And the silence remained as Evy sat there. She felt the pressure of Rogan’s fingers on her shoulders.
“Was it the van Buren inheritance that kept Julien from letting the truth come out openly?” she asked. “He didn’t want Katie to have an heir?”
“Yes. And the Brewsters. You’re an heiress on two counts, Evy.”
“Three,” Rogan stated.
Anthony looked at him, and Evy turned her head. “Why three?”
“Because, darling, since returning to London, I’ve found out from my new lawyer, Mr. Billings, that Henry had also left half the gold deposit on his map to you. Some white diamonds as well. Billings is looking into the facts about how and why this escaped the old family lawyer, Mr. Scruggs. Scruggs died last month. He was eighty.” Rogan bent down and planted a kiss on her head. “And you could say you’re an heiress on four counts, since you’ll soon be Evy Chantry.”
Anthony had lapsed into melancholy silence. Could she forgive him? There was so much to forgive, and not just on his account, but also Julien’s. How could she forgive such neglect, pain, and disappointment? And yet she knew that carrying such a heavy load of resentment would burden her and imperil the happiness that lay ahead with Rogan.
Could she forgive? Yes, as God’s forgiving Spirit mended her heart and washed away the dark stains of the past, she could open her fists and let the anger of loss slip away. If she were to reach out to the future, she could do so only with hands that did not grasp the old hurts.
“I don’t know about being a diamond and gold heiress,” she said quietly, “but today’s treasure far outweighs the sacrifice and loss of the past.”
She got up from the chair and walked haltingly to where Anthony stood. “Knowing that I have a father today is a blessing I never dreamed I would realize. Let’s leave all that’s happened in the past and begin again.” Her eyes were moist, and so were his. They reached out at the same moment, and their fingers intertwined.
“Hello, Father. My name is Evy, and I’ll be proud to be called your daughter.”
Tears suddenly coursed down his cheeks. He tried to speak, and when he could not, he threw his arms around her and wept.
THIRTY-ONE
In the happy days that followed, Evy wrote to Lady Camilla and thanked her for contacting Rogan at Fort Salisbury. “I look forward to seeing you again after these many years when I arrive with Lord Brewster—my father—and with Rogan. Rogan and I have our wedding day planned for a week before we sail for the Cape. I have gained so much in these last months—a father, a stepmother, and a husband. Truly God has been good to me. My health is also improving. Rogan has done so much to help me with special exercises. I am now able to get around with one crutch. Rogan insists I will walk on my own again someday.”
Evy also wrote to Arcilla to let her know they would soon be sisters by marriage. Arcilla sent a wire almost immediately after receiving the letter:
I am thrilled. I always knew that Rogan had a crush on you even when we were all young. I count the days until you both arrive at Capetown. I wish I could be there for the wedding. But at least you and Rogan will be here for the birth of your niece or nephew.
Love, Arcilla
There had been no mention of Peter.
Even Lady Elosia had recovered from her shock and fainting spell to actually show some enthusiasm for Rogan’s wedding. Evy smiled to herself when she overheard Lady Elosia say to Mrs. Tisdale, “I always believed dear Evy was the perfect young woman for our Rogan. She will make him a far better wife than Lady Patricia. Such a temper! Tosh, the girl actually broke my French cherub—an heirloom, mind you. I cannot imagine dear Evy throwing things at Rogan. And he’s so devoted to her. Such a handsome couple.”
There was more pleasant news. King’s Knight was walking again, and Rogan believed he would be strong again in the next few months. Truly, as the days drew near, her wedding plans were turning brighter still. Wally’s father, Harold, was building a modern carpenter shop on Grimmes Street. Beth and Mary Hooper were hanging up a homemade sign, which Wally had made, announcing their Hooper Detective Agency. Mrs. Hooper was even permitting the twins to have Wally over for an afternoon tea. And Wally told her that Digger had a new blue collar and a large bone from Gifford’s meat shop.
Only one dark cloud remained on the horizon, foreshadowing events of the future. Anthony—her father—had told them at breakfast one morning that Scotland Yard had been unable to locate Heyden. Prevailing opinion was that he had somehow managed to get out of England by private ship and sail to Scotland. From there, Rogan believed he would return to South Africa. Evy feared they might cross paths with Heyden again.
The mystery concerning the whereabouts of the Black Diamond continued. The murder of Henry and perhaps even Vicar Edmund had as yet gone unpunished. Rogan, she knew, was determined to find Heyden in South Africa and bring him to justice. The idea was frightening, but she did not care to burden herself with it now. Today the sun was shining. She wanted to relish these happy times as much as possible.
At last Evy’s wedding day arrived. She had ordered her wedding dress from London. It was of white satin and lace, and her veil trailed behind her, carried in procession by the Hooper twins. When Evy looked upon Rogan, her heart throbbed with joy and passion at the young man to be her bridegroom. The ceremony took place at the parish chapel, and the entire village turned out for the joyous celebration. Even old Miss Armitage, now in her late eighties, showed up.
“I always told you to watch that scoundrel,” she told Evy. “And now you’ve gone and married him.”
Evy laughed, and then Rogan came up and led her away as her beautiful long dress masked her limp. With his strong arms for support, she was suddenly lighter. She found she was dancing the first waltz as though she had no need of crutches ever again. She had sprouted wings, and heaven was smiling down upon her.
Mrs. Croft looked on, beaming with as much pride as if Evy were her own granddaughter. She would be going with Evy and Rogan to Capetown. Adventure awaited them. Mrs. Croft said she was coming to keep them all out of trouble.
