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.”Forty thousand dollars? The amount staggered.A person could buy half of Pearlman for forty thousand dollars.“You’re teasing,” she said.“Who would go for a fifty thousand dollar prize if it cost forty thousand to do it?”He crossed his arms.“For what comes afterward: lectures, books, interviews.Publishers will pay big money for the rights to the story.There might even be a film.The lecture circuit alone has funded many an expedition.”Of course.She mentally regurgitated all those expedition narratives she’d read.Books, articles and lectures had been part of them all.“It’s not the payoff that’s the problem,” Jack said.“It’s the upfront money.”“Forty thousand?” Not one expedition had been funded by a sole benefactor.“If it takes that much, then we’ll find patrons.Lots of them.” She threaded her arm around his.“And I know right where we can start.”“I don’t want to be indebted to your family.”Other than Perpetua, Darcy doubted anyone in her family would contribute.“That’s not who I had in mind.” She tugged him toward the grange hall.“We can start tonight.Everyone’s there.”“You’re loony.”“Crazy, mad and naïve,” she laughed as they skidded through the slick snow, back to the hall.The squalls had stopped, and the moon glimmered off the newly fallen blanket of white.Guests streamed out the front door of the hall.Motorcars chugged home, while other guests walked in merry little groups, reliving their favorite moment from the wedding.“Follow me.” Darcy eased past the departing guests and found Beatrice just inside the door, thanking each person for coming.“Darcy, where have you been? O-oh.” She’d spotted Jack.“Mr.Hunter.You came.” Strangely, she didn’t look surprised.“Beattie? Did you send Jack an invitation?”Beatrice looked chagrined.“Are you terribly sore?”“How could I ever be sore with you?” Darcy hugged her friend and whispered, “Thank you.”“I’m so glad.” Beattie held her hands and looked like she wanted to say more, but the Grattans approached, calling her to duty.“Hunter?” Blake popped out of the crowd.“Good to see you again.What brings you back to Pearlman?”“A grand adventure,” Darcy said.Jack filled in the details.“Attempting the first nonstop transatlantic flight.We might be looking for subscribers.”“That so?” Blake grasped Jack’s hand and nodded for him to follow into the hall.“Let’s talk.”Blake drew Jack through the throngs of guests donning coats and mittens, and Darcy began to follow, but Beatrice held her back.“Not this time.”Darcy shook off her friend.“What do you mean? It’s my idea.”“Not anymore.Like it or not, men prefer to think they come up with the big ideas.Don’t look so disappointed.We know who truly thought of it.”“But I need to be part of this,” Darcy insisted.“I’m going to be in that plane.”“Let them have their moment.Your turn will come, I promise.Mr.Shea.” Beattie elbowed her.Papa.She hadn’t seen him coming.“It’s time to go, Darcy.” He did not sound pleased.“Your mother is waiting.”“I’ll be right along.” She couldn’t leave now, when her whole future was about to be decided.“It’s late, and you have responsibilities.Amelia needs your help.”Amelia.Always what Amelia needed.Never what she needed.“Please let me stay a bit longer.Jack is going for the transatlantic prize, and I need to help him.”“Jack?” Papa placed undue emphasis on his name.“Jack who?”She lost nerve.He’d never met Jack, didn’t even know he was her flight instructor.She looked to Beatrice for help.For the first time since childhood, her friend abandoned her.“Speaking of which, I believe my new husband might be getting himself talked into subscribing to Mr.Hunter’s project.I had better see what he is agreeing to.” She scurried off, leaving Darcy alone with her father.“Jack Hunter?” Papa’s brow furrowed.“The aviator who landed here in September? You are on a first-name basis with a man you’ve barely met?”All the air left the room.Perhaps she should have mentioned earlier that Jack was her flight instructor, but it was too late now.She looked around for an escape.The snow had begun again, whirling like a blizzard in the light from the door.Snow.Of course.Papa loved expeditions.“He’s going for the Daily Mail prize, Papa.You remember.For the first aviator to cross the Atlantic nonstop.It’s better than Peary reaching the North Pole.If we make it, our names will be immortalized.”“We?” He donned his top hat.“How are we involved?”“If we subscribe.Jack, uh, Mr.Hunter, needs sponsors.”Papa’s frown deepened.“Sounds to me like throwing perfectly good money away.”“But you’ve always wanted to be part of an expedition.”“Expeditions are fraught with danger and risk.They are for younger men than I.Come along, Darcy.”Darcy couldn’t give up.Not now.She had to make him understand.“But Papa, this is our big chance.We may never have an opportunity like this again.How often does an adventurer come to Pearlman? Never.At least not until now.”“Darcy, the joy of an expedition is not in paying for it; it’s in participating, in experiencing the danger and the reward.”“That’s what I want.”“You? What role could you possibly play?”Darcy’s heart pounded like a steam engine blasting through a tunnel.“I might fly.Ride as navigator.You see, Jack Hunter is my flight instructor.”Papa went pale.Not a single muscle moved, beyond the twitching of the artery in his neck.“When were you going to tell me this?”“I—I—” Darcy couldn’t find an answer.The color flooded back into his face.“This is mad, daughter.Do you have any idea of the risk? I can’t believe Mr.Hunter would agree to this.I should tell him what I think of his plan.”“No, Papa.” She grabbed her father’s arm.