Mail Order Devastation (Montana Mail Order Brides, Book 4) (22 page)

“
S-so you’re saying…”

“
I’m saying that I’m giving you your daughter back.  I’ll even sign papers to that effect.  I’ll have them drawn up tomorrow.”

Mollie squealed and launched herself into Noah
’s arms, hugging him tight.  Then she turned back to Mr. Deming.  “I disagree—you’re not as hard-hearted as you think.  You’re doing what’s best for Nell, and that means you love her in some capacity.  Thank you so much!”

A ghost of a tense smile passed over the man
’s lips.  “I’m glad it makes you so happy.  I already spoke with the nanny and nurse, and told them I was considering this already, so they’re prepared.  I think I knew I was going to do it, but I hadn’t fully made the decision until after you came.”

“
But…” the smile faded from Mollie’s lips.  “What about Nell?  She just lost Vera—now she’ll lose you too, and her nanny and nurse as well!  That will be a devastating change for her.  How can we—”

“
I thought of that myself. I don’t want to disrupt her life either, but death has a way of doing that, no matter how hard we try to protect a child from it.  That’s why I spoke with the staff.  My idea is this:  you move into this house for a week, Mrs. Jamison, and I’ll have the staff slowly introduce you to the child, with you taking a larger and larger role in her care over the course of a week.  You and the nanny can also make short day visits to your home, so she can become acquainted with Mr. Jamison, as well.  By the end of the week, the wet nurse should have the child fully weaned, and I’ll send the nanny back to your home with Nell, to help her adjust to living in your home.  Having the nanny at first will help her feel more secure.  At week’s end, I and my staff will be leaving for Boston.”

“
He’s thought of everything,” Noah said.

“
He has!  It’s a wonderful idea.”  She stared at Mr. Deming, trying to dampen her joy, knowing what pain he must be feeling.  “I can hardly believe it’s really going to happen!  Can I…can I see her?”  She trembled at the thought.

“
Of course.  Jefferson?” 

The butler, who had stood silent by the door the entire time, stepped forward. 

“Please ask Miss Tuttle to bring down the child?”

“
Of course, sir.  Should I leave this with you?”  He held out Mollie’s letter.

“
Yes, I’ll take it.”  Mr. Deming took the letter and slipped it inside his suit coat. 

The minutes until Jefferson returned stretched on, awkward and silent.  It seemed he would never return.  But at last, she heard footsteps echo on the foyer tiles. 

One set of footsteps.

“
Mr. Deming—a word, please?” the butler said as he entered.

“
Oh, just tell me, Jefferson.  I’m in no mood for proprieties.”

“
Miss Cordelia is missing
.
”

Chapter 30

Mollie
’s heart seized in her chest.

“
What?” Deming snapped.  “What do you mean, ‘missing’
?
”

“
Miss Tuttle cannot find her.  Miss Fulton is missing, as well
.
”

“
Tha
t’
s not possibl
e—
Miss Fulton knows she is not permitted to go anywhere with the child, unless Miss Tuttle accompanies her
.
”

“
I’
m aware, sir.  But when I went upstairs, Miss Tuttle said she just awakened from a nap.  She’s been feeling ill since Mrs. Deming died and—”

“
Get on with it, man!”

“
When I got up there, Miss Tuttle said she couldn’t find Miss Fulton or the child.  She’d been searching several minutes, and couldn’t find them upstairs at all.  We just searched the lower level and the yard—there’s no sign.  But Miss Fulton’s coat is gone.”

“
No,” Mollie whispered, sinking to the settee.  Her body went numb, and she struggled to keep her wits.

“
Could she have taken the child for a walk?”  He didn’t wait for a reply, but turned to Mollie and Noah.  “I apologize for the confusion—it isn't the first time she’s shown no respect for authority.  It’s half the reason we decided to wean Cordelia in the first place.  Eugenia Fulton refuses to recognize that Miss Tuttle is above her in the domestic order.”

The young woman that Mollie recognized as Daphne rushed in, out of breath. 
“Forgive me, sir,” she nodded at Deming, then turned to Jefferson, “I ran all the way down the block, and haven’t seen her.  I would have gone farther, but I forgot my coat, and—”

“
Are you sure you searched the upstairs well?” Deming interrupted.

“
Yes, sir,” she nodded, “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.  She’s been mumbling all morning about you taking away her baby.”

