The Royal Handmaid Read online

  Loren Matthews had always loved the sea, and the schooner was the one bit of ostentation that he allowed himself. The Mary Anne was a beautiful deep-water sailing yacht. Owning such a ship had been the dream of his life, and from the day he had bought the schooner, he lived for the times he could get away from business and stand at the wheel on the high seas. He had not gone sailing much in the past year, however, for he had developed heart trouble, but the schooner was still his first love after his daughter.

  “If I agree,” Loren said quietly, “of course we’ll get you to the South Seas in the Mary Anne, but I’ll have to have much time to pray about it.”

  “Dad, I knew you’d agree, and I know how much the Mary Anne means to you.”

  “Well, we’ll leave it at that, then, but if I’m going to be involved in this, I’ll have to have some word from God and a peace about it.”

  “Dad, this time I think you’ll have to trust our vision—Dalton’s and mine and the others’. That’s the way it was in the book of Acts. You remember how Paul had a vision of a man in Macedonia who said, ‘Come over into Macedonia, and help us’? The Bible says they set off straightaway for Macedonia. So it was Paul who had the vision, and the others just had to trust him. Dad, please, I want you to trust me—and Dalton.”

  Loren understood that if he wanted to keep a firm place in his daughter’s heart, he would have to go along with this scheme. He had always been able to make quick decisions in business, and most of the time his instincts were right. As much as this decision hurt him, he somehow felt it might be right.

  “All right, daughter, unless I get a direct no from God, I’ll stand behind you.”

  Rena gasped and tears welled in her eyes. “Didn’t I tell you, Dalton?” she said. “I told you Dad would be with us.” She jumped up, knocking over her glass of water. As Loren got to his feet, she threw herself into his arms. “Thank you, Daddy. I knew you’d understand!”

  Loren was not at all sure that he understood, but he knew this was something he had to do. His daughter meant more to him than anything except his loyalty to God, and now he prayed, Oh, God, I hope I’m doing the right thing. You’ll just have to watch over these young people.

  ****

  “What in the world is this, Rena?” Loren asked less than two weeks later.

  Rena, who was working at a desk full of papers, looked up at the newspaper her father held out. “Oh, that’s just a story about our work.”

  Loren read the headline aloud, disgust dripping in his tone. “ ‘Socialite Hits the Glory Trail.’ What do you mean by giving out a story like this?”

  “I didn’t give it out, Dad. I think Dalton talked to a reporter, and he made all that up—the reporter, I mean.”

  “It’s a terrible story! It trivializes everything your mission stands for.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Rena said. “It’ll be good publicity.”

  Flinging himself into a chair, Loren skimmed the story again, then shook his head with disgust. “It makes you look like a bunch of playboys and social butterflies.”

  “Nobody believes anything they read in the newspaper.”

  “I don’t like it, Rena.”

  Rena got up and came around the desk to sit on the arm of her father’s chair. She put her arm around his neck and said, “Dad, don’t worry about it. Nobody will even remember what it said a week from now.”

  “Well, I still don’t like it.”

  “You sit right here. I want to show you something.”

  Rena went quickly to the desk and picked up a paper. “Dalton and I have been very busy making the final selection for the group. I want you to look at them.”

  Loren took the paper she handed him and glanced at the ten names on it. “Do you know all of these people?”

  “Why, of course. Most of them were at college with us. Here, we’ll be having them over to dinner tonight, and I want you to study this list and be sure that we agree.”

  “What if we don’t?”

  “Oh, Dad, Dalton and I have put in a lot of time on this, but we’d feel better if you’d look at it. Here, let me fill you in on it.” She pointed to the first two names and said, “This is Jimmy Townsend and his wife, Abigail.”

  “You’re taking a married couple?”

  “Yes—they’re newlyweds. They’ve only been married a month.”

  “Who are they?”

  “Jimmy’s father is a successful contractor. He owns a construction business.”

  “How does he feel about his son becoming a missionary?”

