My Sister's Prayer (54 page)
Read My Sister's Prayer Online
Authors: Mindy Starns Clark
When it ended, we shared a startled smile, as if both surprised at the intensity that had been there under the surface all along.
“Ah, Maddee, you have no idea,” he said sweetly, pulling me to him and holding me tight.
I went willingly, resting my head against his shoulder in a spot made just for me. As we held our embrace, it struck me why I hadn't been able to choose a ringtone for this man. As Nicole had said, life didn't always tie up in a neat little package with a perfect little bow. Sometimes it was messy and complicated. People were complex and surprising. And Greg just had so many different levels to him, so many layers, that no way could I squeeze who he was into a single line from some song.
Just as I'd needed to let go of my perfectionism, I saw now that I had to stop categorizing people. I had to stop hiding behind labels and thinking I could control things by putting them into tidy compartments. Mostly, I had to stop escaping into unrealistic dreams of how my life would be “someday.” Life was already here. It was all around me.
And, messy or not, I was ready for it.
C
eleste and Spenser were married in the parish church three months later, after all of the lumber had been milled for the inn and loaded onto the boat. George and Berta were married soon after. Together, the two couples and Sary traveled with Emmanuel up the James to their new home. Within a year the inn was profitable. Soon after, the parts for the mill arrived from the Netherlands and that business grew too.
Emmanuel's work brought him to Williamsburg fairly often. Then, on one very special trip, he delivered the first of their milled wood to a plantation on the wayâand returned home with Aline as his bride. Besides being a good wife to him and a friend to Celeste and Berta, she proved an asset to the running of the inn.
Through the years, Emmanuel did use the ring as collateral several times, to acquire more land and supplies. But even when it wasn't tied up that way, the women in the family rarely wore it. As it turned out, they all worked far too hard for such finery.
The Talbots kept their promise not to own slaves and managed to make a living off hospitality, timber, and the humble beginnings of
papermaking and printing that would later evolve into the family fortune. Although Sary was free, she chose to stay and work at the inn, doing her best with her lame hand.
Celeste never saw her parents again, but she'd been assured of their forgiveness after she fully confessed in the letter written for her by Spencer. Alexander came to Virginia a few years later, which delighted them all, especially Celeste. He brought all of the letters she had written to Papa and Maman thus far, with instructions to pass them down so that future Talbots would know the hardships their forebears endured to forge a life in the New World. He also brought the note certifying the ruby ring's origins, which gave it even greater worth as a guarantee for financing. Alexander eventually returned to England, where he joined his two brothers in London as printers, just like their father.
All three of the couples who stayed in Virginia had children of their own, and love flew back and forth across the Atlantic, in both letters and prayers, throughout Celeste's lifetime.
Her heart belonged to Virginia, but she never forgot her family's history in France and then England, her journey to the New World, and God's steadfast presence through it all.
1. Maddee knows that Nicole needed to fix what was damaged on the inside to begin healing on the outside and recover from her addiction. What in the story contributes to Nicole's healing? What do you think her chances of staying in recovery are?
2. Maddee has a difficult time getting past thinking of herself as an ugly duckling. Do you have a negative impression of yourself from your childhood that you have carried with you? If so, how have you dealt with it?
3. Nicole recognizes that Maddee's perfectionist tendencies are an effort to control everything around her and asks her when she's going to grow up and realize that life is “ugly and messy and difficult, that it doesn't tie up in a neat little package with a perfect little bow?” Was there a point in your life when you realized it would never be tied with a perfect little bow? How did you handle it? What advice do you have for someone who is a perfectionist?
4. Celeste leaves a good family to chase after a man and ends up halfway across the world. Have you (or someone you've known) made rash decisions in the heat of the moment that changed the course of your life? How did it turn out? What advice would you give someone contemplating such an act?
5. Lying comes easily to both Berta and Nicole. Maddee's supervisor reminds her that lying can become habitual but can be corrected through therapy. Do you think Berta and Nicole lie for the same or different reasons? Why? Do you believe this habit can be corrected?
