Grave Consequences (Grand Tour Series #2) (46 page)

Q: Have you been to all of the places described in
Grave Consequences
?

A: I wish! I spent some time in the south of France, so I had a decent feel for that part of the country, even though our Grand Tourists traveled much farther than I. But I’ve never been to Lyon, Nîmes, Geneva, the Alps, or Vienna. They’re definitely all on my Someday List. For my research I relied on the Internet and guidebooks until I returned to my more familiar territory of Venice.

Q: You’ve stayed pretty close to home of late, compared to your travels of recent years. What’s up with that?

A: I really wanted to see all these places in person before I wrote about them, and as a travel blogger, it would’ve had dual impact. But God encouraged me pretty clearly to simplify my life. I was feeling strung out, trying to cover too many bases, and travel, especially without my family, was a luxury of both time and money that could most readily be dropped for a while. So we put our travel blog on hiatus. I’m sure there are some fantastic trips in the future. But for now, God is directing me to focus on my family and friends. To stick close to home, as you said. When He’s that clear, I’ve learned to obey. Wait and trust, as Cora heard. I’m doing the same.

Q: Speaking of that, are you good at waiting and trusting?

A: Ha! I wish. I’m an action-oriented person, a catalyst. I write novels because I like to control my fictional worlds and characters. But in this last year, as I’ve pressed into my identity as God’s daughter, I’ve become hungry to find how He is working in my world and how I might join Him in it, rather than always trying to do my own thing and inviting
Him
into that. It’s an ongoing effort to submit more and more to His will and His ways and find life more abundant. And you know what? I’m so excited. Because every day I press toward that goal, to live life more hand in hand with Him, to be an active, willing servant of the Most High, I find that waiting and trusting is met with joy-filled rewards.

Q: What’s next for Cora and this group in
Glittering Promises
?

A: This series has an arcing theme of identity. And in this book, Cora’s rediscovered her footing as an individual. What needs to happen next is for her to find out who she is as a daughter of the Father who will never, ever leave her. I think in that, she’ll find her greatest security, allowing her to make critical decisions about her future, including her vocation and Will McCabe. But there will be some serious obstacles.… You’ll have to wait to find out more!

Historical Notes

As with all my novels, I aspire to remain true to historical fact but reserve the right to craft the best tale possible, even if I have to bend the truth a tad. They do have bullfights in the old Roman arena in Nîmes, but I’m not certain if they did that routinely in 1913, or if bulls ever succeeded in jumping the barrier and attacking those in the stands.

There was a narrow-gauge railroad that went from Geneva up into the Alps and stopped in a tiny town near a glacier in 1913. I’m uncertain as to whether anyone would’ve trekked across it with a bunch of tourists at the risk of falling into a crevasse, but I’m continually surprised by what I find in my research, in both pictures and words. People have always been brave—and stupid—regardless of the era.

Life
magazine was published in 1913, but I haven’t seen anything like the photographic journal articles depicted in Art Stapleton’s stories. At the time, tourists were just experimenting with the new Kodak and often sent home postcards made out of the prints from those cameras, which got me thinking about such a possibility. It wasn’t based on journalistic standards of the time…it just became a lovely vehicle for complicating Cora’s search for her truest identity by making her appear to be something she isn’t. We fictioneers utilize what we can.

By and large, Grand Tours tended to be centered on meeting important people and seeing famous works of art and monuments. To keep this series from becoming a monotonous travelogue, I’ve added an experimental factor (painting like the Impressionists, baking with a French chef, trekking across a glacier, etc.) that is entirely a figment of my imagination. I have no idea if the bears of the Tour would’ve favored such a thing, but if I were to take my kids today, I’d surely incorporate such things as painting, baking, and trekking to help them remember these fantastic, luscious places all the better. Wouldn’t it be fun? Now I just need $50,000 to take my family away for a whole summer
….

~L.T.B.

Acknowledgments

Many thanks to Traci DePree, the only person besides my husband (and a few amazing fans) who has read nearly all of my books (and edited almost all of them too). Thanks also to the amazing team at David C Cook, including Don Pape, Ingrid Beck, Caitlyn Carlson, Amy Konyndyk, Ginia Hairston, and Karen Stoller. Litfuse has been a terrific publicity partner too; I salute them. For French help,
merci
to Heather Broomhead, Megan Breedlove, and Jean-Philippe Feve! To all who have assisted me in crafting this project and getting the word out to readers, thank you.

