Dawn of the Golden Promise Read online

  Here’s what they’re saying about BJ Hoff’s The Emerald Ballad series

  Book 1 Song of the Silent Harp…

  “All the color and imagery of a film enliven this story…Rarely has a novel captured so authentically the enduring faith of the Irish peasant…”

  EOIN MCKIERNAN, FOUNDER, IRISH AMERICAN CULTURAL INSTITUTE

  Book 2 Heart of the Lonely Exile…

  “…A brilliant picture of the excitement and drama of life in New York City a century ago.”

  IRISH BOOKS AND MEDIA

  “These are people to admire and care about, people who have struggled with the demons of sickness, death, and despair, and have survived because of their strong faith and trust in God.”

  OHIOANA QUARTERLY

  “A captivating, faith-filled saga as exuberant, lyrical, and spirited as the Irish themselves…A historical saga so rich, so vivid, and so riveting you’ll feel like you’ve gone back in time.”

  GUIDEPOSTS BOOK CLUB

  Book 3 Land of a Thousand Dreams…

  “A big, colorful novel, full of the type of upbeat Christian values to be found in much of Hoff ’s fiction.”

  IRISH ECHO

  “…captures the melodic vernacular of the Irish world through a myriad of complex characters in a sweeping story of the battle to survive, on both the peasant lands of the Emerald Isle and on the uncertain streets of New York.”

  WEST COAST REVIEW OF BOOKS

  Book 4 Sons of an Ancient Glory…

  “Hoff tells a number of striking stories, all involving characters we come to care about immediately. She clearly knows her history, her religion, and her audience, and does a fine job of presenting the first two to the third. This is a series that deserves a lengthy run.”

  WEST COAST REVIEW OF BOOKS

  RECIPIENT OF CHRISTIANITY TODAY’S CRITIC’S CHOICE BOOK AWARD, FICTION

  Book 5 Dawn of the Golden Promise and the entire Emerald Ballad series…

  “Hoff is a master at sustaining interest in her characters over the long haul…and has a gift for writing about day-to-day spirituality. Hoff writes with imagination and, in some cases, compelling suspense. Her love of family and reverence for the past shine on every page.”

  KAREN PALMER, MANSFIELD NEWS JOURNAL

  “…Hoff has reaffirmed some of our most cherished myths about our nation—that America is a land of opportunity where hard work is rewarded, one melting pot under God. Couple that mythos with some likable characters and strong narrative, and it is no wonder these books enjoy such a vast readership.”

  ELIZABETH CODY NEWENHUYSE IN CHRISTIANITY TODAY

  “I was so surprised at this ending and I was also quite sad that it was over! This is literature at its best by an author that deserves the awards she’s been receiving. Your knowledge will be increased, your faith strengthened, while being entertained immensely at the same time. Highly, highly recommend!”

  AMAZON.COM REVIEWER FROM OHIO

  Dawn of the

  Golden

  Promise

  THE EMERALD BALLAD

  BJ HOFF

  HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS

  EUGENE, OREGON

  Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

  With the exception of recognized historical figures, the characters in this novel are fictional, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  Cover by Koechel Peterson & Associates, Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota

  Cover photos © Thinkstock; iStockphoto

  BJ Hoff: Published in association with the Books & Such Literary Agency, 52 Mission Circle, Suite 122, PMB 170, Santa Rosa, CA 95409-5370, www.booksandsuch.biz.

  DAWN OF THE GOLDEN PROMISE

  Copyright © 1994 by BJ Hoff

  Published by Harvest House Publishers

  Eugene, Oregon 97402

  www.harvesthousepublishers.com

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Hoff, B. J.

  Dawn of the golden promise / BJ Hoff.

  p. cm.—(The emerald ballad ; bk. 5)

  ISBN 978-0-7369-2796-3 (pbk.)

  ISBN 978-0-7369-4163-1 (eBook)

  1. Irish Americans—Fiction. 2. Ireland—Fiction. I. Title.

  PS3558.034395D38 2011

  813’.54—dc22

  2010047303

  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—electronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

  Printed in the United States of America

  11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 / LB-NI / 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  ABOUT BJ HOFF

  BJ Hoff’s bestselling historical novels continue to cross the boundaries of religion, language, and culture to capture a worldwide reading audience. In addition to the Emerald Ballad series, her books include such popular titles as Song of Erin and American Anthem and bestselling series such as The Riverhaven Years and The Mountain Song Legacy. Her stories, although set in the past, are always relevant to the present. Whether her characters move about in Ireland or America, in small country towns or metropolitan areas, reside in Amish settlements or in coal company houses, she creates communities where people can form relationships, raise families, pursue their faith, and experience the mountains and valleys of life.

  A direct descendant of Irish ancestors who came to this country before the Revolutionary War, BJ brings a decade of historical research and strong personal involvement to the Emerald Ballad series. Her understanding of the Irish people—their history, their struggles, their music, their indomitable spirit—lends to her writing all the passion and power of her own Irish heritage. BJ and her husband make their home in Ohio.

