“What is it?” Nate asked.
Amalie took the offered seat at the kitchen table and explained the situation, adding, “I have an idea that might work.”
Faith looked eager to hear the idea, and Nate had doubt written across his face.
Amalie said, “Faith told me that she received another letter from Eliza asking if she might come for a visit or better to live here close to us.”
“That’s right,” Faith said. “She loves being a nanny, but her employer has been making a few unwanted advances and suggestions, but Eliza can’t find another job.”
Nate looked between his wife and Amalie and said, “You’re cooking something up here. You want us to send for Eliza, and perhaps Blake will take a liking to her, and his great-aunt might stay away.”
“No,” Amalie said. “I don’t think there’s time. His great-aunt’s letter mentioned coming before summer ends, which means she might have already made plans or left from New York. He needs a wife right away.”
“I see where your mind is going. You think we can get the judge back in St. Louis to set up another proxy marriage like he did for you and Deke. Eliza marries Blake, great-aunt, and bride-to-be go home, and Blake stays here in Wyoming,” Nate said while tapping his fingers on the kitchen table.
“It’s perfect,” Amalie said. “Blake and Deke are good friends, and you are Blake’s friend, too. You know he loves his ranch and doesn’t want to move to Montana. He’s just running from whoever his great-aunt is bringing out here.”
“I agree,” Faith gushed. “This is so exciting. We have to do this, Nate. It will help Blake and get Eliza away from her employer safely. He can’t make her keep working for him if she’s married to Blake, and they can always have the marriage annulled.”
“I suppose it won’t hurt to suggest it,” Nate said, getting up from the table and grabbing his hat and Faith’s shawl. “Let’s go talk to Blake and Deke.”
Amalie opened the back door to her house, ushering Faith and Nate inside, and they heard Blake speaking while he paced the parlor again. “Her name is Constance Olivia Beatrice Glavens-Bradshaw. Does that sound like the kind of girl that’s going to get up at dawn and milk the cow before making breakfast?”
Before Deke could say a word, Blake answered his own question. “No, it doesn’t. It sounds like the kind of girl who expects a cook and maid. Can you imagine me living with a cook and a maid? I refuse. Well, I could see having a cook or housekeeper if they were needed, but it should be my decision to give those things to my wife. She shouldn’t come equipped with them. Then there’s the problem of my name. If you add Montgomery to her list of names, it’ll be too long for anyone to remember.”
Blake stopped talking when he saw Amalie, Faith, and Nate standing in the doorway.
Amalie stepped forward and said, “Blake, I hope you don’t mind, but I told Faith and Nate about your situation, and we think we may have an answer.”
“I don’t mind at all. I’m willing to listen to anything right now that will help me keep my great-aunt from showing up with a bride in tow.”
Nate began explaining what he hoped would be an answer to Blake’s problem and ended by saying, “It would give you a reason not to marry the woman your great-aunt chose, help Eliza start a new life, and once things settle down, the marriage can be annulled, and your life can go back to the way you want to live it.”
Blake mulled over the idea for a few moments and said, “All right, I can see how that would work, but I have no idea when my great-aunt plans to arrive. Can this young lady travel here quickly? My great-aunt could already be on her way. She only said she’d spend the summer with me. Knowing my great-aunt, they are planning on making stops along the way to ensure the wedding is perfect and have already left New York.”
Nate nodded his understanding, “We can go into town in the morning and send a telegram to the judge that married Amalie and Deke. He could send word discreetly to Eliza and summon her to his office and explain things. If she says yes, he could perform the ceremony immediately. While we’re waiting for an answer, you can see the judge here in town and fill out the necessary paperwork.”
Amalie was pleased when Blake agreed and invited him to stay for supper, and perhaps she and Deke could answer any other questions he might have.
Chapter 2
St. Louis, Missouri
Eliza Woodward blew a loose strand of hair from her face as she did her best to corral two-year-old Tommy and get him to the breakfast table before his father’s anger flared again. When the boy was finally settled at the table, her employer, Mister Richards, addressed her.
“Miss Woodward, if you are unable to do your job properly, we may be forced to terminate your employment. If that happens, I highly doubt you will ever get a proper job as a nanny in this city again. Of course, there are other employment opportunities available, although none would be suitable.”
His leer made Eliza cringe, and she knew he was speaking about more than her nanny responsibilities. The next time he tried to gain access to her room, she feared her refusal would lead to her termination.
Missus Richards, oblivious to most of the activity around her, sipped her whiskey laced coffee and took a small bite of buttered toast.
Before Mister Richards could chastise Eliza further, they were interrupted by the house butler.
“Excuse me for intruding, Mister Richards, but I have an important message for Miss Eliza, and there is a carriage waiting for her out front.”
Mister Richards lifted his hand and snapped his fingers. “Give me the message. Nothing important happens in this house without my approval.”
The butler
