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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

Her gesture seemed to embarrass him, but he didn’t withdraw his hand. “I’m sorry this trip wasn’t what you hoped for,” he said hesitantly. “But maybe it can turn into something more. I’d like to see you again, if that would be agreeable.”

His old-world formality constantly thrilled her. She tried not to smile too much when she replied. “That would be agreeable.”

That evening Gray took her in his family’s sailboat back to the city. He even accompanied her on the streetcar to help with her ungainly bags while she carried the orchid, then escorted her all the way back to her apartment building. They stood beneath the streetlamp to say good-bye.

“Can I come back to Windover Landing sometime?” she asked boldly.

“I hope you do.”

The affection burning in his gaze stayed with her long after she climbed into bed that evening. Her trip had been a failure, but she still felt euphoric.

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Annabelle didn’t understand the magnitude of the gift Gray had given her until she saw Dr. Norwood’s reaction to the orchid. He gasped and clutched his chest, almost as though having a heart attack.

“A Paphiopedilum callosum,” he managed to choke out. “I’ve only seen them in paintings. Wait until the gentlemen at the Orchid Society get a look at this.” He shooed her from his office. “Go, go. I must propagate this beauty immediately. And tell my secretary to cancel the rest of my appointments for the day.”

He hovered over the plant with a magnifying glass, his hands trembling in excitement. Would this be enough for him to offer her a permanent position? The craving to ask clawed at her, but before she could speak, Dr. Norwood surprised her.

He looked up with a calculating expression on his face. “Don’t go yet,” he said as he straightened to his full height.

“Yes?”

He set down his magnifying glass. “You’ve done very well, Miss Larkin,” he said. “We may have more uses for you yet. I will be in touch soon.”

“Thank you, sir.”

What was she to make of that odd comment? It seemed . . . well, sinister wasn’t the right word. Scheming? Calculating?

Whatever it was, she suspected it involved more than orchids, and it worried her.

Eight

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Gray stared at the paperwork lying on the desk before him. The contract for the sale of the Pelican was only three pages long, but signing it would change the direction of his life forever. Owning a steamship had been his father’s dream, never Gray’s. As soon as the sale was concluded, it would mark the end of his travels and the beginning of a new life in Virginia.

He glanced at the clock. The bank wanted the paperwork completed today, but he needed to review it again before signing, and Annabelle Larkin was due to visit within the hour.