Rosalind presented her best smile to the man at the counter. “I’d like to go below to see Nicholas Drake,” she said.
He looked at her like she’d grown a second head. “They don’t let women go down in the tunnels, ma’am.”
She brightened. “I’m a biochemist and will be doing water consultation for the city. I’m sure Mr. Drake would authorize my visit.”
He matched her smile. “And I’m sure he won’t, ma’am. You’ll have to wait over there.”
“Oh. All right,” she said as she shuffled off to wait at a picnic table.
So much for her newfound assertiveness. She repressed a smile, for she had learned which battles were worth fighting and which were not. Nick might not like her interrupting him in the middle of his work, and this conversation was too important to botch.
She loved him and was ready to make a life with him. She didn’t want to live on the other side of the river when her heart was here. She sat at the picnic table, tearing at a little splinter and watching the minute hand of the clock crawl at a snail’s pace.
It was ten minutes after six o’clock when Nick emerged from below ground. The elevator doors opened, and a cluster of men poured out, some in business suits, others in coveralls. All of them blinked in the sudden sunlight.
Nick had his shirtsleeves rolled to his elbows, and his hands were stained with grease. She watched as he studied a timetable posted to the bulletin board and talked about installation schedules with the man beside him.
She stood and finally caught his eye. His teeth flashed white against his tanned face.
“Dr. Werner,” he said with warm approval, then turned back to the pair of businessmen. “Sorry, Jackson, important business with Jersey City’s water supply awaits.” He closed the distance between them.
“I’m not here on water business,” she admitted.
“Even better,” he said with a wink before heading over to a washstand and scrubbing up, the scent of pine and pumice tickling her nose. After a moment, he dried his hands and joined her at the opposite side of the picnic table, casually linking his fingers with hers. “Well?”
This was it. She cleared her throat and glanced around the hog house. The elevator continued to off-load workmen every few minutes, and a handful of men lingered at the tables, helping themselves to hot coffee or a sandwich. It wasn’t exactly where she’d ever thought she would become engaged, but then again, she’d never imagined a man like Nick Drake would come storming into her life.
“Doctor Clean let me go today,” she began.
“He didn’t!” Nick shot to his feet, outrage stamped on every one of his features.
She tugged on his hands to pull him back down. “It’s okay,” she said. “I felt a little guilty collecting dividends when I wasn’t even doing testing for him anymore. He paid me for my shares and cut me loose. He said the company’s image was squeaky clean, and, well . . .”
It was easy to see the heat gathering behind Nick’s dark eyes. “I’m never using that slop again,” he growled as he sat back down.
“There’s nothing else like it on the market. It really is a remarkable cleaning solution.” She wouldn’t have endorsed it if she thought otherwise.
“I don’t care. He never gets another penny from me.”
She squeezed his hands. The big, strong, workingman’s hands she loved so well. “Fortunately, I know the recipe and can mix it up in the kitchen.”
“Cheaper than he can sell it?”
“One-tenth the price.”
Nick flashed her a grin. “Good! I may be rich, but I still love to save a dime.”
She drew their clasped hands toward her and kissed his knuckles. “Do you remember that night in your apartment when you said you didn’t want to rush me into anything, but that when I was ready, you’d be waiting?”
“I pretty much think about that night all the time.” His face was cautious, guarded concern mingled with hope.
She wanted to lunge across the table and leap into his lap, but she’d been on this earth long enough to know that delayed gratification was one of the most oddly delicious sensations on earth. And she loved that Nick was willing to wait for her.
“I’m ready, Nick. I’m ready to dance in the streets with you and climb mountains and dream about what dragons we’re going to slay next. I’ve always been a little timid where dragons are concerned, but I feel braver with you beside me. I’d be honored to be your wife.”
Nick’s eyes gleamed. He never broke his steady gaze, but he kissed the back of her left hand, and then her right. “It’s a deal, Dr. Werner.”
He stood and scooped her up into his arms. It was terribly inappropriate to kiss a man in front of a dozen laborers and a public inspector, but she didn’t care. This was her man. He was her future. From this day forward, they were a team.
And instead of scorn, the men in the hog house cheered.
Epilogue
Six months later
Nick wanted a small wedding, but after inviting his old friends from his plumbing days plus the people from his current job, they were already at a hundred people. Rosalind wanted her laboratory assistants, Dr. Leal, and all the people from the Jersey City water company, so over two hundred people filled the clubhouse.
