Chapters (51)
- Cover
- Books by Elizabeth Camden
- Title Page
- 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
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Forty-Two
- Historical Note
- Questions for Discussion
- In 2020, look forCaroline Delacroix’sstory in
- About the Author
- Back Ads
- Back Cover
She pretended to take his request seriously, flipping to the table of contents and skimming the entries. “Nope, nothing on back wounds, but here’s an article on working toward a common goal, and another on making the best of a bad situation. Oh, look! An article on the wisdom of preparing for an important meeting by educating yourself about the people you are about to meet and the magazine they sell.”
Gray’s eyes glittered as he stared at her, but not with anger. It was more like . . . triumph? His voice was silky as he responded. “I wonder if that magazine might possibly contain an article on the care of mosquito bites, an organizational system for household bills, a recipe for fried gumbo, and an editorial on the legal documents every household should possess.”
Heat flushed her cheeks as she stared at the table of contents. He’d just listed the articles in the magazine by order of appearance. “You’ve already read it?”
“I bought a copy the first morning we were in port.”
Annabelle closed the magazine to cover her embarrassment. “Well, then! What shall we talk about?” They still had two hours until Springfield.
“Maybe we can talk about how much fun it is to be a chaperone,” Captain Haig said.
Annabelle had no idea what he meant, but Gray looked like he wanted to laugh.
Was a bit of the ice starting to thaw? She hoped so, for she missed his laugh.
Twenty-Nine
Gray had met with tribal leaders, government bureaucrats, and hard-nosed businessmen from all over the world, but he was uncomfortable as he braced to meet Eleanor Sharpe and Horatio Feldman, editors of the nation’s foremost ladies’ magazine. This was uncharted territory for him, and he was reluctantly grateful for Annabelle’s help navigating it.
It was a drizzly day as they arrived in Springfield, then hired a cab to drive them to the offices of the magazine. He shared an umbrella with Annabelle, wishing this meeting was already over. Good Housekeeping was located in a perfectly ordinary building, four stories of buff-colored stone with uniform windows on each floor. Despite the building’s pedestrian exterior, the inside was something else entirely. The windows had draperies, the office walls boasted wainscoting, and each room had at least one potted plant in a brass container.
“Welcome, welcome!” a matronly woman gushed as she swept into the foyer wearing a heavily ruffled gown, smelling of lilacs, and looking like the personification of everyone’s favorite grandmother. “I’m Eleanor Sharpe, content editor for the magazine. I’m afraid Mr. Feldman is still with the accountants, but all to the good! We can get to know each other before discussing tedious business.”
Annabelle stepped forward. “Annabelle Larkin from the Department of Agriculture. Thank you so much for using your publication to help spread the word about nutrition and the value of proper housekeeping.”