  “Well, he’s disappointed. He’s always wanted Jimmy to go into the business with him, but Jimmy couldn’t see it that way. And Jimmy’s wife, Abby, is a dear girl. A bit timid, but she’ll get over that when she gets on the field.”

  “I can’t believe a timid woman would be able to face up to some of the things I’ve heard foreign missionaries have to do.”

  “She’s not too old to change! Jimmy’s twenty-five, and she’s a year younger. And here’s the good thing about it, Dad. Once Jimmy proves himself, his dad has all the money in the world. We can get him involved in the work too. He’ll be a great supporter once we sell him on the idea.” Rena pointed to the paper again. “There’s Karl Benson. He’s thirty-two and a very interesting man, and one of the most brilliant I’ve ever met. He even went through medical school, although he never received his degree.”

  “Why not?”

  “He decided God was calling him to serve on the mission field instead of becoming a doctor.”

  “It’ll certainly be handy to have somebody along with some medical knowledge.”

  “I don’t think Karl does much in the way of medicine.”

  “Somebody will have to.”

  “I suppose. But look—here’s a real prize. Professor Jan Dekker.”

  “A professor of what?”

  “Of theology. He was our professor, Dalton’s and mine, for most of our theology and anthropology courses. He’s a brilliant theologian and a great scholar.”

  “How old is he?”

  “Fifty-one.” Rena hesitated and then said, “He’s a bit liberal. Doesn’t quite see the Scriptures the way we do.”

  “How does he see them?”

  “He doesn’t believe all of them are inspired.”

  “Oh? And just how does he decide which are and which aren’t? I don’t much like that.”

  “Never mind that, Dad. He’s anxious to go to the field. He’s never done anything but stay in the classroom, and now he’s ready to try out some of his theories for real.”

  Rena saw that her father was not particularly impressed with Professor Dekker and moved on quickly down the list. “Now, Peter Alford. There’s a man you would like very much.” She bit her lip and shook her head. “He’s a little slow, but he’s a very fine young man. Strong too. And his heart’s as big as he is. Everybody likes Pete.”

  Loren fired questions concerning Peter, then finally asked, “What about the women?”

  “I’ve told you about Abby. And you know my best friend, Jeanne Vernay. She’s going to be one of The Twelve.”

  “You two have been in competition for grades and everything else for as long as I can remember.”

  “Yes, and I think that’s good.”

  “I’m not sure it is. Competing on a mission field might be troublesome.”

  “Oh, Jeanne and I will be fine.”

  Loren raised a skeptical brow. “She’s a real socialite. I can’t imagine her wanting to be a missionary.”

  “She says she does,” Rena said with a shrug. “She hasn’t been thinking about it for long, but she’s got lots of self-confidence.” She moved on quickly. “Here’s another one of my classmates, Lanie MacKay. She’s very handy at a lot of things.”

  “Why did you pick her?”

  “For one, because she asked to go, and also because she’ll be good for doing the practical things. All those day-to-day things missionaries have to do for themselves, you know. As a
matter of fact, so will Margaret Smith.” Rena bit her lip. “I hesitated about including Margaret. She’s overweight, and she may find it all a bit arduous, but she is a fine cook and a great seamstress. She’s good at all kinds of practical things, you know, and she loves the Lord too. Her father is a pastor. She’s a little shy, but I know I can help her with that.”

  “What about this Meredith Wynne? That’s an odd name.”

  “I’m not sure about her. Actually, she’s the one we’ll need to pray about.”

  “Why? What’s wrong with her?”

  “Well, she’s not very . . .” Rena hesitated. “I don’t know. She’s brilliant, of course. She’s a linguist. That’s the reason Dalton and I finally agreed to consider her. We’ll need someone to teach us the language, and Meredith can pick up languages as easily as most people pick up a new recipe.”

  The two continued to go over the list until Rena said, “You’ll meet them all at dinner tonight, but what do you think about them so far—just from what I’ve told you?”

  “Truthfully?”

