Those ridiculous dinosaur enthusiasts were ruining everything.
She lifted the field glasses again. Once her eyes adjusted, she scanned the horizon. From the quarry of the current dig toward the east and then north, she scanned back and forth.
They were getting too close.
Why did Earl have to find those stupid fossils here? No one ventured to this out-of-the-way place in Utah.
Everything would have been completely fine had they just left everything alone.
Lowering the glasses, she fumed. Stomping her right foot, she growled at the site. This was not supposed to happen. She tapped out a rhythm on the side of the glasses.
On the bright side, in the last few months, they hadn’t progressed very far. But every inch mattered when they were headed in her direction.
For decades, she’d watched as every man around her got what they wanted. Her father. Brothers. Uncles. Nephews. The deacons at church. Mr. Earl Douglass. The list could go on. All the while, women—like herself—had to toe the line and do what was expected of them. Never allowed dreams or wishes. It wasn’t fair.
If her parents had simply allowed her to do what she wanted, then they wouldn’t all be in this predicament.
There was no way she would back down now. Not after all she’d gone through.
She looked through the field glasses one more time and calculated the distance. To her best guess, they were only 100 yards away. At most.
All right, it was time to up the ante. Her plans would have to change. But as sure as the sun rose each morning, she wasn’t about to allow this little hiccup to sidetrack her.
If those fossil hunters knew what was best for them, they’d get out of her way, or she’d remove them. Permanently.
three
“Am twenty-six years old today. More than a quarter of a century is gone and nothing accomplished yet of any value. Have hoped to make my life amount to something but have been disappointed so far. I realize if I am ever to amount to anything I will have to start soon. I have decided what I would like to do and what I would like to make of myself—a teacher and a scientist.”
~Earl Douglass
FRIDAY, JUNE16, 1916•ADAMSFARMNEARJENSEN, UTAH
The clink of silverware on plates echoed through the hushed room.
Eliza scanned the table. The family of six that was hosting her for the summer had a lovely home. The fact that they had a bedroom to spare when they had four daughters already was a testament to their good fortune out here in the West. While it wasn’t nearly as wild and untamed as she’d expected, it was still remote and lacked the growing populations of the East.
Back home, buildings seemed to be constructed at a steady pace, expanding the city’s borders. And there were alwaysplenty of voices from people on the streets, sidewalks, in the shops ... even from neighbors.
Mills Manor sat on a good deal of acreage back home. She didn’t even know how much. But they could still see their neighbors and hear them. But out here? There was no sign of a neighbor north, south, east, or west.
The quiet outside—little noise other than the rustling of the leaves in the wind or the song of a bird—had taken some getting used to. But it was the silence inside that startled her the most. Even in her massive estate in Pittsburgh there was always a hum of activity. Not only the servants, but Grandmama and Grandfather weren’t quiet people. Every meal was filled with conversation.
She’d expected to arrive and need to get accustomed to a boisterous environment.
The Adamses were good people, their girls mannerly and smartly dressed. But Eliza didn’t know them very well yet. Everything seemed to be a bit too proper whenever she was around. She’d heard the chatter and giggles multiple times as she approached the house. But they instantly ceased whenever she stepped over the threshold.
Time to change that.
She set down her fork and lifted her glass for a sip of water. “What are your plans for the summer, Louise?” She pointed her question to the eldest daughter.
The girl’s gaze darted up from her plate and her cheeks pinked, but the sparkle in her eyes showed her pleasure in being asked. “Mama needs me to help with her shop, so I’m working every morning there.”
Mrs. Adams had a shop. Wonderful. “I had no idea. What kind of shop is it?”
“Millinery.” Louise beamed. “I’m trying to convince Mama to copy a few of your hats. They’re so beautiful.”
“And really,reallybig.” The youngest piped up from herchair. Then covered her mouth with her hand as she glanced at her mother.
