Chapters (50)
- Cover
- Half Title Page
- Books by Elizabeth Camden
- Title Page
- Dedication
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Thirty-Nine
- Historical Note
- Questions for Discussion
- In 2021, look for Luke Delacroix’s story in
- About the Author
- Back Ads
- Back Cover
“Because Gray didn’t do it, and neither did Philip the Meek nor anyone else we know in Washington.”
“Maybe some things should simply remain a mystery,” Luke said with a maddening grin. “Enough about artichokes. Tell me everything that’s going on at home.”
He listened eagerly as she recounted her work for the first lady and the recent inauguration. Gray spoke about the Pelican’s overseas adventures in Madagascar and Ceylon, and to her amazement, he even described his wedding to Annabelle. It was a dangerous topic, for this entire mess was Annabelle’s fault. Caroline watched Luke while Gray spoke, searching for a scintilla of resentment, but there was none. Gray swore that Luke harbored no animosity toward Annabelle, but she couldn’t quite believe it, even as Luke nodded and teased while listening to details of the wedding.
“You weren’t kidding about the Hebrew,” she said with a nod to the book with foreign lettering on its spine. It sat alongside a Bible, some novels by Mark Twain, and books in languages she couldn’t begin to understand.
Luke noticed and tugged the top book off the stack. “This one is in Arawak. It’s one of the native languages in the Caribbean. The guards give me stuff like this because they think it annoys me.” He smiled. “It doesn’t. I like trying to sound out the words. It’s a challenge and a glimpse into a part of the world I knew nothing about. Plus, it has pictures. Look at these.” He flipped through the pages until he landed on an old Spanish woodcut depicting Indians harvesting tobacco.
It might not annoy Luke, but it annoyed her. Gray sent good money to bribe the guards into supplying Luke with something to read, and this was what they brought?
Luke showed her some of the other books. He seemed especially pleased with the Hebrew Bible and even took a stab at reading aloud to them. She couldn’t help giggling, for the exotic words and cadence sounded impressive.
“I’ve read the Bible cover to cover every month since I’ve been here,” he said. “Now I’m going line by line with it against the Hebrew version. I’m fumbling in the dark, and my biggest regret is not having a rabbi here to help me with it, but I like the challenge. Say, could you send me an English–Hebrew dictionary? It would be easier than using the Hebrew–Latin primer in the back of the book.”
“I’ll send one as soon as possible,” Gray said.
They only had an hour left, and it was time to broach the subject. She looked through the narrow slit in the door and didn’t see a guard, but that didn’t mean one couldn’t be lurking nearby, listening to every word.