by Maureen Lang
Only after they’d settled did Meg realize the wisdom of Claire’s suggestion. The quiet of the garden made it seem as if they were far from any worries, particularly when a butterfly glided in from above. Sunlight touched his purple-and-black wings, and after landing on the tip of a thistle, he fluttered as if knowing he was on display. There wasn’t a bee to be seen.
Kate and Claire, obviously intent on helping to keep Meg’s worries at bay, asked question after unnecessary question about nearly all the plants and flowers. It was an effective ploy, one Meg cooperated with gratefully.
When at last the door leading to the garden opened behind them, Meg was almost afraid to turn around. What if Nelson stood there alone and they hadn’t let Ian go? But a glance at Kate’s pleased face gave Meg the courage to look.
Nelson stepped out of the way to let Ian emerge from the house. Before a word was spoken, both Claire and Kate abandoned their spots, joining Nelson to leave Meg alone with Ian.
He stood before her, hat in hand, gaze holding hers transfixed. He wasn’t wearing the suit she’d seen him in a few days ago. Rather he wore what looked like something new, a navy frock coat and matching trousers. A tan waistcoat stood out, along with the navy cravat over a stark-white shirt. He sported the look of an honest gentleman.
It seemed as though their first glance went on forever. It wasn’t that Meg was at a loss for words. It was that too many came to mind at once.
“I want to know only one thing,” she said softly. “Why did you stop yourself from stealing the bricks?”
The relief on his face made her wonder if he’d doubted his welcome. He took a step closer but made no effort to touch her. “I would say I wanted to protect you, but that’s only partially true. Until seeing the painting that hid the lever, I wasn’t sure I had it in me to do the right thing. With God’s help, I did.”
Heart hammering in her chest, Meg wished she could see even farther into his eyes. She’d once marveled at how easily she could read him, but at the moment she was too afraid to believe what she saw. The peace she’d thought rose from a job well done, an illegal job . . . she knew now it wasn’t that kind of satisfaction at all. It was the kind of peace she herself had experienced; she was sure of it. An honest peace.
He took a step closer so that he was mere inches away. “You deserve better than me, you know. You deserve someone with a long, trustworthy history. Not me.”
“Perhaps we’re exactly what we need for each other, Ian. Someone who knows what it’s like to have been forgiven.”
He nodded, a grateful smile touching his lips. “I have much to make up to society for and much to prove to you. But with God’s help, I can do it. He’s already taught me I could love someone more than money. And I do. I love you, Meggie.”
Meg was in his arms the moment he’d uttered her name, knowing that from him she wanted to be called nothing else.
Epilogue
These are the kinds of marriage proposals that should rarely be considered:
The first, even from the man a young lady fully intends to marry. However, the lady should never refuse him a third time lest she be considered too difficult to please.
A written proposal, lest a young lady wonder if the man might have wrestled with submitting such a note to the trash before allowing it to be delivered.
Under moonlight, lest the mood of such surroundings be responsible for the question rather than the sincerity of his sentiment.
Upon a full stomach, lest his contentment with life in general fool both the gentleman and the young lady into thinking too quickly ahead. This is particularly true if he believes the young lady planned or prepared any of the dinner.
From a man who has little security to offer.
Madame Marisse’s Handbook for Young Ladies
Meg sat where few women of Fifth Avenue ever had, in an anteroom at the courthouse adjoining Tombs Prison. Even here, well away from the cells that housed everything from pickpockets to murderers, she felt the damp from a building that, they said, was sinking into the mire upon which it had been built.
Although Nelson was in the courtroom with Ian, Meg was not alone. On one side sat Kate, and on the other Claire, despite Meg’s insistence she not trouble herself by accompanying her to such a place. But Claire would hear no protest, particularly when Jude announced he’d been recruited by Nelson to help in the case. He’d been mysterious about why, but that had made the decision about whether or not Claire would accompany Meg that much easier. Mr. Deekes stood off to the side so the women would not be unescorted.
A good portion of the time the three women waited had been spent in silent but heartfelt prayer on Ian’s behalf.
