In the Company of Secrets (Postcards From Pullman Book #1) , livre ebook

Baker Publishing Group - Judith Miller

Découvre YouScribe en t'inscrivant gratuitement

Je m'inscris

Obtenez un accès à la bibliothèque pour le consulter en ligne
En savoir plus

168 pages

English

Vous pourrez modifier la taille du texte de cet ouvrage

Obtenez un accès à la bibliothèque pour le consulter en ligne
En savoir plus

A propos
Informations
Extrait

Description

The truth could cost her everything.... Olivia Mott didn't intend to lie. Somehow, it just happened. And wasn't it all Lady Charlotte's fault anyway? Now Olivia's position as assistant chef at Pullman's elegant Hotel Florence is dependant upon her keeping her secrets. And sometimes lies have a way of leading to other lies. Should Olivia admit her real past and accept the consequences or keep quiet in order to preserve her comfortable new circumstances?Deception seems to be part of everyday life in the company town of Pullman, Illinois, where the grand Pullman Palace Car is manufactured. Samuel Howard, Olivia's friend and the town manager, seems to think everything is fine, but Olivia observes something quite different. Could it be that Olivia is not the only one harboring secrets?

Informations

Publié par	Baker Publishing Group
Date de parution	01 avril 2007
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781441202789
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0202€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

