Lady of Tarpon Springs , livre ebook

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170 pages

English

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Much to the dismay of her Greek family, Zanna Krykos makes a living as a lawyer in Tarpon Springs, Florida. When her friend Lucy needs legal advice about the business she inherited upon her father's passing, she ends up asking Zanna to run the business instead so she can focus on her medical career.Nico Kalos is a Greek diver who has worked on sponging boats in the Aegean Sea since the age of 14, giving him a vast knowledge of the trade. When he hears of an opportunity to lead a group of spongers to the United States, he seizes it. But his excitement is quickly quelled when he arrives only to discover that a young woman with no experience in the business will be in charge of the new crews. But as Zanna and Nico face even more complications than they could have imagined, they must learn to work together or risk everything they've worked so hard for.

Sujets

Historical romance

Informations

Publié par	Baker Publishing Group
Date de parution	31 juillet 2018
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781493414741
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	2 Mo

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0461€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
© 2018 by Judith Miller
Published by Bethany House Publishers
11400 Hampshire Avenue South
Bloomington, Minnesota 55438
www.bethanyhouse.com
Bethany House Publishers is a division of
Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan
www.bakerpublishinggroup.com
Ebook edition created 2018
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—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
ISBN 978-1-4934-1474-1
Scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, incidents, and dialogues are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Cover design by Kirk DouPonce, DogEared Design
Author is represented by Books & Such Literary Agency.
Dedication
This book is dedicated to:
Karen Huntley, Nancy Smart, Annette Baum, and Beverly Parker. Four special ladies, four special friends.
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
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29
Note to the Reader
About the Author
Books by Judith Miller
Back Ads
Back Cover
CHAPTER 1