Rosalind looked spectacular in a satin wedding gown, but after the ceremony, he’d seen precious little of her. They were practically mobbed the moment they stepped inside the reception hall, with people stepping forward to pound him on the back and push champagne into his hand. Rosalind was tugged away by a passel of women wanting to admire her dress.
Nick spotted Lucy on the far side of the room and made his way to her table, where she sat with four-month-old Amanda on her lap. Colin hovered in the neighboring chair, lavishing attention on his daughter.
Nick joined them. “If you don’t quit gawking at that baby, she’ll get scorch marks on her skin. Too much doting will do that to a child.”
“What poppycock,” Colin said. “If that were true, she would have burned to a crisp months ago.”
Nick grinned. “I may not always have my facts straight, but at least I’ve never used a word like poppycock.”
It was almost four o’clock in the afternoon, and he was famished. He helped himself to some chicken appetizers wrapped in fancy imported cheese. “This sure beats a plate of baked beans, eh, Luce?” he joked, remembering the years they had lived together and eaten canned food because neither of them could cook.
“I love canned beans,” she said.
It looked like he wasn’t going to get a chance to eat much, for as soon as the orchestra started, General O’Donnell flagged him down. “No one else can dance until you and Rosalind have the first dance.”
Sure enough, most of the crowd had parted, and Rosalind was making her way toward him. By heaven, she was lovely! He shot to his feet and escorted her to the dance floor.
“Pretty as a moonbeam,” he whispered in her ear as he stepped out into a waltz, grateful for the dancing classes he’d taken a few years ago. He might be a plumber, but he knew how to lead a lady around a dance floor and did so with confidence. Never had he felt so proud as he did cradling Rosalind in the shelter of his arms as he waltzed her across the floor. He smiled down at her, doing his best to ease her nerves. Rosalind never liked being the center of attention, but he was loving every moment.
After their dance, others joined them on the dance floor. The music was good, the champagne plentiful, and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.
“It looks as if your cousin has found a suitor,” Rosalind said with a nod to the far side of the dance floor.
Eloise’s red hair made it easy to spot her, but Nick scowled when he noticed she was dancing with Fletcher Jones, who had hired her to work as an accountant upstate. It was a challenging assignment, and Eloise had returned to town a few weeks earlier. She and Fletcher had been inseparable ever since, and it annoyed Nick down to his toenails.
“I’ve been trying to ignor
e it,” he grumbled. “Apparently they play games with their adding machines, seeing who can solve mathematical equations first.”
Rosalind looked like she couldn’t decide if she was charmed or appalled. “Truly?”
“Yeah. Truly.”
“Well then!” she said brightly. “It sounds like they’re a good match for each other.”
“I’d like it better if he wasn’t signing her paycheck,” Nick grumbled.
He actually didn’t like anything about the situation at all. Maybe he was overprotective, but there was something odd about Eloise’s abrupt return from the valley. She’d been miserable, and Fletcher had wasted no time swooping in to the rescue. When Nick said as much to Rosalind, she laughed his concerns away.
“If you’re this protective over your cousin, I dread the day when a suitor comes calling on Sadie.”
“That won’t happen until she’s thirty, so we don’t need to worry about it yet.” He grinned and pulled Rosalind closer as they danced, smiling down into her eyes. “You married a protective man, Dr. Werner.”
“Dr. Drake,” she corrected.
A huge smile split his face. “I like the sound of that.”
He pulled her closer as they danced. How thankful he was that she had forgiven him, and that he’d stepped down from his lofty, judgmental stance before he ruined everything. Neither he nor Rosalind were perfect, but together they clicked and hummed and sparkled, and he loved every minute of it.
Dr. Leal tapped Nick on the shoulder. “May I cut in?” he asked in a gentlemanly tone.
Nick didn’t particularly want to surrender his bride, but Rosalind didn’t belong to him alone. He admired her dedication to research, and Dr. Leal was a huge part of her success. He stepped back and watched the two laboratory partners, both so modest and self-effacing, and yet already they’d taken extraordinary strides toward making the world a safer place.
They lived in the biggest, boldest city in the nation. In the years to come, they would face steep challenges as they carved out a daring future, but he had the right woman at his side. Together, they would be unstoppable.
Historical Note
Although most of the characters in this novel are fictional, Dr. John Leal and George Fuller are the real-life heroes who implemented the first chlorine feed system in the world.
