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Chapters (51)
  1. Cover
  2. Books by Elizabeth Camden
  3. Title Page
  4. One
  5. Two
  6. Three
  7. Four
  8. Five
  9. Six
  10. Seven
  11. Eight
  12. Nine
  13. Ten
  14. Eleven
  15. Twelve
  16. Thirteen
  17. Fourteen
  18. Fifteen
  19. Sixteen
  20. Seventeen
  21. Eighteen
  22. Nineteen
  23. Twenty
  24. Twenty-One
  25. Twenty-Two
  26. Twenty-Three
  27. Twenty-Four
  28. Twenty-Five
  29. Twenty-Six
  30. Twenty-Seven
  31. Twenty-Eight
  32. Twenty-Nine
  33. Thirty
  34. Thirty-One
  35. Thirty-Two
  36. Thirty-Three
  37. Thirty-Four
  38. Thirty-Five
  39. Thirty-Six
  40. Thirty-Seven
  41. Thirty-Eight
  42. Thirty-Nine
  43. Forty
  44. Forty-One
  45. Forty-Two
  46. Historical Note
  47. Questions for Discussion
  48. In 2020, look forCaroline Delacroix’sstory in
  49. About the Author
  50. Back Ads
  51. Back Cover

He continued talking. “I know what your love for this country cost you. There were no easy choices, but your instincts were always right. Your compass needle pointed true north, and you never wavered. I want us to find a way forward. I can run my company from Kansas if that’s where you want to be. I don’t care if we live in Kansas or Washington or on the Pelican. I’ll never make the spice company the center of my world again, because in doing so, I lost track of my family.” He swallowed hard. “It’s time for me to rebuild it, and I want to begin with you.”

She feared broaching the most dangerous topic, but this conversation was pointless until they did. “What about Luke? Have you forgiven me?”

To her surprise, the corners of his mouth tilted in a gentle smile. “There’s nothing to forgive. You didn’t put him in that jail cell. He got there all on his own.” He pushed the teacups aside and clasped both her hands in his. Warmth and strength radiated from him, but best of all were his eyes burning with gentle appeal.

“Annabelle, I love you. I love your idealism and patriotism. I love that durum wheat discoveries keep you enthralled. Annabelle . . . will you marry me?”

It was hard to believe this was really happening. It was so fast, and there were still so many obstacles ahead.

“Your sister hates me.”

“But I love you. And you’ll be marrying me, not Caroline.”

She stood and navigated around the table to join him on the opposite bench. Then she was in his arms, her vision watery with tears as she looked over his shoulder at the cabbage fields flying past. They lived in a huge and expansive country, filled with choices and opportunities. Not all of them were easy, but she had found a man of character who would step into that world with her, and nothing had ever felt so right.

“I’ll gladly marry you, Gray.”

Forty-Two

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THREE WEEKS LATER
NOVEMBER 6, 1900

It was almost midnight, but Gray was too anxious to feel tired. Hundreds of people packed Anderson Hall on the Kansas State Agricultural College campus, awaiting the results of the presidential election. Never had an election been so personally important, for a presidential pardon was Luke’s only real hope for freedom. Even with a McKinley victory, winning a pardon would be a long shot, but all of Gray’s hope rested on the outcome of this election. He hadn’t been able to swallow a bite of food all day.