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
Then again, if someone had been watching, perhaps the Magruders would never have gotten away with selling tainted coffee.
“Maybe she was right,” he said quietly.
“Bite your tongue!”
“I’m not talking about Luke. I’m talking about adulterated coffee and fake applesauce. About using chemicals to flavor food in ways we can’t even begin to imagine. Maybe the price of freedom in this industry is simply too high.” He flexed his hands, mulling through his options. “Did you ever get your hands on a copy of the contract the Magruders are about to sign with the military?”
She nodded and quickly described the nature of the multi-year contract to supply tons of canned food to military outposts all over the world. Thanks to an avalanche of government regulations, large-scale contracts such as these required public meetings before they could be finalized. It gave journalists the opportunity to observe government spending and competitors a chance to throw their hat into the ring.
“I think I can use the public meeting to force the Magruders to clean up their operations.”
Caroline looked intrigued. “I’d love to score one over the Magruders.”
The only problem was his name. It would be better for the charge to come from someone whose last name wasn’t Delacroix. Ideally, it should come from a government agency that was already on the march, and there was only one.
“Annabelle has connections in the Department of Agriculture. We should get her on board.”
The comment set off a bomb in Caroline.
“Forget about her,” she said. “I have all the connections you need.”
Maybe. But he still wanted Annabelle. “It will look like a personal vendetta if I take the lead on this. I’ve worked with Annabelle before, and she’s up to the task.”
Caroline narrowed her eyes. “Let me be blindingly clear. That woman is poison. She isn’t worthy of you. She’s as bad as Benedict Arnold or Judas Iscariot.”
Her discernment was seriously hampered if she thought Annabelle belonged alongside those two, for Annabelle was a thoroughly good person who’d been forced into a lousy corner. Time had given him that perspective, and a piece of him still desperately longed for her, despite everything that had happened. He might someday be able to rebuild a relationship with Annabelle, and he wouldn’t let his little sister dictate to him on this.
“Don’t make me choose between you and Annabelle,” he said quietly.
The wind left Caroline in a rush. He could see the wheels calculating in her mind as she processed what he had said. She clenched her fists and worked her jaw as though biting back a torrent of words. But she swallowed them all back.
“Let’s get to work,” she said stiffly.
Thirty-Nine