The lawsuit at the center of this novel, The Aldermen of Jersey City vs. the Jersey City Water Supply Company, originally ordered the defendants to build a massive new system of infrastructure to ensure clean water. Dr. Leal’s startling choice to secretly implement his chlorine feed during a ninety-day appeal was a controversial decision, resulting in public outcry and threats of legal action. The efficacy of chlorine for safely disinfecting water was soon apparent, and the court ruled in his favor. The city immediately appealed the decision, resulting in another two years of litigation. The lawsuit was finally concluded in May of 1910, when the court once again ruled in Dr. Leal’s favor.
Dr. Leal and Mr. Fuller spent the next several years helping cities adopt the technique. Deaths from cholera, typhoid, and other waterborne diseases immediately plummeted wherever chlorine was implemented. By 1914, more than half the population of the United States was receiving chlorinated water. Chlorination of municipal water systems is now standard practice in the United States.
Dr. Leal never sought fame or enrichment for his work. He died in relative obscurity when he was only fifty-five due to complications from diabetes. In 2013, the city of Paterson, New Jersey, erected a monument at his grave, memorializing him as a “Hero of Public Health.” He has been credited with saving millions of lives around the world.
Questions for Discussion
Rosalind hid the chlorine experiment from Nick because she believed she had right on her side. Are there ever instances when covering something up for the greater good can be justified?
Rosalind is inspired to research clean water due to a tragedy in her life. Have you ever had a powerful experience, either good or bad, that inspired you toward a cause?
Nick and Rosalind fell for each other fast, but how well did they really know each other? Is it possible to fall in love with someone after only a few meetings?
Rather than lavishing material goods on their children, Rosalind’s parents ensured she had a modest upbringing that was rich only in a variety of books and experiences. Nick is the opposite in how he is raising Sadie. How was the household where you grew up? How should one balance material luxuries with practical and scholarly experiences?
Nick is able to forgive Rosalind’s lie because she did it on behalf of a scientific cause rather than personal gain. How do you feel about this? Was she justified in lying? Are all lies equally damning?
When the court case turned against Dr. Leal, he responded: “That’s something over which we have no control, so we’ll do the best with what we have. It’s all God asks of us.” Rosalind takes comfort in this. Are there times when you let things beyond your control discourage you? How might you reframe the problem with a wider perspective?
Rosalind’s guilt over what happened in Germany causes her to become highly deferential to Ingrid. Is this sort of capitulation ever effective? Was there a better way Rosalind could have handled the situation?
Aside from their common interest in water, Rosalind and Nick are complete opposites. What are the problems with choosing a partner from a starkly different background and temperament? Advantages?
Nick’s rise into the upper class makes him self-conscious and defensive about his humble roots. Do you have any qualities that make you feel less than worthy? How might you lean on that quality to make you a more compassionate person?
Rosalind’s reputation can never be fully restored after the damaging gossip from Germany arrives in America. Most people have incidents in their past they regret. What is the most productive way to handle those regrets? And does it matter what others think?
Eloise Drake’s prim demeanor hides a turbulent past. After overcoming exile, abandonment, and heartbreak, Eloise has finally built a world of perfect stability and put a disastrous love affair behind her. A mathematical genius, she is now a successful accountant for the largest engineering project in New York. Unfortunately, the assignment puts her squarely back in the path of the man who once broke her heart.
Alex Duval is the mayor of a town on the brink of destruction. The state has seized control of his village and is about to wipe it off the map in order to flood the valley and build a new reservoir. Alex is stunned when he learns the woman he once loved is part of the team charged with clearing the land. As his world begins to crumble around him, Alex devises one last, risky plan to save his town, but he needs Eloise and her unique skills to make it happen. The long-shot quest will require courage, stamina, and every ounce of their combined ingenuity to overcome the odds against them.
Different in nearly every way, can these star-crossed lovers overcome the chasm between them to save the town?
Elizabeth Camden is the author of eleven historical novels and has been honored with both the RITA Award and the Christy Award. With a master’s in history and a master’s in library science, she is a research librarian by day and scribbles away on her next novel by night. She lives with her husband in Florida. Learn more at www.elizabethcamden.com.
Books by Elizabeth Camden
The Lady of Bolton Hill
The Rose of Winslow Street
Against the Tide
Into the Whirlwind
With Every Breath
Beyond All Dreams
Toward the Sunrise: An Until the Dawn Novella
Until the Dawn
Summer of Dreams: A From This Moment Novella
From This Moment
To the Farthest Shores
A Dangerous Legacy
A Daring Venture
Resources: bethanyhouse.com/AnOpenBook
Website: www.bethanyhouse.com
Facebook: Bethany House
Twitter: @Bethany House
A Daring Venture Page 30