Journey of Honor A love story Read Online Free PDF Page A

vowed to do her best to mother it and protect it from the troubles it would encounter in its life as a result of the circumstances of its conception, through no fault of its own, as well as she could. She still wasn’t happy about it, but she was learning to at least not hate what had happened. In her heart, she worried there were actually two babies. Twins were common in her family, and several times she had dreamed of two babies. She sincerely hoped she was wrong. One baby born into this circumstance would be sad enough.
    Looking up at her grandfather’s profile, she thought back on all the events that had led them to this place at this time. He and her grandmother had been willing to give up all the ties they had to their families and leave their beloved Holland to come with her to America and join the Saints here. How grateful she was to them for that.
    Her parents had at first been horrified and then angry enough to completely disown her when she had announced her intention of joining the Church after being taught by the missionaries she had met on a trip to England. Being shunned from her family had been the most heart-breaking thing she had ever experienced in all of her fifteen years, but she had known that what the missionaries had taught her was true and right and she couldn’t deny it. So she had prepared to leave her comfortable life as the daughter of a diplomat of state to make the long trip to be with the other Saints by herself.
    Her parents had enlisted her grandparents to talk some sense into her about joining this strange new “cult” church that espoused visions and prophets, and the result of their investigation had been the announcement that her grandfather believed also and he and her grandmother would be leaving for America with her.
    It had been a long and troubled road so far, but she knew what she knew and had to make whatever sacrifices she had to to follow the Prophets who she knew to be the servants of God Himself. Sometimes she didn’t understand why God had let the terrible things happen to the Saints that had come to pass, but she always trusted that He knew better than she and that she was doing the right things in spite of all the troubles. When the bulk of the Saints had set out west, she had at first thought things here in Missouri and in Illinois would settle down, but the child she now carried was proof of just how wrong that idea had been. The mobs and persecution had continued and, in fact, were far worse for some than they had been for Giselle because there were many who didn’t really consider the VanKomens Mormons because of her grandmother’s refusal to join.
    Wondering again if she should have told Trace about all of this, she reminded herself that this marriage had simply been a means to be able to leave the States quickly, and that once safely in the valley of the Great Salt Lake, would be annulled. Trace would be far away in California by the time she delivered. There had been no time for telling anyway. The entire scope of their acquaintance consisted of probably less than an hour of actual time spent together.
    A working marital relationship that included complete disclosure wasn’t really part of this arrangement, so her conscience was soothed. At any rate, the last thing she wanted to see in Trace’s eyes was pity or revulsion because of what had happened. It was better that she say nothing and do all she could to facilitate as smooth and swift a trip as possible to reach their destinations ahead of Old Man Winter. The inevitable signs of an advancing pregnancy would tell him in time anyway. She couldn’t help the situation she was in. All she could do was make the best of it as gracefully and cheerfully as possible, which was what she fully intended to do.
    *****
    That first day of the trip was a strange combination of being unable to do much while they were actually en route, and then scrambling to accomplish all the necessary tasks of life once the train