Chapter 1
The young woman almost fell off her horse and ran to the door, beating on it. "Help! Please, someone, help me!"
The door opened and she fell forwards, caught in two strong arms. "Laura! What is it? What's wrong?" Ben Cartwright demanded. Adam, Hoss, and Joe surrounded them.
She began to sob uncontrollably and covered her face with her hands. "It's Peggy – she's fallen over the cliff at the lake and I can't reach her!" She gave another sob, peeked between her fingers, and fainted in Adam's direction. Adam dodged her as Hoss stepped forward and caught her. Tossing her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, he took her inside and dropped her on the settee. He called to Hop Sing for a cup of tea and smelling salts, and then went back outside.
Ben, Adam, and Joe were in the barn, saddling their horses and collecting coils of rope. Joe had tacked up Chub for Hoss. As they left, Joe asked, "How was she after you took her inside?"
Hoss gave a disgusted snort. "I don't know, Joe. I just called for Hop Sing to bring her tea and smelling salts, and left her on the settee. I saw her peek between her fingers at Adam before she pretended to faint. If I weren't afraid that she's put Peggy in danger, I'd have let her fall in the dirt and shut the door on her."
Joe nodded, understanding how Hoss felt. Laura had dumped Adam for their cousin, Will, two years before. When that marriage ended in divorce, she'd returned to Virginia City with eight year old Peggy, determined to ensnare Adam again. Adam had realized that Laura wasn't above using her young daughter to gain his attention, and, while he was concerned for the child, he knew that Laura wasn't the one for him.
They made good time, and when they reached the cliff's edge, Adam jumped off of Sport. He leaned out over the edge, and called, "Peggy! Peggy!"
A tearful cry answered him. "Adam! I hurt my ankle, and I can't climb back up. I'm scared!"
"It's all right, dear. I'm here." He started to loop the rope around his waist when Joe stopped him.
"Let me go, Adam. I'm smaller and lighter than you, and it may take you, Pa, and Hoss all three to help the two of us back up, especially if she's hurt."
Adam started to object, but Ben and Hoss agreed with Joe. In no time at all Joe had looped the rope around his waist, and worked his way down and around the cliff face. "Peggy?"
The young girl's face was scratched and dirty. "I thought Adam was coming."
"He's up above us, darling, and he's going to help us get back. Come here." Joe helped the child climb onto his back, and with an admonition to "hold on tight," he began to climb. Peggy was still and quiet, and soon Ben and Hoss were pulling them to safety. Adam lifted Peggy off Joe's back as Hoss helped Joe untie the loop around his waist.
"What happened, Peggy?" Ben asked as Adam carefully cut off her small boot, removed her sock, and examined her ankle.
"We came up here for a picnic, and Mama…" Peggy's voice broke, and an icy tingle ran down Adam's back.
"Yes, Peggy, what happened? You know you can tell me anything."
His deep voice reassured the child – she'd always felt safe with Adam. He had read to her, played with her, and given her a pony. He'd been the one to help her accept that her father was dead. When she remembered the last thing, she knew she could trust him. Taking a deep breath and wiping the tears from her cheeks with grimy hands, the young girl looked up at him. "Mama called me to look at something down there," she pointed at the cliff. "Then I felt a push and I fell. I tried to climb back up, but my ankle wouldn't hold me. I called Mama, and she said she couldn't reach me – that she had to go for help. I heard her ride away, and that was all until you came."
Adam gathered Peggy into his arms and carried her over to Sport. He looked down at Ben. "I'm taking Peggy into town to see Dr. Martin. While I'm there, I think I'll see Roy." He lifted Peggy into the saddle, and climbed up behind her.
Ben thought for a minute. "I'll ride into town with you, son. Hoss, Joe, why don't you go back to the house and make sure our guest is comfortable. I'm sure Roy will want to talk with her later."
Chapter 2
Laura sat in Sheriff Coffee's office. Her face was pale and her hands were shaking. Roy leaned back against his desk, and looked down at her. "All right, Mrs. Cartwright, suppose you tell me again how Peggy fell over the cliff."
Laura looked down at her hands. Her mouth was dry, and she tried to keep her voice from shaking. "I called Peggy over to look at something near the cliff edge, and she slipped and fell over the edge. I tried to stop her fall, but I missed. I knew I couldn't get her by myself so I rode to the Ponderosa for help. I knew that Adam - that they would help me. I was married to Will, after all." She looked up at Sheriff Coffee, hoping he believed her.
"Peggy felt you push her." Roy's voice was calm and low.
"No! She's wrong! I could never hurt a child, especially not my own daughter." Laura seemed horrified at the thought.
Roy sat down next to her and took her hand in his. "Mrs. Cartwright - Laura, I can't imagine how hard it is to raise a child alone. You've been through a rough time. First your husband was killed, then your engagement to Adam didn't work out, and finally this last mess with Will..." Roy shook his head. "I think anyone would understand if..."
