The Seeker
THE
SEEKER
Books by Ann H. Gabhart
The Scent of Lilacs
Orchard of Hope
Summer of Joy
The Outsider
The Believer
The Seeker
THE
SEEKER
A NOVEL
ANN H. GABHART
a division of Baker Publishing Group
Grand Rapids,Michigan
© 2010 by Ann H. Gabhart
Published by Revell
a division of Baker Publishing Group
P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
www.revellbooks.com
Printed in the United States of America
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—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Gabhart, Ann H., 1947–
The seeker : a novel / Ann H. Gabhart.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-0-8007-3363-6 (pbk.)
1. Shakers—Fiction. 2. Kentucky—History—1792–1865—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3607.A23S44 2010
813 .6—dc22
2010003583
Scripture used in this book, whether quoted or paraphrased by the characters, is taken from the King James Version of the Bible.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
“The Rock” (From “A Collection of Hymns, Selected from different parts. Improved in our General Worship. Written by Elizabeth Lovegrove, 1822.” New Lebanon)
“Hop Up and Jump Up” (From one of Mary Hazzard’s hymnals, New Lebanon, 1847)
“O the Simple Gifts of God” (From one of Mary Hazzard’s hymnals, New Lebanon. Song originated in North Union, Ohio—date unknown)
10 11 12 13 14 15 16 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To my family
for their unfailing love and support through the years
Contents
American Shakerism originated in England in the eighteenth century. Its leader, a charismatic woman named Ann Lee, was believed by her followers to be the second coming of Christ in female form. After being persecuted for those beliefs in England, she and a small band of followers came to America in 1774 to settle in Watervliet, New York, and there established the first community of the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing, more commonly known as Shakers.
When religious fervor swept the Western frontier at the turn of the nineteenth century, the Shakers, whose communities in New England were flourishing, found the spiritual atmosphere in Kentucky perfect for expanding their religion to the west. By the middle of the nineteenth century the Shakers had nineteen communities spread through the New England states and Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana.
The Shaker doctrines of celibacy, communal living, and the belief that perfection could be attained in this life were all based on revelations that Mother Ann claimed to have divinely received. The name
Shakers
came from the way they worshiped. At times when a member received the “spirit,” he or she would begin shaking all over. These sorts of “gifts of the spirit,” along with other spiritual manifestations such as visions, were considered by the Shakers to be confirmation of the same direct communication with God they believed their Mother Ann had experienced.
Since the Shakers believed that work was part of worship and that God dwelt in the details of that work, they devoted themselves to doing everything—whether farming or making furniture and brooms or developing better seeds—to honor the Eternal Father and Mother Ann. Shaker communities thrived until the Civil War, which proved to be a very difficult time for the Shaker communities, partly because they never refused to feed those who came hungry into their communities and partly because their normal trade routes to the South were disrupted by the war. On one day after the Battle of Perryville in Kentucky, the Shakers at Pleasant Hill saw ten thousand troops march through their village and they served fourteen thousand meals.
After the war, much change came to the nation. Factories began producing brooms, furniture, preserves, and other products the Shakers had made, and these were sold at prices that pushed the Shakers out of the market. Jobs were easier to find, fewer and fewer young people were willing to accept the strict, celibate life of the Shakers, and the sect gradually died out. The few remaining Shakers reside at the last active Shaker village, Sabbathday Lake in Maine.
In Kentucky, the Shaker villages of Pleasant Hill and South Union have been restored and attract many visitors curious about the Shaker lifestyle. These historical sites provide a unique look at the austere beauty of the Shakers’ craftsmanship. The sect’s songs and strange worship echo in the impressive architecture of their buildings. Visitors also learn about the Shakers’ innovative ideas in agriculture and industry that improved life not only in their own communities but also in the “world” they were so determined to shut away.
Mercer County, Kentucky
April 1861
“The Shakers! Have you taken leave of your senses, Edwin? You can’t seriously be considering joining the Shakers?” The words came out harsher than Charlotte Vance intended, and Edwin Gilbey stepped back from her until the budding branches of the lilac bush behind him had to be poking holes in his dinner jacket.
“Please, Charlotte. Calm yourself. You know I can’t abide a scene.” He sounded alarmed as he shifted his eyes away from her face to look longingly over her shoulder toward the veranda door.
Charlotte’s irritation grew as she stared at Edwin in the light of the nearly full moon. He didn’t even like social gatherings. Behind her the door opened, and laughter mixed with the music of the string ensemble she’d hired from Lexington flowed out into the garden. The party seemed to be proceeding well in spite of the charged emotions in the air.
When her father first sent word from Frankfort that he wanted her to arrange a grand gala for his return home to Grayson Farm after completing his business in the capital city, she’d doubted his sanity. Surely as a senator in the state legislature he was more than aware the country was teetering on the brink of destruction after Mr. Lincoln had taken the oath of office and moved into the White House last month. Half a dozen Southern states had already followed South Carolina out of the Union. That’s all anybody was talking about. Whether they could do that. Whether the government should allow them to do that. Whether there would be armed conflict to preserve the Union.
How in the world did her father expect them to have a civil party with half the guests waving the Union flag and the other half shouting states’ rights and favoring secession? She’d sent a message back to him saying they might as well lay the dueling pistols on the table in the front hall and let the men take turns out on Grayson’s front lawn. But he had made light of her worries and on return post had insisted he had news to announce that required the finest party she’d ever arranged. Astounding news.
Charlotte had surmised he was bringing word back to Grayson that the Constitutional Union Party had pegged him as their next candidate for governor. Certainly reason enough to dare entertaining in spite of the political climate. But no, that hadn’t been his news. Instead he had handed a woman dressed to the nines in silk and jewels down out of the carriage and introduced her as his wife.
Not wife-to-be. Wife. A woman from the North. Selena Harley Black. A widow with a young son somewhere still in the North, or so Betty Jamison had whispered in Charlotte’s ear while her father escorted his bride from group to group to introduce her. Of course, after the death of Charlotte’s mother, Betty had entertained the improbable notion that she might eventually catch Charlotte’s father’s eye.
When the veranda door closed again and muffled the sound of the party, Charlotte was relieved. She couldn’t think about her father and that woman right now. Not with Edwin talking this ridiculous Shaker talk. One problem at a time. She turned her attention back to the man pinned against her mother’s favorite lilac bush. He shifted uneasily on his feet and glanced over his shoulder as though considering an escape under the lilac’s branches, even if it meant spoiling the knees of his trousers.
“But Edwin,” she said as sweetly as she could under the circumstances. “Unless I am greatly mistaken, the Shakers have a ban on matrimony.”