STILL WANT TO KNOW MORE?

Find out more about Lisa, read about her journeys, and connect with her by visiting:

Web:
LisaBergren.com

Facebook: Lisa Tawn Bergren and River of Time Series

Twitter: @LisaTBergren

GRAVE CONSEQUENCES

Published by David C Cook

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Colorado Springs, CO 80918 U.S.A.

David C Cook Distribution Canada

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David C Cook U.K., Kingsway Communications

Eastbourne, East Sussex BN23 6NT, England

The graphic circle C logo is a registered trademark of David C Cook.

All rights reserved. No part of this ebook may be reproduced, scanned, resold, or distributed by or through any print or electronic medium without written permission from the publisher. This ebook is licensed solely for the personal and noncommercial use of the original authorized purchaser, subject to the terms of use under which it was purchased. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights.

The website addresses recommended throughout this book are offered as a resource to you. These websites are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement on the part of David C Cook, nor do we vouch for their content.

This story is a work of fiction. All characters and events are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to any person, living or dead, is coincidental.

LCCN 2012955795

ISBN 978-1-4347-6432-4

eISBN 978-0-7814-0878-3

© 2013 Lisa T. Bergren

The Team: Don Pape, Traci DePree, Amy Konyndyk, Nick Lee, Caitlyn Carlson, Karen Athen

Cover Design: JWH Design, James Hall

Cover Photographer: Steve Gardner, Pixelworks Studios

First Edition 2013

Lisa T. Bergren
is the award-winning author of over forty books, with more than 2 million copies sold. Lisa divides her time between writing, editing, parenting three children with her husband, Tim, and dreaming of her next trip to Italy. She lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

If you enjoyed this title, visit
DCCeBooks.com
for more great reads.

Praise for …

Glamorous Illusions

“Bergren, award-winning author of nearly 40 books with two million–plus sold, launches readers into a sumptuous world of wealth and world travel with the first in the Grand Tour Series featuring Cora Diehl Kensington. Cora learns she is the illegitimate daughter of Montana copper baron Wallace Kensington, which sets her on a journey of discovery and healing when she joins her half siblings and their wealthy friends on a Grand Tour of Europe. Will McCabe, their guide, worries over the precarious family dynamics and his own developing feelings for Cora, who must face her own demons when her siblings sabotage her every move. The family must come together, however, when danger threatens all of them. Readers will come to love Cora as she struggles over her feelings for Will and the dashing Frenchman Pierre de Richelieu, and they’ll delight in the scenes of England and France in pre-WWI Europe. This is a worthy beginning to the series.”

Publishers Weekly

“A fascinating mix of travel and intrigue, heartache and romance,
Glamorous Illusions
sweeps you away on the Grand Tour, exploring London and Paris through the eyes of a young woman who longs to find her place in the world. The title captures the story perfectly, as Cora delves beneath all that glitters to discover what is real and true, while not just one man but two vie for her affections ... ooh, la la! A grand start to a new series from a seasoned author who writes from the heart.”

Liz Curtis Higgs,
New York Times
best-selling author of
Mine Is the Night

“Who am I and where do I fit in this world? These are just two of the important questions addressed in this poignant story that takes the reader from an impoverished farm in Montana onto an opulent cruise across the Atlantic to stately England and finally to the city of love, Paris. With fresh characters, a touching story, and plenty of adventure and romance, you’ll get swept away in this lavish world of the young and wealthy.”

MaryLu Tyndall,
author of
Surrender
the
Dawn
and
Veil of Pearls

“From a bankrupt farm in 1913 Montana to the glitter and glamour of a European Grand Tour,
Glamorous Illusions
is the trip—and the read—of a lifetime. Absolutely one of my favorites ever, this book is a stunning adventure from first page to last. A truly masterful storyteller, Lisa Bergren has penned a magical journey of the heart and soul that will leave you breathless and longing for more.”

Julie Lessman,
award-winning author of The Daughters of Boston series and Winds of Change series

“A Cinderella story lingers in the pages of
Glamorous Illusions.
Open the book and be swept into a story of heartache, strength, and romance. Add in the sweeping beginnings to a Grand Tour of Europe, and I found all the ingredients for a story I couldn’t put down.”

Cara C. Putman,
author
Stars in the Night
and
A Wedding Transpires on Mackinac Island