To Whisper Her Name
Page 54
He drew back.
“I have something for you.”
She reached into her pocket, withdrew the shell, and handed it to him. He looked at it, stilled for a second, then pressed it back into her palm. With gentle resolve, he brought her left hand to his lips. Too late, Olivia realized her jacket had slid to the ground. Ridley kissed her hand, the top of her wrist, and slowly, determinedly, moving up her bare arm, his breath warm, he kissed the length of her scar.
“You are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” he whispered. “Except for one thing.”
She looked up at him.
But he leaned around her, inspecting what, she wasn’t sure.
When he looked at her again, that spark she loved so dearly was in his eyes. “You’re the only woman for miles with a bustle that size.”
She grinned.
“But not to worry.” He winked. “I’m good with bustles.”
Dear Reader,
Upon visiting Belle Meade Plantation some years ago, I knew I wanted to write a story that included the plantation’s history, as well as that of the Harding family and the former slaves. One of those slaves, Robert Green, immediately captured my attention, and the more I learned about him, the more I wanted to know. According to history, he was a horse whisperer and is largely responsible for Belle Meade’s success. When you visit Belle Meade, you’ll discover that the staff considers him a “rock star” of sorts. And with good reason, considering that what’s recorded in the prologue of To Whisper Her Name is rooted in truth. He really did hide those thoroughbreds.
Writing historical fiction against the backdrop of real history is challenging, to say the least. And attempting to sketch the character of someone you’ve never met is too. I went to great lengths to remain accurate to history but did take occasional liberties for the sake of story. For instance, the first yearling auction was actually held in August 1867 (not June), and Elizabeth Harding died only two days after that auction, shocking the citizens of Nashville. Also, General William Giles Harding (not Ridley) is the man credited with inaugurating the auction system of selling thoroughbreds in Tennessee. Harding’s ingenuity contributed to creating the most successful breeding and distribution of thoroughbred stock in the state’s history. Incidentally, the letter in the story from Mary Selena McNairy Harding (General Harding’s first wife) is a real letter penned by her the winter of 1836–37. Thank you to Belle Meade for the permission to share that in my story.
To learn more about Belle Meade, visit the Belle Meade Plantation novels page on my website (www.tameraalexander.com). While there, view video vignettes filmed on location at the plantation, discover how current-day Kentucky Derby winners trace their lineage to the 1870s stud farm, and learn about upcoming books in the series.
Sharing these stories with you makes writing historical fiction extra special, and the connections we make are precious to me. Thank you for reading.
Until next time,
Tamera
Galatians 3:28
With gratitude to …
My family, Joe, Kelsey, and Kurt — for understanding when I’m “in the zone,” for helping me get there, and for making it all worth it.
Alton Kelly, Jenny Lamb, John Lamb, and the staff at Belle Meade Plantation — for opening the personal letters from the Harding family to me and for answering my endless emails and questions.
Ridley Wills II, a descendant of the Harding family — for his book The History of Belle Meade: Mansion, Plantation, and Stud, which proved to be an invaluable resource as I wrote this book.
Sue Brower and Leslie Peterson, my editors — for your insight, encouragement, and patience as this story took shape.
Deborah Raney, my writing critique partner — for doing what you do so very well. And for always being just a click away.
Natasha Kern, my agent — for representing me with such integrity and loyalty.
Stan Williams, award-winning video producer, filmmaker, and show creator … and “Master of Story Structure” — for your book The Moral Premise and for sharing your extraordinary gift with me. Thank you, friend.
Jason Ingram, Matt Redman, and Tim Winstall for your song “Never Once,” which I listened to countless times as I wrote this book. Thanks for sharing your giftedness. (www.fellowshipsongs.com)
My readers — for loving these historical characters and settings with a passion that rivals my own. You encourage me in ways I can’t begin to describe. I’m so grateful for you.