  BJ enjoys hearing from her readers. You may write to her in care of:

  Harvest House Publishers

  990 Owen Loop North

  Eugene, Oregon 97402

  Acknowledgments

  My warmest thanks and appreciation to Harvest House Publishers for publishing this new edition of Dawn of the Golden Promise, the fifth book of The Emerald Ballad series, and for their ongoing support and encouragement of my work.

  Contents

  Here’s what they’re saying about BJ Hoff’s The Emerald Ballad series

  About BJ Hoff

  Acknowledgments

  Principal Characters

  Glossary

  Prologue • The Heritage

  PART ONE

  THE PROMISE REMEMBERED • HOPE IN THE STORM

  1 Dark Terror

  2 Foreshadowings

  3 House of Hope

  4 Young Dreams

  5 A Hardhearted Woman

  6 Of Age and Time

  7 Uneasy Nights

  8 A Casting of Shadows

  9 A Birthday at Nelson Hall

  10 The Storm Closes In

  11 Long-Buried Secrets

  12 Brady of Broadway

  13 Unwelcome Arrivals

  14 Bearers of Good and Bad Tidings

  15 Feeble Breath of Hope

  16 Child of My Heart

  17 The Sound of a World Ending

  18 The Worst Deceit of All

  19 Confrontation

  PART TWO

  THE PROMISE FULFILLED • HOPE FOR THE HELPLESS

  20 Dark Corner of the Mind

  21 In the Vale of Love

  22 Preparations for the Journey

  23 Dark Forces
/>   24 In the Gloaming

  25 Night Terrors

  26 Echoes of a Nightmare

  27 Dread and Despair

  28 Battle to the Death

  29 Secret Pursuits

  30 Travesty of Justice

  31 Abandoned

  32 Justice or Mercy?

  33 A Well-Intentioned Deception

  PART THREE

  THE PROMISE RENEWED • HOPE FOR THE FUTURE

  34 Nation of Exiles, Land of Liberty

  35 Welcome to New York

  36 A Time for Sharing

  37 Letters

  38 Begin to Live

  39 The Abomination of the City

  40 An Encounter in the Park

  41 The Surgeon and the Seanchai

  42 In the Garden

  43 A Gathering at Bellevue

  44 For the Helpless and the Hopeless

  45 These Bright and Shining Gifts

  46 Morgan’s Star

  Epilogue • One Faithful Harp

  A Note from the Author

  Principal Characters

  IRELAND

  Morgan Fitzgerald: (the Seanchai)

  Poet, patriot, and schoolmaster. Grandson of British nobleman Richard Nelson. Formerly of County Mayo.

  Finola Fitzgerald:

  Wife of Morgan Fitzgerald.

  Annie (Aine) Fitzgerald:

  Belfast runaway adopted by Morgan Fitzgerald.

  Gabriel Thomas Fitzgerald:

  Son of Morgan and Finola.

  Sandemon: (the “West Indies Wonder”)

  Freed slave from Barbados. Hired companion and friend of Morgan Fitzgerald.

  Sister Louisa:

  Nun employed as a teacher by Morgan Fitzgerald for his new Academy.

  Tierney Burke:

  Rebellious son of Michael Burke. Formerly of New York City.

  Jan Martova:

  Roman Gypsy who befriends Tierney Burke.

  Lucy Hoy:

  Friend and nurse to Finola.

  AMERICA

  THE KAVANAGHS AND THE WHITTAKERS

  Daniel Kavanagh:

  Irish immigrant, formerly of Killala, County Mayo. Son of Owen (deceased) and Nora.

  Nora Kavanagh Whittaker:

  Irish immigrant, formerly of Killala, County Mayo. Wife of Evan Whittaker. Mother of Daniel Kavanagh.

  Evan Whittaker:

  British immigrant, formerly of London. Superintendent of Whittaker House, a home for orphaned and abandoned boys in New York City.

  Theodore Charles Lewis Whittaker (“Teddy”):

  Son of Evan and Nora.

  Johanna Fitzgerald:

  Irish immigrant adopted by Evan and Nora Whittaker. Niece of Morgan Fitzgerald.

  THE BURKES AND THE FARMINGTONS

  Michael Burke:

  Irish immigrant, New York City police captain, formerly of Killala, County Mayo.

  Sara Farmington Burke:

  Daughter of shipbuilding magnate, Lewis Farmington. Wife of Michael Burke.

  Lewis Farmington:

  Shipbuilder, Christian philanthropist.

  Winifred Farmington : (“Aunt Winnie”)

  Wife of Lewis Farmington. Evan Whittaker’s aunt, formerly of England.

  THE DALTONS

  Jess Dalton:

  Mission pastor, author, and abolitionist, former West Point Chaplain.

  Kerry Dalton:

  Irish immigrant, formerly of County Kerry. Wife of Jess.

  Casey-Fitz Dalton:

  Irish immigrant orphan, adopted by the Daltons.

  Amanda Ward:

  Orphan living with Jess and Kerry Dalton.

