An Agent for Gwendolyn Read online

  Copyright

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Locale and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, actual events, or actual locations is purely coincidental. All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, email [email protected].

  Text copyright © Jenna Brandt 2020.

  Cover design by Virgina McDermitt

  An Agent for Gwendolyn

  The Pinkerton Matchmaker Series

  Jenna Brandt

  Contents

  A Note to Our Readers

  The Denver Tribune Editorials

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Epilogue

  A Note from the Author

  Also by Jenna Brandt

  Join My Mailing List and Reader’s Groups

  Two More Amazing Pinkerton Matchmaker books

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Praise for Jenna Brandt

  I’m always excited when I see a new book by Jenna Brandt. This very talented author can create an amazing storyline without missing a beat!

  Lori Dykes, Amazon Customer

  Jenna Brandt is, in my estimation, the most gifted author of Christian fiction in this generation!

  Paula Rose Michelson, Christian Romance Author

  Jenna Brandt writes from the heart and you can feel it in every page turned.

  Sandra Sewell White, Longtime Reader

  Jenna Brandt does a good job of pulling you in quickly and creating characters that you care about.

  Kathy Church, Advanced Reader

  I love this author - She always writes intriguing and amazing stories. She can write in any time period and owns it.

  Connie C, Longtime Reader

  Thank you Jenna Brandt for good wholesome novels that focus on Christian values.

  Anonymous Amazon Customer

  For more information about Jenna Brandt, signup for her Newsletter or visit her on any of her social media platforms:

  www.JennaBrandt.com

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  A Note to Our Readers

  Even though this book is a work of fiction, the Pinkerton Agents and their exploits are very real.

  Allan Pinkerton, a Scottish immigrant, and Edward Rucker, a Chicago attorney, started the North-Western Police Agency in the early 1850s. It later became the Pinkerton Detective Agency.

  Established in the U.S. by Allan Pinkerton in 1855, the Pinkerton National Detective Agency was a private security guard and detective agency. Pinkerton agents were hired as both bodyguards and detectives by corporations and individuals. They were active in stopping strikes, illegal operations, guarding train shipments, and searching for Western outlaws such as the James and Younger gangs.

  Pinkerton agents were known to be tough yet honest. For the most part, they followed local and state laws. However, as with most situations, a few were known to be ruthless. Local law didn’t always approve of having an agent in town since they could investigate more fully than the sheriff. Going undercover gave the agents greater leeway for investigations but could also lead to corruption and violence.

  As the West became more settled, crime increased, and local authorities were at times overwhelmed. It was not uncommon for Pinkerton agents to be hired to track down the worst of these criminals. Not encumbered by state or local boundaries, the agents followed and pursued their quarry where the clues led them.

  The Pinkerton Agency was also one of the first companies to hire women. Kate Warne led the way for the women agents that followed her.

  As the case load grew, new offices were established around the country, with the main office in Chicago, Illinois.

  We created this series with these heroic men and women in mind. These are works of our imagination and no way reflect the true cases or activities that the Pinkerton Agency may have engaged in.

  These are our stories of the men and women that braved danger and love to bring their own brand of justice.

  The Pinkerton Code

  Allan Pinkerton's agents were required to comply with a specific code of conduct while working for the Pinkerton Detective Agency.

  According to the agency's records, agents were to have no addiction to "drinking, smoking, card playing, low dives or slang".

  Additionally, a Pinkerton agent …

  Could not accept bribes

  May never compromise with criminals

  Should willingly partner with local law enforcement

  Must refuse divorce cases or those initiating scandal

  Would be expected to turn down reward money

  Cannot raise fees without client’s prior knowledge

  Should keep clients appraised on an on-going basis

  The Denver Tribune Editorials

  Sat. April 22, 1871

  Female Agents to join National Detective Agency.

  Help Wanted: female agents to join the National Pinkerton Detective Agency

  Seven years ago, the National Pinkerton Detective Agency moved into the new office location at 427 Chain Bridge Road, Denver, Colorado Territory. Since then stories have swirled of brave men solving crimes and fighting for justice.

  But a new time has evolved, and the agency is now seeking able-bodied women to join the ranks of private investigations.

  We need daring women who seek adventure and are of sound mind and body. You will help the criminal elements answer for their crimes and secure safety for their victims.

  You will train with an existing agent, and after your first case, you will earn the rank of private detective. Paid training, transportation, uniforms, and accommodations will be provided. You will become a part of a noble profession and pave the way into the future.