Laura interupted him. "No, it was an accident. I was just trying to show Peggy something down on the cliff face and she fell. I would never hurt her deliberately." She burst into tears, and bent over, burying her face in her lap. Roy watched her for a few minutes, and then patted her shoulder. He stood up and walked back to the cells, shutting the door behind him. Dr. Martin, Adam, and Ben stood there.
"Did you hear?" Roy asked.
The three men nodded.
"Is it possible that Peggy felt her mother trying to pull her back from the edge and mistook it for a push?" Roy had to ask the question.
Adam and Ben looked at each other. "She seemed pretty positive," Ben finally said.
Paul Martin considered Roy's question. "There's no bruise on her back to indicated that she was pushed hard, but Peggy told me she thought her mother pushed her over the cliff when I was wrapping her ankle."
"How is her ankle?" Roy asked.
"It's a bad sprain, but it isn't broken. She'll have to stay off it for a few days, but it should heal all right. I can justify keeping her at my office. Marian can nurse her, and we can monitor the two of them when they're together," Paul suggested.
Roy sighed. "That might be the best thing. There's no real proof that Laura pushed Peggy over. Laura really might have been trying to keep her from falling and Peggy made a mistake and thought her mother pushed her."
"Maybe so," Ben said.
Roy looked at Adam. "What do you think, son? You and Laura were an item for some time. You know her better than anyone. Do you think she would harm her own child?"
Adam sighed. "Laura's very young in some ways. I hate to think that she'd deliberately harm Peggy, but...she doesn't think things through. She tends to focus on what she wants and doesn't consider the consequences of her actions. She's like a child."
"I think our best bet is for Peggy to stay with the Martins' for a few days. That way Marian can watch them, and she may be able to tell if Peggy's in danger from her mother."
...
The next morning Paul and Marian stood back and watched as Laura approached Peggy. Her voice trembled as she reached out to her daughter. "Peggy, darling, mother's so sorry she caused you to get hurt."
Peggy, propped up with pillows, stared at her mother with wide unblinking eyes. Laura continued to move towards her slowly, although she dropped her arms to her sides. "I know you think I pushed you, but, darling, I didn't - I reached for you when I felt you falling." Laura finally was next to the bed, and sat down on the edge. Tentatively, she reached out to Peggy, but the child made no move towards her mother. Laura dropped her arms in her lap. Tears trickled down her cheeks as she wept quietly.
Peggy continued to stare at Laura, but she didn't say a word. Laura put her hands down, stood up, and looked down at her daughter. "I'll let you rest now and come back later. I'm staying at the International House so I can be close to you." She bent to kiss Peggy's forehead, but the young girl flinched, and Laura drew back without touching her.
Chapter 3
Paul looked around in surprise when Will Cartwright entered his clinic.
"I've come to see Peggy," Will said. "Ben wired me that she'd been hurt in an accident."
Too stunned to say anything, Paul indicated the door to the sickroom. Will opened it slowly and peeped in. Marian and Peggy were sitting together on a small settee, and Peggy was reading from a primer. Will stepped in and Peggy looked up. "Will!" She jumped up to run to him, and then nearly fell as her sprained ankle gave way beneath her. Will was fast and caught her up in his arms.
"Hello, little miss." He hugged her, and Peggy caught him around the neck.
"I've missed you so much," she said. "Mother said you were gone and weren't coming back, and you didn't even tell me goodbye."
Will sat down with her in his lap. "Well, your mother was mistaken about a few things, Peggy. You know I could never leave my girls."
Peggy leaned back and looked up at him. "Is this part of Mother's being sick?" she asked.
"I think so," Will said, "but I want to talk with Dr. Martin about it. How did you get hurt?"
"Mother and I went on a picnic out near the lake. We climbed up to the top of a cliff, and she called me over to look at something. I was near the edge, and-" Peggy hesitated.
"And," Will prompted.
"I think Mother pushed me over. I couldn't climb back up because of my ankle, and Mother couldn't climb down. She said she'd have to get help, and she rode to the Ponderosa and got Uncle Ben and Joe and Adam and Hoss. Joe came down and got me, and Adam brought me here." The young girl looked at her stepfather with tears in her eyes. "Will, do you think Mother meant me to get hurt?"
Will cuddled her close. "No, darling, I think you're getting hurt was an accident. Peggy, this is very important - do you really believe your mother pushed you?"
Peggy nodded. "I heard her talking to herself one night, Will. She was looking in the mirror, and she was wondering what she could do to get Adam's attention. You know he proposed after the Bonner brothers rode her down in the street one day? I heard her and Aunt Lil talking about what a lucky accident it was. I think maybe she needed another lucky accident."
A chill ran down Will's spine. He shifted Peggy off his lap. "You rest now, darling, and don't think any more about what happened. You've got to get better so I can take dancing."
Peggy smiled up at him, and Will kissed her forehead. He stood up and went back out to Dr. Martin's office. Paul and Marian were in a quiet discussion when he entered, but they stopped when they saw him.
"How is Peggy?" Will asked.
"She has a bad sprain, a few cuts and bruises, but that's all. The reason we've kept her here is because she believes that Laura pushed her over the cliff. I've looked at her back, but there's no unusual bruising there." Paul studied Will for a moment. "Laura says you're divorced. Is that true?"