  OTHERS

  Patrick Walsh:

  Irish immigrant, formerly of County Cork. Crime boss.

  Alice Walsh:

  Wife of Patrick. Mother of Isabel and Henry.

  Billy Hogan:

  Fatherless Irish immigrant, formerly of County Sligo. Resident of Whittaker House.

  Quinn O’Shea:

  Newly arrived Irish immigrant with troubled past. Formerly of County Roscommon. Employed by the Whittakers.

  Denny Price:

  Irish immigrant, New York City police sergeant, formerly of County Donegal.

  Nicholas Grafton:

  New York City physician.

  Jakob Gunther:

  Viennese surgeon now practicing in New York City.

  Glossary

  a gra

  my love

  alannah

  my child

  aroon

  my dear, my love

  bostoon

  a worthless fellow

  glunter

  a stupid person

  gorsoon

  boy

  gulpin

  a clownish, uncouth person

  macushla

  my darling

  ma girsha

  my girl

  mo chara

  my friend

  Seanchai

  storyteller

  For no matter how many promises God has

  made, they are “Yes” in Christ.

  2 CORINTHIANS 1:20

  PROLOGUE

  The Heritage

  This heritage to the race of kings,

  Their children and their children’s seed

  Have wrought their prophecies in deed

  Of terrible and splendid things.

  JOSEPH PLUNKETT (1887–1916)

  Killala, County Mayo, Ireland

  December 1818

  The winter’s day was cold and grim, damp from last night’s rain. Owen Kavanagh stood silently at the graveside of his two brothers: Owen’s twin, Brian, seventeen, and Baby Dominic, scarcely a year. Both had been victims of the raging typhus epidemic claiming countless numbers throughout all Ireland.

  Their wee Dominic had been a surprise to them all, born late, the last of six children. Of the six, Owen was the only one left.

  In the village these days, voices hushed at the mention of Peg Kavanagh and the six sons she had birthed, only to bury them all, except for Owen. The deadly typhus had claimed Peg’s three sons by her first husband, as well as two sired by her second man, Dan Kavanagh.

  It would be up to Owen now to keep the birthright for the family and guard the Harp of Caomhanach—the Kavanagh Harp—for future generations. By rights the harp had belonged to Owen’s twin, Brian, the eldest by no more than a minute. But with Brian gone, the harp now passed to Owen.

  He knew what was said about him in the village, Owen did. That he was as unlikely an heir to the ancient harp as could be found anywhere in the family tree. The villagers knew, as he did, that the Kavanagh harp would not sing again for who could say how long a time. For in truth, Owen Kavanagh took after his father, Dan, who had not a note of music within him, not a note. Indeed, neither of the two had been able to manage the traditional lament over the graveside this day. Instead, they had sent for Tom O’Malley from Kilcummin to come and play.

  Owen had known since he was but a lad that he was not suited for graceful things like music and books and conversation. Like his da, he knew only the land, its strengths and its weaknesses, its defiance and its fickle ways. He was a long-legged, long-armed ploughboy who could figure simple sums and write the family names in the Holy Bible, and little more.

  He was nothing like his twin, Brian, who had a voice that would charm the birds from the bushes and the bees from their hives. Brian, quick-witted and nimble-footed, who would dance at the crossing until daybreak, just as his uncle, Brian the Older, had been known to do before his hanging.

  It would seem there had always been a branch of the bard and a branch of the farm boy in the Kavanagh tree, and there was no doubting which branch Owen had sprung from. But even though he could not pluck the strings and make the harp sing, he expected he was man enough to guard its legacy. And so he would.

  One day, perhaps, he would have sons of his own, and when that time came, the eldest would inherit the ancient harp. Owen hoped he would have himself at least
one boy from the same branch that had produced merry lads like his brother and his uncle. He thought it would be a fine thing indeed to have a son who could make the Kavanagh harp sing again in his own lifetime.

  As he stood now between his parents, his father’s hand upon his shoulder and Owen’s arm about his mother to steady her in her grief, Owen shed his farewell tears for his two brothers. Even though it was another who strummed the harp and sang the lament which for generations had concluded the burial services of Kavanagh males, Owen reverently voiced each word in his heart:

  “My harp will sing across the land,

  across the past and years to be.

  No loss or grief nor death itself

  will still its faithful melody.”

  Owen felt his mother’s thin body threaten to slump, and he tightened his grasp to support her. At the same time, his father increased the pressure of his hand on Owen’s shoulder as the last strains of the Kavanagh lament rose and drifted out, across the graveyard:

  “To sing the presence of a God

  who conquers even exile’s pain—

  Who heals the wandering pilgrim’s wound

  and leads him home in joy again.”

  PART ONE

  THE PROMISE REMEMBERED

  Hope in the Storm

  The promise is for you and your children

  and for all who are far off…

  ACTS 2:39

  1

  Dark Terror

  For hope will expire

  As the terror draws nigher,

  And, with it, the Shame…

  JAMES CLARENCE MANGAN (1803–1849)

  Near the coast of Portugal