Evy looked up into Rogan’s dark eyes as he smiled down at her. “You are beautiful, my dear Mrs. Chantry. Are you ready for our adventurous life in South Africa?”
I love you, her eyes told him. “With you, darling, and with God directing our paths, I am as ready as I can be.”
He drew her closer, his embrace protective, his gaze warm and promising. “You’re everything I want, Evy. With you, my life is just beginning. You’re the one treasure that fills my heart. In all our days it will always be so.”
Evy’s heart sang in harmony with his. God be with us, she prayed. In all our days.
AUTHOR’S HISTORICAL NOTE
Dear Reader,
Writers who enjoy researching history generally accumulate more information than can be incorporated into a novel. I have, therefore, found it practical to choose certain events from a rich and varied time period which were particularly representative but which did not always fall into a chronology. In Yesterday’s Promise, I was able to condense into a manageable period some of the key events of history which shaped the struggle to form the nation called Rhodesia.
Rogan Chantry and others are now able to take us into South Africa’s color and controversy, and though the time period is condensed, the history I have incorporated into the East of the Sun trilogy is accurate, the historical individuals are genuine, and the fictional lead players are representative of the times in which this novel takes place.
In the interest of accuracy, I have included a list of historical dates and other facts used as the background for both Tomorrow’s Treasure and Yesterday’s Promise.
Historical Dates
1600s Protestant Dutch, later called Boers, arrive at the Cape in much the same time period as the Pilgrims arrived in America, both seeking freedom from religious persecution in Holland and England.
1795–1803 The British capture the Dutch East India Company and for
m their Cape Colony.
1817 Robert Moffat (1795–1883) was a Scottish pioneer missionary to South Africa who arrived in the Cape in 1817. He and his wife Mary opened mission stations in the interior, and their eldest daughter, Mary, married explorer David Livingstone. Mr. Moffat translated the Bible into the language of the Bechuanas. He served for 53 years and his model Kuruman station was a focal point of the Gospel.
1835 The Boers begin their Great Trek across the Orange and Vaal rivers to be free of British rule and to farm.
1849–50 Explorer and missionary David Livingstone’s first expedition and discovery of Lake Ngami.
1852 Sand River Convention confirms the Boer Transvaal’s independence.
1854 Independence of the Dutch Orange Free State.
1867 Diamonds are discovered in Cape Colony at Hopetown.
1870 Lobengula becomes chief of the Ndebele tribe. He moves into Mashonaland and makes slaves of many of the Shona, and resists Dutch and British from the area. The big Diamond Rush Kimberly founded (spelled Kimberley and Kimberly by some.) England annexes the diamond area, despite protests from the Boers in the Orange Free State. Cape Colony is given governing rights by Her Majesty.
1879 Zulu War
1883 Paul Kruger elected president of the Transvaal for the first time.
1884 A London convention on the Transvaal gives limited Boer independence. The great gold rush to the Transvaal begins, Johannesburg is founded. England annexes Zululand. Portugal refuses weapons to be delivered to English missionaries struggling against slavers on Lake Nyasa.
1888 Cecil Rhodes and allies gain a monopoly of the diamond mines at Kimberly and form De Beers Consolidated.
1888 Cecil Rhodes wins exclusive mining rights in Mashonaland and Matabeleland from Lobengula.
1888 Her Majesty awards a royal charter to form his British South Africa Company, BSA.
1889 Rhodes becomes prime minister at Cape Colony.
1889 The Pioneer Column sponsored by Rhodes’s BSA make their trek into the Zambezi region (Mashonaland) to establish Fort Salisbury and eventually form Rhodesia.
1891 Her Majesty’s Government permits the British South Africa Company to extend operations in Barotseland, which later becomes northern Rhodesia.
1893 Kruger is elected for his third term as the Transvaal president.
1895 Kruger ends isolation of the Transvaal by opening a railway from Pretoria and Johannesburg to Delagoa Bay in Mozambique. Kruger elected president of the Transvaal for fourth term, war with England. Boer War
1902 Peace Treaty signed at Pretoria between England and the Boers.
1910 Union of South Africa formed (31 May).
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Linda Lee Chaikin has written eighteen books for the Christian market. For Whom the Stars Shine was a finalist for the prestigious Christy Award, and several of her novels have been awarded the Silver Angel for excellence. Many of Linda’s books have been included on the bestseller list.
Behind the Stories, a book about writers of inspirational novels, offers Linda’s personal biography. She is a graduate of Multnomah Bible Seminary and taught neighborhood Bible classes for a number of years before turning to writing. She and her husband presently make their home in California.
YESTERDAY’S PROMISE
PUBLISHED BY WATERBROOK PRESS
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Colorado Springs, Colorado 80921
The characters and events in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to actual persons or events is coincidental.
eISBN: 978-0-307-72947-7
Copyright © 2004 by Linda Lee Chaikin
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Published in the United States by WaterBrook Multnomah, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House Inc., New York.
WATERBROOK and its deer colophon are registered trademarks of Random House Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Chaikin, L. L., 1943–
Yesterday’s promise / Linda Lee Chaikin.—1st ed.
p. cm.—(East of the sun series ; 2)
1. British—South Africa—Fiction. 2. Conflict of generations—Fiction. 3. Gold
mines and mining—Fiction. 4. Women—England—Fiction. 5. South Africa—Fiction.
6. England—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3553.H2427Y47 2004
813′.54—dc22
2003019786
v3.0_r1
Yesterday's Promise Page 37