“Please don’t [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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.”Forty thousand dollars? The amount staggered.A person could buy half of Pearlman for forty thousand dollars.“You’re teasing,” she said.“Who would go for a fifty thousand dollar prize if it cost forty thousand to do it?”He crossed his arms.“For what comes afterward: lectures, books, interviews.Publishers will pay big money for the rights to the story.There might even be a film.The lecture circuit alone has funded many an expedition.”Of course.She mentally regurgitated all those expedition narratives she’d read.Books, articles and lectures had been part of them all.“It’s not the payoff that’s the problem,” Jack said.“It’s the upfront money.”“Forty thousand?” Not one expedition had been funded by a sole benefactor.“If it takes that much, then we’ll find patrons.Lots of them.” She threaded her arm around his.“And I know right where we can start.”“I don’t want to be indebted to your family.”Other than Perpetua, Darcy doubted anyone in her family would contribute.“That’s not who I had in mind.” She tugged him toward the grange hall.“We can start tonight.Everyone’s there.”“You’re loony.”“Crazy, mad and naïve,” she laughed as they skidded through the slick snow, back to the hall.The squalls had stopped, and the moon glimmered off the newly fallen blanket of white.Guests streamed out the front door of the hall.Motorcars chugged home, while other guests walked in merry little groups, reliving their favorite moment from the wedding.“Follow me.” Darcy eased past the departing guests and found Beatrice just inside the door, thanking each person for coming.“Darcy, where have you been? O-oh.” She’d spotted Jack.“Mr.Hunter.You came.” Strangely, she didn’t look surprised.“Beattie? Did you send Jack an invitation?”Beatrice looked chagrined.“Are you terribly sore?”“How could I ever be sore with you?” Darcy hugged her friend and whispered, “Thank you.”“I’m so glad.” Beattie held her hands and looked like she wanted to say more, but the Grattans approached, calling her to duty.“Hunter?” Blake popped out of the crowd.“Good to see you again.What brings you back to Pearlman?”“A grand adventure,” Darcy said.Jack filled in the details.“Attempting the first nonstop transatlantic flight.We might be looking for subscribers.”“That so?” Blake grasped Jack’s hand and nodded for him to follow into the hall.“Let’s talk.”Blake drew Jack through the throngs of guests donning coats and mittens, and Darcy began to follow, but Beatrice held her back.“Not this time.”Darcy shook off her friend.“What do you mean? It’s my idea.”“Not anymore.Like it or not, men prefer to think they come up with the big ideas.Don’t look so disappointed.We know who truly thought of it.”“But I need to be part of this,” Darcy insisted.“I’m going to be in that plane.”“Let them have their moment.Your turn will come, I promise.Mr.Shea.” Beattie elbowed her.Papa.She hadn’t seen him coming.“It’s time to go, Darcy.” He did not sound pleased.“Your mother is waiting.”“I’ll be right along.” She couldn’t leave now, when her whole future was about to be decided.“It’s late, and you have responsibilities.Amelia needs your help.”Amelia.Always what Amelia needed.Never what she needed.“Please let me stay a bit longer.Jack is going for the transatlantic prize, and I need to help him.”“Jack?” Papa placed undue emphasis on his name.“Jack who?”She lost nerve.He’d never met Jack, didn’t even know he was her flight instructor.She looked to Beatrice for help.For the first time since childhood, her friend abandoned her.“Speaking of which, I believe my new husband might be getting himself talked into subscribing to Mr.Hunter’s project.I had better see what he is agreeing to.” She scurried off, leaving Darcy alone with her father.“Jack Hunter?” Papa’s brow furrowed.“The aviator who landed here in September? You are on a first-name basis with a man you’ve barely met?”All the air left the room.Perhaps she should have mentioned earlier that Jack was her flight instructor, but it was too late now.She looked around for an escape.The snow had begun again, whirling like a blizzard in the light from the door.Snow.Of course.Papa loved expeditions.“He’s going for the Daily Mail prize, Papa.You remember.For the first aviator to cross the Atlantic nonstop.It’s better than Peary reaching the North Pole.If we make it, our names will be immortalized.”“We?” He donned his top hat.“How are we involved?”“If we subscribe.Jack, uh, Mr.Hunter, needs sponsors.”Papa’s frown deepened.“Sounds to me like throwing perfectly good money away.”“But you’ve always wanted to be part of an expedition.”“Expeditions are fraught with danger and risk.They are for younger men than I.Come along, Darcy.”Darcy couldn’t give up.Not now.She had to make him understand.“But Papa, this is our big chance.We may never have an opportunity like this again.How often does an adventurer come to Pearlman? Never.At least not until now.”“Darcy, the joy of an expedition is not in paying for it; it’s in participating, in experiencing the danger and the reward.”“That’s what I want.”“You? What role could you possibly play?”Darcy’s heart pounded like a steam engine blasting through a tunnel.“I might fly.Ride as navigator.You see, Jack Hunter is my flight instructor.”Papa went pale.Not a single muscle moved, beyond the twitching of the artery in his neck.“When were you going to tell me this?”“I—I—” Darcy couldn’t find an answer.The color flooded back into his face.“This is mad, daughter.Do you have any idea of the risk? I can’t believe Mr.Hunter would agree to this.I should tell him what I think of his plan.”“No, Papa.” She grabbed her father’s arm.“Please don’t [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]