Nelson had been able to arrange the nontrial procedure he’d hoped for. Not so much a miracle, he’d assured her, as the eagerness of negotiators to deal with someone willing to plead guilty. Since there had been no doubt of Ian’s plea, the court had been persuaded to avoid the extra time and expense necessary for a jury trial.
The risk came with the judge assigned to Ian’s case, but Nelson had assured them this judge was not only fair; he was as immune to corruption as possible in a city like theirs.
Meg had been forewarned about allowing herself any hopes of grace. They would find justice at worst, a touch of mercy at best.
Part of the deal Nelson had been able to procure included Ian’s agreement to give up his home and fortune as recompense to those institutions he’d victimized in the past. Because of the subdued nature of Ian’s crimes, knowing there were no formal charges against Ian and that he’d confessed rather than been coerced into the truth—a rare occasion in this courthouse—Nelson had let Meg dare hope Ian could be spared prison altogether. Instead, they would agree to probation of not less than five years, with the stipulation that Ian would use his knowledge and experience in favor of banks instead of against them. All that was required was a bank willing to trust him, and that, Nelson assured them, he could provide.
At last the door to their small waiting room opened. Nelson came in first but was quickly followed by Jude and finally by Ian. For the barest moment Meg could read none of their faces. Did they bring good news or bad? And yet how could it be bad if Ian himself stood before her?
She rose to her feet, unable to guess what the judge had decided. Was Ian’s presence in this wing of the Tombs only a brief reprieve from a cell down one hall or another? Or had he been given probation?
“Mercy won,” Ian said, his eyes meeting Meg’s, alight. “I’m free—at least, relatively so.” He glanced unexpectedly—if uncertainly—toward Jude. “The measure of that freedom is due partially to Jude.”
Jude grinned, then looked at Claire. “We’ve been awarded custody of Ian, so to speak.”
“Custody?”
“We’re to deliver him safely to his probation officer in Chicago, where he’ll spend the next five years working for a Middle West bank recently purchased by your brother.”
Ian nodded. “I’ll be in securities at last. Starting over the honest way.”
Tossing all etiquette aside, Meg threw herself at him, tears warming her cheeks.
Ian must have misread the source of those relieved tears. He held her at arm’s length with nothing less than concern on his face.
“Don’t worry, Meg. They didn’t take everything from me. I still have my faith, my wits, my ambition, and some newly acquired integrity.” He drew her into his arms. “And Roscoe! They let me keep him, too.”
Meg laughed through her tears.
That dog.
Author’s Note
Dear Reader,
I’m convinced God surrounds us with inspiration to match the gifts He gives us. Talk to any writer and they’ll tell you the ideas behind their novels can come from a variety of sources. People we know might inspire us. Events we’ve heard or read about can evoke entire plotlines. Even songs that strike an emotional chord can make an author want to explore the human condition through characters of all kinds.
; Those are just some of the sparks that many authors, myself included, have experienced to ignite a full-length novel. But for the first time, at least for me, the inkling of Bees in the Butterfly Garden came from the title. Let me tell you how.
One afternoon as I was writing at my desk, I happened to look out at the garden in my yard. I’d purposely planted flowers known to attract butterflies, but unfortunately many of those same plants also bring bees. From where I sat, I had a clear view of which visitors I received that day. Two large bees.
Taken momentarily out of the story I was writing at the time, I sat there feeling sorry for myself. I plant a butterfly garden and all I get are bees. Bees in the butterfly garden.
I recall speaking the words aloud, and the moment I heard them, they struck me as fit for a book title. Since I’m normally title-challenged, I abandoned my self-pity about the garden visitors to feel nearly proud of myself. I’d thought of a title that was fit for a book! All I needed was a novel to go along with it.
That was how this book was conceived. With the insight of my Tyndale editors, Stephanie Broene and Sarah Mason, and my agent, Rachelle Gardner, my first attempts at the story were vastly improved and polished to what you have read here.
Creativity is a gift that God has given to all of us simply because we’re made in His image. From believers to nonbelievers, from culture to culture, from youth to old age, each of us possesses this part of God’s nature inside of us. How fun it is to tap into it!