  This editorial has been placed in newspapers throughout the nation, so the quickest responses are appreciated.

  Please send inquiries and a list of skills to Mr. A. Gordon at the above noted address. Interviews will occur on the premises the week of May 16, 1871.

  Ed.

  An Agent for Gwendolyn

  Gwendolyn Whitley was born with a silver spoon in her mouth. The daughter of a shipping titan, she’s never wanted for anything until her father dies and she finds out he only left her with a pile of debt. Now, she has no other option but to find a job to support herself. She remembers her friend, Nadine, wrote to her about her new life as a Pinkerton Agent. Gwendolyn wonders if she could be one, too?

  Bradley Holmes isn’t sure he likes he idea of being put in charge of training one of the new recruits, let alone a woman. He’s used to being only responsible for himself, but he has to train her to progress his career. When he finds out she’s a spoiled socialite who hasn’t worked a day in her life, he’s not sure what he’s going to do with her—especially when he has to marry her for propriety’s sake.

  Will Gwendolyn be able to prove herself a capable agent? Can Bradley learn to get along with Gwendolyn? And will they decide their marriage of convenience can be something more?

  -To My Authors Friends-r />
  Thanks for going on this amazing

  writing experience with me.

  I love creating worlds with you.

  Chapter 1

  Spring, 1874

  Boston, Massachusetts

  Destitute. Never in all her life did Gwendolyn Whitley think that word would be used to describe herself. Just three months ago, she had been the center of the upper crust of Boston society. Now, after her father’s estate was finally settled, she wasn’t welcome anywhere. Management refused her entry at the private clubs. The lavish restaurants she used to frequent with the other socialites, who used to welcome her with open arms, now excluded her from their guest lists for parties and balls.

  “I’m so sorry, Gwen, but with your current situation, everyone would be more comfortable if you didn’t attend my dinner party on Friday,” Amanda, the young lady she once considered her best friend, had written to her just a month ago. She hadn’t heard from Amanda since, and their friendship had evaporated just like all the rest.

  Her family name was as good as mud; she had but a few dollars to her name, and her fiancé had up and left her for a chance at a better prospect.

  “My father was content to allow me to have a love match when it came along with a hefty inheritance and a good family name. However, since that isn’t the case anymore, I must call off our engagement.”

  “You can’t do this, Phillip; we love each other,” she had cried out in despair, reaching out and placing her hand on his arm to keep him from leaving.

  “I wish love was enough, but it just isn’t. I can’t go against my father,” Phillip had lamented with a sad look in his eyes. He pulled away as he headed to the door. “I wish you the best, and hope you find a way to pull through this.”

  Even as he said those words, she knew he didn’t mean it. Just like everyone else, he only cared about his own survival and didn’t want to get dragged down with her. He didn’t think she would make it through, and that’s why he bailed on her. He needed to land a rich heiress in order to infuse his family’s depleted resources. In that moment, she realized he never loved her; not in any way that really counted.

  Letting out a heavy sigh, Gwendolyn brushed aside the blonde strands of hair that had fallen from her bun and into her eyes. She placed the final dress in the trunk. As she packed the last of her belongings, she couldn’t keep her mind from going over what had gone wrong. She had been too busy planning her upcoming wedding to notice that her father had become reckless with their livelihood. Though he had never been the same after her mother’s death two years ago, she had never imagined he could be capable of gambling away his shipping empire, not to mention her mother’s inheritance. Generations of wealth reduced to a pile of debt that she couldn’t pay back in a dozen lifetimes. By the time Gwendolyn found out from the lawyer what had happened, it was too late to do anything about it. Not only had she lost both her parents, but her home, and any chance at a future.

  “What are we going to do, Reginald?” she asked her golden cocker spaniel, rubbing the top of his head right between the ears, as he sat on the edge of her bed. Her canine companion tilted his head up to look at her, licking the palm of her hand as if to tell her that it would be okay. Reginald, a handful of her favorite dresses, and her mother’s wedding jewelry that she’d managed to hide from the debt collectors, were all that remained from her old life. Reginald was more like family than a pet. She would find a way to take care of them both, no matter what it took.

  Reluctantly, Gwendolyn finished packing the last of her nominal belongings, knowing that when she left her family’s Boston mansion, it would be for the last time. The debt collectors would arrive in less than two hours to take everything that was left.