T ARPON S PRINGS , F LORIDA —1905
Zanna Krykos closed her eyes and offered a silent prayer for God’s direction. This was going to be one of the most difficult conversations of her life.
The bell over her law office door jingled. She opened her eyes, swallowed hard, and waved Lucy Penrose toward one of the threadbare chairs in the sparsely furnished room. She forced a smile, tucked a stray lock of ebony hair into her fashionable pompadour, and turned her eyes toward the stack of papers on her desk. The sun had begun its ascent over the Anclote River and created a golden hue that shone through the early morning haze.
“Good morning.” She attempted a warm smile. At least this conversation could begin on a pleasant note. “I asked you to come by early because I know that once you begin seeing patients, there’s no telling when you might be available to visit with me.”
“I knew it must be important or you wouldn’t have been so insistent.” Lucy traced a finger of her gloved hand across the worn fabric on the upholstered chair before sitting down. “You really should do something about this office furniture, Zanna. If you expect to attract clients, you need a well-appointed office.” Her forehead creased into wrinkled concern. “They have a good selection of fabric at Alderman’s. I’d be happy to go along and help you make a choice, and I can vouch for Henrietta Armstrong as an excellent upholsterer.”
“Thank you, I’ll keep that in mind. However, I’m afraid the upholstery isn’t my primary concern right now.” Zanna placed her palm atop the stack of papers on the center of her desk. “Your late father’s contract with the Greek divers is what has kept me awake at night.” A knot tightened in her stomach. “I fear my news isn’t going to please you, but I’ve been unable to find any way to nullify the contract.”
Her friend’s bright blue eyes darkened several shades. “What do you mean? You told me you would find a loophole in that contract. That I need not worry. That everything would be fine.”
Zanna shook her head. “You’ve embellished upon what I actually said. I told you I would look for a flaw in the contract—one that would permit you to have it set aside. Unfortunately, the agreement is ironclad. The contract was drawn by a knowledgeable lawyer in New York City, a Mr. George Moskatos. Believe me, I did my best to find something—anything—that might provide you with an escape, but there’s simply no way to have it set aside. You’re held to all of the terms. Even though your father is the one who signed the document, the contract contains a provision that his designated beneficiary is obligated to uphold the terms and conditions of the agreement.” Zanna met her friend’s forlorn stare. “That is you, Lucy.”
Lucy leaned forward until the lapels of her dark blue jacket touched the desk. “But you’re a lawyer. You’re supposed to find a way for me to avoid this obligation.”
“I know. And I tried.” Zanna sighed. “Look at it this way, Lucy. You’re a doctor, but you can’t heal all of your patients. This is much the same. Surely you know I feel terrible giving you this news.” Zanna retrieved a letter from the stack of paper work and extended it in Lucy’s direction. “I’ve been in direct contact with the lawyer who prepared the contract between your father and the divers. I received this letter yesterday. The divers will be arriving here in Tarpon Springs next week.”
The letter fluttered onto the desk. “Next week!” Lucy pushed up from her chair and paced the short distance between the front window and Zanna’s desk. “I shouldn’t have waited so long to have you look at this, but I simply didn’t want to accept my father’s death and deal with the paper work involved. Now look what’s happened. My procrastination has made things much worse.” The wide-brimmed hat that had been carefully balanced atop Lucy’s mass of blond curls shifted sideways. She yanked at the hatpin, pushed the hat into place, and forced the pin into the taffeta and chiffon fabric that surrounded the crown.
Zanna watched in amazement. “I’m glad you didn’t jam that hatpin into your head.” She grinned and hoped her attempt at levity would ease the tension that now filled the room.
“I doubt I’d feel any more pain than this news has caused me. I don’t know how I’m going to handle any of this, Zanna.”
So much for easing the tension. Lucy hadn’t directly blamed her, yet Zanna felt a weight of responsibility. She’d been certain she could help and had given Lucy false hope.
Zanna inhaled a breath. “I know you don’t think I’ve done enough to help you, but I’ve spent countless hours poring over the contract as well as your father’s will. When I could find nothing on my own, I wrote to Mr. Burnside and asked for his advice. He agrees that you are bound by the terms of the contract. I trust what he’s told me. After all, that’s what he does each day—prepare and examine railroad contracts. Once I heard from him, I wrote to Mr. Moskatos and asked if he would contact the Greek manager who signed the contract to see if he would be willing to release you from the agreement. He said it was too late. The men, their boats, and the diving equipment had already sailed from Greece. Yesterday I received his letter saying they’d arrive in Tarpon Springs next week.”
Lucy dropped into the chair, her lips drooping in defeat. “What am I supposed to do with fifty men who can’t speak English and spend most of their time underwater looking for sponges? Why did my father do this to me?” Her final question was a mere whisper.
“You know it was never his intent to burden you. His death was sudden. I’m sure he expected to live many years more. I think your father wanted to remain productive, and he found a way to increase business here in Tarpon Springs. The Greek divers are how he planned to accomplish his goals.”
“I still can’t understand why he didn’t tell me about these plans before he died.” Pain shone in her eyes when she looked at Zanna. “You must agree that having this dropped into my lap without any forewarning isn’t fair.”
Zanna angled her head. She’d never known Lucy to be a woman who insisted things should be fair. Truth be told, her friend usually railed against such complaints. “I know it’s a bitter pill, but if you’d brought me the documents a week or two after your father’s death, there would have been time to contact the divers and attempt to nullify or renegotiate the contract. They might have considered a request due to your father’s death.” She reached across the desk and gave Lucy’s hand a gentle squeeze. “Even if they hadn’t already set sail, I’m sure the funds your father advanced for their passage and to transport the diving equipment and boats would have been exhausted—not to mention the cost of building the sponging boats. They likely commenced construction of those as soon as the money arrived.”
“Boats?” Lucy’s voice cracked. She waved toward the docks. “Your father builds boats. My father could have had them constructed right here. None of this makes sense.”
“If you would have reviewed the paper work, you’d understand the boats used by the Greek divers are specially built to accommodate the diving equipment. They have some sort of different equipment that lets them breathe underwater. They can go deeper, stay down longer, and retrieve better sponges.” Zanna shifted in her chair and rifled through the stack of papers. “There’s a lengthy description of the equipment and boats attached to the contract if you’d like to read it.” She extracted the page and offered it to Lucy.
“I don’t have time to go through all those documents.” Lucy sighed. “That’s why I gave them to you. Yet, I am curious how my father became involved in all of this. His interests always revolved around land acquisition and construction, not boats or the Gulf waters.”
“From what I’ve read, it seems your father became acquainted with Adelfo Pappas, a sponge buyer of Greek descent who lives in New York. I’m not sure how they met, but Mr. Pappas has been coming to Florida for a number of years to purchase sponges for New York retailers. The sponges currently available are harvested from dinghies or rowboats in shallower waters by hookmen and scullers. However, the best sponges are found in much deeper water. At least that’s what I gather from all this.” Zanna tapped the stack of papers.
Lucy frowned. “So, my father decided this