Acadia Song 04 - The Distant Beacon
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Authors: Janette Oke,T Davis Bunn
The Distant Beacon
Copyright © 2002
Janette Oke & T. Davis Bunn
Cover illustration and design by Dan Thornberg
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed review.
Published by Bethany House Publishers
11400 Hampshire Avenue South
Bloomington, Minnesota 55438
Bethany House Publishers is a division of
Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Printed in the United States of America
ISBN 978-0-7642-2600-7
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Oke, Janette, 1935—
The distant beacon / by Janette Oke & T. Davis Bunn.
p. cm. — (Song of Acadia)
ISBN 0-7642-2601-0
ISBN 0-7642-2600-2 (pbk.)
1. United States—History—Revolution, 1775–1783—Fiction.
2. Acadians—Fiction. I. Bunn, T. Davis, 1952- II. Title.
PR9199.3.O38 D57 2002
813'.54—dc21 2001005676
JANETTE OKE was born in Champion, Alberta, to a Canadian prairie farmer and his wife, and she grew up in a large family full of laughter and love. She is a graduate of Mountain View Bible College in Alberta, where she met her husband, Edward, and they were married in May of 1957. After pastoring churches in Indiana and Canada, the Okes spent some years in Calgary, where Edward served in several positions on college faculties while Janette continued her writing. She has written over four dozen novels for adults and children, and her book sales total over twenty-two million copies.
The Okes have three sons and one daughter, all married, and are enjoying their dozen grandchildren. Edward and Janette are active in their local church and make their home near Didsbury, Alberta.
T. DAVIS BUNN, a native of North Carolina, is a former international business executive whose career has taken him to over forty countries in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. With topics as diverse as romance, history, and intrigue, Bunn’s books continue to reach readers of all ages and interests. He and his wife, Isabella, reside near Oxford, England.
By Davis Bunn
The Book of Hours
The Great Divide
Winner Take All
The Lazarus Trap
Elixir
Imposter
H
EIRS OF
A
CADIA
†
The Solitary Envoy
The Innocent Libertine
The Noble Fugitive
The Night Angel
Falconer’s Quest
All Through the Night
My Soul to Keep
By Janette Oke & Davis Bunn
A
CTS OF
F
AITH
The Centurion’s Wife
The Hidden Flame
S
ONG OF
A
CADIA
The Meeting Place The Birthright
The Sacred Shore The Distant Beacon
The Beloved Land
†
with Isabella Bunn
By Janette Oke
C
ANADIAN
W
EST
When Calls the Heart When Breaks the Dawn
When Comes the Spring When Hope Springs New
Beyond the Gathering Storm
When Tomorrow Comes
L
OVE
C
OMES
S
OFTLY
Love Comes Softly Love’s Unending Legacy
Love’s Enduring Promise Love’s Unfolding Dream
Love’s Long Journey Love Takes Wing
Love’s Abiding Joy Love Finds a Home
A P
RAIRIE
L
EGACY
The Tender Years A Quiet Strength
A Searching Heart Like Gold Refined
S
EASONS OF THE
H
EART
Once Upon a Summer Winter Is Not Forever
The Winds of Autumn Spring’s Gentle Promise
Seasons of the Heart (4 in 1)
W
OMEN OF THE
W
EST
The Calling of Emily Evans A Bride for Donnigan
Julia’s Last Hope Heart of the Wilderness
Roses for Mama Too Long a Stranger
A Woman Named Damaris The Bluebird and the Sparrow
They Called Her Mrs. Doc A Gown of Spanish Lace
The Measure of a Heart Drums of Change
“These are the times that try men’s souls.”
—Thomas Paine, 1776
CONTENTS
Anne’s desk, situated by the lead-paned window in her apartment’s front parlor, overlooked the manor house gardens. Normally she liked to sit there only when toddler John was playing on the rug at her feet. Otherwise she preferred to do her letter writing in the library, along with all the paper work related to the villagers. Uncle Charles would join her there, reading the papers sent down from London and playing with John—three generations of family joined by a love so strong Anne often felt overwhelmed by how blessed they truly were.
But this letter was one best written away from any possibility of interruption. Charles liked to read passages to her from the papers, or ask her opinion on various matters about the estate, or point out John’s latest feat—whether rolling a ball under the settee where no one could reach it, or saying a new word, or beaming out of his small round face. Anne could not abide such interferences today. She already had put off this letter far too long.
The day was uncommonly warm for an early English spring. Through her open window Anne could hear several robins, their song brief and hesitant, as though they too could scarcely believe the overly wet season might be drawing to a close. That was how she would start her letter, she decided as she dipped the quill into the inkstand.
How it had rained steadily for seven weeks, halting only when the wind rose and the clouds, gray and burly, scuttled across the heavens. Today was the first sunshine she had seen since late February. Drifting in from the window came the smell of damp earth, the faint promise of new beginnings. Yes, a good place to begin her letter to Nicole.