And to Jesus Christ — for whispering my name so faithfully. Mold my heart, Lord, to hear and love you more.
Susanna’s Tennessee
BLACKBERRY COBBLER
INGREDIENTS
2–3 cups fresh-picked blackberries
(or thawed from your “icebox” will do nicely)
1½ cups sugar, divided
1 cup sweet milk (whole milk)
1 cup flour (all purpose)
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup fresh butter
Fresh heavy cream (for serving)
DIRECTIONS
Place butter in 8×8 baking dish, and place dish in oven while oven heats to 350°. Once butter is melted, remove dish from oven. Place blackberries on top of melted butter and sprinkle with ½ cup of the sugar. Stir.
In a medium-size mixing bowl, stir together remaining sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt until just blended. Add milk and stir until smooth. Pour batter over blackberries but do not stir. Some blackberries and butter may float to the top. Bake at 350° for 45–50 minutes or until golden-brown.
To serve, spoon generous servings into bowls and pour fresh cream over each serving, just like Susanna Carter did!
Compliments of Christy Jordan and SouthernPlate.com
About the Author
TAMERA ALEXANDER is a bestselling, award-winning novelist whose deeply drawn characters, thought-provoking plots, and poignant prose resonate with readers worldwide. She and her husband live in Nashville, Tennessee, where they enjoy life with their two adult children, who live nearby, and also a twelve-pound silky terrier named Jack.
Tamera invites you to visit her at:
Her Web site www.tameraalexander.com
Her blog www.tameraalexander.blogspot.com
Twitter www.twitter.com/tameraalexander
Facebook www.facebook.com/tamera.alexander
Or if you prefer snail mail, please write her at the following postal address:
Tamera Alexander
P.O. Box 871
Brentwood, TN 37024
Discussion questions for To Whisper Her Name are available at www.tameraalexander.com, as are details about Tamera joining you for a virtual book club visit.
Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.
Praise
To Whisper Her Name has everything a fine historical novel needs: characters we truly care about, struggles that really matter, splashes of humor to engage us, and period details that bring the past to vibrant life. Ridley and Olivia both arrive with heartaches and disappointments tucked in their traveling bags. Watching them unpack those memories and make room for the Lord’s cleansing touch is pure reading pleasure.
— Liz Curtis Higgs, New York Times bestselling author of Mine Is the Night
Tamera has taken 205 years of Belle Meade history and brought it to life in To Whisper Her Name. The mansion becomes vibrant again with family, the grounds alive with guests and staff, and the thoroughbreds are once again saddled and ready to take the reader on a rollicking ride!
— Alton Kelley, executive director of Belle Meade Plantation
To Whisper Her Name has everything I love in a Tamera Alexander book: great sense of place, multilayered characters, and a romantic plot that kept me up way too late. This post-Civil war novel is a terrific story by one of the top authors out there.
— Colleen Coble, author of Tidewater Inn and the Mercy Falls series
> From the beginning of the prologue to the end, the story captured my excitement to keep reading and discover what was next in the lives of Olivia and Ridley. I did not want to put the book down at times when I had to! Relaxed, fun reading! To Whisper Her Name reminded me once again of how life must have been back when my maternal ancestors walked the Belle Meade Plantation grounds and of their dedication to the plantation thoroughbred farm and its owners.
— Luvenia Harrison Butler, MSP, board member of Belle Meade Plantation
To Whisper Her Name is another compelling novel from the pen of Tamera Alexander, revealing that though times have changed, human emotions and relationships never will. A cast of characters you’ll fall in love with, and a beautiful story of redemption and hope.
— Deborah Raney, author of The Face of the Earth and the Hanover Falls novels
To Whisper Her Name will grab you and not let go. It’s a beautiful, powerful story with unforgettable characters who face the unthinkable with honor while a captivating romance blooms where seeds should never have been scattered.