6. How did Nicole's age and personality contribute to the long-term emotional impact of the murder scene the girls stumbled upon? Did you feel it was believable that her nightmares created an even deeper emotional wound?
7. At Mr. Edwards's inn, Celeste was forced to work harder than she ever had in her entire life. What prepared her, in her past, for the difficult labor of a kitchen maid and serving girl?
8. Celeste finds, for a good part of the story, that she cannot pray. Have you ever have had a time in your life when you found it difficult to pray? What got you through? What made you able to pray again?
9. Sary tells Celeste that the charming men are “the ones you need to watch out for.” Jonathan and Dr. Austin Hill are the most charming men in the story. Even though they are separated by more than three hundred years, how are they similar? How are they different?
10. Are there stories about your ancestors you've learned from? If so, what are they and what did you learn?
Mindy thanks
John Clark, my husband, best friend, and partner in work and life.
Emily Clark, my daughter and all-important behind-the-scenes helper and collaborator.
Lauren Clark, my daughter, idea person, and wise advisor in ways big and small.
Tara Kenny, my assistant, who helps keep me on track.
Joey Starns, my brother, who really went above and beyond on this one. Thanks, bro!
Kay Justus, who graciously provided a wide range of medical information.
Tonya N. Lawrence, MD, who generously shared her expertise in psychiatry.
Tracey Akamine, Hannah Campbell, Jennifer Clark, Andrew Cooper, Marc Engeron, Suzanne Scannell, Daniel Scannell, Andrew Starns, Shari Weber, and everyone else who gave input and answers on various book-related questions.
The helpful staff and volunteers of Historic Huguenot Street in New Paltz, New York.
The helpful staff and volunteers of the Virginia Historical Society in Richmond, Virginia.
Leslie thanks
Peter Gould, my husband, research partner, and all-time biggest supporter in both life and writing. I couldn't do this without you.
My childrenâKaleb, Taylor, Hana, and Thaoâwho all inspire me and support me in ways they could never imagine.
Laurie Snyder, for her encouragement and helpful ideas concerning this story.
Linda Morell, a reader and friend, for sharing about her Huguenot ancestry and inspiring me to “do a little research.”
Dr. Ann Woodlief, Huguenot Society of Manakin national librarian; Bryan S. Godfrey, Huguenot Society of Manakin library assistant; and the Huguenot Society of the Founders of Manakin in the Colony of Virginia, for their help on the early history of Huguenots in Virginia.
The staff of the Manakin Episcopal Church and the Huguenot Memorial Chapel, Midlothian, Virginia, for allowing us to tour the buildings.
Bill Barker, archivist, the Mariners' Park and Museum, Newport News, Virginia, for his help with details about the James River in the early 1700s.
Allison Heinbaugh, circulation and reference librarian, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Library, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, for her help on historical details concerning early Williamsburg.
Any mistakes in the story are ours.
Mindy and Leslie thank
Chip MacGregor, our agent, for all of his work on our behalf.
Kim Moore, our editor and friend, for her expertise and encouragement.
And all the fine folks at Harvest House, for their hard work, dedication, and much-appreciated support.
Book 3 in the Cousins of the Dove Series
Continue the discovery of what truly happened all those years ago at the cabin in the woods, and meet a new generation of Talbots who along with their community, must face the challenges and heartbreaks of the Civil War-era Virginia.
Mindy Starns Clark
is the bestselling author of more than 20 books, both fiction and nonfiction (over 1 million copies sold) including coauthoring the Christy Award-winning
The Amish Midwife
with Leslie Gould. Mindy and her husband, John, have two adult children and live in Pennsylvania.
Leslie Gould
is the author of 22 novels. She received her master of fine arts degree from Portland State University and lives in Oregon with her husband, Peter, and their four children.
To connect with the authors, visit Mindy's and Leslie's websites at
www.mindystarnsclark.com
and
www.lesliegould.com
.
One night
four lives entered the world
by the hands of an Amish midwife,
just outside North Star, Pennsylvania.
