The New Hand, Part Sixty-Eight

by J. Rosemary Moss

Genre: Slash Fan-Fiction (Bonanza)
Rating: PG-13

LINK TO PART ONE

~

Ed Niles stared down at the telegraph in his hand. The man he sent to San Diego had dug up all the information on David’s fiancée that he could desire.

Avigail Stein was from San Francisco, originally. But she left her family and her community to run off to San Diego and elope with a man her father despised. Her family disowned her and cut off all contact with her. Meanwhile, the marriage turned into a nightmare. At some point her husband even scarred her face with a branding iron.

The girl had enough sense to run from her husband, Niles reflected, but not enough sense to contact her family again. Like as not, they would have welcomed back a repentant daughter. And they would have tried to help her acquire a divorce.

But Avigail Stein—now Avigail Hastings—never got back in touch with them. Perhaps she was angry at the fact that they had disowned her or perhaps she believed that they wanted nothing to do with her. Or maybe she just had too much pride to run back to them after all their predictions about her husband had come true.

At any event, she ran to Virginia City instead, where she became a saloon girl known as Abby Johnson. A year or so later, she met David Griffin and became his mistress.

Was there a real relationship there or was David merely pretending to be involved with Avigail in order to disguise his true tendencies? That didn’t matter, Niles decided. Either way, Griffin was apparently quite attached to the girl—attached enough to propose marriage to her.

Abby’s estranged husband, ironically enough, was searching for her in San Francisco. Ed Niles smiled at that—how convenient. No doubt the fellow would be delighted to learn that his wife’s new fiancé was also in town.

With any luck, Niles thought wryly, the husband would put a bullet in Griffin’s head—but not before informing Griffin that he was taking back his wife and there was nothing Griffin could do to stop him.

Niles smiled to himself again. That would be a suitable revenge—Griffin ending up dead, knowing that someone he cared about was back in the hands of a monster. Yes, that would almost make up for the way that Griffin had caused Stephen’s suicide.

Niles was mulling over how best to contact the estranged husband when his secretary knocked on his door. "Come in," he called out, frowning over the interruption.

The young man appeared nervous as he stepped inside the office. "There are four people here to see you, sir," he said apologetically. "Adam and Joseph Cartwright, David Griffin—and, and Marty."

Niles stared at the man. He had to make a conscious effort not to let his mouth drop open. What nerve it had taken for Griffin to show up here—even if he was bringing two Cartwright boys and Niles’ own daughter to plead his case.

He felt his mouth harden. "Send them in," he told the secretary.

LINK TO PART SIXTY-NINE