A Dangerous Legacy
Page 31
“You suppose correctly,” Nick said tightly.
In all honesty, Lucy worried Nick wasn’t cut out for the spotlight, either. The reading of Jacob Drake’s will had caused a sensation when a vast fortune was inherited by a plumber. Americans loved to see an underdog rise to power, but they were just as eager to watch him stumble. Nick no longer worked in the tunnels beneath Manhattan. Instead he had taken a government position that planned the construction of new aqueducts to bring water into the city. Instead of plumbers, now Nick worked alongside politicians, engineers, lawyers, and yes, if he was going to make it in this new world, he was going to have to learn how to deal with journalists. Colin had done his best to guide Nick in this new and rarefied world, but her brother was a force of nature who was difficult to tame.
After the count turned to leave the biergarten, Colin put his arm around Nick’s shoulders.
“Come on. Let’s have one of those revolting blood sausages, and you can tell me about the new apartment you’re about to buy.”
Nick’s face was flushed as he glared at the departing count’s back. He swallowed hard. “Give me a second to cool down.”
It didn’t take long. Nick was naturally buoyant and soon swallowed back his annoyance, took a bracing breath of air, then flashed the reckless smile Lucy knew so well.
“Okay, I’m good!” he said, clapping Colin on the back. “Let’s go set the night on fire.”
They rejoined Bridget at the table. She had given up on the bratwurst but managed to flag down a serving girl and finagled an apple pie for the four of them to share. Their laughter lingered long into the night.
Over the past year, Lucy had known fear, hope, joy, and despair, but tonight was perfect. Would tomorrow be? Probably not, but she would seize this beautiful, star-speckled night while it lasted, for these fleeting moments of fellowship gave her the fortitude to venture toward whatever new challenges lay ahead.
Historical Note
Reuters and the Associated Press occupied different floors of the Western Union Telegraph Building until it was demolished in 1914. Although they were competing news agencies, they had a remarkable level of professional respect and cooperation as they sent their reporters into dangerous postings all over the world. The best example of their collaboration was the AP’s leasing of Reuters’ telegraph wires through the British colonies in Asia, an agreement that was in effect until the Pacific cable was completed in 1903.
The route for a canal through Central America was controversial for decades. Although the shortest path was through the Isthmus of Panama, the rugged terrain required numerous expensive locks. French engineers broke ground in 1879, but tropical diseases, an earthquake, and a financial scandal brought construction of the French canal to a halt in 1889. Negotiations with the Colombian government for the United States to resume the abandoned French canal proved difficult, causing a Nicaraguan route to become a tempting alternative. Numerous investors lost a fortune in Nicaragua when Roosevelt backed the Panamanian route through Colombia instead. The United States quietly aided a Panamanian revolution against Colombia, resulting in Panama’s independence in late 1903. Construction on the canal began in 1904, and the Panama Canal opened in 1914.
Over time, the new generation of ships became too large to use the canal, and a second, larger canal was built alongside the original Panama Canal and opened in 2016. Ironically, the Nicaraguan canal route is once again under consideration after a Chinese billionaire won approval for the project in 2013. Ecological concerns and mounting expenses have put the project on hold, but the path through Nicaragua continues to be a powerful lure.
Discussion Questions
Lucy’s wiretap into the lawyer’s office is illegal, but she justifies her actions by claiming a distinction between the letter of the law and what was morally right. Was her choice truly honorable? Since she clearly stood to benefit by winning the lawsuit, can she genuinely claim to be acting in a selfless manner?
The friendships formed among telegraph operators as they chatted with one another during slow times is similar to online friendships over the internet. Have you ever formed an online friendship with someone you’ve never met?
Mrs. Schroeder knows that her husband is engaged in illegal activities at Ridgemoor. What is the moral obligation of a good woman married to a corrupt man?
When Lucy believes Colin has left to get married, she redoubles her efforts to broaden her horizons. Has heartbreak or other disappointment ever inspired you to become a better person?
Eustace Drake believed that his inventions were his contribution to making the world a better place. He said, “When I do this, I feel God smiling on me.” Are there any special gifts or tasks you perform that make it feel like God is smiling on you?
Tom Jr. is intelligent and a talented marksman but suffers from an inflated view of himself fueled by his parents’ gushing praise. Do you know any well-intentioned parents who have inadvertently puffed up their children? Tom’s lack of moral compass aside, what other consequences can excessive parental praise have on a child?
The deal Jacob and Eustace struck was loosely modeled on Jacob and Esau (Genesis 25:29–34). In both cases, the deal was binding, albeit foolishly entered into. Was either Jacob morally justified in asserting the deal?
Lucy dislikes President Roosevelt but is incensed when she learns of the plot against him and is willing to risk everything on his behalf. In our own era when distrust of political figures runs high, how do you feel about her lockstep loyalty to the office rather than the man?
Even though Colin and Lucy eagerly embrace technological advances, they both find charm and value in the lost art of homing pigeons. We live in a similar age of technology-driven change. Are there any obsolete traditions or technologies for which you feel a genuine sense of loss?
Frank Wooten favors Colin over the Polish count as a husband for his daughter because Colin has a solid history of accomplishment. When a parent has qualms about their child’s pick of a spouse, what is the appropriate level of intervention, if any?
In 2018, Look for Nicholas Drake’s Story in A Daring Venture
Amidst the glamour of turn-of-the century New York, Dr. Rosalind Werner is at the forefront of an innovative but risky experiment to eliminate waterborne disease from the nation’s water supply. This brings her into direct confrontation with Nicholas Drake, the newly appointed Commissioner of Water for the state of New York. As scientists and engineers line up to take sides in a battle that will be fought in the courts, the streets, and in college laboratories across the nation, Rosalind and Nick wage their own personal war as their reluctant attraction becomes impossible to ignore. When the conflict grows into an inflammatory public controversy, can these two rivals overcome their differences to prevail against the opposition coming at them from all sides?
Elizabeth Camden is the author of ten historical novels and two historical novellas 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
Resources: bethanyhouse.com/AnOpenBook
Website: www.bethanyhouse.com
Facebook: Bethany House
Twitter: @Bethany House
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