  She picked up the stack of letters, ready to place them in her tapestry bag, when one of them caught her eye. It was the most recent letter from Nadine Bell, a friend of hers from finishing school, who had been turned out by her brother six months prior. She had traveled out West, making a new beginning for herself as a Pinkerton Agent. Her life sounded full of adventure; chasing bandits, finding clues to mysteries, and going undercover to solve crimes. She even got a husband with the new job.

  Her hand hovered over the letter as she read about her friend’s latest exploits in Wyoming. Nadine, along with her husband, Josiah, just spent the past two months tracking down and apprehending a stagecoach robbery gang. What would it be like to live a life like that? Was it thrilling? Did she enjoy it? Was she good at it? Was there a chance that Gwendolyn could succeed at it, too? She went to all the same schools as Nadine; surely she could manage just like her.

  Gwendolyn tucked the letter, along with the others, into her tapestry bag. She took a final look around her family home and marched out of it. She had the coachman load her trunk onto the carriage, and ordered him to take her to the telegraph office. Once there, she made quick work of sending a message to the Pinkerton office explaining her interest in obtaining a job as an agent. They sent back a reply explaining the expectations of the job, including the condition that she marry an agent who would train her for one year. Deciding she had no better options, she sent back a reply saying she would agree to the terms. Two hours later, the office had arranged her travel to the Texas office via train. She would leave Boston and all the memories behind the following day.

  She used the last of her money to rent a cheap hotel room by the train depot. The conditions were deplorable with a lumpy, dirty mattress, peeling paint, and a smell she couldn’t identify and didn’t want to. As she cuddled up next to Reginald in the bed, she let her mind drift off to sleep with hopeful thoughts about her new life.

  Bradley Holmes gritted his teeth as he read the message demanding he return to the Texas office. He’d been a Pinkerton agent for nearly five years now, handling some of their toughest cases that no one else could crack. Now, in order to progress his career as a senior agent, he needed to take on a recruit. What was worse, he was expected to marry and train the young woman.

  It bothered Bradley that his boss insisted that seasoned agents considered doing this, and if they didn’t accept the new arrangement, it would be frowned upon. It started in the Denver office, but over the past year, it had spread to the other locations across the country like an infectious disease. Now, his own office was proposing the new strategy, as if it were the best idea in the world.

  Bradley didn’t agree. He was happy on his own and didn’t need a partner, let alone, a wife. He knew, however, if he didn’t accept this new assignment, he would end up stagnant in his career. He wasn’t going to let that happen. He loved his job too much to let some temporary, ill-fated idea imposed by the higher-ups set back his goals in the agency. He would pretend to play nice, take on training his new recruit, and when the year was up, he could move on with his life—alone.

  As he entered the Texas office, all eyes were on him. They seemed to know what was coming, and probably knew he wasn’t happy about it from the weary looks they shot his way. He didn’t stop to talk to any of them, breezing right past them to enter the boss’s office. He wasn’t there for socializing; he had a single task on his agenda: get his new recruit and next assignment, so he could get back to work.

  “I’m here like you requested,” Bradley said as he entered the room.

  “Take a seat,” David Foster ordered, gesturing to the seat across from him without looking up from the file in front of him.

  Bradley didn’t want to sit, but he knew better than to argue with his boss. Begrudgingly, he did as he was told. There were several seconds of uncomfortable silence where neither of them spoke. Finally, David closed the file and looked up.

  “I’m glad you decided to come in like I requested.”

  “It didn’t seem like a request,” Bradley countered, shifting in his seat as he forced himself not to glare at the other man, “as much as a summons. I’ve been in the agency long enough to know the difference.”

  “Good, then we can forgo the pretenses and move right to the mat
ter at hand. Your recruit arrived in town last night. She should be here any moment—”

  “You mean, the woman you expect me to marry,” Bradley corrected.

  “Yes, and once you are introduced, I will give you both your next assignment, which you can go over while we wait for the judge to arrive to marry you.”

  “This is moving rather quickly. What if we aren’t a good match?”

  “She wants a job as an agent, and we need her to train with one of our best. Considering the intimate nature of the job, she can’t do that without being married, for propriety’s sake. It’s only one year, and after, you can end the marriage if you so choose.”

  “What about her? What does she think of all this?”

  “She knows of the conditions that come with the job and has accepted them. If you want to run your own office one day—” Bradley started to object, but David raised his hand to silence him. “—don’t deny it, I know you do—you need to be able to show the agency you are willing to do whatever is required to get a job done. You need to lead by example and marrying the new recruit will do just that. This is the new way of the agency; you should get used to it.”