“
Her baby?”

“
Yes, she said something about ‘he has no right’ and ‘I’m not going to let them take my baby again’, and such.”

“
Again?” Noah asked, turning to Deming.  “What does that mean?”

“
I don’t know, but I don’t like it.  We hired her only because Cordelia didn’t do well on the prepared milk substitutes—we tried everything from Soluble Food to Nest
lé
’s Milk, and our physician even prescribed Rotch’s new ‘percentage method’ formula to make infant milk.  But she did worse with each new thing we tried.  At last we advertised for a wet nurse, but it’s not as easy as you’d think to find one.  You essentially need a mother who just lost her baby, but is willing to nourish someone else’s child.  Most of the few candidates we met weren’t people we were comfortable with, and by that time, we’d found out about my mother, and needed to leave as soon as possible.  So we hired Miss Fulton.  She had just lost her husband and child in a fire, and had no financial support or anywhere to live.  We were as desperate as she, so we hired her.”

“
So you know nothing about the woman?” Noah was incredulous.

“
No.  But by the time we arrived in Montana, we realized that her…temperament…wasn’t a good fit.  She was very controlling with Cordelia, and refused to honor the schedule Miss Tuttle has set.”

Daphne nodded. 
“Honestly, she’s been so awful to work with, about a month ago I spoke about quitting, even though I love Cordelia, and this job is the best I’ve ever had.  But Mr. Deming assured me they would have Eugenia wean the baby, so they could send her back to Boston.  She’s been even more difficult since she was informed of the plan, but I decided to wait it out until she was gone.”

Mollie listened to their conversation, but most of it barely registered, until the last part. 
“Wait!” Everyone looked down at her, surprised—they’d almost forgotten about her.  “So Eugenia—Miss Fulton—has been behaving possessive over Nell, even more so since you asked her to start weaning, and today Mr. Deming announced he may be returning Nell to me…and now Miss Fulton and my daughter are missing?”  She stood, irritated that they all seemed to be so slow at realizing the obvious danger.

“
She’s kidnapped Nell!” Noah said.

“
Jefferson, telephone the sheriff directly—tell them you’re calling on my behalf, and that the life of a young child is at stake.  Settle for no one but the sheriff himself.”

“
Consider it done, sir.”

“
The rest of us will scour this house, just in case we’re mistaken, or she’s left some clue behind.”

“
I’m not waiting for the sheriff to show up here,” Noah said, as Jefferson strode out.  “I’m going to the train station.  If she’s leaving town, that’s the first place she’ll head.  I might catch her in time.”

“
I’m going with you,” Mollie insisted.

“
No, you should stay here and help search.  You have unique insight as to what a mother would do if she was worried someone would take her baby away.  If she’s not at the train station, you may be able to give the sheriff some suggestions.”

A thousand arguments wanted to trip from her tongue, but she bit them back.  She needed to think sensibly, and not go off half-cocked. 
“Alright.”  She kissed him on the cheek.  “Please be careful.  We don’t know what kind of a state she’s in, and Nell…”

“
I’ll approach Miss Fulton with the utmost caution, if I see her.”

Miss Tuttle gave Noah a description of Miss Fulton, along with what she was wearing that day, and what Nell was wearing the last time she
’d seen her.  By the time he’d finished, Jefferson re-appeared to say the authorities were called, and he’d had the driver bring around a horse for Noah.

For the first time, Mollie was glad that Nell
’s adoptive father was wealthy—apparently the rich could make things happen as quick as a wink.

Ten minutes after Noah had galloped away, the sheriff and two of his officers arrived with great haste, assessing the situation.  He sent one officer after Noah, to assist in the search at the train station, and another back to Main Street to check in with the liveries to see if Eugenia Fulton had hired a driver.

Amidst the chaos, Mr. Deming’s driver came in to impart urgent news.

“
I’m so sorry sir, in the rush to fetch a horse for Mr. Jamison, as Jefferson requested, I didn’t even notice that Sally was missing.”

“
Sally?”  Mr. Deming blinked, confused.

“
The older mare.  We don’t use her as much, so she’s kept in a back stall.  I’ve been phasing her out of use, as she can’t handle the longer drives or a full carriage as well as she used to.  And I checked the tack, and a saddle, saddle blanket, and a set of saddle bags are missing.”

Deming glanced at the sheriff. 
“So she took a horse, then.”