  “Of course, Dad.”

  “I’m a little worried. There’s not one person on this list who has actually done any missionary work.”

  “I know, but we can all learn together. It’ll take a little shaking down, but it’ll come along all right. I’m sure of it.”

  “It won’t be an easy life, Rena. I know you get tired of my saying this, but it’s true.”

  “We’ll hire natives to do the hard physical work, and since you’ve been so good to let us use the Mary Anne and supply us, we won’t have to worry about all the details most missionaries do.”

  Loren laughed. “I think I bought enough supplies to feed a whole village for a year!”

  “I know. You’ve been great about it, Dad.”

  “But there are only eleven on this list.”

  Rena nodded. “I know. We’re having trouble deciding on the last member. Maybe you can help us select the right one.”

  “I’d like that.”

  She jumped up and began to pace the floor, her words tumbling out in her excitement. “It’s going to be so wonderful! I’m going to keep careful records so I can show the world what great things can be done on a mission field when it’s done right. Of course,” she said with a smile, “we couldn’t do it without you.”

  Loren knew this was an honest statement. His daughter did honor him and had made him, as much as she could, a part of the group. He looked down at the list in his hand and wanted to argue that some of the choices were not the best, but he kept quiet. Rena had the bit in her teeth and was speeding away. Nothing he could say was going to slow her down.

  He watched as she flung herself around the room, her eyes brilliant with expectation, and he prayed silently, Lord, you’re going to have to help Rena and the rest of them. They don’t know what they’re getting into!

  CHAPTER TWO

  Travis’s Marching Orders

  Travis Winslow glanced up at the banner spread out above him proclaiming the Barnum and Bailey Circus. He shook his head, and a slight grin touched his lips as he murmured, “Sis and Chase have sure come up in the world. Not much like the old Carter Brothers Circus. You could have stuck the whole thing in one corner of this one.”

  The air was rich with circus smells—popcorn, hot dogs, and the acrid aroma of wild animals. No amount of perfume could cover up that! This scene had once been his life, but now as Travis walked along between the sideshows where barkers were shilling the acts, all of that seemed in the very distant past. In fact, it had only been a few years since Travis had been a part of the Carter Brothers Circus, along with his sister, Joy.

  When Joy married Chase Hardin, Travis left to enter Bible school with plans to become a minister. The Hardins had since moved on into the world of big-time show business with their now world-famous wild animal act in “The Greatest Show on Earth.”

  A lion’s roar penetrated the sounds of laughter and shouting from the people in line to purchase tickets. Must be one of Joy’s pets, Travis thought. I still can’t believe she’d get in the ring with those big cats.

  As Travis edged forward to buy his ticket, his mind replayed memories of how he and Joy ran away from home after their parents had been killed in an automobile accident. Their aunt and uncle took them in, but it was not a happy situation. Travis headed south and eventually got a job on a steamship going to South America. While ashore in Mexico, a man was seriously hurt in a saloon brawl, and Travis was arrested, along with two other Americans, and had to do a year in a Mexican jail. He remembered his shock when he learned that his sister had joined the circus. She eventually became engaged to another animal trainer.

  Travis slapped his money on the counter, and a hard-eyed woman with strawlike hair tore off a ticket and handed it to him. “Hope you like it, handsome.” She grinned, revealing a missing front tooth.

  “I always did.” Travis returned her smile. Jostled by the crowd, he moved inside the tent, found his seat, and settled down. While he waited he watched the excited youngsters around him, bright-eyed with anticipation. He noticed a middle-aged woman with three small children who was having a difficult time trying to keep them corralled. “Let me help you with that young’un, ma’am,” Travis offered with a smile. He reached out his arms, and the woman gave him a startled look, then laughed. “Don’t know if you can or not. He’s wild.”

  “Let me have a try.” Travis took the baby and proceeded to make friends at once. The woman was grateful and said, “You must’ve had some experience with babies.”

  “I’ve always liked them but haven’t had any of my own yet. This fellow is a fine one.”

