Not by Sight (37 page)

Dear Reader,

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading Grace and Jack’s story. As a writer of historical fiction, I’m fascinated with Britain and the time period surrounding WWI. So much was happening—not only the war but Ireland’s Easter Rising, women’s suffrage, and the dawn of mass production in automobiles, food, clothing, and technology. Women left their homes and domestic service to work in factories and fields and commandeer positions formerly held by men as the war years dragged on. It was a time of wonderment and change, and sadly of loss.

While
Not
by Sight
is wholly a product of my imagination, I included a few factual people and places I’d like to share. First, the Women’s Forage Corps (WFC) did exist and was a precursor to the Women’s Land Army of WWI, the latter better known for their service during WWII. While information about this group seems to be scarce, I did come across this article from the April 1919 issue of the British publication
Land and Water Extra
. “The foundations of the Women’s Forage Corps, R.A.S.C. (Royal Army Service Corps), were laid in 1915, but
the Corps did not come into being as a whole till March 1917. They [WFC] work in gangs of six, headed by a Gang Supervisor. . . . Some help to bale hay and work with a steam baler, while others act as transport drivers in charge of the horses; these are responsible for the carriage of the hay from the stacks to the railway stations. There are other interesting branches of forage work, such as chaffing, wire-stretching, tarpaulin sheet mending, sack making . . .”
1

Espionage was also a fact and a real threat during WWI involving German and Dutch spies, the use of invisible ink, and Britain’s MI5 constantly on the hunt for domestic traitors. The woman Maud in my story is based on a real person who worked in Room 40, cracking codes and convicting spies. “Mabel Beatrice Elliott uncovered secret messages written in invisible ink between the lines of letters she inspected while working as a deputy assistant censor for the British War Office. Her role remained largely unknown because she gave that evidence under the false name Maud Phillips.”
2

The exotic dancer Mata Hari is best known to the world as the femme fatale spy of WWI. Her Paris trial on July 24, 1917, ended with her conviction and subsequent execution on October 15, 1917. Recent evidence suggests she may not have been a German agent after all. Research reveals an intriguing picture of the German and French intelligence services inadvertently working together to achieve a common goal—the elimination of Mata Hari—and a trial in which the prosecution never called (and the court never allowed the defense to call) two witnesses who could have proved or disproved the case against her. After about forty minutes, the court found Mata Hari guilty, for which no evidence was presented.
3

The port at Richborough was also a real place, near the town of Sandwich in Kent. During the war, a secret Q port by the banks of the River Stour was the starting point of a ferry
service for troops and munitions to France and to Flanders. The chosen spot for the hidden port was under the Roman fortress of Richborough.
4

Lastly, I admit to embellishing somewhat the destruction wrought by German Gotha planes on Margate, August 1917. Though enemy planes did bomb the area on the twenty-third of that month, the damage was minimal and caused few deaths.
5
A more horrendous attack occurred in that part of the city on September 30, 1917, resulting in many losses of both servicemen and civilians.

—KB

Notes

1. Seeing Jack Benningham at Lady Bassett’s ball, Grace has already formed her opinion of him, based on the newspapers and gossip from Swan’s. Can you think of an instance, past or present, where a public figure was maligned by the press or a group of people, and then later exonerated?
   
2. Women’s suffrage was strengthened during the war as women took on more men’s roles. They worked in munitions and as tank builders, ambulance drivers, policewomen, and forestry workers, just to name a few. If you had lived in that time, what occupation would you have chosen, and why?
   
3. When the two women arrive at Roxwood, Grace finds herself the target of Clare’s animosity. Have your first impressions ever been wrong? If so, what did you do about it?
   
4. Agnes spies for the Germans to keep her imprisoned mother and sister alive—actions that betray the country fighting for her Belgian people and likely cause the deaths of countless British sailors, and have the kindhearted
   Mabrys arrested and facing execution. What would you have done in her circumstances? Do you think the enemy would have kept their word?
   
5. At the village dance, Grace coaxes Mr. Tillman into taking a turn around the room with Mrs. Vance, and romance blossoms. Have you ever played matchmaker for someone? Set up a blind date or invited to a party two singles you thought well-suited to each other? What was the outcome?
   
6. Violet Arnold comes across as a rich, spoiled, and shallow heiress in want of a coronet. Yet as she confronts Jack, her harshness seems more out of desperation than hatred. She feels caught in the net of her father’s agenda and frustrated by Jack’s unwillingness to end the farce and repay Stonebrooke’s debt. Do you feel she was sincere about loving the Scottish viscount’s son, or as Jack suspected, did she want out once she saw his horrible wounds at the hospital?
   
7. Grace’s coded letter to her father results in her being suspected as a spy. Yet Jack has doubts after hearing the testimony of her friends. Have you ever had an instance where your instincts conflicted with your reasoning? How did you proceed?
   
8. A budding writer seeking publication for her stories, Grace keeps a journal of her adventures with the WFC and her outings with Jack. Have you ever kept a journal or diary? What key observations did you notice when you reread the entries later on?
   
9. Jack teaches Grace to “paint with words” so he can envision the places they visit during their outings. Among her colorful descriptions, did you have a particular favorite? Did it remind you of a place or an event you’ve seen before?
   
10. When Jack rescues Colin Mabry in France, he gains new understanding into the cause behind his brother Hugh’s death after returning from the war, how “shell shock” is as much a wound as missing limbs or being blinded. In
    Masterpiece
    ’s
    Downton
    Abbey
    , Mrs. Patmore’s nephew, Archibald, suffers from a similar condition and deserts. With today’s return of so many soldiers from places like Iraq and Afghanistan, do you have thoughts on how we can help those with PTSD make a better transition back into society?
    
11. At the end of the story, Jack has come to terms with Hugh’s death and his own injuries. He begins to rediscover his faith in God and to understand the concept of suffering. Do you feel his circumstances in the story better enabled him to help Grace? If so, in what way? And how did Grace help Jack?
    
12. Who was your favorite secondary character in the novel, and why?
    

I don’t believe in coincidence but instead that everything happens under God’s Watchful Eye. He has a plan for each of us, and despite the choices we make, He is always there to offer guidance, encouragement, and if we accept it, His strength to see us through.

The title for this novel,
Not by Sight
, is no exception. While I did not choose it, the corresponding passage from Scripture (2 Corinthians 5:7) was meant for me. The verse was ever on my mind as I wrote these pages, oftentimes my mantra before deadlines or while laying down a particularly difficult passage in the story. Reminding me to look with my heart, to my faith in God, and not to what I was seeing on the raw page. I feel this novel is a testament to the veracity of those words.

I would like to thank my husband, John, for his love and patience, especially those times when the pressure was on. My deepest gratitude also to my critique partners, Anjali, Darlene, Elsa, Krysteen, Lois, Patty, Rose Marie, Susan, and Sheila, whose generosity of time and expertise helped to make this story that much better. To my agent, Linda S. Glaz, and to my editor, Raela Schoenherr, and all those at Bethany House, I cannot express enough my appreciation for your graciousness and unwavering support in this endeavor.

A Florida girl who migrated to the Pacific Northwest,
Kate Breslin
was a bookseller for many years. She is the author of the highly acclaimed novel
For Such
a Time
. Kate lives with her family near Seattle, Washington. Learn more at
KateBreslin.com
.

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