I pray you enjoy your own gift of creativity and that you may offer up a thought of thanks to the One whose likeness your creativity reflects.
Maureen Lang
About the Author
Maureen Lang has always had a passion for writing, particularly stories with romance and history. She wrote her first novel longhand around the age of ten, put the pages into a notebook she had covered with soft deerskin (nothing but the best!), then passed it around the neighborhood for friends to read. It was so much fun she’s been writing ever since.
Her debut inspirational novel, Pieces of Silver, was a 2007 Christy Award finalist, followed by Remember Me, The Oak Leaves, On Sparrow Hill, My Sister Dilly, and most recently, the Great War series. She has won the Romance Writers of America Golden Heart award, the Inspirational Reader’s Choice Contest, the American Christian Fiction Writers Noble Theme award, and a HOLT Medallion, and has been a finalist for Romance Writers of America’s RITA, the American Christian Fiction Writers Carol Award, and the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence.
Maureen lives in the Midwest with her husband, her two sons, and their much-loved dog, Susie. She loves to hear from her readers at [email protected] or via the mail at:
Maureen Lang
P.O. Box 41
Libertyville, IL 60048
Visit her website at www.maureenlang.com.
Discussion Questions
1. Early in the story, what aspects of Meg’s character hint that she might be more like her father than he would have liked, despite all of her proper training? In what ways does her naiveté show through?
2. Meg’s father sacrificed his own relationship with her so she could be raised with the hope of a better future than one he could offer her at his side. Do you agree with his decision? Can you name a time when your motives were unselfish but misunderstood by others?
3. How did you feel about Meg’s character? About her desire to take up her father’s profession? What do you think she is really trying to accomplish by following in her father’s footsteps?
4. What did you think of Ian’s reaction to Meg’s rebellion? Should he have handled it differently?
5. Kate has a habit of wearing red and even breaks the era’s tradition of black mourning garb to carry a red handkerchief. Why? What do you do to remind yourself of God’s love, forgiveness, or presence in your life?
6. As you read some of the advice given in Madame Marisse’s Handbook for Young Ladies, did you find yourself relieved our society no longer puts emphasis on such details or slightly nostalgic, wishing some of these traditions had survived? How do you think you would have fared if you lived during this time period? Do you think future generations will view some of today’s customs and expectations as unnecessary or unhelpful? What might those be?
7. Near the end of the story, Meg feels “under attack” from God. What circumstances make her feel this way? Have you ever felt as if God was pursuing you? How did you respond?
8. Ian turned his back on God when he felt God had treated him harshly. Have you ever allowed disappointment with God to create distance from Him? How did you or could you overcome the chasm?
9. Despite the difference in their ages, Evie feels a strong sense of sibling rivalry with her sister, Claire. How might Claire have alleviated some of Evie’s feelings of insecurity, rather than just being continually annoyed by her?
10. Meg’s story is an example that death does not end a parent’s influence on a child’s life. Can you name a person, living or dead, who has influenced your behavior in a major way? How has your life or your character changed as a result of that person?
11. In spite of her faith, Kate forces herself to lie about her identity to the Pembertons and others in New York society because she knows to do otherwise would jeopardize Meg. How do you think God views such deception? Could she have handled the situation in a more honest way without bringing suspicion to Meg?
12. Even though Jude broke off his engagement with Claire long ago, Claire continues to hold out hope that he will return for her. What did you think of her decision to wait for Jude? If you were in Claire’s position, would you be willing to forgive? Why or why not?
13. At one point in the story, Kate says Meg is reaching for a past that can never be recaptured and that Ian hopes to secure his future by filling it with money. Have you ever found yourself missing out on or impatient with the present, while memories of the past or hopes for the future take up your time? Have you looked to money—or to another person—instead of God for contentment? What were the results?
14. The Pemberton form of addressing family wrongdoings is to respond with justice, grace, or mercy. If you were faced with someone who’d wronged you, which option do you believe you would choose? Would it matter what the grievance was or how you felt about the person?
15. Do you think justice is served in the end? For Brewster? For Meg? For Ian?