Half-title
Other Abingdon Press books by Karen Barnett
Other Abingdon Press books by Karen Barnett
Mistaken
The Golden Gate Chronicles
Out of the Ruins
Beyond the Ashes
Through the Shadows
Title Page
Cpyright Page
Through the Shadows
Copyright © 2016 by Karen Barnett
All rights reserved.
No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted by the 1976 Copyright Act or in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission can be addressed to Permissions, The United Methodist Publishing House, 2222 Rosa L. Parks Blvd., PO Box 280988, Nashville, TN, 37228-0988 or e-mailed to [email protected].
The persons and events portrayed in this work of fiction are the creations of the author, and any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
Macro Editor: Teri Wilhelms
Published in association with the Books & Such Literary Agency.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Barnett, Karen, 1969- author.
Title: Through the shadows / Karen Barnett.
Description: First edition. | Nashville : Abingdon Press, [2016] | Series:
The Golden Gate chronicles ; book 3
Identifiers: LCCN 2015037196 (print) | LCCN 2015041106 (ebook) | ISBN
9781426781452 (softcover) | ISBN 9781501816321 (e-book)
Subjects: LCSH: Man-woman relationships—Fiction. | San Francisco
(Calif.)—History—Fiction. | GSAFD: Christian fiction. | Love stories.
Classification: LCC PS3602.A77584 T48 2016 (print) | LCC PS3602.A77584
(ebook) | DDC 813/.6—dc23
LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015037196
Scripture quotations, unless noted otherwise, are from The Authorized (King James) Version. Rights in the Authorized Version in the United Kingdom are vested in the Crown. Reproduced by permission of the Crown’s patentee, Cambridge University Press.
Scripture quotation marked (NIV) is taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
Dedication andAcknowledgments
To my two precious kids
You bless my life in unimaginable ways.
Acknowledgments
Thank you to:
• My patient family. Who else could put up with my long days and nights at the computer and my incessant talk about people who don’t really exist?
• My talented critique / prayer partners: Tammy Bowers, Heidi Gaul, Patricia Lee, Christina Nelson, and Marilyn Rhoads. “As iron sharpens iron, / so one person sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17 NIV).
• Rachel Kent, my wonderful agent. Thanks for being my “safety bar” on this crazy publishing roller coaster ride.
• Ramona Richards, Cat Hoort, Teri Wilhelms, Pamela Clements, and everyone at Abingdon Fiction. In this challenging time, I appreciate you taking a chance on me and on this series.
• My musically gifted friend, Amy Nelke, for advising me on the secret inner life of a professional musician.
• To the kind volunteers at the Cameron House for inspiring me with several biographies of Donaldina Cameron and a personalized tour of “920.”
• My dear friend, Autumn Zimmerman. Thank you for being my cheerleader and tour guide and for enduring countless questions about San Francisco and the legal world.
• The absolutely remarkable “San Francisco History” Facebook group. Whenever I posted a question, they had the answer. Thank you to Nick Wright, John A. Harris, Carol Tigerman, Mark Reed, and so many others!
• The Christian writing community, especially the “Bookies” of Books & Such Literary, Oregon Christian Writers (OCW), American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), and the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference.
Epigraph
Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see.
’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed!
Through many dangers, toils, and snares
I have already come;
’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.
The Lord has promised good to me,
His Word my hope secures;
He will my Shield and Portion be,
As long as life endures.
When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we’d first begun.
John Newton (1779)
Chapter 1
1
Sacramento, California
June 1908
Elizabeth King held her fingers against the ivory keys, refusing to stir as the final chord faded and silence descended on the parlor. Were God ever to speak to her, she imagined it would be in the precious instant after a last note died away and before an audience responded. The moment preserved a holy space, as if the breath of divinity hung in the air.
No voice arrived today, but there was no audience either.
She ran her fingertips along the cool surface, the black and white pattern softening as her eyes blurred with tears. God wouldn’t converse with the likes of her, anyway.
After three years of intense instruction, every note conjured Tobias’s memory—his touch. Elizabeth sprang from the stool and stalked to the window, staring out at the darkening clouds. She couldn’t let her mind travel to those memories. Before she knew it, she’d be at his door.
“Turn your back on me, and you’re finished. You’ll never perform again.”
She’d done the right thing. So why did the shame still cling, like a vine curling around her soul?
Her