In the
C OMPANY
of S ECRETS
Books by Judith Miller FROM BETHANY HOUSE PUBLISHERS _________________________________
BELLS OF LOWELL * Daughter of the Loom A Fragile Design These Tangled Threads
LIGHTS OF LOWELL * A Tapestry of Hope A Love Woven True The Pattern of Her Heart
FREEDOM S PATH First Dawn Morning Sky Daylight Comes
POSTCARDS FROM PULLMAN In the Company of Secrets Whispers Along the Rails
* with Tracie Peterson
POSTCARDS from PULLMAN * 1
In the
C OMPANY
of S ECRETS
J UDITH M ILLER
In the Company of Secrets Copyright 2007 Judith Miller
Cover design by Koechel Peterson Associates
Unless otherwise identified, Scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible.
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, photocopying, recording, or otherwise-without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Published by Bethany House Publishers 11400 Hampshire Avenue South Bloomington, Minnesota 55438
Bethany House Publishers is a division of Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Printed in the United States of America
Paperback: ISBN-13: 978-0-7642-0276-6 ISBN-10: 0-7642-0276-6 Hardcover: ISBN-13: 978-0-7642-0352-7 ISBN-10: 0-7642-0352-5 Large Print: ISBN-13: 978-0-7642-0353-4 ISBN-10: 0-7642-0353-3
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
McCoy-Miller, Judith.
In the company of secrets / Judith Miller.
p. cm. - (Postcards from Pullman) ISBN 978-0-7642-0352-7 (alk. paper) - ISBN 978-0-7642-0276-6 (pbk.) - ISBN 978-0-7642-0353-4 (lg. print : pbk.)
1. Cooks-Fiction. 2. British-United States-Fiction. 3. Illinois-Fiction. I. Title.
PS3613.C3858I5 2007
813 .54-dc22 2006038412
To Roberta Stuke
With a thankful heart for your friendship!
JUDITH MILLER is an award-winning author whose avid research and love for history are reflected in her novels, many of which have appeared on the CBA bestseller lists. Judy and her husband make their home in Topeka, Kansas.
Visit Judy s Web site at: www.judithmccoymiller.com.
Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.
-Ephesians 4:25
Contents
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
Recipes
Acknowledgments
A Message to My Readers
CHAPTER ONE London, England April 1892
Run! Faster! Hurry! The warnings tolled in Olivia s mind like a death knell. She raced toward the kitchen door, the rear stairway now in sight. Approaching the final obstacle, she rounded the kitchen worktable at breakneck speed. Her momentum abruptly slowed as the pocket of her starched white apron caught on the table s corner. The rasping tear of the cotton cloth echoed in her ears, and she quickly cast a downward glance at the frayed pocket. Still hoping for time enough to flee, she urgently yanked at the apron. She d not been fast enough.
Chef Mallard s long fingers surrounded her forearm in an iron grip. She winced as he tightened his hold, certain she d be bruised by the morrow. Shoving her against the table, he eased his grip only slightly and leaned his full weight against her. The edge of the heavy worktable cut into the small of her back, and she groaned.
A look of triumph shone in his small dark eyes. Do not toy with me, Miss Mott. I know you desire my affections.
Desire? You disgust me! Turn me loose or I shall report you to the countess.
Her angry rebuff served only to incense him further. Instead of releasing her, he pinched her chin between his thumb and index finger and pressed his thin, hard lips against her mouth in a bruising kiss. The legs of the massive worktable scraped across the stone floor as she struggled backward, trying to gain her freedom. He captured her waist with his arm and pulled her into a fearsome embrace. A lustful gleam lurked in his watery eyes and penetrated her very soul. He traced his tongue across the vindictive smile curving his lips. She shuddered.
Beneath the collar of the chef s white tunic, his Adam s apple bobbed uncontrollably. Quit fighting me!
Never! I ll not yield to you. She spat the words into his face.
With a wicked laugh, he grabbed at the hem of her skirt. How dare he! Without hesitation, Olivia stomped the heel of her shoe atop his foot. The despicable chef yelped and his grip loosened. Wresting free of him, she hastened to the opposite side of the table while straining to remain calm. Across the expanse of the wooden table, she stared at him. The man was a lecherous fiend.
He bent forward and rested his palms against the table. You ll find speaking to the countess will do you no good. He wagged his index finger at her. The Countess of Lanshire needs an excellent chef on her staff. Scullery maids can be found on any street corner. Be advised that others have tried that tack and none have succeeded. His stale breath wafted across the table and assaulted her. You will permit me the pleasure of your body whenever I so desire, or you will find yourself among the unemployed, Miss Mott . You have but two days to give me your decision.
Outwitted! Olivia should have known the calculating chef would have a trump card at the ready, and that he would use it whenever and wherever he saw fit. Each of his words hit like a blow to the midsection. Swallowing hard, Olivia forced down the lump in her throat. If she disgorged herself of the morning meal, the chef would offer yet another serving of his brutal humiliation.
He moved away from the table and gestured toward the stairway. I ll not detain you further. Consider your options carefully, Miss Mott. Either you ll be my mistress or you ll be unemployed.
Careful to maintain her distance, Olivia sidestepped toward the stairs on wobbly legs. She hoped to maintain some sense of decorum until she finally escaped the kitchen. He was watching her every move. Only when she reached the stairs did she turn her back toward him and race up the flight as though the devil himself were on her heels. She didn t stop running until she reached the third floor.
Leaning against the far wall, she gasped for air, her chest heaving. As her breathing slowed, she realized those few minutes in the kitchen had changed the course of her life. She d seen her dream evaporate as quickly as ice melting on a summer day.
When she d arrived at Lanshire Hall fourteen months ago, she had hoped Chef Mallard would lead her on the path to a successful career. Like everyone else who had eaten his expertly prepared delicacies, Olivia had been in awe of his culinary abilities. Until today the desire to become a renowned chef had outweighed all other dreams. Unfortunately, the Mallard, as she privately referred to him, had drawn a line in the sand-a line she would never cross, no matter how deep the desire to achieve her goal. Today he had proved himself to be the odious man about whom she had been forewarned.
With a quick swipe she brushed away the tears that stained her cheeks and dejectedly walked to the end of the hall. She sniffed loudly and pushed open the door to the room she shared with Ludenia, Lady Charlotte Spencer s personal maid.
At the sound of the latch, Ludie glanced up from her stitching. Her eyes opened wide, and she dropped the embroidery on the side table as she rushed forward to enfold Olivia in a gentle embrace. Now what s this all about, dearie? Tell Ludie what s troubling you.
Olivia fell into the warmth of the woman s fleshy arms and wept, her body heaving up and down with each giant sob. When her wrenching wails subsided, Ludie loosened her hold and handed Olivia her handkerchief. The woman s eyes shone with sympathy as she lovingly patted her shoulder.
Now, then, sit down and tell me what has happened.
They settled themselves on the only two chairs in the small room. In between hiccoughs and sniffles, Olivia explained Chef Mallard s sordid ultimatum.
If I don t give in to him, he says he ll make certain I never work in another reputable kitchen in England. She wiped her tears on the linen hankie. Oh, Ludie, what am I going to do?
Oh, my dear! Surely there s an answer. We merely must find it. She jiggled her knee up and down, a sure sign she was deep in thought.
Olivia remained silent, waiting for words of wisdom to pour from the older woman s lips.
What about your aunt Eleanor Mott? Could you go and stay with her? You d be safe from Chef Mallard.
Olivia slumped in her chair. She didn t want to go live with Cousin Albert s mother. She d be required to work in one of the local shops or, worse yet, take a dreary job in a factory to support herself. Not that she didn t love Aunt Eleanor, but Olivia had expected a more resourceful solution from Ludie. Though Olivia s dream seemed outlandish to most, Ludie had encouraged her to pursue training as a chef from the first day she d arrived at Lanshire Hall.
Suddenly Ludie s shoulders squared. Didn t your cousin Albert move to America? Perhaps you could follow him there. Chef Mallard s malevolent threats to ruin your future can t follow you all the way to another country. She beamed at Olivia. What do you think, luv?
Olivia s heart pounded with a mixture of fear and excitement. Could she possibly do such a thing? She d never even seen all of her native England, or even London for that matter. How could