Will shook his head. "Last year Laura was - Laura and I were expecting a child. Laura was pretty far along when she slipped on the stairs at our house and fell. She lost the baby and almost died. She and Peggy were alone." Will rubbed the bridge of his nose, and Paul was reminded of Adam. "My job requires that I travel, and I was away when it happened. Laura's Aunt Lil wired me about the accident and I returned to San Francisco as fast as I could. Our doctor told me she would recover, and she did, but she blamed me for the fall, for the loss of the child. She said if she'd married Adam, he'd never have left her when she was expecting. She stopped eating, stopped sleeping. I'd wake in the night and she'd be gone. When I looked for her, I'd find her sitting in the nursery she'd prepared for the new baby."
Will stopped and and drew a breath. Paul poured him a brandy, but Will waved it away. "Her Aunt Lil came and stayed with us. She took care of the house and Peggy - Laura wasn't up to it. I managed to stay at home for awhile, but then a trip to Denver came up. It was a great opportunity for me - for my family. I asked Laura to go with me. I thought the change of scene would do her good, and Lil was taking care of Peggy. She didn't want to go, but I insisted, and so did her Aunt.
"She was quiet on the way to Denver, but once we got there, she seemed to enjoy the city. I had meetings during the day, but I gave her money to go shopping. We'd go out to supper, to lectures. She seemed almost like her old self. She still wasn't eating much or sleeping well, but I thought...I hoped she was on her way back to me and Peggy." Will reached for the brandy and took a swallow.
"When we got home, everything seemed better. Lil went home, and Laura took care of the house and Peggy and me. I had to go out of town for a few weeks, and when I got back, she and Peggy were gone. She left me a note, telling me she wanted a divorce so she could marry my cousin, Adam. I was getting ready to come here when I got Ben's wire." Will swallowed the rest of the brandy.
Paul let out a sigh. "Will, it isn't unusual for a woman who's lost a child to be depressed, but it sounds as if Laura has become-" he hesitated to use the word- "unbalanced." He stood up. "She's staying at the International House - let's go over and see her."
Chapter 4
Laura Dayton Cartwright stared at her reflection in the mirror. She had returned directly to the International House after visiting Peggy. She looked at herself, and wondered aloud, what was I thinking? I've lost everything. Peggy is afraid of me - and I've given her good reason to be. Adam will never come back to me, and his family would never welcome me if he did. And Will - oh, I've lost Will.
Laura turned away from her mirror and sank down on her bed with a pain that was too deep for tears. Peggy's rejection of her at Dr. Martin's had brought her to her senses.
There's nothing left for me here in Virginia City or in San Francisco, she realized. Laura rose from the bed, went to the desk and opened her diary. She tore several blank pages from it, and, taking up her pen, began to write.
My dear sweet girl,
I'm sorrier than I can say for the pain I've caused you. You mean the world to me. I hope you'll remember that and forgive me for the harm I've done you. All my love,
Mother
She folded the note and wrote Peggy's name on it. She picked up a second sheet and began writing again.
Dear Will,
I'm so sorry about everything, especially our child. I wish I could tell you why I behaved the way I did, but I can't - I don't understand it myself. Please take good care of Peggy. She loves you so much.
Forgive me,
Laura
Laura read over the note. There was so much more she wanted to say to her husband, but it was too late. What she had written would have to fold it and wrote Will's name on it. She picked up the last sheet of paper, and began to write to her Aunt Lil.
Dear Aunt Lil,
I'm so ashamed of the way I've behaved. I can't go on as I have. Please take care of Peggy and Will. Thank you for all you tried to do for me and mine. Forgive me.
Love,
Laura
She folded the note, added Lil's name to the outside, and propped all three notes against the lamp. She changed into her riding habit, looked around the room, and, seeing nothing else that she needed to take with her, left.
...
Will and Paul Martin stopped at the registration desk in the International House, and asked for Laura's room number. The young clerk looked at them askance, but Paul stepped up and said, "Don't be silly, Jake. You've known me all your life - this man is the lady's husband. Tell us which room is Mrs. Cartwright's."
The boy swallowed, and said,"Room 2, sir, but she isn't there now. I saw her leave a few minutes ago."
Will and Paul looked at each other, and Will turned to the clerk. "Did you see where she went?"
Jake pointed vaguely outside, and Paul told him, "Give Mr. Cartwright the key to her room, Jake." When Will looked at him, he said, "We might find a clue to her whereabouts there - maybe something that will show us her state of mind."
They went to Laura's room. Everything was neat and in place. Will opened the armoire and drawers. Her dresses seemed to be there, and then he realized that her habit was missing. He looked around and saw the letters propped against the desk lamp. "Oh, no," he breathed. He grabbed them, and, seeing one addressed to him, opened it. He read it quickly, and then handed it to Paul. He opened the notes to Peggy and Aunt Lil and read those as well before handing them to Paul.
"Do you think she could be planning..." Will's voice died away. The thought was so awful he couldn't bear to say it.
Paul sighed. "I don't know, Will, but I think we'd better go see Roy."