Promise Me This (56 page)

I think I might have frightened the groundskeeper that morning—what was he to do with the weeping American woman before the tomb of a centuries-dead author? I never knew his name, but I have much to thank him for by way of his kindness and patience, and for showing me another centuries-old grave I very much wanted to see. But that is another story.

The next year, with the help of my husband, son, and daughter, I returned to France and added Germany, knowing what I needed to see and experience to finish the story—for the survivors of
Titanic
were destined to face the horrors of World War I in their very near future.

And what better place to set Allen’s Run Gardens, including Owen’s garden of Old World roses, than in New Jersey—our own Garden State? When you can, take a stroll through Leaming’s Run Gardens in Swainton, just outside Cape May Court House, New Jersey, and think of Annie and Michael.

I hope you’ve enjoyed
Promise Me This
as much as I enjoyed writing it. Stop by my website,
www.cathygohlke.com
, for more insights into the story, recipes from my characters, and news of upcoming books. I’d love to hear from you.

Cathy Gohlke is the two-time Christy Award–winning author of
William Henry Is a Fine Name
and
I Have Seen Him in the Watchfires
, which also won the American Christian Fiction Writers’ Book of the Year award and was listed by
Library Journal
as one of the Best Books of 2008.

Cathy has worked as a school librarian, drama director, and director of children’s and education ministries. When not traipsing the hills and dales of historic sites, she, her husband, and their dog, Reilly, make their home on the banks of the Laurel Run in Elkton, Maryland. Visit her website at
www.cathygohlke.com
.

1. Do you think there was a defining moment, a turning point in Eleanor Hargrave’s life? Standing at that crossroads, what difference would another choice have made for her and her family?

2. Mackenzie and Owen Allen, father and son, were offered the same opportunity at different times: to join the family business in New Jersey. What do their different responses tell us about them?

3. Annie complained when Owen urged her to read
The Pilgrim’s Progress
and asked if he could not have found her something “amusing.” What value did Owen see in reading the book, and what lesson in showing her the tomb? How did this affect Annie throughout the story?

4. Do you see a parallel between Owen’s gift to Michael and Christ’s gift to us? If so, please explain.

5. Michael knew Owen only a short time. Why did he grieve so deeply for him? What did Michael eventually learn from Owen’s example?

6. Do you see a parallel between Michael’s and Annie’s responses to Owen’s gift of life and our response to Christ’s gift to us? If so, discuss both their positive and negative responses. Relate those to our own responses.

7. Why did Michael reach out to Annie again after she had made it clear she wanted nothing to do with him? How did his letter after the burning of her gardens change her attitude toward him?

8. After all Annie had been through and with the joy of Michael’s coming to England before her, why did she succumb to Aunt Eleanor’s blackmail scheme to send her to France during the war? Do you think she made the right choice?

9. Discuss Michael’s pursuit of Annie through the battlefields of France. Was there ever a time you thought he might give up the search? Can you think of a biblical parallel to his determination to find her?

10. Annie came to love Michael with all her heart. Why did she agree to marry Phillippe so soon after she thought Michael dead? What do you think changed her mind?

11. Michael did all he could to fulfill his promise to Owen to bring Annie to America. Why did he finally surrender his pursuit? Is there ever a time we should relinquish a vow we have made?

12. Owen, Michael, Annie, the Spragues, Maggie, and Daniel all showed great love in different ways. Which character do you most identify with and why?