— Cindy Woodsmall, New York Times bestselling author of the Sisters of the Quilt series
To Whisper Her Name draws you in on a journey to redemption and love between two people who have suffered deeply from others’ judgment. This is a story of love, but mostly of God’s grace and His ever-present hand in restoring the lives of those who seek him. A romance so deeply satisfying, both to my heart and to my soul.
— Christy Jordan, author of Southern Plate
Rich in history, romance, and human drama, To Whisper Her Name is a book to be savored, like a sumptuous Southern banquet. Tamera Alexander’s skills as a master storyteller have never been more evident.
— Robin Lee Hatcher, bestselling author of Beloved and Betrayal
Books by Tamera Alexander
A Belle Mead Plantation Novel
To Whisper Her Name
A Belmont Mansion Novel
A Lasting Impression
Fountain Creek Chronicles
Rekindled
Revealed
Remembered
Fountain Creek Chronicles (3 in 1)
Timber Ridge Reflections
From a Distance
Beyond This Moment
Within My Heart
Women of Faith Fiction
The Inheritance
ZONDERVAN
To Whisper Her Name
Copyright © 2012 by Tamera Alexander
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this ebook on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of Zondervan.
EPub Edition © SEPTEMBER 2012 ISBN: 978-0-310-41313-4
Requests for information should be addressed to:
Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530
ISBN 978-0-310-29106-0
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.
Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois. All rights reserved.
Any Internet addresses (websites, blogs, etc.) and telephone numbers in this book are offered as a resource. They are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement by Zondervan, nor does Zondervan vouch for the content of these sites and numbers for the life of this book.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means — electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other — except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.
Cover design: Michelle Lenger
Cover photography: Mike Heath / Magnus Creative
About the Publisher
Founded in 1931, Grand Rapids, Michigan-based Zondervan, a division of HarperCollinsPublishers, is the leading international Christian communications company, producing best-selling Bibles, books, new media products, a growing line of gift products and award-winning children’s products. The world’s largest Bible publisher, Zondervan (www.zondervan.com) holds exclusive publishing rights to the New International Version of the Bible and has distributed more than 150 million copies worldwide. It is also one of the top Christian publishers in the world, selling its award-winning books through Christian retailers, general market bookstores, mass merchandisers, specialty retailers, and the Internet. Zondervan has received a total of 68 Gold Medallion awards for its books, more than any other publisher.
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Table of Contents
Prologue
Title Page
Dedication
Epigraph
Preface
Chapter: ONE
Chapter: TWO
Chapter: THREE
Chapter: FOUR
Chapter: FIVE
Chapter: SIX
Chapter: SEVEN
Chapter: EIGHT
Chapter: NINE
Chapter: TEN
Chapter: ELEVEN
Chapter: TWELVE
Chapter: THIRTEEN
Chapter: FOURTEEN
Chapter: FIFTEEN
Chapter: SIXTEEN
Chapter: SEVENTEEN
Chapter: EIGHTEEN
Chapter: NINETEEN
Chapter: TWENTY
Chapter: TWENTY-ONE
Chapter: TWENTY-TWO
Chapter: TWENTY-THREE
Chapter: TWENTY-FOUR
Chapter: TWENTY-FIVE
Chapter: TWENTY-SIX
Chapter: TWENTY-SEVEN
Chapter: TWENTY-EIGHT
Chapter: TWENTY-NINE
Chapter: THIRTY
Chapter: THIRTY-ONE
Chapter: THIRTY-TWO
Chapter: THIRTY-THREE
Chapter: THIRTY-FOUR
Chapter: THIRTY-FIVE
Chapter: THIRTY-SIX
Chapter: THIRTY-SEVEN
Chapter: THIRTY-EIGHT
Chapter: THIRTY-NINE
Chapter: FORTY
Chapter: FORTY-ONE
Chapter: FORTY-TWO
Chapter: FORTY-THREE
Chapter: FORTY-FOUR
Chapter: FORTY-FIVE
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