Disclaimer: The Lynches and other characters from the Trixie Belden mystery series are the property of Random House, and I'm using them without permission, although with a great deal of respect. No profit is being made on this story!
Thank you to Cathy P. for the gift that is Jix, and thank you to all the members of the community who make it a great place to hang out!
A huge Thank You to my hardworking, wonderful editors, Trish, Ryl, and Ronda. Their comments made my story so much better – any mistakes or weak points are mine alone!
Thank you to Vivian, my web hostess and HTML guru – her steadfast assistance helped me to make the pages look the way I planned for them to look.
“I Got You, Babe” was a hit song for Sonny and Cher in 1965. I do not own the rights to it and am using the lyrics without permission. See disclaimer above – I am not making any profit from the use of these lyrics.
The picture of the Lynches’ new home is from a website for house plans: eplans.com and I used Photoshop to try to make it look like a painting. Again, no profit is being made from my use of this image.
Some comments on the story: I’ve never won any money on a lottery, and everything the Lynches do is based on 1) research and/ or 2) my imagination. I may have made the bank trust officer’s office too elegant, but I think Mr. Whitfield is probably one of the bank officers/ owners, since the Sleepyside Bank is a small-town bank.
The remote-control trunk lock was introduced in the 1968 Cadillac Fleetwood model. I originally had a much cooler scene, but then found out (thanks, Trish!) that the technology for what I wanted didn’t exist back then.
The first countertop microwave ovens were introduced by Amana in 1967, according to research I did while writing this story. The site I used is no longer active.
Mr. Rainsford was a lawyer friend of Matt Wheeler’s, who handled Jim’s adoption. I don’t recall his being mentioned in any of the books after Red Trailer, but felt that the Wheelers probably socialized with him. The famous young portrait artist who painted Mrs. Wheeler and also did theportraits of Mrs. Lynch’s parents is mentioned but not named in Mysterious Visitor, so I named him. I thought he could have come to society’s notice as the protégé of someone like Mr. Rainsford. Dick Whitney and George Kimball are other friends of Matt Wheeler’s who were mentioned in the books, although with no first names.
Re: Mrs. Lynch and the hysterectomy: Pope Paul VI released the encyclical, Humanae Vitae, in 1967. It is most famous for reinforcing the traditional Roman Catholic ban on all forms of artificial birth control. Many fanfic writers have decided the Lynches are Catholics, and I continued this tradition. Since this story is set in the 1960s (shortly after the birth control pill was made available) I based the age gap between Diana and her brothers on an unknown infertility problem rather than on choice. Since I decided to make them Catholic, I also felt that Margaret would be reluctant to use the new Pill. Some may find it hard to believe that a woman would have the conversation with her priest that she did. I’m not basing it on any firsthand knowledge, but it feels reasonable to me for the times and the situation.
Margaret and Maddie Wheeler bonding over the hysterectomy experience: the lovely Ronda suggested this and I thought it was perfectly perfect. Maddie’s birth experience can be found in my story, Memories.
Technology was making inroads on every aspect of life in the 1960s, and I thought Ed would get involved in some of these technological developments. The first handheld calculators were developed by Texas Instruments in 1967, and here is one article about the history of the development of the integrated circuit at Texas Instruments, for which TI was granted the patent for handheld pocket calculators in 1967. I don't own the rights to the name and am using it without permission. However, I consider it free advertising for TI!
The property near Williamsburg, in which Ed Lynch was planning to invest, must have been some of the land near what later became Busch Gardens ;-). The page I used for information on the Busch company's acquisition of the property which later became Busch Gardens Europe and the Kingsmill resort and spa is no longer available. Busch Gardens Williamsburg and the Kingsmill Resorts are still in operation, although I believe they've split up. During this trip, he also viewed the Rosewood Hall property for the first time.
People have wondered why the Lynches allowed their staff to control their lives and disrupt their family. I've tried to show that Margaret and Ed were comfortable and confident in their own spheres, but the lottery windfall and their sudden immersion in a new world of wealth placed them in an unfamiliar situation. They were feeling their way and did make missteps. Neither was raised with money and all the perks that go with it, and they didn’t know how to communicate with and relate to employees. The website, formerly Service Indoors and now called Green Baize Door, gave some insight into dealing with staff.
Kay Lynch is Ed’s sister and Margaret’s best friend. She was introduced in my story, Snapshots.
Thanks for reading!
Cpoyright 2007-2019 by MaryN
Links checked and html re-validated April 2019.
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