Edwards, and these little babies are Billy and Jane. My husband has gone to see the woman in the tea shop about our claim," Maggie said as the old lady reached out to take Jane from her arms. Jane was happy to accept the change.
"Cecilia will sort him out. It's much better since she took over the land claims. She did mention a family was coming in although I expected the children to be older. Horace, give Mrs. Edwards the larger room. She'll need the space," Mrs. Lavery directed her son.
"Billy has been coughing. I thought the air would be better here. Is there a doctor?" Maggie asked, and Mrs. Lavery said she'd send for him.
"We have a lot of young women like yourself here. I must arrange for you to meet some of them. Horace, send for Dr. McLennon."
Mrs. Lavery showed Maggie to their room. "You're lucky. There's a cabin on the ranch, but
it needs some repair. You won't be here for long." Maggie felt relieved to hear this. She wanted space and her own home. The children needed a home.
Mrs. Lavery was correct in her estimation. Maggie was soon in her own home with her husband and children. She had made friends with Cecilia and the doctor's wife, Lottie. Carson was happy with his lot. Three years passed, and while the work was hard, they were content. The children were thriving, and they had made good friends. Carson had got Maggie a dog for her birthday. Lola was a mixed breed, and despite the plan to keep the dog outside as a guard, Lola squirmed her way into the house. She slept on the bedroom floor by Maggie's side. Maggie wanted the children surrounded by animals. It was good development for a child to have an animal to confide in, she told Carson.
"Take Lola. She needs to run," Maggie said that fateful morning. Carson had to check on his herd as there were rumors of rustlers who were knocking down fences and stealing the livestock.
"See you later," he said as he kissed his wife and tousled the children's heads. Lola was a reluctant companion. She began to whimper but Carson was her master, and she followed him.
"Look Lola, another fence down," Carson said as he dismounted to see if he could mend the damage. Lola began to howl. "Shush, girl," he said, but Lola wasn't happy and raced towards the homestead.
"Stupid dog," Carson said as his hand caught on the wire. A gunshot rang out. It wasn't uncommon to hear gunshot around here. It helped to ward off any cattle rustlers or snakes. But the sound had come from the direction of his home.
Carson jumped up on his horse and galloped as fast as he could. His heart stopped as he saw Maggie lying face down on the ground. Little Billy was at her side, "Mama, wake up" and Lola, the dog, whimpered as she ran to Maggie's side. Carson could see the blood pool around Maggie. It was flowing around Billy's feet, and Carson grabbed him and took him into the cabin where little Jane was asleep on the bed.
"Billy, stay with Jane. Papa has to tend to Mama," he said as he closed the door behind him. He ran to Maggie's side, but he knew she was dead. He gathered her into his arms and cried out. Who would have done this to her? Who had killed his dear, sweet Maggie whose only want in life was to be a mother? He could see hoof prints. There had been at least two riders.
Sheriff Lance Dexter had gotten reports of two riders robbing homesteads. He and his deputies decided to ride out to warn the families to be on the look-out. He wanted to call in on his good friend Carson, but when he arrived, he saw Carson kneeling on the ground, rocking back and forth with Maggie in his arms. The children were crying in the cabin, but Carson didn't seem to hear them.
"Carson, you've got to let Maggie go. Let Hank take you to town. Hank, take him to the Lavery Hotel and tell them what's happened. Marvin, let's get Maggie wrapped up and get her to the undertaker. I'll take the children home with me. This blood is dried. She must have died hours ago," Sheriff Lance said as he walked to the cabin and opened the door to find the children side by side, hugging each other.
"You poor little kids," Lance said as he whisked them into his arms. The children sobbed and cried out for their parents. Lance looked around to see if there was any food he could give them. He sat them down, and they ate the bread he had found. He packed a bag of clothes although he knew they had plenty of children's clothes at his home. For now, the children needed stability and Carson was too distraught to deal with them on his own.
Cecilia was used to her husband coming home at all hours. As the Sheriff, he could be called upon at any time, and she made sure there was always hot water and a warm meal for him. Word had spread about the tragedy that had befallen their friends.
"Lance, they're frozen. Get me some blankets," she said as she took Jane. Her friend, Lottie, arrived and took little Billy from Lance.
"The poor children. Hamish has given Carson some sedative. He told Hamish he found Billy by his mother's dead body," Lottie said as she and Cecilia hugged the children and wrapped them up to keep them warm.
"What are we going to do, Lance? Will you be able to get whoever did this?" Cecilia asked. She wanted justice for the children who had lost their mother.
"I don't know, Cec. They could be in Wyoming by now."
"What will happen now? Do you think Carson will be able to cope with the children on his own?" Lottie asked. Her own children were a little older than Billy and Jane. She wasn't sure her own husband, Hamish, would cope without her. Children needed a mother.