  The two chatted until the lights dimmed and the ringmaster made his entrance. Travis held the baby, asleep now despite the noise, and listened to the ringmaster’s grand promises about the most spectacular acts in the world. He felt his mind slipping back to those earlier days. He had good memories of his time with the circus, yet he had no regrets about leaving.

  The ringmaster’s stentorian voice rang out, “And now, ladies and gentlemen and children of all ages, I introduce to you Captain Chase Hardin and his wife, the courageous and beautiful Joy Hardin. You will see them enter a cage with twenty ferocious lions and tigers. Ladies and gentlemen, the Hardins!”

  Suddenly a man and a woman slipped in through a side door of the cage. Travis smiled as he saw them. My sister is more beautiful than ever, he thought. Joy Hardin had blond hair and blue eyes, and her trim figure was outlined by the silk blouse and snug-fitting jodhpurs. She wore black boots and held a small whip in her right hand. Her husband was a well-built man with piercing eyes and an engaging smile, but the smile disappeared as the first Bengal tiger entered and circled the cage. One after another the animals emerged from their tunnel, alternating lions and tigers, until all twenty of them were in the ring.

  Travis watched with pleasure as the two trainers put the magnificent beasts through their routine. He remembered Joy telling him about her first experiences with the wild animals. She had laughed when she told Travis about tiger cubs, saying, “They have to be fed just like a baby, and someone has to wipe their bottoms until they learn to do it for themselves!”

  The air crackled with applause, cheers, and gasps as the huge animals performed their incredibly difficult tricks. The largest of the huge tigers walked a tightrope, then jumped through a flaming hoop. When all the other big cats had exited the cage, the huge tiger remained. The audience collectively held its breath as Joy slipped onto his back and rode around the ring as fearlessly as if she were straddling a pony.

  “Aren’t they wonderful?” the woman said to Travis. “I don’t see how they do it.”

  “They spend lots of time with those animals,” he said. “They won’t let anybody else feed them. Every night after the circus is over, they go back and feed them by hand.”

  “How do you know all that?” the woman asked curiously.

  “Well, that lady’s my sister.”
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br />   “You don’t say! Are you in the circus?”

  “No, ma’am, I’m just a poor preacher.”

  The woman laughed. “Well, I’m glad to hear it. I’m a Christian myself. So is my husband.”

  “And these children are going to be the same. I can tell.”

  Travis enjoyed the rest of the spectacle and before he knew it, the final spec, or parade, was winding its way around the Big Top. Joy was riding on the neck of one of the elephants, just as she had done in the old days, while Chase drove a Roman chariot pulled by two snow-white horses. Smiling and waving to the crowd, they passed right by Travis, but neither Joy nor Chase spotted him. He handed the baby back to the woman and said, “Thanks for letting me hold your young’un, ma’am. He’s a fine one.”

  “You’re welcome, preacher, and thank you. May the Lord bless you real good.”

  Travis got to his feet and slowly moved toward the exit with the crowd, then made his way around back to where the performers’ trailers were parked. He stopped a busy circus hand to ask where Joy and her husband lived.

  “That big white one right over there, you see?”

  “Thanks, partner.”

  He went to the trailer, but no one was there.

  “Must be feeding the cats, I guess,” he said to himself.

  He sat down on the front step and waited. It was forty-five minutes later when he finally saw them. Joy was carrying a small child in her arms, and when she saw her brother, she let out a cry.

  “Travis!” She shoved the baby toward her husband and ran forward, throwing herself into his arms. “Why didn’t you tell us you were coming, you big ape!”

  “Don’t know. Guess I’m just not very thoughtful.” Travis grinned. “You’re lookin’ fine, Joy, and you too, Chase.” He put out his hand and returned Chase’s hard grip before exclaiming, “Let me see this here girl child!” He reached for the nine-month-old and held her up. “Why, Leah, you’re as good-lookin’ as your ma. I was afraid you’d be ugly like your old man.”