“
The tamest horse you have, it seems,” the sheriff said, with his heavy brows furrowed in thought.

“
She’s from Boston,” Mollie cut in.  “It’s a large, crowded city.  It’s not easy to keep horses if you live in a densely-settled neighborhood.  If she was poor, her family most likely didn’t keep any horses, unless they had a business that required the use of them.  It’s easier and often cheaper to rely on the horsecars or the train to get around Boston, when needed.  Her experience riding horses might be limited, as mine is.”

“
Then that may play in our favor,” the sheriff replied.  “If she cares for the child, she won’t ride faster than her skills would allow.  That may give us an advantage.”

Mollie
’s stomach flopped as she imagined the wet nurse—an unskilled horsewoman—trying to handle a wiggling child on her lap as she rode.   “We need to find her!”

“
I have another officer rounding up a few more men, to start a search posse to spread out and search the city.  They’ll be meeting us here soon.”

Twenty agonizing minutes passed.  The posse had arrived, and were standing out on the front walk consulting with the sheriff as to which way they should be headed, when Noah galloped up to the home at full speed. 

He was alone, save the officer who arrived just behind him.  Mollie’s heart sank.

He pulled to a quick stop and dismounted, followed by the police officer.

“She wasn’t there,” he said, out of breath from the strain of the ride.  “I saw an officer along the way, explained the situation, and he came along.  The other officer showed up a few minutes after we got to the station.  There was no sign of her, and the clerk at the window hadn’t sold any tickets to anyone who met Miss Fulton’s description.  The other officer stayed behind, in case she showed up afterward.  The last thing we want is her getting on a train.”

“
What do we do now?” Mollie could feel her voice rising, and it was all she could do to keep from becoming hysterical.  “How can we know where to look?”

“
Sheriff?” Jefferson called from the open front door.  “There’s a telephone call from the jail.”

Mollie gripped Noah
’s arm as she watched the sheriff go inside to answer it.  The officers and men who had come to join the posse continued the debate over their options, while one man held up a well-worn map of the city and surrounding area. 

It was a long minute before the sheriff returned.

“She’s been sighted,” he said curtly.  “Just after Mr. Jamison left the station, the other officer saw a woman behaving oddly, and watched her leave by horseback.  She appeared to be cradling a large bundle.”

“
It’s her!” Mollie cried.  “It has to be.”

The sheriff nodded. 
“The officer called into the jail to report it, before he pursued her.  She’s heading north, out of town.  He thinks she was hiding in a closet at the station.  She must have seen you ride up with the officer, Mr. Jamison, and slipped into hiding before she’d even gotten to the ticket counter.”

Noah slammed his fist sideways into the short wrought-iron fence, then winced in pain. 
“I should have looked better.”  He looked toward Mollie, half angry and half afraid.  “I’m so sorry.  This is my fault, I should have seen her—”

“
It’s no one’s fault.  Let’s just go find her.”

“
Not so fast, Mrs. Jamison.  I know very well who you are to that child.  You and your husband will be staying here.  I don’t want either of you getting over-emotional, or going off half-cocked and putting the child in danger.”

“
I would never do that!  I’m going, and there’s nothing—”

Noah grabbed her hand and squeezed hard, and she recognized the signal instantly. 
Quiet down,
it said,
before you prove him right.

“
I understand your concern,” Noah said to the sheriff, “but this Fulton woman believes somehow that the child is hers, and that Mr. Deming is trying to give her away to someone else.  She is, in her fragile mind, a mother who is fighting for her baby.  She could do anything.  If you corner her, what will you do?  She won’t listen to any man.  You’ll need a woman—someone who understands, and can empathize with her—to talk sense into her.”

“
There’s no way of knowing if anyone can talk sense to her.”

“
Sheriff Langton, we’re going,” Deming stated.  “
All
of us.  You need as many warm bodies as you can, and you’ll only waste time trying to fight me on it.”

The sheriff sighed. 
“Fine.  Come along if you must, but you
stay at the back of the posse
, unless I call you up front.  Got it?  Any one of you disobeys that order, and I’ll take an officer away from the party to escort the lot of you at gunpoint back to town.”  He threw an angry glance at Deming.  “Regardless of how fat your purse is, or who you know.”

“
Fair enough.”  Deming’s voice sounded mild, but fire burned in his dark eyes.