"We have to let the dust settle. Carson is still in shock, and for now, we can take turns minding the children. We have to do what we can," Cecilia was a practical type, but she didn't like thinking Maggie's death would go unavenged.
It was a terrible state of affairs. As the children were being cared for, Carson woke up in a sweat. It was dark. He had this dreadful dream where his Maggie had been murdered. He reached his hand over to feel for Maggie, but she wasn't there. His eyes became accustomed to the darkness, but this wasn't his room.
"Noooo," he exclaimed, "it wasn't a dream. Maggie, why did you leave me?" He didn't know how he was going to get on without Maggie. Then he thought about the children. Where were they? He threw back the covers and opened the door. He was in the hotel. He ran down the stairs. Horace was still at the reception desk.
"Where are my children?" Carson screamed.
"I think the Sheriff has them," Horace squeaked, afraid of what Carson might do to him. Carson ran out the door and over to the coffee shop where he raced up the back stairs to the overhead living quarters and banged on the door.
"Shush, you'll wake the children," Lance said as he opened the door. "Carson, the children are safe. They're asleep."
"They're okay? You’re not just saying that?" Carson asked. Afraid that his whole world had fallen apart.
"If you promise to be quiet, I'll show you." Carson followed Lance to the bedroom and there he saw his little children asleep, tucked in with Lance and Cecilia's own children. "I'm doing everything I can to find out who did this to Maggie," Lance said as he escorted Carson back to the living area.
"Why don't you stay here? I'll get a blanket," Cecilia had woken with the commotion.
"Why didn't I leave the dog with Maggie? Lola would have defended her, and she'd still be alive," Carson sobbed as Cecilia and Lance looked at each other, not knowing how to comfort their friend.
Chapter Three
Billy and Jane were shuffled back and forth between Lottie and Cecilia. The children had taken recent events in stride but tended to be quiet, only talking to each other. Carson didn't seem able to cope with having them at home. It was time for Lottie and Cecilia to do something.
"This can't go on, Lottie. Carson must figure something out and soon. We can't keep shuffling the children between our homes. It isn't fair on any of us," Cecilia said.
"I know but what can we do. Carson does have a lot of work to do and can't care for the children. Should we look at hiring some help for him?" Lottie asked. Her heart went out to the children who lost their mother. She couldn't bear the thought of being separated from her children. She had four, including one set of twins. Her twins were very close, and she could see that same bond between Billy and Jane.
"I don't know if hiring someone is the right plan. What if the woman has designs on marrying Carson? We should put the children's needs first. Anyhow, I doubt Mrs. Lavery would agree to a single woman living with Carson, even if she is hired help. We could get him a wife, but she must know her reason for being here is for the children. What do you think if we put an advertisement in the Matrimonial Times?" Cecilia took a pencil and pad from her apron pocket.
"Cec, shouldn't we tell Carson about our plan?" Lottie was hesitant about interfering and wanted to do things right.
"No, Lottie. He'll say no. Better to ask forgiveness than permission, I say. Let's come up with something. She'll have to know there's no romantic relationship but we still have to give some enticement. How about this, Loving mother figure wanted for three-year-old twins. Mother
recently deceased. Single lady. Must be aged 18 to 22. Must be healthy. Practical arrangement. Comfortable home included. Send replies to C. Edwards, Bannack. How does that sound? Let's sleep on it and have it wired tomorrow," Cecilia said as Lottie left to go home. The twins were staying with Cecilia.
Morning came, and Cecilia wired the advertisement to the Matrimonial Times. She paid the clerk to divert any replies for C. Edwards to her. She didn't want Carson to be bothered with having to decide, she explained. They told themselves this was a good thing they were doing for the Edwards.
They'd deal with Carson's reactions before the woman got here. He wasn't in the best frame of mind to make any decision. After all, the woman would come to Bannack to raise children and keep a home, and who was a better judge of that than Lottie and Cecilia. They prayed to the Lord that the right woman would come their way.
Meantime in New York, Sarah managed to get some time away from the house. She had answered some advertisements, but no one had replied back to her. She was beginning to think her destiny would be to remain in this house forever. Sarah closed her eyes and asked the Lord to guide her hand. She opened her eyes to find herself looking at the Matrimonial Times. The newspaper vendor shook his head at the young woman's strange antics as she paid for the paper.
The advertisements fascinated Sarah. She had a wonderful imagination that never got exercised. As she read the requests to find a significant other, she wondered about the people who wrote the ads and those who responded. What made a reply stand out, she asked herself.
An advertisement caught her eye. Twins, three years old, had lost their mother. How sad, Sarah thought. Her niece and nephew would be three by now. She hoped whoever had them loved them as she did. This was the job for her. Strange to put a practical job in a matrimonial newspaper, she thought. This was the job she wanted. Sarah ran to the nearest Western Union office to send a reply. As each word cost fifty cents, she kept what she needed to say at a minimum.