She could hire more workers, but that meant more people would know about her location. Her findings. All the details about her dig site. She could hire security to protect the property. At least she legally owned the property, and the quarry was registered in her name alone. A generous gift from her parents when she turned twenty-one and told them of her discovery and desire to make a proposal to the museum.
Mother seemed supportive in her own distant way, and Father ... well, Father went along with whatever Mother said. Martha, as their only child, wasn’t denied much as long as she upheld Mother’s one rule: bring credit to the Jankowski name.
That rule always hung over her head. All her growing up years, she’d never measured up to her mother’s high-society standards. Her single place of comfort was digging in the dirt. Probably instilled in her by her father. Back when he had been one of those men out digging for dinosaur bones. Unlike Marsh, who was wealthy and hired men to do all the excavating in his fight for his name at the top of everything, Father enjoyed the actual digging.
Until he came home scarred and broken. Father never went out on another expedition. As much as she’d begged him to talk about it over the years, he refused. The light in his eyes disappeared. Mother was closed off as well. Discussion about that summer was prohibited. It was a wonder Martha had been able to convince her parents to allow her to follow in her father’s footsteps.
Mr. Spalding cleared his throat, drawing her out of her thoughts.
She blinked and focused on the task at hand. “On first glance, everything seems to be in order. I appreciate the factthat the owner has put such foresight into this. Is it all right if I take this home to review?”
“Yes. But we need the contract signed by Monday morning.”
“I see. That is acceptable.” For the most part. She despised the thought that someone else was vying for the exhibit space. But there was nothing to do about it now. “I appreciate your time, Mr. Spalding.” She stood.
He did as well and gave a polite bow. “It’s an honor to work with you, Miss Jankowski. I look forward to seeing what you uncover.” His smile was genuine enough.
She smiled back, turned on her heel, and headed out the door, her insides quaking. Every ounce of her mother’s training kicked in and she held her head high as she walked down the sidewalk. Streetcars rolled by, the loud conversation of passengers floating on the spring breeze. The sun warmed Martha’s face once again after the dim and dreary interior of the museum, restoring some of her energy. Being out in nature always did so. Society, with all its airs and rules, drained her. But occasionally attending the events requested by her mother was the price she had to pay for doing what she loved.
Her thoughts drifted back to her meeting with the museum director as she rounded the corner toward the stately Jankowski mansion. A competition hadn’t factored into her plans, or funds. Asking her parents for help meant another list of soirees she would be required to attend in return. She slipped through the wrought iron gate, up the stairs, and through the front door, eager to make it to her bedroom. She needed time to think this through. Without knowing anything about the other dig and its team, how was she supposed to prepare for this?
“Martha.”
She jumped and grasped the wooden banister to steady her footing. Spinning around, she spotted her mother emerging from the drawing room. Mother was a striking woman. Herlight blonde hair haloed her fine-boned features. Her heart-shaped face framed pale blue eyes, a sharp nose, and rosebud lips that rarely smiled.
Mother crossed the plush carpet of the entryway, full skirts swishing around her feet.
“Hello, Mother.”
Mother’s keen eyes examined every inch of Martha’s outfit, from the brim of her blue velvet hat to the tips of her black leather shoes covered in street dust. Martha tensed against the impending critique.
Instead, Mother’s lashes shuttered her eyes as she offered the barest hint of a smile. “Come join me for afternoon refreshment. I would like to hear about your visit with the museum director.”
Martha’s eyebrows rose. “You ... want to hear about that?” Was she dreaming? Mother’s invitation enticed her like the smell of a dig.
“Of course. This is quite an adventure for you. And I want to ensure our investment is sound.”
Just like that ... the catch. Once again, it was all about money, about what their investment would bring to the Jankowski name. She should have known better. Martha lifted her chin. “It is sound, I promise.” No quivering chin, no squeaky words.
“Fantastic.” Mother led them to the sitting room.
The façade back in place, Martha followed. Ever the dutiful daughter.
In public, Mother often praised her work. Many of the richest men in Denver had been impressed by Martha’s assistance in the findings ofPlesiosaurs,Sauropods, andPterosaurs, which made her parents proud. But it had been only that ... assistance.
It had taken more than a year—including twelve dinners with the elite social crowd of Denver—to convince her parentsthat she had the skills and the know-how to branch out on her own. She could entertain scads of people with her knowledge of fossils one minute and enthrall them with her piano playing the next. Good thing she really did enjoy the conversations with her parents’ friends and connections and loved playing the piano.
But what gave her the greatest joy was being at her dig site.
The Great Dinosaur Rush produced unprecedented focus to the field of paleontology. The past decade revealed finds beyond her wildest dreams. How awful that the two men who had brought acclaim and the world’s eye to the discovery of dinosaur fossils also shamed themselves for all to see.
She wanted to be different. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if she could find bones, display them, give lectures around the country, and get people excited about paleontology and geology? Instead of double-crossing other digs through bribery, spying, thievery, dishonesty, and rushing to publish in journals to outdo the competition—she would do things well. Respectfully. And demand such integrity from all of her teams.
What was she doing? Judging and condemning so swiftly. She wouldn’t even have the opportunity with the museum right now if not for Othniel Marsh and Edward Cope bringing the fossilized bones of the great beasts to everyone’s attention. But the way they went about accomplishing it had been quite horrid. Imagine going so far as destroying fossils so their opponent couldn’t have access to them!
Still ... without their driven pursuit, she probably wouldn’t be able to do what she loved. How many decades would it have taken to get people to pay attention?
She shuddered to think about it.
