Yet one simple fact kept Martha believing in God in her own small way. All of this couldn’t have just ... happened. No matter how many papers she read, it didn’t make sense to her.
Honestly, it also comforted her to believe in a higher power. Like Phoebe had.
Oh! She’d bumped into a gentleman on her right. “Pardon me.”
He dipped his chin at her, but his attention went right back to the conversation he’d been having. Gracious, how long would it take to get to the front?
Once she wriggled her way through the massive crowd and reached the front few rows, she breathed a bit easier and found an open seat in the third row. She should be able to hear the speakers from here. Several men stood and allowed her entrance into the row of seats.
A younger man dressed in a casual sack suit stood from the seat beside the empty one.
“Is this seat taken?” She smiled at him.
“No, miss.” His hat in his hands was worn. The edges around his sleeves a bit frayed. But the bright light in his eyes was almost magnetic.
She sucked in a gasp. His eyes. There was something there ... something just like Phoebe’s.
The reminder brought a warm swirling to her insides. She instantly liked him and wanted to pepper him with questions. Who was he? Definitely not anyone she’d met at any othersociety occasions. “Thank you.” She settled herself and snuck a glance at him from the corner of her eye.
The man beside her leaned forward a bit and studied her face. “Are you a student here?” His gaze was clear—not at all guarded like several gentlemen she’d known.
“No. I had been studying at Yale but am back home now. How about you?”
“Yale. Wow. That’s quite impressive.” His expression held a hint of awe. “I’ve had to put my studies on hold for a while. I’m simply here for the lecture.” He grinned and held out a hand. “Jacob Duncan. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
He was so genuine and honest looking it was impossible to keep her own full smile hidden. Who cared about etiquette at this juncture? It’s not like Mother was here. “Martha Jankowski.” She offered her own gloved hand in the way a lady should—knuckles up—but instead of him following the societal protocol, he shook it with a good bit of vigor.
Yes, she liked this fellow. A giggle burst out of her before she could stop it. Goodness, she sounded like a schoolgirl. “It’s nice to meet you too, Mr. Duncan.”
The evening hadn’t been what he’d expected. Add to that he was exhausted from the day, which only added to his foul mood.
Rather than a lecture on the Bible backing up science or vice versa, so far, it had been more of an awkward, unplanned debate. He didn’t like where things were headed. The poor man up on the stage seemed ready to hold his ground, but after a few men in the front row began to boo and heckle him, he stuttered his way through a few points.
Now it appeared he’d lost his train of thought. And his confidence.
Jacob shook his head. What was the world coming to? Whycouldn’t someone have the freedom to share their thoughts and ideas? After another few minutes, one of the men claiming to be an expert jumped up on the stage and challenged the guest lecturer.
Had they all lost their minds?
The lecturer was now sweating and red, his shoulders slumped.
Jacob peered around him. Why wasn’t anyone backing the man up? To his shock, the crowd thinned at that point. The crowd’s earlier, excited chatter had shifted into tense, almost hostile silence from those who remained. Where that hostility was directed, Jacob wasn’t sure.
It hadn’t been that long since this university had been the Colorado Seminary. Surely there were still men of faith left here who could talk about its intersection with science with authority and persuasion.
From what he’d heard prior to the lecture, the crowd was full of them. Or so he’d thought. How swiftly the tides turned.
What a shame no one stood up to the naysayers. Even the clergymen left in the crowd were silent. Which struck him as quite odd.
If Jacob had more clout, or any kind of standing in society, he would have jumped to the man’s defense.
“I see our point has been made.” The man up front hopped down from the stage and the remaining attendees stood to go. He celebrated his victory with four other men. That was it. Four.
But they’d been loud and brash. Taunting anyone to disagree with them.
Jacob crossed his arms over his chest and waited. Once again, the loudest voices had gotten their way. He’d looked forward to an evening of education, encouragement, and intellectual discussion. Not watching an angry handful of men seeking to shut down another man because they disagreedwith him. The animosity among the university crowd was surprising.
Conversations sprouted up around him as people milled about.
