At the heart of Laura Skandera Trombley's book, "Mark Twain's Other Woman: The Hidden Story of His Final Years" (Knopf 2010, $27.95), is a mystery. Who was Isabel Van Kleek Lyon and why did Twain, who depended upon her for so many years, revile and repudiate her at the end of his life.

"Isabel was Mark Twain's confidant, personal assistant and social secretary," says Trombley, president of Pitzer College in Claremont, Calif., and the premiere Twain scholar at work today.

But, according to Trombley, Lyon is a relative unknown in Twain scholarship because of a falling out that she had with Twain and his two daughters, Clara and Jean.

"Because of her access to the family -- she lived in the same home with Twain during her six years with him -- she knew the family's secrets and they eventually resorted to blackmailing her to guarantee that she would never attempt to claim a place in his life," she continues. "Subsequent biographers either knew that the family was very opposed to any mention of Isabel or they ignored her due to her working class status and gender."  

When Trombley was 26, she was asked to investigate a claim made by a retired businessman that the 100 letters he had purchased for $100 were written by Twain.

 "Going in, I was sure they were fake because no one ever finds that many letters at one time, maybe one or two at time," says Trombley, who has a doctorate in English literature.

 But after a quick look, Trombley realized she had found a treasure trove that took her beyond the elaborate façade that Twain had created of being immune to life's sorrows and challenges.

 "Isabel was someone that Twain was lucky to have in his life," Trombley says. "After his wife's death, which devastated him, he needed someone desperately to take care of him."

And Lyon, living in a time where women had very few ways other than marriage and inheritance to achieving financial security, was also looking for a way to ensure her future.

Does that make Lyon hardhearted?

"You can't look at Isabel through 21st century eyes," says Trombley who came to admire Lyon's intellect and character.

As for the mystery, Trombley keeps the pages turning as she unravels the true story behind their relationship.

"In many ways, it's a mystery that Twain created," she says. "And for 100 years, people believed his fiction. I am the one who figured it out."

 

 

 

Laura Skandera Trombley, lunch and book signing

When: noon Friday

Where: Union League Club of Chicago, 65 W. Jackson Blvd., Chicago

FYI: (847) 446-8880