Abe’s shoulders shook with laughter. “But that’s not fun. Come on, Duncan, relax. It was just a joke. You were lookin’ so serious.”
Jacob grunted and sat back down. He looked at his canteen and shook his head, a small smile forming. “You still could’ve said something,” he grumbled. “We wouldn’t want it to damage any of the fossils.”
“It wasn’t anywhere near them. Next time, I’ll throw it at your head. No chance in damagin’ it.” Abe’s laughter floated on the air and Jacob joined him. “Look at how close we are ta gettin’ it out.” His new partner pointed.
The tension seeped out of Jacob as he gazed at the length of the fossil. Abe could toss a canteen at him whenever he wanted. They were about to pull a fossilized bone out of the ground!
MONDAY, APRIL8, 1889•UNIVERSITYOFDENVER
Martha made her way into the lecture hall where hundreds of men had gathered. She scanned the crowd. Shoulder to shoulder, the guests, dressed in evening tailcoats and top hats, filled the room.
She wouldn’t be able to see above any of them. With a frown, she stood on her tiptoes, craning her neck from side to side in hopes to see the stage. But suit-clad shoulders still blocked her view.
Her feet itched to stomp the planked floor, but she resisted. She was back in society. The scientific society to be precise. Any displays of impatience from a lady might be tolerated among the elite as coquettish behavior. But among men of reason, Martha had to keep her emotions in check. Oh, why hadn’t she asked Lily Rose to accompany her?
Because once Martha reached sixteen years of age, Lily Rose had done her utmost to erase Martha’s passion for learning. For digging. For dinosaurs. She hadn’t succeeded, of course. But that was why Martha was alone tonight. Every once in a while, she liked to give Lily Rose a break. Especially when she wanted to attend a lecture or exhibition. And it saved Martha from listening to Lily Rose’s negative comments about women studying science or religion. The woman had strong opinions about both. Especially when it came to women in what society presumed was a man’s field. In addition to Martha’s regular studies, the older French woman had taught Martha the intricate rules of society and had held her to high standards—even stricter than her mother’s.
But lately her companion had become a dichotomy when it came to her personal opinions. When Martha had showed Lily Rose the contract for the competition, the woman had told her to make sure that Martha had a separate account for her own money to make sure no man could get his hand on the earnings ofheraccomplishments. Martha had laughed off the woman’s advice, saying it wasn’t a certainty she would win.
Now, the memory of the conversation made Martha frown. Perhaps she needed to check in with Lily Rose and make sure she was all right.
Surveying the room of men, Martha gripped her handbag close. It really would have been nice to have the other woman here. No matter her opinions. In hindsight, she should have known that tonight was not the time to leave Lily Rose at home. A twinge of discomfort settled for a moment—was shetheonlywoman here?—but she lifted her chin, determined to work her way through the mass of men.
“Excuse me.” It was impolite to raise her voice, however she could count on the pitch of it to contrast the depths of the men’s tones. Men parted and made a slight path for her, removing their hats for a moment as they spoke their greetings.
“Pardon me.” She continued a few steps forward. No reason to let someone taller get the best seat possible. It would probably take her an hour to move through the mass of men, but she had time.
As she wound her way through the back of the crowd toward the front of the auditorium, she counted three other women present. And she knew all three of them. Wives of some well-known reverends in the area. She shouldn’t be surprised. It was a lecture on the Bible and science working hand in hand.
Many believed it was impossible to be a scientist and a person of faith at the same time. While she would claim she was one of the latter, she was also a scientist first and foremost. All her education, all her experience and work in the field, had been in the pursuit of science.
She longed for a connection between the two. Not that she was all that religious. Oh, she went to church on Sundays, like any well-born lady should. But something inside urged her forward in her search. This prodding—almost a gnawing—inside, drove her quest for knowledge. For the truth. Even though Mother’s lips pinched together in a disapproving line every time Martha brought up the subject.
Probably because it brought reminders of Phoebe.
The bright woman had filled Martha’s life with color, enthusiasm, and joy. Brought in as governess when she was still quite young, Phoebe was unlike anyone she’d ever known.
She had an insatiable appetite for learning—just like Martha—and loved books, art, museums, and anything that had to do with history. Archaeology and geology were twoof her favorite subjects. Still, there was so much more to the governess. A simple gratitude to be alive seemed to flow out of her each and every day.
She also quoted the Bible better than anyone Martha had ever heard. Much better than the reverend at church. And when Phoebe prayed? It sounded like she was talking to God and He was right there in the room with them. When she spoke about the Bible, she was full of animation. There was a light in her that was bright and magnetic. She lived her faith in everything she did. Not just on Sundays. Her beliefs were ...real. Much different from the façades that everyone in her social circle portrayed. Or in the scientific community for that matter.
More than anything in her life, Martha wanted that—something real. True.
When Phoebe left them, it broke Martha’s heart. Try as she might, she never found anyone else like her. Then again, her experience was limited to her parents’ social circle. And she was rarely allowed to the dinner parties and gatherings because she had still been a child. But she determined to live like Phoebe did. As time passed, Martha’s memories faded to what seemed like dreams. She searched and grasped for something real like she’d seen in Phoebe, however, another person like her beloved governess wasn’t to be found.
Thus her quest for knowledge. She pored over the vast number of books in their library at home and begged her parents for more. History had always been a boring subject to her before, but not anymore. When Lily Rose was hired as Martha’s companion, she’d tried to change Martha’s tutelage to only fine arts and fancy languages.
But Martha was stubborn and eventually, Lily Rose helped her study. Anything and everything she could get her hands on, until Martha was well-versed in French, Latin, mathematics, biology, chemistry, and music.
To understand man’s history.
So she could understand the future.
But there was one subject Martha was never taught again.
Religion. Nothing pertaining to God or the Bible. And Lily Rose never accompanied them to their church. She went to a different one.
At first, it had seemed odd. Martha even pressed her companion and tutor one day. The reply was stern and forceful.No.
